In this blog post I will share a section from my Costa Rica 2017 Reflection Journal. Today we left San Jose early to arrive to Tortuguerra, located in the Province of Limon. Wow, what a total change of scenery! We arrived at a boat that would have taken us to the hotel we were staying at. There were others nearby, two of them on the opposite side of the one we were staying in, Rana Roja. This is in the middle of the rainforest. They call this eco-tourism. There were no air conditioning units anywhere. The largest change besides the scenery, is the humidity in the air. Nothing dries.

Then we went to the village of Tortuguerro. Wow, what a total unique way of life. These people are truly having minimum impact on the environment. I bought some items even though it was not a good deal. I felt it was more. It was something to help the community. Andreas had introduced us to Mauricio in Tortutuguerro. He collects the shells of the yellow almond tree after a bird eats the almonds. I bought a turtle that Mauricio that he had hand carved. He had explained that he used to be a tour guide and when the government regulated tourism he had to look for something else. This is a picture depicting Mauricio hand-crafting a turtle.

Amazing as our tour guide, Andreas, would say. The tour guide could make or break a tour. I am truly grateful to have a tour guide so knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and down to earth. He has really elevated this trip. At night, I heard sounds like I have never heard before. The rooms were not equipped with air conditioning so there are no window. Just screens where the window would be. You can hear everything. Especially the holler monkeys. Originally, I thought it was a larger animal. The next day Andreas had corrected that. I would say living this is less of a carbon footprint than what I am used to in the United States. I did not sleep well. I felt very warm, but I got through the night. It rained majority of the night. I took a shower in the morning and felt refreshed ready to start the day. The second night there, I actually woke up cold about 3am. The entire trip is unique, but this little part of Costa Rica seems to be special. It appears that the residents of Tortuguerro did not have many possessions, but people were content. Kids are playing having a fun time. Stress levels seemed lower than what I am used to.