Day 17.. The big 3

The thunderstorm that raged and the deluge that accompanied it was so frickin loud that I could not sleep. Until 3am when it started to die down, so I took my time getting up this morning!

The only thing I had planned today was the turtle walk and I still didn't know what time slot I had been allocated.

I wandered down to the town, navigating the narrow streets between houses with confidence borne from familiarity. They are building a new house and it looks like it is going to be a pricey one by Tortuguero standards. Inside everything is all finished with shiny white tiles. The outside shell still has a way to go. In comparison, next door to it is possible the most tumbledown excuse for a house I have seen here. In its garden are stores of the corrigated metal used for the roofing here and other building supplies. The house itself looks like its falling down.

I carry on, to the pier area to find a good breakfast. I sit in one of the sodas munching on gallo pinto watching the world go by. A world considerably different, but not necessarily bad different.

Here, the bicycle is king of transport. There are no cars, no roads wide enough for cars. The only motorised transport I have seen in 1 ATV that was being used by the telecomms workers to carry their equipment. Other than that, it is all bicycles, or walking.

The bicycles here are functional things, many with flat tyres, rusty chains (there is a lot of rain here), elongated handlebars and strong sturdy frames. For many, they attach to carts, to deliver supplies and goods to people from the shops or drag their roadside business of fruit vending or smoothie making around to cater to the tourists needs.

I feel different from many of the wide eyed tourists jumping off the boat. I feel that i have assimilated into this place. Many of the tourists that are bombarded by guides for tours here and there, sign up, pay their dollars without considering if there is another way. As I have explained before, there is no other way to do the turtle tour, but the day walks and the canoes and the tour to the 'mountain' are all possible to do yourself.

I do wonder whether by being more independant in my travel, that I am denying money to the economy, but to be fair, it just means I have done more, stayed longer and spent the same amount of money.

Todays mission was to work out how to get a boat to Cerro Tortuguero... the hill that stood out in this very flat area. There was a walk you could do up it. You had to pay $2 online for entry and find a boat there and back. So I went and asked at the info centre, was directed to a young man, asked him and was informed that it went at 5, 9, 11 3 and 5 and cost 1000 colones one way. Perfect. That was tomorrow sorted.

I went back to the hotel and chilled out for a bit... having had no sleep last night and the turtle walk tonight, I was not worried abojt not rushing around... but then I got a message from the guide I have been trying to arrange a night walk with... (he has been unable to find a slot for another night walk yet). Victor was messaging me to say that Sandra, the lady who was one of the guides on the night walk) had found a pit viper for me. It was in the Sea Turtle conservancy centre. So I threw some shoes on and raced there... it was hot and sticky but I almost ran I was so excited. As I walked up to the gates I saw a group of the Conservancy people starting at the trees, I looked up expecting to see the pit viper... to my shock, almost within arms reach was a sloth!!

She had been found on the ground in the conservancy (probably doing her weekly defecation) and they had carried her over to the trees in a towel and set her on a trunk and she was now climbing up. She was so close and seemed much smaller than they look up high on the trees. Her movements slow and purposeful, raching round with her three toes and claws and grabbing hold of the branches.

I felt REALLY lucky... this was pretty close to be to a sloth. She did look a bit bedraggled... probably as a result of all the previous rain. She made her way up the tree. After a while, I remembered why I was here.... to see a snake. The sloth was a major bonus though.

I asked and the sea conservacy volunteers took me to the palm tree. The high up, well camouflaged and wrapped round a frond, was a pit viper, one of the green coloured ones. Wow! How the hell did anyone see that!

I was told that a security guard had heard some birds making a commotion and had gone to check the cause. He found them all hovering around the pit viper.

It was still a good spot. I wouldn't have looked that high up to be honest... but there he was... his cute little tail wrapped round a frond. The palm leaf he was on was pulled down to allow me a closer look... he wasn't bothered, just sat there curled up. So cute!!

My day was made... a pit viper and a sloth close up! Can't beat that. I gave some. money to the volunteers for the turtles as a thank you for showing me the snake. Happy Lid!

I wondered back. Keeping my eye out everywhere... snakes seemed to appear in places I wasn't expecting.

More time to kill. The turtle slot we had been given was 10 till 12 midnight. And then it started raining again.... a lot.!

So be it.

I went to my room and as I did the hotel cat appeared for a stroke. It then ran into my room... hopped onto my bed and settled down. Fine by me. The lady who runs the place put down her bucket and started to come and get the cat out but I said no problem and spent the next couple of hours reading my book and steoking the cat.

As the time to leave approached, I wondered what to do. Chase out the cat into the pouring rain? Leave the cat in my room?

I opted for the second option... obviously and even left the door ajar so if she wanted to go out, she could. It seems pretty safe here and all was in my room really was very dirty, smelly clothes! No one would want to steal those..

I headed out, already appreciative of tge fact that I was going to get very wet. I had my water shoes on, no socks, my long black trousers and my rain jacket over a tshirt that was already damp from before. We had to wear dark clothing for the turtles so we wouldn't disturb them.

I found my group, which seemd to be all spanish speakers, except me... the guide didn't really say much to me, he was too busy conversing with the spaniards about the relative prices of fish and cheese in their countries and how much things have gone up... I understand a heap more spanish than I can speak. After 15 minutes of being ignored another guide came out and explained that his group was too big so one of them had to go with our group and he then said that for the purposes of all the instruction we (me and person from the other group) would listen to him in english and then go with the other guide for the actual beach bit. The gentleman that joined our group was from belgium and as we were the only 2 non fluent spanish speakers, we decided to stick together. Wouter was a medical student, studying to be a G. P in Belgium, lived in Antwerp, followed Chelsea F. C and followed some of the pro cycling.

We headed off, following our guide. He was charging along the trail, ploughing through the mud. I followed in my water shoes... Wouter was a bit more hesitant in his new boots... I warned him that he might as well get used to the mud and water and soon he had given up trying to keep his feet dry too. Just as well, as the trail was essentially a river, with bits that were almost ankle deep.

We ploughed on, I was also using the opportunity to cast my torch on the side to look for snakes and frogs.... seeing very little. At one point, I thought I saw a flash of yellow but we were being ushered on by our guide and there was no time to stop and investigate.

Then we got to our marker post... and then we waited.

Essentially the spotters on the beach look for the turtles and then wait for them to dig their hole. They mustn't be disturbed in this phase as they may then turn around and go back to sea. When they start laying their eggs, that is the point that we can then group around and watch and we can also watch them cover up the hole and go back into the sea.

It is almost military in the organisation. We are not allowed torches, only the guides have red lights, we aren't allowed photos.

We stood at the marker post waiting for a spotter to tell us there was a turtle we could go and watch. They found one and we traipsed slowly and blindly after each other, falling down some previously dug turtle holes in the process, it was so dark.

Eventually we were held at another spot to wait for the turtle to begin laying. We stood there a while. There was a problem. The turtle was missing half a flipper (possibly a shark injury) and was finding it difficult to dig in the spot she had selected, so she gave up and turned around. At which point we were ushered closer to watch her head back to the ocean. It seemed such hard work for her to pull herself along the sand, especially with a flipper that wasn't whole. She pulled herself up and over the detritus at the water line and then over a bank of sand.

She was massive and majestic, even when awkward in her efforts to move over the sand. I was awe bound!

The red light followed her as she made it to the surf and then seemed to pause as she waited for a big wave to help her back in the ocean. I felt a bit sad for her... all that effort, only to turn aroundand go back without laying the eggs.

We watch the sea swallow her and we were once again plunged into blackness.

They hoped to find another turtle already about to lay or nearly finished the hole as time was rushing on and we had to be off the beach by 12. There followed another period of waiting, in the rain, watching the sea slam into the shore.

Another tyrtle was found, this one had already laid its eggs and was starting to make its way back to the sea, so again we stood and watched as this magnificent reptile struggled over the sand. This one seemed to be having an easier time of it and made faster progress as we watched her. She sank into the sea and the waves washed over her shell and she sunk beneath.

It seemed a bit of an odd thing... that nature made this animal, so proficient in the sea, so inept on land, made her have to come out on land to lay eggs. You would think nature would have come up with a better plan!

We didn't have time for another turtle so made our way out. I was not very disappointed that I didn't see eggs as actually I thought watching the turtles return to the sea was pretty special.

I got back to my room... the cat was still there, curled up on the bed.! Happy as Larry, bith