Day 3: 6/23/18
I was worried that my amazing experience yesterday at Manuel Antonio would result in disappointment for today’s excursion to Tortuguero. I’ve been this wrong plenty of times before, but damn.
After the third morning in a row of having to wake up at 5am, when my body is still two hours ahead of Tico time, the day started with the realization that almost everyone on the tour bus spoke Chinese. In fact, I learned that communication on a group tour is highly dependent on where you sit in the language of those around you speak.
Our guide started off our bus ride as we drove over a bridge out of San Jose by pointing out that the police had a presence there at the moment, which meant someone had probably jumped to their death. His tone was of sorrow, but it was clear this was a commonplace occurrence here. Very sad for a country that takes pride in being the “happiest country in the world.”
Speaking of seating choices, I ate breakfast with the Chinese family this morning. The language barrier was intense, and I knew for the first time in my life that I was completely unable to communicate with words. It honestly gave me a newfound respect for the kids at school who have experienced that same thing.
I caught myself at the lunch buffet, asking what something was… but I asked in Spanish without realizing it. It only occurred to me what I had just done when I didn’t understand the response. At the same time, I quickly learned that “cerlo” means pork!
Speaking of food, there are roosters and chickens running around everywhere once you get outside of the city. I am not sure if there is a rhyme or reason for it because it seems as though they just flow along the streets like the locals do. Speaking of which, I am shocked that more Ticos are not hit by passing vehicles. Especially those motorbikes… the ones that feel straight out of Grand Theft Auto… By the way, where is GTA: San Jose? Perfect place for a video game setting! There are quite a few friend chicken places outside of the city as well. My favorite log by far has been the “Super Pollo” logo, which is in clear violation of copyright laws. Perhaps the abundance of fried chicken is why the locals are not in as good of shape as I had expected. I can’t really talk though…
The cows here are all grass-fed and delicious. The hotel restaurant is phenomenal and their steak is very good. I love the peaceful atmosphere by the pool at night. Everyone else is conversing or watching tv in the lounge area, but I can’t believe no one else has discovered this tranquility. The cows we saw on today’s journey were quite skinny, though. Makes me wonder what all we pump through them in the US.
It was brought to my attention today that many in Central America refer to the US as the “United States of North America.” I didn’t press as to whether it was a sense of separation or if it was a sense of Central American pride.
Above all, today has continued to open my eyes on how sheltered I have allowed myself to be culturally.
The boat ride into Tortuguero was easily straight out of Jurassic Park! I always was snooty about the ride at Universal and at other similar places in the US, but they actually got a lot of it right. The major difference, of course, is that the real jungle has far more animals. Crocodiles were everywhere, along with more iguanas, lizards, and other reptiles. I only saw one snake, though, which is fine by me… I’m not ready to fully break the comfort zone yet. Howler monkeys made their presence known often, and the birds were magnificent! I saw toucans and macaws, and plenty of others that I am not avian-ological enough to begin knowing what they were. The fauna was probably just as amazing, but I am still not able to fully appreciate it, although the greenery is still very striking.
The journey through the rainforest in the van, on the way back was quite scary. I have already mentioned my apprehension with the Costa Rican drivers, and a thunderstorm in the pouring rain is no different. In fact, they had the windows down to keep things cool. The journey, in spite of feeling like death was at the door, was quite exciting. The lightning seemed as if it was right next to us, which made me wonder if it was, or if the clouds of the rainforest were simply reflecting the light… I will have to look it up later… Wait, vacation causing me to want to learn something just for my own knowledge? Is that allowed?
I guess there’s nothing like speeding at top speed through the rainforest in a storm when it’s dark to make your thoughts wander…