Tortuguero Day 2 & Sarapiqui

If yesterday's lack of a post is any indication, our second day in Tortuguero and our first (and only) day in Sarapiqui have been a whirlwind! I will try to make this post quick as our current hotel's tree house-like, rustic charm leaves me exposed to mosquitoes in the common area and the safety of my netted room calls.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Tortuguero is accessible only by river boat and bush plane so our students spent a great deal of time viewing the rain forest from the water. Morning rains meant for a relatively short howler monkey wake up call and an unwelcome additional dose of humidity. The cool breeze on our racing river boats was a welcome change and the students saw a laundry list of incredible plants and animals while touring Tortuguero National Park.

A river boat full of Deal students races to be the first to see a monkey

A basilisk pauses just before escaping our adolescents by running across the water

The caiman seemed less concerned about our young naturalists

The trogon, a relative of the queztal

Students board our "wuber" (water-Uber)

A sunset snapshot from Tortuguero

A toucan perches above our hotel before dinner

This hat, made by our guide during the cruise, was a prize for remembering Latin names

Mr. Byrd spies wildlife

Our guide, Jonathan

Adios!

After our standard breakfast of rice, beans, local fruits, eggs, and sausage, the students hopped back on the boats to make our way to the main land and Sarapiqui. Our record-breakingly large group is again split between three hotels so the students' itineraries varied today, but we will all zip line and white-water raft while here. Today, my group split to enjoy some free time at the hotel while others explored a chocolate reserve. Those who chose to learn more about chocolate left with an inaccurate confidence in their ability to make chocolate from scratch and sore stomachs from the seemingly endless samples. Don't worry, parents, they all left room for plenty of beans and rice at dinner and are all soundly asleep now.

Student enjoy learning how to make chocolate

A scarlet macaw our eagle-eyed bus driver, Louis, pointed out

Cute, but deadly (thank goodness for zoom lenses)

Too much fun on the bus!

Our adventurers soak up views of the Sarapiqui River

Tomorrow looks to be one of our trip's most exciting adventures as we explore Sarapiqui's tree tops and namesake river before heading to the Arenal region. The students are slowing getting over the shock of being so far from the comforts of home and have mostly hit their stride as travelers. While questions about wifi and air conditioning are still frequent, the increased curiosity about wildlife and cultural differences is a good indication that students are beginning to become aware of why Costa Rica is such a special place.

Pura vida!