18 December 2011 Family Vacation

¡Hola familia! The Postera's and the McNett's including Patrick are in Costa Rica! Todd, Liz and Katie flew in last Monday and ventured north, coming back to meet up with the Posteras, Ada and Patrick, and drove down to Dominical yesterday. We are in the lovely Villa Toucan Tango, and went to the beach for the first time today. The weather is a little uncooperative, the rainy season keeps going even though it's the dry season now. We've seen some awesome little critters, a few of us saw a group of ten capuchen monkeys (white faced, see previous blog on monkeys for more info on the four types of monkeys found in Costa Rica), Uncle Rick has self-proclaimed himself as "chosen" and "green" because a lizard skittered up his leg at dinner last night :)

This blog was created to share information and educate before our trip, but it can also be used as a source of free communication between us and others. We'll be posting fun adventures and pictures of us and cool animals and insects we find, feel free to ask questions, email us (we have internet, but limited phone). We're having a blast and the party has just begun!

This is a little lizard guy that Todd and Katie stumbled across on a walk, waiting for the sun to come warm it up.

Toucans up north, still just the three of us. Look at the coloring on the beak, bright green with bright orange, blue and purple colored accents.

This was taken today at the Playa Hermosa (Beautiful Beach), this is a chestnut-mandable toucan and if you compare it with the previous toucan pictured, the coloring is different. The beak is a rich brown on bottom and a yellow-light green on top with no bright colored accents.

These are just a few of our awesome photos, we'll be posting soon, it just takes ten minutes to upload a picture and it hogs all the internet at the house so everyone gets cranky.

Hah, Uncle Rick just got pooped on by a gecko, classic.

Buenas Dias!

¡Hola familia! No puedo espérame más, ¡quiero que ustedes están aquí ahorita! It's been unseasonally rainy so far, fairly cool too. Remember to pack your light rain coat and a warm layer. We finally made it to our destination of Hotel Guachípelín about ten miles out of Libería in the Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Our car rental guy told us to take a route that isn't main highway, which isn't usually a problem, except when we leave at noon from the hotel, get turned around trying to find Aunt Jamie prospective house in San Ramon twice and then trying to navigate the smaller highways in the dark, we ended up staying at a small cabina in San Rafael. I got top bunk, dad got bottom bunk, and mom got the single, the room itself was about 10'x8' and had a little bathroom connected but it was clean and had no bugs so it was perfect.

Along the road we found some beautiful places, one of them was a hillside that because of the increased rain, had FOUR big waterfalls going down it that we drove right next to, b-e-a-utiful!

We also encountered many bridges, all one lane, but this one takes the cake at OMG, it was a suspension bridge that was the longest we went over by far.

Yesterday, dad and I went to the Río Negro Hot Springs, part of the hotel we're staying at. They had several pools, the hottest being 40 degrees C and several progressively cooler pools. We crossed a suspension bridge over a river and got to paint ourselves with "volcanic mud" and went in some more beautiful pools. Today we plan on going into Libería or finding cell signal here, mom needs to make a work call and dad and I are going to explore.

See you Saturday morning! ¡Hasta la mañana de Sabado!

We made it! All of us are showered and fresh, the humidity is already making me look like medusa and our rental car should be here in twenty minutes. Flights were good, practically no layover in Dallas. It is currently raining, a light rain, but it will make our first trip in the car more interesting.

Leaving customs

We have decided to go north for the first leg of the trip, to la Hacienda Guachipelín, located northwest of Liberia near the Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja. We will go exploring around that park and the neighboring parks all situated around volcanoes. There are supposed to be awesome hot springs, waterfalls and wildlife. Five days until we're back here to pick you up!!

Packing List Suggestions

Hola familia, ¡buenas dias! Hoy es tan fria pero muy bonita, ¿no?


As we've been preparing to pack, or just thinking about all that we might need, I thought I would supply my input on what to and what not to pack.

When you pack, keep in mind that it is going to be very very humid, that means you are going to be sweating and not drying very fast. The air is moist almost always, you're clothes get soaked from walking down a sunny street! So remember, go synthetic! That means grab your polys and your blends because cotton will get wet, heavy, uncomfortable, and boy oh boy will it smell! Any underarmour stuff is usually good, maybe not the full on base body layer tops, but they make regular t-shirts too. A lot of REI shirts will be good, they make a most of their hiking shirts and travel shirts with blends of poly. Synthetics will help keep your body cool since they dry faster and will feel better on your skin.

So: less cotton, more synthetic.

Bring a long sleeve top and PANTS that you can hike in. It's important to cover up when we walk in the jungle because things like to catch a ride on you and having a layer of protection from insects, spiders and the like is essential. Make sure your clothes are still light weight and synthetic.

How much should you bring? That is totally up to you and the size of your bag. Ideally, we're talking medium sized roller or duffle. You really only need one, but since the rents are flying first class they get two checked bags free while I get none, they will be taking my bag, what is your flight's policy? Make sure you know if you are paying to check your bag! It costs dinero! Make sure that you bring a bag we can easily carry and stack! We're only using the bags to and from the airport and in our small trips after Dominical so make it easier on yourself and bring a bag with handles and such, rollers are wise for heavy bags because when we come back through customs from CR to US we have to lug our bag a ways, but you really don't need rollers in CR.

As I said before, it will be humid, and hot, and you will sweat, all the time, a lot! Bring enough clothes so that you can change them probably once or twice a day, we have a washer I believe so you don't need to bring 50 changes of clothes, but select items that will keep you cool (synthetic), that go with everything, that protect from the sun (shoulder coverage, UPF rating), and that we can wash many times. Bring a weeks worth of regular clothes, maybe a little less, and then add your nice clothes.

For nice clothes, for Christmas and going out to the Disco, I recommend some kind of dress short for guys, khakis or dressy LOOKING short, it could be a nice looking swim trunk lol but make sure what you bring can get sweaty and then rebound because you don't want to be the drowned kitty sitting in a puddle of sweat at the disco, not cool. Shirts: button ups are nice looking, just make sure it isn't heavy cotton as most tend to be (fyi linen is cotton!), you can wear a shirt too, no body really cares about fashion. Just be comfortable and good looking. Girls, same thing but include a dress or skirt or two and a cute top.

Bring multiple bathing suits, they don't dry fast and unless you want to keep putting on wet suits, bring at least two. Make sure that you bring a really durable, hold all in, won't fall down suit if you're going to try surfing or just go out in the waves at all, saggy boardshorts are NOT good!!! Bring something reliable so you can just focus on surfing and swiming and not pulling up your bottoms or girls: rearranging the rack, bad news and no fun.

Shoes: bring a pair of flips to wear around our house and the pool and maybe into town. Bring your Keens or Chocos, anything that will stay on your feet and still keep them cool and protected. Bring hikers! Your hikers will hopefully be ones that can get wet, submerged in a river, trudged through mud, and still dry fast! GorTex is a no go in CR. Water gets in, can't get out and it's like your feet are in a hot tub, they will not be happy with you. Tennis shoes or running shoes will be ok, make sure whatever you bring is pretty thick, thick enough so that a snake or ants couldn't bite through. You will wear your hiker for more than hiking, anytime there is grass deeper than an inch or two, don't wear sandals there. With your hikers, you may choose to wear socks, make sure they are thin hiking socks with enough padding to prevent blisters and thin enough to keep you cool, or you may choose to go barefoot, that is totally fine, just bring some baby powder to puff into them to keep your feet drier and from chaffing and smelling. Also, watershoes, they can be your hikers or your sandals, just have something to wear in water or wet conditions. Don't forget some shoes to wear to disco, Keens or flips would be good, girls a cute pair of flats or sandals that you know will be comfortable even if they are wet and you are bouncing around in them.

This may seem like a lot to remember, but it's all for your comfort and benefit!

THE most important thing to remember to pack... sun protection. This means a hat that has a brim to protect your face and neck, this means a costco size amount of sunscreen, with HIGH spf (*cough* uncle rick *cough*) DO NOT bring tanner! The sun will be so extreme that if you wear tanner instead of sunblock, you will be miserably covered in blisters for a week! That could happen even wearing sunblock! Everyone remember to help others remember to reapply EVERY time they come out of the water! And if needed, pull them out of the water to reapply. You will get sunburned, no doubt every one of us will be toasty during the trip, but please make an effort to constantly apply sunblock in the morning when you put on clothes, when you are lounging by the pool, before you go out into town, when you are in the car (use the lotion not the spray then) but keep putting it putting it putting it on! Because we are always applying it, make sure you shower at least once a day, always rinse after swimming in the ocean or pool and reapply when you are clean again! You don't have to apply it at night lol, but every other time! Make sure you  bring a higher spf made for you face, you should wear it whenever the sun is out and reapply it often so keep it with you in the car or a bag. Sun protection also means sunglasses! They are important for protecting your eyes and also for helping you see, bring more than one pair! Another thing to remember, bring a top that can cover you if you get sunburnt, it needs to cover your shoulders and arms. This top can also be used as your evening cover up because it does get cooler and I recommend bringing a cardigan or a light sweatshirt to put on.

Please bring some kind of deoderant or anti-persperant. Anything to keep you smelling fresh even when you aren't and keep your underarms, under other places, and your feet feeling good and not chaffing. Bring a stick if you preffer for underarms but make sure bring or buy some baby pow/talc pow when we first get there. You will want it. Everyone please make an effort to keep yourself clean, good smelling, and undiseased! It will make you and everyone around you happier!

We may have the opportunity to go snorkeling, bring a mask and snorkel if you would like to go. Not sure if we will need fins but leave them out as they take up a ton of room, or put them in if you have that room, your choice. We can buy beach towels down there and leave them there, they will get funky smelling and you won't want to keep them. I'm bringing my quick dry towel (like a shamwow) to take if we go swimming on a hike or at Jeff's house (they have a waterfall and pool that is awesome)

Bring some kind of backpack or bag to carry your stuff in handsfree when we walk places, I also recommend that the bag is big enough to stick your stuff in minus the towel but small enough that we can be comfortable in the car and not stepping on each others things.

Remember your camera, binoculars, electronics, flashlight or headlamp, and any other extras you want to bring they make the trip more fun! I highly recommend bringing these things in waterproof containers or at least plastic bags, there are many opportunities to drop a camera in water and just the humidity will effect it.

Don't forget to cancel or hold services like mail or newspaper. You can probably do it online. Also, let your credit card company know about your travel plans, debit card too if you bring it. Skagit will shut down your account if you use it in Costa Rica, especially if they don't know it's you. Bring a credit card. If you go to a hospital, first thing they do is scan the card, no card, maybe no treatment.

WOOHOO trip time baby! REMEMBER: synthetics, sun protection, comfort.

Rip Tides and Water Woes

Rip Tides/Rip Currents

Rip tides are something we will encounter almost every time we go to the beaches. There will be lifeguards on most beaches who are all to glad to blow their whistles at the gringo idiots in the water, so to get ahead of the stereotype, lets educate ourselves on what to look for to avoid riptides and dangerous ocean situations.

Riptides are ocean waves that overlap at an angle to the beach, they are fairly easy to spot, and the lifeguards usually post signs where the riptides are but they move so you need to be aware. Riptides are dangerous because they will suck you under and out to sea VERY quickly. It isn't the normal pull of a wave that we're used to, it'll be very strong.

Here's a video explaining in animation what is happening in the ocean to cause the riptides and what to do if you get caught in one (ignore the stuff at the end about their beaches):

RECAP:

• Try to stay calm, panic makes it harder to act and think clearly.
• Do not swim against the rip current (straight back to shore), you will exhaust yourself.
• If you feel the rip start to pull you, float facing the beach and wave your arm to try to get the lifeguard's attention.
• The rip will only take you out around 50-75 yards, probably not a mile.
• Swim PARALLEL, that means you swim along the beach, not back towards it.
• Once you get out of the rip, let the waves take you back to shore or swim.
• Remember, conserve energy! If you get exhausted, you won't be able to stay afloat and that is the most important thing. In the warm waters of Costa Rica, you can float, so just float in the rip, when the pull lessens, swim along the beach and then back to shore at an angle.

Dehydration

While we're catching waves and rays on the beach it's very important to stay hydrated! Feeling thirsty is a sign of dehydration, in Costa Rica we will be sweating, a lot, and we will be active swimming and hiking, so we will be losing a lot of fluids. It's important to replenish your fluids, and not just with water! Also with electrolytes! So drink a Gatorade or bring some powder mixes to add to your water to ensure that your body has all the fluids it needs. Our body is about 2/3 water, dehydration is when you don't have enough water in your body, it can slow you down and make you feel sick so listen to your body, if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, if your mouth feels dry or sticky and if you aren't peeing a lot or it's dark, you need to hydrate!

If you are dehydrated, drink water, drink a coconut, drink electrolytes, stay in the shade, wear loose fitting clothes, and stay cool and relaxed.

Drinking alcohol is NOT hydrating! Water or electrolytes! Match each cerveza with an agua!


 Water Quality

 On top of drinking enough water, watch what kind of water you're drinking!

Drinking water in Costa Rica can be contaminated with bacteria (E. Coli), protozoa (Giardia), viruses  and pollutants, especially after a heavy rainfall. Bottled water is the way to go, get the big jugs.

Keep in mind that if you get a stomach flu while we're there, it will be very hard to stay hydrated because everything is coming right out the other end. Let people know that you feel lousy; relax and hydrate while your system flushes itself out. The locals are used to the water, but your immune system isn't used to the different pathogens in the water and it can make you sick if you're not careful. Expect to get some traveler's diarrhea there and here when you return.

Here are some drinking water tips from independenttraveler.com to avoid contamination:

Bottled water is generally safe, but only in sealed, tamper-proof containers. In addition to bottled water, you'll usually be safe drinking tea, coffee, canned soda and juice, beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks. To be sure, just wipe the lip of the can or bottle with a towel or napkin to ensure that the perspiration on the outside of the container isn't contaminated. You don't need to drink contaminated water to be exposed; always consider alternate sources of exposure, like the water you use to brush your teeth, or to wash your contact lenses or mouth guards/retainers. Be sure to use bottled, boiled or purified water for these purposes as well. Freezing water does not kill bacteria. A margarita on the rocks may sound appealing, but ice cubes present the same problem that tap water does. You can make your own ice if you boil the water first or used bottled water. Ask the restaurant if they make ice with bottled water, if they don't you can ask for no ice in your soda or water. Don't drink the stream, river, ocean that you're swimming in or walking along!

Monkeys - Monos (moe-no-s)

Buenas dias familia!

I thought we'd visit something fun today, monkeys! Monkey in Spanish is "el mono", for more than one you say "los monos". A group of monkeys is called a "troop" (that's English, don't know Spanish for that). There are four kinds of monkeys in Costa Rica, the squirrel monkey, the white faced capuchin, the mantled howler, and the spider monkey. The monkeys can be seen in the national parks of Costa Rica, but all four species together can only be seen in Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula (where I was with WWU in July).

The Central American Squirrel Monkey, or "titi" (tea-tea) as it's known in Costa Rica is the smallest of the monkeys, weighing in under 2 pounds. This monkey lives only in the secondary and partially logged primary forests of the lowlands (largely Manuel Antonio), and are only found in the central and south Pacific coast of Costa Rica and the nothern Pacific coast of Panama, near the Costa Rican border. In 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) revised its conservation status to "vulnerable" after rating it "endangered" since 1982, this awesome change for the better may be connected to the Wildlife Conservation Law of 1992, which has made it illegal to keep captive wildlife in Costa Rica.  

All three of the other monkeys are found in wider ranges, being found in almost all forests of Costa Rica, and some range as far as from Mexico to Ecuador. The white faced capuchin or "carita blanca" (literlly little white face in Spanish), is the second smallest, with males weighing around 8 pounds and females around 5. This monkey and the howler monkey are labeled as "least concern", but all of the species are at risk due to large deforestation and habitat loss.

The Mantled Howler or Congo Monkey, "mantled" because of the long gold hairs on it sides, and "howler" because of the male's enlarged hyoid bone which allows the males to project their calls, is one of the largest monkeys (12-16 lbs.). They eat mainly leaves and some fruit, which don't provide very much energy, and as such the monkeys will spend most of their days resting and sleeping in the treetops. This type of monkey will form hierarchal type groups, with an alpha male and upper and lower rankings that depend on age, sex, and dominance. Once the monkeys reach maturity, they are kicked out of the group, this prevents genetic mixing, but some high ranking monkeys will kill a low ranking's infant to ensure their own offsprings success. These monkeys can have a lifespan of 25 years and the troops will travel together for about 2,500 ft. everyday. Troops will have overlapping territories and aggressive conrontations between individuals and groups are not often seen, but do happen. The males will use their loud, well-known call for many occasions, when waking up or settling down for the night, to  inform the rest of the troop of trouble, when startled by a low-flying plane or diesel truck and whenever we are trying to sleep it seems.

Last but not least is the Geoffroy's Spider Monkey, aka mono arana (are-ah-nyah) or mono colorado, it is labeled "endangered", and is the largest of Costa Rica's monkeys (17-18 lbs.) These monkeys are the most mobile of all, they use their tail like a hand and can swiftly fly through the canopy. The troop will sleep together, then divide into groups of 2-3 during the day. They have a variety of noises, calls, facial expressions, and behaviors they use to communicate.



These are the four monkeys of Costa Rica. All of them eat a diet of leaves and fruit and some also eat insects and lizards. Only one is labeled as endangered, but all are succeptible to habitat loss and degradation. A baby is born about every two years, so populations can be hard to maintain. Hopefully we will see at least three of the monkeys if we go to one of the national parks.

VOCAB for today:

monkey(s) - "el/los mono(s)"

Please - "por favor" (poe-r fah-vor)

Thank you - "gracias" (gr-ah-see-us)

Keep in mind, these are Spanish words, in Spanish you speak in the front of your mouth, your lips don't move really drastically, and none of the letters are really "harsh", they should puff, roll, and push out of your mouth. Try looking up these words in an online Spanish dictionary to hear how to say them.

Really practice your r's in por favor and gracias, and don't forget to keep practicing your greetings!

Costa Rica, Pura Vida

Hey family,
I thought that I would start a little blog with some fun info about Costa Rica. I have a few ideas about what to post, but if you want to ask some questions, I'll try to research an answer.

PURA VIDA, we are going to see and hear this phrase everywhere. So what does it mean?

Literally translated it would be "life pure", but there is much more to it. Many gringos will use the phrase as a leasurely term used to express the richness and ease of life. However, Costa Ricans will use the phrase more to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life, and celebrating good fortune, both small and large.

There really is no wrong way to use pura vida, saying hi, pura vida, saying goodbye, pura vida, asked how it's going, pura vida, having a "moment" pura vida. It can be used as almost anything and in any way, and you will come to find that it's easy to slip into the habit of answering a question or greeting someone with this phrase.

It isn't really known how the phrase originated, but it's generally accepted that it came around in 1956 and is probably a result of surfers enjoying the life. C'mon, California surfers coined more phrases out of the sixties than anything else, beachboys anyone? Anyways, Costa Rica has adopted this phrase as its own and will proudly display it on all t-shirts, booty shorts, hats, pieces of driftwood, and coconut shells, anything that we will buy!

As long as we're on the topic of greetings and common phrases, lets get our daily vocabulary lesson out of the way. "Hola" (hi, hello) and "Buenas dias" (good day) are the most commonly used greeting and can be used at any time, but generally in the morning or afternoon. "Buenas noches" means goodnight, this is less common and is used more in departure than as a greeting.

To simplify it a little more, it is perfectly acceptable to just say "buenas". It covers all times of the day, and is easier to remember. Also important is "Adios". This simply means goodbye. Other forms you may hear will be "hasta luego" (see you later), "hasta ma˜nana" (see you tomorrow)

So, as you are going about your day, try to integrate these phrases. It's the best way to learn them so that they come naturally and you don't have to think about them. When someone comes home, greet them with an appropriate greeting, if your departing, try to use one you don't know.