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.