We stayed during the week at the ICE Field Station in San Isidro Village which had offices a canteen, TV room and several accommodation blocks. Our days started about 6am with breakfast comprising all the time of fried rice and beans (pinto), occasionally scrambled egg or cheese or advocado or fried banana with coffee and juice. There was cereal but I found the milk had an odd taste. We tended to leave for the field work in an ICE driven land rover between 7am and 7.30am, returning for lunch about midday. Lunch was always rice and red beans plus meat either chicken or other meat which I sometimes found tough to chew! plus salad and some fruit such as watermelon or pineapple. Then often more field work, washing spraints or lab work until dinner at 6 to 7pm. This was more fried food with rice, meat, some vegetatables such as yucca or cold broccoli or salad and a meat vegetable soup.
We occasionally went to a local bar where they played very loud music and watched a national football game…the commentary style, gestures and disbelief at the ref giving a card seem to be the same in any language…although 90% incomprehensible to me. One evening Rocio and 2 other staff kindly took us to La Fortuna for beer and munchies before heading 10km of to try and see the active Volcan Arena. As is often the case, it was in cloud so only a tiny bit of the glowing red summit was visible. Apart from such activities, other evenings were just spent reading or dozing in the bedroom as it gets dark by 6.15pm and the mossies come out to play.
I recall watching lots of leaf cutter ants along the paved slab pathways as we walked around the Camp. An air of industrious endeavours as bits of leaves were transported to and fro. And of course the small stray dog which the field station staff had ‘taken on board’ to feed and he spent his days happily crashed on the main verandah or in a central courtyard around the offices. Tuesday 12 April was the last day of field and lab work regarding otters at Peñas Blancas and another chapter of travel awaited.
1 Comment
Phil Abe · May 5, 2009 at 11:57 am
Costa Rica Jupp and the toothbrush from Hell, Sarah of the Sierras, Jungle Jupp – whichever way you look at it you are leading the most intrepid of lives. Negotiating crocodile infested torrents, casually outsmarting venemous jungle snakes, couragously sorting through steaming piles of otter poo and wrestling with Spanish language, you make Indiana Jones look like a Chimps (or should that be Howler Monkeys?) tea party. I know that you were never lost for a word or two back at the office (a bit like me in that respect!) but you clearly have hidden talents as a wordsmith. Your attention to detail, memory recall and talent for getting it down on paper (or whatever blog format is called) is formidable. Keep ’em coming, absolutely brill. Brings the delights, sounds and smells of Costa Rica to my living room.