Voluntourism in Costa Rica
20, September 2010
Spanish immersion begins-
I forgot to print out my phrases cheat sheet. No bueno. I am on the interbus to take me to the wildlife rescue center. The driver is very friendly. He mentioned my name, but the destination did not sound familiar. I will have to trust that all is well.
After arriving in Costa Rica I stayed at the Adventure Inn. It is a nice hotel. I got a free breakfast, which was quite good. I tried the different juices. One was a mixed fruit juice, which was freshly squeezed fruit juices. Very good! The van has filled up. The adventure to (I hope) the center begins!
The drive to La Fortuna Costa Rica to the Proyecto Asis wildlife center
has been fun. The driver slows down for photo opportunities. He even slowed down for us to see a monkey crossing the road and a butterfly, beautiful blue with black.
21 September 2010
First day at wildlife rescue Proyecto Asis.
Mornings and afternoons we feed the animals. Three spider monkeys, one Capuchin monkey(Benjamin), 1 Kinkajou monkey, one Scarlet macaw, many parrots and 2 two-toed sloths! One (Milagro) had her arm amputated from being electrocuted. She has a baby which they plan on releasing.
In the water area, there are many ducks and a Caiman. A falcon recently found it’s way to the center. There is also a Speckled hawk. They are building a new cage perhaps for the hawk. The hawk sits on the framework. Oh yes, and three Peccary, these look similar to boars. The other two are wild, so they stay separate from Perla.
Carlos is the main helper on the grounds. He helps teach the volunteers. Some animals are aggressive. He distracts them while the volunteers feed them. When we are not feeding the animals we make toys for the parrots. Basically it is plastic string and cut bamboo. We string the bamboo together and make it look like a mobile. They only last a day, if that. The parrots, and macaws bite and destroy them. It is what they do.
Most of the animals eat banana and a protein ball. The recipe is chicken meal, maize (corn meal), and dried food which looks like dry cat food. Mix it with water and make the balls.
The peccary eat the bananas and corn kernels furiously. Perla likes the the bananas more than the corn, while the feral peccary eat the corn kernels more than the bananas.
Once at the wildlife center I was set up with a family who hosts volunteers.
Lidia made me a huge breakfast of black beans, rice, eggs and a type of pancake. I ate alone. That is, no one else was eating. I used my fingers to eat the pancake, not sure if that was correct, but it was sliced in quarters. I wish I knew more Spanish. It is rewarding when we both feel we understand each other.
This morning at the center, I cleaned the owl, raccoon, sloth cages. Then Carlos helped with the parrot, macaws and family of raccoons.
Before we got too far into the cleaning they got a call from a nearby tree house/hotel. Their dogs found a sloth (three-toed), laying on the ground. These are slow-moving creatures, but normally they live in trees. They come down only to pee and poop. When Carlos approached, the sloth it was domicile. He said normally they are aggressive. This one they think might be old and dying. They also will come down to be eaten by predators at the end of their life. Very sad indeed.
We placed her/him in its own cage. We let it rest for the morning. It did get somewhat inspected more of an observatory type of inspection to see its movements or lack thereof.
Carlos and I continued our morning chores. I know now to wear a head covering, when in the parrot cage. Just missed a poo on my head!
The morning and afternoon meal for the animals were slightly different. No vitamins were included today. We feed the monkeys bananas, the Capuchin monkey (Benjamin) has us peel his bananas, but the others (Kinkajou) peel their own There are lots of bananas, the staff pick them when they are green and when they want to ripen them they put a dark cloth over them on a rack and they turn yellow.
Before lunch, we made a raccoon toy. Plastic soda bottle that we cut holes and put food in. Also, he cut and hung vegetation for the Sloths. The two-toed Sloths ate well. The rescued one, they decided was dehydrated and they mixed an electrolyte drink for her which I tried to administer. She kept falling asleep. Carlos would scruff her to lean back her head and we got some liquid down. She also ate a few bites. I hope she has improved tomorrow.
When we took a lunch break Linda joined us. There are two other volunteers, Katherine lives in Jackson Hole Wyoming. Linda lives in Fort Worth! Katherine is staying one month and has been here five days. She is taking the Spanish immersion class which is all morning. Linda has been here for 3 months. She plans to stay through January and will decide to stay permanently or not. She wants to help the turtles and live closer to the beach. She is a massage therapist and scuba diver. She has offered to massage my back. I have had a spasm since the day I left Dallas.
It rained briefly during lunch. We spotted a small iguana in the tree and the hummingbird ate a bit. The center has two cats. One is chocolate brown and appears to be pregnant. The other I saw today is a buff colored one. I have seen 3 dogs. One large and 2 small.
I was thankful I could wear rubber boots, in the afternoon we cleaned Perla’s (Peccary)area. She has a large pool where she primarily pees and poops. It took a while for us to get the dirty water out and to add the clean water. After cleaning we gathered rocks to place in the path that is mud.
We did not make any toys for the parrots. Carlos had to leave early to go to college. He is learning English and computer business. So far I have seen a mango tree, chocolate tree, papaya tree and rainbow eucalyptus.
I was very tired after a day of work. My back hurt badly. I took a shower and had some downtime.
Later I sat with Lidia and watched T.V. We were both tired. A few of her kids came over. Jerilyn is one of her daughters. She knows a little English. We spoke about work and her school. She is a mother and is taking online classes. I showed Crystal and Daniel my laptop camera program “cheese”. I had to use a flashlight to get enough light. They had fun once they could see what it does. They liked “warped” the best.
22 September 2010
This morning I bounced out of bed at 6am. Lidia heard me, awoke and made me breakfast. I wanted to take morning pictures then come back and eat. That’s okay. After I ate I walked to a point to take a photo of the volcano. There was no place to set up my tripod so I asked a construction worker to take a photo of me with Arenal volcano in the background. He was very nice and I don’t think I understood enough of what he was saying.
I lowered myself and he took my photos. It is of my head only with the volcano in the background, Funny!
At the center, we cleared the cages. The sloths, owl, peccary and raccoons all have cement formed pools, very shallow with rocks cemented for a border. One is a pool the other is used for waste. There are PVC drain pipes with caps on the end for the water to drain out. We clean these, the floor, the feeding shelves daily.
The parrots, monkeys, macaws and Benjamin do not have pools, but each cage has a place to drain the water from cleaning. Carlos and I clean the parrot cage, sloth, owl and Benjamin’s cage. The otheranimals are too aggressive.
We checked on the rescued sloth. She drank a bit more and didn’t seem as dehydrated. Still though, not much interest in anything. I was happy to see she moved to more stable branches.
Daniente the other gardener gave Mingo the cat some sandwich meat. I think he and Carlos likes Mingo a lot. Mingo is somewhat feral.
One of the men who check on the health of the animals gave Carlos a few things to work on.
We re-shaded the sloth cubby, the momma and baby laid in a cubby all day. The cubby is shaded by broad leaves. They have a good life. We also showered them with water. They are used to getting a rain shower, but their cage has a bit o a roof and the cubby has a roof so we used the hose to simulate rain. They blow air out of their nostrils. It sounds like a hissing cat. Later in the morning, Alvaro called a meeting, so I used that time to take photos. There are many paths throughout the center. I took the one I first took when Carlos gave me a tour. I tried to find the prehistoric tree and the chocolate tree, but could not find it. Once the meeting was over we finished feeding the animals. Mingo got a grub worm from Daniente.
After lunch Linda asked if I could help Alvaro with his two computers. I tried. It was a file sharing scenario and I helped a little, but could not find the place to set up the particular file. He thought it was within the program and I thought it was in the main settings for file share. It was nice to interact with him.
Katherine joined us in the office and she, Linda and I discussed plans for the weekend. We are going to La Fortuna to shop and eat and see the waterfalls. Sunday we are going to Quesada to the hot springs. We had one heavy chore to do and then relaxed a bit. Carlos knocked down coconuts for us and cut them for us to drink the juice. It was very good! He said the juice is sweeter either with more rain or less
The center also has a garden of vegetables. This is more than likely used for the humans.
My home-stay is very nice. Dona Lidia has 4 bedrooms, all line one side of the house. The other side is a small living open room with chairs and a car to the other side of the house as a beautiful iron window finishes and one wall is all iron in a design of the sun and waves going across.
^^^^^ \ / ^^^^^
^^^^^ O ^^^^^
^^^^^ / \ ^^^^^
The kitchen is big and has a dining table. The other half of the room is a den where Lidia sits and watches T.V. I have not seen her eat at the table. There is no formal eating at her house. Probably, because her kids have their own houses on the same property. I see 3 houses, one shed and another house or garage is being built by one of her son’s.
23 September 2020
I walked to the center today. It was hot and humid. Mostly humid. I am enjoying the weather. It rains in the afternoon and then again in the evening. Today we deconstructed part of a fenced wall to open the cages up for Julia and her friend (raccoons) The rain feels good. It is refreshing and cools things off.
The morning cage cleaning was more fun today because Katherine didn’t have Spanish class. We took our time and took pictures as we went along. She took a picture of me with Benjamin. We are going to share our photos. Later, we worked on the fence barrier of the two cages. I got home early today and there is a lot of activity. I think everyone is feeling better. Jerilyn, Merlingua, Jazmin and Lidia all have been sick.
This morning one of the spider monkeys caught a toad! I was thankful I didn’t see him eat it.
My diet this week has been lots of white rice and black beans. Each meal has had this and Lidia adds chicken or pork sometimes potatoes, sometimes scrambled eggs. Today I had fried banana and fried cheese.I did finally tell her she can make smaller meals for me. I was taught to finish my plate so I eat everything she gives me. She misunderstood that as I eat a lot! Meals are better now.
I sit here in my room glistening from the humidity. It is wonderful and feels cleansing.
Each day it gets easier to communicate. Partly, because they know to wait for me to speak and they are speaking slower and waiting for me to comprehend.
All day I thought about this- I wanted to do voluntourism again. Part of me likes doing it, to help and experience the people more intimately while caring for the animals. I loved being with the animals I wanted to be with them more than I was able. Perhaps if I stayed longer I would have been able to do so.
24 September 2020
Today I was able to take a walk on the all the paths and take lots of pictures. Unfortunately my camera slipped off the rocks. I don’t even know how it happened. I might have lost my balance and it had enough impact to make the camera slip off the rocks it wasn’t harmed.
The one path went down to the creek. It was pretty with fungi on the logs and the water was running along nicely. Today there was a soccer club party across the street. They were playing loud music which made hearing nature impossible. Another path lead all around the center with thick branches and delicate flowers. I saw many butterflies and hummingbirds.
The thing I realized I wanted the most was to relax in nature. I loved being with the animals. I wish there was a way to stay longer in the afternoon to be with them. That would be grand.
I spent time with Perla and the baby raccoons. One crawled up my arm and was most interested with my necklace.
25 September 2020
It is Sunday. I am back in San Jose. Saturday I relaxed in bed mostly to reduce the selling in my leg. I heard a loud bang. Come to find out later it was Arenal volcano. Very COOL!
Carlos picked up me and Katherine and took us to the Center. From there, we road in the bus with some of Alvaros family to La Fortuna. We met Linda there and we went to the waterfall.
The hike down was much easier then coming back up. I was tired and my leg hurt and was weak. We didn’t have time to go to the suspension bridges. We did a bit of shopping and then relaxed at an Italian restaurant. We did see a fight between two men. One had a wooden bat. Everyone just stopped and watched. I mentioned this to someone he said “it was between them” I had two beers at the restaurant and by the time I got home I was very tired and had a headache.
26 September 2020
The next morning I said goodbye to Lidia, Crystal, Jerilyn, Marian.
Once in San Jose, I rested, took a nap and rested my leg. Checked emails, watched T.V. and had a delicious dinner of chicken with island bbq sauce, a salad, macadamia rice and cooked vegetables.
This morning I had another delicious breakfast of island French toast.
The morning waitress is adorable and beautiful. I saw her before my trip. This morning her eyes lit up and she gave me a big hug. I will get her name and a photo. It is a must. Okay her name is Helen, photo tomorrow. Time for the days tour. The tour today was fantastic. My legs are very sore. I am drinking another dark beer called Bavaria. It’s very good.
There were two craters, the live volcano had a dead looking crater with sulfur fumes, extremely acidic and hot water with no vegetation. The inactive volcano had vegetation, much more green water and was normal looking and the temperature was about half as warm.
Next we stopped at the shop that sold strawberries, cheese, sparkling wine, chocolate and coffee beans and many more delectables. They let us sample whatever we wanted. They were very accommodating.
Next was the coffee factory. Never in my wildest dreams would I expect to take a tour through the process of making coffee.
The fruit of the plant will have either one of two beans inside. Peaberry is more rare and that is the one bean coffee fruit. The separator is done by water . The heavier the fruit the more robust flavor. These are grade 1 there are 3 grades. Grades two and 3 have less flavor.
Coffee-
The next stage separates the fruit and bean. This is done by hydro power. Next the bean has a slime casin which is basically sugar. The beans are put in a very large cement space and more water is added and a fermentation process takes place. The beans are now ready to dry. Two processes – Quick and slow. Quick = 24 hours or so, slow is in the sun for 5 days. At the time of the end of drying the beans either go to be roasted or saved in large bags for up to 1 year.
After coffee we had a huge delicious lunch, more beans and rice with chicken salad and an interesting coconut dessert. There were 5 people total on the tour. With the driver and tour guide who is multi-lingual.
After lunch, we drove to Grecia where the metal church resides. The story goes, there was an earthquake in 1888 which destroyed the town’s center and church. The towns’ people all chipped in to purchase the new material that was supposed to be earthquake proof. The material was iron and was in Belguim. It took 2 years for all the iron pieces of the church to be shipped, transported and in ox carts to get to Grecia. In the main square the community was sick of it and let it set in the elements of the outdoors for several years. A new mayor came to town and financed the church to be finally built. It is red and from afar looks like stucco. The inside has stained glass arched windows. The pews are lined with floral arrangements.
The pulpit is ornately decorated and in the back which is really the front. Up on another level is an organ which originated from Germany.
After seeing Grecia and the church we drove and saw the largest oxcart ever.
The largest oxcart in the world is located in Sarchí, Costa Rica, specifically in Sarchí Norte, and is a national icon. It was built in 2006 and measures 14 meters (approximately 45 feet) long. It is brightly painted and has a detailed colored pattern, taking 70 days to construct and paint. The oxcart is part of a larger cultural tradition in Costa Rica, where oxcarts, or “carretas,” are used for transportation and are considered a national symbol.
The cart is inoperable and built for display only. It is in the Guinness book of world records. This was an introduction to our last stop. Next we stopped at a very old factory where they still made ox carts. Again, hydro-powered. The building is falling apart. I don’t know if they will rebuild or let it go.
Last stop was shopping, MORE SHOPPING. My luggage is so heavy.
What I have learned is my mind is fearful. I do have limitations physically. I do wonder if my back was stronger and my leg was stronger, if I would not feel scared to do more things, more adventures.
I was never an adrenaline freak. Anyway, I enjoy relaxed activities that are visually stimulating. Costa Rica is that and it is full of beautiful flora and beautiful wildlife, who make relaxing sounds and songs. This I will miss.
I have completely enjoyed traveling alone. I learned I need to spend a couple of days in a place before I venture further beyond my Host home.
I have learned to take tours to get to know a place. This makes me feel safe.
Costa Rica feels very much like home. When I sit in my hotel room or my room at Lidia’s, I felt at home. I did not think of Richardson. Of course I did think of my animals. I did not get homesick. I realized I don’t need a ton of animals to fulfill my happiness. I love to travel. This is concrete. I will continue to travel and volunteer. I will not replace my pets when it is their time. I will continue to downsize and who knows, I might find a totally different place to retire. HAH!
The waiter just brought me banana bread. I can smell it. It is heavenly.
Spanish immersion? well, no.
Photos
Site Title 