April update

I may have said this before, so at the risk of repeating myself, time flies when you're... busy.

Since the last time I blogged, I have been all over the Atlantic (Caribbean) coast--both on trips with the students and with my boyfriend Alex who came to visit me again here in Central America.

Hiking in to Punta Mona together

Punta Mona (for the fourth or maybe fifth? time... finally getting to share it with Alex!) was awesome, as usual: the 5-hour hike in, a couple of days with Stephen and the plants and permaculture-landia, swimming in the Caribbean warm seawater, Panama off in the distance, and getting to see a momma leatherback sea turtle digging her next on the beach late at night (no photos for this one, as the flash and lights affect the turtle's concentration and the laying process)! We boated out, which is always a fun experience. (My final?) Punta Mona weekend was lovely.

Boating out

Hike in to Punta Mona: letting Mrs. Golden Orb
crawl on my face for the third time :)

Maximizing hammock time at Punta Mona

Enjoying some refreshing sugar cane with Alina

After Punta Mona, we spent a couple days at the CRC and did some office work. On Wednesday, we took off for Tortuguero, through Saturday (I'll let the photos narrate and illustrate some of the experience):

Tortuguero Village!

Buses.

On the bus: 4 & a 1hr+ boat ride to arrive at Tortuguero.
(a combined total of approx. 6-7 hrs.) 

Canal boats.

Boating in to Tortuguero. 

Spotted a Caiman croc!

We got lots of relaxing reading in those days.

...and eating yummy foods!

...and having fun on Caribbean beaches 

Early-morning canoe tour of the Tortuguero canals.

If you look carefully in the bottom left corner, you can see the little
caiman crocodile we spotted on the early morning tour!

Avoiding hanging vines during our early morning canal canoe tour.

Alex. During our early morning canal canoe tour.

Turtle tracks on the beach at Tortuguero National Park,
from the night before.

After getting back from Tortuguero on Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed a picnic together in the peaceful, warm afternoon at the CRC (just before the daily thunderstorm set in)...

Then on Sunday, Alex's last day of his 10-day visit, I took him to the first volcano he's ever been to... the crater and upper lake at Poás:

Alex looking into the crater at Poás.

Poás.

Upper laguna at Poás.

Poor man's umbrella. Now that Alex has come to visit me twice in the last year here in CR,
he might be found sleeping under this shelter...

After our Sunday morning outing at the volcano and a lovely, roundabout drive through the northern hills of the Central Valley, we made sure to drop in at one of our host family's little restaurants--Soda Donde Pancho--for some very tasty burritos!

Well, this is all I have time for at present. It's debriefing weekend. Students have moved back to campus from their host families for their final days in CR, and it's been fun! ...update to come on that topic. 

It just occurred to me that maybe I should have split this update up into several posts. Sorry about the length. A lot of photos! Speaking of photos, I realize that I still have yet to put up any updates/photos concerning the last Nicaragua trip (April 10-18). Check out the link to the photo album under the Photo section on the menu to the right side of the screen. I have also updated photos with more images from Punta Mona, Tortuguero, and other miscellaneous events in the Spring 2012 album. Check 'em out!