We Need a Bigger Boat

Erin Murray
Tuesday June 29, 2010
First Blog

I am a little intimidated to be returning back to the States after this trip. I will most likely be deemed a schizophrenic will all my twitching, swatting and swearing at various insect trying to eat me. This trip has definitely been an experience for me. I have become a lot braver and have overcome most of my fear of large-ish spiders. Now spiders about the size of silver dollars don’t phase me as much, thanks to the Aragog the Tarantula that lives in our room. We also have huge frog that lives in the shower I have named Fabio. You never know when he might hop out and join you in the shower.
Everyday I wake up and am overcome with complete disbelief that I am here in the Jungle. There is never a dull moment, or any event that doesn’t strike you a purely spectacular. The best part is the excitement and surprise you feel when you encounter something new. You may be sitting around, enjoying your lunch when all of a sudden crashing and rustling erupts from the trees and there they are—rare Spider Monkeys! Or you hear a strangled squawk and rush out to see pairs of macaws flying above. Or you may stumble back from the disco and have to drunkenly deal with tarantula under your bed and attempt to recruit one of the boys to handle it. I am also reminded daily of how unique our trip to Costa Rica is in comparison to other tourist experiences. We occasionally see American tourists emerging from the hiking trails right outside our station and realize that they are only seeing a brief glimpse of what Carara Park has to offer. They are not there every evening, or spend the majority of their day looking for wildlife. Even booking the station at Carara requires a friendship with a park ranger. We are truly the more fortunate students who travel to Costa Rica.
Today we took a boat trip down to Taracoles river in order to see the Mangroves where many of the Macaws nest. This large river is the second most polluted river in Central America, yet it is home to some of the rarest birds in Costa Rica. This river also happens to be filled with Crocodiles! At one point we were less than 10 feet away from a 13 foot crocodile. I felt like I was in an episode of the Crocodile Hunter. I just kept on waiting for the biggest crocodile (named Tornado) to come and tip over our boat and have us for lunch. It didn’t help that the boat swayed whenever people stood up or leaned to the other side to take pictures. On our boat ride we saw the endangered boat billed heron and the beautiful rosette spoon billed. In the mangrove forest, we witnesses two pairs of Macaws fighting over a nest. Overall, today was exciting as usual and I look forward to whatever new surprises we will experience today.