PURA VIDA HAIKU
Horizon of thoughts
Untouched balance of nature
Purely loving LIFE

5 a.m., Ostional, Costa Rica:

Can’t sleep because the howler monkeys have decided to nest outside my room, and at first light they start hollering. You have to be very passed out to sleep through it!

So here I sit, watching the pink sunrise over an empty beach where just yesterday thousands of Olive Ridley turtles came to lay their eggs. It was a sight that showed the complete circle of life: the struggling mama Tortugas laying eggs, the eggs being gathered by the locals to sell, the vultures picking at the dying mothers, and the little hatchlings making their way back to the sea. The beach is littered with broken shells — and smells like musky rotten eggs — but the vultures are doing their best as the cleanup crew.

It was strange to see the only "legal" collection of turtle eggs. The whole community came out to gather eggs for 36 hours. Now, at first I was freaked out, as these turtles are on the endangered species list, and here everyone was — from ages 1 to 91 — digging up the eggs! Then they carried big, bulging sacks away to transport and sell for food.

Supposedly, the first arribada (turtle arrival) happens and then, on the following days, more and more turtles come to nest. Most of the eggs that are laid by the early birds are destroyed by the next batch of turtles coming up the beach. So, in theory, the locals are fair in gathering the eggs — either a commodity used or a commodity lost, I suppose. It’s a tricky situation, because the sale of the eggs provides a nice living for the locals and is important for the survival of their community. But, we won’t know how this legalized collection is affecting the turtles for years to come.

On a happier note, Costa Rica has seen torrential rain for the past few months, and when we came in with our camera gear and crew the clouds parted and we had amazing weather! The capuchins smacked the clams perfectly for us in the dappled sunlight of the mangrove swamps. The Jesus Christ lizard ran across the front of our kayak on cue, and the sunsets over the ocean never cease to amaze me. Costa Rica has a rich coast, and we captured a tiny sliver of it to share.

That’s a wrap on this one! Next, Tristan and I are heading to the Cocos Islands (400 miles off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica) to go diving with hundreds of sharks and to do a little treasure hunting.

Pura Vida Mis Amigos,

Vanessa (aka "WilderNessa")