"Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem." ― A.A. Milne
If you didn't read part one, I highly recommend you do, as this will be discussing my second day at the turtle station so I won't be introducing as much about the place as in the last one! :)
The second day, I woke up tired from little sleep, but excited. After seeing that massive, beautiful creature just a few feet in front of me, I knew I needed more. I already new I wanted to come back and I hadn't even left yet! I asked Paul how you can become a volunteer here and he said, "You raise your hand," meaning they will take anyone that is willing to help, no biology background necessary! In fact, I met a volunteer from France, who has definitely inspired me to travel more, and she was a designer before she up and quit her job of 7 years to come help these turtles. You don't need a strong background in this (or any), just a love, passion, and positive attitude toward it to become a volunteer. Sounds good to me!
Day two starts with breakfast as I desperately pick out the ham that is mixed in with the scrambled eggs (meat is a bigger part of Costa Rican cuisine than I had anticipated!). As I was washing my dishes, I heard a volunteer run over and tell us all to come over to the beginning of the canal- a crocodile was eating a huge fish! I left my plates where they were and ran over! There was a giant crocodile whipping its head around attempting to rip a fish in half to better consume it. It was actually really cool to see. Since there was no internet, I only had my phone to take the few pictures I have added on my blog, so I didn't get a picture of this show.
We also went on a canal tour where I didn't get pictures. I would honestly much rather experience it in the moment and absorb my surroundings through my eyes rather than a lens. We saw crocodiles and caimans, cranes and sloths, three different types of monkeys (including howler monkeys that make a sound like a dinosaur even though they are about the size of my forearm, spider monkeys that were almost too fast to follow, and the white faced capuchin who looked at our boat filled with gringos very curiously), a bird mating call/dance, and some lizards! These were really cool to experience, since I have never seen them in person before, only on nature documentaries! I feel so incredibly lucky each day knowing that I get to have these adventures.
Surprise! I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and drawing in the hammock. The water was too dangerous to swim in, so that wasn't an option for us. Laying in a hammock is a much better alternative in my opinion, though! Even though the water is dangerous, Paul went in anyways, hanging his shirt right over the "Danger: No Swimming" sign. This guy is incredible.
After this, we ate dinner as a group and I changed into my dark clothes (it was important to wear dark clothes while out on the beach). It was time to venture out into the dark, moonless, shore. I could barely contain my excitement. On both days, we went in two different groups: Group 1 went on a shorter part of the beach while Group 2 covered the larger portion. I would have gone with the shorter group if no one else wanted to, but I got lucky enough to get the longer part for both nights! That meant more land to cover, which meant more potential opportunities for turtles SO COUNT ME IN!
Pretty much as soon as we started walking, our guide got a message on the walkie talkie saying there was a turtle nearby already! We basically ran to it, Lauren W. and I were bringing up the rear getting cramps (yeah I'm THAT out of shape) trying to keep up with the group as we made our way to the first turtle of the night. By the time we got there, and after I wiped the sweat off my face, I noticed she had already laid her eggs in that group's bag. It was kind of sad to see that she took so much time to cover her eggs so that they were safe, but they were sitting in a plastic bag right behind her next to the guides. I had to remind myself that this was definitely a better option for these turtle eggs! Lauren W. and Lauren C. got to help with the measuring and a few others got to carry the eggs to the next turtle! Wow! Already another turtle!
The next turtle was digging her nest by the time we got there and the guides told us there was water in the nest when she was digging up the sand. They tried to build up the sand around her shell so she thought that her nest was deeper than it really was. If she felt too much water, she wouldn't lay her eggs as it would be a failed nest. We tried to get her to want to lay them however, because we collect them anyways to move them to a safer place where we can better help them survive once they hatch. If she doesn't lay her eggs, she goes back into the ocean. Sometimes they can't wait any longer and they have to have the eggs in the water, guaranteeing that none of the eggs would survive. I'm hoping she found her way back to shore and found a safe place to lay her eggs! I will probably never know.
When she decided not to lay her eggs, she began covering up the nest she had made. This is when I actually got to touch her. I put on a glove (to protect both her and me) and walked over with the guide. I got to help measure the width of her shell! She was moving a lot as she finished covering her nest so it was difficult to keep steady (as I am already naturally a clutz) because her strong, huge flippers were hitting against my legs as she moved through the sand. We watched her make her way back into the ocean. It was very difficult to see, but I did get to peer into her large, beautiful eyes. I wish I knew what kinds of things they saw and stories they told. This was the biggest turtle of the season so far! This creature was smacking me with her flipper as she tried to move, was grunting and coughing to get rid of all the sand she swallowed, and all of this is happening while I am basically falling backward into the half filled nest. But this was one of the most amazing, life changing, beautiful things I have ever experienced.
~pura vida