At 6:00 AM we were due in the hotel lobby to join our tour group. By 6:40, all the luggage was on the bus and we set off for Tortuguero. Our tour guid is Jorge Monge. He gave us a lot of interesting info about Costa Rica and is a funny, knowledgeable tour guide. We stopped for breakfast 2 hours after leaving. I had fried eggs, fruit, black beans and rice with a yummy green curry sauce, bread, and caffe con leche.

After b-fast, we continued on a paved road and then had to travel on an unpaved road for an hour. The bus stopped so we could buy some empanadas and pastries from a street-side vendor. I had one with potatoes, chicken, and spicy peppers. It was GOOD but Eva didn’t buy any because she suspected they weren’t made with real butter. Eventually we reached the dock where we transferred into boats. The boat ride to Mawamba Lodge took an hour and I found myself nodding off.

Our lodge is very nice. The cabins have wood interiors and are simple and rustic, but comfy and clean. The pool is BIG and the meals are served in a covered outdoor space. We had a buffet-style lunch as soon as we arrived. I had fried fish, homemade bread, veggies, plantains, salad, and amazing drip coffee with cream.

After lunch, Jorge took us on a tour of the grounds. We saw the frog sanctuary and I got to hold a red-eyed, blue-jeaned tree frog. Then we went to the butterfly sanctuary and it started to pour rain and thunder/lightning! After our tour, I found a hammock and took a siesta.

Dinner consisted of a pasta bar, more fish in a cheesy sauce, black beans with a smoky flavor, and more of the amazing homemade bread. Dessert was banana bread pudding. Overall the food has been very good but I need to take it easy on the unlimited portions…

At 7:30 PM, Eva and I met our guide for our optional turtle excursion ($30). Turtles are laying eggs on the beaches this time of year, and we will be able to see it! We had to watch a movie that informed us how to behave/what to wear on the tour. We were told to be extremely quiet and had to wear dark clothing so we wouldn’t scare the turtles. I had mixed feelings about the tour because I was concerned about whether people should be on the beach at all when the turtles are laying their eggs, but the tour guide is from the conservation group, so I assumed it was okay.

We made our way to the beach with flashlights but turned them off as we approached. We waited and then a “spotter” radioed our guide that a turtle had begun digging a hole to lay her eggs. We slowly made our way to where the turtle was. It took her a long time because part of her flipper was missing, poor thing! When she began to lay her eggs, we we got closer to the turtle and the guide shone a red light on her and we could see the eggs dropping, 2-3 at a time! The guide said once they start laying them, they don’t stop, so we wouldn’t be causing her to stop and leave. After she lay the eggs, she buried them and then made her way back to the water. She would go 4-5 steps then stop, then rest, she was obviously exhausted! It was such an amazing experience. As we left, more turtles were coming onto the beach. We could see the moonlight shining on their backs. The movie told us that many of the babies that will be born will not survive because a lot of them get eaten by the sharks that live in the water. Yup, this area is definitely not for swimming…