Glen and Becky Chown Family Blog Site

Home Again, but Oh, the Memories!

     It is hard to believe it's already April 23 and we've been back in northern Michigan for well over a week. The demands of a busy modern life returned relentlessly, if not revengefully, and it's only today that I can find a few moments to write about those pervasive images of Costa Rica that continue to run through my head and that reassure me that, indeed, Glen and the boys and I took this most amazing trip together.

Grand Finale on the Osa Peninsula!

     "Still more monkeys than people." This slogan, used by a hotel near Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific coast, could easily be rephrased to describe our experiences on the edge of Corcovado National Park living in a tent camp for the last three days: "Still more hermit crabs than people," "Still more scarlet macaws than people," "Still more tree frogs than people," and "Still more sweat than common sense" all work too!

     This amazing trip began with a small chartered flight from Quepos Airport near Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the world's loveliest spots in my opinion, down along the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica into one of the most remote places in the world: the Osa Peninsula.

   

After landing at the tiny two-track airstrip, our luggage was loaded onto a cart drawn by a weary-looking horse and we began our forty-minute hike along the beach to Corcovado Lodge Tent Camp.

It was only mid-morning, but the heat and humidity had us soaked within moments. Before long we were stumbling through the sand, nearly blinded by perspiration, the two dads staggering under the weight of Leonard and Benjamin in their backpacks, the rest of us only better off by comparison. We were mighty glad to see Corcovado's white tents overlooking the palm trees and beach and the communal dining room - cold water and shade have never felt so good!

     Moments after arriving, one of the men who helped with the luggage and who spoke only Spanish beckoned us to a large tree right outside the Wilsons' tent. There, nicely camoflauged against the tree roots, most of him down in a hole and only his head sticking out, was a young boa constrictor! We never saw his full length, but we were told he was only about a meter long. A nocturnal creature who enjoys feeding on lizards, frogs, and bats (a half dozen or so of those were hanging upside down in the palm tree just behind our tents!), he gave us all cause to use our flashlights when we needed to venture out at night to one of the two camp bathrooms, even though we were assured that he doesn't bother people.

     Still, I couldn't get that old tune out of my head that I learned in my youth: "I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor, a boa constrictor, a boa constrictor..." The composer must have been confusing the boa and the anaconda! At least I hope he was!

    

Welcome, Wilsons, and Blogs from the Boys!

     Late last week found us anxiously awaiting the arrival of our good friends Todd, Deb, Christopher, and Ben Wilson from the Old Mission Peninsula. They pulled into our hotel overlooking Lake Arenal in the middle of the afternoon and we've had nothing but exciting adventures ever since! With two boys of their own to add to our three, we now make up quite a tribe!

My Crazy Horse and Swimming in a Waterfall by Martin

     We went horsebacking at an old cattle ranch near the volcano named Rincon(Mommy said it's a hacienda) two days ago. I got to ride my own horse and so did William. Leonard rode with Mommy. I got the meanest horse of all. She kicked at William's horse and Mommy's too and she didn't want to follow the other horses at the beginning or the end. I just held on tight and didn't fall off. We rode our horses to see a waterfall and we left them tied to a tree while we hiked the last of the way in.

Snorkeling and Manta Rays by William

     Last week we went snorkeling on the Pacific Ocean.  On the way we saw at least a couple dozen manta rays jumping into the air.  They were dark on top and white and shiny on the bottom. The closest one was about ten feet away from the sailboat we were on. Our guide said that they were jumping in order to clean themselves. Daddy thought that they were just plain happy because it was such a beautiful sunny day on the coast of Guanacaste.

   

Ode to EARTH University

     As Beck has indicated, we are now in Guanacaste and head later today to Rincon National Park. That means a few days ago, we spent our last night at EARTH University. Rest assured, we are determined to come back someday to visit our many new friends. What an amazing place, and we leave there with a renewed sense of optimism and hope for the future!

"Pura Vida" in Guanacaste!

     Pura Vida! This expression, commonly used in Costa Rica as both a greeting and farewell, means "Pure Life" and is apt indeed - it is most definitely a pure life here on Costa Rica's famed "Gold Coast."

Tortuguero National Park

     Hi, All! If, like me, you grew up adoring Gilligan's Island, you would feel right at home in Tortuguero National Park! After a grueling bus ride over gravel roads filled with potholes, we took a sometimes leisurely, sometimes rip-roaring hour-and-a-half boat ride down a river canal, finally ending up in a lagoon on which numerous eco-lodges have been built, including our own Laguna Lodge.

     I could just picture the crew from Gilligan's Island stranded here. We had a wonderful time, but let me tell you, the actual experience of the jungle isn't quite as glamorous as Gilligan's Island would indicate! Though we haven't been bothered by bugs nearly as much as we had been led to expect, we all have itchy bites on our legs and arms, and it is so unbelievably hot and humid on the Caribbean coast that we were drenched in sweat all day long. We enjoyed numerous swims in the ocean and in the pool to compensate!

     In addition to the thatched huts just like those the crew of Gilligan's Island slept in, the vegetation in the lagoon area also mirrors that of Gilligan's Island - think of those long palms swaying in the breeze and the inviting hammocks the crew liked to laze in. Those hammocks are everywhere on the Caribbean coast and they are a necessity, as it is very difficult to do much work in the heat of the day. Life does indeed move at a different pace here!

   

Slothin' and Surfin' in Punta Uva and Puerto Viejo

     Hello, Family and Friends! I hope no one was worried by the absence of any new web entries this past week...we traveled last Sunday to Puerto Viejo and Punta Uva on the southern Caribbean coast and did not have Internet access from our various rooms. We've just returned today to EARTH and will log a fast entry before we leave early tomorrow morning for Tortuguero National Park on the northeastern coast.

Wow - EARTH Banana Plantation Tour

     Yesterday Becky, William, Martin, and I went on a tour of EARTH's banana plantation and processing facilities.  For us Michiganders, who previously had pretty much zero understanding of just how bananas are grown, processed, and shipped to other destinations, it was truly a fascinating and eye-opening experience. We learned a great deal not just about the production of this incredibly important fruit crop, but also about the philosophy of EARTH University. 

    Our tour guide was the banana plantation manager Eric who is a native Tico, speaks excellent English, and is extremely skilled and dedicated to his work. His enthusiam was contagious. We were also joined by Kristine Jiminez, who is the assistant to Earth University President Jose Zaglul and who has been our incredible and wonderful host during our stay here. It hasn't hurt that she and her husband Eduardo and their kitten Coco live next door!