What the heck I'm working on

By popular demand, I shall tell you.

In my room, as I mentioned, I am have about 550 arachnids preserved in 95% ethanol. I have a Nikon stereoscope, and I have a fiber optic light to illuminate stuff.



With this scope I can look at small details of the spiders in high-resolution and this helps me group individuals of the same species. I spend a lot of time in front of this apparatus. After plenty of separation I quickly estimate I have about 70 species of arachnids (and when I say arachnids, I limit this to the true spiders, Opiliones (daddy-long legs), and Ricinulei - google them, they're cool - I am not including mites etc. because they are simply TOO diverse).

Every other morning I walk about 2.5 km to a nearby forest to collect leaf litter. I am taking litter samples from three different types of forest: and abandoned cacao plantation, secondary forest, and primary forest. My goal: to determine whether species diversity increases between these different successional stages. The results of this study will have conservational implications in addition to the fact that I imagine I have a few undiscovered species in my collection (as the leaf litter of the hyper-diverse tropics is sort of a final frontier for taxonomists). I will donate my specimens to the UCR for identification when the project is over and they will keep me updated as to what they find.

I owe much of the current success of this project to the practical expertise of my biologist host father and the equipment he has provided me. I finally feel like a real biologist and I'm happy to spend 12-13 hours per day working with the leaf litter (and that which I pull out).

If all goes well, I will be looking to publish the findings of this project in a smaller journal for tropical studies. This would be an ultimate success but I don't see it as an impossibility.

It's been awhile

And that, readers, is precisely why I imagine the following will be one of my more substantial entries. These past 30 days have provided enough sights and sounds (and smells) new to my experience that the way I understand our place and responsibility (as proud, sapient beings) on this planet has completely changed.

I don't remember what I've told you previously about my host site but I am going to start from scratch (and do it right) My house in Sarapiqui is wonderful - the nicest-looking in the neighborhood. It's built upon one of three adjoined lots that are the property of my host father, Danilo Brenes. With the other land the family has chosen to develop an enviable garden where one can find a diverse assortment of fruits I wouldn't expect you to know (some are heavenly, some not for me).

I sleep at night, like the rest of the family, with a mosquito net draped around the bed posts. There are plenty of mosquitos (zancudos) around, but more than anything I'd say it's for peace of mind. I yucca almost every day, and never has it been out of the ground more than a few hours beforehand. Of course, rice and beans are served with every meal. Combine them with a strong cup of Costa Rican coffee and a plate of fried plantains and you've got a real Costa Rican breakfast. I can see the travel slogans now - Costa Rica: come for the beautiful beaches, stay for the sensational, jaw-dropping bowel movements.

My average day consists of about 3-4 hours of walking during the morning to collect leaf litter samples. 5-6 hours of separating leaf litter in search of three families of arachnids, and about 2 hours of separating "spiders" into groups of the same species under a Nikon stereoscope. It is nirvana for the Scott of many years past (and the agenda is more than agreeable for the current Scott, too). At times I find quite sizeable arachnids which is always a treat (see below). Currently I have about 550 individuals and hope to gather about 700 more before the project is up. Anyone who has more than a passing interest to know what I intend to do with these arachnids is more than free to shoot me an e-mail.



I also went to Dominical a few weeks ago. I suppose this could also be considered part of my agreeable agenda. The beach is kind of out of the way but the destination more than justifies the schlep (sp? - sorry Jews). From my house to Dominical, one takes 4 different buses and a taxi. A private aircraft would get you there in 20 minutes but, alas, I had lent mine out for the day (HAHA!).

Though weary from the long trip, the scenery on the last leg of the trip was enough to re-stimulate my interest in remaining conscious for at least a few more hours. We got to Dominical just in time to bear witness to one of the majestic Pacific sunsets advertised on Hawaiian postcards. Proof (needless to say the picture does not do justice):


Dominical is a good beach. I'd recommend it to anyone over the more crowded (and more expensive) beaches in Guanacaste. The waves are excellent for body surfing (and the kind with the board). I'm beginning to realize that when guide books tell you beaches are not good for swimming, it really just means that the waves are bigger and more fun. With this sunset on my back, I body-surfed a wave nearly three times higher than my head and felt a flying sensation (if only for a brief moment before the monster crashed and sent me tumbling and bending like a wet noodle).

What's better than the beach, however, are the waterfalls hidden far from the road, deep within the forest. We were lucky enough to be traveling with a tico who knew how to get to these cataratas and on our last morning in Costa Rica's south Pacific we drove his car as close to the waterfalls as possible and walked the rest of the way in the hot sun (it was about a 40 minute walk). After huffing and puffing our way through farmland we reached the edge of the forest and descended for about 10 minutes. This awaited us at the end:


You won't get a good idea of the size of this waterfall from the picture, but I would say that it was a good forty feet high. The water was crisp and refreshing and it's a shame that we could only stay for about 30 minutes before having to turn around so people could catch their respective buses home.

So that was Dominical. The next weekend I went with my host family to the grandparent's papaya/cattle farm. The farmhouse is old and rustic and built completely out of wood. There is no electricity. Despite the heat, it was the most peaceful home I'd ever seen in my life. Here it is below:


Food there is prepared on a wood burning stove and the flavor of smoke from the hard, tropical wood is out of this world. First thing when we got there, they hung strips of pork over the stove and we ate it later that night. It was, needless to say, the best pork I'd ever had.


After chopping wood to earn our keep at the farm, we rested for a while and then I went for a walk around with my host father and brother. We explored the surrounding banana plantations and I learned a lot about the way they operate. It's a tough, dangerous job to harvest bananas, trust me.

The farm is also located next to a river with a wide, sandy beach. It was nice to walk along the bank, cooling off our feet and looking for wildlife.

The next weekend I met up with the program director, Scott, and a small ACM-related posse to take a cacao tour at a plush nature reserve not far from my house. We got to sample plenty of chocolate and it was delicious (and I understand this tour was something of a religious experience for one of my female predecessors). In stores one can find dark chocolate with about 75-80% cacao (for steep prices). I got to try 100% cacao which hardly tastes like the chocolate to which we are accustomed.

The next day I woke up early to accompany my Dad to his place of work at La Selva (the fancy OTS base in the middle of primary forest). I imagine there is nothing else like it in the world. Inside I was surrounded by dense forest and expensive German microscopes, a winning combination in my book. It was a great day. Here is a picture of the lab in which I parked myself for the day:



After that I returned home and I've been working pretty intensely on my project since. Next week I am returning to the Dominical-vicinity for a few more days to enjoy Semana Santa. It's going to be sweet. More to follow.

What´s to Come

In a week I will update this blog hardcore. Posts will be about: my trip to Dominical, my trip to a papaya farm, my project, and general life in Sarapiqui. Many pictures. Get pumped.

Scott

Bienvenido a Sarapiqui

Okay, so I am actually at an internet cafe in San Isidro on the way to the beach (Dominical). I am typing on a Spanish-adapted keyboard and I don´t have the time or the patience to locate certain buttons so excuse typos and the like.

The last week was splendid. A bus from San Jose to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui takes 90 short minutes and cuts through the heart of the thickest rainforest you could fathom. When I got to Puerto Viejo (town and surrounding area pop. 40,000) my host Dad was waiting to pick me up in his small and nimble Suzuki SUV. We drove around and he showed me the sites, recounting perfectly all of the times the Rio Sarapiqui had flooded the area in the past few years. Then we returned back the house I visited a week earlier and I dropped my luggage in my room and enjoyed a fabulous lunch made by new host mother, Levinia. I have a prodigal 12 year old brother who is dominant among his peers in Uno, Dominoes, and, less important to him, academics (he is a real smart cookie).

Later that day I went for a walk in the rainforest with my host Dad Danilo and we saw hundreds of poison arrow frogs, howler monkeys, bullet ants, and tons of plants of which my dad new the latin name for every one. I fell in a swamp crossing a narrow bamboo bridge and flooded my rubber boots with water but it only added to the experience, the squish squosh of me eagerly following my host dad through previously unexplored forest.

We did a lot more and I would love to tell you about it but my time here at the internet cafe is up and I must scurry. Never fear, I will tell you about falling Caimitos and other adventures ASAP.

Scott

Going to the field

Tomorrow I am headed to my rural site for a month. I will come back to San Pedro for a few days after that and then it will be another 4 weeks in the field to finish with data collection. It is my intention to update this blog regularly from an internet cafe in town but we will have to see how that goes.

Not much to report from this week really. Tomorrow I am waking up early to catch the 7:30 bus to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui and my host Dad is going to pick me up there. I managed to get everything that I anticipate myself using over the next two months (including all equipment I will need for my project) in my school backpack and a 70L backpacking pack. It was a tight squeeze but I'm almost proud of myself for packing so light.

Next weekend I am going to Dominical with 5 other students. It's a beach on the south Pacific side of Costa Rica where the water will be exceedingly blue and warm. I will be sure to let you know how that goes.

Scott

Only the drunk drive straight in Costa Rica

Only the drunk drive straight in Costa Rica. My adviser mentioned this to me on the way back from Sarapiqui and it's true. Most roads seem unnecessarily curvy and even the straight ones are decked out with an obstacle course-like arrangement of potholes that require an impressive level of control over the car to avoid bottoming out. Otherwise, regarding private transport, Costa Ricans are not the most courteous nor sensible drivers (far from it, in fact running a red light is commonplace even on busier roads - traffic police are scarce). I speculate that every Costa Rican has a bolder alter ego whose emergence is prompted only when the Tico gets behind the wheel.

Anyway, this past week was, for the most part, great. I spent the majority of it here in San Pedro but for a few hours on Saturday when I visited my rural site. I played soccer with some Ticos earlier in the week and the level of play was better than what I had experienced earlier. I was beginning to think that Costa Ricans, though completely enamored with futbol, simply weren't very good. A few players from the upper division at the University of Costa Rica joined us and it was a vigorous hour of uninterrupted play.

On Friday, Kelsey and Amy (Howard - a student from Colorado College) went (e)Spinning at the Outlet Mall 200 meters from the ACM. For those who don't know what Spinning is, it's basically a workout on a stationary bike that you do standing up in front of an overly-enthusiastic (given the banality of the exercise) instructor. They play music loud enough to get a comatose patient's blood racing and apparently it's a great workout. I stayed behind to play Solitare (I had just learned to play and was determined to win although I had no concept of the strategy needed to do so).

About 14 unsuccessful games in, Amy returned, out of breath, yelling, "Scott come quick!". Both myself and the program's director (remember, our fearless leader with whom I share a name) walked over (ironically, we were both "needed"). Amy told us that Kelsey fell from her stationary bike and cut her leg and assumed that she would need stitches. We hopped into Scott's car and drove over to the Outlet Mall. We got to the spinning club to find Kelsey and what remained of her leg (I kid), wrapped and elevated. I understand the wrap job was courtesy of the concerned women across the hall at a nail salon. Kelsey, understandably, seemed too distressed at the time to speak/understand Spanish. The loud music at the club probably didn't help either.

We moved Kelsey outside and waited for the paramedics (who at been called prior to our arrival) to arrive. They told Kelsey that she'd have to go to the hospital for stitches and that they'd take her there in an ambulance. We got in the ambulance, it was the first time for both of us, and took a short ride to El Hospital Casa de la Biblia. We immeadiately went back to a room where they do "minor surgery." After a few questions and minutes of waiting, in walked the doctor (he introduced himself and now I forget his name). He began the procedure and I was impressed at the sterility of it all. That being said, the doctor's unbuttoned dress shirt revealed an immensly dense patch of chest hair which I imagine must have been at least as biodiverse as one of the nearby rainforests. This forest hovered above Kelsey's sizeable gash for the entirety of the procedure. Her leg, up to this point, has not rotten off or even begun to turn black so I'd imagine that all is well.

Anyway, during the stitching, to pass the time and break the awkward silence, I asked the doctor what he thought of Costa Rica's next qualifying match against Mexico (in Mexico City). He responded with an elaborate, yet ill-informed analysis of how he thought things currently stood in CONCACAF (which includes the Caribbean, and North and Central America). I didn't have the heart to correct him, though I would never question his abilities in medicine (Kelsey's stitches are beautiful), he seemed like a stubborn and simple-minded man.

The whole stitches incident was over in a flash and we were back in the ACM building before we knew it. I spent Friday afternoon playing with an 8 month old Border Collie (pastor overjero or sheep dog - they don't have a specific name for Border Collie in Spanish). My host sister is caring for him while his owner is out of town. He's rambunctious but far less neurotic/psychotic than my Border Collie.

The next morning (Saturday) I met my adviser at 9 to visit my rural site. Kelsey had planned on accompanying us but she stayed home to nurse the leg. It's a shame too because I must tell you that I will be spending the next two months in an absolutely magical place. The road there cuts through primary forest as far as the eye can see for the first hour and then through banana plantations for the last 30 minute stretch. My house is small and very pretty and I have will have a younger (slightly shy, but very curious) brother named Esteban. My host mother seemed pleased that my Spanish is pretty good and behind the house is a beautiful garden where the family grows pineapple, yucca, avocado, a large squash-like vegetable (I forget the name), sweet lemons, and probably more. After taking a tour of the house we drove back through the town of Puerto Viejo (which has internet cafes all around so I will most likely still be able to update this blog every week) and then turned off to enter La Selva (the OTS-run research station) to meet up with my host father, Danilo. We found him finishing lunch in the mess hall and then he led us across a suspension bridge over the Rio Sarapiqui so we could discuss my project in his office (he will also be my primary adviser). Danilo seemed quite interested in my project and generously offered me access to any equipment I might need from the OTS even though I am here as a student from the ACM. He's going to take a few days off of work to help me get started with my project (which is in both of our interest as he is currently is working administrative duty at La Selva and working in the field is his true passion).

After the meeting was over with, he hopped in the car and headed back towards San Jose. I spent 5 minutes outside at La Selva and saw 2 species of toucan, a pecarry, and howler monkeys. When I got back to San Jose I called some of the other students to see what was going on for Saturday night even though I was already well-tired from the day's trip. It turned out that they had planned on going dancing (MUCH) later that night. I obliged, not wanting to be the lame one. When I got to the club, it turned out that most of the other students had decided to stay home and rest. It turned out being just me and one other student (with his host sister). It was a late, but decent night.

On Sunday, Kelsey and I walked through San Jose looking for an artesenia where I could find a Guatemalan-style belt. We found a crafts bizaar type thing but I didn't find my belt. I might try again this afternoon.

It was a less eventful (relatively speaking) week but a good one. I learned how to prepare plantains today which should help me make friends in the future. Anyway, that's all for now.

Scott

Trip to Cahuita

Since the last blog post, much has happened. It has become even more apparent, not that it wasn't blatantly obvious when I got here, that Costa Rica is a pretty nice place. Yesterday, the thought occurred to me that in the (distant) future I would have leave here. I quickly relegated that thought to the back of my mind and continued to enjoy myself.

The past school week was fun. Highlights included meeting with my adviser over lunch to further discuss my project. As I said, I'll be in Sarapiqui. It's a vast and speciose jungle and I understand that researchers who spend their fair share of time there are wise to wear rubber boots as the Fer de Lance (terciopelo), Costa Rica's most dangerous snake, are quite common.

Another high point from last week had to be watching the Costa Rica vs. Honduras game at a bar with 8 other ACM kids. We were the only gringos there but it was all the better as the atmosphere at the bar was electric (in a good way, I can see how things could have turned sour had Costa Rica not won 2-0).

Two more days passed and then it was time for Cahuita. It's a small town less than an hour south of Limon (and the drive from Limon is made all the more bearable by the fact that it's entirely parallel to/over the Carribean). I won't go into enormous detail about the bus ride down other than the fact that it was especially cramped because there was really no space to place any bags larger than a purse. I rode with my backpack on my lap and we got to know each other splendidly.

When we got to Cahuita, I could tell right away that it was the most relaxed place I've ever been. For the most part, it's populated by people who immigrated from Jamaica a few generations back (mainly because of opportunities to work on farms in Costa Rica). Almost everyone speaks English (normally that would be good, but I really want to be practicing my Spanish).


We walked through the entire town, taking the most wrong turns possible to ensure that we saw it all before finding our hotel, Cabinas Smith. I threw my backpack on my bed, put on a bathing suit and met up with the other boys. We decided to walk directly towards the water, which was a bad idea as there was no beach where we ended up. Instead we had to traverse our way through fairly rocky terrain to reach the real beach. When we got there, we jumped in the water for a quick swim and then we relaxed for a while. After that we walked around town for a while and then found an Italian restaurant.

The next morning, we woke up fairly early and tried to find a place to snorkel. We ended up deciding that it had been raining too much lately and that the water would be too murky. I'll have to return to Cahuita just to snorkel because I hear it's the best place to do so in Costa Rica. Instead we gave our donations to the people at the park entrace (they do donations at this park instead of require the $10 park entrance fee so that they can keep everything they collect instead of have to send it all to the government only to receive a small/insufficient piece in return - the people there seem very proud of this).

The first 400 m of the beach in this national park is not safe to swim in because of strong riptides. You have to walk until you see green flags to know that you are in a zone that is safe for swimming.

On our hike towards these green flags, we passed a sloth making his way up a tree, tons of leaf cutter ant superhighways, and a brilliantly colored yellow viper (which we didn't notice until our walk back).

We found a nice picnic table under a thatched roof but this discrete shelter was really the only evidence of human occupancy in Cahuita I could see. Otherwise, this beach was a veritable prototype of the kind on which we'd imagine Christopher Colombus landing.

We all mistakingly decided to leave our stuff on the picnic table and go swimming on the beach. Cahuita and many other beaches have a large problem with theft of unattended bags and it's almost inevitable that unwatched bags will be searched. You are probably thinking that our cameras and other valuables are all gone but these theives were not your ordinary person. They were smaller, hungrier primates known as white-faced monkeys (cariblancos). They are intrepid little buggers and are cute until they begin to fight you for your trail mix. Everything had been going fine until lunch, when we ate, played some cards, digested our food, and then went back in the water. When a few of us returned there sat a proud looking specimen with chip crumbs all over his mouth. He retreated to about eye level in a nearby tree but waited curiously to see/get pleasure from our reaction to his mischeif. We ended up cracking open a coconut that was lying on the beach and offering him the meat inside as a healthier alternative to tostitos. He accepted. Many of the students have pictures. I forgot my camera.

After that, we finished up our long day at the beach and returned to Cabinas Smith for a shower. We went out to another restaurant for dinner and watched the first bit of the Count of Monte Cristo. I think we were all pretty beat after that so it ended up being kind of an early night.

The next morning we woke up, packed our bags and then went for another walk on the beach before our bus left at 11:30. It was a short bus ride back (seemingly so, as I slept the whole way) and I returned with enough energy to go play some more mini golf with my host brothers.

I have to go sure up my research project proposal, which is due tomorrow. My future travel plans include a field trip to Sarapiqui (my rural site) with my advisor this weekend. That will be only a day trip. The weekend after that I will most likely go to somewhere on the Pacific coast (i.e. Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Dominical, etc.) with a smaller group from the ACM (the trip to Cahuita was all 14 of us). Pura vida.