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Experiencing History

Experiencing History Inverness, United Kingdom

Inverness, United Kingdom

This morning started with another great breakfast at Ardconnel House. I decided to take the leap and tried the haggis. It was okay. Not bad, but not very appealing either.

Today we got to learn about and experience a lot of different aspects of Scottish history.

Clava Cairns

Clava Cairns is a prehistoric burial site that is about 4,000 years old. It contains 3 rocks cairns, or piles of stones. The two cairns on the end were passage graves, meaning there was a passage in the rocks to the center of the cairn, and was originally covered over. Both entrance passages were aligned so that their openings lined up with the setting sun at the winter solstice. The central cairn was a ring cairn, which had an open center, but no passage to it. All three cairns were surrounded by a circle of 12 standing stones.

Not much is known about the people who built the cairns, but there are similar structures all over Scotland. And there were only one or two people buried in each cairn, so they were likely people of importance.

The cairns were located in the middle of an open, wooded clearing, and I could really feel how ancient they were. The whole time I kept thinking about the Outlander books, which both my Mom and I have read. The first few are based in Scotland, and the main character is a woman from the WWII era who goes through a portal in time at some standing stones near Inverness. She ends up 200 years in the past, and gets embroiled in the events of the time. So Mom and I took a couple pictures at the standing stones, acting like we were getting sucked through a portal in time!

Nearby, we also visited the Culloden Moor Viaduct, a train trestle built from the local stone. It was very beautiful, and we got to see a train going over it!

Cawdor Castle

Cawdor Castle is still lived in by the Dowager (i.e. window) Countess of Cawdor, a local branch of the Campbell family. It’s famous from the play Macbeth, which took place in Inverness. The castle itself isn’t in the play, but the three witches predict that Macbeth will be granted the title “Thane of Cawdor.” Interestingly, Macbeth was actually a real person, however Cawdor Castle didn’t exist until 300 years later.

The castle was originally a four-story tower house, built around 1400, with the entrance on the second floor. A wooden stairway could be pulled up, making it very defensible from attack. There was even a trap door inside the main entrance, so that unfriendly neighbors could be dropped into the dungeon below.

There’s an interesting legend that the location of the castle was chosen by a donkey, who leaned against a particular holly tree. The Castle was then built around the holly tree, which we saw a replica of in the dungeon.

We were able to tour the inside of the castle, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures. So I don’t remember much, except that it definitely looked lived in. And there were also some amazing gardens outside the castle.

Culloden Battlefield

WARNING: this section is very detailed, because I want to remember what I learned.

Unless you’ve read the Outlander books, you may not have heard of the Battle of Culloden (cuh-LAW-den). But it was very important in the history of Scotland, and was in fact the last major battle on British soil in 1746.

Our visit started in a very well-done museum. We learned about the events leading up to the battle, and the battle itself, from both the Scottish and English side.

The roots of the battle start almost a century before with Charles II, king of both Scotland and England, of the Stuart line. His niece Mary was married to the Protestant William of Orange. When Charles died, his brother James, who had converted to Catholicism, became king. James soon had a son, also named James, and the English decided they didn’t want a Catholic dynasty. So William & Mary took the throne shortly after young James was born, in 1689.

James and his son fled to France. But many in Scotland still thought him the rightful king. The supporters of the Stuarts were known as Jacobites, from the Latin from of James, Jacobus. There was a first Jacobite rising in 1715, in support of James’ son, known as James The Prentender. But if failed.

A second Jacobite rising began in 1745 under the direction of James the Pretender’s son, Charles Edward Stuart, a.k.a. Bonnie Prince Charlie. He sailed to Scotland and gathered support from the clans. Most were highlanders, but he also had support from Scottish lowlanders, Irish, and French.

At the time, most of the English army was in Belgium, fighting a war in Europe. So Bonnie Prince Charlie raised an army and marched all the way to Edinburgh, taking control of the city. He soon fought a battle with the English army at the nearby Prestonpans and soundly defeated them.

Bonnie Prince Charlie’s advisers wanted to stay in Edinburgh, to gather support, but the Prince wanted to continue marching on England, expecting to find more support there. But they found none as they continued to march South. When they got within 6 days march of London, the Prince finally started listening to his advisers and turned back to Scotland. They knew there were two English armies behind them, and feared a third army in London. But in fact, there wasn’t much of an army in London and they could have easily taken the city. Instead, they retreated to Edinburgh.

Meanwhile, the English had recalled troops from Belgium, to help them squash Bonnie Prince Charlie and his army. And they had retaken Edinburgh.

Charlie listened to his advisers once again, and decided to retreat to the highlands, and regroup until the spring. So his army retreated back towards Inverness. But they were getting very low on supplies and food.

As the English marched towards Inverness, Charlie’s advisers recommended retreat. But Charlie knew they were desperately low on supplies and food, and wanted to end the hostilities. So he ordered a night march to surprise the enemy camp. But his army was so tired and hungry and they didn’t make it in time and had to turn back.

And so it was, on the morning of April 16, 1746, that Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army waited at Culloden for the English to arrive. They were tired and hungry, while the English were well-rested and well-fed. Both sides lined up in long lines, facing each other. The previous Jacobite victories had been a result of the ferocious highland charge, with their line rushing up to the English so fast that the English could only give off one round of gunfire. On this day, however, the left side of the Jacobite army was mired in a bog, and the rest forced to veer right due to the terrain. So instead of the entire lines meeting at the same time, the Jacobites met the English at one point, in a long trailing line. This allowed the English to slaughter the Jacobites, and they were defeated in less than an hour. Over 1,200 Jacobites lost their lives, compared to 50 English. And it didn’t end there. The English chased the retreating Jacobites and slaughtered as many more as they could.

To prevent any further Scottish uprising, the English government tried to completely suppress the Scottish culture, They banned the wearing of weapons, kilts and tartans, and bagpipes. They stripped the clan chiefs of their legal powers, and Jacobite estates were given to the English.

Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped from the battle alive, fleeing first to the outer islands of Scotland, being hidden by the many Jacobite supporters. Eventually he escaped to France, never to return to Scotland. And Scotland has been a part of Britain ever since. The highland military tradition did survive, as they were welcomed into the British army. And helped Britain become a dominant world power over the next century. But many Scottish also immigrated to North America as well, in particular Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia (literally, “New Scotland”).

So after the museum, we went outside to walk the Culloden Battlefield. It was raining, for the first time on our trip, and I was glad to have my big golf umbrella from St. Andrews. We got an audio guide that explained even more about the battle. The battlefield was basically a vast moor and boggy in places. We started at the British end of the battlefield, which was on high ground and had a great view of the surrounding area. The Scottish end of the battlefield was on low ground and even boggier and more uneven terrain. It was very sobering, imagining all the soldiers that faced that view, marched into the unknown, and were slaughtered.

Inverness

We actually made it back to Inverness before suppertime, and it was our last night there. So we decided to walk around a bit. The city is located on the River Ness, which empties out of Loch Ness and flows seven miles to the sea. Our B&B was on top of a bluff beside the river. We first walked down to the main street of the town, then out and across the river. Then we walked back along the river.

We had been thinking about finding a place to see some traditional music that night. And we did find a couple. We tried to eat at one, but it was all reserved. So we ended up at a place called Lauder’s Pub. This was a real local pub, but plenty big. I got the sausage & mash but it wasn’t great. We all got extremely tired and decided we didn’t want to stay up for any music (it wasn’t starting until 9 pm). Dad and I stayed for a second beer, while Mom went back to the B&B to blog. On our way back, there was a bagpipe group playing in the center of town, so we stopped to watch. It was very cool. On the next song, the bagpipes were joined by a couple of local girls, who were doing a highland dance. We stayed for a couple more songs, but then they were done for the day.

I wished they had kept playing longer, because I was plenty awake while listening. But it was another hour until the music in the pubs would start. And there was no way I would make it that long. So we just went back to the B&B and I passed out again.

Hiking the Cairngorms

Hiking the Cairngorms Inverness, United Kingdom

Inverness, United Kingdom

We started our day with a wonderful Scottish breakfast in the lovely breakfast room of our B&B. I had some muesli to start, and then we got to order a hot breakfast. Mom’s order included blood pudding, and Dad got the haggis, but I was too tired to be so adventurous. I just got scrambled eggs, bacon, and a potato scone. I had heard about the potato scones in Scotland, so I was excited to see what they were. It was basically flat and pancake-like, but I guess had potatoes in it? It’s hard to describe how it tasted, except I liked it. A lot.

We spent the day in the Cairngorm Mountains, just a 30 minute drive south of Inverness. It was a beautiful day, with bright blue skies and sunshine! We went through the village of Aviemore and then up to a funicular that goes up the Cairngorms. It’s the longest and tallest funicular in the UK. But unfortunately it was a bit of let down. It doesn’t go all the way to the top. You can walk to the top, but only on a guided walk, and we got there too late to do that. So we weren’t even allowed to leave the building at the top of the funicular. And the views weren’t that great. We could only see the plain at the base of the mountains.

While in the gift shop at the top, we found a mini-hiking guide for the area, and we found a trail that sounded good. It was a 5 mile hike, up 500 meters to the top of Meall a’ Bhuachaille, a small hill that we could see from the top of the funicular.

There was also a restaurant at the top, and we decided to get a snack for our hike. We all got some caramel shortbread, and I got a bottle of Irn Bru (pronounced “iron brew”). It’s an extremely popular soft drink in Scotland. It actually used to be named “Iron Brew”, but some law was passed saying a beverage couldn’t be called a “brew” unless it was actually brewed. So the owners changed the spelling of both parts of the name.

After we went back down the funicular, it was a short drive to the Glenmore visitor center, where our hike started. I got a better map, and we were soon on our way! The hike started in the forest, but we were soon out in open moorland, with a great view of our destination, and lots and lots of heather! Soon we were on top of the mountain ridge, where it got pretty windy, and eventually made our way to the top. The views were spectacular.

We all had our caramel shortbread, which was very good. And I tried the Irn Bru. It was orange-colored, but nothing like orange soda in the US. It tasted like bubble gum, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. It was a little weird at first, but I liked it!

We soon continued our hike, down the other side of the hill, with more spectacular views of the Cairngorm mountains and lots more heather. When we got to the bottom there was a cute little cabin at the intersection with another trail. And then we headed back to the visitor center, on what we thought would be a fairly level trail. It was, at first. We walked through some beautiful meadows, then by a small lock. And then we had a choice of two trails to take back. The hiking guide had said to take the blue trail, so we went that way. It looked promising, at first, but soon we were heading straight up a mountain side. I kept hoping it was just a short ascent, but alas, it was not. Our legs and feet were already very tired, and this felt a little like torture. And it seemed to go on forever. But finally we reached an old logging road that was a gentle descent the rest of the way. But it still took forever to get back.

It was about 6 pm by the time we got back to the car, so we headed back to Inverness and decided to go back to the Castle Tavern, to have dinner this time. I got the steak and ale pie, which was good, but took forever to cool down because it was covered by a huge pastry. And we had more beer, of course! The waitress let us try a few different kinds, and I found a cask ale that I really liked. Although I don’t remember the name of it. It was so good that I had to have a second one!

It was about 9 pm by the time we got back to the B&B, and I was exhausted, so I just passed out again.

Walking the Links

Walking the Links Inverness, United Kingdom

Inverness, United Kingdom

We had measly breakfast of a croissant with jam and butter on the plane. Stupid United Airlines. And we arrived almost an hour late, about 10 am GMT. But we made it to Scotland! And as we were landing we had a great view of the Firth of Forth, an estuary of the River Forth, including a beautiful red train bridge, and the highway bridge we would be driving over later.

The Edinburgh airport was fairly small, and it was very fast getting through customs and picking up our bags. Then it was a looooong walk to the rental car building. We had made a reservation through Europcar, and they actually had an ingenious waiting system. Instead of just standing in a line forever, they had a touch-screen machine where you entered your name, and it gave you a number. Then you just waited for your number to be called.

Thankfully Europcar wasn’t too busy, so we didn’t have to wait too long to be helped (probably ~10 minutes). But it ended up taking about 45 minutes total before we were on our way. I don’t know why it takes rental car companies so long to get you a car. Actually, I do. It’s because they don’t really have anything from your reservation other than your name. So they have to enter all your information into their system. Plus, they have to try and upsell you on the car and insurance. Thankfully, I had just gotten Expedia’s credit card which comes with travel insurance. So for once, we didn’t have to buy the expensive car rental insurance in Europe! Unfortunately, the guy asked if the insurance covered collision and theft, and I didn’t know. But thankfully, he actually called my credit card company for me, and let me ask. And it covered both! The rental car guy was actually one of the friendliest I’ve ever dealt with, and we laughed a lot while it was taking so long. So it didn’t feel that long to us. Except for Mom, who was sitting and waiting for Dad and I (who would both be driving).

It was a short walk from the rental car counter to our car, which was another small white car, a Kia Ceed, similar to what Mom and I had driven in Ireland 4 years ago. We had opted for an automatic car, and it was a good thing we only had 3 people because the trunk was kinda small. We had to put my suitcase on the floor of the backseat, and fill the 4th seat with other stuff.

I took the first shift driving and it was really weird at first, driving on the left side of the road! I’d done it before in Ireland, and thankfully it came back pretty quickly. Plus, we only had to navigate a couple of roundabouts before getting on the highway. Unfortunately we wasted a bunch of time because the highway signs were confusing. We thought we took a wrong, so we turned around to go back the right way. However, the right way turned out to be the wrong way, and we had actually made the correct turn the first time. So we had to turn around again. But eventually we got our bearings, and headed north across the bridge over the Firth of Forth, and then on to St. Andrews.

If you’re not a golf fan, you’ve probably never heard of St. Andrews. But it’s the birthplace of golf. The first record of golf ever being played is at the Old Course in St. Andrews in 1553. In fact, the reason that a golf course has 18 holes is because that’s all that would fit on the Old Course! When we’d originally planned the trip, I really had no desire to go to St. Andrews at all. We were planning to drive up to Inverness today, and stopping in St. Andrews would turn our 3 hour drive into a 4 hour drive. Which is a lot for our first day in Europe, with not much sleep the night before.

However, I actually went to the US Open golf tournament in June, when it was at Chambers Bay an hour away from Seattle. And it was such an amazing experience that I instantly became a very big golf fan (I’d just been a casual fan the couple years before that). And I didn’t realize until afterwards that the British Open golf tournament was going to be at St.Andrews in July of this year. “The Open”, as they call it everywhere but the US, rotates between five different golf courses in the UK, and it just happened to be at St. Andrews this year. So after the US Open my Dad and I decided that we’d really like to go. Especially when we found out the course is closed to play on Sundays, but open for anyone to walk. And our first day in Scotland was a Sunday!

You may also have heard of St. Andrews if you’re a fan of the British royals. It’s where Prince William and Kate met, at Scotland’s most important university, St. Salvator’s College.

So it took about an hour to drive to St. Andrews. Shortly before we got there, we decided to try using the GPS in our car. It was funny because the rental car guy had asked us if we wanted GPS, and we said no because we had a good atlas. But it turned out our car had it anyway. So we got it without having to pay for it! And that turned out to be a very good thing. It made navigating the city of St. Andrews very easy, which would have been much more difficult with only an atlas.

After finding a car park next to the Old Course, we went to the first hole and started walking the course. We were surprised to find that most of the bleachers from The Open were still up. They were just starting to tear down one of the bleachers on the first hole.

We ended up walking the entire 18 hole course, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. But it was magical! Especially since we had just watched The Open on TV a month ago. They’d actually had some horrendous weather during the The Open, with a lot of rain and wind so bad they had to suspend play for about a whole day. Thankfully the weather wasn’t too bad for us. It was a little windy and a little chilly, but there was no rain and even a little sunshine now and then.

On the course, we were surprised by how hilly it was. Overall it was extremely flat, but there were lots of slopes and bumps throughout the course and greens. But that’s because it’s a links course, one that is in an area of coastal dunes. The sandy soil supports fescue grasses that create a very firm surface. And the grass was very short even in the fairways! There really wasn’t much of a difference between the fairways and greens. And the greens were huge! Most of the holes share a green with each other. Basically, the first nine holes all go in a straight line, and the second nine come back right next to them. During The Open, many players would actually hit the ball into the opposite fairways.

My Mom and I were very surprised when our fitbits vibrated while we were on the 14th hole. That meant we’d already walked 10,000 steps for the day!

My favorite part of the Old Course was the 17th and 18th holes. The 17th hole is the Road Hole, because most of the fairway and green are right beside a stone wall and road that is in play. It’s probably the most famous hole in all of golf, and is considered the hardest hole in all of golf. That’s because when players tee off, they have to aim over a building that is part of the Old Course Hotel. It was so surreal to be there just having seen it on TV so much.

The 18th hole is famous for the Swilcan Bridge, which goes over a very small burn (creek) that runs through the 1st and 18th fairways. Players have to walk over the bridge on their way to the final green, which is surrounded by the picturesque buildings of St. Andrews. There are many famous pictures of pro golfers on that bridge, so of course we had to get our pictures taken there! Dad even did the famous Jack Nicklaus pose, with one foot on the edge of the bridge and one hand waiving at the camera.

By the time we finished walking the course it was 2:30 pm already. We stopped in a couple gift shops and I bought a big golf umbrella and some golf balls from The Open (to go with my golf balls from the US Open). There was actually a lot more to see in St. Andrews – St. Salvator’s College, a castle, and the ruins of a cathedral. But we didn’t really have time. So we just did a quick walk through the town. We passed a church where a bagpiper was playing, and we passed a guy in a kilt. So we definitely started to feel like we were in Scotland! But our main destination was to get some food. We had fish & chips at Cromars, and I wasn’t that impressed because it didn’t come with any tartar sauce.

We were starting to get tired by this point and actually wished we were staying in St. Andrews that night. We would have been able to see the rest of the town and not have to drive any more that day. Instead, we had to drive 3 more hours to get to Inverness. So we went back to the car and headed on our way.

I kept driving, but after about 30 minutes I started to get extremely sleepy. So I asked Dad to take over. Thankfully the road had lots of “laybys”, places to pull over and park. And Dad was awake enough to drive the rest of the way. After a while the drive started to get more scenic as we went through the Cairngorm mountains. They were bare and rugged, and we got our first couple glimpses of lochs in the distance.

And before we knew it, we were approaching Inverness. It was a very good thing we had the GPS, because Dad missed the not-very-well-signed exit from the highway. So we just got off at the next exit and the GPS re-routed us to our destination. Although we had to go through the narrow back streets of Inverness, and even went the wrong way once.

But we finally made it to Ardconnel House B&B. It was one of many stone houses all in a row, and it seemed like B&B row because there were several other B&B’s. We had to park on the street fairly close by, but easily rolled our luggage to Ardconnel. We were greeted by John, one of the B&B hosts, and he helped take our bags up to our rooms all the way on the third floor. There wasn’t an elevator, of course. I was in a single room by myself, and it was tiny. But that was fine, it was decorated well, and all I really needed was a comfortable bed.

John gave us a handy map of Inverness and recommended a couple places to eat if we were hungry. We weren’t, but we wanted to go out and have a pint, so John suggested the Castle Tavern. It was very picturesque, and opposite the Inverness Castle. They only had seats open outside on a bench, which was fine with us because it wasn’t too chilly outside.

I got my first lesson in cask ales, which are very popular in the UK right now. It’s beer that is unfiltered and served at room temperature from a cask without any added nitrogen or carbon dioxide for pressure. I tried a Belhaven’s Best, which Dad recommended from their trip last year (Mom & Dad had visited Edinburgh last year on a group tour to the UK). I actually didn’t like it too much, I thought it had a weird bite to it.

I only had energy for one pint, so after that we just went back to the B&B and passed out.

Fly, Fly Away

Fly, Fly Away Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Travel day is always pretty boring for me. But I did experience a travel first today, which doesn’t happen that often anymore. There were thunderstorms in Chicago, where the first leg of my flight was landing. And apparently the thunderstorms were in the way of our flight path, because we had to circle a couple times before being allowed to land. The first time we had just started a wide turn when the captain came on and told us what was going on. It felt really weird to just keep turning, and turning, and turning. I wasn’t too worried at this point, since I had a 1.5 hour layover, and the captain made it sound like we wouldn’t be circling for long.

Finally the plane went straight again, but the captain told us we would be flying well north of Chicago (near Milwaukee), before heading back down to Chicago. That was to keep us out of the path of the thunderstorms. So when we got to the shore of Lake Michigan the plane turned south. But then it kept turning, and turning, and turning. Again. The captain told us were circling again, of course. But I was starting to get worried that we would arrive too late and I’d miss my connection to Edinburgh.

Since we were circling above the shore of Lake Michigan, it was easy for me to tell this time whether we were stopping the circling or not. After the first full loop (which takes quite a while), the plane kept turning. So I started to get really nervous. I started to get that sense of dread that everything was going wrong. But then I realized that if there were thunderstorms in Chicago, my connecting flight was probably delayed getting in too. So I felt a little better. And then as we rounded back toward the shore of Lake Michigan, the plane started to continue straight out over the lake, and I knew that we were on our way. I actually had a great view of the thunderstorms to the east as we landed. They were tall! And thankfully we only landed a half hour late.

My travel day was also slightly better than normal because my parents and I had managed to get on the same flight from Chicago to Edinburgh. So when I deboarded the plane, my parents were waiting for me right outside the gate! It was really nice because they already knew where our connecting gate was. Thankfully it was in the same terminal and pretty close, so we made it there just before they started boarding.

I asked my parents if it had been raining in Chicago, and surprisingly they said no. And our outgoing flight wasn’t delayed at all. Or at least, it wasn’t supposed to be. After we got on board, it seemed like were just sitting there for a lot longer than normal. Then 5 minutes before out flight was supposed to take off, I got a text from United saying the flight was delayed 20 minutes. I couldn’t believe a got a text message before the captain bothered to tell us anything was going on. Horrible customer service. But the captain eventually did tell us there was a maintenance issue, but we should be on our way shortly.

It was funny, though, I kept getting text messages that the flight was delayed longer, without another word from the captain. Eventually he did give us an update that the maintenance was finished, and they just needed to sign some paperwork before we were on our way. The last time I heard that, we ended up deboarding the plane, so I didn’t stop worrying. And I knew it would probably take a while. Which it did. But thankfully this time we did finally get the okay to leave, an hour and 20 minutes late.

One thing I really couldn’t believe about the plane was how old it was. We were flying United, and the plane from Seattle to Chicago had been a shiny new one. But the plane for the 7 hour flight to Edinburgh was really old and uncomfortable. This is why I hate flying US airlines to Europe. And the food for dinner was horrible. We did get a treat of gelato for dessert, but it was extremely melted by the time we got it.

After dinner I tried to sleep, but was mostly unsuccessful, as usual.

Project Asis & Arenal Hot Springs

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Project Asis & Arenal Hot Springs La Fortuna, Costa Rica

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

WARNING: this blog contains lots of detail about ants and wildlife!

This morning we got up early again for another bird-fest at the La Quinta bird feeder, but didn’t see anything new.

Leaf-cutter Ant Farm:

After breakfast we got a tour of an ant farm at the Inn, led by an employee who only spoke Spanish. So Rayner had to translate for us. But it was fascinating. He had set up three different colonies of leaf-cutter ants. It was very unique because we got to see all the leaf-cutter ant activities, from start to finish. In the forest, all you generally see are the lines of ants carrying leaves back to the nest, and then the entrance to the nest.

The colonies at La Qunita had buckets of fern-like plants where the worker ants went to cut off pieces of the leaves. So we actually got to see them doing that. Then there were a series of wood branches leading from the plants to the ant colonies, some of the branches twisting up and down and all around. And everything was set up on tables that had cups of water around the legs. This was so the ants couldn’t wander off the tables.

We learned that in the forest, the ants leave a trail of scented pheromones between the plant source and the colony. That’s how the ants know how to get back and forth. And when it starts to rain, the water washes away all the scents and the ants can’t find their way back. So they just drop all their leaves.

The colonies themselves were inside boxes, with a door on one side that opened to glass. There were a bunch of cylinders inside the box that contained the actual colonies. And interestingly, the ants don’t actually eat the leaves. They are really farmers. There is another type of ant that takes the leaves, chews them up into small balls, combined with their saliva, and this provides food for a fungus. It is this fungus that the ants eat.

Each colony also had an opening where the ants would carry waste. In the forest, this would include dirt they dig out to expand the colony, but also includes discarded fungus.

There was another type of ant inside the colony called a soldier ant. These were much bigger than the workers and farmers, and their job is to protect the colony and fight off any invaders. Our guide tapped on one of the colonies so that the soldiers would come out and see us. He talked about how strong their jaws are, and brought one out to demonstrate. He had it bight onto a wood stick and showed how the ant could hold it in its jaws. It was amazing.

The coolest thing we saw was an ant colony that was all contained in one box. There were different chambers for leaves, the colony, and waste. And we actually got to see the queen! I was amazed at how large she was.

Our guide also described how new colonies start. There is another type of ant with wings, both males and females (or “princesses” as our guide called them). They leave the colony, fly away to find each other, and then mate. The princesses take a bit of the colony’s fungus with them, in their mouths. And after mating, she finds a place on the forest floor to begin digging out a new colony. She then lays her eggs, and the new ants begin the process of going out to get leaves and grow the fungus. The new “queen” then spends the rest of her life inside the colony just laying eggs.

Project Asis:

After the ant tour, we headed out on the road again. We had a pit stop at Restaurant Las Iguanas, where there was a viewing deck to see some really big iguanas in the trees. But one of them had ventured onto the deck and was checking out the inside of a trash can. Very cool.

For lunch we stopped at Rancho Mi Tato, a small open-air restaurant right on the side of the road. I got the casado con pollo (with chicken) which was served on a banana leaf! It was good, although I was surprised the chicken was fried.

It was a short drive from the restaurant to our main destination for the day, Project Asis, another wildife sanctuary. This was a much more established place than the first sanctuary we went to. They had regularly scheduled tours and there another family that joined us and our guide Carlos. He was a great guide because he was really passionate about the animals, very excited to be talking to us, and it was very interesting to hear all his stories.

We started off visiting Perla the peccary, very similar to a wild boar. Carlos actually showed us how Perla had a scent gland, and sprayed some for us. It was not a pleasant smell. But Carlos said people still like to have peccaries as pets. I guess they get used to the smell, because the peccaries spray their territory regularly. And Carlos said the smell made it easy for the authorities to know which houses have peccaries.

Carlos also talked about how peccaries that are rescued can’t be returned to the wild. That’s because the peccaries live in families that have distinctive scents. That’s why they mark their territory. So if a rescued peccary was released in the wild, he would smell different than the existing families and would not be accepted. Instead, the sanctuaries provide a place for the peccaries to live out their lives.

Our next stop was to visit a blue macaw. Carlos had a lot of funny stories about how the macaws are monogomous and find a mate to spend their entire life with. He called them a “couple.” He said they can live to be 80-100 years old. He also pointed out that parrots are not monogomous, and mate with many different birds over their lives. But they only live 40-50 years. Coincidence?

Carlos also explained that macaws needing a “couple” is why people like them as pets. Because when a person has a pet macaw, the person becomes that macaw’s “couple”. Carlos said the bond of that “couple” is so strong, that if one bird dies, the other will lose interest in life and die soon after. He even claimed to have a person on the tour once with a pet macaw, and after hearing this story got worried about leaving the bird for two weeks. And after the person got home, he discovered the macaw had died. Not sure if that was really true, but it really brought home the point that macaws were not meant to be people’s pets. Or be in zoos. They belong in the wild, having the chance to find their true “couple”, and live out their life in the forest.

Carlos also talked about how it’s illegal for people in Costa Rica to own animals and birds native to Costa Rica. But it’s not illegal in the rest of the world’s countries. That’s why they’re so endangered. People can make a lot of money selling them on the black market for the pet trade. He also pointed out that it’s not illegal in Costa Rica to own animals and birds from OTHER countries. So the blue macaw at the sanctuary is completely legal to own in Costa Rica, but is highly endangered in the amazon.

This reminded me of the time I went to a zoo in Miami that had lots of tropical birds, including parrots and macaws. I remember at the time being amazed and excited to see all the beautiful birds. And my mom and I even bought a picture of us holding some macaws. But after Carlos’ stories, I actually felt ashamed of enjoying that experience. He made me realize that animals aren’t meant to be in captivity. I understand the reason for zoos, both to help preserve endangered species and to educate the large majority of people that will never have the chance to see them in the wild. But after realizing how much it really harms animal populations to take them out of their natural environment, it made me lose all interest in ever visiting a zoo again.

Back on the tour, we next visited two spider monkeys named Jessica and Hercules. Carlos explained how Costa Rica has four species of monkeys. Two of them, spider and squirrel monkeys are endangered, and the other two are not (howler and capuchin monkeys). Do I need to tell you why? You can probably guess. Spider and squirrel monkeys make great pets. They are both very loving and playful. Whereas the howler and capuchin monkeys are kinda mean, so no one wants them. But they are also very smart
. Carlos told a story about a place where a company started a river cruise, and would feed the monkeys from the boat. But the monkeys learned this, and started to come on the boat on their own and attack people, looking for food. They actually had to stop the boat tours.

Seeing Jessica and Hercules was actually one of the best parts of the tour. That’s because we each got a chance to hold Jessica’s hand. I couldn’t believe it. We’d actually already petted Perla the peccary, but I never imagined they would let us touch a monkey. I watched a few other people go before me. And then it was my turn. I was surprised at how incredibly soft Jessica’s hand was. And how much she was actually holding onto my hand. Even more surprising was that when I started to pull my hand away, Jessica didn’t want to let go. After that I completely understood why people want them as pets.

Our next stop was to see a boa constrictor. It was fairly small, and I remember Carlos told us some really interesting stuff about boa constrictors. But apparently it wasn’t interesting enough, because I can’t remember any of it now. What I do remember clearly is that Carlos brought the boa constrictor out of his box and was holding him while we was giving his talk. And after Carlos finished, he asked if anyone wanted to hold the snake, walked over to me, and just put him in my hands. It’s a good thing I wanted to hold it! I know I’ve touched a snake before, but I don’t think I’ve ever completely held one in my hands. It was really cool feeling it move over my skin. Mom also held the boa constrictor, but I was surprised when both Dad and Derek declined. I never realized they didn’t like snakes very much.

The rest of the tour went more quickly, with less stories. Or maybe just less memorable stories. We saw some red macaws, and a hybrid between the red and green macaws. I think the hybrids are even more valuable in the pet trade, but they’re sterile so they can’t really ever find a real “couple.” We also saw some coatis (kind of like raccoons, with a long snout and long upright tail). They are also very popular pets. Then there were many more spider monkeys and some capuchin monkeys. And last but not least, a beautiful ocelot.

Be thankful that I’m writing this almost two months later, because those last two paragraphs probably would have been at least ten if I could remember more of what we learned.

On the walk back from the tour, we crossed a bridge over a small stream and we got a great look at a bird that wasn’t in a cage – a boat-billed heron. We’d seen one briefly while river rafting, but from very far away. So it was great to get a close up view. They basically look like a great blue heron, except their bill is very large and kind of boat-shaped. Hence, the name “boat-billed”? Unfortunately it wasn’t in a great place for a picture, and we couldn’t really linger long.

Although the tour wasn’t actually over yet. We’d just finished the first part, where the guide showed us all the birds and animals. And the other family actually left after the first part. The second part was optional. It was a “volunteerism opportunity.” I’d known about this beforehand, and was actually worried that we’d be cleaning cages or something else gross. But it turned out to be much fun, because we got to help feed the animals!

But first, we got a refreshment break. They had some wonderful juice, although I can’t remember what kind. And fresh-cut pineapple and watermelon of course! It was delicious. Even the watermelon. I really had developed a taste for it.

Then we got to prepare for feeding the animals. That meant we got to cut up fruit and vegetables. I wasn’t too thrilled about it at first, because I don’t cook. Meaning I don’t like to prepare food. But it was actually kind of fun, and I ended up only slicing bananas. Apparently I looked like I knew what I was doing, though, because Carlos asked if I cooked a lot. I think I was just trained well as a child 🙂 It reminded me of slicing tomatoes for taco salad.

When we finished, we had a bunch of baskets full of food that we carried along with us to all the animal cages. We started off with the spider monkeys, Jessica and Hercules. We each got to hold a piece of fruit in our hand, right outside the cage, and then Jessica and Hercules would reach out and take them from us. It was very cool. And they were very hungry. Although they much preferred the bananas.

We next got to feed the parrots and macaws. That meant we actually got to go inside the cages, to spread birdseed and banana slices along their feeding trays. That was very weird to actually be inside the cage, with the birds flying all around us.

We finished the feedings with the rest of the monkeys, letting them take the fruit from our hands again. And then the coatis. For them we could only push the fruit through the small holes in the cage, and wait for them to take it. They were super-cute.

And that was the end of our tour. It was incredibly educational, and so much better than any trip to a zoo. It made me feel great to have supported an organization that not only provides great care to rescued wildlife, but also spreads the message about wildlife conservation. And I don’t think there could have been a better guide than Carlos. His energy and enthusiasm were infectious. And he also taught us a Costa Rican phrase that we hadn’t heard before – “pura vida.” The literal translation means “good life”, but it’s what Costa Ricans say to express amazement/wonder. So when Carlos asked us how our tour was, we all replied, “pura vida!”

Hot Springs at Arenal Volcano:

After leaving Project Asis, we had a little bit more of a drive to our final destination for the day. Our lodging for the night was at Los Lagos Hotel, which was a destination in itself. That’s because it’s one of several resorts at the base of the Arenal (ar-ee-NAL) Volcano, and it had amazing hot springs. I’d known we’d be visiting the hot springs from our itinerary, but I had never been to one before. So I really had no idea what to expect. And boy was I amazed!

The only annoying thing was that because of the ant tour and stopping at Project Asis, we didn’t get to the hot springs until about 4 pm. And sunset was at 5:30 pm or so. Part of the allure of visiting the hot springs was the view of volcano from the pools. I had seen pictures of it and it was a gorgeous cone-shaped volcano. Unfortunately it was fairly cloudy that day, and the top of the volcano was in the clouds when we got there. But I still wanted to enjoy the view from the water, before it got dark. So I felt really rushed as soon as we got there, to get checked in and to the pools as quickly as possible.

Thankfully, checking in didn’t take very long. Although it was a bit of a culture shock from our other lodging so far. The Los Lagos Hotel was really a big resort. We checked in at a building near the entrance, and got maps of the whole property. That’s actually when I started to get really excited about the hot springs. Because I could see from the map that there were a whole string of pools leading up the mountainside, with lots of buildings scattered about with the hotel rooms.

Our rooms were actually in the building that was closest to the hot springs. Rayner dropped us off and told us to meet him for dinner at 7:30 pm. Then we raced to get to the pools. Although our rooms were gorgeous. We actually had two queen beds, and a huge bathroom. It felt so much nicer than the other places we’d stayed. Mom and I both agreed that we kind of wanted to just stay there for the rest of our trip. We were getting a little tired of all the driving so far.

Anyway, after donning our swimsuits we walked past the hot springs, ogling at how beautiful it was, and over to the entrance. They had lockers and towel service, which was great.

So now to describe the amazement of the hot springs. They basically looked like amazingly-decorated swimming pools, with fake rocks and landscaped gardens. But the water was piped i
n from the hot springs and very warm!

The bottom pool was the largest, and it had a wet bar, meaning that one edge of the pool was a bar, with bar stools inside the water. I had seen one of these on a cruise before, and always wanted to drink at one. So the wet bar was our first destination. And drinks were soon had. It was very fun, sitting at the bar, in warm water, with beer in hand, gazing up at the volcano.

There was also a water slide going into the main pool. So after we finished our drinks, we had to go try it! It wasn’t that incredibly tall (at least compared to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas), but we were all surprised by how fast it was. Which meant it was very fun! And we immediately had to try it again! I think we ended up each going three times before heading off to explore the other pools.

By this time it was mostly dark out. But that kind of made the pools even more beautiful because there were lots of colored lights in the water. So the water sparkled with glimmers of color everywhere.

We first went over to a real swimming pool, which had normal pool-temperature water. Not that we wanted to swim, but we had heard from other people at the bar that there were more water slides by it. There were stairs leading up to two water slides. We went to the tallest one first, which had a few curves and went underground for a little bit. Not that we could tell at that point, because it was really dark and there were no lights by the water slide at all. That actually made it kinda scary, because we couldn’t see where the curves were. And then the slide ended at least 4-5 feet above the pool. Very fun! We had to go a second time, of course, although realized it was really kind of bumpy. Our bodies were starting to feel bruised, so we didn’t go again.

Then we went to see the rest of the hot springs. The next pool up the hill was actually the most beautiful in the night-time lights. It was fairly shallow, with fake trees overhead that kind of looked like mushrooms. But the whole pool shimmered with the color of the lights, and the color changed every now then from blue to green and I don’t remember what else.

From there we continued to explore the rest of the pools up the hill. Although it became more difficult because the paths between the pools weren’t lit that well. There was one pool that was perfect for couples because it had little alcoves with seats lining two sides. And the acoustics were really neat. We were the only ones there, so we had fun, each sitting in our own alcove, making funny noises.

The best pool was at the top. Not that it was the most beautiful. It was actually relatively plain. What made it great was that there were two pools right next to each other, with stairs in between. One was pretty hot, and the other was ice cold. It reminded me of a place my mom and dad used to vacation at on Lake Superior. It had a sauna right next to the bitter cold lake. And they would sit in the sauna until it was too hot to handle, then plunge into the icy lake water, and keep alternating until their bodies were completely and utterly relaxed. So we tried the same thing with the hot and cold pools.

We started off in the hot pool, and boy was it relaxing. Then we went up the stairs and down into the cold pool. I plopped down, all the way in, and it was so shockingly cold that I think I literally screamed a little. But I forced myself to stay in until I was somewhat used to the temperature. Then I went back to the wonderful warmth and started to feel my body really relax. After another trip to the cold shock, I returned to the warmth and noticed that my whole body was tingling with pins and needles. It felt a little weird, but soon I was the most relaxed I have probably ever been.

Unfortunately we knew we probably didn’t have much more time before we needed to head back for dinner. So we reluctantly made our way back down the hill, stopping in a few of the pools to enjoy the warmth a little while longer.

We made it to dinner on time, in another open air restaurant. I was glad to be away from the constant buffets at our last hotel, and was also getting a little tired of all the Costa Rican food. So I decided to try some pasta, but it wasn’t very good.

I’ve no idea what we did after dinner, except that we wished we had more time to enjoy the amazing hot springs. We only had one night there, and would be off the next morning to continue our adventure.

Buenas Noches!

Daily bird count = 2
Life bird count = 2

Trip bird count = 66
Trip life bird count = 53

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Rafting the Sarapiqui River

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Rafting the Sarapiqui River Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

This morning Rayner had told us that we could get up for a 6:30 am bird feeding at the hotel’s bird feeder. I really wanted to sleep in, so I didn’t plan on going. But then Mom knocked on our door and told me I should get out there. So I did.

I was really sleepy at first, but I was really glad Mom woke me up. The birds were amazing! The hotel had put out a bunch of fresh fruit and there were tons of birds both at the fruit, and in the surrounding trees. I got lots of great pictures and was amazed at how colorful some of the birds were.

After a while we went back to our rooms to get ready for the day and then had a buffet breakfast.

Our mission for the day was a rafting adventure on the Sarapiqui (sarah-pi-KEE) River. After all the rain the day before, we’d been worried about how much we would enjoy the rafting. But we woke up to gorgeous blue skies and sunshine!

It was a short drive to the start of the rafting. The first section would be white-water rafting. Normally it takes ~3 hours for this part, but the river was 10 feet higher than normal. So Rayner said it should only take about an hour.

When we got there, it was just us and the rafting guides. And a very cute sloth high up in a tree, hanging upside down by its feet, and scratching itself. So adorable!

We got all our gear and got instructions from our rafting guide, Walter. We had three commands (forward, back, stop) and two safety positions (lean in, and go down). This was way more informal than the one other time I’ve been rafting in the states (at New River Gorge in West Virginia). That time I had to watch a 30 minute safety video that scared the **** out of me and made me too nervous to actually enjoy the rafting).

Derek and I got the front seats in the raft and got to enjoy the “refreshing” splashes of river water much more than anyone else. Only the first couple of rapids were kind of big, but very fun. On the second, Walter told us to “get down”, so we sat down in the floor of the raft and got to enjoy a roller-coaster of rapids. It was very fun. The rest of the rapids were pretty tame, compared to what I’ve done before, but it was still awesome. A very much-needed break from all the bird-watching.

In one of the smoother spots on the river, we pulled the rafts to side and stopped for a break. Walter cut up some pineapples and watermelon for a snack and they were delicious. I think this is when I started to realize that I might actually like watermelon. I don’t normally, but there is something very different about fresh watermelon. It is very juicy and tastes so much better than what you get in the states. That’s because in order to transport it, they pick the watermelon well before it’s ripe. That way it will ripen while it’s being transported. But it doesn’t ripen nearly as well as if you get it fresh. The same goes for pineapple. That’s why I love fresh pineapple, but hate it at home.

When we got back in the water, it was only a few more rapids until our lunch stop. As we were leaving the river, Rayner spotted a Spectacled Owl perched in a nearby tree. We had seen one at Toucan Ranch, but it’s so different seeing them in the wild. I’d never expected to see any owls in the wild, since they’re mainly nocturnal. So that was really cool.

For lunch, we went up on a bluff with a great view of the river and had some nachos. We turned them into a taco salad with a base of crushed tortilla chips, meat, beans, and cheese sauce. It was yummy.

After lunch, we went back into the river for the float trip part of the day. We could actually take our cameras and binoculars on this part of the trip, which was nice. But what was really nice was just enjoying the calmness of floating down the river and the sunshine. It was very peaceful. We were actually the only ones on the river. What a different experience than I had in West Virginia. That place was basically wall-to-wall rafts. But this time we really got to enjoy the solitude of the river. We did see a few birds, and also saw some spider monkeys way up in the trees.

I was actually glad when we finally got to the end because my back was starting to hurt from sitting on the raft all day. But the dock was interesting because it was barely above water. I could see that there were stairs going down at the end of it, but they were mostly under water.

We got back to the hotel a little early, and we decided to go swimming in the pool. The water was a little chilly, or “refreshing”, as Rayner would say. But it was a beautiful setting so we stayed for a while.

Dinner was the buffet at the restaurant again. and I spent the rest of our free time downloading pictures and checking off birds in my bird book. Before the trip, I bought a wildlife guide to Costa Rica, and I’ve been writing in the place and date that we first see things. So that is priority #1 when I have free time, since I will forget that the quickest. Then I download pictures, delete the bad ones, and post the good ones to Facebook. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave time for much else.

Beunas Noches!

Daily bird count = 16
Life bird count = 14

Trip bird count = 63
Trip life bird count = 51

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Estrella Lagoon Canoe & La Selva Bird Watching

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Estrella Lagoon Canoe & La Selva Bird Watching Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

Estrella Lagoon Canoe:

This morning we had an even earlier bird watch, getting up at 5 am to leave by 5:30 am. But this time we were driving to a nearby lagoon for a canoe ride. It was in a lagoon that used to be the delta of the Estrella River where it entered the ocean. But a while ago there was a huge storm that drastically altered the course of the river and created a new delta. So the old river mouth turned into a lagoon.

The best thing about the canoe ride was that we didn’t have to paddle! We had a local guide, Dennis, who Rayner told us used to be a logger. The strict environmental laws in Costa Rica have been ******* a lot of small towns because it has taken away their livelihood. And it’s hard for them to understand why they can’t cut down trees anymore. They need the money to feed their families, and many don’t have any other alternatives. But Dennis was able to find another way. Rayner told us that the government at first didn’t do very much to help the local communities find other ways to survive. And so the locals were angry and frustrated at all the new laws. But that is getting better.

The other great things about the canoe ride were how scenic it was. We got there just as it was starting to get bright in the sky, and by the time we left it was sunny and getting warm. The water was also very calm, providing some great reflections in the water. And we were the only ones there! The only bad thing was that the canoe itself was very uncomfortable.

Leaving the Caribbean Coast:

After the canoe ride, we went back to the Magellan Inn for some breakfast and then got back in the van to continue our journey. Shortly after we left the dirt road, Dad realized he still had his room key in his pocket. So we had to go back to turn it in.

By the time we were on our way for good, it had clouded over and started to rain. We basically traced our route almost all the way back to San Jose, and it rained the whole time. At least it was light out this time, but there wasn’t much interesting to look at. I would have liked to work on my blog, but the roads were way too bumpy for typing. So I got sleepy and spent much of the ride resting my eyes.

When we finally turned onto a new road we immediately stopped for lunch at Ranch Roberto. It was buffet style and pretty good with rice, beans, plantains, and different meats.

La Selva Biological Station:

After lunch it was a fairly short drive to our next stop, the La Selva Biological Station. This is a very special ecological spot in Costa Rica because it is a middle elevation rain forest. There are lots of rain forests preserved in the coastal lowlands and in the mountains, but there aren’t many places where the middle elevations are still preserved. And this one is in a place where there’s continuous rain forest all the way from the lowlands to the mountains. It provides a very important biological corridor and is one of the most biologically diverse places in Costa Rica. It also rains. A lot. Their average rainfall per year is 13 feet!

Thankfully when we arrived the rain was lightening, and by the time we started our walk through the rain forest it had stopped. We were joined by a local guide, Miles, who said the rain was so bad in the morning it felt like being under a waterfall. He skipped the normal introductory lecture so that we could go straight to bird watching while it was dry.

We started on a trail through secondary forest. These are lands that used to be completely open, but the forests have been allowed to grow back. And they are great areas to go birding, because there are lots of open areas where it’s easier to see things. And we saw a lot of cool birds. The real noteworthy bird was the Northern Jacamar. Miles told us how a lot of birders come to Costa Rica with a list of birds they really want to see. And the Northern Jacamar is one of them. I can understand why because it was really pretty, and even hung out on an exposed branch for a long time.

We next went across a bridge over a river and started walking through primary forest. These are fully mature forests where it is much harder to bird. The trees and vegetation are much thicker, so it is much harder to find the birds.

To get to the primary forest we had to walk through their primary research station. La Selva is one of the main places that scientists perform research on the rain forest. There are many schools that visit there, and over 200 scientific papers a year are written from research done there.

While walking through the research area, Miles and Rayner heard the call of the Great Green Macaw. This is another of birders “must-see” birds when visiting. They’re basically really large green parrots, and they are very endangered. There were only 220 in the wild at last count. So as soon as they heard them calling, we booked it to the primary forest to try and find them. And we did! At first they were way up in some trees, pretty hard to see through the green tree leaves. But then one moved to open branch and we had a great view! We were all very happy, because it was definitely a bird we really wanted to see. Rayner later told us that he only sees the green macaws on less than half his trips to La Selva. And probably only gets a good view in 1 trip out of 10. So we felt really lucky.

Unfortunately after we got the good look at the macaws, it started to rain again. Bad enough to make us get out our umbrellas. And then it got worse. There was no way we were going to see anything else under those conditions, so we just ended our tour and headed back.

We were soon back in the van and had another short drive to our next hotel, the La Quinta Country Inn (no relation to the La Quinta hotel chain). This was a much bigger hotel, with a large open-air reception area and bar/dining area. There were lots of cabins with rooms, and a whole series of covered walkways connecting everything together. That was a good things because it was still raining! Our rooms were great, with an outside patio/hammock. And there were lots of plants everywhere, so it felt even more like we were in the middle of the rain forest.

We had dinner at the hotel, because we were nowhere near anything else. It was buffet-style and just okay. The only thing memorable was the home-potato chips.

Adios!

Daily bird count = 27
Life bird count = 23

Trip bird count = 43
Trip life bird count = 37

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