Where the Turtles Are

People who read my blog (my mom and Jane), might ask "why a guy who dislikes beaches is visiting two in a row?". A comparison had to be made between Pacific and Caribbean beaches. Montezuma was alright representative for the south. So, for the north i chose Tortuguero. But here, even the beautifully long and empty beach takes second place to the area's star attraction.

The tiny town of Tortuguero sits on an equally tiny island by the Caribbean coast. The island almost smothered by the thick virgin forests of Tortuguero National park. The only way to the island is to fly, or take the far more interesting river-taxis. The boats follow the riverways which crave themselves through the jungle. And this is jungle. Monkeys, birds and even jaguars can be seen on the banks. As the ride progresses closer to it's destination, houses start popping up. Traditional in every-way (except for the cable TV), until eventually you arrive in town (or dropped off at your hotels along the way). If you want to see the jungle at it's best, get up for a EARLY canoe tour. There are no noisy boats, just the gentle paddling. Chances of seeing exotic wildlife are high. it's about $20 for the tour though. But the jungle is not the star attraction either.

The town of Tortuguero is charming in it's own right. The one street varies from paved to sanded over. The is a decent balance between mass tourism development and maintaining cultural integrity. While this is not a place where "no white man has even seen before", but it also gets little tourism when compared to the rest of the country. People will greet you with an "Hola" and a smile. Most cafes are simple "out the back of my house" sort of places, but the food is decent and relatively cheap. Only at the "port", especially on arrival, are touts aggressive so you won't be hassled anywhere else. Things are simple and there's a general "don't worry, be happy" vibe. But even with the villages quaintness, even it is not the areas big draw.

The beach is long, beautiful and there are hardly any people on it. And it is only the fact that the sand gets crazy hot disqualifies the beach from "perfect" status. But, as mentioned, the beach is not why people come here. Actually the whole reason for the national park and subsequent tourism is every year, hundreds of sea turtles of varying species crawl their way up these beaches in the dead of night to lay their eggs. So sadly, although completely understandably, you can't even take pictures of the top attraction. Any white light will freak the turtles out. And the fragile population of turtles will be the worse for it. If someone shines a white light or takes a picture, the tourist won't suffer, the turtles do. Not to mention the local guide will be suspended for 1 month. You'd be stealing the man's livelihood, as well. It's most definitely not worth trying to sneak a quik-pic.

The whole process is simple, if not a little pornographic. For $15 or $20 a guide will come pick you up at an appointed time slot given out for viewing. The park is VERY well run. You are given a quadrant of beach for a set time. You might see 1 turtle, you might see 20 or you might not see any at all. It's all done to luck. My group saw 3. 1 laying the eggs, 1 coming out of the sea and another going back into the sea. It's interesting, but gets a little old after 10 minutes of staring at turtle vaginas.

Ferries to and from Tortuguera can be arranged either in Cariari or Moin in the opposite direction. Through Cariari is faster, cheaper and more comfortable as the 5-hour ride to Moin get old pretty fast. Plus the trip to Moin is around twenty damn dollars!!

When i travel, i look for unique experiences. Things you can't see or do anywhere else in the world (or at least in a select few countries). Watching turtle shoot ping-pong balls out their girl parts is more interesting than it sound. But it's definitely one of the "been there, done that" moments that, while pleased i did it (Tortuguero is great), i have no need to do it again.