Last night our turtle adventures continued. We left for the beach at around 8pm and divided into groups that were responsible for different zones on the beach. The group that went to zones 12 and 13 with Nature Seekers Ronald and Donald thought they would have a busy night as that was a popular part of the beach with the lady turtles on Sunday night. However, those fickle turtles decided not to nest on that part of the beach in the early part of the night. To kill some time in the Nature Seeker guides used bamboo sticks to get coconuts from the trees and cut them open so that everyone could have a coconut milk cocktail. Ronald also helped pass the downtime by asking the group riddles like, “If a rooster is sitting on a fence between two people’s yards and lays an egg, who gets to keep the egg?” A bit later in the evening the turtle action picked up and we got to practice our tagging and recording, and visit with some friendly turtles.
There wasn’t much action in zones 10 and 11 either. There had been a short but intense rainstorm, which likely stirred up the offshore waters. We weathered a second brief rainstorm on the beach, thanks to this nifty windproof umbrella Scott let us use. In total, we tagged 3 turtles, and other than that, spent a lot of time getting to know more about our fellow group members and swapping life stories.
Enough about the turtles for now. I k
now at least *my* mom is wondering, “Where do they have you staying?” Well, Susan’s Guest House is pretty fabulous by 3rd-world standards. We’re in rooms of 2, 3, or 4 each. Each room has beds, a dresser, small nightstand, and a fan or two. Simple, but more than adequate. There are a few rooms as well as a couple of bathrooms on each floor. No hot water, but then again, who needs hot water in the tropics? Our dining/common room is located on the top floor. There’s a kitchen, three dining tables, and a few couches and chairs arranged around an entertainment center. It’s mostly open air, and there are lovely curtains over the windows. Overall, it has a very homey, welcoming feel to it. Oh, and mom? Everything is well kept and clean, and the water is totally safe to drink. We’re in good hands :)
As a side-bar on the various forms of insect found throughout the duration of the trip it is not merely sufficient to conclude that they make them bigger in Trinidad. Very early into the trip it was discovered that they are also quicker (you cannot outrun them), less repelled by curses and intimidating gestures (you swat at them and they swat back), and more prone to voyeur-like invasions of privacy (they just sit on the ceiling and watch while you scrub up). The ease in which a large, possibly venomous (probably not, but it adds to the story), and entirely mild-mannered spider found its way into my bed last night was unbelievable. He didn’t so much as knock and was under the covers before I could even open my eyes. Yet he didn’t take up too much pillow and was as furry as a stuffed animal. It was the best sleep of my life. I’m not even mad.
There wasn’t much action in zones 10 and 11 either. There had been a short but intense rainstorm, which likely stirred up the offshore waters. We weathered a second brief rainstorm on the beach, thanks to this nifty windproof umbrella Scott let us use. In total, we tagged 3 turtles, and other than that, spent a lot of time getting to know more about our fellow group members and swapping life stories.
Enough about the turtles for now. I k
now at least *my* mom is wondering, “Where do they have you staying?” Well, Susan’s Guest House is pretty fabulous by 3rd-world standards. We’re in rooms of 2, 3, or 4 each. Each room has beds, a dresser, small nightstand, and a fan or two. Simple, but more than adequate. There are a few rooms as well as a couple of bathrooms on each floor. No hot water, but then again, who needs hot water in the tropics? Our dining/common room is located on the top floor. There’s a kitchen, three dining tables, and a few couches and chairs arranged around an entertainment center. It’s mostly open air, and there are lovely curtains over the windows. Overall, it has a very homey, welcoming feel to it. Oh, and mom? Everything is well kept and clean, and the water is totally safe to drink. We’re in good hands :)As a side-bar on the various forms of insect found throughout the duration of the trip it is not merely sufficient to conclude that they make them bigger in Trinidad. Very early into the trip it was discovered that they are also quicker (you cannot outrun them), less repelled by curses and intimidating gestures (you swat at them and they swat back), and more prone to voyeur-like invasions of privacy (they just sit on the ceiling and watch while you scrub up). The ease in which a large, possibly venomous (probably not, but it adds to the story), and entirely mild-mannered spider found its way into my bed last night was unbelievable. He didn’t so much as knock and was under the covers before I could even open my eyes. Yet he didn’t take up too much pillow and was as furry as a stuffed animal. It was the best sleep of my life. I’m not even mad.
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