Wednesday, January 13, 2010

My Eco Stay in Costa Rica

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My mom and I arrived safely to Costa Rica! Our ride up through the mountains was a bumpy with a winding road. The view from the cab was amazing. The large mountains resembled a picture.

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We are staying with a community called VerdEnergia http://verdenergia.org/ in the jungle for six days. The main living area is open allowing air to flow through (air conditioning is the wind). Butterflies, birds, and insects fly through the living area. It feels like a large open tree house.

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This is inside the room we are staying in. Before climbing in my loft bed, I checked for scorpions and other critters. The windows are screened to keep out creatures. The sounds of night are calling frogs, katydids, and grasshoppers. At night large gusts of wind caused nuts and fruits to hit the tin roof.

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The bathrooms that are outside have bamboo doors. During the night, with flashlight in hand, my mom and I made our way to the bathroom. We were hoping no giant spiders would crawl across the path along the way! We just saw huge toads.

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The shower and sink we use outside is made with stone. The room has no doors or windows providing a wonderful view, but doesn’t have much privacy. Thankfully we brought our bathing suits! A moth crawled all over my legs and back as I washed my hair. We are becoming one with nature in this jungle community.

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The pool has fresh water from the local creek. The water is changed daily so chemicals don’t have to be used. The water is flushed back into the creek after it is used. It is a wonderful way to cool off after a hike through the hot and humid jungles.

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This is the large studio made with local bamboo and wood. 

This is a tribal community and every guest has daily chores. You may come as a volunteer to help out with the many building projects or to study the local culture and nature.

4 comments:

  1. What a beautiful area you are in, Elizabeth! The pool is a wonderful way to "sustainably" cool off, we have a lot to learn in our country about that. I love the thought of sleeping with the windows open for the butterflies etc. to fly through and the sound of nuts falling on the tin roof. Thank you so much for sharing your trip with all of us!

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  2. Wow! What an amazing adventure you are on!

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  3. Hot and humid sounds good about now. I look forward to hearing more about your trip. Have fun!

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  4. Looks beautiful. Thank you for sharing your photos!

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