Mr David Wehunt
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Saturday, April 18th:
Left Chattanooga for Miami via Atlanta. The trip was uneventful. Met 4 other participants at the Miami airport. Everyone met that night at the motel, the Intercontinental Miami in downtown Miami. At the meeting the Toyota people demonstrated the Toyota Process vs. the conventional assemble model. Impressive. Interesting note: Miami has an elevated transport system downtown called the People Mover. Looks like modern subway cars except they have tires and cost is free. tt Travels around the downtown area.
Sunday, April 19th:
Breakfast and a class on climate change by Dr. Dunne. Learned a lot. Group left for Everglades National park where we were met by the park Superintendent and members of his staff. After a series pf greetings and instructions we went to the anhinga trail. While there I took many pictures and video of anhinga, alligators and other flora and fauna. Highlight: saw anhinga catch and eat a fish and watch an alligator stalk and almost catch an anhinga. Then back to the center for more lessons and then a “slough” through a cypress area where we saw many things including a water moccasin. As we returned to the motel, we stopped at a fruit stand called “Here is Robert” which is a must stop if you go to the Everglades. We then had the rest of the evening on our own and prepare for the next day’s departure.
Monday, April 20th:
Started the day at 5:30 am to go to airport to catch flight to Costa Rica. Flight itself was long (3and ½ hours) and uneventful. We did fly over Cuba which was neat. Cuba, from the air, looked like land anywhere. Then arriving in Costa Rica we could see mountains above the clouds on either side of the plane as we came in for a landing.. While on the plane the flight attendants passed out custom forms that had such small print you couldn’t read them and had no idea how to fill some parts out. After getting off the plane everyone made a mad dash to get to the customs checkpoint where you divided up as resident or visitor. There you give one custom form and your passport to an agent who checks you into the country and stamps your passport. Took 2 minutes. Then you go get your luggage. On the way to get luggage we were met by a representative of Green Magic Tours who gave us a sticker to wear. This is important because there are LOTS of people waiting outside to drive you wherever you want to go. It gets you through the crowd with less hassle. Picks up luggage and met Vicky, owner of Green Magic tours and our guides Julio and Isabel. Julio was a history teacher and owner of a chocolate making company and Isabel is a biologist. Both are professional tour guides. On our way to the Aurola Holiday Inn in downtown Costa Rica, Julio told us, among other things, that the airport is NOT in San Jose but in another town 11 kilometers outside of San Jose and that the Central Valley where the airport is actually a tectonic depression, with 5 active volcanoes to the north and east.
San Jose: This was once a beautiful city. The western side is the affluent side of town and there is much building going on. However when you get into the heart of the city you can see much has been left in disrepair. After a welcome lunch we broke up into groups and, with a guide (ours was Julio) we explored downtown Costa Rica. Turns out we were in Julio’s old neighborhood, literally. We learned much and it was fun but we were given this warning. Do not go anywhere in groups of less than three and don’t carry backpacks. We then went to dinner at an organic restaurant and ended the day.
Tuesday, April 21st:
After breakfast we were suppose to go to the National Museum but when we arrived we found the museum undergoing renovation and closed so we went to the Jade Museum instead. It has the second largest collection of Jade in the world which is interesting because Jade is apparently not found in Costa Rica. The museum which was behind our motel showed more than Jade. It showed the cultural history of the indigenous people of Costa Rica and how they differed regionally while still being the same.
After the museum we broke into two groups for a little shopping. I returned to a bookstore and an artifacts shop while a large group went to the central market. Then we lunched at El Chicote a VERY nice restaurant and then it was off to the American Embassy. No electronic devices of ANY kind permitted. They admitted us at a time. There we were briefed by 4 members of the embassy staff on the US role in Costa Rica which is to supply financial aid and advice on how to improve their infrastructure and environmental sustainability. We also spend a lot of money on education in Costa Rica. Then back to the motel for dinner and a lecture by Dr. Leon on sustainability in Costa Rica.
Wednesday, April 22nd:
Today we visited Nature Airlines, a Costa Rica airline that is certified as carbon neutral. They recycle oil and other materials, theirs and the rest of the airport’s. They use biodiesel fuel for all their ground equipment. And they practice good management to reduce energy waste. They also support purchasing trees in a preserve to offset co2 emissions. They control almost half the airline market in Costa Rica after starting out with less than one forth even though they cost 25% more than their competition.
Next we went to Peace University, the only United Nations University in the world. They take students from all over the world and give a masters degree in Peace and conflict studies. One degree is based on the environment and conflict. We received a class about how environmental issues can lead to peace or conflict. Ended the day with dinner on our own.
Thursday, April 23rd:
Left San Jose for Earth University with a detour to the Guayabo National Monuement. This is an archeological site in the heart of the central mountain range in eastern central Costa Rica. The Indians lived in this region for 3000 years but left 100 years before the Spanish arrived and no one knows why. Interesting village layout. The aqueduct system developed by these people recently won a world engineering award. They also had hundreds of kilometers of stone roads all around the region. Then we visited an old sugar mill to see how sugarcane was turned into sugar and candy. We arrived at dusk and checked into Earth University and met with the President and Provost of the University both of whom gave us an overview of the university and its mission.
Friday, April 24th
Went bird watching and saw toucans, parrots, parakeets, and a host of other birds. Then we visited our school, Colegio de Pocora, a 6 – 11 school. After meeting with the principal we visited with students on break around campus and then visited classrooms. Cinderblock walls with bars and no glass. One microscope in the entire school of 500 students. Lots of noise around campus at all times. Caught two girls using white out to write on wall. Gave letters from ken Thomas’ Spanish class to a Spanish class and they answered them on the spot. Still have a lot left for next school visit. We then returned to Earth University and had lunch with twenty teachers from the school my group visited and 20 teachers from the school a second group visited. We compared notes and discovered kids are the same all over and they have the same problems we have with texting. After a class on the Atlantic region of Costa Rica our day ended.
NOTE: I have been leaving out meal in these entries. Some are average and some are OUT OF THIS WORLD. Same with accommodations.
Saturday, April 25th:
Today visited Earth University’s sustainable farm. Then we went to the banana plantation, the banana paper mill and finally the banana processing plant. The farm raised dairy cows (we watched the milking process) and pigs. The pig manure was converted into methane and used to run the generator that powered the farm. The water then flows through 4 pools with plants to purify it enough to be released into the natural stream. They also compost. The banana operation was also interesting. The sell the bananas to Whole Foods from which you and I buy bananas from at the store. The banana plantation only treats bananas with organic materials and not synthetic pesticides. Banana trees produce one bunch of bananas (about 130 to a bunch, what we buy are called hands) and then a new tree grows from the same root to start the process over again. The stalk that the bananas are attached to is sent to a paper mill that makes 100% banana paper or makes a 98% regular paper/2% banana paper blend paper. The banana processing plant works like an assembly line and uses lots of water. Larger bananas are shipped to the US while more perfect bananas are shipped to Europe. Then we left to stay at a homestead. Ryan Olsen (who speaks excellent Spanish) and I stayed at BuenaVista and it lived up to its name. On a clear day you can see the Caribbean 75 Kilometers away. The house was well built of wood but was small. 4 rooms with eight foot walls and a roof 15 feet at the top. Yes the interior walls stopped well short of the roof. The owners are Alexis, Hilde, and son Juan Carlos who ryan and I helped with his English homework.
Sunday, April 26th:
Heard Howler Monkeys at 3 am to 5 am. Then got up at 6am, ate breakfast, fed the chickens, pigs, cows, shoveled cow___, brought the milk cows in from the field and milked them. By hand. If I had to make a living milking cows I would starve. Then, after 8am we took a tour of the farm and surrounding area. We saw the herb garden, methane producer used to provide cooking fuel and then explored the rainforest. We saw toucan, white faced monkey, squirrel, ants and plants. Then we fed the tulipa and saw the rest of his self sustaining farm. He also makes two different kinds of compost. Primative conditions and over all a great experience. We then collected our things, met with the rest of the group and left for La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano. On the way wee stopped at the Iguana tree and saw lots iguanas and a lone howler monkey. Arrived at the Kioro Motel and boy are we roughing it. I’ll show the video later (I hope).
Monday, April 27th:
Woke up this morning with a view of the Arenal volcano, one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world. It erupted in 1968 after being dormant 7000 years killing 79 people and destroying 3 villages and has been erupting ever since. After a morning class about land use and the environment we went on a tour to see the volcano. On the way there and back we saw mutualism (ants living in and defending a tree, Jesus Christ Lizard (2), a coati (pregnant) and a eyelash viper (deadly). Climbed out on a 1992 lava bed and watch lava flows and rocks moving down the steep sides of the volcano. The rocks travel up to 100 km/h and are heated to about 1000 degrees C. One the way back to the motel we saw two coati walking along the road. Later in the day we took a zip line canopy tour. One of the eight zip lines is half a mile long and takes 55 seconds to complete and is, at one point, 400 feet above the forest floor. Did I mention it was raining as we zipped. Well it is the Rain Forest. Tomorrow we go to Monteverde.
Tuesday, April 28th:
We left the Arenal region for Monteverde today. Even though we were about an hour away as the crow flies it took four and a half hours to get there. We had to drive northwest for about an hour and then back to the southwest for another hour around this huge lake that was created to generate hydroelectric power. This lake produces 30% of all of Costa Rica’s electrical needs. We also saw a lot of wind turbines along one shore of the lake. The majority of the lake area belongs to the national electric company. While the road to Monteverde has been improved it is still an unimproved road with many twists and turns. We arrived at our motel the El Establo, and then, in a moment of bravado, walked UP the mountain to the meeting with Mark Wainwright to learn about Monteverde and the biodiversity of the area. Then we went higher up the mountain to an elevation of just under 5000 feet (the meeting was at 4500feet) and spent two hours on a night walk through the cloud forest. We saw many insects and a little frog. Insects included cockroaches, beetles (including one with headlights), fireflies, and leaf-imitation insects and a walking stick. It was a good night. Supper was good too. We went to a pizza parlor and I had pasta with meat sauce and some pizza.
Wednesday, April 29th:
Morning breakfast and it’s off to the Cloud Forest School which has a support foundation based in Sewanee, Tennessee. Go figure. We met Amy of the Monteverde Institute who organized the visit and also met the Director of Environmental Education, a Professor from the University of Wisconsin. After a tour of the green house and garden which are maintained by the students we met with some of the juniors at the school and they showed us plant studies they were doing for a real researcher on recovery of clear cut land. These same students also had individual projects they were doing including source of water pollution in a stream that supplies water to a community downstream. Then we hiked up the side of a mountain on the school property. We probably gained at least 500 feet in elevation and still did not get to the top ar the school’s property line. The view was magnificent. After leaving the school we went to the Monteverde Conservation group for a lecture about the land controlled by MC and what their limitations were. 5 unarmed guards had to stop armed poachers by talking. It probably helped that many of the guards were former poachers. Then lunch and a hike through the Monteverde Cloud Forest. We saw a few birds and insects and one member of our group saw a mammal. The dispute is whether it was a howler monkey or a small type of cat. We also went and stood on the continental divide. One side the Caribbean and the other the Pacific Ocean. It would have been more impressive if we weren’t standing in a cloud and could only see 100 yards at best. Then the Hummingbird Garden where we saw lots of hummingbirds and a snake in a tree. Dinner was on our own. So we rode the bus into town, shopped for gifts and souvenirs, and bought dinner. Paul had fried chicken place on the way in so we had chicken and fries. Then Paul, Ryan and I WALKED BACK!! The distance was probably barely over a mile but most of it was UP HILL. I am probably exaggerating but I believe the slope for half the distance exceeded 30 degrees. I tried to talk them into a $2 taxi but Paul said, “The air will do you good” and Ryan’s comment was, “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” ____ health nuts. We made it back and the day ended.
Thursday, April 30th:
Not a good start to the day. One third of the group woke up ill. This was a day to work on projects with the Monteverde Institute. My group worked with the tree replanting group. The groups were depleted by the ill going back to the motel to try to get better. Amy, you met her yesterday, was with our group at the tree planting area. The leader is a Costa Rica young lady who graduated from the University of Georgia. Her fiancée who was leading the water quality graduated from UGA also but also graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Small World. At the station we formed a human chain and moved 250 seedling up a hill, 200+ bags of soil prepared for seedlings down a hill. Had lunch. And spent 2 hours filling over 500 bags of dirt (little over a quart in size) with soil for more seedlings. Dirty work but very satisfying. We then returned to Monteverde Institute and compared notes with those working on other projects. I wandered over to the cheese factory next door that is famous for it’s cheese and bought an ice cream. Smooth doesn’t do the ice ream justice. Then we had a 3 hour panel discussion about Monteverde, tourism, environmental issues etc with an institute member, the head of the local tourism committee and the School environmental director we met the day before. Then back to the motel. Then Paul and I walked to the Monteverde Frog Museumand looked at lots of frogs. We walked but it was all downhill. Then off to town to buy last minute gifts, dinner (fried chicken again) and back to the motel, this time by taxi. Then repack and end the day.
Friday, May 1st:
Breakfast and a return to San Jose. I had been to Monteverde a few years ago and the way we left was the way we followed then. The clifts along the road were just as steep and long way down that I remembered but the roads were MUCH improved. It only took us an hour to reach the bottom. Found a bridge out so we drove through the riverbed which will be impossible in about a month and concluded and uneventful trip to san Jose. Julio told us many things on the way but what I remembered most was the palm wine that, when properly made will get you drunk and, the nest day, after you sober up, will get you drunk again without drinking any more. We checked back in to the Aurola Holiday Inn, had lunch, attended one last lecture by Dr. Dunne, and then it was off to Purdy Motors, the Toyota manufacturer and dealership in Costa Rica. There we had our final debriefing and provided input to the people who set up the program on possible ways to improve a wonderful experience. It was not easy. The steak dinner at a restaurant called Baccus which was not all that easy to find. Then one last gathering to hear the quotes kept by Jason from what people said, mainly our group, over the two week period, then off to bed for a ten fifteen departure in the morning.
Saturday May 2nd:
Lat day in Costa Rica. Some of the group had a 4 am departure. Lucky for me I leave at 10:15 to make a 12:55 flight. The airport was busy but not too bad. Dan and I took the same flight and actually arrived early in Atlanta. However we sat on the plane for 50 minutes because there was not a gate available so that left me 50 minutes to clear customs, get my bag, recheck my bag, go through screening again and run through T terminal, catch the connecting train to D terminal and run to gate 27 as they were doing final boarding. I tied my shoes on the plane after having to take them off during rescreening. I understand many had worse experiences than me so no sympathy expected or needed. Dan did not make his connection and actually had a lovely time in Atlanta but Phyllis had a horrible experience that no one should have. B