Tortugero National Park and the beach!!!

 After an hour bus ride we loaded up on a boat and headed down river about an hour to get to our lodge.  The "dock" we launched from is in the middle of nowhere but is the hub for hundreds of tourist each day.  Once on the boat out on the water the sky opened up and rained for about 15 minutes.  After that the sun came out and was beautiful, needless to say one arm is burnt from the side of the boat while the other is just fine. 

 Once we arrived at Laguna Lodge we were greeted by ladies with cold rags and fresh pineapple juice.  During their busy season they host about 290 guests but right now the resort only has 19 guests and our group has 13 so we are pretty much taking over the resort and have it all to ourselves!

 Here is the rooms at the lodge.  We each have our own room since there is no one at the resort.  I have learned that in Costa Rica they pay special attention to detail with everything being just perfect with a special touch. From my room you can hear the crash of the waves and is only a minute walk to the black sand beach. 

 This is me standing on the beach.  Notice the fact that there is no one else on the beach besides our group of students.  It was a little bit cloudy this afternoon but then the sun came out.  Also the sand here is just about black due to the volcanic nature of it. 

 This is one of the two pools that is located here at the resort.  It has a small little island as well as a wonderful waterfall in the back right that feels great on your back! 

 This afternoon we took a short boat ride into the town of Tortugero which survives solely on the tourism industry.  We had a great time learning about the history of the town and wondering around!  This is a picture of Lauren who is another student at MU standing in front of a cute store we found.

 Mom, this photo is for you!!!  I found some sand dollars on the beach this afternoon and will try bringing them back (I hope they don't break).  There are not a lot of big shells like many other beaches but lots of really little shells.

 This is a view from where I am sitting tonight writing this blog on the lagoon side of the lodge.  The lodge sits right in the middle of this small "island" and has the beach on one side and the lagoon on the other.  It is very peaceful here with just occasional boat traffic.

Here is a sign that we saw walking up and down the beach today.  This area at Tortugero National Park was designated as an area to help protect the turtle hatchlings.  We unfortunately are not here during the peak turtle season which starts around July, but is also the time when all the tourists start arriving. 

Tomorrow morning we will be going on a lagoon tour from 6-8 and 10-12 to look for wildlife in the lagoon.  We will be having the afternoon to work on our projects as well as hang out and take a break.  We have had two weeks straight of classes so now we are just working independently on our projects and are given a break to enjoy this beautiful place.