We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise this morning with yellows and oranges painted in the clouds. We started our journey today to visit the Pacific Coast of San Josecito, a little shoreline walk. We observed basaltic rocks emerging from subsoil in the ocean to meet the thick green of the heavy rainforest. The combination is just perfect. Wave after wave and step after step, we realized how irregular the coastline is in this part of the world. Chaos and destruction always catalyze creation, and the land we walked today is a perfect example of this. Millions of years ago, lava and cooling processes formed the land, shaping the topography. This led to the growth of this gorgeous scenario where the rainforest and the ocean exist side-by-side. It took us almost an hour and a half, but we got the chance to see the interactions of this ecosystem along the shore. In just a short time, we spotted white-faced monkeys, scarlet macaws and red-legged honeycreepers. Our bodies were tired and sweaty, but it was worth it. Walking in the rainforest is not the same as walking in the park next to your house, thanks to humidity and so on. Lucky us, we had the chance to jump in the water to refresh ourselves.
In the afternoon, we visited one of Costa Rica’s most important and precious national parks—Corcovado, created in the 70s. This place offers several trails with a very mature second-growth forest. The trees are so tall that they spread their branches until they reach the canopy. They look so gigantic that it reminds us how small we are. A single lifetime would not be long enough to explore all the secrets of this land—white-nosed coatis, great curassows, spider monkeys and anole lizards. Even though we were already feeling like we had enjoyed a perfect day, expedition leader Margrit had the great idea to look for whales and, well, she was right! Humpback whales put on a show for guests of National Geographic Quest. With the sunset in the background, they said goodbye to us.
With so many things to feel grateful for today, we look forward to a new adventure.
