Isla Violin part 2

After we finished our report write-ups for the group projects, we had free time to do whatever we wanted. I went on a 3 hour hike to this ocean viewpoint, which was so beautiful! I wish I stayed for the sunset, but I didn't want to hike back to the camp in the dark. 

On our final day, we went snorkeling at Isla del Caño, but I didn't bring my camera and there were only 3 underwater cameras for the group to use. But I had lots of fun looking at the colorful fish in the corals, and swimming with a large school of green jack! On the boat ride, we saw spotted dolphins, humpback whales, and manta rays! Unfortunately our boat's propeller had a problem, so we were stranded at sea for an extra hour and a half. Even though it was hot under the sun, we had fun killing time by playing word games. The only picture I have from the trip is with my lovey tent mate, Lupe.

Incidentally, there was an 8.3 earthquake in Chile that prompted a tsunami warning for Costa Rica. At first I didn't believe it since it was April Fool's Day, but it turned out to be real! Thankfully the alert was called off and we didn't have to hike up to the top of the mountain for safety. We then happily continued to our last night hike, in which we saw a basilisk run on water! In the forest, we spent maybe 10 minutes with our lights off and stayed quiet to appreciate the total darkness and immerse ourselves in the natural sounds of insects and birds. Even though it was mildly terrifying for me since I fear the darkness, it was also a very good exercise to truly understand the difference between night and day.

Before we packed up and left for the next camping location, I snapped some pictures of our campsite, the cabins, the comedor, and Don Miguel, the island caretaker. Even though we spent so little time on Isla Violin, I already felt attached to the island, since it was homey and we had many good experiences. As we left with everything loaded on the boats, it was hard to watch Don Miguel and his dog Miguelito wave to us and become smaller and smaller lonely little dots on the big beach. I am very thankful for his gentle kindness and eagerness to share with us the wonders of the island.