Sunday- Day Three

Lunch was the same thing as every other meal has been rice, beans, and canned vegetables. But this was the first time I finished my plate. Patrolling the beach last night was exhausting beyond belief!

The walk was dark, quiet, and long. You can't play music, and your tour guide is a tico (that is someone from Costa Rica); so if you don't know Spanish you can't really carry on a conversation. Also, you really learn how to go past your previous physical limits. If you stop walking, you have stopped the organization and their cause. Nothing else could keep you going more.

The guides say if you're at the hatchery when turtles hatch, they are your "babies." And if you find a female coming to nest she's "your" turtle. While it can be exciting to have your own "babies" or "turtle", you quickly realize it doesn't matter as long as you get to see a turtle.

After we hit the end of our stretch of beach and turned around we came across another group with a hawksbill sea turtle. Once she started her nesting routine, we were able to get close and look at her face! I know I have never seen anything in this world as peaceful, gentle, or beautiful as a sea turtle.

But my luck didn't stop there! We walked another couple miles and came across more volunteers, this time with a green sea turtle! No one could believe my luck that I saw all three species that are nesting right now within two days. This is the point when I realized how important my work here with La Tortuga Feliz is.

When this trip ends, I know it will not be the end of my love and dedication for sea turtles. I just wish I had been able to take a photo of the sea turtles last night. But I love them so much, I would never risk interfering with their nesting.