More Junquillal Turtles

As we pulled up to the beach at Junquillal, we could tell by the crowd gathered at the turtle rescue hut that tonight was most likely going to have a release of hatchlings on the beach. We grabbed our body boards and jumped into the sea keeping half an eye out for any movement from the turtlers. The sunset was another beauty with the sun moving more northerly every day.

Whenever the volunteers collect a clutch of eggs, they mark the exact spot with a post labeled with a number to correspond to the hatchlings. The babies are returned to the site where they were laid and buried for their release. When we saw the tourists following the volunteers down the beach, we swam in and chased them down.

Just like monkeys, turtles will never get boring. I might get jaded about palm trees or sunsets but not these little gems. We watched them work their way to the water and head off into the ocean to whatever turtle future awaits them. The Tico volunteer was patiently answering all the questions people could come up with while keeping any overeager photographers ( like me) from getting too close.

The moon rose and the day came to a close. We headed back to the casa to grill some tuna and get our belongings organized for tomorrow’s journey off into the wild. Speaking of wild, the dog was definitely looking a little unlike himself tonight.