Champlin, Kaela E.

English

The University of Kansas: Journals@KU

Clinging to the front seat of the “turismo” bus for dear life, Ianxiously awaited certain death as the bus squeezed pastcars on the winding, narrow road leading to the small town ofAtenas near San Jose. I wanted to close my eyes but couldn’t sac-rifice the view. Within a half hour, the landscape had changedfrom crowded city to meandering emerald green hills and slopes.Tropical trees draped over the serpentine road, and small houseslittered the roadside, their occupants busy in the fields beyond.We spent some time at the School for Field Studies inAtenas. Drifting through town, I gazed into store windows andsavored the sweet aroma of baking breads and empañadas.Uniformed school children sat on the steps of a whitewashedchurch, and people were quietly strolling and relaxing onbenches in a park that seemed to blend naturally into the green-ery encompassing the town.Three days later, we drove through mountain slopes pat-terned by a mosaic of coffee plantations, arriving at PoásNational Park by mid-morning. Fortunately, clouds had not yetrisen over the crater, so the chamber was clearly visible. Watergurgled and bubbled while sulphurous gases seeped out of thesides and a biting wind tried to steal my hat. Within minutes,clouds wafted over the crater, covering it like a blanket. Whilewalking up a trail to a crater lake, a Poás Squirrel (Syntheosciuruspoasensis), endemic to the park, tried to charm us in exchangefor food. The lake’s deep blue water contrasted sharply with thetangled dark green forest around us.The next day, during an eight-hour drive over the centralmountain range, we pulled off the road. The air was crisp, thin,and chilly. Anxious to stretch our legs, we piled out of the busand attacked a hill covered with sub-alpine páramo vegetation.Huffing and puffing, I reached the top, almost 11,000 feet highand above the clouds. Below me lay richly verdant mountainslopes and birds soaring in the distance. The view will be a snap-shot in my memory forever.Several hours of pouring rain and narrow, bumpy roadslater, we arrived in the swampy town of Sierpe, from were wewere to visit the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park,traveling through mangroves and out into the ocean. A three-hour ride, weather permitting, would take us to Sirena Station.Soon, the narrow river view opened to an endless vista of oceanstretching into an azure sky. The water turned from murkybrown to a deep, transparent blue. The boat pulled into a covewhere a waterfall cascaded into the ocean, and the bouldershoused an array of tropical birds. Later, a school of dolphins42 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 PANSZA  / CHAMPLINcony. Our final day in the cloud forest was spent touring a rep-tile farm, the serpentarium, and the frog house. Of 135 speciesof snakes found in Costa Rica, 17 are venomous. This informa-tion was not entirely academic. A girl on the same trip the yearbefore was bitten by a Fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) and had tospend several weeks in the hospital.During the rainforest portion of our trip, we saw a Greenand Black Dart Frog (Dendrobates auratus) and a smaller “BlueJeans” Dart Frog (Dendrobates pumillio). At the La SelvaBiological Station, we spotted several species of anoles (Anolisspp.), more large Green Iguanas, and, down by the river,American Crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) and SpectacledCaimans (Caiman crocodilus). Near the Pacure River, we sharedour cabins with many little geckos. Anoles were all over the frontporch, Ground Lizards (Ameiva festiva) were common on thegrounds, and basilisks (Basiliscus spp.) basked on rocks along theriverbanks. We did see some individuals running on theirhindlimbs but never saw one running on water, a skill for whichthey received the common name “Jesus Christ Lizard.”Our last stop was in San Jose. Half a day in the large, busycity was quite a culture shock after passing the previous few weeksin the green serenity of the forests. Costa Rica was an experienceof a lifetime. Although I had been forewarned, I was amazed tosee such biodiversity in such a small geographical area. I recom-mend a visit to anyone with even a casual interest in nature —but make sure you bring a good camera. PURA VIDA!!!From Here It’s Possible: A Texan Visits the TropicsKaela E. ChamplinDepartment of Natural Resource Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TexasInsects, such as this katydid, often exhibit remarkable cryptic patternsand colors, in this instance, looking just like a leaf, scars and all.JANELLE M. PANSZAIguana 14.1 b&w text.QX6  2/25/07  10:46 PM  Page 42IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 43TRAVELOGUESaccompanied our boat. Our arrival was abrupt. The refreshingbreeze was replaced by intense humidity. We quickly disem-barked. As the boat pulled away, I realized how isolated we were.I felt a surge of excitement and heard the first of many mysteri-ous howls, hoots, and screeches emanating from the jungle.After the initial shock of the heat wore off, the OsaPeninsula became a paradise. Sirena Station consisted of akitchen, screened rooms with bunk beds, and a lab frequentedby researchers. Surrounded by forest, you can sit on the porchand watch the wildlife pass. Howler Monkeys (Alouatta sp.)served as alarm clocks, hooting and screaming as if they wereright in the room.If you enter as a quiet visitor, the diversity is amazing. Oncemy eyes adjusted, I saw Leaf-cutter Ants (Atta sp.) hauling leavesto their massive mounds. Bulging Strangler Figs (Ficus sp.) even-tually smothering the trees on which they grow. One cool morn-ing on the bank of the Río Claro, I was sitting on a tree trunkwatching a Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum), when a suddenAmerican Crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) basking along rivers are a common sight in conservation-minded Costa Rica.CLINT BOALHot vents in the forest provide ample evidence of Central America’svolcanic origins.JANELLE M. PANSZACosta Rican wildlife, such as this Lesser Anteater (Tamanduatetradactyla), has become quite accustomed to humans.GAD PERRYIguana 14.1 b&w text.QX6  2/25/07  10:46 PM  Page 43commotion in the nearby brush turned out to be a Kinkajou(Potos flavus), rarely seen by day. Once, we stumbled onto a packof Javelinas or Collared Peccaries (Tayassu tajacu) sifting througha mud pile. Most of the activity during the day is in the canopy,where Keel-billed Toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus) call andSpider Monkeys (Ateles sp.) swing. At night, the rainforest trulycomes to life. Insects come out in full throttle, and the bats soonfollow. The Catch-22 of walking at night was the choice ofstumbling blindly through blackness or sacrificing my flesh tothe hordes of mosquitoes and other bloodthirsty insects attractedto my flashlight. The hollow clicks of Red-eyed Treefrogs(Agalychnis callidryas) echo from above, and tiny fluorescent-yel-low Palm Treefrogs (Hyla ebraccata) chirp happily on waxyleaves. Wading through a swampy pond, we found sleepingBasilisks (Basiliscus sp.), Cat-eyed Snakes (Leptodeira septentrion-alis), a caiman (Caiman crocodilus), and a treeboa (Corallusruschenbergerii).When not in the forest, I ventured onto the beach. At lowtide, perfect conch shells washed ashore and melted into theblack sand. Although I longed to cool off in the water, theprospect of encountering a Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas)restrained me. Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) flew overhead,squawking and littering the ground beneath the high tree inwhich they perched with rotting fruit and molted feathers.American Crocodiles (Crocodilus acutus) floated where the rivermet the ocean.Eventually, we had to leave. Coming back was a shock.Tropical forest was replaced by small town, then by big city.From walking, cold showers, and occasional power, we wentback to cars, electricity, and hot water. Clothing could onceagain be washed, and we had options for food. Eventually, wegot on a plane and came back to the dry, flat landscape that sur-rounds Lubbock, Texas. I don’t miss the mosquitoes, but I domiss Costa Rica. I’ll be back...44 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2007 CHAMPLINBlack Iguanas (Ctenosaura similis), locally known as “Garrobos,” are abundant and amazingly tolerant of close approaches by humans.CLINT BOALSeventeen of Costa Rica’s 135 species of snakes are venomous. This isa light-brown Eyelash Viper (Bothriechis schlegelii), named for the scalesthat protrude over the eyes.GAD PERRYIguana 14.1 b&w text.QX6  2/25/07  10:46 PM  Page 44

From Here It’s Possible: A Texan Visits the Tropics

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From Here It’s Possible: A Texan Visits the Tropics

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