Photo: 1993 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with a college friend Tom who both studied oceanography
One of my happy single life activities at a college apartment was reading the monthly 'Scuba Diver' magazine. Always planning a dive trip with a catchy phrase like 'Manta Ray bonanza' and 'Bone-chill experience guaranteed! Feed the sharks' !
I have successfully completed my oceanography degree in 1994 and spent nearly another year on the internship at Caltrans, The California Department of Transportation, to analyze the energy of long shore transport of sands along the California Highway. Then started working in Japan at a coastal engineering design office until the Kobe-Hanshin Great Earthquake struck. I realized I was never lived closed to my parents so moved to where they have set a new ground, Awaji Island.
As I wrote on the first blog, regardless of where I lived, I was able to travel to the US as a frequent traveler with enough mileage to claim further trips to Latin America. I also wanted to learn some Spanish.
By 1997年, my dive destinations have changed from Mexico to places with more security and higher sanitation level where English are spoken, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, etc. Eventually I chose Costa Rica as all the dive articles were on insanely attractive dive spots. I also wanted to travel where I do not bump into the Japanese tourists. This aim was served well
I wanted to explore places where no Japanese have ever been.
In retrospect, I wonder how I did it, but somehow managed to book flights, hotels, and dives individually, unlike the common dive packages sold from the U.S. Many readers should still remember the carbon-paper flight tickets that were hard to read when the handwriting was not so impressive. Before I know, I was on my way to San Jose, Costa Rica and hopped on a tourism shuttle bus to Guanacaste where I was dropped off at a hotel near Ocotal Beach.
Photo: A single diver who likes to simply travel off the beaten track
A carpet-like manta ray gliding over me (Isla de Cano Biological Reserve)
It is truly regrettable that I shouldn't have used a digital camera when first came out. I have lost most of the photos as the hard drive and memory cards rusted or crashed. Only ones in my hands today are on film.
The dives were much beyond my expectation. Despite the lower visibility in comparison to other tropical waters, the richness of fish and biodiversity was just amazing. I almost landed on top of a manta ray upon the boat entry, and one time had to wait about five minutes until a huge bank of eagle rays passed me by. I learned that the true paradise exists. Not limited to the abundance in marine life, the terrestrial wildlife was equally 'wow' to me. The howler monkeys woke me up early in the morning instead of a newspaper delivery man on a bike, the really slow sloth that can survive in such an environment, all were parrots and parakeets where they would be crows and swallows in Japan. The cloud forest hosted a myriad of wild orchid and hours of driving never made me tired because of the fire flies glittering the road all the way
Photo: A two-toed sloth got a rain shower
A day as if struck by a lightning
After 5 days of fun dive days, I realized I had to take a rest and breathe the fresh forest air. The hotel where I stayed helped me book an English-guide village day tour. Though I have no photos to prove it, it is still fresh in my memory.
The itinerary is quite simple. A guide came to pick me up at the hotel.
1) Walking in a forest: Guanacaste can be quite dry except for the rainy season. When I was there, it was green and the guide introduced me to many living creatures from a dart-frog to leaf-cutting ants. He also extended his talk to biodiversity and its roles in the nature. I really though I had to preserve the area even as a visitor.
2) The village food: Simple but yummy fried chicken, yuka fries, black beans and rice. They are very similar to Southeast Asian food. Of course the chicken is organically (naturally) fed and free-ranged, the ample veges and fruits are all locally produced.
Image: A casual restaurant 'soda' was always a good stop to make for local food
3) Visit to a local school: Costa Rica took education over military, a smart move. Thanks to that, the literacy rate is one of the highest in the world. The school I visited was constructed with a basic facility, but everyone in a school including students and teachers really welcomed me from their heart, no questions asked even for a yellow man. (Though they never got the difference between the Chinese and Japanese :) I was almost shedding tears when leaving them behind
Guide: "Really, we thank you for your visit to our village. Thanks to you, we can construct and mage a school and a clinic".
Me: "What do you mean? Isn't this a public school"?
Guide: "The government funds are never enough so the village has decided to pump some tourist money into managing our public facilities like the school and the clinic"
Me: "OMG!!"
Never heard of such a fancy and successful story! I have been in the U.S. long enough, but the framework that's built to contribute the village... It also seemed the entire villagers were stakeholders and supporters of this framework.
I thought I was cool, at least an Americanized Japanese young man visiting Costa Rica who I thought they might revere my presence there. In fact I have much more to learn, ashamed of being so indifferent to the developing world's situation. Literally, I felt as if I was struck by lightning. This day forward, my life is never the same.
I want to learn MORE from Costa Rica!
In April 1997, I have decided to take another trip to Costa Rica, this time to a maximum of three months, just as a normal tourist is allowed.
The next episode will be on the 'Lifetime encounter in Costa Rica'.