Pura Vida: Tortuga Island

Today I woke up at 4:45 am to get ready for a day at Tortuga Island! First, we had a 2-hour bus ride to the dock in Puntarenas, but we stopped halfway for breakfast. We had the funniest tour guide whose name was Victor. On the way to breakfast, he told us that our bus would be our "home" for the day, and that the bathroom was our "garden." He told us we could water the flowers, but we could not fertilize them. Haha! Once we got to Puntarenas, we boarded a NICE catamaran (the Manta Raya) and rode for about an hour to the island. The catamaran was equipped with 2 deck pools, bathrooms, changing rooms, 2 net-type looking things that you can lay out on, a full service bar (I drank Pepsi), and guys that come around to offer you fresh fruit on a tray. We were definitely pampered today. Some interesting things I learned about the island:

- It is known for its white sandy beaches and turquoise waters.
- Although tortuga means "turtle" in Spanish, there are no turtles on the island. The island is so named because of its shape.
- The island is part of a chain of islands called an archipelago.

We had a great setup at the beach. The MLSA group pretty much had our own private area that included part of the beach and an eating area in the shade. They monitored who went in and out by having everyone wear blue wrist bands. That way, no one bothered our stuff when we went out to ride the banana boat or go snorkeling! I was amazed at how strong the sun is down here by the equator! I had a little chocolate bar that melted in less than five minutes, so I ate it like a Go-Gurt. Usually, once I get my first sunburn of the summer, which I did already, I don't have to worry about getting another one. And I usually only have to apply sunscreen once a day. The key word here is USUALLY. Today, however, I used SPF 30, made sure to put it everywhere, and still managed to get burned. I think it should be gone by in the morning, though! We returned to San Jose at about 8:30, which is not a safe time to be taking the bus or walking on the streets. So we took a taxi and made it home SAFELY. :)

Some pictures from today!