I have just spent a week in Rio Oro and it was definitely one of the best weeks of my life! The rustic setting surrounded by monkeys and scarlet macaws followed by night patrols on the beach made my week an unforgettable experience. Before coming here I had never seen a turtle up close before and just ten minutes into my first patrol we saw an Olive Ridley! We measured her and tagged her for future identification, a process of which we do for all turtles we see. Each night I saw at least three turtles and one night we saw fifteen! Communicating with the locals who we patrolled with was really fun even with my broken Spanish who were very patient and lovely and I was able to learn all new turtle and beach related vocabulary. During the day when we were not patrolling we had time to make coconut carvings of turtles and the like and relax and read in a hammock in the shade. Also doing monkey censo in the mountains and horse riding which consisted of galloping through fields and ending with lunch in an idealic stream. One evening we were even lucky enough to go to a Costa Rican baby shower which was an enjoyable experience and gave us a taster of the locals' lifestyle. All week, although we had seen many turtles we hadn't yet seen any 'tortugitas', yet on  our last night we saw two nests hatch and I finally saw some babies! I am really looking forward to this week in Drake Bay and having the experience of a home stay with a local family. Pura Vida!