Costa Rica Week 4: Scorpions, Toilet Frogs, and Howler Monkeys

It’s hard to believe but we’ve navigated almost four whole weeks of our Costa Rican adventure. While some days are easier than others, we persist. And we continue to have close encounters with the wildlife here, for better and for worse! Ultimately it’s an adventure living in the jungle, and adventures are not always straightforward.

In case you missed it, earlier this week Dad published a “Why Worldschooling, Why Now?” piece, so be sure to check that out too.

As always, check out our highlights from the week, this week’s take on the good, the bad, and the ugly, and the lessons learned along the way.

Highlights of the Week

The Outdoor Toilet

We have an outdoor toilet at our Airbnb, and while the kids often choose the indoor one, Mom and Dad usually opt for the outdoor one. It’s unique, kind of cool (our cover photo this week is a view bathroom-eye view), and has also led to some interesting wildlife encounters. Not only will we find frogs and salamanders on the lid, on more than one occasion, we have actually found frogs hanging out inside, which definitely makes you check twice before you sit down. This led to Younger Brother uttering a sentence I never imagined hearing in my lifetime: “Dad, can you check for toilet frogs first?”

Howler Monkeys

One day while utilizing the aforementioned outdoor toilet, I noticed something moving in the tree branch above – a howler monkey! We had heard howler monkeys at night (we’d been warned about their demonic-sounding, spine-tingling calls – see video below), but hadn’t seen any yet, and on closer inspection, there were more than a dozen up in the canopy. It was such fun watching them climb, jump, and swing from tree to tree, as they spent the better part of that day and the next hanging out near our house. Of course, that means we also had to tolerate their nighttime shenanigans, but it was worth it (and the babies were very cute!).

Puerto Viejo and Playa Negra Day Trips

This week we took a couple of trips to Puerto Viejo, the “big” town next door that defines our locality. The purpose of the trips was resupplying at the slightly cheaper supermarket north of town, but we took some time to walk the streets of Puerto Viejo and visit the nearby Playa Negra. As the name suggests, the sand at Playa Negra is of a black color (volcanically formed), which is kind of cool. Unfortunately on our second (and probably last) visit to Playa Negra, Younger Brother learned the hard way that black sand seems to absorb a lot more sunlight and heat than “traditional” sand. Ouch.

Hanging at Playa Cocles

While there are a half dozen beaches within striking distance of our place in the Caribbean, our go-to has been Playa Cocles. First off, it’s the closest, but it also offers walkability and some decent waves. It actually has a reputation for rough surf and dangerous rip currents (and the rip-current-related death of Cosby Show actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner), we have only experienced one “rough surf” day so far. Honestly, today the kids were complaining that the waves weren’t big enough… It’s been fun watching surfers, catching some good boogie boarding runs, and digging big holes, and it’s also been my go-to spot for morning meditation and walks.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good

Dad – We are slowly adjusting to life in Costa Rica, and starting to get the hang of Pura Vida, though some days are easier than others (see below). It’s been nice seeing the kids get along better and finding things to do, embracing “boredom” by spending most of their downtime in creative play or reading books. I’ve enjoyed more time for reading and writing too, as a normal fall for me is subsumed by soccer practices, teaching responsibilities and overall busyness.

Mom – Still loving the sunshine and beaches with warm water. I also love all the tropical plants and animals. We’ve seen howler monkeys, iguanas, agouti, green and black poison dart frogs, and a number of beautiful butterflies all from our front and back decks. 

I’m becoming increasingly more comfortable and confident in making budget-friendly vegan meals with minimal ingredients. Generally we’ve always eaten a mostly vegetarian diet with a healthy (bordering unhealthy haha) amount of cheese and dairy. However when a small block of cheese is $7, the only available yogurt is close to $10, and with the knowledge the kids will devour these in one sitting I’m not willing to go broke on dairy. So instead I’m getting us away from being as dependent on some of these items that were staples in our previous existence.

Together sister and I are mastering making our own tortillas (without a press, though I do envision getting one someday) and flat breads based on minimal ingredients. Older brother was even super helpful this week washing dishes, cutting fruit for smoothies AND helping to make dinner all in one day!!!!! I love when the kids want to help cook!

Older Brother – When I got sick it was sort of a good thing because I could be a lazy boy 😀. We had pizza for dinner last night (it is my favorite food and I think I might be a little over excited) 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕.

Sister – I really like the beach. We go there all the time. I also get to sleep in and not have to be woken up by anybody.

Younger Brother – The awesome: Walking along Playa Negra, the first time before we discovered just how hot the sand can get. It was really interesting walking on the black sand that is caused by volcanos. I thought the sand and water were warmer than the other beach. 

The Bad

Dad – While some days are good, other days are definitely a struggle, and I had hoped that by now some of the discomfort that defines life here would wear off. Even though I see the big-picture inherent value of pushing past one’s comfort zone and overcoming difficulties, in practice doing this can really suck at times. I’m reading The Hobbit with Younger Brother, and I can recognize myself in the character Bilbo Baggins. While Bilbo has a “Tookish” impulse for adventure that leads him away from the safety and comforts of home (and while he appreciates his adventures afterwards) he spends an awful lot of time complaining about missing the comforts and routines of home while out on said adventure. I can relate, Bilbo, I can relate.

Mom – Older Brother got sick, he was complaining of abdominal discomfort and gastrointestinal issues along with fatigue. We gave him an easier school day and allowed more rest but that night and the next day he continued to deteriorate. I noticed a rash on his arms, knees, back, and chest, and his face looked sunburnt though we hadn’t been to the beach the day before…. We debated taking him to a clinic but after reaching out to a trusted medical professional, I felt comfortable to continue with our “wait and see” (with some Benadryl) approach. By the next morning he seemed to be feeling better, his skin was going back to a normal hue and he was able to keep things down. The idea of one of us being sick and/or needing medical help has always been a consideration as we planned this trip. Part of the reason we’ve chosen the places that we have is because we felt comfortable with the infrastructure that exists if the stinky stuff should hit the spinny thing. We are very relieved to have not needed further medical assistance as “he seems back to normal”

Older Brother – At the beach I got bored so I buried my legs in sand and I got stuck (I don’t know how) and it took me 5 minutes to get out. Costa Rica is getting less exciting faster than I thought (when nobody is visiting us).

Sister – Nolan got sick and he was really grumpy. Also next week we are going to places where the house owners have dogs.

Younger Brother – Nothing bad!

The Ugly

Dad – As if the pit viper from last week wasn’t bad enough, we had another unwelcome visitor this week. It was just about bed time one night when Nolan came out of his room to inform us that there was a scorpion next to his bed. I had no desire to go near the thing, let alone try to exterminate it, and the sheer number of times I had to wack it with my shoe as it attempted to scuttle along the wall was disgusting. It’s an experience I hope to never relive, but as the below photos prove, I won – veni, vidi, vici.

Mom – For all the cool animals we see there apparently have to be a few not so cool animals (or, rather, I wouldn’t mind them from afar or if they were behind a glass enclosure). The night when Nolan came out of his room to let us know there was a scorpion in his room was less than ideal. To be fair I assumed Nolan had no idea what he was talking about and figured it was probably a large spider at most. Upon seeing it and then verifying on Google lense because I still couldn’t quite believe it, yes indeed it was a scorpion. What does one do about a scorpion you ask, well according to our host if we “could please terminate it and not let it wander about that would be great” ummm ok…. But how?????? Well, I looked around for a bit and found the heaviest shoe available- Luke’s Keen. I had assumed terminating it was going to be my job as at home it was my job to deal with all things “spidery” and “creepy crawly” but as soon as Luke made a comment about him dealing with it I was not about to offer assistance. 

Older Brother – I got sick and I could only stay in my room all day. I have not been sleeping well and it sucked last night. I got to sleep at 12:30ish at night and woke up at 7:00ish.

Sister – I miss my friends and family. I’m stuck with my two brothers and my mom and dad for a year!

Younger Brother – Older Brother was sick.

Lesson Learned

Sometimes growth is a challenging and uncomfortable process. In case you missed it, our time here hasn’t been all beaches and cute animals. It will be great to look back on our time in Costa Rica, but sometimes in the moment we find ourselves wishing for the comforts and familiarity of home. Maybe New Zealand or Australia would have been an easier “entry point” into our worldschool year, but we opted to throw ourselves into the deep end. From language barriers to cultural differences to food challenges, our time here has not been without challenges. Or growth. But sometimes growth can be a little messy and uncomfortable.