By Kelly Reid, Marketing Intern

In the Talamanca region of Costa Rica lays the quiet and very small community of Alto Katsi, which has about eighty people residing in around sixteen structures. The subsistence economy is particularly fragile because the region is susceptible to flooding, which makes a fruitful harvest impossible. There is no electricity, no running water, and no commercial goods close by. The simplicity is serene, but because of its remote location, necessities such as educational supplies and feel-good items like soccer balls are often hard to come by. In fact, before Tropical Adventures assisted with the construction of a schoolhouse nearby, the children often had to walk very long distances in the morning and evenings to attend classes. Thankfully, this is no longer the case and lessons are now held within the community. Materials, however, are still a challenge for the locals.

            This past December, a group of Tropical Adventures staff and volunteers from Stony Brook University visited the Alto Katsi village to deliver a wide range of valuable goods that were generously donated by our supporters.  The children were thrilled to be presented with sports equipment, educational tools, and health items such as tooth brushes and toothpaste. Volunteers were able to play with the children and teach them essential personal hygiene skills. And few things can bring a group of people together like a soccer ball. The volunteers and Indigenous folks alike were able to enjoy a few impromptu games in the lush green spaces of this beautiful region.

            To see many more pictures of these volunteer efforts, please visit our Facebook page as well as our Flickr page – the photos of the smiling children won’t disappoint!

By Kelly Reid, Marketing Intern

How do you think you might react if your significant other handed you a box of latex surgical gloves for Christmas? For most of us, such a gift would probably earn our loved one a night on the couch or, at the very least, some time in the proverbial doghouse.

            And yet this is where Peggy found herself on Christmas morning: on the receiving end of a box of latex gloves that her husband Mark had gifted her with for the holidays. More strange goodies followed between Christmas and their anniversary in early January: cotton swabs, a rain poncho, a flashlight, ziplock baggies, Dramamine, bug spray, and more. Luckily for Mark, Peggy realized that the “12 Days of the Anniversary” was going to be a puzzle and that each bizarre gift was part of an elaborate surprise planned for the day of their anniversary. Despite a whole team of coworkers trying to help her guess the surprise, Peggy had no idea what to expect. Even with the help of Google, she was still in the dark.

            Finally, the reveal came: Mark had planned a two week volunteer trip with Tropical Adventures at the Osa In-water Sea Turtle project. Each of the daily gifts was an item necessary for the trip, which Mark assembled with the help of some Tropical Adventures correspondence. Peggy, who has been passionate about sea turtles for her entire life, was overwhelmed by excitement and nerves, but luckily there was little to worry about. Mark truly planned it all down to the details. He arranged in advance to have their three chocolate labs cared for by their twenty-two year old son while the couple is in Costa Rica, which he knew would be Peggy’s first concern.  Even better, Mark arranged for a professional cleaning service to visit their home the day that they arrive back at the house, since, as Mark puts it, “a 22 year old….Need I say more?” Peggy, you found a keeper!

The couple, which has never been to Costa Rica, will be staying in the Osa peninsula for two weeks in mid-Spring of this year. Mark expects that they both will have a wonderfully close experience with the sea turtles and some peaceful time away from their hectic schedules. “I thought this trip would give Peggy the opportunity to get close to the sea turtles, help important research efforts, and to provide an experience that can be shared with her current and future sixth grade students. For me, I'm just happy being on the water and watching my wife enjoy the experience,” Mark says of his hopes for the trip.  Now that is love.  

Congratulations on your tenth anniversary, Mark and Peggy!

By Kelly Reid, Marketing Intern

During the last week of December, Tropical Adventures ran its annual day camp for children, this year in the small town of Hojancha in the Guanacaste region. The days were perfectly sunny and we had plenty of children join in on the fun.

The first day began with the help of many invaluable volunteers from the town that helped to keep camp running smoothly. The first children that arrived began crafts with Susan such as making butterflies and flowers out of coffee filters, using tissue paper to decorate construction paper fish, and some colouring.

As more children arrived, our emcee for the day began organizing games such as hot potato and an updated version of musical chairs. The kids had so much fun with those games, but they were truly ecstatic when the water balloon relay began! It was a perfect idea for a hot and sunny day and soon they enjoyed throwing water balloons at each other and themselves before cooling of with sacs of water and freezies. The rest of the day was filled with potato sack races, spider web games, and jump-rope.

The next day, many more children came to play and enjoy time at camp. The word had spread quickly! We were prepared though, with lots of materials for colouring, which seemed to be the favourite activity of the day. Everyone was joyful to see their works of art hung up on the walls around camp and they loved showing their parents what they had created. While some chose to play a rousing game of soccer, Susan also led a group in the creation of caterpillars from egg cartons. Everyone loved gluing the googly eyes on to their creatures and bringing them to life! Fresh slices of watermelon completed the day.

It was hard to say goodbye to so many smiling faces on the last day of camp. We all had so much fun being around these happy children and their contagious energy, but we are all glad that we were able to have fun with them during their time off from school. We hope that next year sees the same success! Check out lots of great pictures on our Facebook page! 

If you happen to be lucky enough to spend the holiday season in Costa Rica, there's one tradition you shouldn't miss – and it's not the tamales again! Rather, it's the annual festival set up in the San Jose district of Zapote. Massive and more than a little disorienting to the uninitiated, the festival stretches across a vast expanse of asphalt (the purpose of which remains unclear the rest of the year). Finding the festival is a cinch, even in San Jose: just look for the many Ticos peddling a parking space as far as a kilometer away and you know you're close!

Once inside, the festival is much like a large state fair: delicious food of all sorts, rides that aren't for the faint of heart, and – of course – lots of beer. Pupusas were certainly a highlight for me. They are a delectable corn pouch of meat, cheese, and coleslaw all heated on a hot-top and impossible to eat in any sort of graceful fashion. Of course, that's generally the mark of successful festival food! After the pupusas, try the sweet churros. This deep-fried pastry rolled in sugar has endless varieties, but a sure hit is the one filled with creamy dulce de leche. Wash it all down with a sort-of cold beer? Now that's a great way to celebrate Christmas.

Be careful though – after that meal, you may want to avoid the ominous Tagada. This spinning ride, which seems at first glance to be harmless, is actually a death-defying affair. Riders sit in a circular ring with no more safety harnesses than their own clinging arms and they hold on tight as the circle begins to spin in every direction. The truly brave simply stand in the middle of the circle and crab-walk back and forth, trying to keep their balance as they stand nearly parallel to the ground beneath them.

Other great attractions are the snake exhibit where corals, vipers, anacondas, and pythons will eye you down; the torros, where the few brave souls that may have imbibed a bit of liquid courage will taunt a monsterous beast for fun; and the temporary dance clubs that will be packed until the wee hours of the morning.

But the real treat is the midway. Try the ring-toss, if you're feeling like a winner. Of course, you may find several minutes and several thousand colones later that the game is actually mathematically impossible (it requires each ring to add to a certain sum which, naturally, cannot be reached). But don't worry. It's all part of the experience. Have another churro and just be glad that you aren't in the frigid north!

By Kelly Reid, Marketing Intern

            Around sunrise in many parts of Costa Rica, you are bound to hear the haunting calls of the native howler monkeys. They’re majestic animals, with beautiful and intelligent eyes that some have called “melancholy.” But howlers are playful too. The live in large social groups of fifteen to twenty animals, are seldom aggressive, and rarely fight within their own groups. Howlers live throughout Costa Rica, and spotting one generally brings a smile to the face of both tourists and locals alike.

            Unfortunately, howlers are facing new threats brought on by the fast-paced development across the country. The recent spike in tourism, though beneficial in many ways, means that some development is unregulated. Electricity lines, for instance, are often uninsulated. When the development encroaches on the territory of the howlers, they see an electricity line and believe that it’s a tree limb from which they can swing. This leads to awful electrocutions, which are often fatal. When a mother is towing an infant and grabs a power line or a transformer, the infant also risks electrocution or at the very least, an incredible fall. Even if they survive, they will be orphaned and their chances of survival become slim. In 1998, there were an estimated 107,000 howler monkeys. That figure dropped to 37,000 in 2004.

            Thankfully, the Nosara Wildlife Rescue Center has started a monkey orphanage for the howlers that come into contact with the power lines. They work to nurse them back to health when possible, or they care for the infants that lose their mothers to electrocution until they can be released back into the wild. If the creature is unlikely to survive back in the wild – for instance, when they lose a limb to electrocution – then they receive extensive long-term care at the Nosara facility. But with such quick development and limited resources, Nosara fights a tough battle. If you would like to support the Nosara facility and adopt a monkey from rescue to release, visit their website!

Anyone who has seen Rob Stewart’s fantastic – albeit shocking – documentary Sharkwater knows the devastation that long-lining fisheries can wreak on endangered populations. And it isn’t just sharks at risk; for instance, a Florida swordfish long-liner captures dead or dying billfish, Bluefin tuna, and endangered leatherback turtles in addition to sharks – and they’re all dumped overboard . Certainly, it seems clear that long-lining is simply not sustainable and a real threat to fragile marine ecosystems. But what happens when lobbyists butt heads with conservationists, and these practices get a legislative green light?

The Marine Stewardship Council, or MSC, is a self-appointed watchdog organization that claims to promote sustainable seafood fishing practices while at the same time aiming to “transform the world’s seafood markets.” Recently, the MSC granted this same Florida swordfish fishery a “sustainable” designation, essentially turning a blind eye to the horrific truth about long-lining.

            Certainly, the MSC has had many critics in the past. Scientists and conservationists, of course, condemn the group for its preference for bureaucracy over scientific fact, and its pandering to the heavy-hitters of commercial seafood production. But the trouble doesn’t end there. So-called “sustainability” is no longer even a trusted word, which discredits much of the MSC’s work. For instance, a recent article in Current Biology revealed that “1 of every 5 fillets of Chilean sea bass certified as ‘sustainably caught’ was neither Chilean sea bass, nor from an area deemed to have a sustainable fishery.”

            One sea turtle conservation group argued that the MSC makes designations of sustainability based on very limited and selective observation, and chooses to ignore the collective effects on entire seaboards. The group’s major concern is that a large Canadian long-lining fishery could be next in line for the MSC’s label of sustainability – even though this fishery inadvertently captures over 1200 turtles per year.

            Unfortunately, many consumers read a label of “sustainable” and don’t think to question its legitimacy, or the bureaucratic process that stands behind it. MSC discloses on its website that 47% of its $19 million dollar income comes from “trusts and individuals,” and also that a portion of its funding comes from major UK grocers such as Tesco and Marks & Spencer as well as commercial banking giant Coutts – companies that clearly have a vested interest in the business mobility of their suppliers and investors. Hmmmm.  Now that seems a little fishy. 

By Kelly Reid, Marketing Intern

           If you took a hot shower this morning for just five minutes, you would have used more water than a typical person in a developing nation slum uses in an entire day. Almost 900 million people in the world lack access to safe, clean water – a figure equal to three times the population of the United States. Those dwelling in slums spend anywhere from five to ten times as much per litre of water as wealthy people in the same city. More people in the world have a cell phone than have a toilet. These startling facts illustrate that the water crisis isn’t just about drinking water; rather, lack of sanitation, economic disparity, and the disproportionate effect on women and children are all systemic underpinnings of this crisis.  

            For instance, women around the globe spend 200 million hours a day collecting useable water – sometimes travelling up to 8 hours. According to water.org, that's more than the combined work hours of the employees at WalMart, United Parcel Service, McDonald's, IBM, Target, and Kroger during a one-week period. Imagine if those hours were spent on enterprise and community development rather than on the search for water. Likewise, young girls are much more likely than boys to drop out of school, because when menstruation begins there is a lack of sanitary facilities. This leads to an education disparity and further disempowers young women around the world. Children are particularly vulnerable to diseases brought on by unsafe water, and after only one hour, 180 children die from water-related illnesses. Sadly, the water crisis affects those already the most vulnerable: the impoverished, women, and children. That being said, there is hope. Positive change can happen. Just a few years ago, for example, a child died every 15 seconds because of a lack of clean water. Today, the figure is every 20 seconds. Though it sounds like a miniscule difference, this improvement has saved 1440 children per year. It’s easy to get involved, and it’s imperative that we do, because the lack of community involvement causes 50% of clean water initiatives to fail. It is in our power to create change, and perhaps, as a start, to make that 20 seconds 25 instead.

Ways to get involved:

• Visit www.water.org to learn more about the water crisis and its impact on marginalized communities.
• SHE Monthly is a microfinance organization that provides loans to women for the creation of sustainable sanitary products for girls. Visit to www.sheinnovates.com to give your support and help keep young women in school.
• Sign up for Making the Crisis History and spread the word through Twitter and Facebook. 

Feel like trying a delicious Latin American treat this holiday season? Nothing beats arroz con leche, a tasty pudding of white rice, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Try this recipe, an easy version for beginners. Once you have that down, there are endless ways to experiment and improve upon this classic!

Ingredients:

         3 Cups whole milk

         1 1/4 cup of water

         1 can of sweetened condensed milk

         1 cup of rice 

         2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

         2 cinnamon sticks

         Ground cinnamon (optional)

         1/3 cup of raisins (optional)

First, soak the rice and cinnamon sticks in a heavy saucepan with the water and soak for about an hour to make sure that the rice will be especially soft later on. After an hour, add the whole milk and bring the pan to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat down and simmer for about 20 or 30 minutes, until the rice is well-cooked. Then add the vanilla and condensed milk. (If you can’t find condensed milk, your dessert will still be fine with just whole milk!) Stir continuously until the arroz con leche reaches a pudding-like texture. Serve warm or chilled with ground cinnamon dusted over top. Sprinkle raisins if desired.

There are many more variations of this delicious dessert. Try adding cocoa powder, orange zest, or spiced rum for more flavor! Enjoy it with hot coffee or an after-dinner drink like cognac. 

The International Billfish Tournament, which runs from September 4 to 11 next year in Puerto Rico, will be going through an exciting change for the 2012 season. For the first time ever, the tournament will be adding a research component to the official rules in order to work towards marlin conservation. Marlins, though immense and powerful, are declining in some regions in serious numbers. All marlin lovers, whether they are anglers or researchers, are invited to participate in this unique effort. In the days prior to the tournament, the angling teams will be sponsoring a researcher’s satellite tags that will be placed on each game fish as it is caught.  When the fish are released, important information about their migratory patterns will be relayed back to the research teams. 120 days after the fish has been caught, the tag is programmed to release itself from the fish and its location is precisely calibrated by ARGOS satellite technology. Interestingly,  the tag that is taken the farthest from its initial location by the marlin wins that heat.

            The effort is part of a larger event called the Great Marlin Race, which will last for twelve months and see tags placed on more than 50 species of billfish in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Atlantic. Whichever marlin travels the farthest in the twelve month span will be officially recognized at the year-end celebration. According to Jason Schratweiser, who is the director of the Game Fish Association, the aim of the program is to learn about how these amazing fish migrate and “how they utilize the open ocean habitat.” The research data will then be analyzed at Stanford University to understand where the fish are spending their time, the channels through which they migrate, and their key habitats.  The partnership is impressive here between the anglers and the researchers. The scientific community learns more about these fascinating fish and the fishing community has a unique new competitive angle to add to their tournaments. We are excited that sport fishing and conservation are working together for the benefit of marine life!

Based on "Fishing tourney will begin research race for tagged marlin" in A.M. Costa Rica, 5 December 2011

Now that December is here, the season for holiday foods has truly arrived. From lollipops to latkes, every holiday and region has its own traditions. In many Latin American countries, tamales are the stars of the show. These delicious creations are made from masa – a traditional corn dough – and some sort of filling. Popular choices are chicken, chilies, and pork. Many are familiar with the traditional Mexican tamal, which is wrapped in cornhusks and then steamed. In Costa Rica, however, the masa is wrapped in more readily available banana or plantain leaves. And the variations don’t stop there.

            Tamales, which are thought to have originated with the Ancient Mayans in Mesoamerica as far back as 8000 BCE, have an amazingly long and diverse history. For instance, they were originally designed as portable food. Armies, hunters, and nomads could carry the masa pouches wrapped in leaves and have food available during long journeys. Perhaps it is travel such as this that has made the tamal such an international treat with so many different incarnations.

            In Guatemala, there are more than a hundred varieties of tamales. Sweet, savoury, and spicy tamales are all popular. In El Salvador and Honduras, tamales are often served with no filling at all, so that the starchy dough can act as a sort of bread with a meal. In Northern Argentina, tamales are traditionally filled with shredded meat from a lamb’s head. In other words, there is no end to the diversity of tamales. What all varieties have in common, though, is that they can always be found on the Christmas dinner table. And considering how mouthwatering these little treats are, we hope it's a tradition that will be around for another 10,000 years!