Original Campos Family Website: 2002 Costa Rica Trip

The Campos Family Costa Rica 2002
In December of 2002, we traveled to Costa Rica to visit Fernando. He was spending a year in Bagaces to assist in a research project on Capuchin Monkeys. Guillermo flew to San Jose before Rebeca and Vicki since he was off from school before them. This gave Fernando and him a chance to travel around Costa Rica and see places they had been wanting to see together. One of those places was Corcovado. To get to Corcovado, they had to take a boat and and they said it was an awesome trip and really exciting because a HUGE wave crashed over their boat as the boat was landing on the beach. They had a great time hiking to really remote places there and seeing lots of amazing wildlife.
************************************************************** Rebeca and Vicki arrived a week later and we all spent Christmas in a wonderful hotel in San Jose called the Costa Verde Inn. *********************************************************************************** The highlight of the trip was going with Fernando out into the field in Lomas Barbudal. We got up at 4:15am in our hotel in Liberia and at the same time Fernando was getting up in the house that the researchers share in Bagaces. We were in our predetermined location at 4:45am when Fernando drove up and we followed him the rest of the way to Lomas Barbudal. Leaving our cars and walking into the forest, in total darkness, with the Howler monkeys calling all around us was a totally unbelievable experience. We just stared up into the blackness as we walked to the Capuchin sleeping site, knowing that the Howlers were there in the trees above us, yet we couldn't see anything. We could only hear their incredibly haunting call. That was something we will definitely never forget!!!!!

********************************************** We were very lucky this day, as the Capuchin monkeys stayed close to the trail most of the morning. They crossed the river at one point, which we also had to do. They crossed easily up in the trees whereas we had to scramble on rocks and bushes in the river just to get across. Rebeca and Vicki fell into the river once, but it was just part of the adventure!! Watching the monkeys eat, play, threaten us and try to break branches over our heads was so exciting!! It was also very interesting to watch Fernando and Kristen, another researcher, do their job. Going out in the field with Fernando was a wonderful experience for us!!!