Baby turtles in Maderas

Holding a turtle!

Running to sea

After living cheap in San Juan del Sur for a couple days, we decided to splurge and stay at a nice hotel 15 minutes north by Maderas beach. We went from paying $15 a night to $40 a night! A big difference, but I've really loved staying here. Our room is nice, there's a pool, we're right by a gorgeous beach, and there are baby turtles!!!! We did not know about the turtles till after we arrived, so it was a delightful surprise. We got to hold one of them, which was just amazing. They're so tiny and adorable. At sunset we took them out to the beach to set them free. There were about 70 little guys making their way to the water. Sometimes they would head off in the wrong direction, so we would pick them up and turn them around. When they got to the water, a wave would come in and sweep them away, which seemed like a very tumultuous experience for the little guys. Some of them would end up getting pushed further back on the beach though, and would have to walk even further! It was fun to be down there rooting for the guys. It was really such an amazing experience to witness, and we're very lucky to have stumbled upon it.

The owner of Casa Maderas, where we are staying, is trying to help repopulate Marsella beach with turtles. Right now there are lots of turtles coming to nest at the La Flor beach reserve, but they are non existent at the other beaches. Lilly, the owner of Casa Maderas, takes eggs from the reserve to the Casa, where they hatch, and then they take all the baby turtles to the beach. Apparently, turtles can memorize where they first enter the ocean and will come back in 7-15 years to lay eggs. It's pretty amazing that they are able to memorize what beach they came from! Lilly is paying for the whole project out of her own pocket, which costs her about $1000 a month. She has to pay for permits, and a lot of times the officials make her pay bribes in addition, such as paying for dentist visits or new tires. I can't believe how corrupt it is! Even though she pays so much in fees, she still takes people for free to help liberate the turtles, which is so amazing. In town, there are lots of expensive tours that go to the reserve in hopes of seeing turtles, but there are no guarantees. We got to go for free and actually be a part of the process! This is also the first year she has done this project, and eggs will only be hatching over about a week long period, so we arrived here at the perfect time. I'm so grateful to have been able to be a part of this experience! It's definitely been one of the highlights of the trip, and it wasn't even planned.

Our private beach!

Apart from the baby turtles, I have really loved staying at our hotel. It's nice to have been able to lay by the pool and read, and the beach here is definitely my favorite. We're about a ten minute walk over the hill from the beach, which is pretty full of surfers. The last couple days, however, Nate and I would walk along the beach for 20 minutes north, and we would just reach beaches that were uninhabited. I was mesmerized by how beautiful everything was, the colors were so vibrant.