X-ray One update by Nitin Rishi

A week has passed since X-ray One departed for the Corcovado trek. Since then, every day has been a unique experience. It is amazing how much can be learnt about yourself and other people fast by walking across an interesting country with a backpack and an open mind.

The long bus right from Turrialba dropped us off at our starting point in the small settlement of Progreso. Unfortunately, we arrived to find out that the rangers station we had planned to stay in had been burnt down! Luckily, we were invited to stay in a disused house of one of the locals. This kindness of the communities proved to set a trend for the days that were to follow.

On our first day of trekking, we decided to push on and ended up walking half of the next day’s trek as well. That afternoon, however, the Costa Rican skies burst open and we found ourselves trudging through the mud, soaking wet and with nowhere to stay when we finally reached a small town.

The rain forced us to knock on the door of a nearby house seeking shelter. To our great surprise, the friendly Victorio and his lovely wife welcomed 15 wet and muddy strangers into their beautiful home. We were overwhelmed. I found myself analysing how different the attitudes and priorities of these people are to so many people that I know. Sitting on their porch watching the pouring rain with a hot tea in our hands, we were all so grateful for their kindness and hospitality that evening.

The hot springs before the town of Agua Caliente was a highlight of the week gone by. After a long walk in the morning, we took a minor detour to visit the Paradisial Springs. The warm pool was perched overlooking the contrasting cold river and surrounded by the jungle.   Fortunately, because of the headway we had made the previous day, we had a few hours to spend enjoying the springs and soaking up some much needed sun after the previous day’s downpour.

More walking, incorporating stops searching for wild fruits (notably blackberries, star fruit, mangoes and deceptively sour “oranges”) led us to the Rangers Station of Pittier. After the steep ascent on the dusty, sweaty roads, we were all so excited to arrive, and once again the friendly cowboys at the Rangers Station welcomed us wholeheartedly. We arrived before our scheduled time and it was so enjoyable to relax in the afternoon, having truly felt that we deserved the time off.

Scaling a hill in the middle of the rainforest while being stalked by a wild puma has definitely been one of the most exhilarating parts of the trek. Picking through the rainforest for hours on end is challenging and concentration is essential and I nearly found myself trampling on a 5 ½ foot black snake, which could have been another episode in itself!

Singing and walking became standard procedure for X-ray One, and this can only have been heightened by the increasing number of Pulperia stops! Blisters and leg pains caused many to adopt the ‘zigzag’ walk. The countless greetings by passing Ticos have kept us going. The landscape dwarfs the 15 determined trekkers of X-ray One. There is still a long way to go until we are greeted by the warm waters of the Pacific. Until then, the Corcovado Rainforest awaits us. It’s going to be very exciting!