In the morning we played in the warm ocean water. I walked the town and enjoyed the beach market where I bought a few things. Just before everyone packed up to check out a waterfall we had been sent to Dave and I mailed some post cards and finished some other errands.
The waterfall was more of a swimming hole with water streaming into it but very lovely all the same. It was free and a rope swing hung from a large tree. While everyone swam I read my book and enjoyed the acrobatic show from a young boy who performed rope swing jumps that impressed everyone. He would take s giant swing and do double flips before landing perfectly in the water. I was seriously impressed as he free climbed up the tree to a large branch and launched himself from it to the water 20-30 ft below. We moved to the next waterfall but decided given the hour it would be best to wait till the following day. The gentleman that worked there directed us to a free place to camp on Playa Uvita, where you usually had to pay and couldn’t park.
Here I had one of the greatest life changing experiences I have ever had. The night began with us learning how to un-husk fresh coconut and watching an impressive sunset. The real show started when I was totally dark. At first we thought the brightness of the waves was a reflection from the moon till one of us pointed out that there wan no moon in the sky.
The ocean was lighting up on its own. As it turns out, we were in town for a migration of Bioluminescent bacteria in the water. As the waves crashed they glowed a bright neon green. We ran to the water and swam in what seemed like a sea of starts. Each movement made the same light up. Coning up out of the water left you covered in natural sparkles. Even as I swam about in the water I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The tide came and went bringing the water to life.
Even the sand was full of the little lives and as you ran the really bright bacteria would illuminate. It was like skipping a cross a galaxy in the matter of steps. We swam and laughed and ran along the shoreline for hours. Even as I fell asleep I watched the waves light up so bright they reflected on the water around them. I went to bed more content than I had in a while. The green glow comforted me and diminished my homesickness as I drifted to sleep under the palm trees and above the soft sand.
Aubrey Cierra's travels 