PHOTOS!

Hey i have photos up now. Just some. I'll try to keep it updated, and whenever i do I'll post it again here. check it out!
http://s31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/athomeorheavn/Costa%20Rica/

On to our next location

This is just after take-off from Tortuguero. Sadly i don't have any pics of the landing in Gulfito.

Two contestants have gone home so far. We all look forward to eliminations now as the fewer the contestants the fewer people we have to cover. It allows an off day for a camera opp with sun poisoning; It allows twenty minutes for a camera/sound team to rest during the day. On top of that equipment has been lost. A camera went down with water damage, a contestant dropped the mic into the toilet which killed that. The fewer of them the better we can cover everything going on and eventually we may not have to work seven day weeks. The flight from Tortuguero into Gulfito was a fun one. The plane fit five people if one sat in the co-pilots seat. I got to ride up front. We flew around 6,000 to 10,000 feet so I got to see a lot of the country as we flew from the north-east coast to the south-west in the bay of the Osa Peninsula. Flying over the pacific coast was unreal. I forgot to take pictures because i was so distracted by the post-card beauty. It looked fake. Upon landing in Gulfito we had lunch at a small restaurant and then took a boat across the bay to Playa Zancudo. We're fishing out of the Zancudo Lodge but cast and crew have beeen scattered around all along the beach. The cast just moved into their permenant location which is a beautiful beach house that sleeps all ten of them. The house is a few miles down the road which we all appreciate. Any separation is wonderful. Tomorrow will mark two more days of fishing followed by filming the intro/outro to the episode and by the end of the weekend two more contestants will be heading home. All the crew is eagerly awaiting.

journal entries to date.

OK so its now 20 min since my last post i'm told i have about 2 hours of down time so i'll try to get up some photos and journal posts, starting with:

1.30.08
We flew into San Jose almost a week ago. On the 26th we arrived at our first location. All though we've only been here for 5 days it seems like much much longer. Our equipment has been held up for 3 days now. So the crew has been prepping as much as we can without our gear, but for the most part its been paid vaction; We're starting to go stir crazy. With all luck the equipment will arrive on Friday which is the day i'm suposed ot be flying back to San Jose to film the arrival of the cast members. This may be pushed back though depending on equipment. The crew has gotten along very well. Yesterdaqy we cleared an area of beach and dug a pit for a bon fire. I, the boyscout, was put in charge of fire building and maitenance. The night was a ton of fun, which an excelent bonfire, if i may say so myself. Today marked our first day of fishing. No one Caught Anything. We were just fishing off the shore though. Fishing has been slow all week for paying customers but today was the breaking of the dry streak. A woman landed a 120 pound tarpon this afternoon.
The country is wonderful I have seen monkeys and parrots and macaws and crocodiles and iguanna. My spanish is coming along very slowly but my friend Marcos is patient with me. Amanda and I have been asked to come along for an additional 2 weeks to shoot B-roll for the show. This will be nature photography mostly. We'll drive all over the countries and hike active volcanoes and fun stuff. 4 of the 16 person crew will be on this trip. a producer, the director of photography, myself as a cameraman and amanda will be running sound. I'm looking forward ot this the most. It will be my strongest artistic influence in the show. Tomorrow is another day of wasted time. We'll wake up for breakfast, which is always wonderful, then we kill time 9-12 then its lunch. then we kill time till 5:30 when its snacks and drinks at the bar, followed by a 6:30 diner. then its back to the bar, all the while waiting to get to work.

2.05.08
Yesterday Adam, Marcos and I finally made it back up to Tortugerro to help pick up the gear and intercept the contestants, film their lunch and boat ride down to our first location. We sat at the airstrp for about 6 hours before we were told that the gear would not be coming in. What would have been an hour and a half long boat trip back to base became a much more tretourous journey by the pitch black of the jungle. Captain Speedy did an unbelievable job piloting us through the shallow river bed. The boats have no lights so we speed along at 35mph racing the setting sun. Soon the water was as black as the sky, with the cover of the jungle we couldn't even see reflections on the water. We made it back towards the end of the diner hour and heard the contestants were still behind us. They arrived around 8:00 but were seperated from us as much as possible. we will have our formal introductions this morning. When the equipment arrives we'll inventory all 4,000 pounds of it in more than 70 cases. Then Adam, marcos and I will go with the contestants to re-stage their boat trip, then it's lighting the lodge, shooting the contestants arrival. By the end of tonight I should say it's finally nice to get started working. Nine days after we arrived at our first location, we can finally begin prepping the shoot.

2.08.08
There are no roads where we are. Our guids know every turn and twist, ever bank and bar of the Rio Colorado anbd it's tributaries. It's a maze to me; i think i'd be lost with a map and compass. Today was the first day on the water with the contestants it's our second 20 hour day in a row. but we should be off at 10pm tonight and we don't call until 11:00am tomorrow. We all look forward to a long night of sleep.

hey i'm still alive!!!!!! and now have internet!!!!!

I'm still Alive. I've had no internet acces until today, and i should have it cclose to daily for the next month now. I've been keeping a journal on good old fashion paper. I'll start updating my blog with those so you can keep updated with what i've been up to. also i'll try to get some picks up when i have more time. everythign is amazing. this country is beautiful. our equipment arrived at our first location about 8 days late so we had a week paid vacation pretty much, although after that we started working double time. many 17 or 18 hour days. I just flew in the co-piolots seat cross country. having a blast, being told i need ot get to the dock right now. more equipment commign in. not writing complete sentances... i'll keep ya updated asap.

love,
sj