Time to Travel: July 2013

After the wonderful start to our stay in Costa Rica with our visit to Corcovado, we were not sure anything else would impress us. But the country had more surprises for us up its sleeve! After a couple of days relaxing in the capital San José, staying with friends (thanks again guys!), wandering around the university campus (very green and home to sloths, but watch out for falling palm fronds!) and exploring the busy centre, we headed off to San Carlos. Set in a peaceful mountainous area dotted with volcanoes and crisscrossed by slow-moving rivers, the weekend house of our friends’ parents provided us with a perfect spot for a quiet couple of days BBQ-ing and relaxing. When we were feeling a little more energetic we also did some hiking around the impressive Arenal Volcano. Although the volcano itself hid from us behind a skirt of clouds, the surrounding area was also amazingly beautiful; including waterfalls, lush forests and a beautifully emerald crater lake called Laguna Chato (the steep and slippery walk there and back was definitely worth it!).

The Costa Rica University campus

On the campus it is imperative to watch out for falling palms!

Grilling in San Carlos

Do you think we have enough meat?

The view over the garden from our friends' parents' house in San Carlos - perfect spot to relax!

Breakfast on the patio in San Carlos

The emerald green crater lake on the top of Cerro Chato

Arenal Volcano hiding from us in the clouds

We just can't stop ourselves from taking pictures of the flowers

So beautiful

Sunset from the Arenal Observatory lodge - perfect end to a day of hiking

After the weekend in San Carlos, thoroughly relaxed and recharged, we headed off to the next highlight: Tortuguero National Park. We had a great trip there, feeling light and free without our huge backpacks (we left them in San José) and enjoying the amazing variety of landscapes rolling by the bus windows – first the lush bowl-like valley (Valle Central) that is home to the capital, then up and over the cloud-enshrouded mountains, then through sandy expanses of banana plantations before we finally arrived at the Río La Suerte. From there we wove our way along narrow rainforest creeks and across broad lagoons in a small motorboat for more than an hour to reach the isolated outpost that is Tortuguero. Located on a narrow strip of land (only about 100m wide) stretched out between the Tortuguero River and the Caribbean Sea, the little town is filled with the smell of roast banana and the sound of reggae beats. We checked into a chilled out little hostel with an extremely friendly manager (his smile seemed in danger of splitting his face in half!), organized a turtle-spotting tour for that night and settled in at a rustic river-side bar to watch the sunset and the Costa Rica vs. USA soccer game. Unfortunately the sunset was soon wiped out completely by a wild tropical downpour which flooded the streets and turned the river and the ocean white with foam. And so we set out on our turtle walk, armed with wet-weather gear and hoping for the best. And our hopes were heard, because the rain stopped, and almost as soon as we arrived at the beach our guide received the message that a Green Turtle had come to shore, and we were hurrying quickly through the dark (no light allowed) to her nesting site. It was an amazing sight!! Although we knew that Green Turtles are big, we were still surprised at just how huge they are! The one we could see slowly and gently placing her leathery eggs in a sandy nest was over a meter long and she had an ancient, majestic beauty about her. We huddled around watching in hushed silence as she finished laying her eggs, covered them painstakingly with sand and dried leaves and inched her way back into the rolling surf. The sheer effort of the whole procedure was amazing – the strength and determination needed to ensure the continuation of the species; simply incredible. And we were even lucky enough to spot another female exiting the water a little further up the beach (this is rare, because the turtles are easily frightened at this stage and do not often leave the water when people are too close), meaning that we saw all stages of the nesting process – a turtle exiting the water and dragging herself up the beach, laying her eggs in a sandy nest, covering the nest and returning to the water. We had arrived at the park half expecting not to see a turtle at all, and in the end we were able to see the complete nesting process! J If that had been all we had seen in Tortuguero, we would have been more than happy, but the park had more to offer! The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn (it had rained all night but once again stopped as we were ready to leave – lucky us!) to quickly slurp down an energizing coffee before climbing into an old wooden canoe with our amiable guide. We then spent a wonderful three hours paddling and drifting slowly through the network of narrow canals and creeks that make up the wetland park. The reflections of the thick jungle in the mirror-like water and the absolute stillness were broken only by the quiet splash of our paddles. In addition to just soaking up the amazingly peaceful atmosphere of the early-morning jungle, we also spotted a variety of water birds, Spider and Howler monkeys, several Spectacled Caimans and a fresh water tortoise. Back on land, and after a hearty breakfast of pinto (fried beans and rice) and eggs we were off again for a hike through the beach-side jungle. It was different again to the wetlands and the tropical jungle we had seen before – drier, and with less ground cover in the sandy soil. This made seeing smaller, ground-dwelling animals easier, and we were able to spot an Eyelash Palm Pit Viper, several Basilisks, two small land turtles, dozens of Spiny Lizards and countless Central American Whiptails. We also crossed paths with a large group of White Faced Capuchins who were plundering a native almond tree. They welcomed us by throwing almond seeds at us, but also obliged by sitting still for a few good photo ops. J That night we were back in the lovely river-front bar for a sunset drink, but once again Mother Nature had other ideas; she treated us to another spectacular deluge – which is also beautiful to watch, particularly when you know you don’t have to go out in it! J After good night’s sleep helped along by a couple of wines with a friendly Belgian couple, we were on the road back to San José by 9.30 the next morning.

Tortuguero Beach - almost exactly the spot where we saw the Green Turtle that night

Sunset (before the storm) over the Tortuguero River

Geckos loving the big screen projector during the Costa Rica/USA game. When the camera panned over the field it looked like they were flying - must have been like a gecko thrill-ride!

Early morning paddle through the wetlands forest

Absolutely quiet - and the reflections were amazing!

Curious water bird (forgotten the name - perhaps some sort of grebe or moorhen?)

Spectacled Caiman

Central American Whiptail

Eyelash Palm Pit Viper

Spiny lizard

White Faced Capuchin eating an almond

Another flower :)

Small land turtle (we weren't allowed to take pictures of the Green Turtle, so this one will have to suffice)

Basilisk

Basilisk even closer (they froze when we came near, so it was easy to get great close-ups!)

Red-winged Grasshopper

Rastafari leaf! :D

Termite nest with a sense of humor :P

Back in the big smoke we met up with friends for drinks in the student quarter and had a great time playing table foosball, drinking micheladas (beer with lime, salt and sometimes chilli sauce) and generally immersing ourselves in Tico (Costa Rican) university life. The next morning (with sore heads reminding us we aren’t students anymore after all J ), we all piled into the car to head to Liberia in the north of the country, where we were able to stay with another friend-of-a-friend (once again thank you!) while we were exploring the area. And the region had some pretty amazing sights to offer! It is a very volcanic region (as is most of Costa Rica), and the underground activity produces some fascinating phenomena. The first one we visited was the Río Celeste (meaning light blue river) – a river turned impossibly blue by a mixture of sulphur and calcium carbonate. Walking through the dripping jungle along the luminous river, past sapphire waterfalls and emerald lagoons, we felt like we had stepped into an enchanted forest, a fairy-tale world. For the more pragmatic among us, the mystery was solved when we reached the junction of the two chemically laden waterways which create the crystals that result in the river’s brilliant blue colour. But even if you do know it is a chemical reaction, the sudden change in the water’s colour still seems a bit like magic J.

Río Celeste - what an amazing waterfall - almost to perfect to be real

The 'Blue Lagoon' was certainly aptly named!

Misty weather added to the feeling we were walking through an enchanted forest

The contrasts between the green of the grass, the rusty red of the earth and the blue water are fascinating!

Where the 'magic' happens - the mixing of chemicals carried by two different rivers

The next day we were able to see even more evidence of the ancient fires still burning underneath Costa Rica’s surface when we visited the Rincón de la Vieja National Park. The 1895m high volcano is still very active (too active to allow visitors to climb up to the crater at the moment) and the whole park is full of bubbling fumaroles, hot springs, hissing steam spouts and flatulent mud holes. It smelt like rotten eggs and felt like we were walking around inside a sauna, but it was fascinating – like we were experiencing the beginning (or the end) of the world. We almost expected to see some prehistoric beings dragging themselves out of the mud to grow legs on land. J Or maybe the sulphurous earth-farts had just gone to our head. J

Steaming fumaroles in Rincón de la Vieja

Flatulent mud pits

Bubble bubble, boil and trouble....

Amazing patterns in the mud pits

After a delicious pizza BBQ that night (yes – a pizza CAN be cooked on a BBQ, bet you didn’t know that!), we headed towards the Nicaraguan border the next morning, sad to be leaving, but very happy to have been able to experience the pura vida that is Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has a reputation as being THE place to see a huge variety of animals, so we arrived with very high expectations: Mic especially was hoping to spot an elusive tapir and the sloths we failed to find in the Amazon. With this in mind, friends of ours who live in San José recommended we visit Cocorvado National Park on Península de Osa in the south of the country. However, this proved easier said than done – getting to the isolated park is quite complicated, especially when the wet-reason rains make the remote region’s many rivers impassable. Additionally, the park only allows a certain number of visitors in per month, so securing a spot is not easy. Despite this, and although we decided to visit the park on quite short notice, thanks to a lot of hard research work and great fast-talking skills on the part of our friends (1000x thank you!), the day after we arrived in Costa Rica we were sitting in a speed boat bumping our way along the Pacific Coast towards the park. The trip to the park was an adventure in itself - we went by speed boat along the winding, mangrove-lined Río Sierpe, then out through the mouth of the estuary and along the wild, rocky, coastline to the little outpost town of Bahia Drake, where we spent the night in a lovely hostel with our own balcony, surrounded by prolific jungle plants.

Sampling the first of what turned out to be a quite a few rums with our friends on our way to the park :)

Winding our way through the mangroves on the Sierpe River

The wild Pacific coastline on the way to Drake Bay

The view from our balcony in Drake Bay

After a night of catching up on news and sampling ample amounts of tasty rum with our friends, the early morning boat ride up the coast to the Sirena Ranger Station was always going to be tough – but just how tough we had no idea! The wind was blowing, the clouds were rolling in and the waves were becoming increasingly choppy at 6.30am as we waded into the breaking surf to board the little speed boat bobbing on the beach in Bahia Drake. After we managed to scramble in and sit down without getting totally soaked by the swell we thought we had survived the worst of it – until a particularly large wave broke over the bow of the boat, drenching us completely in a mixture of salt and sand. Dripping and quickly making sure all our electronic equipment was stowed safely in plastic bags, we got ready for a rough ride. And rough it was! The swell was seemingly enormous, blocking out the horizon, and the tiny boat had to keep up a stiff pace to avoid being swamped – which meant that we were constantly launching at high speed off the crests of the waves and then slamming down hard into the troughs. It was virtually impossible to remain on our seats – with every wave we were thrown into the air, where we hung for agonizing seconds with our hearts in our mouths, and upon each landing gravity returned us to the hard benches with bone-rattling results. L After almost two hours of this treatment, we arrived in Sirena with bruised behinds and aching backs, but within 10 minutes of getting off the boat we had spotted our first Spider Monkeys, and the discomfort of the ride was quickly forgotten. We spent the next two days following our wonderfully informative guide (Nayor) through the dripping rainforest, being treated to an absolutely amazing variety of plant and animal life. Apart from the animals that had been at the top of our list – tapirs – we also repeatedly spotted all four monkey species present in the park (Howler, Spider, Capuchin and Squirrel Monkeys), as well as Coatis (a type of raccoon), Peccaries (small wild pigs) and Iguanas, as well as a huge array of birds and insects. Every corner we turned revealed more wildlife, and the best part was, the animals were completely oblivious to our presence! The tapirs continued their afternoon naps as we snapped excited pictures of them, a troop of Spider Monkeys swung their way across the river we were swimming in, a herd of Peccaries filed past us as we stood spell-bound in their midst and a band of Coatis glared at us reproachfully as we tiptoed through their foraging grounds. We felt like we had stumbled into a wildlife wonderland – we never went more than 10 minutes without seeing something amazing J The two days we spent in the isolated park flew past in a colourful rush of feathers and fur, and before we knew it we were bouncing back towards civilisation – although this time thankfully over much calmer waters.

Towering fig trees in the primary rainforest of the Corcovado National Park

Interesting spider with a perfect web

Iguana #1

Iguana #2 - a Juvenile lurking in the flowers, waiting for unsuspecting insects to buzz by

A Golden Orb Spider - beautiful!!

A Stink Beetle - pretty, although stinky :P

Palm trees that know how to protect themselves! If you get poked by one of these, you are likely to get a bad infection due to the fungus that they are home to...

Howler monkey

This little guy really knows how to camouflage himself - he can change colour like a chameleon

Spider monkey crossing the Río Claro via a conveniently located tree

Our beautiful swimming spot on the Río Claro

Enormous grasshopper - about 15cm long!

One of the many impressive Strangler Figs we saw on our hikes

Iguana #3 - guarding his favorite drift-wood sunbathing spot

Iguana #4 - a bit of a poser :P

Plane landing on the short grassy runway in front of the Sirena Ranger Station

The remnants of a leaf - the fleshy parts have biodegraded, leaving only the transparent skeleton

The mouth of the Río Sirena - we saw Bull Sharks here -they like to swim upriver during high tide to hunt for fat fish :)

Sleepy tapir

Snoring away - don't let us disturb you :P

Picnic dinner on the beach at sunset - perfect!

Dawn hike - surprised a male Coati out for an early moring hunt

Early morning on the beach - Black Vultures stretching their wings and getting ready to face the day

Scarlet Macaws flapping away, screeching indignantly at us having disturbed them at such an ungodly hour

A tiny little possum seeking refuge on the fragile end of a palm frond in an attempt to escape from a hunting Coati

Beautifully fragile Beach Hibiscus - the only bloom for one day, starting off bright yellow in the mornings...

...and turning red before they wilt and fall in the evening-

Mangrove Black Hawk keeping a sharp eye out for early morning prey

More lovely plant life..

Amazingly colourful fungi

An Owl Butterfly - the 'eyes' on its wings are used to trick predators into thinking they are much larger and therefore unsuitable as prey :)

Caracara

A whole group of foraging Coati

Looking for insects and fallen fruit

A troop of Spider Monkeys on the move - this is a large female treating herself to a mid-swing snack

Spider Monkey swinging from vine to vine. Warning - if you stand as close as we did to take this picture, you may very well get peed on :P

A herd of little wild pigs called Peccaries - they can't see that well, so they walked within a meter of us without really knowing we were there

This baby smelt us and stopped for a good look while the others were hurrying onward

One of the many colourful birds we spotted - can't remember the name of this one though..

A very busy woodpecker

One of the many pieces of interesting-looking drift wood on the beaches in the park

But the wildlife spectacle was not yet over! After picking up our friends’ car, we headed off to the much smaller and more crowded (but also wonderfully beautiful) Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. Strolling along the easy beach-side trails, we were able to see several sloths doing what sloths do best - just hangin’ around. J We also spotted a Caiman, lots of Common Raccoons, more cheeky Capuchin Monkeys, lots of lizards and some deer – all in less than two hours! As we were finally sitting in the car heading to the capital San José, happy and very sleepy, we had to agree – Costa Rica is THE place to see wildlife!