From Puerto Viejo de Talamanca to San José

Two days ago we left Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí for Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on the Carribbean coast. For many kilometers we followed the old railroad tracks that lead from Puerto Limón to San José. This is the same railroad that I took many years ago through the jungle. It now follows a well-travelled highway and seems more civilized. But, due to an earthquake in 1991 it´s no longer functioning except for a small strip used for tourists from the cruise liners that come into Puerto Limón.

We stayed at the Hotel Playa Cocles, another rambling hotel with lots of gardens and walkways and cabins for rooms. Señora and I had a gecko visiting in our room (I hear they eat all the bugs) and a couple of lizards visiting on the window ledge outside. The hotel beach is across the road and we spent the rest of the afternoon there. The water is great with a light surf. Before dinner we all piled into taxis to go to town. It was Good Friday and a holiday for the whole country. The town was packed and a carnival atmosphere prevailed. All along the main street there was stall after stall selling trinkets, bracelets, knit hats, and food. We finally found a pizza place to fulfill Tashena´s craving. Soon our two hours were up and the taxis that we had prearranged to pick us up returned, although Sra. Gatta and I had to wait for another twenty minutes for one to return for us.

The next day -- Saturday -- we headed to the National Park of Cahuita that runs along the seashore. Ray and Cassie went for an 8-mile horseback ride along the beach that they described as "awesome" and the rest of us went for a walk along the trail through the park. The beach was always on our left but on our right was forest. Our tour director, Wendy, told us about beach almonds (which I tasted) a small red flower that you can eat, coconuts, and termites which are a great source of protein. Add all that to the hearts of palm that we´d seen growing on the ride in and I guess you could feed yourself for quite a while if you became a beach bum in Costa Rico. After swimming and relaxing on the beach some of us (Ray, Cassie, Jessica, Christina, myself and the whole group from Virginia that was travelling with us) walked to the other end of town to go snorkeling. We went out in two small wooden lanchas with awnings, headed around a sandy point and then cut through an opening in the reef. A little ways further we stopped, put on the snorkel gear, the guide pointed out the darker area where the reef was, warned us not to touch it, and we all went in. The water was about ten feet deep and the reef rose up around us. Conditions were perfect and we saw some gorgeous fish, my favorite being the iridescent blue ones. We stayed at the reef about an hour and once back in the boats they took us to a small sandy point for juice, chips and cookies. Then the visitors came -- about 4 -5 white-faced capuchin monkeys. The park ranger there also pointed out a sloth to us. All in all the afternoon was magical.

At dinner last night there was a live calypso band - congos, maracas, a banjo, and a home-made instrument that played the base. After dinner, I went to bed exhausted.

This morning was Easter Sunday and after receiving plastic eggs filled with candies, we headed for San José -- a drive that took us most of the day. We stopped for lunch at a garden restaurant called the Tropical Butterfly Garden or something like that. The food was good and the butterflies and flowers were beautiful, especially the tall ones called Torch Ginger and the bouganvilla.

We arrived in San José after a stop for souvenir shopping on the outskirts. We´re staying in the center at the Gran Hotel Costa Rica, a place that Kennedy stayed when he was here. The top floor has a lounge, plasma tv, pool table, chess board, and lots of internet access. Yea!!! Tomorrow we´ll explore on our own before leaving in the afternoon and getting home in the middle of the night.

Up in the canopy

After breakfast this morning we piled onto the bus to go to the OTS Biological Station. This is a huge research and study center for the rainforest and it is connected to universities all over the world. We were divided up into groups of seven. My group´s guide was Eric, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic young Tico. We crossed the Río Sarapiquí on a suspension footbridge and started on our 2+ hour hike into the selva. We passed through both primary forest and secondary forest. The latter goes back to the 1950s when this had been a cacao plantation. We saw ceiba trees including a huge kapok tree, philodendran vines, wild almonds where tucans like to nest, and palms among hundreds of other species of vegetation. As for animals, we saw iguanas, wild pecaries, tucans, a tarantula, coatís, and one small snake. At one point we heard a noise in forest. Eric claimed that, by the sound, it could be either a jaguar or a wild turkey. We found out that it was a giant wild turkey when it swooped right over our heads.

After some brief souvenir shopping and lunch, some of us headed to Poas Adventures for a canopy tour. After being fitted into the gear and a ride on a tractor-pulled wagon over the river and up the mountain on a very bumpy road, we took off. It was truly awesome! It is absoluetely exhilarating to glide down the cables 70 - 80 feet above the ground. I really enjoyed that part. I had worried about flying through the air, but it was easy and fun. The difficult part was getting in and out of the harness at each station. You do need upper body strength to pull yourself up and the ability to jump so that you can hook onto the cable. Kudos to our head guide Tony and his crew for their patience, understanding, kindness, and cheerfulness. The canopy tour consisted of twelve stations and twelve cables in total. Sometimes we just stopped at a platform in the trees and then hooked up to another platform. Other times we had to get down and hike or climb through the jungle. At one point we stopped for some very welcome watermelon and piña. I met a young Colombian woman and her little sister from San Andrés who were having a great time on the cables. Each cable ride was slightly different and the last went over the Río Sarapiquí and back to our starting spot. I´ll definitely sleep well tonight.

¡Llegamos a la selva!

It´s our fourth day in Costa Rica! We've been to a forest preserve, climbed to the bottom of a waterfall for a swim, and seen volcanos.

Today we left the hotel at Lake Arenal and made the long bus ride to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí. As soon as we arrived we changed, ate lunch and set off for two hours of adreneline-pumping white water rafting. I think Saugerties will live on in the lore of the guides of the Río Sarapiquí. Half way through the trip Ray, encouraged by his guide, made a flying tackle at Luis, the guide on our raft, and sent him flying. Apparently many have tried this stunt before but no one has ever succeeded in knocking him overboard. Hearing that Ray played football and trying to maintain his dignity, Luis kept saying to his fellow guides .

Later we checked in to the Selva Verde Lodge, a big rambling wooden structure surrounded by lush tropical gardens, wildlife (including snakes) and a maze of covered walkways. We have rooms on the second floor fronted by wrap-around balconies with big overhangs, a tin roof, chairs and hammocks. A perfect place to sit and watch the rain -- something we´ve seen way too much of on this trip. Everybody seems to enjoy the place, even Jessica and Nikia who had to thoroughly spray their room to rid it of ants. And we´ve been warned to keep the doors closed too so snakes and other critters can´t get in.

Tomorrow to the jungle canopy.

¡Buenas noches!

Last Minute Packing

Tico Trips

Well, it's down to the wire. I almost had the day of departure wrong. I kept thinking that we would be leaving late Sunday night to Monday morning, but we're leaving at 2:00 am Sunday. If Señora hadn't caught my mistake, I would have missed the bus by twenty four hours. Hope no one else makes that mistake.

On your mark, get set....

Well, the time is getting close. We'll have our big meeting this Wednesday. The bus has been arranged and we know are hotels. Time to check on sunscreen and bug repellant. We'l be on that plane before we know it!

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Well, the time is getting close. We'll have our big meeting this Wednesday. The bus has been arranged and we know are hotels. Time to check on sunscreen and bug repellant. We'l be on that plane before we know it!