Author: fleetfootkath

A late start today at 9.00 am. The tour is heading for an indigenous community and a mask making experience.

Intrepid likes to support local initiatives that directly impact on those individuals, such as some of the Soda restaurants or tortilla making. We haven’t been disappointed with the guides they use and the specialist guides that accompany our group excursions. All have been excellent. Our personal guide Ronny, had a hard act to follow from Mexico but as the tour has gone on he has become less reserved and revealed himself to be a very good wild life spotter and very knowledgeable. He is a quiet guy who probably found us a bit overwhelming at first. He is kind and thoughtful towards us. He told Lisa he is studying Archeology part time and hopes to move into that field.

We drove for a couple of hours along the beach highway until we turned into the hills. Up we climbed, deeper into the forest, following the pretty and wide Terraba river. The vegetation was so vibrant with many shades of green. Finally we arrived at the indigenous community. They have lived from the land for 500 years. It was quite a large community with many small homes, a school and high school. They have made a huge effort to save their language and it is now written as well as oral. Their society is based on equality of the sexes but it is the women who pass on the knowledge.

Our host Geoffrey was 47 and had recently had his first visit to a doctor. His grandfather lived to 105 and his mother was very young looking. They were a great example of the simple life.

He showed us some of the plants they used as herbal medicine for colds. He also showed us a plant that smelled like Coriander but didn’t look at all like what we grow. It was a broad leaf like a weed/ dandelion. The indoor (to us) plants were so vigorous and beautiful everywhere.

Geoffrey showed us his mask. A jaguar with feathers that he used in ceremonies. We were then given the task to paint an animal for ourselves. Many of us received a jaguar to paint. It was a relaxing fun experience and overall we did okay. I was amused by the different expressions our jaguars had. Amy and Julia turned out to be secret artists. The exercise reminds you how skilled the people are in many crafts and how much practice it takes!

I felt we could have learned a lot more about the community but language was a barrier. Julie and I sat with Geoffrey and learned more but Ronny seemed a bit distracted and didn’t translate enoug

Leaving this quiet community we encountered a thunder storm with lots of lightning. Our first rain all trip! It was very dramatic and cold. After days of over 30C it was a shock and we were all scrambling for jumpers.

We pulled into a service station where there was an attendant and there was a pay machine at the bowser.

Next stop back through the cloud forest to the hotel. Geoffrey told us it was the death road and we thought he was joking. When we reached the turn off it was a steep, steep descent and halfway down we were halted because an oncoming car had slid off the road! We waited until it was righted and the back log of cars passed. Some of the group were questioning why we were taking this diversion. Finally at the bottom, 12 kms down, we arrived at our hotel. It turned out that this is a famous place for bird watching, particularly for the quetzal! It would have been good to know. Our dinner was included and quite a lot of laughter ensued when Ronny was taking our orders. The choice was chicken or troot. It took a little time for us to realise he meant trout.

The food was good but no wifi in the rooms meant we all huddled round the fire in the restaurant until they asked us to leave at 9.30 am.

A lazy start today. Late breakfast, no monkeys. We all spent the morning on the beach under the trees. I do like the table and chairs under the trees on the sand. It is so comfortable. This time Anne and I wore shoes to the water’s edge to avoid the scalding sand. Because the area had volcanic eruptions the sand ranges from black to white. Our beach is a grey so the sand gets doubly hot.

Anne and I shared some hot chips for a snack as we were going on a sunset cruise from 2pm till 6 pm which provided dinner so we didn’t want lunch. Meals here are usually very generous portions.

Lisa, Julie, Peter. Anne and I took the cruise. It was a large trimaran and very comfy as well as shaded. We sailed out of a glamorous new marina into a delightful sea breeze then along the clast past our beach. We looped some rocky outcrops then returned to one smaller outcrop where we snorkelled. It was a little crowded and our crew had told us to hurry up before another boat arrived. As Peter pointed out, it was a safe environment for an all ages, all abilities group. We did see colourful fish. About 7 varieties and I saw sea urchins as well. When our group got sick of the crowds we swam back to the boat. We were all required to wear life jackets which made it hard to move but easy to float. After returning to the boat we had a few goes on the slide at the back then boarded and dried off. Drinks were free and we all had a couple of mango rums! When we left to snorkel there were delicious aromas of garlic coming from the galley so it wasn’t long before we received dinner of fish, rice and vegetables. The crew came round with beans. As the crew member said, “It’s Costa Rica!” The standard dish is beans and rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I have actually come to enjoy it particularly for breakfast.

The sun started to set but due to the smoky haze emanating from a fire in shore it slipped into the sea undercover of cloud.

We returned with music blaring, people singing and dancing. It was a relaxing finale to a delightful restful day. Anne did not get seasick and neither did I which had been her big fear driving her reluctance to partake. Thank you Mr quells!

Another early start! This time the monkeys were all about the breakfast area. The waitresses are vigilant with squirting water at them to shoo them away from the tables but they are so nimble. I had my back turned to my table talking to Susan when she noticed a monkey creeping down the pillar behind me towards my fruit! I shooed it away but really they were not deterred. It was very funny but I can see what a nuisance they are. We heard stories of monkeys throwing sticks and poo at visitors in some of the parks.

We were off to walk in the Manuel Antonio National Park this morning. Once again a little sceptical but eager to see what was there. If we have learned anything it is, you never see anything of interest without a guide and sloths are hairy balls high in the trees!

This park is the most visited park in all Costa Rica and you only visit about 5 %. The number of visitors has been capped at 1000 a day down from 3000 pre Covid. It would be a nightmare! Guides with spotter scopes lead various sized groups around and sometimes it is quite a crowd when they stop to see an animal. Despite that it is very worthwhile.

Our guide Bernie was amazing at seeing animals and so knowledgeable and passionate. We finally saw a sloth’s face! Not just one but two different species, the three toed and the two toed.

How they see a snake as thin as a pencil or a red grasshopper amongst the greenery is uncanny.

We saw agouti( rodent like mini hairy pig) deer, the Jesus lizard that walks on water, and lots of cheeky white faced monkeys.

We continued down by the beach where we saw micro bats and our pointy nosed sloth. We have actually seen about 13 sloths this trip.

The rest of the afternoon was spent by the beach relaxing. That was after the excruciating run over boiling sand! Water was divine. We lolled about in the water soothing our tortured feet trying to discern the wettest, shadiest part of the beach to make our return. We dashed from wet to shade and caught the attention of a small group of Americans who complimented us on our elegant retreat back to the beach!

Now for a shower and dinner in town. Lisa and Julie had sussed out a place so we walked the beach back to town. We were keen on a fish dinner. We returned in the dark along the beach, hoping to avoid horse poo left by the pony rides. Shona, Julie and Lisa had come prepared with torches.

The end of another great day.

Another early start and another visit to a Cloud forest at Monteverde. We were a bit sceptical after last night but our guide was brilliant and his passion contagious. We saw so many beautiful birds and the piece de resistance- a quetzal, the sacred bird of the Mayans. They tried to take the bird to Mexico but it perished and they built the Chichen Itzá Temple in such a way that when they stood directly in front of the stairs and clapped, it made the call of the quetzal. Also at certain times the sun lit up the stairs in such away to simulate a serpent sliding down. The Quetzal has a very long tail and flies in an undulating style which has given rise to the feathered serpent symbolism.

We felt very privileged to have such an interesting guide and we really got value from the walk plus we ended up at the humming bird cafe where there were lots of hummingbirds freely flying. They are hard to capture in photos because they are so fast! They flitted about the nectar trays so fast they were almost swooping our heads.

After this experience we bundled into the trusty bus and set off for Manuel Antonio on the coast. It was a five hour journey through the mountains to the western side. What a contrast. From green to brown. The mountain ranges that divide Costa Rica divide the climate just as dramatically.

After 2 and a half hours we pulled into a place for lunch. We were curious about why people were on the bridge over the river. After we ate we set off to see and we were really surprised to see a large caiman. Then we crossed over to the other side and found a float of caiman(group in the water). We counted 13!

There was a heron standing in the water near the caiman and one detached itself from the group swimming towards the bird. It quietly walked up onto the bank. The caiman submerged. The heron returned to the water. It was a waiting game.

Back on the bus and in another hour we hit civilisation again, finally arriving at our hotel at about 5 pm. A long drive but a day packed with interest. We headed for the beach to relax with a cool drink. We discovered a troop of cheeky white faced monkeys in the trees around us. We decided we were too tired to go any where for dinner but the hotel. We are getting to the end of our trip. Only 4 more days.

A short bus trip in a school type bus took us to Lake Arenal where we boarded a boat for the 45 min trip to the other side. This pleasant water crossing saved us 3 hours of winding roads. Julie ( our French Swiss new member ) was particularly grateful as she has been getting bus sick. She and her Canadian friend Lisa were still high from their canyoning and rappelling experience the day before. They were going in to town after we got to the hotel for zip lining through the forest. On the way to the lake we passed many glamorous thermal springs resorts and quad bike and other adventure options. I would have been eager to try a few myself once but I have done it before. I must be getting old! Costa Rica is focused on adventure sports so the demographic of tourists is much younger. My goal was to see the wild life not necessarily live the wild life this time.

Just before we arrived at the lake shore we saw a Coatimundi, a relative of the raccoon running beside the road. They are apparently attracted to the salt near the roads.

While crossing the lake we deviated to see a troop of monkeys in the trees near the shore. When we arrived the crew unloaded our bags but we then had to carry them or drag them through sand across a bridge to the waiting buses. It was tough for some. The wheelie bags don’t roll so well in sand!

Wind turbines lined the ridge

The road was gravel winding and hilly, affording glorious views of lush country and small dairy farms. You could be in Gippsland or the hinterland of Northern New South Wales and Southern Queensland. Places look neat and well cared for. The towns are a bit shabby though we barely saw them on the way to the hotel. It was a lodge set in beautiful surroundings on the edge of a small cloud forest with a lake full of Koi fish.

It is an eco lodge and we could easily have had a rest day here just soaking in the birdsong and peace.

While Julie and Lisa went back to town for Ziplining we took off uphill for a walk to a viewpoint. It was hot but not too far. We were escorted by a sweet little dog who took us all the way to the look out and then escorted us back as far as her home.

After the walk to the viewpoint we did a quick walk within the small cloud forest of the lodge with Ronny who was a good bird spotter. Cloud forests are in decline due to climate change. A cloud forest has low hanging clouds which create a wet rainforest most of the time. Orchids are from these forests. The rangers told us that the sunny days are increasing rapidly and so the cloud forests will decline.

As we had elected to do a night walk we all went to dinner early to the Treetops restaurant. A fanciful bar restaurant built around a tree.

The cocktails were great, as was the pizza but our chef’s special was a quinoa salad with salmon ceviche, tasty and tiny! You can eat fairly cheaply at Soda restaurants but more ‘international’ places are much pricier.

Anne had an abortive attempt to get American dollars but it had run out so she had to get Colones only. It took us about 15 minutes to work out there were no dollars!

We gathered together to go on our night walk. In the end it was a bit underwhelming. What pressure on the guides! We saw a scorpion , tarantulas, green leaf insects, a sleeping monkey and several sleeping birds. The only mammal was the armadillo.

The bus back to the lodge was winding and bumpy and I was so tired having been awake since 4.30 am. I went straight to bed and slept soundly all night!

Our expectations of foraging animals and jaguars or ocelots were wildly un realistic. Jaguars are endangered and fairly rare to see. As my spirit animal I am desperate to see one but that is highly unlikely outside a zoo!

We were up early again! Our pick up for the river tour is 7.00 am; barely squeezing in breakfast which turned out to be pretty good. Porridge with almond milk, fruit and a fried egg with pancake and maple syrup. A nice change from beans and omelettes.

Our guide for the float tour was Aurelio and he was so enthusiastic that between pick up and the river we had learned so much about the area we were visiting. He was a very experienced guide having been extreme kayaking since he was12! He was also very knowledgeable about the birds and a good spotter of animals. It was a delightful experience as we were the only people on the river for most of the trip. All we could hear were bird calls and howler monkeys and the babble of the fast flowing but fairly shallow Peña Blanca river.

The paddlers before launch

We found we were too busy paddling or floating to capture the monkeys but we did see many gamboling through the trees and making a really loud growling call. Much more ferocious sounding than they looked. It was so peaceful on the river and we had a few tiny rapids to add some fun. Too many birds to recall all the names but the highlights were kingfishers and Toucans and three iguanas.

Back at the hotel we headed for the Choyin river. Before the 1968 volcanic explosion the river turned warm. It was a warning that was not understood and locals decided to capitalise on the hot springs and set up thermal pool resorts. However the river remains free access and we organised a taxi to take us and pick us up later. What a delight! A whole hour and a bit soaking in a warm stream amongst the rocks. Very relaxing and Free!

After our hour soaking we were all very relaxed. Ended our day with cocktails and dinner at the Red Frog, a Soda Restaurant. The food was excellent and very well priced. Soda is not soft drink as we thought. It has become a local word for home cooked meals in small restaurants. They get the name from when tourists came and there were no towns or restaurants and they used to knock on the door asking for water or sodas but the locals didn’t understand and offered food which the tourists ate and so the word became linked with food.

Shona, Susan and Amy took a whole day cruise down the Cano Negro and were more able to take photos. They were able to see so many animals and birds and a sloth on the way back. We had sloth envy!

Once again a relaxing afternoon and dinner in the Red Frog Soda was a special delight. The vegetarian fried rice was scrumptious. Tomorrow the cloud forest.

We had an early start today heading to La Fortuna -the gateway to the jungle. On the way we stopped at a place for toilets and saw chocolate bars with CBD ( marijuana). We thought we should buy some but the chocolate melts in the car!

Next was a tortilla making experience. Amy got to make the dough (corn flour and water) and roll it into balls then we had to flatten them out- no presses here!

Our teacher had prepared food beforehand and we got to eat it after throwing our tortillas on the stove. It was so hot in the kitchen. Our food was really delicious. Best chicken ever and lots of vegetables.

Along the very winding road we passed many crops of pineapples and Dracena plant farms. They export both products.

One of our new members Swiss French Julie, became car sick and had to move up to the front.

We then had a visit to an adventure tourism place to see what activities we would like to do tomorrow. Most of them were adrenaline activities like white water rafting, abseiling, canyoning, zip lining etc!

As it was the first real day of the tour we were mindful not to break anything before we had seen the animals we came to see! Peter Anne and I opted for a 2 hr float down the Pena Blanca on a blow up raft.

We soon after arrived at our hotel, The Magic Mountain Resort. Probably the best place yet but definitely the best shower for two weeks. It is set in tropical gardens, looks to the Volcano and has two pools.

We had time to visit the Sloth Park. Our original intention was to do a self guided walk but Ronny organised a special price and so we had a guide. He was a young guy full of enthusiasm with sharp eyes and a spotter scope. Without him we would have seen nothing. Sloth are asleep very high in the trees and so are hard to discern. Our guide was very excited to see a few animals not always around. We saw a leaf frog( very creepy with red eyes), a poisonous red and blue frog which was only as big as a 50cent piece, wood pecker, owl, vultures and a few I can’t remember. The sloths were exciting to see but they are very hard to spot.

They sleep 16hours a day and only come down from the tree once a week to toilet. They dig a hole and poo into it then cover it up! The three toed sloth does a dance when he comes down to toilet. Our guide demonstrated which was very amusing.

Back to our hotel after dinner and we crashed. Apparently there was a fight in an apartment above us which Julie and Lisa heard but not us!

San Jose had a different vibe to what we expected and after checking in, Peter, Anne and I took off for a real lunch. We found a great sandwich place and had iced coffees and smoothies. A big improvement on biscuits!

US dollars are taken readily so I haven’t bothered to switch to the local currency yet. It has a massive exchange like US$1 equals 500.50 Colones. Soo confusing. A steak tonight was 11,000 ($21.00). Huge meals.

There are some very impressive buildings but there is a main avenue of shops which are a mix of discount outlet style and quite nice shops but it all seems a bit tacky. About 4 McDonald’s in 4 blocks! The impression maybe influenced by the number of closed places and we are sleep deprived. It is Easter after all. Some of our tourist destinations ( like the Jade Museum and Gold museum were closed).

As we meandered the streets we ventured into the Cathedral which from the outside looked more like a town hall but inside was elegant and it had beautiful stained glass windows. All c18th century.

Next thing we heard a mass being publicly broadcast and so we wandered towards it. Opposite a little square dedicated to something to do with the European Union we came across a bronze statue of John Lennon and a marble statue of a famous Argentinian guitarist. Opposite was the Church dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrow. Then a flurry of activity occurred with people in costume emerging from the church. It was the procession for Our Lady of Sorrow. We were impressed that the tableau’s were being carried by women. They are really heavy.

Our guide explained the women with fancy headdresses were representing the women of the temple . They carried banners asking for forgiveness. The procession went all around town hence the barricades we had come across.

After the procession left we went into the church itself. It was similar in decoration to the Cathedral but had a blue ceiling signifying the Virgin Mary. We were amused that the Christ statue that had been lying in state was being bundled off .

We headed back to the hotel and readied ourselves to meet the new group members and our new group leader.

A long day became longer! Our guide is Ronny a young 29 year old with not much personality. After laying down expectations

Playa del Carmen was a huge shock after our quiet ruins and small traditional towns. It was like Surfers Paradise meets Venice Beach LA with a small beach. The shops were more upmarket and the American influence was apparent. there were heaps of cool bars and live music. People were dancing and hanging with large groups of friends. It is PARTY town! We soon heard the live music from a bar down the road. So loud we could hear distinctly what songs were being sung and how off key they were.

It was sad to say good bye to the group because we had really melded and everyone without fail was generous and friendly and on time! We all loved our exceptional guide Suzana who just worked so hard to make it a great trip. Her recommendations were always solid and her tour guides for special sites were superb.

Even with the door closed the music could be heard. A few of us groaned because we were supposed to leave at 2am for the airport and it seemed impossible to sleep . We did mostly.

Our flight to Costa Rica went via Mexico City! Flying into Latin America seems like the European Union. We left from a domestic terminal and no special treatment. The check in at the airport was a bit fraught until we realised we needed to press the buy baggage button to activate our luggage tags. Our luggage was included but.., boarding pass and luggage tags are generated separately. Live and learn.

Once that was achieved and bags dropped we didn’t have to wait too long before we were boarding. I love the zone treatment. Window seats are zoned 2, centre seats are 3 and aisle seats are 4 etc. it works so well and eliminates the need for people to stand up and into the aisle to let someone sit in the window seat or wherever. On arrival in Mexico City we only had time for a pee and we had to walk to another terminal for about 15 mins and they were boarding!

It was so busy we lost Peter at the Men’s toilets! I was anxious he would miss the plane but soon after we arrived he could be seen emerging from the crowd coming towards us. He said there was a queue in the Men’s toilets. Amazing!

Once again a smooth transition and we left on time. We are impressed with Aeromexico.

Our bags arrived in Costa Rica as hoped and on our flight. As we came through immigration we were all separated ( 6 of the Mexico group have continued). Any got to the officer first but had no idea where she was staying so they sent her back! She found us and I knew so we all four presented as one group and no problem. Shona and Susan who have been very switched on had deviated to the loos and become separated from us. They had the same problem and had to go through a whole trip itinerary before they were cleared. In the meantime we had found the baggage carousel and our bags had been taken off ( under supervision of an airport official). We decided to claim all the bags to speed up the process. It seemed like 10 planes had arrived at once but the exit was slow because our bags were scanned as we left!

Our driver was waiting for which we were very relieved. We have been on the go for 12 hours and barely a couple of hours sleep. What an immediate contrast. It is green!Tidy, clean and modern. A small, fairly affluent country with a stable government.Lots of American fast food outlets are everywhere which seems jarring.

A quick orientation walk around the centre last night revealed a vibrant lively city. We love the way Mexicans come out at night and stroll the plazas and streets. It is so much life and everyone seems so happy, chatting and catching up. Life is lived on the outside. Music everywhere. We have felt very safe every where. It is not as everyone thinks. Lots of cool bars with good music and reasonable cocktails! We have become quite the fan of Marguerite’s, Mojitos and Mexcal with Hibiscus to name a few! Very civilised.

We were up early to head out to the Flamingos at Celestun. We were anxious about whether we would see a flock at all. Shona was so full of anticipation and we were wearing pink and giving the universe our messages. Peter had brought a towel on this trip with three Flamingos so we felt sure it was a sure thing and we were rewarded with hundreds. We were scared Shona’s delight was going to frighten them away but she controlled her whoops of excitement and welled up with tears instead. It was so exciting to see so many.

On the way back we detoured through the mangroves to see baby fish and a fresh water spring. The termite mounds looked like monkeys but we only saw shag like birds and an osprey. The mangroves were really magnificent and not smelly!

We followed this up with a swim at a local beach ( Gulf of Mexico) and lunch. It was somewhat underwhelming after the high of the flamingos and very windy in the water. We had used our good luck!

We finished our stay in Merida with drinks and sunset in a very cool bar after checking out the art exhibition in the town hall.

The next morning was another very early start to beat the crowds at the ruins of Chichen Itzá. So glad we got there before opening because it was packed by 10 am when we were leaving. It is the most visited Mayan site. It is most famous for its ball court. The Mayans played a strange game where the goal was to get a 3-5 kg ball through a high ring without using their hands! It is thought it was a little like soccer, using feet, hips(!) arms and sticks but not hands and only the captain could take the goal. Very tough game because there were 7 players each side and the team had to get the ball up to the captain who ran along a raised edge under the goal. The field was very long and pretty wide. Anyway the winner was sacrificed! Their skulls are placed in the walls and the dead were believed to have gone to heaven to be reborn! It was an honour. The whole Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico stems from this sense of death not being an end to life but a transition to a better life.