Category: Uncategorized

Lunch at Mongkok

I had a restless night affected by hayfever and a stuffy nose or cold(?). The cpap machine I am using to overcome sleep apnea and snoring just isn’t as comfy as the one at home with its own humidifier.

I eventually took it off at 4 am and then dosed till 6. At about 8 or later David knocked on the door asking us if we wanted to go for congee with Gary and Danny and Robert. I leapt out of bed and was soon dressed. Poor Sheila had never had congee and so she was interested in coming too. We did say it was a HK cultural experience!

Gary had half walked and half tramed it and insisted on leading the way. We ended up in the gardens of the oldest colonial residence The Tea Museum in HK and had to find a way out. Gary was adamant he knew how to get to the tram stop to Wan Chai but we were in the wrong side to get on.

Eventually we got to the place, a little hole in the wall place in Wan Chai. If we had taken the route we know from staying this end, we could have saved some time! Anyway Gary left us as soon as we got there because he had a meeting at 10 am!

The congee was delicious but Sheila was not impressed. I felt bad then because we could have left her sleeping. We were reminded however of the need for an early start tomorrow as we go for China and to pack an overnight bag!

On the way we came across a dog grooming place that was decked out like a boutique. It had a dog exercise pool too! A poor little corgi was swimming with an attendant and it didn’t look too happy.

Then it was off to Mongok for yum cha with old neighbours from Ho man tin san do, where the boys lived when in HK as children. Lovely apartment with a view but quite different from the boys time. In those days it looked out over a shanty town of poor refugees.

Following a drink at Billy and May’s apartment, literally next door to the Leong’s, we dispersed to various places. Roger and I went to the new M+ cultural centre. Gobsmacking! Huge, with a fascinating collection of modern art and special exhibitions. We were quite transfixed by the high art dresses by GUI Pei.

Coincidently we met Anthea and Lawrie and decided to have dinner in Wan Chai near the Happy Valley race track which we had planned to go to later.

Meanwhile Sheila had gone up the Peak Tram and was doing some shopping and met us for dinner outside the seven light shops in a row which we remembered from the night before. it was easy for her to direct the taxi driver to there! Our taxi driver had some trouble but got us there albeit a little later than planned.

Dinner accomplished it was off to the races. What a fun atmosphere! Bands playing, food and beer carts, heaps of young people. Joel gave us a hot tip and we rushed off to place a bet. It was very exciting when our horse won by a nose! My $8 bet returned $24 (Australian). Last of the big punters. The next bet was not successful!

We decided to call it a day due to our early departure for China and the family villages the next day.

Sheila arrived last night just in time to join us at the famous Hairy Crab meal organised by Micky. This was our first mostly all family dinner. I was glad David and Danny and Robert and Wanda had been here for a few days and knew their way around. Danny as the youngest was switched on about what buses etc to get. I had found my way to central station to buy an octopus card for public transport earlier in the day as I explored my surroundings on my own. Sheila had purchased one at the airport so we were all set. Nothing is really very far in HK so it was only a few stops.

What a meal. Very upmarket and gourmet. Clear chicken broth for starters made from black skinned white feathered chickens! Then the crabs arrived on a platter. All entwined in blue and white rope. A great delicacy, especially if you pick a female with lots of eggs (yellow/orange roe). A favourite of Micky’s apparently.

I can’t honestly say I found them as delicious as mud crabs etc but it was different. Then came prawn balls with mayonnaise and ground sesame seeds for dolloping on. They were delicious!

There was lobster and noodles as well as a steamed fish. And a frozen table decoration with frozen tomatoes that looked like christmas

Baubles. Roger was going to eat one until he discovered they were quite solid ice.

It was a great start to the reunion.

We returned to our place the Helena May and found a new way to access it as there is no place to stop outside! Sheila and I discovered that we could direct taxis to the St Joseph’s Church behind the building and we could walk down to the gates. It is quaint with door codes which I have yet to memorise but once you have them it is easy.

Next morning we went to Cheung Chau island, ostensibly for a hike but we didn’t complete the 11 kms and opted for a swim after an hour or so. It was 30 degrees Celsius and very humid. Glorious day!

This is a no car island so there are hundreds of bikes and many little electric motorbike type lorries around the port.

We were hungry after all the excursion and found a fresh seafood place that served a pretty good menu of the day for $20 a head. Nothing fancy but good and fresh. We were looking at all the fish alive in the tanks outside. When the rest of the crowd joined us Irene showed Janes about three, how to poke ( gently) the back of the shuttle fish to see how it changes colour as a defence mechanism. It had an electric blue tinge around its exterior too.

Back to HongKong for a catch up with new arrivals and then a great meal in Happy Valley for $10 a head. The directions were the first restaurant past the light shops. There were 7 light shops! The good luck restaurant was humble, but good.

Home by taxi and off to bed. Sheila and I had lots to discuss and I successfully downloaded another eSIM from Nomad for HK. Anthea and Eileen are using it. Much easier than my other brand to install! Finally sleep!

Another early start at 4 am to the airport. Anne and I were flying to Mexico City while the others were flying to various destinations so we lost track of them pretty quickly, only to find them all wandering around looking for breakfast or departure gates so we were able to say our farewells more heart fully.

All went smoothly we thought. Peter missed collecting one of his boarding passes and went back when he realised and it was still sitting there waiting for him. We didn’t get one for the second leg from Mexico City to San Francisco, only realising when we went to go through. We were helped by the information person when we showed her our electronic tickets and made the next stage to get to a United Desk and get new boarding passes printed.

When we eventually passed through security Anne was frisked and her carryon bag searched and drug swabbed.

Then the wait… United flight delayed by mechanical issues two hours. A six hour transit turned into nearly 9. It had been quite pleasant. We shopped a little for souvenirs, etc.

Then as we finally readied for departure to San Francisco I went through and Anne was seriously frisked again and her bags searched right at the gate. Even her shoes were twisted and bent! I wanted to go back but I wasn’t allowed so I went into the plane anxiously waiting for her to appear. She was the last on.

Finally about to take off, I asked Anne if she could turn on the reading light because I couldn’t reach it. The glass cover of the light fell off into her hand! We burst into laughter and the flight attendant came over and accepted the fallen light cover with a smile and a warning to not touch anything else.

This plane must have been dragged out of the archives for old planes. It rattled and shook( fortunately no more light covers fell off!) There were no screens for entertainment and the flight attendants said wi fi was available for purchase but not reliable!

However we were moving closer to home. The flight was so bumpy that the flight attendants could barely offer food and drink service at all. (No great loss as we only got biscuits on this 4 hour flight! We had purchased salad bowls before take off so we were okay.) The seatbelt sign was on nearly the whole trip. I have never had so many bumpy flights as I have on this trip and I wonder if it is a factor influenced by climate change?

We arrived safely and were given priority exit to attempt to catch our connecting flight. What a joke. People on the ground were helpful and waived us through. We arrived in the domestic terminal ( go figure?) from Mexico City then had to collect our bags to bag drop them into international departures. The airport was almost empty and when we finally found our drop off they just said we had missed the flight and had already been booked to fly out on Tuesday night 11.30pm! We had pelted through the airport completely unnecessarily. Any way they paid for a hotel for the night and gave us food vouchers without hesitation so their service was good in the situation. The woman said pick a hotel with a free shuttle to the airport and we just picked the first one on the list, the Hilton airport hotel. There was a discussion that there maybe a shortage of rooms so the attendant said if it was her she would just take it and go quickly! It was 12.30 am Monday by now. We had been up and travelling since Sunday 4 am. We bustled out to the shuttle stop with several others only to wait and wait while watching several other shuttles come and go. In frustration and exhaustion we decided to take a shuttle from a hotel about half a kilometre from our hotel and walk the difference. It was dark and nobody around but we got there at 1.00 am just as the hotel shuttle was arriving.

What a relief to have a comfy bed to sleep in and a great bathroom. I even managed to make us de caffeinated coffee and herbal tea before collapsing into sleep. We decided to make the most of the layover with a tour around San Francisco on the ubiquitous hop on hop off bus!

A trip to the airport by the infamous shuttle to connect with BART( Bay Area Rapid Transport) got us into the city. The bonus was that we were asked if we were seniors (I have an uncomfortable relationship with that term) and if over 65 we could get a return ticket for $7.50 instead of $23. Well we enthusiastically admitted to being well over 65 and were given paper tickets. These were such a novelty that when shown to the rail staff they laughed and commented on having paperwork! It made us memorable too as on our return journey the women just looked at us and said “ I remember you,” and waived us through.

Anne had never been to San Francisco and it was probably over 20 years since I had visited so we really enjoyed the sights.

We walked from the station through Union Square, China town and Little Italy to Fisherman’s Wharfs and the start of the bus tour. We wondered where were all the people. The streets were so empty and even the department stores seemed empty with no one coming in or out. China town was the only bustling place. Very authentic like HongKong. Maybe we just got used to the happy crowds in Mexico? Lots of spring flower installations around town were very attractive.

We treated ourselves to a slap up lunch at Fisherman’s wharf at the iconic Franciscan Crab Restaurant. Not a bean in sight but the staff spoke Spanish. It overlooked Alcatraz.

On our return to the airport we were faced with the same waiting dilemma for the infamous shuttle to the hotel to retrieve our bags. We once again opted for the nearest hotel shuttle and walked again. In our waiting we collected another Aussie on her way to visit her grandchildren in Wyoming who was tired of waiting.

Note to self- book Doubleday Hilton next time! Their shuttle comes more frequently!

We collected our bags and had a short time ( enough to charge the phone a bit) before we were on our way to the airport again. We understood the time issue when the driver told us he would let us know when to get off. We thought we were being hijacked or it was a ground hog day experience as the airport terminals were passed and appeared to be left behind, only to reappear once again. The road system seemed to be on a spiral with the top level international departures! We checked our luggage and went in search of dinner and a charging post. The airport restaurants understand the vouchers and we were happily nourished and not out of pocket.

The wait was brief and we finally boarded a packed flight, literally in the last row of the plane. Then the plane was delayed due to some loading issues, then delayed again due to a sick person for whom a doctor was called and then finally we took off. The flight was incredibly bumpy with the pilot taking a few diversions to try to avoid the turbulence. Many times staff were told to take their seats. Anyway we came home safely, bags arrived with us and customs cleared us quickly even with my wooden jaguar declared.

Melbourne greeted us with a cool overcast day We are home!

Thank you to Anne for her equanimity and lovely companionship. Thank you Peter for coming with your sister and the rest of the group for making this a fun experience. We have had a fabulous holiday and made new friends along the way.

A bracing cool shower woke me up for our final day. Showers have been variable wherever we have been. The best was in Playa del Carmen. We had cold, almost cold, scalding, drippy, rain showers. It is always a challenge. Add to that the need to place toilet paper in a basket and not in the toilet. We were curious about how they dealt with it. Apparently it is recycled. Not a pleasant job but essential. Burning off is not an option.

When we went to breakfast we discovered a beautiful garden full of flowering plants, bees and hummingbirds! We still think it is out of the way but it is a secret garden hidden deep in the valley.

Shona was disappointed that we didn’t know the quetzal was here but the hummingbirds made up for it. I had the best fried egg today with my rice and beans. We are a bit sick of that combo but I have really grown to enjoy it as a breakfast. I have to say all the food has been great for my nails! They are long and strong. (perhaps no washing up and house chores has helped too!).

Johnny our driver drove the bus down to pick up our luggage and soon we were climbing back out of the valley. It was just as torturous but the views were great. At the top was a cycling race. We passed many cyclists plugging away up the hill. Steep and long though it was.

Our next stop the coffee growers in Taranzu. We arrived early and the poor woman told her husband to keep talking till she finished preparing the lunch! As he spoke no English it was a challenge for us all and Ronny as translator.

They are a young couple who have lived their lives as farmers but he began to question the use of artificial fertiliser and began to study organic farming. She had been to Canada to study English and tourism but loves being a farmer. On her return she decided to make the farm a coffee experience. Their four year old daughter Ruth,was very amusing and reminded me of Marlo. Full of beans and wanting to be part of everything. We learned about their organic processes and also the desire to encourage more locals to use their methods.

We had a delicious lunch of home grown produce then a walk around the farm. It is a small concern but so lush and healthy. Lucianda showed us how she picked coffee beans for hours without straining her body. She was very focused on the techniques to reduce possible damage to the body. She picked a record of 130 kgs one day. The normal tin carries 12.9 kg of coffee beans. Her enthusiasm was infectious and you could see she loved her life. She carried a machete on her hip and when I asked if the pickers were mainly men or women she said it was 75 % men and many were from Nicaragua. They didn’t always like a woman boss but she said she was a fair boss and she had the machete!

We learned how to grind the coffee beans the old way and how to shake off the skins then grind them in an old grinder attached to the bench. We made our own coffee with the local filter system which was a wooden stand and a sock like filter called a Chorreador. She told us dark roast coffee is a way to camouflage uneven bean ripening. She recommended mid roast and just add more coffee if you want it stronger. We tasted the coffee with fresh cooked bread rolls and hot bananas. Delicious. The rolls were baked in the outdoor pizza oven.

She also makes Kambucha. The mother plant was quite gross looking but her three kambuchas were amazing. So delicious!

Finally we left for San Jose. We arrived late but the shops were open and Peter bought a new pair of smart leather sandals. True to form the ones he brought with him had lost their soles! He really wears everything out! He and Anne were on the hunt for money again. Anne has struggled to get US Dollars out and her card was running out of funds. Tipping requires small denominations but getting them is really hard. Colones, the Costa Rican currency is quite interchangeable with Dollars and often you pay with dollars and get Colones as change. Money and tips have been a challenge to manage. I am glad I brought lots of Pesos and Dollars. It has been much easier.

Our final dinner was at an Italian restaurant which was extremely busy and short of staff. It took a while to get served but the food was good when it arrived. We are all tired and leaving at 3 and 4 am in the morning we wanted to get to bed. It will be sad saying goodbye again to new friends. We have been so lucky to have such enthusiastic and pleasant groups in both trips.

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.