The Costa Rica Adventure continues... After La Fortuna (which we HIGHLY recommend), we took a minibus-flanked boat ride across Lake Arenal to Monteverde, the home of the "cloud forests" (forests of higher elevation at 1200-16oo m) and abundant wildlife.
We first visited the quaint Serpentarium in town, where we became acquainted with many of the creepy-crawlies we could be expected to see in the forests.
We then went on a guided night nature walk, where we encountered such interesting creatures as the Mexican porcupine (up in a tree-- apparently a rare sighting!), as well as various creepy-crawlies. Can you believe we got this close to the following:
Venomous side-striped palm pit-viper (which was apparently in the "S"/striking position-- nice to know)
We learned all about what you are not supposed to do should you get bitten by a venomous snake... suck the venom out. As most toxins are hemotoxins which circulate through the bloodstream, you should just walk (not run-- as your cardiac output increases, distributing more of the toxin throughout your body), to your closest clinic, where antivenom is housed. No need to kill or photograph the snake-- people generally get more bites that way.
Orange-kneed tarantula (the guide took this picture-- being an arachnophobe, there is NO WAY I would ever voluntarily get this close to a spider)
The next day, we enjoyed a "Canopy Tour," one of the highlights of this highlight-filled trip. While I have ziplined before, K tried it("pseudo-ziplining, I call it) for the first time last year in the Philippines (over something like a parking lot, which bought him much grief from me). However, this ziplining ("canopying") was cooler than any we had done before. There were about 12 different lines, with the longest 1 km in length, and they were high above the forest. We zoomed over the trees and over river valleys , enjoying fabulous views! The complex also included a tarzan swing, whose initial drop was terrifying, but which was really fun. The conclusion was an optional add-on, the "Superman" line, where you are suspended in a prone position from the cable and zoom along, hands-free, for the length of the cable. It was awesome! If you come to Costa Rica, you must do this!
Tarzan swing
(the end of the) Superman cable
We hiked in the Santa Elena Reserve (Cloud Forest), where we saw a whole lot of creepy-crawlies and beautiful flora, but no big mammals which are my favorite (I recall that, on a South African safari with the Kitsteiners, I told JB, "don't bother me with the birds. Get my attention when you spot a mammal."!).
Our next stop on the trip was Jaco (accent over the o although I can't find the key), a beach town on the Pacific Coast which required a couple of painless bus rides to reach from Monteverde. The town is a hot spot for surfers due to the awesome waves, not something either K or I really wanted to confirm (with attempting surfing, that is). We found a cute hotel just a stone's throw from the beach, with wireless, AC, TV, and a pool! We spent an extremely relaxing day playing in the waves, enjoying the hotel pool, and watching some awesome NCAA final four basketball games (go Butler, my new favorite team!), which we found on the Puerto Rican CBS channel.
My idea of vacation!
Iguana outside our room!
We hit a local taco bar for dinner, where we had yummy fish tacos. Our order was placed at a stand, and then we were told they would "bring our food" to us. We were scratching our heads, trying to figure out how they would remember whose fish tacos were whose (this was a hopping place!). We joked that it was something like "these are for the Asian guy in red with the dorky glasses," as this pretty much described what Kelvin looked like that night. I burst into laughter when I looked at our receipt, which noted "Chinin roja lts," which we figured out to mean ("Chinese, red, glasses [lentes]). Here is the described subject with the receipt and the mandatory "salsa muy picante."
From Jaco, we headed south to Quepos and Manuel Antonio, home of a large and the country's famous National Park. We took a guided park tour, where we saw a ton more wildlife than we were expecting (I dont' know how these guides can spot tiny lizards or birds from like 50 feet away, but they can!). We saw sloths (two- and three- toed), howler and white-faced monkeys (two of the four monkey species found in Costa Rica), many iguanas, a toucan, hawk, lizards (including the famous "Jesus Christ lizard," named such because it speeds across, seeming to "walk across water"), bats, and more...
It was wonderful!
Vine-climber
Lizard (I forget the name-- we saw so many!)
Toucan
Three-toed sloth
Bats
One of many iguanas we saw!
We then relaxed in a couple of beautiful beaches within the park (Playa Espadilla Sur or "second beach" and Playa Manual Antonio, "third beach,") before heading off to a Mangrove Tour.
While we got caught in a downpour during the mangrove tour (this IS the rainforest, after all; and we learned that Costa Rica has 2 seasons-- not wet and dry but rainy and rainier...) and we were not fortunate enough to see any crocs or snakes, it was still a great time! We saw many birds-- including the beautiful flamingo-like rosette spoonbill, snowy egrets, as well as more monkeys, lots of colorful crabs (hard to photograph!), and interesting mangrove trees.
Doesn't this make you think of the movie "Outbreak"?!!
(White- faced capuchin monkey)
Our boat drriver, Orlando, made me this cricket out of palm leaves!
We fly out of San Jose tomorrow. I am so sad so see this tropical vacation end! Encantamos Costa Rica!
And, to conclude, here is a picture which captures the essence of "pura vida," a Tico napping on a Corona bottle. :)
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