Adventures with Julia

March 12, 2017

It is 8pm, we are half way home and sitting in the Houston, Texas airport.  Next leg, direct Sacramento.

Costa Rica is a wonderful country. With no military to consume great sums of money, the government is able to provide nearly universal education and health care. Tourism is increasing as are quality medical services, especially dental and elective surgeries. Money flowing into the country from these sources exceeds income from agriculture. We saw many middle class homes, some high end neighborhoods and some shanty towns too. It looked like the sort of place we would wish for most countries. If there was no purpose in having a military, more countries, especially small ones, could take care of their people and build a healthy infrastructure. Sounds like utopia, but it is happening in Costa Rica, so why not other places?

Unlike most of our travels, this was more vacation than usual, with emphasis on fun activities rather than history, people and culture.  As we met mostly staff, who are always friendly and helpful, and other tourists, who are foreigners like us, it is hard to give an opinion about Costa Ricans, or Ticos, as they call themselves. However, we recommend visiting the country. It is beautiful in all its varying landscapes from high mountains and volcanos to rain forests and rivers to tropical plantations and ocean beaches. Activities abound to keep everyone engaged from the highly active to the most sedentary. There is much more to see and experience than we had time to absorb and we would happily return, if there were not so many other places to see.

Next stop for us is Iceland and Greenland in July. We will not need sunscreen.

Sunset from our room at Playa Cativa

March 9, 2017

It was delightful waking up to sunshine and the sound of many birds  singing and monkeys squawking outside our third floor open air room.   As the hotel is so small, everyone gets acquainted quickly, especially the staff.  At breakfast, each couple is chatting about and getting ready for the activities they and the staff organized the evening before.  The staff orchestrates it so no more than 4 guests do any one activity at a time.

Entering the mangrove river system

Our activity for the morning is a boat and kayak excursion up the Esquinas River that drains into the gulf.  The couple joining us were from Dorset England, Will and Pam.  Our guide was the most knowledgeable, Gerardo, who gave us a super introduction to Costa Rican parks, forest reserves and wildlife refuges and talked at length about mangroves and creatures living within the area.

Deep in the mangroves.

Once we were out of the gulf and in the mouth of the river, we got off the boat and into our kayaks to explore the shallow and narrow mangrove system.

Pam and Gerardo ahead of us.

In addition to birds, we  looked for animals and other creatures, but only saw 2 large crocodiles, one sunning itself on a sand bar and the other nearly hidden in a mangrove.  That one looked very fat and ominous.  Gerardo pointed out the many tiny crabs that feed on the mangrove, and how they determine the shape for the root system.  Wherever a crab bites a mangrove root, the root splits, causing forking to occur.   Crabs are indispensable to the mangrove system.  There are four different types of mangrove tree; black, white, red and tea, each of which developed its own unique method of regulating salt.

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

We saw many birds we had already identified and some new ones, particularly a very pretty, large, two toned tan Whimbrel, which we have not been able to photograph.

Snowy Egret

Drinking fresh coconut nectar. Quite refreshing.

Reconnecting with our pontoon boat.

Bottle nosed dolphin in the Gulf

While on the boat we spotted dolphin both coming and going.  They are sure hard to photograph, but lovely to watch.  Back at the lodge, lunch was ready.  We had ceviche again for lunch and lounged by the pool the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening, I joined a group for an evening forest walk.  Mark had no interest.  The walk was a bit long, but very interesting.

Summer Tanager asleep in a tree.

We saw three different birds asleep in different trees:  a Summer Tanager, a Tropical King Bird, and a Golden Hooded Tanager.  I tried to photograph them, with mixed success…mostly not in focus.

Blunt-Headed Vine snake. Holds onto vine with last 25% of tail and captures frogs & lizards while swinging freely. Only snake that has this capability.

We also saw many frogs (the most exciting of which were two Red Eyed Tree frogs mating), Cane toads, lizards, spiders, a Cock Roach, a gray Praying Mantis and a Blunt-Hooded Vine Snake, about the size of a shoe lace, laying in a low hanging cluster of leaves.

Yellow Eyed Tree frog. Same as the colorful frog on our Apple screen saver.

It was delightful to see a snake that was not scary.  I was surprised at the biodiversity for 2 hour evening walk around the property.

When we got back to the lodge, Mark was waiting hungrily at the table.  We had a pleasant meal and went directly to our room to enjoy the night sounds, read a bit and try to sleep.

March 6, 2017

The rain was pounding even harder on the roof when we woke up, than when we went to bed.  I lay there nice and snug, thinking about having to go rafting in the rain in a few hours.  What to wear to keep warm, if not dry?  I started with a bathing suit and shorts, followed by my water-wicking Rashguard top and then my rain jacket and sandals and hoped not to freeze.   Packed up the rest of our gear and umbrella’d down to breakfast.  It was rafting departure day for most of the guests and everyone looked mildly distressed.  Our river guides,  Ivan and Arturo, were anxious to get on the river ahead of the crowd, so we ate fast, said farewell to the staff and headed for the rafts.

Pacuare River

Once we had on our life vests and helmets, we were not so cold in spite of the rain.  We shoved off, while everyone else was still having breakfast.  Within a couple minutes we hit our first rapid and water was everywhere.

The river temperature was the same as the waterfall the day before, which is to say, cool but not cold.  Time to relax and paddle.  Ivan soon had us laughing, watching birds and hitting the haystacks head on.  Arturo, dry from the waste down, is having a blast in his kayak, while keeping an eye on us in case we should fall in.

Ivan and Arturo making a selfie

The ride lasts three hours, including a handful of class IV rapids.  Unfortunately, the river is somewhat low, requiring more technical skill, but providing fewer big waves.  We got hung up on protruding boulders a number of times, but, thankfully, spun off the rocks before flipping.  I thought Ivan did a good job of reading the river and he barked out paddle instruction all the way.

Entering the narrow canyon

The forest scenery was lovely with frequent waterfalls adding to the beauty.  Once, Ivan directed us into the middle of one and laughed when we got even more thoroughly drenched.  In one part of the river, the canyon walls came quite close together.  The water falling there made for a pretty picture.  We saw several birds along the river, but only one that we could photograph, a Tiger Heron.  We paddled really hard to get to shore and then pulled on a limb to get up stream enough to get a shot.

Tiger Heron on the lookout for fish.

It stayed still for us and we even got good video footage with it singing.  Unfortunately, I have not learned how to add a video to the blog, so you will have to be content with a still.

We opted not to eat along the river, but to wait until we reached the take out and could change into dry clothes and eat under cover.  The take out was at a town called Siquirres.  Ivan and Arturo prepared lunch, while we changed clothes.  The large group arrived as we were finishing our burrito sandwiches.  We bid good bye to Ivan and Arturo and left with a Pacuare Lodge driver, who took us to a private Del Monte airstrip about 30 minutes away.  There were bananas trees as far as the eye could see in every direction.  All of the banana bunches were covered in blue plastic to protect them from bugs and rain.  We never did find out why blue plastic was used.

Flying over the Costa Rican landscape

The Cessna 206 arrived at the same time we did.  Without wasting a minute, we loaded the plane, jumped in and were off.  Our next destination was a place called San Isidro.

Approaching San Isidro

The flight took 50 minutes in nearly all IFR conditions.  Our pilot opted to fly an indirect course to avoid the mountains and stay below 10,000 feet. Fine with us.  Fabian, our Geo Ex guide, was ready and waiting for us at the San Isidro airport and off we went to our next destination, a gated resort called Alta Gracia 30 minutes away.

Alta Gracia Resort

We arrived about 3pm and checked into our new abode, a totally new and modern casita.  It was so much like home that we wondered why we were there.  The facility is 800+ acres on a hillside with views of San Isidro below and 50 casitas scattered all around the hillside.

Pool and hot tubs at Alta Gracia. Nice view toward San Isidro.

The place was huge, including the spa, the stables, the dining area and swimming pool.  We felt like we were in a large golf course resort in the states, without the course.  The main features were horseback riding, hiking, dining, gym and spa treatments.  Not much really appealed to us.  However, we had a lovely meal in the nearly empty dining room, where we learned that only 5-6 casitas were occupied.  No wonder the place felt deserted.

March 7, 2017

The next morning, we sat at the edge of the outdoor dining area and watched pretty birds fly about while we ate.  Fabian joined us for coffee and explained the day’s adventure.  While we sat there he helped us identify the Tropical Mockingbird, the Rufus Ground Sparrow, the Yellow-Headed Caracara and Cherrie’s Tanager

Coffee plant in full flower. Seen on road to Los Cusingos

Then we drove a short distance to a Nature Preserve called Los Cusingos, which had been founded by an American ornithologist and naturalist named  Dr. Alexander Skutch.  He arrived in the area in 1941 and produced a huge number of studies and books about birds and mammals until his death in 2004, 4 days shy of his 100th birthday.  The preserve contains approximately 500 acres of rain forest with hiking trails, botanical gardens,many birds and mammals, including 16  endemic species, a museum and the house he lived in for most of his life.

Walking a trail in Los Cusingas Preserve

Fabian is a wonderful bird and plant guide who knows the names and information about almost everything we see.  It is fun to be with him.  While driving the short distance to the preserve, he stopped the car and mentioned not only birds in our view, but interesting plants as well.  As Alta Gracia and the Preserve are above 3000 feet above sea level, coffee is the common crop.  At the moment the coffee plants are putting out small white flowers.   Lower elevations support sugar cane, pineapple and banana.

A plant appropriately called “Hot Lips”

Once in the preserve, we went for a long hike through the forest and identified many birds and plants.  I am going to list them here for my personal reference as we were unable to photograph much in the dense canopy, except for a few flowers.

A pretty flower, whose name I have already forgotten.

Mark found this walking stick climbing up my leg. We have seen these in some African countries. Were surprised to see it here.

Palm Oil plant

A cashew nut still on the tree.

Yellow Rain orchid plant in full flower.

Skip this paragraph if you are not interested in our bird sightings, which i include for our personal record.   Birds we saw in Los Cusingos included:  Green Honey Creeper, Blue Dacnis, Scarlet Rumped Tanager or Cherrie’s Tanager, Blue and Gray Tanager, Golden Hooded Tanager, Gray Headed Tanager, Tropical King Bird, Common Potoo (a really ugly bird), Lineated Woodpecker.  In addition to the birds, we identified some pretty plants: Passiflora, a passion fruit flower; a flower called “hot lips” that looked just like the name; and an orchid called “Golden Rain”.   Birds we spotted and identified while on the Pecuare River and during other parts of our trip in Costa Rica include: the Sun Bittern, a gorgeous bird we saw flying low over water; the Montezuma Oropendola, a beautiful bird we say near water as well; the Chestnut-Headed Oropendola; the Great Blue Heron, and the Little Blue Heron; the Masonic Kingfisher; the Green Rufus Kingfisher; the Black Mandible Toucan; the Great Kisskidee; and the Black Guan.  There were many others I cannot remember.  Mark bought a book with over 800 Costa Rican birds in it.  We are enjoying hearing the sounds as well as seeing the images of each bird.  He is marking each bird we identify, so we can remember them in the future.

The staff at the Preserve provided us with a typical Costa Rican lunch.  It consisted of a banana leaf filled with beans, rice, potatoes, onions, fried plantains and very dry chicken that had been rolled up together and steamed.  It was hot when we received it, but overcooked and dry.  For sure it was authentic and filling, if not delicious.

By 2;30  Fabian had dropped us off at Alta Gracia.  We made our way to our casita, changed into bathing suits and headed back to the pool.  The heat was on in the hot tub and we were happy to sit in the warm water and relax.  By dinnertime, we were back in the room ordering room service rather than getting dressed for dinner in an empty restaurant.   Perfect.  We had decided earlier that we did not want to spend another day at Alta Garcia doing nothing, when we could have an extra day at Playa Cativo, so we had Fabian make arrangements to move us to Playa Cativo a day early.  We were thankful for the change in plans.  And off to bed we went.

March 4, 2017

Met at 7:30am by our next driver, Fabian, we departed El Silencio for a long drive up to the top of the cloud forest at 6300 feet and then down and out of the cloud forest, through the Central Vally, around the outskirts of San Jose and east to the village of Linda Vista, where we dropped steeply down to our put in on the Pacuare River at 980 feet above sea level. Along the way, we had a delightful conversation with Fabian, who is ell educated and knowledgeable about his country. We learned that the El Silencio Resort consists of 518 acres along the creek sized, River Gorrion and is sandwiched between two national parks As we climbed back up the mountain into the fog and increasingly heavy rain, he began to share a few bits of Costa Rican history with us.

Columbus landed at Costa Rica in 1502. The Spanish moved in and controlled the area until Costa Rica gained independence in 1821. There was a small military skirmish in 1856 when William Walker tried to merge Costa Rica and Nicaragua to build a canal between the 2 oceans along the river shared by both countries. The Costa Ricans succeeded in preventing the merger and have had no need for a military since then. Instead, the government has focused on political stability, improving the standard of living and increasing social benefits such as education, health care, clean water, sanitation and power. Since the 70’s, expansion of these services has resulted in a rapid decline in infant mortality, a sharp decrease in the birth rate and an increase in life expectancy. Currently the birth rate is below the replacement level, which explains why so many Nicaraguans have been imported to Costa Rica. Nine percent of the population is foreign born. All this sets Costa Rica apart from the rest of Central America. Interestingly, the income from tourism and medical procedures now exceeds that of all agricultural products. The current president is a guy named Luis Guillermo Solis. He was elected 3 years ago because, according to Fabian, people were fed up with the 3 previous presidents, who had become too corrupt. The new guy, not unlike Trump, is not a seasoned politician. He has one year to go before the next election. Technically, each president is allowed only one 4-year term. But some exceptions have been made and Fabian is not sure what will happen in the next election.

The most important part of this information for Mark and me is the clean water. We started drinking bottled water as soon as we arrived, only to be told all water out of every faucet is potable. That was hard to digest at first. But after a few days and not getting sick on the water, we have accepted that we can drink directly out of the tap. Plus, the water looks and tastes good.

All along the way, we passed what we would call low to middle class homes.  Mostly small to medium sized, well cared for houses on small lots with tidy yards and room for at least one car.  Anyone can buy and own property, including foreigners.  While passing through San Jose, Fabian pointed out high end gated communities where the houses go for a minimum of $500,000.  He thought that was very expensive.  We also drove by very posh shopping centers and office buildings.  He admitted that there is also a sizable homeless population and unemployment, but he did not elaborate.

Due to horrendous traffic and clogged roads, the expected 4-hour drive took nearly 5. Finally, we reached the put in and bid Fabian good bye. Our river guides were Ivan and Arturo. As it was raining, we did not linger, but pushed off into the Pacuare River as soon as possible.

Ready to raft the Pacuare River

A brief safety talk and review of paddle rules and we were off. Once we hit the first little rapids and got splashed, we stopped worrying about the rain. Wet is wet. Happily, the ride lasted only 50 minutes with only a few class III rapids and no gullywashers. We were cold and hungry, having not eaten since 7am and glad to reach our destination, the Pacuare Lodge, on the right bank of the river.

Entrance to our Pacuare Lodge suite

Thankfully, the welcome committee greeted us with hot cocoa and quickly showed us to our room high up the hill in the forest above the river. Immediately we tested the shower and found it deliciously hot. After changing into dry clothes, we walked down hill many steps to get to the main lodge and dining facility. After some soup and a light salad, we felt much revived, but not interested in any activities.

he in and outs of our suite

So we hiked back up to our room to enjoy our private space, which included a large deck overlooking the forest and the river.

Our deck at Pacuare Lodge

It contained an outdoor plunge pool, a hammock and comfortable chairs. The walls consisted of sliding screen doors on three sides. Our bathroom included indoor and outdoor showers. In spite of all the open air, we had total privacy. The only thing lacking was electricity. As the light grew dim, we lit the many candles provided. Finally, it was dark and we wanted dinner, so we put out the candles and headed down the hill. Half way there, we knew we had made a mistake not bringing our umbrellas. We ran the rest of the way to keep from getting drenched. The mojitos were delicious as were the spare ribs and duck we were served along with the other 30 guests we saw. We enjoyed the food more here than at El Silencio, although it was good there too. Just not quite to our taste. Shortly after dinner, we were happy to grab 2 umbrellas and slog our way up the hill to bed.  I enjoyed listening to the sounds of the rain pounding on  our metal roof, the river rushing down stream and night birds singing in the forest surrounding our cottage.

March 2, 2017

Arrival in San Jose went smoothly. Our English speaking driver was a cute young woman who was happy to meet us and ready to go. The weather was perfect — comfortable with low humidity and a slight breeze. We had a delightful conversation with her along the way and learned that Costa Rica has 5 million people, 50% of whom live in or near the Central Valley where San Jose, the capital, is located. She was proud to tell us that her country has no military since 1948, when the government cancelled it and used the money to improve education and health care. Primary and secondary education is free and compulsory and there is 96% literacy. There are 2 national Universities and many private ones. Most Costa Ricans have good jobs and do not want to do hard labor, so many Nicaraguans have been imported to work in the sugar cane fields, the coffee plantations and construction.

As we drive I notice that the streets are very clean, the gardens are well kept, the houses are tidy and every property is fenced and gated, although not walled shut. Gradually, we began to wonder where we were going as we seemed to be in a very rural, residential area. It turns out our driver had not been to Xandari, the place we were to stay. We had no idea what to expect as we thought is was to be a quick airport stop before the real trip began. When we finally reached the place it was hidden behind a guarded gate and a huge botanical garden that took several minutes to meander through before we reached the reception. It was quite a lovely place, with blooming flowers and colorful art everywhere.

Approach to our room at Xandari Resort

Our room was a free standing villa a golf cart ride away from the main building. It was set on the edge of a hill with a full view of the city lights of Alejuela in the distance.

Zandari villa

The spaces in our villa were all different colors and shapes and we had fun finding our way around the place.

Our colorful Xandari shower

It was a destination in itself. When we woke up to the sunshine and colorful gardens outdoors the next morning, we were sorry I had arranged for a driver to pick us up at 8:30am, when 11;30 had been the suggested time. Oh well. Live and, maybe someday, learn. We walked through the lovely grounds filled with tropical flowers and colorful art objects to breakfast overlooking the same city and now visible gardens below. We dragged our feet about leaving, but finally joined our driver for the day trip to El Silence, a couple hours away.

March 2nd was a perfect day. Sunny, comfortable temperature, no humidity. Glorious. And the drive was a delight. We passed through several small town and villages and gradually passed through rolling hillsides with herds of black and white dairy cows, coffee and sugar cane plantations, vegetable gardens and scattered country houses.

Zarcero village and topiary garden

In the village of Zarcero we stopped at a charming Catholic Church, built in 1910, with a huge topiary garden in front of it and pretty decorations inside. It was a surprising and unexpected gem, that is obviously loved and cared for by the locals.

Zarcero Catholic Church with topiary gardens and the gardener

Gradually we climbed up into a cloud forest and reached 7000 feet before descending into a deep valley. The sunshine gave way to fog and then heavy mist. Once over the hill, we descended steeply to 4800 feet, where we finally reached our destination, El SIlencio Lodge. We thanked our second female driver for a safe journey and checked into our comfortable, but more modest cottage at the lodge.

Cottage at El Silence Lodge

This facility is eco-friendly, which means the 16 cottages and the dining hall are built on above ground pillars to respect the natural topography of the forest. A large creek runs through the property in a very deep and narrow valley, while the jungle of rain forest encroaches on the surrounding hills.

Female Resplendent Quetzal

We have expected to be hot and sticky while in Costa Rica. However, we find our selves in a cool, damp place where our fleece and rain coats are suddenly most important.

Male resplendent Quetzal

After a delicious eco-friendly, gluten free lunch, we take a short break and then go for a hike in the forest to see waterfalls and birds along the way. The three waterfalls were nice, but due to the overcast and mist, not very tantalizing. However, our bird sightings were something else. We were able to spot and identify, with the superior help of our guide, several birds which he thought were quite special to find: Black Guan, Slate Throated Redstart, Green Fronted Lancebill (a type of hummingbird with a spear like beak), Black-Faced Solitare and, best of all by far, a pair of Resplendent Quetzal making a nest. We watched them a long time. The male is extremely handsome with purple, blue and white markings and 18-20 inch long tail feathers. I will try to send a few photos.  I must admit we did not take these bird photos as we both forgot our cameras (won’t do that again).  However, we did see and identify each of them.  The most unusual and hard to spot were the Quetzal and the Lancebill.  We felt privileged and lucky.

Black-Faced Solitaire

Green Fronted Lancebill – a type of hummingbird

Long-Tailed Silky Flycatcher

The rain has stopped, the sky is clear and the stars are out. After an early dinner, we are tucked into bed with, of all unexpected surprises, hot water bottles nestled between the sheets. Who would ever expect to want hot water bottles in bed in Costa Rica?

Slate-Throated Redstart

Black Guan

Hi Friends,

We are off on our next adventure.  It will take us all day to get to Costa Rica flying from Sacramento to Dallas and then on to San Jose on American Airlines.   Even though I do not need much in the way of clothes, my bag still weighs 35 pounds.  Don’t think I will ever learn how to pack light.

Unlike other trips, we have done nothing to prepare for this one, except buy a map.  We could barely find the places we are going on it and cannot tell you where they are.  Pretty bad.  All I can tell you is that we are going to 4 different locations where few tourists visit.  We stay tonight near the airport at San Jose and then drive to our first lodge in a jungle an hour and a half north of San Jose.  Supposedly we will have wifi in three of the locations.  When I get on the plane, I will look up our itinerary and try to fill you in more.  I know some of you have been to Costa Rica and may be able to send comments telling us about your experiences.  That would make for fun reading, so I hope you do.

Need to board now.  More later.