Costa Rica day 8 Playa Grande

We got an early start after breakfast at del Sol. The cab picked us up at 7:30 and dropped us off 5 minutes later at the bus station in Coco Beach. We found out our bus wouldn't get here until around 9:45. It was a pretty decent bus and took us to Filadephia an hour away. We then waited for 2 hours to catch the bus to Playa Grande. We had a very small room there for $65 a night. After checking in with Carlos we headed to the beach to sign up for the turtle tour for the following night (Fri.) when our friend Soleiha was going to join us. The informed us they were booked solid for the whole w/end and try as we might we couldn't reach her to tell her. We did sign up for that nights tour as there was only 4 spots left. They cap the number at 60 and charge $20 each. We were told to show up at 6 pm. They took our passport numbers and names when we first signed up and then when we came back at 6 they gave us small wooden fobs with our numbers 57 and 58 on them. This turned out to be significant as they then took us into an auditorium where we were given a slide show and video on the leatherbacks. The numbers are pretty depressing for their future. We then went outside to wait while the biologists were watching the beach in the dark looking for turtles. At 5 to 8 via walkie talkie we were informed they'd found one. Great! They then take the numbers 1-30 and take their money as they're now assured of seeing a turtle. Off they go while we wait on the concrete I'm asking why we didn't get to go in our group and I'm told they're looking for another turtle. The first group got back at 9 pm having seen the turtle digging, laying her eggs and covering them up. We would have stayed till the cows came home but fortunately our call came at 10:30. A lot of people had left so others who had come later got to fill their spots.
The latest turtle was quite a ways off so we went by van & then walked through a breach in the trees leading to the beach. There are several rules from here on in. No cameras. If your caught taking a picture they take away your camera to be claimed in the morning. Remain quiet, no cell phones, videos, anything that might disrupt the turtle. The guides use red flashlights and you must stay behind them. Any cars in town are supposed to use parking lights only as the light will cause the turtle to abort the trip ashore. It's the lights of the houses on shore that have destroyed much of the nesting sites.
Approaching the leatherback several hundred feet down the beach we are divided into two groups of 15. We're in group 1 and watch her digging while group two stand off. The biologist aids in packing the hole and scooping the sand away from it because if it caves in on itself the turtle will abort the dig. They pack all around the edge of the hole while she digs with her rear flippers which are about a foot across. First she buried her right rear foot and twisted it around to loosen up the sand. She then flips the loose sand out with first her right flipper and then her left until her flipper won't reach any further down which is about 3' deep. Next she begins letting the eggs out. A few at a time. During this time the biologist is laying on her stomach with a red light headband on and a counter. She's also put into the bottom of the nest a temp guage so they can monitor the temp of the nest over the next 65 days. The temp is critical in determining the sex of the turtle. The eggs are slightly smaller than a tennis ball, soft shelled and completely round. When she was nearly depleted the eggs became much smaller until they were about the size of a ping pong ball. This turtle layed 91 eggs. The norm is around 55. These covered the rest of the good eggs. When she was finished she began refilling the nest with sand and tamping it down using all her weight. This turtle was over 5 feet long at the shell which isn't really a shell but leather. She weighed between 700 and 800 lbs! It was an awe inspiring site and well worth the 4 hour wait, the sore butt, and the $20.
While we waited to go, there was a tent set up at the park headquarters and several elderly lady volunteers built a fire and had rice, & food available to eat along with coffee and cold drinks. The price was quite reasonable and we shared a dish prior to leaving.
This was another great day and so far everything is better than we could have asked for. The food is good. The water is great, the people are the friendliest you could ever meet and go out of their way to help you. Language hasn't been a problem as there's always someone who can assist you. Our nights have cost about $60/night and have been pretty good. The price per night will continue to fall after we leave here as we'll be off the beaten path and are expecting to be paying about $15-$20 a night for the two of us.The beds are comfortable, there's toilet paper (although we've brought our own), and our stomaches have remained on an even keel. We are truly happy campers and looking forward to the next 10 weeks. If the money holds out I'm sure we'll make it.

Costa Rica day 9

We left Villa del Sol at 7:30 by cab and went to the bus stop where we caught a chickenbus to Filadefia (that's the correct spelling down here). From therre we went to Huacas where we caught a cab to Playa Grande. This beach is unbelievable and I would guess probably 10 miles long and 300' wide. We found an assortment of shells (one of which there's a picture of on facebook & is currently in the sink waiting to meet his maker). This certainly isn't a swimming beach but the place is full of hippy surfer types from all over. Gotta run as we've got a long walk from here to our place
This is our beach at Playa Grande about 500' from where we're staying. A famous beach for the nesting Loggerhead turtles which we viewed last night. Time right now doesn't permit to make this lengthy so stay tuned.
The two chicken bus trip yesterday was great and we were here by noon for under $4 for the two of us.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=26001&l=9399c&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 8 (early)

Jo stayed up late last night and began planning the next leg as we leave tomorrow. Unfortunately Jo's sister Marion and her husband Don can't make it down here this month due to committments so we're going to head South to a place called Playa Conchal which is on this coast. It's not far but that's ok as we've got lots of time. I think because we're not going to Arenal volcano as soon as planned we're going to follow the coast for a while and maybe work our way over to Limon just to see it. It's on the Caribbean side and pretty remote with few amenities. It's also a lot wetter over there but we have our rain gear and it's only water right?
Not sure how often I can keep the blog going for the next few days as it will be up to the "free wireless" but I'll catch up as soon as I can.
Closing log at 7 a.m. stardate Jan. 16
NO PICS TODAY I'M TOO TIRED. Leaving in the morning on the chickenbus for Playas Grande south of here. (Turtle country) Hopefully we'll have internet access down there
Update for yesterday at 5:37 a.m. Yesterday we along with Soleiha (I'd been spelling it wrong) walked down to the beach and into town. Stopped at the souvenir place & then went to the banco. Man that was a real experience. Lots of people out front and a guard w/ a shotgun. Another guard opened the iron door to let someone in so we thought maybe they only allow 1 in at a time but that wasn't the case. Going inside we took a number like in a grocery store. My number was 93 and they were working on 50! Fortunately they had air (although the thing was dripping water all over the floor). They had 3 tellers, two of whom were doing commercial deposits etc. 45 minutes later it was our turn. Converted $200 into colones and we were out of there in 30 seconds. To complete the transaction we had to show our copies of our passport and sign for the money. No idea why all the other transactions took so long in front of us. Also when we entered the guard at the door told both Jo and I to remove our hats and she had to open her purse & show him the contents. turns out I could have put my hat back on but only if the brim was facing backwards so the security cameras could see our faces. Like who's going to tangle with a shotgun in a small room?
We then walked back to the souvenir store and Jo bought some real nice thongs to replace the flipflops and a pair of reversible shorts for under $10. It was then time to hit the little bar across the Golden Gate bridge which crosses over the famous Rio Septic.
Out in the bay was a gorgeous Windjammer Sailboat that carries 200 people up and down the coast for 7 days. They were picking passengers up in a zodiak who'd gone into town. The zodiaks were offloading into the stern of the ship.
When we got back we found that sister Lynn and Godmother Anne had been waiting for us for 4 hours. Manuel had let them into our unit after he got here so they had a/c and something to eat. We spent the afternoon with them as we won't see them again down here. They leave today for Ont. and that's why we chose this spot so we could hook up w/ them. They're staying at the brand new, all inclusive Hilton and were delivered here in a brand new BMW. Now that's class!
Last night I put a dvd together for Serge the owner of Villa del Sol and then got packed up. Now it's time to finish the packing and get ready to catch the cab at 7:30 to take us to the chicken bus. I'll post yesterdays pics on face book later.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25933&l=94057&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 7

Well this was a real busy day. We got up this morning at 6 a.m. as our driver was supposed to be here at 7:30. He got here early so we had a real short breakfast (toast and a fruit bowl). KEE-AH!...we're off in the Kia van with Javier and headed over to pick up Lynn. She was waiting for us in the reception area at the Hilton and the four of us (Soleilla from our place was with us) left for Liberia. We stopped there at a mall and I managed to pick up some Cohiba Cuban small cigars. The girls hit the banyo and away we went. Drove to Canas and then on to Bevedero where we were to leave on the boat cruise. Bevedero is a cute little out of the way place with a small population on the Las Tenorito River. This river smokes along pretty well. It's a muddy color and definitely not for swimming!
First thing we were asked what we wanted for lunch (which was part of the $85 package) The girls opted for the chicken and I went for the beef. We were then introduced to Amadelo our captain. This guy was very likeable and about 40. Javier joined us and was obviously a good friend of his. While we were at the departure point a group of youalls came in in an arrogant fashion and we thought, "Oh here we go". Turns out to our good fortune they were at the wrong place. We got on our boat which would have held about 40 and it was "our boat." No one else. Well the youalls passed us going like a bat out of hell and we waved like we'd miss them. We hadn't gone more than 5 minutes and the skipper stopped the big Yamaha and pointed out a croc on the bank. It was a small one about 8' long; shortly after that an iguana laden w/ eggs sitting on the bank. He was so attentive to us! He'd spot something and back up, jockey around so we could see, get our pictures and if we couldn't see what he was pointing at he'd use a mirror to point them out with a sunbeam! Our van driver also was a great spotter. We saw all we could ask for. Some of the crocs were around 15' long.
Birds galore and the cruise was at a very slow pace. Javier told us later we got an extra 55 minutes of cruise time. We tipped him pretty well when we got back and I gave him my business card explaining that I was also a "capitan". Well you'd think we were brothers after that. He also works out of Arenal on a large lake there so hopefully we'll see him again.
By this time it was around 1 pm and we were getting hungry. We loaded into the Kia van (nice with individual a/c) and headed for Canas. Got to the restaurant in the hotel, and it was 1st class! The "lunch" began with homemade tortillas and a bowl of some kind of additive like warm salsa. Very good. We also were given a large pitcher of water and another pitcher of some kind of juice that tasted slightly like pineapple juice to me but it wasn't.
Then came the food! Girls loved the chicken and the salsa that came with it. Javier joined us and we had beef. What a steak! Coleslaw, carrots and some other veggie, rice, and black beans. Man it makes my mouth water to think of it. Right behind our table were the desserts. The girls had coffee and then Jo bought a slab of some kind of million calorie chocolate cake which we all tasted. Worth every bit of weight gain!
Then it was time to move on and we headed off to Liberia. Lynn and Soleilla went into the mall again and got a bottle of the salsa we'd tried along with a big bottle of vanilla. Jo and I stayed behind and saved our money.
We dropped Lynn off at the Hilton and got back here about 3:30. Then it was time to hit the beach and go monkey hunting with Soleilla. When we got to the right place the girls went swimming and I hung out looking up into the trees we'd seen them in yesterday. There was a guy cleaning up the yard where we'd stopped yesterday and he invited me in to show me the monkeys. He signalled me to walk around so I did and found the monkeys were in different trees today but still the same troop. He invited the ladies in when they came looking for me. I think his family lived in a house on the grounds and he was a caretaker for the unoccupied houses next door. We watched for a while and I got all my pictures and then we headed back to the beach access path that we'd found the other day. Half way to the road Jo spotted some more monkeys and we watched them for a while. That's about it for the day. We were beat when we got back and it's taken me hours to download 120 pictures and write this blog.
I've still got about 50 videos that I haven't downloaded and some of them are pretty good. When I downloaded the last 60 pics to the facebook I lost them along with all the descriptive info so I'll add that later. Enjoy and leave your comments.
Now we have a quandry. If we drop off our 3rd bag in San Jose at a secure location we'll have to backtrack about 8 hours on the chicken bus. We're thinking of heading South to Puntarenas as far as we can go and then heading up the East coast of the peninsula, catching the ferry to the mainland and heading South along the West coast some more to around the Panamanian border. We'll see what happens. The reason we're changing our immediate plans to see Arenal is that Javier said the best time to see the volcano both at night and during the day is in March or April when it's clearer with no clouds blocking the view. At night you can see the red hot lava flowing down the sides.
So guess we'll devote tomorrow to making plans for the upcoming week. Lynn and Anne are thinking of joining us in town tomorrow night for an early supper (the last night here for all of us).
It's 10 pm and the temp is 29 and the humidity (which is higher than it has been) is 58. The only sound is the surf and the lawn sprinklers. Time for bed.
LINKS FOR THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25832&l=d77fc&id=680056043
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25830&l=19594&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 6

Wow another great day! Jo set the alarm clock for 5:30. I think we both woke up before that but by 5:45 we were through the gate and down the road heading to monkey country. We were there by daybreak and Jo saw several at the end of the road but too far to catch up to. We then heard one howling behind us in the trees but couldn't see him. I spotted something moving but it turned out to be a big gray squirrel. Much bigger than the ones up North and with a tail any redneck would be proud to have hanging off his aerial just below the confederate flag.
Giving up we returned to the digs and then headed in for breakfast. Met a lady from Calgary, Soleila. I think I know enough parlez vous to know her real name is Sonny. We got yacking and it seems everyone here speaks French but us. No matter, due to the archaic schoolboard of Canada I still know when I'm being talked about by a frenchman. Just kidding these are pretty nice people and right from France not Quebecois
After breakfast Jo and I headed down the beach to the village. We had copies made of our passports showing the entry stamp which we will keep with us while we lock up our passports for safekeeping. We then visited a couple of flophouses to see what it would cost to stay there the night prior to boarding the chicken bus at 8 a.m. the price ranged from $40 to $30, the $30 one being the better of the two.
We came back home without making a reservation to see what it would cost to get a cab to the bus station and still be there by 8 a.m. That's the way to go for sure. We'll be picked up at 7:30 for the 8 a.m bus. Sounds good to me. That way we can reach Escazu San Rafael and drop the bag off on Thurs., get a room and head to Arenal the next morning.
We spent the afternoon sitting in the shade by the pool. Jo sewing an inside pocket into my bathing suit for the hidden stash and me reading and having a cold one.
We headed out for the beach around 4 pm figuring we'd catch the 5 legged furry buggers before they went to bed. We got down there around 4:15, hung around wondering whether to go in for a swim or keep the binocs trained on the trees. Jo was the first to see movement and sure enough there was a monkey! Upon closer examination there was a whole damn family. At least two mothers with little babies hanging onto their chests, a couple of studs and a few jnrs. Altogether about 8-9. I gotta say that blew me away. I got a couple of good shots that need to be blown up and cropped to see the little guy but what a rush! First time I've ever seen a real monkey in the wild. Jo had a hard time getting me to leave. The french connection showed up while all this was going on and while I was videoing and recording their howls the *&%$#@@ thought they'd practise their @##$$%%^^&& monkey calls. Paul I hope you know how to separate frog calls from ape calls.
When we got back I was still on cloud 9. We walked to the grocery store and got a bottle of that Nicaraguan rum, some coke, Pilsen beer, bananas (what the hell are we buying bananas for)? and a can of beans. That's been our night so far. Jo's working on her log and I've been downloading pics and typing. I've got some great vids but they'll have to wait for a while.
Tomorrow we're going to see some wildlife (bloody well better for the cost of the tour) so stay tuned. Hope you enjoy the pics and we enjoy the comments.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25757&l=aab8c&id=680056043
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25763&l=489a5&id=680056043

INFO FOR THE WEARY TRAVELER

Some of the things we've found since our arrival:
We flew Amerian Airlines from Miami and Jo said she used the head en route and it was filthy! It's only a 2 1/2 hour flight so use the Miami airport.
Don't change your US/Can. money at the C.R. airport! They encouraged us to change more than we'd planned to get a better rate. For $500 we got a rate of 459 colones per 1.00 which made us look like millionaires. Our B&B was offering just over 500 colones for any amount so we got ripped off. If you need some colones just get $20 worth at the San Jose airport.
Use the chicken busses! They're as good as our greyhounds. No banyo on them so go first. The next level of busses I suspect has all the options. Our price for a 4 hour ride was under $10 for both of us. Our 1/2 hour cab ride to here was $25. Car's are very pricey to rent. Anywhere from $450 to $900 a week incl. insurance (and you sure as hell need that.) Even w/ insurance they want your credit card deposit for $1,000.
The water. It's perfectly ok here but we'll watch it when we go inland. We started using it in ice cubes for rum & coke but have had no regularity problems. If you have any doubts wait until you've got lodging for a period of time so you can stay close to a bathroom.
Laundry go light and don't bring a pile of socks or underwear. You can wash them out at night and they'll be dry by morning. Hint tie them to the overhead fan and watch your head. So far I think one pair of socks on the way down would have been sufficient. After that it's sandals.
A few things I thought of today while my mind was at work.
The hardest thing I've done down here so far is to have a shower and hold a drink of rum and coke at the same time without getting any water in it.
The 2nd most brilliant thing I've thought of is "the less hair you have the faster it dries." Now take those gems to the bank.
Bring zip lock bags. We've lightened our load and discarded socks, underwear, long sleeves, and so far no toilet paper problem after two weeks. 2 of everything is plenty.
Bugs (so far) have not been a factor (except for Jo who has sweet blood).
A good camera like I have will replace the need for a video camera and bring at least one extra camera battery and a 4 gig memory card. I'm loving this camera and it's attached at the hip (as is Jo)

Costa Rica day 5

Well we had breakfast about 7:30 and sat with our friends Ellen (I'd been calling her Helen) and Casey. They left today to head South. When I first went outside this morning I was looking around and spotted what appeared to be something in a nearby tree. The binoculars proved it to be a garrobo lizard about 2' long. If you check out the pics on facebook you'll see where I was when I first saw it and the other picture is a zoomed version. That's the beauty of having a 15x optical.
We then struck out for the beach and went South and walked for quite a long way. We reached a beautiful inlet but couldn't safely make it down to the sandy beach. The last 1/4 mile was over rocks that were quite sharp (ankle breakers if your wearing bifocals). It was difficult to get into the water due to the surge and rocks but Jo found a nice little tidal pool that was replenished about every other wave. It was full of small fish. Some resembled fresh water pencil fish (yellow w/ black stripes) and the others I've seen in salt water aquariums and I think they were blue damselfish. After every surge the water calmed down and they came out for a bite.
We finally headed back to a sandy beach for a snorkel but it was poor visiblity. I missed a great shot of a bunch of black vultures that seemed to be following us. I think they were making bets that I wouldn't make it to a bar. I also got a shot of several frigate birds. We saw flocks of brown pelicans that were in a Canada goose formation. We haven't seen many pelicans so far.
As we approached Coco beach the first thing we came to was La Vida Loca. It didn't take a mental giant to realize this was a watering hole. Dos Imperials por favor!!!! Ok make it quatro at $2.00 each what the hell.
Leaving there we came to the Golden Gate Bridge which is a loose board, shakey thing that crosses over the famous Costa Rica Septic River which you've probably all heard about. This was a single lane, take your chances bridge that led us to the main hub of Coco Beach. We found the bus depot, the cop shop and a great souvenir place that had some beautiful paintings and woodwork. It also had some great stuff for the kids but with a long way to go yet we skipped the souvenir part. We also found that the chicken bus leaves at 8 a.m. every day. We'd be hard pressed to get from here to there by 8 a.m so I think the plan will be when we leave here is to find a flophouse close to the bus station and spend a night there and then head out the next day to San Jose or rather Escazu where an acquaintance of Jo's has an office where we'll drop off our 3rd bag which is now empty and fill it with whatever we won't need to carry inland. We can pick it up on our way back to the coast.
Trucking back along the beach a lady asked us to take a family photo for them before they left tomorrow. Turns out they're from Kelowna. The Kamloops drunks from last night are gone today. Probably checked into rehab after drinking beer out of bongs all night.
We got home, had a beer and a wrap and then headed down the beach again to see the howler monkeys which get vocal in the morning and evening. Well they must have had a helluva day cause they were all in the sack by the time we got there.
It was a beautiful night. About 80 degrees with a little breeze. We sat outside the room and had a rum & coke (Jo made me finish it as there was only a "little" left. Now it's time to start downloading and typing. Jo's doing her journal. It's 8:30 and we're pretty beat so it will be an early night and hopefully we can wake up the apes tomorrow morning. I've never seen a real live wild monkey so it's pretty high on my list. The camera batteries are charging so we should be good to go.
I'll add the link to todays pics momentarily. I hope someone out there is reading this. Stay tuned if you are
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=25615&l=0aac6&id=680056043