Pura Vida - Hanging Around with Crocodiles

So who wants to go walk on top of the jungle?  Or float down a river full of crocodiles?   Or even walk on the beach where the Leatherback Turtles lay their eggs?  If all  that is too strenuous there is always soaking in the hot springs.  Let's hit the road!

First stop was at the Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges.  

The Hanging Bridges are like walking on top of the jungle.  There are a total of 6 bridges and we were offered the opportunity to do one, three or all six.  Any guesses how many I wanted to do?  Any guesses how many I actually did?  The part of our brochure saying there were uneven trails and steps put me on guard so I elected to do only the first one even though I wanted to do all six.  Pat did three and a few of our group elected to do all six.  Oh well,  it gave me some extra shopping time in the gift shop.

Stupido here was so enthralled at the jungle below her that she didn't take a picture of the bridge itself.  Anyway this is what I saw.

The teeny little white flower above the yellow ginger plant is a Sensitivity Plant.  If you touch its leaves it will immediately droop.  The last one is a Costa Rican Cattail.  Sure doesn't look like the cattails I know.

Off to walk on the beaches where the Leatherback Turtles lay their eggs.

The Leatherbacks, are on the vulnerable list because their numbers are decreasing.  They are killed for their oil to be used in lamps or for caulking boats.  If left alone they can live up to 45 years, grow to 7' and weigh up to 2,000 pounds.  They are one of the most migratory of sea turtles crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Oh, the name?  Their shells are the texture of leather instead of hard as we think of turtle shells.

Not much to see other than the displays since the turtles do all their egg laying at night, but they sure chose a beautiful place to start their lives.

No picking up of shells or driftwood on the beaches here.  So these are my souvenirs.  :)  The conservation efforts of Costa Rica are amazing and should be followed by a lot more of the world.

I tend to shy away from political or controversial subjects but the deforestation of rainforests is a major concern and can seriously impact our planet.  Read up on it, it can be scary.

After our visit to the beach it was time to head to another beach, this one not as sandy - more rocky - at the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort.

Thursday was Thanksgiving so we had the day off from touring just to relax and enjoy this beautiful place.  Some went on nature trails, some went out on a catamarand, other swam in the the infinity pool, and some just hung out and did a bit of shopping.  A few shots around the resort.

This was my banana for breakfast.  That is a normal sized hotel key.  People were in the hammocks all day long.  I figured if I got in I would never get out.

So let's go croc hunting!!!  The river of choice is the Tarcoles River adjacent to the Carara Biological Reserve.  Although we didn't see any, it is the nesting site for the scarlet macaw.  Again we were on board a boat and a bit rougher water so look past the fuzziness and imagine how wonderful it is to see these babies in the wild.

You recognize the crocodile and the next one is a Black Necked Stilt and then the rarely seen Costa Rican Cow Bird  :) .  We were all amazed at the Charolais and crocodiles living in unison but Aaron explained the crocs want fish not beef.

The lizard is a "Jesus Christ" lizard.  According to Aaron it is because tourists see one and go "Jesus Christ - it's a lizard!!!!!"  Actually the name comes from its ability to walk on water.

The lizards can run on water because they have a fringe of scales on their hind toes which makes little webs that can trap bubbles of air and water beneath their feet. This keeps them from sinking into the water if they run quickly enough across. When they do stop running they don’t mind taking a little swim. The smaller lizards can run further than the bigger and heavier ones. Basilisks usually weigh between 200-600 grams (0.44 - 1.3 lbs) and may grow to be about 2 feet (61 cm) long although they average about 1 foot (30.5 cm) in length.   They can run up to 5.2 mph.

Wonder if that Snowy Egret is wiggling his bright yellow toes making fish think they are worms - work smarter not harder!  

Rain coming in - time to head for the house!!

Had to stop along the way for ice cream and  a visit with a couple of the larger reptiles of Costa Rica.  I was in the back of the bus over a wheel well on this leg of the journey but from what I could hear and understand - the dairy was started by conscientious objectors that moved to Costa Rica in 1950.  I did a little Googling and found a fascinating history of the area and the dairy.  Worth a read if you have a couple of minutes.  History of Monteverde  The ice cream was wonderful.

On to the Baldi Hot Springs to relax and enjoy.  Although I do not like to be on the lens side of the camera I made an exception this time.

Although a cool glass of Chardonnay was more appealing than sitting in the waters many of the group did and loved it.  Oh did I mention there was a gift shop? 

I just shoot what I see without explanation...was right there as you walked in with no placard or signage of any sort.

Their website's "About Us"

Baldi is located in La Fortuna de San Carlos, Costa Rica on a privileged site at the base of the imposing Arenal Volcano and surrounded by exuberant nature, is the largest resort of the world with its 25 pools of thermal water, rich in minerals and healing properties.

Beautiful and the Chard was good too!

Next post will be full of beautiful butterflies, silly monkeys, walks in the jungle and whatever else is hanging around in my picture directory.

Lots of whispers to be heard around Costa Rica, wish I had had the time to listen to more of them.

Vida Pura - Rio Frio

Rio Frio through the Canon Negro Wildlife Preserve

Coffee on the lanai with your life long friend in Costa Rica - how much better could it get?

We stayed at the base of the Poas Volcano, an active volcano that has erupted 40 times since 1828 - most recently in April of 2017.  The volcano and the park surrounding it are both closed indefinitely.

Each bungalow was landscaped for privacy and beautiful birdsong and other "nature" sounds could be heard without the overlaying of car horns and train whistles - purely paradise.

After breakfast we were off to another adventure, driving through pinapple, sugar cane, teak and orange plantations.  Didn't recognize a teak plantation nor did I see anything that made me think of oranges (but I could have been dozing).  However, we did pass pineapple fields and sugar cane.

Pineapple in Costa Rica is like American pineapple on steroids.  The sweetness is unbelievable.  Every meal there was fruit platters set out including the locally grown pineapple.  For the brave (and Pat and I are bound and determined to be brave one day) you can use the rind of the pineapple to make a fermented drink - there is natural yeast in the rind that is the catalyst in the fermentation.  Sooo if you are adventuresome, get you a fresh pineapple.  Layer a good dose of sugar in the bottom of a jar, press in the rind of the pineapple tightly, cover with water and shake to dissolve the sugar.  Top the jar with a rubber glove.  When the glove waves at you it is ready.  That is how it was explained to us by Aaron who seemed to like it based on his smiles and inflection in his voice.

So we are tootling along the road way and Rolo comes to a stop and there was a monkey sitting on a tree limb watching the world go by.  I still get goosey bumps thinking about these animals running free in the wild and not in a cage at a zoo.

A bit further down the road we stopped again and everyone was pointing at a bush.

What I saw

What they saw - that teeny yellow piece in the "hole" of the tree.

What I finally saw hiding in the tree.

Off we went past fields/orchards(?) of banana trees.  The blue bags are to keep the moisture out and the bugs at bay as well as slowing the ripening process down, until they are ready to be picked.

Once again we stopped, this time for a couple of iguanas on a date.  The male is the bright orange one that is showing off for his lady.  We didn't stick around to see if she accepted his proposal.

One more stop this time preceded by the birdwatchers in the group shrieking "OMG OMG babble babble babble" while pointing out the window.  It was just a Yellow Throated Toucan (SQUEAL!!!)

Papaya seemed to be on the menu today at the local front yard café.

Time to board the boat and float down the Rio Frio towards Nicaragua.

Not our boat but one like it. Not a bad seat on the boat except the traffic flow was such that those sitting on the "curb" side got the better view.  Note to self - in the future sit on "curb" side of a boat or bus while on tour.  

Anhinga

This was used in the movie Avatar - the tree of life

Heron, green iguana and a Kingfisher

You know I would find rust...gotta have my daily fix of rust.

There was flooding recently and all the crocodiles along the river were back in the flooded areas where the food was plentiful and easily acquired.  The trio in the row boat were out fishing.  We passed one solitary guy that waved and then held up a humungous fish, I believe my buddy on board said it was a oorlog.  My buddy was the owner of the restaurant where we were to have lunch, he came along on the boat ride and was so sweet pointing out stuff to me, moving aside so I could get in a good position to see/shoot, and then started showing me all his photos on the phone.  The last little guy is a yellow crowned night heron.

So we head on down the river and we come to the marker between Nicaragua and Costa Rica and this sign.  Basically welcoming us to Nicaragua and telling us it is a natural preserve and to keep it that way.  The cutie standing beside the sign is our tour leader, Aaron who is by far the best leader I have ever had on any tour.  Three degrees - one in Toxonomy, grew up in Costa Rica and knows all the wildlife and all the plants.  Wealth of information!

See the green barbed wire behind the country marker?  That is their "wall" to keep the Nicaraguans out of Costa Rica.  Works well...not :)  They have a great influx of Nicaraguans coming for the Pura Vida and economic security.

 Soon time to head back to the dock and head to lunch.

"Bye...thanks for coming"