Cloudbridge was always going to be difficult to follow, we knew that from early on. So, taking advice from many we'd met, we headed off to Drake Bay, or Bahia Drake (Drah-kay), as it's known in Costa Rica, named after that Sir Francis bloke.
During the long bus ride, Alan suddenly asked the date. 13th, I said, why? Because we've booked the room from 14th, he said...... Our final week of catering at Cloudbridge had obviously fried our brains! Luckily our hasty email sent from a roadside cafe during a bathroom break to the owner of the accommodation was answered by the next break - our room was available! After a long, hot bus journey we found ourselves, in the late afternoon, with other travellers and locals in a riverside restaurant in a small town called Sierpe, waiting for the boat to Drake Bay.
Scarlet macaw ......a local resident in a tree next to the restaurant
Soon, the captain made himself known and we all boarded the little boat. In the fading light we sped down the river, slowing as we entered a narrow tributary lined with meandering mangroves, before emerging into choppy open sea, where Alan's arm was tightly gripped by the Italian woman next to him, who screeched and crossed herself every time we hit a wave.
Heading to Drake Bay in the fading light....
....Under a dramatic sky
Magnificent mangroves
Dolphins are often spotted during the 40 minute journey, but not this time, but no matter; it was a spectacular journey. Despite having read about it on the Internet and looked at others' photos, as we neared the shore we were unprepared for the low-key, lush natural beauty of Drake Bay.
View from our room next day
As soon as we arrived at our accommodation and the owner had enjoyed a good laugh about our premature arrival we booked an additional night - it was stunningly beautiful there and the view from our little balcony was superb. For once, we opted for breakfast at the hostel (we'd cooked enough breakfasts to last us a good while), but cooked our other meals in the shared kitchen. The kids' favourite, gallo pinto, was, of course, on the breakfast menu!
'Where'd you think you've been?!': cherrie's tanager pair in the tree outside our room:
The main reason travellers go to Drake Bay is to visit Corcovado National Park, a nature reserve, preferred by many to Manuel Antonio for its remoteness and limit on both the numbers of tourists allowed into the reserve each day and the area accessible to the public. Entrance is allowed only by booking in advance, and accompanied by a guide. We booked via the hostel and were also excited to book a snorkelling tour to Cano Island, renowned for its marine life and coral reefs. The first day, though, we just wandered along the golden palm-fringed beaches and swam in the calm, warm sea. This'll do!
Every evening during our stay at Drake Bay we enjoyed the twilight roosting of the green parrots; what a racket! With a beer/juice in hand, we watched them fly in from every direction at 5.20pm sharp to the trees near our balcony, landing on each others' heads and hanging upside down from the branches, so comical. At 5.38pm they flew to their final choice of roost and all was quiet again.
Wish this image had sound - noisy little buggers!
It's still strange to us, hailing as we do from a country where the sun can rise at any time from 4.30am in the summer to 8am in the winter and set from as early as 3.30pm and as late as 11pm, that here in the tropics the sun rises and sets at the same time each day.
The snorkelling trip to Cano Island was the highlight of our visit - absolutely fantastic. We've been on loads of snorkelling trips in our time, but never with a guide. His love and enthusiasm for his job were obvious and he was as thrilled as we were when we encountered green turtles, many, many different fish, white-tipped reef sharks and, our favourite that day- spotted eagle rays - gliding elegantly beneath us and sting-rays, barely visible under the sand on the sea-floor. We were in the warm water for hours. Others we met said that they were disappointed as they'd snorkelled the Barrier Reef, Borneo etc. Beats us how anyone can be blasé about seeing such amazing creatures. A top day.
Beach where we stopped for lunch
Corcovado National Park
Next day, bright and early, off by boat to Corcovado. Several groups arrived at the same time and off we all trekked with our guides through the jungle. Guides in Costa Rica (and most likely all over the world) now have scopes on tripods through which you can see the animals and birds clearly and, through which you can take a photo through with your smart phone ..if you have one, . Not far into the jungle we spotted a sloth, basking in the early morning sun at the top of the canopy.
Photo of a sloth through the guide's scope
A curaçao: these huge birds, members of the turkey family, make a very low booming sound
Woodpecker
The Sirena Rangers' station, one of the stations where visitors can stay overnight
Iguana in a log
Alan dwarfed by a strangler fig
Beautiful bromeliad - did you know that pineapples are bromeliads? It's one long biology lesson here in Costa Rica
At last... A collared peccary! We'd seen their footprints and heard them snuffling around at Cloudbridge, but never saw one
Another one - a whole family group, bustling about in the undergrowth - quite indifferent to humans and they produce a very 'distinktive' aroma from their scent glands
Our first glimpse of a TAPIR!!!
And a closer look - cooling off in the mud - they're enormous, the size of a cow
Young howler monkey
Spider monkey
Jesus Christ lizard, so-called as they can run on water... Cool
Not a bad roll call of flora and fauna. The guide was disappointed that we did not see a puma, as there had been several sightings over the past couple of days, but we were more than happy with what we'd seen. And, just as we were finishing our hike, we happened upon a group of about 40 coatis... A fantastic finale.
Grooming coatis .... Aaaaah
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Drake Bay, relaxing, hiking and swimming: the perfect way to cope with our Cloudbridge withdrawal symptoms. One day we walked from our bay, Agujitas, to Josecito, 4 hours there and 2 and a half back, through the jungle and passing bay after idyllic bay, most of them deserted.
Now you see me.....
Now you don't... The water really was this colour and reminded us of the Mexican cenotes
Amazing ceiba tree - with green photosynthetic bark
Gerroff!
Another stunning deserted beach
These guys hurtled in from nowhere, in pursuit of another capuchin
Before giving up the chase and just hanging out (this little one's just a couple of feet away)
Another lesson learned... Sometimes it's all about the journey
Not relishing the thought of another long and complicated bus journey, we looked online and found a tourist shuttle bus which would take us all the way from Sierpe to Cahuita, instead of having to go all the way to the less than delightful capital, San Jose to change buses. It was more expensive, sure, but we thought we'd splash out for a rare treat to enjoy the convenience and faster journey. How wrong could we be? At 9am the driver found us at the same riverside restaurant we'd arrived at and we boarded a nice clean minibus with loads of legroom. Shortly another couple climbed on board. Still good. Chatting to them, we discovered that they were going to San Jose. Hmmm... That means we're stopping in the capital after all, we thought, but still, we'll be quicker and won't have the hassle of changing buses. After a while we saw signs to Manuel Antionio, the national park we'd visited for Anna's birthday, and miles out of our way, but yes, that's where we were heading. Arriving there, we stopped and the driver grunted that we'd have to get out. In answer to our query as to why, he said we were changing buses and after about half an hour by the road in the hot sun, another minibus arrived, with another driver and we all got on. It was shabby and there was no leg room AT ALL. Loads more tourists from hotels and hostels all around Manuel Antonio were shoe-horned into the vehicle until it was packed full. At the request of a passenger who'd heard about the place, we stopped at a bridge over a wide, muddy river, where lurked dozens of crocodiles:
Now, I'm sure you've gathered from our blog, if you didn't know before, that we are animal lovers, but these things, (plus evil mosquitoes and slimy slugs...) What purpose do they serve? Horrible creatures. Sorry to any crocodilophiles out there. Don't get me wrong, I would never condone the use of crocodile skins for bags or shoes, or wish them harm, but they are seriously nasty ... Just look at that one going for the one getting out of the water.... Yuk. But fascinating, I must admit, as the hordes of tourists on the bridge obviously agreed. And they got us out of the sardine can for 10 minutes.
Finally reaching the outskirts of San Jose at around 4pm, one of the tourists had been anxious for miles that she'd miss her flight. She just made the airport in time. Then round and round the city we drove until we were all cranky and dizzy, seeking the Sleep Inn to drop off the couple. Yet another stop at yet another hotel, then finally on our way to Puerto Viejo via Cahuita. We hadn't stopped for food and the driver had been working since 10am without a proper break. Meanwhile, Anna's slightly gippy tummy became seriously growly and man, was she glad when we eventually stopped for a quick snack at a motorway restaurant. By now the sun was setting and we still had about 4 hours to go (or so we thought). Just three of us plus the driver now, so at least we could stretch our contorted limbs. The traffic from San Jose to the unavoidable port of Limon was at a complete standstill due to roadworks... On both carriageways.... Genius! Anna by now was suffering that feeling of utter dread, praying that we'd reach the next public toilet in time. The driver looked unsurprisingly knackered and, despite reminding him that we were heading for Cahuita, we ended up in Puerto Viejo,14km beyond, unable to find the other tourist's hostel for ages, then arriving in Cahuita couldn't find our Airbnb, which turned out to be out of town on an unmade road. What a disaster. At 10.20pm we reached our accommodation, having started on the 7.15am boat from Drake Bay that morning. At least we could just fall into bed in our lovely little cabin, but the driver had to return to San Jose that night. We feared for his safety. Poor man. We will think very seriously before taking another shuttle bus!
Cahuita
Cahuita, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica is delightful little town
Cahuita is an interesting cultural mix. Founded in 1828 by turtle hunter, William Smith and his family, the town became home to English-speaking sea turtle fishermen of Afro-Caribbean origin, who sailed from the Nicaraguan coast and Bocas del Toro in Panama during the summer month to fish green and hawksbill sea turtles with a harpoon, and grew subsistence crops such as plantains, yucca, yams and coconut. The many people of Afro-Caribbean origin in the town speak English with a soft, lilting Caribbean accent, Spanish and patois. There are plenty of rastas and reggae, but it's far more low-key than its brasher neighbour, Puerto Viejo. Lining the dirt roads, the colourful houses and cafes are mostly wooden and charmingly ramshackle.
The Cahuita National Park was a great surprise. Nobody we'd met along the way had mentioned it and therefore we had no expectations. Starting our hike early on a damp morning, after a night of torrential rain, we were the only visitors. Fringed by white sand beaches and mangroves, the trails were muddy and slippery. Savouring the early morning freshness we picked our way through the squelchy mud, peering up into the trees in the hopes of spotting e a monkey, bird, or even a sloth. Not far into the reserve we spotted what I thought was a wet, messy nest. Alan stood aghast and called me back: 'There's a baby sloth!'. 'Nah', I replied, 'it's a nest'. 'I tell you, it's a baby sloth!'. 'It's a nest', 'It's a baby sloth - it's got toes, two of them!'. Not daring to hope that it was actually a baby sloth, I retraced my steps and, to my amazement, saw that it was indeed a baby 2 toed sloth, absolutely drenched and bedraggled from the previous night's downpour.
First glimpse...... Is it a nest, or......... Could it be....?
It IS a baby sloth
Just look at its face... So cute
What luck! With sore necks from gazing upwards we eventually tore ourselves away from the gorgeous creature to continue the hike, spotting numerous birds, crabs and... An armadillo... It scuttled away from us into the undergrowth... We crouched by his hideout, downwind, camera in hand, waiting for him to re-emerge, . Emerge he did, scampering at some speed between my feet, I couldn't focus the camera in time :
Little 9 banded armadillo, up close and personal!
In the Cahuita National Park on a drizzly morning
I love this pic taken by Alan of a dragonfly in the reserve
Raptor
Huge orb spider
Very happy with with our morning's hike we headed back as the rain started, passing groups of cagoule-clad tourists going the other way. We were so glad we'd started early and witnessed the little sloth waking after a very wet night. The Cahuita National Park is free to enter, donations welcome. We loved it.
Many travellers we'd met had recommended the Jaguar Rescue Centre in Puerto Viejo, so we thought we'd give it a whirl. It was founded by a couple who began their animal rescue career by caring for and rehabilitating an orphaned jaguar, though there are no jaguars there now. It's quite pricey to enter, but all in a good cause, we thought, when deciding whether to visit, plus we'd get to see the legendary party town. After our visit, our jury was out about this centre - it seemed as if their heart is in the right place and no doubt they do some very good work: many rescued animals are brought in by locals and the police and successfully rehabilitated, but it all appeared a bit commercial and possibly superficial - there was a slick shop selling very overpriced t-shirts, bags and stickers etc (though obviously animals are expensive to feed and house properly) and we were a bit surprised to learn that they feed a raptor who comes every year from the States for its winter vacation at the centre. There was a feeding display by one of the volunteers. Weird, this was a wild animal, yet they encourage it to return by feeding it. We've often thought how good it would be to volunteer working with animals, but the volunteers there looked bored stiff. The orphaned baby sloths, possums and howler monkeys were impossibly cute, though, as was the cranky old ocelot, who, quite old when he came, injured. to the centre, kept returning when they tried to reintroduce him to the wild, so he lives there in retirement, sleeping most of the day and snarling grouchily at the volunteers when they bring his food. The rescue centre now makes sufficient money to employ its own vet now, so good luck to them.
King snake - not venomous: 'Red on black, OK Jack, red on yellow, kill the fellow' goes the old rhyme, as a reminder of which colour pattern denoted a poisonous snake of this type
(Hopefully we're a bit more enlightened now and don't slaughter the venomous ones willy-nilly)
The tiny monkeys cling to the volunteers: their surrogate mums. They also pull any loose strand of hair escaping from under the volunteers' headscarves and tug at shoelaces, sticky plasters etc. Very cute and very naughty. Apparently, they start practising the primeval howling sound at a very young age.
Small green frog under a leaf (not rescued - they live and breed in a pond in the grounds)
Our time in Cahuita was over far too soon and ..... It was also time to leave Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a country which is often bypassed by backpackers and budget travellers, due to the very high cost of living, which is almost the same as the UK or US for many essential items. We've managed to keep costs down by self-catering, and, during our 9 weeks at Cloudbridge we were not near a shop, so it was easy not to snack! How the ordinary Tico/a (as Costa Ricans call themselves) in the street, whose income does not mirror that of the UK or US, manages to live, we have no idea. Many people grow some edible crops: beans, tomatoes and pumpkins and exchange them with neighbours and family, but how they buy clothes and other essentials is a mystery. And the women always look so glamorous! It's rare to see a natural toe- or fingernail: patterned, painted and acrylic'ed to the max is the norm, and tight jeans coupled with close-fitting Aeropostale brand t-shirts, feet squeezed into vertiginous heels, is the uniform of choice. There are 'American ropa' stores in the bigger towns: large shops selling pre-loved clothes and bedding at very cheap prices.
Costa Rica is an amazing country, one of the most bio-diverse in the world. It's a stunningly beautiful place and we are so glad we spent time here. A few facts:
- Costa Rica has more than 800 miles of coastline, Pacific and Caribbean
- The more than 500,000 species that are found in this small country represent 4%-6% (depending on which report you read) of the total species estimated worldwide. Of these 500,000 species, just over 300,000 are insects.
- About 25 percent of tiny Costa Rica’s land area has been set aside in national parks and protected areas
- The government’s goal is for Costa Rica to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021
- Costa Rica has no standing army
- Population: ~ 4 million
- Largest exports used to coffee, bananas and sugar, nowadays eco-tourism and quality medical products such as pacemakers top the list
- Costa Rica borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. The Caribbean Sea borders Costa Rica to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
- Terrain: plains stretch along the coast with rugged mountains and over 100 volcanic cones between. Costa Rica also boasts some of the most lush rainforest and pristine tropical beaches in the world.
- Currency: Costa Rican colon (when we were here there were 800 to the pound)
- Climate: Costa Rica has a tropical climate and is warm to hot year-round. The temperature ranges from approximately 24 - 32 degrees centigrade throughout the year with cooler temperatures in the central mountains (it was nippy at Cloudbridge first thing and at night)
- There is a strong focus on education and a stable political climate, making it a top destination for ex-pats, especially North Americans and Canadians
- A large percentage of Costa Ricans live below the poverty line and the cost of living is high compared to other Central and South American countries
- The national dish is... (We'll find out who's been reading closely here).... GALLO PINTO!
- (But, of course, no country is without its problems: Harsh prison conditions, domestic abuse and human trafficking are among the top concerns for Costa Rica, also child sex exploitation and tourism. Petty crime is fairly common, too.)
So, adios, lovely Costa Rica, we've had an absolutely wonderful time and you'll be a hard act to follow.
Next post: Southwards to Panama - has anyone seen our mojo?
A Team! What adventurers! Love reading your stories and feel inspired each time! Miss you guys madly. x
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