Photos : Costa Rica, Turrialba
White line fever
Finally we were out of LA Jnr and in a smaller town. I was hoping the town exuded warmth and would have an inviting feel. Don’t get me wrong, it was an OK place but it is a nondescript sort of place with little heart.
4 of us opted for a day’s white water rafting adventure with members of the Costa Rican national team. Aside from not being rafting for over 15 years, the attraction was the picturesque location. The Pacuare River has been recognised as one of the top five most beautiful raftable rivers of the world in the National Geographic Magazine. Not only is it beautiful but it also has class a IV section! Woohoo. The water level wasn’t too high but rapids were consistent and the scenery spectacular. Lush vegetation overlooks the river clinging to the steep banks. You can hear the wildlife during the quieter stretches of water but attempts to get a glimpse were unsuccessful.
There are numerous companies organising the tours with some stretching out the time on the river to a day or more. This is more about getting money than rafting the best rapids. Many of the rafts are full to the brim with tourists however we were lucky enough to have only 4 of us plus guide. Lunch was at a camp perched above river. Our chefs were the guide and photographer. Great spot to relax, take in the view and eat great food.
Back on the river for a few hours of scenery but relatively tame rapids. Finally the steep banks gave way to relatively flat surroundings and the beauty of the scenery gave way to roadways and our ride home.
He’s bananas and taking us with him
Heading to the coast we travelled past a banana plantation and stopped to get a brief outline of what the workers do and how the factory works. Nothing too exciting but it gave us a chance to stretch our legs and listen to Luis’s condescending recitation. Now before you think I’m being unkind to Luis, here’s a little gem. After the ‘banana show and tell’ he presented each of us with the small stickers put on the bananas. What the hell?!?!?! Are we 5 and want these? What are we to make of our tour leader treating us to these rare gems, heirlooms if you will (please insert a bucketful of sarcasm) from the Costa Rica companies? I mean it’s not as though we could get them from something as strange as bananas, is it?
Not long after leaving the banana plantation the bus came to a halt as a sloth had been spied. To attract the tourist dollar it is not uncommon for the locals to capture the animals in the wild then bring them to the low branches of a tree by the roadside, preferably outside their house too, in order to woo tourists to take pictures then charge for the privilege. I didn’t take any pics as I didn’t want to promote the practice, probably should have as it was the closest we’d ever get to one, but some others in the group did.
Eventually we arrived at the port to board our boat to Turrialba. The drive took an extra 30 minutes while we had muppet man, sorry Luis, stop the bus to look at birds he could see. Each time he would turn to the bus and announce “Mr Jim, that’s one more for the list. It was the grey feathered cabaret styled big bird from the east coast”…well maybe he called the bird another name but I can’t remember. Don’t get me wrong, I try to appreciate nature’s wonders as much as anyone but having the bus come to sudden stops every 10 minutes because a bird flew into the trees or is in flight, can wear a bit thin unless you’re an ornithologist.
So now at the port, muppet man went to find the boat but not before he advised us to be careful of the sun and stand in the shade. Great thinking!!! Who would have thought that big fireball in the sky could hurt the flesh? How did we survive all these years without muppet man’s advice? We live in wonder. He attempted to herd us to the sanctuary of the shade with outstretched arms however all and sundry smiled and went our own way. He looked forlorn and deflated.
The boat ride is along rivers/canals, that are both natural and man made, to the coast. We were lucky enough to see a number of different types of birds. Don’t ask me the names as it pretty much went in one ear and out the other. Our concentration was trying to take the pictures not learning that the long legged blue headed mot mot procreates in the daylight hours but only when watched by a 
crocodile over 10 feet in length on the east side of the river….if you get my drift.
Arriving at our lodge we were pleasantly surprised to find the surroundings better than we expected and probably the best we’ve ever experienced with Explore. The rooms are basic with no TV and no air-con but a fan and natural ventilation. It was a welcome relief to the previous accommodation and the surroundings were very natural. The howler monkeys were not timid and were climbing over the roof tops and the trees around the grounds. This proved to be the best photo opportunity for them too.
In what was no surprise, the resort held a limbo competition open to all ages, shapes and sizes. I can say that our group, well Chris, Kat and Mike, performed admirably and we (OK it’s the royal we..obviously without me) won. We shared the resort with most nationalities and it was an interesting game of spot the ugly race/nation.
Taxi, cayman and muppet
The next day was a walking tour to spot the elusive toucans and other wildlife. You need a good lens or binoculars to see much of the wildlife especially the toucan. They are more often than not perched high in the tree tops with almost perfect camouflage for the lush vegetation. Originally we thought it was a walk up a small mountain but as it turned out it was a leisurely walk around the base of the mound/hill. We did get to see the blue jean frog and a rare bird (pictured right…sorry can’t remember the name) plus a small lizard, a toucan (I think it was a toucan anyway) and we heard monkeys. Not a total waste but not an earth shattering experience. Muppet man, against our better judgement, did come out alive….some of us, well okay me, had a vision of him tied to an ants nest with a sign draped around his neck stating “hola hola hola, my friends (can I call you my friends?), I’d like to thank god for this wonderful experience!”
From our tour of the mound we headed back to limbo hotel in our boat. This was probably the best wildlife spotting chance. Our photographic prowess or lack thereof, captured some birds in flight and on the banks.
Later in the evening we boarded another taxi (boat) for the twilight tour of the region. A few more animals were seen and as with any type of wildlife tour, wildlife is not guaranteed. We did get to see some monkeys jumping in the tree tops, some birds, a small lizard, turtle and a cayman…and heaps of other tourists. The twilight tour was worthwhile, more so than the mound climbing 🙂
Nicaragua for tea
Leaving our resort we were in for another taxi ride to our bus. The trip weaved its way along the canals until the canals became rivers. Lush vegetation gave way to more a more rural landscape with a rainforest backdrop. A couple of hours into the boat ride we came to the border of Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The river bends to the left with another river heading to Nicaragua at the apex. In what appears to be a farcical display of officious time wasting, you stop at the Costa Rica border on the left bank, travel 200m across the river to the Nicaragua border on the right bank, then across the apex to the Costa Rica border. The sign adorning the Nicaraguan bank was emphatic in stating you couldn’t take pictures aka do as you’re told and we won’t shoot you. Either the border patrol can’t read the sign or they don’t care or thought they were auditioning for “Nicaragua’s next top border patrolman”. We suffered no restrictions and by all accounts had a smooth crossing. In a fleeting moment we were back to Costa Rica, our memories of Nicaragua a fast fading memory 🙂