We woke early today and were first in the restaurant for breakfast, thankfully as Addison once again decided to have breakfast quite literally ‘on the go’ making laps of the restaurant holding his toast. We then set off on the short journey to our boat tour. Luckily for us Lois knew a local boat owner who agreed to give us a private trip which was a blessing as Addison continued to stamp his own loud and active signature on the morning. The trip was incredible, simply breathtaking, for those who have seen Apocalypse Now think about journeying deeper into the jungle in search of Kurtz and you’re not far off.
Despite the stifling heat at the hotel the river provided a welcome breeze and areas of shade. We saw numerous iguanas, birds and large fish in the clear water before spotting a Cayman sunning himself on the bank in the distance. With some skillful skippering we managed to get within a few metres of him for some great pics. We then followed the distinctive sounds of the howler monkeys, which Bayley has now mastered, to track a family down high in the tree tops. Despite the river being the driest in memory acording to locals we spotted,my other creatures (see link to pics at end of post) before heading back.
We then headed back to the hotel for a picnic lunch picked up from the local bakery on the veranda to shelter from the midday heat. The food here is tasty but quite simple, so it is easy to find something for all appetites.
By 2:30 we were ready for our last, and what turned out to be most challenging trek. Our location was Tirimbina Rainforest Reserve and Addison was packed into the backpack, long trousers, long sleeves and closed toe shoes were donned and off we went. Immediately the difference in trail was apparent as we were now much lower than previous treks in a traditional rainforest. The trees were really dense and the trail rustic at best. We had a good idea of what was in store when Luis stopped us for a briefing with strict instructions of ‘touch nothing, don’t step off the trail and keep Bayley close’ needless to say we heeded his advice. A few minutes later we were warned of a venomous snake sighting just off the trail up ahead which made Luis extra vigalent. As we rounded a bend in the trail he called us all past him then pointed to what looked like a pile of leaves at the base of the tree we has just passed, it was in fact the highly venomous pit nosed viper, three feet away from us! Mandy was of course hugely curious and leant in for a closer look, I however opted for the zoom lens of the camera.
After this excitement we continued on the trail at which point I noticed everyone else seemed to be wearing knee high wellie boots to protect them from snake bites, I asked about this to be told that they were tourists who turned up in flip flop and were given the boots for their own safety. We then went on to see all three varieties of Toucan, a three-toed sloth to finish our sloth family, numerous orchids and some huge iguanas. As we headed back to the car we found a sleeping sloth high up in the trees asleep facing us, the pics of him are very funny.
We stopped at a local roadside diner for tea allowing the kids to refuel before returning to the hotel after dark. Mandy opted for a chicken, advacao and rice dish, the kids shared some breaded fish, which has become a firm favourite and I tucked into Fried Chicken.
The last bit of nature stalking for the day was to try and find the ref eyed tree frog I had located in a pond that morning for a night time shot of his red eyes. After some excitement involving Bayley falling into the foliage and Addison chasing a lizard we located a couple of frogs and I captured the pic above.
Tomorrow is the end of the road trip and back to the beach, we will stop by a live volcanoe on the way to break up the trip so fingers crossed for good visibility at 2,700m
All the pics from today are on the link below, I hope you’re not all bored yet I suspect the updates will slow down once we return to the beach for some well earned relaxation time…..however we are on holiday with Mandy so perhaps not 🙂
https://picasaweb.google.com/109892698747046335850/CostaRica2014Day9?noredirect=1
Toodles
The Smith-Bodgers holiday diary 