Welcome to my 125th Visit and 120th Run UN Country and Antonia’s 31st Visit UN Country out of a total of 193. This is the 7th country of our trip out of a total of 9.
This post presents two sets of text and photos for two separate places in Costa Rica so keep scrolling down to the end. First, the best facts about Costa Rica…
Costa Rica (Pop 5,212,173) is
Spanish speaking and dominated by The Mestizos. It is 75% the size of Tasmania.
Costa Rica was inhabited by eight indigenous groups as far back as 1500BC before
coming under Spanish rule in the 16th century. Only 65,000 remain today. It
remained a peripheral colony of the empire until independence as part of the
First Mexican Empire, followed by membership in the Federal Republic of Central
America, from which it formally declared independence in 1847. Following the
brief Costa Rican Civil War in 1948, it permanently abolished its army in 1949,
becoming one of only a few sovereign nations without a standing army. For this
reason it is often referred to as “The Switzerland of Central America”. This is
why it is so educated and has such a good health system – no defence budget !!!
If only the rest of us could follow this model. Since the Civil War, Costa Rica
has enjoyed a stable democracy and a highly educated workforce. Its economy,
once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include sectors such
as finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals, and
ecotourism. Many foreign manufacturing and services companies operate in Costa
Rica's Free Trade Zones (FTZ) where they benefit from investment and tax
incentives. Despite being an agricultural powerhouse, the top three exports are now: Medical Instruments, Bananas and Tropical Fruits which shows the US investment in the country.
Here are some interesting facts on Costa Rica:
1. The “White Tailed Deer” or Bambi is the national animal.
2. Each year, the beaches of Ostional National Park welcome up to 100,000 “Olive Ridley” turtles, which lay up to 10 million eggs !!!
3. In 2012 it was declared the “happiest country in the world”. This is linked to the highest life expectancy in Central America.
4. There are over 500,000 species of Wildlife and 900 are birds.
5. Rice mixed with Beans (called GALLO PINTO) was invented here.
6. Has 200 volcanic formations but only 5 are active.
7. 25% of the land is under conservation.
8. The National Anthem is played on radio and TV every day at 7am sharp !!!
9. It takes only 7hrs to drive from the Caribbean to the Pacific.
10. Everyone greets and farewells each other in Costa Rica with the words PURA VIDA (meaning Pure Life). They even say this as “Your Welcome” after a Thank You.
We bad farewell to our island retreat at 0645 and made the 0830 car ferry to the mainland with plenty of time to spare. The ferry carried 3 huge trucks full of plantains – tons of them – attesting to the fertile volcanic soil of Ometepe surrounded by freshwater lake making for an excellent place to subsist. This ferry was slow. 90min slow. We jumped on an older minivan to drive 2hrs to the Nicaragua to Costa Rica border. It took us 75min to cross the border on both sides, which according to Ben is record time.
It is interesting how quickly the landscape changes after a border – it is almost as if the border is there because of the landscape change. It became flatter and dryer almost immediately. The landscape then changed again with spectacular ranges and rainbows as the it was misty. It was not long however until the hills started and then it came – the lush green forest up at 1350m which is officially labelled CLOUD FOREST because the air here is 80% humid and sweeps over the forest and condenses immediately into cloud and/or mist, hence the name. We ended up in a region and town of this Cloud Forest called Monteverde, which is very touristy since there are 4 main companies that offer elevated “bridge” walks through the forest and ziplining through the forest. Monteverde town was established only recently in 1972 in order to study the forest and later became a tourist attraction and a “Reserve”. The Reserve consists of over 10,500 hectares (26,000 acres) of cloud forest. It draws roughly 70,000 visitors a year. The reserve consists of 6 ecological zones, 90% of which are virgin forest. A high biodiversity area, consisting of over 2,500 plant species (including the most orchid species in a single place), 100 species of mammals, 400 bird species, 120 reptilian and amphibian species, and thousands of insects.
We arrived at our Monteverde hotel cabins perched high above the town around 1730. We made a major stop along the way to shop at a major supermarket that sold local food. Most of the group had lunch here but I bought some takeaway to have for dinner since I knew we would arrive late and I wanted to complete a double post of Nicaragua to complete it.
Our first impressions of the country is that it is much more developed than the previous countries after Mexico. Many Americans either run all the big business in Costa Rica or are retired here. As a result, the cost of property and living is expensive. They love USD and accept it but the local Colon is still in use but greatly devalued. The houses are also more western and in better condition. Even our hotel room had a fridge ala US style. Very few indigenous remain and they look very Peruvian with thin eyes, short and round faces. The rest of the mixed population had Caribbean features – darker and curlier hair. The day ended well with a double post and plenty of wine.
The following day (Sat 17FEB) was a big day. Kicked off at 0745 with a short drive to the Cloud Forest Bridges Walk. Six metal suspension bridges hanging some 10m above the forest floor but with plenty of forest still above them. The forest floor is at 1432m above sea level. The bridges have walkways in between which are very easy. We spent 2.5hrs walking close to 3km and observed a lot of wildlife and detailed descriptions of the forest fauna. Animals included the Agouti (rodent) and several birds with the highlight being the rare Kestrel, which is the national bird of Costa Rica. We were especially lucky with weather. It was sunny with little cloud and warm. Unusual according to the guide. We made the most of it. The highlight was climbing inside a tree that was once solid but what eaten by parasitic trees growing on the outside of the original tree and sucking dry of nutrient to the point the interior rots away. There ate many trees in the cloud forest that have friendly and unfriendly hosts.
The Ziplines were close by. Everyone was excited. Ten lines of varying lengths with the ninth being the longest and highest at 1,560m long and 55m above the ground. After a safety briefing we put our loose items in lockers and got harnessed up by staff. Antonia was excited and nervous. Our first line was short to give first timers a chance to practice how to sit on the line an brake at the end using a thick pad attached to the gloves on your hand. It was Antonia’s first Zipline and she loved it. Yelling like a kid at the end of the line. I had done many before but liked these ones due to the extra stability (and safety) of two steel lines allowing me to capture very controlled and stable footage on my GoPro Hero Black 9 at 4k and 60fps with extra wide angle and super stability. The rides were terrific. They got longer and higher and by the time we got to the line number 9, the longest and highest, off a cliff and disappearing into the horizon, Antonia was very nervous. So much so that she elected to ride with a staff member. Good decision because she enjoyed it more. You can do lines 9 and 10 (the last two) in a horizontal position known as Superman / Superwomen. I elected upright so I could film and because I was unsure about how stable I would be on Superman. It was a decision I regreted. After seeing a few others do it before me I then realised I could do it but it was too late to switch. Next time. The highlight was how well Antonia handled herself on what was a long ad scary run of lines for a first-timer – she did extremely well.
After the Zipline it was back to the hotel at around 1430. Antonia and I decided to walk around the cliffs above town and take a few photos. On our return we had a sleep to regain enough energy for our 2hr wildlife night walk starting 6pm. This walk was OK for me but great for Antonia. I have been spoiled by Africa and it never stood a chance of competing with a night-time safari. We managed to see a very poisonous Green Viper snake and several birds culminating in the Kill Bill Toucan !!! Yes – you heard right. The Kill Bill is official and comes from the red beak simulating the blood in the movie – so appropriate for Antonia and I – a real coincidence.
We left the night walk at 8pm and headed to a local Italian Restaurant, run by Italians and famous for their pizza. Start saving. Wraps and burgers $30AUD each. Pizzas $40AUD each and steaks start at $50AUD (250g) and end at $80AUD for 400/500g. I ate the most expensive wrap ever !!! We returned to the hotel poor but full !!! Early night tonight.
Enjoy the Cloud Forest of Monteverde…
We greeted cloud and fog at 0750 (Sun 18FEB) to load our bags onto the private minivan that would take us to Lake Arenal. We would then cross the lake on a ferry for an hour instead of driving around the lake for 3hrs. A good deal. The drive to the lake was mostly in fog. Lucky for us we did not get this yesterday and spoil our views of the Cloud Forest from The Bridges and Zipline. Lakeside it was clear but the clouds hugged the thick green forest all around the lake. It was muggy but cool since the sun was well hidden. The boat ride was smooth with an all too cool breeze coming through the boat. Sadly due to the low cloud and fog we could not see the Arenal Volcano, which normally towers over the lake. We climbed aboard a retired orange school bus and made our way for another hour to our hotel cabins in the forest, 21km from the lake. What a place. Paradise. Terrific tepee-shaped log cabins surrounded by myriads of tropical plants but the best was yet to come. A Sloth. Yes, a sloth. It was noon and check-in was at 3pm so we dropped off our luggage and headed into La Fortuna town for a guided walk and lunch. Yuck. La Fortuna (Pop 15,383) is only 3.5km from our cabins but a tourist trap. Just about every building is either a hotel, restaurant, café, souvenir shop or travel agency. Only the central square reminds you that ordinary citizens live here with a humble Catholic Church, fountain and colourful tropical plants. I looked for the biggest supermarket and hot food from dinner while everyone else lunched. We than all walked to a large tourist agency where we were presented a cocktail and all the available activities for tomorrow. No go. Antonia and I had done most of these on this trip or past trips so we planned a day of rest the next day. Some of the others agreed. Four of us then headed for the supermarket, loaded up on food and caught an Uber back to our cabins. We checked in and then luck started to come our way. As we were wheeling our bags to our rooms, Kenny the caretaker welcomed us and without any prompting he blew us away with his next comment – “there is a sloth next to the pool” !!! We panicked with joy. We literally dumped our bags, changed into our cozzies and ran to meet Kenny at the pool. Kenny just asked as to try and find the sloth ourselves. It was Duncan, Donna, Antonia and I. The others were walking from the town centre to the cabins and they would not be here until another hour. We were all meant to go on a walk with Ben and the owner through the huge hotel property to find the sloths but how was this – we would find them first and bloat to the others !!! And we did. Antonia screamed. She had found the sloth. We died. It was in a bush just 2m up with body visible but not the head. We pulled up poolside deck chairs and just sat and watched with cameras in hand – we called it SLOTH WATCH !!! Then Antonia screamed again !!! It’s moving !!! I can see its head !!! A flurry of photos followed. We continued the sloth watch until the others came. It started raining. When the others arrived they were thrilled with our find and there was a made flurry of photos. The rain got heavier and everyone decided to leave except for me. I thought to myself – that guy has to come down at some point due to the increasing rain. I was in my cozzies so was already soaked. What luck. Just 15min into my wait the Sloth started to move from the bush to a bigger taller tree and I followed in the rain. It then started to walk across the big tree to the other side. It walked slowly. Like a koala. It was 30min and I was running out of patience but just had to see where it would end up. Great instinct because it then started to descend down the big tree on the other side. I had to crawled into bushes to follow and film. Then God intervened. I reach a barbed wire fence on the boundary of the property and looked up and it was descending the trunk right next to the fence. I was at the base of the trunk right next to it. The Sloth passed by my face – 10cm away – it stopped stared. I could have easily touched it but decided against this so as to not scare it away. It then climbed onto an adjacent tree branch and stopped just 1m away from me in full view – body and head. I had my 65x zoom and Galaxy and went nuts. I then raced to get Antonia. I begged her not to scream. She almost fainted when she stood 1m away from the Sloth. She had died and gone to Heaven. After a few selfies we decided to bring the others. I raced to all the rooms and brought everyone out. They died too and went to Heaven. When our leader/guide, Ben came out he was visibly delighted. He had never seen a sloth this low and this clos before. When I fetched everyone, I told them not to bother with lenses and to bring their phones only – they were in shock – “Are you kidding? That close?” My reply: “Just see for yourself !”. Suffice to say, Antonia and I were heroes. Antonia was the first to spot the Sloth and I brought it to the group. Close. We celebrated that night with plenty of wine, rum and even some opera from me. It was the second highlight of our trip after the volcano climb. Antonia not only saw a sloth but it was close enough to kiss it !!! As a bonus we also saw Toucans in trees right next to the pool.
Sloths are mammals and thought to have evolved from creatures that first existed 60 million years ago. There 6 species of Sloths in the world and Costa Rica has two of them and the Amazon all 6. We saw the 2-toed. They move slowly just like a Koala because they metabolise very slowly. They eat only 3 types of leaves just like a Koala. They spend most of their time sleeping just like Koalas. For this reason, I call them “The Koalas of Central America”. Their faces look like they are made of plastic or rubber. Their noses are like a pigs. Sloths are almost helpless on the ground, but are able to swim !!! The shaggy coat has grooved hair that is host to symbiotic green algae, which camouflage the animal in the trees and provide it nutrients. Amazing symbiosis. The Sloths closest relative is the Anteater. Sloths can be 60 to 80 cm long weigh from 3.6 to 7.7 kg. Sloths have poor vision and hearing so smell and touch to find food. Two-toed sloths are omnivorous, with a diverse diet of insects, carrion, fruits, leaves and small lizards. The others just eat leaves. They mate once a year and give live birth after 6mths gestation. They live to 15-20 years.
I was up at 6am to run my 120th country. It was the most humid, sweatiest run of my life. Even though it was thick with cloud and mist, there was no breeze. It was a solid run. 5km with slight downhill of 150m then uphill. That was the killer. Bit I did it. Solid. No stopping. A good time and I was on top of the world. An intimate Sloth encounter followed by a 120th country run in difficult conditions. Then the rain came. Lots of it. Lucky I got back just in time. It rained the whole day. How lucky we were not to book any activities. I used the day to do loads of bookkeeping, complete planning for Colombia and complete my blogging. Around 1430 Antonia and I decided to Uber it downtown so she could go clothes shopping and pickup dinner. Walked to 4 stores then supermarket then hot food “Soda”. Got back to hotel at 4pm in time for my session with Ben to pay Costa Rica Duty on my drone so it can be delivered to our hotel in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, which is our destination tomorrow. No go. We could not do this and so I would have to Uber it to the DHL office that had my drone, pay it there, get my drone and then Uber it to the hotel in San Jose. I was ready. Back to the cabin for the last of my blogging and by 1730 we were back in the dining area to start celebrations. The rain had not let up all day so the drinking was damp. At about 1900 Antonia and I retreated to our cabin to eat and watch GRISELDA. What a relaxing day. Rain and relaxation.
Enjoy the photos of Fortuna, especially the colourful Toucans…
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment