Jan 4, 2011 - Playa Hermosa

I met Bobbie Jo and the others from Diving Safaris on the beach and we got a small boat out to the bigger boat. We went to 2 local dive sites, Monkey Head (a rock that looks like a monkey's head) and Virador. Bobbie Jo was very patient with me, as it was my first dive since taking my course. The water was really clear and we saw lots of rays and fish, and bright purple fish eggs on the rocks, it was a really great couple of dives. When I got back, I met mum one the beach and we had lunch at El Valero before an afternoon of relaxing and...

Jan 3, 2011 - Playa Hermosa

We got the public bus to Playa Hermosa, which took just over an hour and went through some of the local villages. The bus was very full, as it was a public holiday and the locals were heading to the beach for the day, complete with picnics and barbeques. We got off the bus and stopped at the first restuarant we came across as we were starving. I introduced mum to cerviche (raw fish) in lime juice whilst I had my first casado (rice, beans, salad and plantains). We then headed down the hill towards the beach to Iguana Inn. We were a bit...

May 8, 2010 - San José

Last amazing breakfast at Coral Hill then taxi to town for bus at 9.30. Luckily they reopened the road to SanJose today so the bus only took 4.5 hours instad of 6pm. Checked in to hotel - had the most expensive, most gross plate of pasta ever then chores showers & bed ready for early pick up tomorrow...

Feb 28, 2010 - We’re in the tropical RAIN forest

We awoke to rain that started last night and continued through most of the night. We’ve probably had more hours of rain in the last 36 hours than Colorado gets in one year! Due to the rain, we stayed in bed until 5:45am and met the others birding again from the balcony. No new birds from yesterday and those present were somewhat water soaked. We attempted to do some birding along a river and a road finding only one new bird….a Fasciated Tiger-Heron only to return to the bus absolutely soaking wet in spite of all the rain gear. Another...

Feb 27, 2010 - Rancho Naturalista

Today, we drove exactly zero miles and that was fine with everybody. The bus is a bit short on legroom. We birded from the balcony of the main lodge building as the sun came up. Volcan Turrialba was off in the distance, steam rising, reminding us that this volcano is due to erupt at any time according to Max. Cali, a local guide for Rancho Naturalista was added to our cadre of bird guides. We birded on a walk on the rain forest trails. We birded on the lodge grounds during and after lunch. We birded along the long driveway/access road to...

Feb 26, 2010 - A reluctant goodbye to Savegre and the quetzals

Today we met Max at 5:45am for our last official birdwalk before departing quetzal territory. We first found the Torrent Tyrannulet in the rushing river that runs by the hotel. Afterward we made a last visit to the Emerald Toucanet nest hole. After wandering the grounds with Max a bit more, Marilyn and Dave opted to leave the group, return to the dining area and eat a rushed breakfast. The rush was due to the fact that we had to leave the lodge and make a certain distance on the valley road before the road was closed for the day for...

Feb 25, 2010 - A RESPLENDENT day in Costa Rica

Most of the group met Max, our guide for 6 a.m. birding. Our hotel, the Savegre Mountain Hotel, is in prime habitat for the Resplendent Quetzal. This quetzal is relatively rare and is arguably the most ornate bird in the world. It is the most sought after bird in Costa Rica (the country being approximately the size of West Virginia and having about the same number of bird species as North America.) It was not a close look, but by breakfast we had a male quetzal fly over. After breakfast we again chased the quetzal and everyone had views of...

Feb 5, 2010 - A History Lesson: Guayabo National Monument and Hacienda Taytutic

We set off for Monumento Nacional Guayabo, a pre-Columbian archaeological site founded by the mysterious Guayabo tribe from 1500 BC – 1400 AD, a community of 10 000. The site was accessed by a short walk through rainforest and surrounded with exotic flowers and birds. Approximately 1/3 of the entire community has been excavated, uncovering sophisticated stone aqueducts, roads, foundation mounds where timber dwellings once stood, and petro glyphs. Glimpses of the tall orange flowered oro trees, higher levels, and mountains appeared beyond...

Feb 4, 2010 - Turrialba

After breakfast we joined out Costa Rican guide, Jorge, and bus driver Carlos, who will be with us for the next 15 days. Aboard the bus we travelled out of the busy city, past modern and colonial commercial buildings (grand colonial homes have been transformed into offices, hotels, and B&B’s), through scenic hilly countryside dotted with farms and terraced hillside fields, and, climbed to an elevation of 3432m to our first stop, Volcan Irazu. Volcan Irazu is situated close to the continental divide- the Pacific to the west, and the...

Aug 1, 2009 - heart broken

Hello all, I left LaFortuna this afternoon and am now in liberia. It's been a sad couple of days, besides having to say goodbye to Amber last night, then most of the rest at 6am this morning, and then the straglers that left at 10am and me at 1:30pm there's been a lot of tears. I almost ended up bringing a dog home with me, hence my broken heart. She's about a year old and so far I've been calling her Peketo Chica, little girl, she's the chihuahua cross I mentioned in my last update...she's about a year old, has a horrible underbite, and so...

Jul 20, 2009 - Sea Turtle Conservation Project

I made it to San Jose with no problems last night. What an incredibly beautiful country to drive thru, although I would definately not recommend driving on your own! The roads are small and windy and because you are going thru mountains, long hard climbs and long down slopes. I think San Jose is the worst place in the world for driving! Almost all the streets are one way streets so you literally have to make 3 turns to get going in the direction you want to go in! It's crazy! But the driver from Interbus shuttle was fantastic, and the ride...

Jul 15, 2009 - getting ready to leave

This is my first entry! Hmmm, thought I already entered this but I seem to have lost it so here I go again! I am almost certain I over packed but couldn't stop myself! It was a very stressful night! I packed the original bag, went to bed at midnight...got up an hour later, unpacked and downsized the contents, then repacked into a smaller bag. It did fit everything but barely...went back to bed...got up a short time later because it occurred to me I might want to bring stuff home with me and I'd have no room in the current bag! Unpacked and...