Si, la pura vida..& feeling blessed
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tired muscles from the past week of climbs, hikes, ziplines.
Our very last stop in Costa Ricca - 2 days in the Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort to get some pampering in the natural mineral hot springs
Final night for dinner @ Casa Luna & hot tubbing
Wow, venomous jumping pit viper casually lounging by the wall.
Rightpic - toucans feeding on fruits
Hiking through a couple of hanging bridges and trails for about 15 mins, passing thru a corner bubbling with thermal hot springs with a strong sulphur smell, to arrive in Laguna Azul. Legends from the ticos has it that when our creator was done painting the sky he washed his brush in this river and thus it now bear the same color.
The phenomenon known as 'mie scattering' is behind the river's surreal color. Celeste river is fed by two colorless sources, the Buenavista River and Sour Creek ( see pic left where two rivers meet). The first carries a large concentration of aluminosilicate particles whereas the latter has a high acidity due to volcanic activity. When these two streams mix to form Celeste river, there's a drop in PH causing aluminum, silicon and oxygen particles to enlarge & aggregate. While these minerals are suspended in the water & hit by sunlight we witness optical magic!
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Loved these 'indiana jones' bridge crossings
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We hiked to a lookout point which we surmise must be as high as safely tourists are allowed as this youngest (7000 yrs old) stratovolcano in Costa Ricca is still quite active. It has been observed to be producing lava and pyroclastic flows almost continuously since 1968, the year of the last eruption. Costa rica possesses over 300 volcanos although only 5 are active. There's never snow on any peaks even @ its highest elevation >12,000ft
Totally drenched but quite refreshed due to attempts to wade over to the opposite banks of the river. I gave up on this as Tom exhorted me to turn back. So, instead of crossing we started to hike up the gazillion steps to catch the Ecoterra bus & meet up for an afternoon excursion
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La Fortuna waterfall. It's thunderous roar greeted us as the height of the drop is ~ 75 meters (240 ft) We didn't realize there were 400+ steps to get there, (gasping & panting) ...but it's a beaut!
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Above is a small train of leaf cutter ants who live in massive colonies. We encountered several of such orderly processions during our hikes. Our guides told us the remarkable story of these leaf cutter ants that have successfully survived over 20 million years. The ants carry up to three times their weight in leaf to bring it to the queen ant ( which flies) to cultivate their fungal garden. The fungus and ants have a mutual symbiosis relationship. The ants are polymorphic, each has own specific task. (left) A little intro to Maleku Indian village in their traditional grass hut... 'kapi kapi' (hi/welcome)
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We introduced our good friends to ziplining - they look like pros already !
Below is a view of the longest segment ( 1 km ) atop the tree canopies - the trick is to maintain very slack back hand & just grazing thru the cable in order to keep your momentum without slowing down
Next morning, we're off for an adventure with ropes!
Well, hello neighbors, all settled in? Let's go tryout pools & hottubs
Si, como mi casa por tres dias! Nice digs and a view of the Arenal Volcano from balcony :)
A blue heron crosses our paths rather matter-of-factly
Our next destination was Arenal Volcano. Ecoterra transferred us to beautiful Casa Luna hotel & spa which was also the site of the tour operator's main office
On our way out of Tortugero - a croc seemed to bid us farewell ..hasta luego amigo ;)
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Took an afternoon excursion to kayak the tributaries of the Tortugero river system
Yikes! Camens, crocs or alligators lurking in these muddy waters ... what were we thinking of !?! Truth be told though, it did feel very safe and our time was relaxing in the thick stillness of the rainforest
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every inhabitant is a master at camouflage!
Breakfasts and dinners were all taken in the main dining room buffet style - its where I started to really enjoy the costa rican style of fresh hot peppers & dark salsa sauces on the sides, yum!
The mix of different heritages in Costa Rica starts with the Inca Melas, spanish, japanese, chinese, & italians. Later on in the trip we were introduced to the maleku village and treated to the chica drink (pineapple corn & sugar cane blend) They doned traditional garb made of vegetabel mastate and displayed their craft of balsa tree masks each with storied symbolisms
Gnarled roots of trees clawing at the river's edge. You can sense that the amaretto waters must be teaming with organic nutrients of buried leaves, plants and insect life... have to confess, I can't now fathom wading in this jungle canal as explorers must have done eras past...
the riverbanks of the Tortugero channels shows the beauty of its untarnished and still natural rawness
we witnessed an egret pausing, pouncing with lightening speed and catch its meal then ingesting it down its long narrow esophagus
A local pointing proudly to us the village weekly sunday night venues of BBQ dinners here, must be a real feast!
First spotting of wildlife (left) the green vine snake is diurnal & mildly venomous. The Capuchin monkey (right)
Next morning - a boat ride to nearby Tortugero village for a walk about and learn all about the historic significance of the forestry mills and prior extensive harvesting of the now endangered green turtles & giant leatherbacks. Mahogany was the primary forest industry of this area back at turn of the century. Now all the trees are depleted and so are the turtles which are totally banned from consumption. Currently in keen preservation mode
Time to go for a beach walk about on sand resembling..soft chocolate dough ...or..
black sesame paste..
After getting our bearings in the lodge, planning itineraries, booking a kayak tour, we realized the central office next to the dining room was also cast in the shape of a giant butterfly ... taking a page from Antoni Gaudi perhaps?
Home for the next three days in rainforest of Laguna Lodge. Nicely rustic yet beautifully sturdy mahogany wood & flooring, very comfortable. No aircon but we felt fine. A fan is set high on the ceiling. Night time boisterous rainfalls sounds lulls us to sleep ~.~
Flora & Fauna of the richest hues ..even the plant beetle got his camouflage marching orders ..lol
Arriving in La Tortuguero National Park
Enjoying the first of several boat rides in Tortugero :)
Is it just me? I kept on seeing all sorts of animalistic faces and profiles enbedded in the logs on the banks of the river (right - inca warrior? ; left - head of lion? )
First spotting of a crocodile, by the looks of its snout (alligators have wider and more U shaped jaws at bottom)
Roadside nature spotting - our first sloth of Costa Rica 'muy lindo'..
Even more butterflies at roadsides when we got to the boat station @ La Pavona in Cariari - while the tours boats were being loaded with our luggages. It was hard to tear ourselves away from all this vibrancy, just not something we take for granted back home, especially in midst of January.
Here we are again, nice to have nuestros veijos amigos along for this winter getaway trip :)
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Very early morning start with our shuttle from San Jose - stopped mid morning for a brunch buffet at the restaurant / butterfly pavilion of Selva Tropical in Guapiles. This looks to be a popular road stop for several tours going from San Jose to Tortugero. It has very satisfying food and papayas were delicious! After we were fed, iphones out to tour the butterfly feeding stations in the back garden.