DAY ONE
The start of our Costa Rica wildlife, volcano and jungle experience – how we hoped to see a green tree frog glaring, sloth slouching and toucan flying – tightly packed suitcases housing Rohan khaki jungle gear and Deet bug repellent, our anticipation and excitement bursting!
So, a good start – British Airways delaying the flight due to ‘blocked waste tanks’ – hairdryers frantically working and visions of a fearful look of dread should ‘she blow’!! Eventually a decision made to fly with two of the three tanks free; not sure which rows on board had to cross their legs for eleven and a half hours!
Arrived in Costa Rica having watched many films en route (daylight flying never bringing a blessed sleep!), greeted by a blast of warm evening air and a cheerful ‘Ed’, our airport ‘meet and greet’ fellow – us feeling the 2:40am UK lag; Ed, seemingly fresh and extremely chatty for 8:40pm! Taken to our overnight stop ‘in town’ on 30th Street, San Jose, The Grano de Oro Hotel – with staff incredibly welcoming serving us a fresh fruit punch on arrival and showing us to our room (the one placed by reception for late arrivals/early departures!) where we unpacked clothes ready for our early morning departure, freshened up and wished for sleep as the sound of ‘her ‘clomping heels on the wooden floor above echoed down ….
DAY TWO
4:30am (10:30am UK time) and up for the ‘tour bus’ collection. Greeted by ‘Marco’ and boarded the coach with fellow passengers weary eyes watching our seeking of two seats – goodness jet lag appears to be hitting everyone as smiles were desperately absent! After an hour and a half driving though the Braulio Carrillo National Park admiring the scenery as we trundled along, a stop for breakfast – how welcome a Great British fry up would be – how disappointing the local dish of rice and beans was!
Fortunately, a welcome wander around the grounds of the breakfast stop bought about our first creature sighting – A STRAWBERRY POISON DART FROG! This little tiny creature, doing his upmost to hide in the brown foliage, illuminated by his red body and denim blue jeans – utterly delightful (though almost winking and saying ‘I may be small and red but don’t touch me ’cause I’ll hurt you’!).
After more time on the road, finally The Boat at La Pavona! Cases all bundled into the back seats – had we been at Silverstone, our dragster well up for winning the race! People aboard and off we breeze through canals spotting birds en route and finally arriving at The Evergreen Lodge – our home for the next three nights. A welcome drink (more fruit punch) and the number of our cottage given to us. Off we toddled to find our retreat – a net sided dwelling on stilts, with basic wooden furniture minimal bedding, a welcome ‘towel sculpture’ (swans) and a bathroom. Five beds did seem somewhat extravagant for the two of us but hey, husband playing Goldilocks trying all to see which suited him best seemed a good way to spend a sleepless night!
After a basic lunch (more rice and beans!) aboard the boat again with fellow explorers to seek out what is hidden around the canals of the Tortuguero National Park waters.
Birds nesting with chicks popping their fluffy faces up to ogle at the tourists; dragonflies darting about; lizards and iguanas just standing there waiting for the music to restart in their game of musical statues; TOUCAN (yes, Toucan, Yippeeeee!) looking like he is far too big to be sitting in a tree with a highlighter yellow beak glistening, and caiman, silently hiding under the waters with two eyes just watching – the latter maybe too conveniently placed ‘where they like to live’ for us intrepid explorers on a mission!
Back to base camp, a wash up and dinner (don’t ask!) – the sharing tables guests now becoming familiar with each other’s faces and conversation beginning to erupt as stories of who saw what, where are eagerly shared. Bed to the sound of bugs clicking – amazing how they manage to drown out the snore of my husband – maybe I could bag a few up and take them back to Blighty!!
DAY THREE
Following a night of torrential rain pounding on our little cottage’s tin roof like a full orchestra at the Royal Albert, a shower and ‘drip dry’ hair for we are roughing it in the jungle and hairdryers are apparently not required going by their absence …
Breakfast (thankfully eggs or cereal aside rice!) and then don the ponchos, there is a trek to be had! In the boat across the canal and disembark to walk along a small nature trail. Not one creature to be seen (why would there be – it’s absolutely pouring with rain and surely our guide knows, give it an hour, rains will stop and wildlife reappears from leafy shelters!). Cameras soaked through (recall instructions said ‘will not function if moist’ – does fully immersed in water count?!) as are clothes and walking boots – keep smiling – it’s the jungle and it’s meant to rain in the rain forest!
Back to the Lodge HQ in time for lunch (yep!) and then an afternoon trip to beaches aside the Caribbean Conservation Corporation to witness the vast six foot craters left behind by the previously nesting leatherback and green turtles then a walk to the Tortuguero village where we learned of how locals are being educated in conservation and tourism, appreciating the value of leaving the turtles and not eating them. Children played in the muddy rows between houses and gift shops, supermarkets and the local barber and dogs roamed freely appreciating their elevated respect from humans as the men happily played dominos with us tourists watching – I sensed a longing for a life like it used to be before people came and stared mixed with an appreciation for the monies now changing hands.
Nightfall, bugs clicking, Goldilocks snoring, ceiling fan whirring – sleep please on this hard bed.
DAY FOUR
WOW! Woke at about 5am to the Howler Monkeys …. Oh my, had I not been briefed that their call was somewhat extraordinary, I might have thought that I was in a Harry Potter movie, listening to a ghost, sucking up his ‘whooooooo’, travelling through a tunnel at speed, magnified by 1000! If this is the call for love, she is the one underneath her pillow, quivering!! Goldilocks slept through it!!
Today, most of our ‘table’ familiar faces leave to travel to their next destination, we have camp to ourselves …. We located the pool, spread the towels on the comfy recliner chairs and watched the birds and butterflies darting about. Meals came and went and come nightfall we donned the Deet and set out on a ‘night walk’ armed with head torches (you know what I mean!). As our lights surveyed the dark foliage and trees, we crept along listening to the various calls of bugs and frogs for we are attuned to these now and consider explorer badges are duly earned Brown Owl!
My torch followed the glistening line of a web to the glare of a Golden Orb Weaver Spider and then, partially camouflaged on a tree, an enormous Wolf Spider – OMG, just huge, though once he moved forward and I stepped back, he seemed much smaller!! More Poison Dart Frogs, colourful crickets and insects which are detailed most fully in the guide book back in the cottage! A group of ’new’ fellow lodge guests wandered by with their guide clearly sporting a next level of explorer badge for he located the desired RED EYED GREEN TREE FROG I so eagerly longed for (so much smaller than the one I bought from Disney plush toy selection years ago!) …. truly stunning …. his little face looking up from his chosen leaf (the frog not the guide!), a magical moment and exceptionally special knowing of all the leaves in this vast country, he was there and I was here, that was all I needed to hold onto in my memory forever, those beautiful eyes, someone else’s prince ….
Tomorrow we travel to Arenal – the Volcano!