Costa Rican Curiosities

After leaving the rainforest at Bijagual we drove south along the Talamanca mountain range to reach our second destination, El Mirador de Quetzales.  This adorable group of cabanas sits high in the mountains and not only has a spectacular mountain view but also offers incredible views of a variety of hummingbirds (check out Christina's photo here) and of course the elusive quetzal.  I was also quite taken by the blues, greens and pinks of their incredibly prolific succulents!

Below you can see our charming little cabins.

There is also a really nice trail on the property.  We woke up early and took a hike with their guide to find quetzals.  We only saw one on our hike but luckily one flew right next to the restaurant before lunch.  The photo below hardly captures how pretty the light was on that day in this mountain forest.  It was really quite magical and I felt like it was the perfect place for Costa Rican gnomes to live.

As you can see by this photo of the students, it was cold!  I didn't expect to be cold on this trip but the temperature can dip quite low in the mountains.

You can't really tell from this picture, but the ginger-colored moth below was as big as my hand.

After one night in the mountains we drove southward to the Osa Peninsula to Morgans' Jungle Lodge.  On our first day there we visited the Osa Interactive Gardens where they give a butterfly hike.  We got to go in and get a sneak peak at their tree houses in the mariposario (butterfly house).

One of my favorite tours on the Osa is of the organic chocolate farm Finca Kobo.  The farm not only grows chocolate but also a variety of interesting fruits and vegetables.  Part of the discussion on that day was about plant defenses and you couldn't find a better example than the tree below.  Those thorns were about the length of my pinky!

I also had to include a photo of the pichichillo fruit (Solanum mammosum) because it is so bizarre looking.  Wikipedia said it has many "colorful names," including nipplefruit and "Apple of Sodom." The fruit is also a member of the nightshade family, is related to tomatos, and is poisonous if ingested.

I couldn't resist sneaking in another Cecropia leaf image because I love the lines and shape of its leaves!  But this tree also has an interesting story.  Cecropia trees are myrmecophytes.  That is, they have a mutually beneficial relationship with ants.  In this case the ants protect the tree from being eaten by other animals (and from encroaching vines and plants) and the tree provides food and shelter for the ants.  George told me that if you bang on the tree the ants will come swarming out to protect it and if you squish them (which you shouldn't) they smell like bleu cheese.

I am still a mammalogist at heart and one of my absolute favorite mammal sightings on the trip is always the two-toed sloth.  We were lucky on this trip to have one right in the middle of campus.  I have a VERY high tolerance for watching them through the scope even though they barely move.  But every time there is a little stretch or the slightest adjustment I ooooh and aaaah. This one looked like a wet wooky because it rained really hard the night before he was spotted.

Although the sloth is a mighty strange creature (did you know they only come down from the treetops to defecate?), the squirrel monkey below wins the title of  the most curious of all creatures on this trip.  Because not only was she a baby squirrel monkey name Georgie that just took a grape from my hand...

but SHE LIKED TO RIDE DOGS!!!  This adorable little monkey was being rehabbed and was allowed the run of the entire house, inside and out.  Two dogs also live on the property and she would run around and hop on them like they were a horse.  The dogs didn't seem to think it was unusual and actually seemed to enjoy it.  I have never seen anything so cute!

The last day of our trip we visited the oxcart factory of Eloy Alfaro in Sarchi.  I love the beautifully decorated oxcarts and wheels.  The oxcarts were originally used to transport coffee from the growing fields to the coast.

The wheel below was about eight feet in diameter. 

Every time I go to Costa Rica I am always surprised by something new.  Although this trip was not without its difficulties (delayed flights, lack of sleep, and constipation just to name a few), it is always a grand adventure.  Even when I am exhausted and my stomach hurts and we have been on the bus for six hours I can hardly stand to let my eyes close because I LOVE to look out the window...just to see what I can see.    

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead —his eyes are closed. " - Albert Einstein

Hotel Playa Hermosa, Bosque del Mar

Our final destination in Costa Rica was Playa Hermosa along the Golfo de Papagayo.  We stayed in the Hotel Bosque del Mar and I loved it!  One of my favorite things about the hotel was the open-air main building that housed the reception, restaurant and bar.  The best part about the building was the amazing architecture with trees "growing" through the building.   

The other thing I loved about this hotel was the paper lanterns everywhere.  It is such a small thing, but I am absolutely crazy about them!  They give such a festive feeling and we totally lucked out because the day we arrived there was a party on the beach with a marimba band.  We ate dinner in the open-air restaurant listening to incredible music and watched as the lanterns began to glow in the fading light of the sunset.

Below is the view from our room.  The day we arrived there were howler monkeys in the tree above the pool and you could just look up at them from our deck.  There were also a couple giant iguanas that lived in that tree and it was fun to watch them (below).

The last day of our trip we had planned on taking a snorkeling trip with Capitán Adolfo.  He came recommended by several other guests at the hotel.  Unfortunately my dad was not feeling well that day and we had to cancel.  But if you get a chance to visit Playa Hermosa his rates were quite good.  His telephone number is 8830-8489 and his email is elpar64@yahoo.es.  I told him since we cancelled the least I could do would be to mention him on the blog.  If anyone out there has gone on a trip with him please feel free to leave comments.  Someone also said he came recommended on tripadvisor.com.

If I ever go back to Playa Hermosa I would definitely stay here again.  The hotel is right on the beach and the beach was clean, not-rocky and beautiful.  My dad and I spent one whole day just lounging in chairs on the beach while George went to la Reserva Biológica Lomas de Barbudal. He not only saw their famous capuchin monkeys but also long-tailed manakins.  He had a great time but I wouldn't have traded places with him for the world.  That night we saw a white-throated magpie jay while sitting in the restaurant.  Awesome bird and delicious ceviche at the same time... now that is my kind of birding!    

Monteverde, Hotel Belmar, Costa Rica

We stayed at Hotel Belmar in Monteverde.  At first I was disappointed that we didn't have a room that faced the beautiful view, but after spying a mot-mot from our forest-facing room we realized our room had its own benefits.  If you are a birder I recommend staying in room #14, the "canopy room" in the chalet because you can literally lay in bed and bird at the same time.  I also loved eating breakfast on their open-air terrace shown below.

On our one full day we drove up to the reserve and hiked over to the continental divide.  Although we didn't see a quetzal, I did love finding these ghostly fairy mushrooms above.  George and I also hiked the trail up to the radio towers behind our hotel, but I do not recommend that hike.  It was just a road that went up and up and more up.  Usually you can at least glimpse some interesting birds on such a walk, but our only rewards for all that effort was a crazy black caterpillar with spiky yellow "hair" (see below) and two pairs of extra sore legs.    

Drive to Monteverde

The third day of our trip we headed out of Chachagua towards Monteverde.  This drive, although beautiful, is arduous and took over five hours (the last two on a rough gravel road).  The beginning of the drive was around Lake Arenal on a crazy, curvy road that offered some breathtaking views of the volcano.  We stopped at Café y Macademia for lunch on the western edge of the lake.  The food was fresh and delicious, plus the restaurant had nice views of the lake. 

Once we got around the lake and through Tilarán we started heading up the gravel road to Monteverde.  I suggest getting gas in Tilarán as there is nothing until Monteverde.  The closer you get to Monteverde the more rugged the road, and the more you begin to wonder what you've gotten yourself into.  But it is breathtaking country and something about those crazy roads makes you feel very alive and present (you'd better be present as you might meet a huge tourist bus or semi around any corner). 

Be sure to stop along the way and look North as there are nice views of Arenal along this drive.  You can see it in the photo below peaking over the hills in the distance.