The five day trip went really well, with lots of new experiences and good times with good people. I got to explore further into the Gulf of Nicoya and saw plenty of wildlife, including a dozen or so sea turtles (green and hawksbill). We paddled around some of the more isolated islands of the peninsula. A group of islands had the ominous name of The Negritos, or "The Dark Islands". It was particularly calm and we were able to get quite close to huge rock formations that normally were too dangerous to approach. Giant rock spires jutted up from the turquoise waters that shimmered with colorful reef fish. Large ocean swells crashed into the many caves and passages of the rockwork, creating thunderous roars that seemed to resonate form the center of the earth. Water would explode out of the caverns in a pressurized salty mist, a soothing breeze to beat the heat.
Pelicans flocked together on the small islets, it seemed odd to see them taking a break from indulging their insatiable appetites...
Caesera provided the usual, surprise visits from strange animals. I didn’t sleep at all the first night because I drank coffee before going to bed, I don’t know why I guess it was simply a vessel to enjoy a bit of Café Rica, a coffee liquer that we had brought along. My mind was racing when I laid down to sleep, so I left the comfort of my sleeping bag to explore the beach. I managed to find a giant cockroach that would provide the necessary company in my tent…
I felt a strange connection with the large insect, it seemed to display a curiosity rarely seen in the insect world. It crawled around, exploring the crevices within the pile of my sand covered clothing. It would pause every now and then to clean itself, much the same way a cat does…It actually made for some good company and entertainment, who’d of thought. I let it go after an hour or so… such a small tent is no place for a giant cockroach.
I laid down and attempted to go to sleep, but sleep never came, only those fleeting moments when you thought you may have been asleep but were now awake and it didn't matter. This leads to frustration and more awakeness, a vicious cycle. I gazed up through the bug netting of my tent, the bright half-moon lit it's way through the palm fronds above me...
Every now and then a coconut would fall against the ground with a loud thud that could be felt through the hard packed sand. A bit too close for comfort...I thought to myself...of all the ways to go out, I hope it isn't from a falling coconut. These thoughts didn't help me sleep.
After the sleepless night I awoke to activity in the palm trees overhead. Howler monkeys…I thought, but something about it warranted a second look. I dug out my binoculars and used the rubberized eyepieces to pry open my bloodshot eyes. I observed a medium sized mammal, reddish–brown in color, with a long tail and huge eyes. It’s arboreal skills were enough to rival that of the most skilled monkey. I new what I was looking at, I had seen them on TV when I was young, but the name eluded me. I had to grab a guide-book and look it up…a Kinkajou! Early explorers first thought it was a primate, fooled by it’s long prehensile tail and grasping limbs. It is actually more closely related to raccoons, however, it looked nothing like a raccoon to me, or anything else for that matter….Although it’s classified as a carnivore, it eats mainly fruit and nectar, gaining it the moniker “honey bear”. I watched as it skillfully maneuvered through the tree tops. It returned one last penetrating stare before disappearing into the tangled forest, ending it’s nocturnal forage just as the sun rose above the horizon. Unfortunately no photo could be taken but here is a link to the Wikipedia page if your interested in reading more about these fascinating animals…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkajou
On the evening of the last night I had an interesting encounter when I went to visit the outhouse, which is set against a think slope of tropical forest. One of our clients was just exiting the outhouse as I went in. I flashed my headlamp around and used my walking stick to check for anything that you wouldn't want to disrobe in front of. I noticed a sizeable scorpion clinging to the wall next to the toilet. It must have been within a few inches from the head of the last occupant…I figured that I had better remove it from the outhouse. I had no experience wrangling scorpions but thought it as yet another addition to the CV, so I picked up a small stick (too small) and tried to get it to walk onto the tip. Turns out scorpions are a lot faster then I thought…It scrambled onto the stick and shot directly up towards my hand. Luckily I managed to grab the other end of the stick before any harm could be done. I then proceeded towards the campsite to show our client who she shared the outhouse with…
The next morning we departed to return to Curu. We paddled under an ominous, but calm sky and visited some of the more rugged coastline of the Tortuga Islands…
Our group! Left from right - Bruce, Leanne, Martha and Brian
This evening I went up the estuary in my kayak during an extremely high tide. The ocean was spilling into the river mouth, it's large waves crashing against the banks and overflowing into the forest. This made it very hazardous to launch a kayak. I slipped my boat down over a rock embankment and stirred the water with my paddle, checking for crocodiles before entering. The water was high into the mangroves making it possible to paddle into areas I had never been before. Fish were feeding all around me, some were over two feet long and could be seen moving in schools just under the surface, creating large v shaped waves. A crocodile or caimen (something large, toothy and ancient) exploded through the surface about 20 feet from my kayak, trying to grab one of the fish. Birds were all around but the light was not cooperating, so I spent most of my time enjoying the serenity and richness of the river rather then photographing. I did manage to get a shot of a bird that has eluded me for quite some time. The light was not very good but the uniqueness of the White Ibis makes this photograph worth sharing…
I got a shifty photo of a endangered neotropical river otter as it slid down the riverbank into the water…I really hope I get to see one again and have a chance at a better shot, but they are quite rare in most areas.
In case you havn't seen enough all ready, here's another picture of a white bird with a long bill! This one is called a cattle egret due to their habit of following cows around and snapping up the insects that try to escape the heavy hooves...
And lastly, I finally got close to a green kingfisher, these guys are among my favourite residents of the estuary...
I have received an exciting invitation from Carlos, the owner of the cabina i’m staying at. He and his wife Jaimee are leaving to visit family in San Vito, a town situated in the extreme south of Costa Rica and has asked if I would like to accompany them. We will drive down the pacific coast for 6 hours and then go up into the rainforest shrouded mountains of south central Costa Rica. This will be a chance to see true rainforest and many new species. We leave next Friday and will be returning on Sunday. As for this week, we are doing an overnight paddle into the interior part of the Nicoya Peninsula with a friend from Newfoundland, then on Wednesday and Thursday we are doing tours with an adventure travel company called Tauck.
I hope everyone in Canada is managing well with the harsh winter. The worst should be over now right? Thanks for reading
Cheers!
-Nick
-Nick
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