The Big Trip: Costa Rica - The Jungle

Wow!

Not sure how to write this up because it cannot convey the intensity of the past 7 days.

Corcovado national park is a mindblowing place and so far removed from the 'other' Costa Rica full of gringos and established tours.

It is situated in the south of Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula and consists of 50,000 hectares of protected rainforest including 800 species of birds and, 139 mammals and 116 amphibians.


We finally arrived at Rio Drake Lodge in the late afternoon after our long journey from Palmar Norte. The lodge is in a fantastic location, isolated at the end of a long quiet beach. Currently, a work in progress, it is owned by a very friendly guy called Edu. We set up our tent in a covered area close to the beach and then walked the 20mins to the nearest shop for some beers and dinner. On our return we were introduced by Carol to Ballardo, her friend and self-proclaimed 'JungleMan' (or JaguarMan, he kept switching between the two). Ballardo grew up in the park and is an expert on jaguars having spent a few years working in Corcovado and San Francisco on conservation projects. He agreed to be our guide in the jungle for the time we would spend there and promised to show us the real 'jungle' rather than the well trodden trails found around the ranger stations.

The following day we walked 3km along the beach with Carol and Tabitha to Drake Bay, a small village north of the park. We also had our first pipa, the sweet clear liquid of the unripe green coconut. We needed money and having misread the book that told us there was an ATM there (the nearest bank was actually one day away in Puerto Jiminez!) we searched for somewhere to cash travellers cheques. However, this proved fruitless and thus we found ourselves stuck in Corcovado with no money with which to live on or pay Edu or Ballado. In the evening, we discussed our plans for our time in the jungle with Ballardo and arranged to set off early next morning and finish in Jiminez on the eastern side of the park so that we could eventually get money for payment.

Ballardo awoke us the next morning at 6.30am so that we would have time to prepare and also to avoid the high tides of the various rivers that crossed the beach on our way down the coast. We took with us just our tent, rainjacket and sunscreen. First we walked for 1hr to Drake to get supplies that consisted of bread rolls, biscuits and plenty of water.

We then, after a short walk along the beach, entered the jungle for our first days trekking. We were heading towards a place called Rincon which was where we would set up tent for the night. We passed quite a number of locals on the way through the jungle and Ballardo seemed to know them all emitting a sort of jungle-yodal to each one to catch their attention. We saw many animals on the way including scarlet mccaws, white-faced monkeys and toucans and at one point had to cross a crocodile-infested creek by boat. We continued through the jungle following the coastline, sometimes walking along beautiful deserted beaches before re-entering the jungle.

A few hours later, we finally made it to Rincon and pitched our tent on the beach just as the skies opened and the rain started to fall. This was when Ballardo discovered that he has left his tent poles behind. We thought this wouldn't be a problem though as being Jungleman he would be able to fashion a bivouac from palm leaves in no time at all. Minutes later however, he has returned to inform us that he is going to stay with jungle friends at their place a small walk from where we are camped. We started to wonder if he really was the jungle man!

Anyway, Ballardo invited us over to meet his friends Rafa and his wife Lidietta who he hadn't seen for a few months and they gave us a hot meal and then asked us whether we would like to stay with them. We refused politely as we wanted to stay on the beach in our tent. It became apparent as the night wore on that to refuse their offers of hospitality would appear to them as an insult so the next time they offered we accepted. As though an important multi-million dollar contract had just been agreed on, there was much shaking of hands and smiling faces.

Rafa and Lidietta are charming people and couldn't do enough to make us feel comfortable. We learned from Ballardo that Rafa had fought in Vietnam against the Americans and had helped train the Viet Cong on behalf of the Nicuraguan government (he was born in Nicuragua). Suffice to say, he doesn't have much time for the Americans.

Later on that evening we walked along the beach with Rafa and his wife to a local bar called Poor Mans Paradise where we shared a few beers. On the way, Rafa and Ballardo caught crabs which later became a delicious soup.

Rafa and Lidietta spoke no English but we got by as best we could with Ballardo as our intermediatery but it was not always clear what was being said or agreed on between him and Rafa. Having no money, we were wary of accepting too much from them but Ballardo assured us that it was all taken care of even though we were not sure what that meant.

After a few more beers back at their home we were shown to our room as though we were royalty and slept well sheltered from the torrential downpour outside.

The next morning, after Lidietta made us breakfast we packed away our unused tent and entered the jungle once more. It was beautiful trekking, sometimes quite tough, but extremely rewarding as we saw a rare white falcon, more macaws, monkeys, toucans and pesotes. It got to the point where we were getting blase about the wildlife, it was so abundant.

At this point it needs to be said that although we were trekking in the jungle we were not actually inside the Corcovado protected area. The park at 50,000 hectares forms only part of the wider jungle which doesn't for some reason enjoy protected status even though it is still dense jungle. We walked to San Pedrillo rangers station on the edge of the park and against Ballardos advice (that there would be less wildlife becasue of the tourists) decided to pay $8 each to enter the park. We spent a couple of hours inside the park and although we enjoyed some cool trekking including some river crossings we only saw one agouti, a very expensive one at that.

Late afternoon, we made our way back to Rincon. The last part of the trek was at dusk including an exciting but quite scary scramble up a steep bank whilst thousands of bats screamed overhead. One hit Mel on the head which she didn't like very much.

Back at Rincon it was obvious we were going to be staying another night with Rafa and Lidietta.
In fact, they had pulled out all the stops that day and had assembled a large welcoming committee including a family friend Alex and Ballardos so called 'second father'. We got fed again on chicken that Lidietta had killed that afternoon and kept topped up on the local firewater Cacique, a kind of rum.
By this point, it was getting rather embarrassing for us as we had no money with which to tip them but they kept showering us with gifts including Ballardos crocodile necklace, a wallet (needed one of those), two necklaces for Mel and some lucky jungle beans. They seemed to have adopted us into the family and showed genuine heartfelt emotions promising that this would always be our home should we come back to the area. It was all quite fluffy and overwhelming.

See pics here of the end of trek party!

We went to bed exhausted and drunk.

In the morning and following a swim with we waited on the beach for a boat to take us back to Drake so that we could pick up our backpacks. We then took a taxi and headed towards Jiminez. Rafa and Lidietta came with us and invited us to stay the night with their daughters family in La Palmar, it would then be an easy matter of getting the bus to Jiminez the next morning to find a bank...

Again, we were fussed over like were royalty and more food and Cacique was forced on us. Rafa gave Mel his army hat as used in Vietnam and then proceeded to show off his scars where he was shot!

Rafa organised a taxi for us in the morning after a Cacique 'hair of the dog' and we all headed to Jiminez together to find a bank such that we could pay Ballardo and Rafa and Lidietta. I don't know why Rafa and Lidietta needed to accompany us but it soon became apparent that Ballardo had been promising them tips for all the meals, lodging and transport etc and that this had totalled quite a large sum.

Just our luck the bank was closed and the ATM didn't work. We were beginning to panic now and Rafa and Ballardo were starting to look nervous. We had one last chance to get cash and that was to get the ferry across the bay to Golfito (30min) to find the ATM there. Mel agreed to go with Ballardo whilst I stayed behind with Rafa getting drunk in a bar. It was a tense afternoon, especially as Rafa kept buying me beers that I was obliged to repay him for.

Eventually, Mel and Ballardo reappeared with the money and there was much celebration all round including another round of beers. There then followed an awkward moment whilst we paid Rafa/Lidietta, I don't think they felt they were properly compensated and Rafa's mood turned dark. It was embarrassing for us as had we known that everything had a cost attached we might have made different decisions. And they kept reiterating all along that all their hospitality was free and from the kindness of their hearts.

We all stayed in Jiminez for the night and went out to a local restaurant with the others which was tense as Rafa and Lidietta had obviously had a fight over the money amongst other things, which got worse when they found out they were to pay for their half of dinner.

So, we returned back to the hotel a little upset that our wonderful experience had been tarnished at the finishing post but I think it will blow over and that we will all remain good friends for life!

After an emotional goodbye to Ballardo we left Jiminez the next day for Golfito and onwards to Panama for Xmas and NYE!

In summary, I think that before our journey we had a romanticised notion about what it would be like. I think we felt that we would be camping in the middle of the jungle living off berries and catching our dinner etc but in fact what we got was a more authentic experience of the jungle and the people who live in the jungle.

For a complete set of our Costa Rica photos click here.

Facts
Rio Drake Lodge: $6 per peron per night camping

The Big Trip: Costa Rica - Panic a snake!

OK. So what to say about Costa Rica. It is by far the most developed country we have been so far and there is a large US influence of course, the worst part being you bump into a lot of Americans but if you can ignore that half and just concentrate on the wildlife then it has so much to offer with probably the most diverse ecosystems in Central America. If you´re into birds then this is the place to come but suffice to say there is stilll no sign of that damned elusive Quetzal!

We began our Costa Rican experience in Liberia. This is a fairly non-descript town but which provides a good base from where to visit the Rincon de la Viejo national park. On our arrival in Liberia, we found the Liberia Hotel which was run by very friendly people providing good advice. However, we then found out that not only was the park closed on Mondays (the next day) but that the country was inconsiderate enough to be holding national elections with the bizarre and wholly inexplicable side-effect of a ban on alcohol sales for two whole days, can you believe that! So, the next day we decided to spend on the Nicoye Peninsula. We began at Playa del Coco which was an awful place and so quickly moved on to Playa Hermosa which was nicer but very US in flavour with condominiums a plenty. Still, we had an enjoyable day on the beach and got some snorkelling in.

The next day we went to Rincon. It was fantastic walking culminating in a lovely waterfall and even a hummingbird and nest spot by yours truly! See our pictures here.

6 Dec
We got an early bus towards Monteverde having made the decision not to go to Fortuna and Volcano Aranel (having already been to Volcan Pacaya). We arrived early evening at St Elena (St Elena and Monteverde are both small villages separated by 5kms and both have cloud rainforest reserves) and found accomodation at Cabinas Del Pueblos . St Elena is a pretty albeit quite touristic village and reminds me of an alpine skiing village but with rainforest instead of snow!

We decide to spend the first of our two days here at St Elena cloud rainforest which is spectacular (pics here) although the day, of course, doesn´t pass of without incident. Towards of the end of our walk through the forest, and just after I say to Mel that it's a pity we havn't seen a snake, I go and step on one. I didn't spot it until I walked over it but Mel did. Unfortunately the snake now separated us and I was in a dead-end path with no where to go. The snake was not going to move and was on the defensive, it's head reared up and giving me the snake-eyes!
We deliberated about what we should do whilst the snake remained motionless staring me out. Nothing phased it and it didn't flinch even after we threw sticks at it, nor did it budge when a Dorito came it's way. We decided that the best course of action was for Mel to run back to the lodge and get the wardens. So off she went and half an hour later the cavalry arrived with a long pointed stick and removed the offending article. We were then able to return safely to base to ponder over what went wrong. Pics here.

The next morning was the zipwiring tour! Zipwiring, for those of you unaware, is when you slide down a series of taut wires attached by a harness to a small flywheel, and you literally zip from point to point. In Montervede and St Elena the tours take you over and through the rainforest canopy. Our company EXTREMO! had only been operating for two weeks and had the highest (100m) and the longest (750m) wire around. For about an hour and a half we zipped around the canopies like monkeys on speed sometimes not being able to see anything around us but mist. The tour finished with a 30m rappell followed by a stomach-churning tarzan swing (there is movie footage of us doing this, to be added later I hope). As there were only three of on the tour we were allowed to do the swing again but it didn't make it any less scary.

In the evening we cooked spag bol which was nice as you don't often get the chance to cook for yourself when travelling around.

9 Dec and 10 Dec - yesterday
We move on from the rainforests to the coast and Quepos which turns out to be an absolute dump and an evil place, it's only saving grace is that it's cheap to stay there (we stayed at the Wide Mouthed Frog) and it's near the national park of Manuel Antonio. We spent the following day at the park which is small but perfectly formed with the abundant wildlife more than compensating for the tourists. In the space of five minutes we saw white-faced monkeys being cheeky, a pesote (similar to a raccoon) enjoying a coconut, a sloth with baby not doing much and iguanas topping up their tans on the rocks.

Interesting fact about sloths. Sloths are not what you'd call killing machines but they do exhibit aggressive tendencies occasionally. On the rare occasions when they do fight, the spectacle apparently resembles t'ai chi recorded in slow motion.

So, after a gorgeous day out in the park we pack our bags and head off towards Uvita which is halfway to Corcovado National Park, our most eagerly anticipated part of Costa Rica. However, we missed our stop for the Toucan hostel and had to change our plans and stay in Uvita village instead. But, when we went to collect our backpacks from the luggage compartment I discovered to my shock that somewhere along the way from Quepos someone had taken my backpack thinking it was theirs (in the dark they must have looked the same). So, I am left holding a knackered old backpack containing pots and pans and a machete. At this point I am in shock trying to come to terms with all that has probably been lost, the tent, clothes, chargers, toothbrush etc and wondering what the hell we are going to do. Luckily, my daypack contains everything of real importance like all mour documents, iPod, camera etc.

We decide to stay in Uvita for the night (at an overpriced and bland room costing $30, haggled down from $50!) with the intention of catching the same bus going back to Quepos at 5am the next morning in the hope that the other person was as eager to get back their belongings and would perhaps intercept us on the way through.

11 Dec
After the worst nights sleep yet, we awoke this morning and caught the 5am back towards Quepos. I am in a foul mood and Mel is very patient to the extreme. As luck would have it, about an hour up the road Mel, the star, spotted my pack at the side of the road along with an anxious looking local. I jumped off the bus feeling a huge sense of relief and also disbelief that we had been reunited. I exchanged bags and hugs with the man, it was a moment.

Back in Quepos, we awaited the bus going back south and it was here we met a French Canadian woman called Carol and her daughter Tabitha going the same way and also planning on staying in Corcovado at a lodge just outside Drake Bay on the northern side. Since we had no real plans for doing Corcovado yet we have decided to go with them to the lodge and have got as far as Palmar Norte, a shitehole in the middle of nowhere, where we are staying at a Chinese restaurant.

I lost another wallet today with $20 in it. I should stop doing this.

Tomorrow, we head for the Corcovado and the unknown.

Adios!

Facts
Currency is the Colon with 535 Colons to $1
Liberia Hotel - $7 per night for dorm
Cabinas Del Pueblos $10 per room with shared kitchen and lounge
Wide Mouthed Frog $9 per night with pool

The Big Trip: Nicuragua - Manholes and Leatherbacks

Buenos Noches!

Phew...the last two weeks seem to have flown by.

Nicuragua is an extraordinarily friendly country and I only wish we could have spent more time there, it has so much to offer, although it could do something about all the holes in the streets...
It has some amazing volcanoes and crater lakes, beautiful sunsets, fantastic surfing (if that's your thing) and stunning wildlife. Also, the rum is to die for, especially a brand called Flor De Cana. Bottles sell for around $5 and they are extremely drinkable. There is a 4yr, a 5yr, a 7yr, 12yr and apparently a 20yr. I intend to try them all and report back.

So, we finally managed to leave the island of Utila and after spending one night in Tegucigalpa, the decididly dodgy capital of Honduras, we finally arrived in Granada. After a couple of unsuccessfull attempts to find accommodation we are eventually offered a room in a house affilated with a youth hostel called Hospidaje La Libertad ($15/rm inc breakfast and free internet), a really cool collection of rooms around a courtyard with a fountain. We spent the rest of the evening just wandering around people watching and eating pizza. Granada is a very picturesque colonial town nestled on the western side of Lago Nicuragua which is so large it seems more of a sea than a lake. It reminds me very much of Antigua in it's layout and color scheme.

The next day we arose late and spent the day just doing our admin. Every now and again you need to stop somewhere and spend time on the boring stuff like laundry, writing emails, buying bits and pieces from the shops etc. It's amazing how quickly a day passes without actually seeming to have done anything. One of the great things about being away for so long is that when you want to, you can just decide to do nothing for the day and just sit around being lazy. This doesn´t happen (with me anyhow) when you only have two weeks somewhere. I'm always up at the crack of dawn planning the day to get the most out of the trip which means you get a lot done but at the same time is not really relaxing. It's refreshing not having to think like that although Mel will testify that this behaviour still rears it's ugly head every now and again, and probably more often than that!

Anyhow, after mooching around all day we decide to go and catch happy hour at The Bearded Monkey. We had just left the apartment to head out for the evening when I heard Mel cry out behind me. I turned around in alarm, my adrenaline already rushing through my veins to see Mel chest high in a manhole(womanhole?) in the road. I rushed over and pulled her out (surprisingly easy on adrenaline!) and sat her down on the curb. I really expected her to have broken her leg or some ribs but luckily she came away with only some bruising and a nasty cut on her stomach that we decided required stitches. After enquiring at the hostel we managed to find a local pharmacy/surgery that was open and within half an hour a doctor had arrived and stitched her up good and proper. And all this cost only $10 and she was seen to quicker than she would have been in the UK! So far, I am impressed with the Latin American health service.
By the way, the reason why there are so many holes in the road in Nicuragua is that thieves steal all the covers for the scrap metal value.

The following day, not wanting to be deterred by her injury, we hired bikes and cycled up to a local butterfly farm and spent the afternoon chatting with the owners about butterflies. They recommended a local comidor for dinner and it was here that we discovered the delights of the Nicuraguan rum Flor de Caña after accidentally ordering a bottle of it...

When we both came around, we realized it was morning and that we had arranged to spend the day at a lakeside lodge called the Monkey Hut, part of the Bearded Monkey hostel. It's set in a beautiful location on the edge of a crate lake and we nursed our heads kayaking and swimming although Mel didn't because she wasn't allowed to what with her stitches and that.

We vowed to leave Granada the next day and headed to the Isle of Ometepe. This is an island consisting of two volcanoes in the centre of Lago Nicuragua. At this point we were travelling with our German friend Marcus who we first met in Guatemala, then in Utila and then found again in Granada. I knew we would probably bump into people again and again as there is a north south 'trail' which a lot of travellers follow but it still surprises you when you turn up in some seemingly remote part of a different country and meet someone you know. Also, it becomes a bit of a joke saying when after each emotional goodbye you just bump into the same individual a few days/weeks later. But you never know so you go through the motions anyway. Actually, one of the upsetting parts of this travelling lark is that you make quite intense friendships with people over a short period of time and then wave goodbye knowing that you probably won't see them again.

So, we found a really cute hospidaje in Altagracia called Hotel Ortiz($5pppn) run by a very friendly fellow who called himself Mario. He helped us by informing us of the various excursions speaking Spanish very slowly.

In the morning we took the local bus to Agua de Ojo, a natural spring on the side of one of the volcanoes, it was very pretty. We then walked down to Playa Santa Domingo where we had lunch and it started to rain...very hard. When the last bus back failed to materialize, we waited over an hour in the rain watching the monkeys, we decided to try to walk the 7kms back in the dark. Luckily, after about 30mins we were picked up by some lads in a 4x4 and soon realized that walking back was a stupid idea.

29th Nov
We leave the hotel and Marcus (for definitely the last time) and catch a ride to Chaco Verde on the southern tip of the western volcano. Chaco Verde is a small national park and a place to chill and watch monkeys and that's exactly what we did as well as imbibing more of Nicuraguas lovely rum. We left the island the next day to head towards San Juan Del Sur just in time to miss the sunset. San Juan del Sur is a small surfers paradise on the south western point of Nicuragua and apparently blessed with fantastic sunsets! We stayed in the Hospidaje Casa 28 ($5pp, horrible beds).

The next day we headed for La Flor, a turtle conservation refuge some way south of San Juan. We had heard of an expensive hotel there that the guide book said we could also camp at but when we arrived they wouldn't accept us and were asking for $80 a night for one of their cabinas! So we had one other option, to try to get to the rangers station on the beach and stay there. We hitched down there and managed to avoid paying the $27 charge for camping on the beach by agreeing to set up tent next to the station on hard ground. We cooked potatoes for dinner that we had brough from the expensive hotel. Then went to the beach armed with our torches to find turtles. We bumped into the park wardens who let us wander around with them. It was a good idea as no sooner as we had started they found us a newly hatched nest of baby turtles making their way towards the sea and freedom (I say freedom loosely as only one in a hundred of the babies will actually survive the various dangers inherent in the journey).
Minutes later and we strike the jackpot! Large tracks lead us up the beach to a line of palms where underneath a large female leatherback is digging her nest so that she may lay her eggs.
It's an incredible sight and we stay there for about an hour whilst she lays her eggs, the rangers allowing us photos providing they are taken from behind! We leave before she returns to the sea but the next day we return to find a set of tracks leading back to the ocean.

After returning to San Juan Del Sur for one night we headed for the border at Peñas Blancas which we crossed with minimal fuss before finishing our journey at Liberia, our first stop in Costa Rica!

Facts:
Currency: Cordoba 18 to one dollar
Best rum: Flor De Caña 7rs