5 Year Anniversary

Today was our anniversary...5 years of marriage, how time flies...

It was to be expected that we would like this day to be special, so we decided to visit the Manuel Antonio National Park.

Yesterday we found a small bakery across the street from the beach and we decided to pick up a few snacks and some water for our hike. 

The entrance to the park was $10 (per person) and for an additional $15 per person we could have had an english speaking guide with a scope and tripod, but it was our day and we really wanted to enjoy each others company even at the risk of not seeing all the wildlife we could have.

We had learned from all our previous hikes that if you want to see wildlife you not only need to take your time, but you have to know where to look. Some animals are easy to spot: like the lizards patrolling the entire park, eating at the fruits that fell out of the trees: others are harder to spot: like the slots sleeping high in the tree, the insects...and some are very hard to spot because of their perfect camouflage.

The road takes you through the jungle to this very beautiful lagoon with white sand, calm blue waters and a rocky island that looked like just a short swim away. 

It had to be around noon because the sun was very powerful and without the constant breeze that was present on the public beach the temperature was starting to feel unbearable....a quick dip in the cool water fixed that....We found a shady spot and we enjoyed our sweet snacks we brought with us just to be surprised by a Jesus lizard that was very happy to pose for me...cute thing did not leave until I put my camera away, it must have been very used to tourists doing this sort of thing. 

Before we left the beach I almost stepped on a hermit crab...so needless to say I spent some time taking some shots of him trying to climb out of a sand hole.

On our way back from the beach we noticed a larger group of tourists looking up in the trees, it was a band of white faced monkeys, and just like the lizard earlier as soon as we started taking photos of them they got closer and closer and cuter. 

Some of the other tourist had guides with them that were telling them interesting facts about them, reminding people that as cute as they may look they were wild animals and they were omnivores. The large lizards patrolling the park ended up being their lunch sometimes and some of the monkeys had the scars to prove it.

There was a spoiled little boy that caught my attention, maybe because one of the guides kept on telling him not to show his teeth which may seem crazy to some readers as it did to the mother of that spoiled child that was making all kinds of weird crazy faces to the monkeys in the trees really aggravating one the alpha male.

After trying to warn both the child and the parents and only be met with a "what's the harm in it, his just being a child" the guide gave up and looked apologetic to me...there was something in her eyes that made me step further from that child and follow the alpha male more closely. 

Angry alpha male

I used to spend hour as a child looking at the monkeys, observing them and the way they interacted so to see this in their own habitat was wonderful...but there was something that I have only noticed ones....the group of monkeys started to be more agitated and the alpha male was almost growling, showing his teeth from a branch just above the kids head. He was so proud that the monkey was imitating him...and I suddenly just realized why the guide looked so guilty...the alpha male just urinated on the kids head and before anyone could have any reaction to what just happened the monkey through some fecal mater at the child. It did the trick as far as the monkeys were concerned, the spoiled child making the threatening faces (showing your teeth to any primate as well as many other animals means you want to challenge them) as well as his parents were hurrying to the exit angry and complaining.

As soon as they departed the monkeys seemed to have relaxed and continued the cute display of acrobatics. One of them decided to get closer to the group of tourist and when the guides suggested that no one should make sudden moves his suggestion was taken to heart by all (we just witnessed what happens to those that did not). The monkey was happy to run between a child's legs and back up a tree without ever touching anyone.

After the National Park we returned to the public beach for lunch and some more photos of those fascinating crabs.

In the evening we returned to the hotel and we enjoyed our last night in Manuel Antonio.

We were having our tea on the patio in front of our room when my husband noticed the small lizards above us in the light fixtures...what a nice end to our evening. 

There is something so magical about being surrounded by wildlife anywhere you go in this wonderful country.

Good Night

And Happy Travels

Second day in Tortuguero

Another early morning...but if you wanna see the wildlife it is a sacrifice you need to make.

the canal and some of the larger tour boats

It rained on and off all night and at 6 in the morning it looked like it will rain again...we were not even on the boat before the rain started again...first as a drizzle that halfway through the tour developed into a full tropical downpour.

There were other guides that provide tours for a larger group and use boats that provide shelter from the rain, but having a private tour has many advantages, even if we were getting wet.

Rafa turned out to be an amazing guide, despite the weather he was full of energy, patients and a fountain of information. He told us about the different palm trees, the different fruit bearing trees and the rest of the vegetation. He knew every bird we encountered and everything about it.

It was not long before we noticed the biggest difference between our tour and the bigger boats filled with 10+ people. Rafa, kept his boat closer to the shore or closer to the vegetation that was growing on the water, and because it was just us we knew better then to make to much noise especially after he pointed out a bird, so we got pretty close to a lot of them and with no one in the way got some nice shots.

Can you see me?

He knew from a previous conversation we had that I really wanted to see a Cayman and he was on a mission to find and show me one....The first one he spotter was very well camouflaged and I had a hard time noticing it...I really thought he will lose his patients any moment and I decided to say that I see it...well that only got him laughing....he knew I was lying, because apparently I was not even looking in the right direction, so he patiently guided me until I finally saw it...he was beautiful, like a baby crocodile.
The second one Rafa spotted was more in the open and he pulled the boat really close to it. We were so close that if I would have put my arm out I could have touched it. DO NOT TRY IT...the Cayman was on the hunt and he could easily bite my hand off faster then I could have pulled it back into the boat, but there is something so magical in being this close to a wild animal.

The only downside to the rain was that I had to put my camera away and the small waterproof one had a hard time focusing because of the dense rain...so I gave up.



Rafa did warn us that it will rain when we left the village, but we decided that a little water wont do us harm and his wooden boat gave us some reassurance, (my decision may have been different if he would have used a metal one). Even when the rain really started to come down hard I did not regret my decision, the sky got dark and the canal got an eerie feel to it, but it was still full of movement and life (if you knew where to look)

I promised myself that when I return to Tortuguero I will bring the appropriate protection for my camera...and better rain gear for us.

just an hour earlier this alee was under a foot of water

When we returned to the village we noticed that the alley leading from the main road to our room was flooded in a foot of water...I looked at my husband and we both had this "here we go" look as we stepped into the water.We knew that the ally was a sandy road and it was very clean both the night before and in the morning so we did not have to worry about where we step even if the water was not clear. By the time we reached our room we were so giddy, we could not stop laughing and talking about how we have not played in puddles since we were maybe 10 years old.

After changing into dry cloths we decided to have breakfast...so we headed back to the main road to a restaurant called Sunrise Fast Food Place...the menu was all in Spanish and the waitress did not speck English other then a few basic words, but when you have a positive attitude you will find a way to communicate. With some basic English and Spanish words...and some body language...we "decoded" the menu and ordered. While some of the items on the menu were not that hard to order the payment part was a bit harder since large numbers are harder for me to understand, the receipt was in colones and we wanted to pay in american dollars so I asked the waitress for her calculator I asked for US dollars and showed her the calculator..she wrote something down, I looked deleted and wrote down how much I want to pay (added the tip to her amount).Food was good and fresh and for the next day and a half we returned for every meal and the waitress always came with her calculator when we paid.



Keep in mind that in most places in Costa Rica a 10% tip is added automatically to your bill, however just like at home if I really enjoyed my meal and the service I tip more then 10%, and this waitress really made our meals special and her translations where very appreciated.







We had the rest of the day to explore and we were hoping to climb the hill...unfortunately the weather had other plans and it rained a few times that day...after all it was the rainy season and we were in a rain forest....we settled on walking the beach and relaxing.

we had a new friend following us 

until he got bored and decided to nap a bit

The beach with it's signature black volcanic sand must be beautiful during the sunny days, unfortunately because of all the rain and storms the sea was very rough. There were some huge pieces of driftwood that the waives were moving back and forth with no effort at all performing a captivating dance.

After revisiting the various souvenir stores and buying same snacks from the general store we returned to our room and decided to relax on the hammocks....and time just flew by.




Later we had an early dinner and retired to our room wishing we could spend more time in this secluded place and promising to return one day and share it with our children.






Happy travels