Author: Charlie

Retired American nature-lover, living in Costa Rica, photographing birds and other jewels of nature. This site simply reports on my joys of being RETIRED IN COSTA RICA!
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Tranquilo Banana Azul

The latest trip book is completed, a short & simple photo book of 36 pages for only $19 which is low price for a photo book + order by 10 September and get 40% off with discount code:   SEPTEMBER4T

Banana Azul is maybe my most relaxing hotel in Costa Rica or certainly the Caribbean, thus I focused on the tranquility of nature there with several sunrise photos along with birds and other nature!   🙂   Click this link or the cover image below to see a FREE PREVIEW electronically of all pages of the book. As always, full screen mode is better for photos!   🙂

https://www.blurb.com/b/9637630-tranquilo-banana-azul

Tranquilo Banana Azul

 

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”   ~ Henry David Thoreau

¡Pura Vida!

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Farewell to these trees . . .

A most relaxing time in nature, that top, end/corner room was mine this week, looking through these trees to the ocean daily – – – and now back to my Cecropia and Fig Trees for the surprises of nature there for awhile. Life is great “Retired in Costa Rica” and . . .

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”

~Aristotle

🙂

¡Pura Vida!

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My last shot here.

Trip Gallery:  2019 Banana Azul

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Green & Black Poison Dart Frog

We seem to have a lot of these neat tropical frogs here at Banana Azul, one of 7 different species of “Poison Dart Frogs” in Costa Rica. Read about them on Wikipedia.  Or see my other photos of them at Poison Dart Frogs: Green & Black. or my whole Amphibians gallery.

 

Why are frogs so happy? They eat whatever bugs them! 

¡Pura Vida!

 

See also my TRIP GALLERY:   2019 Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo

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Around the Hotel

“Just Hangin’ Out” or “Chilling”  is a good thing when it’s such a cool place!

Wildlife Today

 

Flowers

 

Sometimes you gotta just chill. You gotta chill your thinking process.         ~Ghostface Killah

¡Pura Vida!

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Sunrise Costa Rica

Good morning Costa Rica!  It’s another beautiful day! Here’s today’s sunrise from the beach at Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo, Caribe Sur. And if you like photos of sunrises and sunsets, check out my gallery:  Vistas  and while I post I’m watching a Gray-cowled Woodrail build a nest just below my terrace. Cool!

Saturday Sunrise

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“Good morning . . .  It will smile at you if you smile at it”

¡Pura Vida!

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Organic Gardens Today

It is called Finca la Isla Permaculture Farm and Botanical Gardens. It reminded me of the old hippie organic gardening farms we had a few of across the states. Though they were picking fruit for tomorrow morning’s Farmers’ Market, they obviously aren’t making much money at farming or with tourist visits. The only other visitor there this morning was a really nice Indian Doctor/Surgeon from Trinidad who drove me to my hotel after our visit and snack of fresh fruits. He grows tropical fruits in Trinidad as a hobby and was collecting seeds from Costa Rica. Interesting! I continue to have such serendipity people experiences like him and the French family at the Sloth Sanctuary yesterday! It’s a small world in Costa Rica!   🙂

Botanical Gardens Photos

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.

— Alfred Austin

 

!Pura Vida!

 

 

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Walkin’ the Beach Road

This morning before going to the organic botanical gardens in Puerto Viejo, I walked a ways down the beach road behind Banana Azul along Playa Negra or Black Beach because of some black volcanic sand in places. Its a forest walk or drive and the trees are as impressive as the beach. Here’s a few shots.

Beach Road Walk

 

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. 

John Muir

¡Pura Vida!

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Good Morning!

I finally got up early enough for sunrise on the beach – wow! I won’t miss anymore!   🙂

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Before the sun actually rises may be my favorite time.

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With more red and yellow, it is about to rise!
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The first peek of the sun and the sky’s ablaze!
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Soon it becomes too much, too bright to photograph – sunrise on Atlantic coast of Costa Rica.

 

“I opened two gifts this morning. They were my eyes.”

 

¡Pura Vida!

@ Banana Azul

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Sloth Sanctuary

Today is a rainy day but I went ahead and visited the Sloth Sanctuary in Cahuita, Costa Rica and really glad I did! We had light rain the first part of the canoe trip and thus I did not take out my big camera until near the end, missing a lot of birds, but I have all of them from other places and enjoyed someone else paddling the canoe!   🙂

The canoe trip is to see where the sloths live in the wild before we go into the building to see the rescued sloths. We saw howler monkeys & lots of birds but no wild sloths. A VERY EXCELLENT TOUR that I highly recommend to anyone in this area! I sure learned a lot about sloths!

Banana Azul provided transportation to the sanctuary, about 15 minutes away. It is just as good as the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo and the Ara Project Manzanillo I had already visited here in the South Caribbean. I highly recommend all three! They all do great work saving animals and our environment! Part of the culture of Costa Rica!    🙂

Canoe Trip

Sloth Center

🙂

¡Pura Vida!