Category: Costa Rica

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Slowing down . . .

Before Sunrise this morning, I had to leave for birding hike before it rose, so maybe get it tomorrow.

Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Sea from Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.

I’m still working on photo posts for the first day plus Cahuita yesterday and now Samasati today! So I will not try to get them all while on the trip. SLOWING DOWN! Tomorrow I stay at hotel the whole day! No trip or hike! Then Friday go home where I will finish my photo work. Internet is sometimes slow here. 

How about Costa Rica and the world cup playoffs? We beat the U.S. and tied Mexico last night until the last seconds of the game. We are not out yet! Close counts in soccer playoffs!  🙂

¡Pura Vida!
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Puerto Viejo — THE CARIBBEAN TOURIST TOWN

I think it is officially called “Puerto Viejo de Talamanca” because it is at the foot of the Talamanca Mountains and nearest town to some of the Indian reservations. It is also called “Puerto Viejo de Limon” because it is in the Limon Province and near the larger port city of Limon, also a symbol of the Caribbean for Costa Rica and where they have the Caribbean and Reggae festivals and big parades like Mardi Gras. Another reason for the extension on the name is there is another town called Puerto Viejo which I have also visited on the Caribbean slope, but inland next to the mountains. It is called “Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. It is on the Sarapiqui River. Well, a few shots of buildings in the Caribe Puerto Viejo which you could call “Rasta Town” or a hangout for some American youth who see themselves as new hippies or rasta or whatever labels are used today. Colorful but not highly appealing to me.

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A 6 mile Beach Walk

I arrived early yesterday before my room was ready and so I decided to walk to the Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo from the hotel by way of the beach and back. My odometer showed it to be nearly 6 miles round trip, counting a walk around town. The next post will be about the interesting town. But here’s a few shots from the beach walk:

I walked from those blue hills around the bay to this town beach.
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

The bend in the bay before getting to the town.
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

I get to cross this stream coming into the bay and
see the one-lane bridge on the road running parallel with beach.
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Approaching town there are runners & this abandoned barge.
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Near every hotel is this standard sign warning of undertow.
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

A faster way to get to town?  🙂
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Great Kiskadee
One of six species of birds seen along the beach walk.
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Semipalmated Plover
For birders, yes, similar to Wilson’s Plover except
this one has orange legs & orange on base of bill (click to enlarge)
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Non-breeding Western Sandpiper
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Breeding Western Sandpiper
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Whimbrel  
 Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Brown Pelican
Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

Great-tailed Grackle male 
 Puerto Viejo, Caribe, Costa Rica

I was high-energy yesterday and did more than I should probably, but doing very little today to make up for it!  Thus I have a lot of photos still from yesterday to share and may do another post tonight. Every new place is an adventure and full of photo-ops!

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The Adventure of Small Planes

Our 12-passenger plane from San Jose to Limon
Costa Rica

Sansa Terminal in San Jose
Costa Rica

I sat in the back this time to get off first in Limon.
3 of us got off and 5 more got on for the journey on to Tortuguero
Costa Rica

Taxiing off on the San Jose Runway
Costa Rica

Flying over the San Jose Passenger Terminal
Costa Rica

Farms outside of San Jose
Costa Rica

Flying over the mountains & national park
Costa Rica

Caribbean Farms, mostly Bananas, Pineapple
Costa Rica

Outskirts of Limon
Costa Rica

Oil Tankers keep these filled as our main source of gasoline
Costa Rica

One of several big docks in the Port of Limon
Costa Rica

Typically Tin-roofed house in the very poor, mostly black, Limon
Costa Rica

Limon Airport is a strip of pavement along the Atlantic coast
Costa Rica

And the very nice though small Limon Passenger Terminal
Costa Rica

This is all I can share about today (Monday) but I did a lot more with reports later. I walked 6 miles up and back the beach from hotel to downtown Puerto Viejo. Quite interesting. Photographed a lot including 4 or 5 different species of birds. Didn’t get in my room until 2 because last guests were late checking out. Got a massage on the beach to help me relax before my gourmet dinner of Sea Bass +. Exhausted and going to bed by 8 with a 6:30 AM bird hike before breakfast, then a slow day tomorrow.  🙂

My hotel is Banana Azul  which is very nice and almost always full.

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Walking the Hills & Valleys of Atenas, Costa Rica

Looking down on Central Atenas & the Central Church
Atenas, Costa Rica

But just the hills on the backside of my neighborhood are a “Feast for My Eyes!”
Early morning fog reminds me of the presence of the Holy Spirit. What a place to walk!
Atenas, Costa Rica
A couple of cellphone shots made this morning on my walk over the hill in Roca Verde. Stay tuned for a change of scenery as I fly to the Caribbean Coast tomorrow morning. ¡Pura Vida!
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Home Business: Veterinarian

I can’t say for sure that the vet lives in the same house he cares for animals, but it is a house!
And across the street is David & Corinna’s house where they both live & have language classes
as their place of business. In their case, one rent is better than two rents! 🙂
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Forests . . . the revelation of their harmony.

Bribri Yorkin Reserve, Caribe, Costa Rica

The full quote:

Gustave Flaubert

“I tried to discover, in the rumor of forests and waves, words that other men could not hear, and I pricked up my ears to listen to the revelation of their harmony.”

Gustave Flaubert


Two summers ago on my first visit to the southern Caribbean in Costa Rica with the photo club, I got to spend three nights in the indigenous people Bribri Yorkin Community. I just now completed a Yorkin Trip gallery for that trip. Check it out! especially the forest! This is near where I’m going next week, even though I will not be roughing it this time while in a nice hotel on the beach! But when I saw this photo for the gallery, I couldn’t find that I had shared it before, so here it is! Soon I will have all of my Trip Galleries finished and will announce it here. But you can start looking now if you like with more than two years of trips in Costa Rica already completed. Most recent trips are at the top. 

See also my Flora & Forest gallery. 
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From Behind the Big Rock: African Tulip Tree!

From behind the big rock at Roca Verde entrance
you see the red-orange flowers of our African Tulip Tree.
Atenas, Costa Rica

African Tulip Tree
Zooming in on another tropical tree that blooms for about one month.
Atenas, Costa Rica

I walk about half a mile up a steep hill to Chef Dan’s house 2 or 3 times a week for one of his gourmet meals for dinner. Monday I had Shrimp Alfredo with side salad and Italian bread. Tonight I walked up the hill for Curry Chicken Salad Wrap with side salad and mango chutney. I eat pretty well most of the time to be living in the rainforests of Central America!  🙂

I begin my ascent at this big rock near the front gate and of course come back by it on my way home for this view. The front side of the rock is often covered in moss, thus the name “green rock” (roca verde).
This big tropical flowering tree is by the guard house at the front gate but you see it better from behind the big rock! It is a native to Africa but planted in many tropical areas including Costa Rica as an ornamental tree. The scientific name is Spathodea campanulata or commonly called African Tulip Tree. What’s really neat about all the tropical trees with beautiful blooms here is that they nearly all bloom in different months, so that we almost always have some tree blooming somewhere in Costa Rica! What will I see next week in the Caribe?

For other blooming trees in Atenas, see my Walking Atenas photo gallery

Or for the whole country, see my larger Flora & Forest photo gallery

-o-
PEAK OF RAINY SEASON
Rainy Season, el invierno, winter, or “Green Season” is at its peak in Central Valley in September and October when we get the most rain, typically 6-8 hours a day, mostly in late afternoon and evening. Great for sleeping! November is the “shoulder” month or when it tapers off and by December no rain for 6 months! Sad to me. I prefer the rainy season! Not only is it greener and cooler, but fewer American tourists!  ¡Tranquilo!   🙂

Another interesting phenomenon in rainy season is that while Sep-Oct are the heaviest rains in Central Valley, it is also the time when the Caribbean gets the least amount of rain! Thus I always plan my trips there in Sep-Oct!  🙂   Also note that both coasts are coastal rainforests which get rain year around, even when it is not rainy season here. I would like living there for that but not for the always hot and humid condition of the beaches. (Though the NW corner called Guanacaste is the desert area and pretty dry year around.) So I think the Central Valley is the best place to live with easy access to the whole country and the best overall weather! In fact the PR slogan of Atenas is “el mejor clima del mundo” or “the best weather in the world.”

One realtor’s take on it: 
And the Canary Islands also claim the best weather in this interesting video:
But that is the other side of the world! Different continent!

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Balance of 2017 Planned!

And most of you know that means I have trips planned for the rest of the year with other serendipities like holidays and local experiences being “extra” joys! 

But for those who particularly like my trips or the birds I photograph on them, here’s my coast to coast plans for the next 4 months, leaving specific dates off for security reasons: 

SEPTEMBER is my trek back to the Caribe with 4 nights in a very popular hotel I could not get in on another trip, Hotel Banana Azul, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. It is one of the very few actually on the beach, like walk out of your cabin right onto the beach. (Most are across the highway.) I do not care for swimming in the ocean for many reasons, nor sunbathing, but absolutely love walking on the beach which I will do a lot of this trip. It is also “Adult Only,” simply meaning no children. I love kids, but they tend to dominate a resort at every point and can be quite disruptive from sleeping & meals to activities & pool. So my first time to try one of these!  I’ll let you know what I think. 

Plus I plan on two new reserves for birding and otherwise hiking in nature with local guides; one is a national park and one a private reserve which they claim is the best. And of course the beautiful forested grounds of the hotel and even the beach will have birds!

And I will experience a little caribbean culture & food in Puerto Viejo. See 
this info page and welcome video About Puerto Viejo.  There’s also links there to why visit the Caribe, difference in caribbean and pacific coasts, etc. I may come home singing reggae!  🙂  But mainly hope to relax and get more bird photos! Here’s more on Caribbean Local Activities beyond the music and food or my favorite, Caribbean Jungle, Nature & Wildlife.  And the Hotel Banana Azul Photo Gallery. 

It will be both similar and different from my safari tent hotel in Manzanillo last year. See that Manzanillo Trip Photo Gallery for comparison. I still don’t have a strong preference for caribbean or pacific coast yet, though I tend to favor the “underdog” or least popular which would be the Caribe. It is quieter, cheaper, more natural, smaller & locally owned hotels, and less crowded. If you like big Marriotts or Hiltons, go to the Pacific side and spend more money! I’m doing that in December but not in a big chain hotel. 



NOVEMBER is in the cloud forests not far from Atenas, just outside San Ramon where I stay in my second Greentique Hotel, associated with the Aquila de Osa Hotel I was in at Drake Bay. (One of my favorite!) But this one is only an hour or so away by bus through Palmares to San Ramon where the hotel picks me up at the bus station. It is called Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel & Nature Reserve.   

Typical birding hike.

Of course I already have birding treks scheduled with local guides and may get to see their cloud forest research center. Plus they have trails on their own property I can visit on my own and all three hotels have jacuzzis which I hope to use and who knows? Maybe even a relaxing back massage! I view retirement as an almost continuous vacation! 🙂  It’s great! And this one’s close to home!



Another tropical paradise where you have both
a pool and the beach, plus forest for birds!
And hopefully great food!  🙂

CHRISTMAS WEEK is when I decided to try the southern end of the Nicoya Peninsula and Guanacaste on the Pacific Coast. And my Google search showed Tambor Bay the best area of the southern peninsula for birding, according to a local birding club on the peninsula. So we will see! I have reservations at the Tambor Tropical Hotel right on the beach AND on a river with hiking trails following it inland for lots of do-it-yourself birding. Plus there are two reserves nearby that I hope to see with a guide. And this is another “Adults Only” hotel. Wow! New for me.

Puntarenas is almost due west of Atenas, slightly southwest. To drive or go on bus includes a long ferry ride, making a long trip. Thus I have elected to fly a small plane to the little airport at Tambor Bay. Hotel picks me up at airport.
 


Not having family, I have found that Christmas is more enjoyable while on a trip and I always end up with new friends as well as new experiences! So I’m looking forward to this Christmas when I celebrate living in Costa Rica for three years! ¡Pura Vida!

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Quiet Roberto – An Imitator of Christ

Occasionally the behavior of people calling themselves Christian saddens me, while on the other hand being around someone like Roberto causes my heart to swell with joy and love and motivates me to be a “follower of Jesus” rather than just a “Christian.”

Roberto was one of us 6 men in the hospital room this week for two nights and as the healthiest looking and the only one who was mobile, he became “a little Christ” among us, walking humbly and quietly from bed to bed to comfort each of us any way he could, listening patiently to the overly talkative man, emptying the urinal of the overweight man, cranking beds up or down, talking quietly with the wife of the dying man, and generally being the presence of God’s love in our little 6-bed hospital room. To watch a man imitate Christ in front of me for parts of 3 days was pure joy!

Then today as I returned to hospital simply to make a follow-up appointment with my cardiologist (no, you can’t do it everywhere by phone) I got to try being like Roberto or Christ. A special needs adult in front of me in line dropped a hand full of papers that scattered on the floor. I got down on my good leg’s knee and picked them up. As I handed them to him the radiant smile on his face was another moment of blessing among loving Costa Rica people. 

¡Pura vida! ¡Gracias a Dios!


Philippians 2:3-8
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.