charliedoggett.net
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| The epicenter of a 6.5 Earthquake was about 40-50 miles southwest of where I live in Atenas. The house shook violently for about 30 seconds around 8:30 pm and then an aftershock a minute or so later. Only damage for me was pictures hanging on wall are crooked now. 🙂 In Jaco grocery store shelves were emptied. |
READ ABOUT IT IN:
EarthquakeTrack.com
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| All rooms here are cabins – 36 of them! Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel 20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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Morning Fog is Common in the Cloud Forest!
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| Fireplace felt good some nights! Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel 20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Comfortable Bed Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel 20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| View out my front door Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel 20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| View out my back door Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel 20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Stained Glass Window in my Cabin Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel 20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| I know! It’s just a dead leaf! But I think it is beautiful art! 🙂 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Our guide told us a lot about plants as well as animals. I’ll do a separate post about plants & flowers in the forest. The 2 young men behind the guide are from Chicago. 3 of us on hike. Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Parsa or Synchlora gerularia Moth I’ll research more when I get home. Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Unknown Insect, a little beetle Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Unknown Insect, a little beetle Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Stink Bug Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Unknown Caterpillar Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Unknown Caterpillar Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Unknown Butterfly Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Glasswing Butterfly Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Red-tailed Dragonfly Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Walking Stick Insect Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Paw Print of Ocelot At least our guide thought so. See three toe prints right of beige leaf. Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
And the next morning this guy was in hotel garden – he fits with day hike varmits:
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| Hooded Mantis Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Hooded Mantis Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve San Ramon, Costa Rica |
We saw a lot more stuff and he told us about plants used for medicines, not only by natives, but also by modern pharmaceutical companies. Interesting but I will never remember most of that! 🙂
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| Stained Glass Window in my Cabin Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort Near San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| The One Traffic Jam Enroute to Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort Near San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| The View in All Directions fromVilla Blanca Cloud Forest Resort Near San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Me at the entrance gate Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort Near San Ramon, Costa Rica |
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| Rufous-collared Sparrow Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort Near San Ramon, Costa Rica |
I have loads of photos I would like to show, but will settle for these “just arriving” shots now. Left Atenas about 10:15 and arrive around 11:30-11:45, had lunch, explored grounds, made many photos yet to show, 6:00 to 8:00 Night Hike and late dinner with two other guys. The hike was great with more species of frogs than I’ve ever seen, a flock of parrots sleeping, 2 snakes, gobs of strange insects, and I’m sure something else. That will be one whole post! So this quick post and off to bed for an early morning birding hike before breakfast. This place is wonderful!
My Trip Gallery on this visit and the Hotel Website
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| The mountains north of where I live contain many small farms and large forest reserves. I am going to experience that as well as seek out mountain birds, relax, and enjoy great food! |
While at Aguila de Osa Hotel on Drake Bay I learned that they were part of a small chain of 4 nature hotels under the name of Greentique Hotels and that one was less than 2 hours from Atenas, just north of San Ramon and not too far from Arenal Volcano, one of the most beautiful in the world! It is Called Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel and Nature Reserve. (Click link or logo for their website.) I decided then to add it to my list of future trips and here it is this Monday-Friday. I have 3 guided birding/nature hikes scheduled and if at least 2 other adults there to make a group, I will take the day trip to Arenal Volcano National Park. Otherwise, more of the reserve!
If anyone is paying that close attention to all my trips, this in some ways will be similar to my other cloud forest places visited, though all are unique. San Gerardo de Dota is the best place for photographing the Resplendent Quetzal bird and most lodges there are a little more rustic, catering mostly to birders in steeper mountain terrain. I’ve been there 3 times so far and will go again! I’ve been to Monteverde once and it may be more similar to Villa Blanca terrain on top of a mountain, though Monteverde has lots of small local hotels & cabinas and two national parks plus one big commercial hanging bridges park. It is harder to get to, driving up a steep mountain on a gravel road and a little more “touristy” than I prefer, but I got a lot of bird photos there and will go again! My other mountain experiences weren’t quite high enough to be considered “Cloud Forests” but were each good in their own ways. And the adventures continue! See reports of each in my gallery TRIPS.
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| Yellow Warbler joined me for Breakfast Friday My garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I believe it is a migratory male from the states. The year-around male here has an orange/rust colored head. The female is usually lighter colored than this. This is not an uncommon bird, but all species are fun to see and to have in decent light for a photo. The next shot is not as good, but he’s flying and that to me is always fun to catch! 🙂
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| Yellow Warbler Atenas, Costa Rica |
My Costa Rica Birds photo gallery for more bird photos
NOTE: It may require you to log into your Nat Geo account to read the whole article.
or for an overview of how they measured happiness and 9 ways to be happy, see these videos
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| My garden is one of my “Happy Places” here. 🙂 As is my total Photo Gallery! What makes you happy? |
¡Pura Vida!
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| One view of Hogar de Vida campus, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I was recently contacted by a fellow senior adult in the church I attended in Nashville, First Baptist Church, Nashville, TN USA. They were interested in doing a mission trip to Costa Rica and so I contacted the director of the Hogar De Vida children’s home here in Atenas and in short the group from Nashville will be coming in April 2018 for a week of assorted service activities at the children’s home. If you are in First Baptist Nashville and are interested, talk to anyone on the SAALT Council or to the project coordinator Fred Linkenhoker.
If you would like to know more about the non-denominational private Christian children’s home, Hogar de Vida:
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| I almost never go out without a cap. Here’s my collection! |
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| Similarly I never go out without sunglasses. And my collection of those, |