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!

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.

Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo

Jaguar Rescue Center is located on the south side of Puerto Viejo,
not far from my hotel in Manzanillo. No Jaguars here! It got its name
from the first animal the founder actually rescued, a baby Jaguar whose
mother had been killed and would have died otherwise.
Photo on above entrance sign is of a one-eyed monkey.

Nice Little Cafe and Gift Shop at the entrance, but
not as big or as developed as Zoo Ave in La Garita!
And you can only visit on a schedule with a tour guide, so get times ahead!
On website: Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

NOTE: I am not repeating the photos of a Northern Tamandua Anteater and a Red-eyed Tree Frog that were shot here but shown in earlier posts. Click links to see again.

Brown Pelican with a broken wing
Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Unidentified Hawk, similar to Gray and Gray Lined,
but those are not in the Caribbean and our group was
too large for me to constantly ask the name of animals.
Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Baby Possums whose mother was killed. They will raise and try to
introduce back into the wild.
Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Groove-billed Ani
Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Keel-billed Toucan

Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth

Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Red-lored Parrot

Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Spectacled Caiman

Jaguar Rescue Center, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

To learn more about Jaguar Rescue Center, click link for their website where you can read the history, find out when there are tours and how you can volunteer. It is operated mostly by volunteers!

And for more of my Costa Rica photos, see my gallery: Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA & SCROLL DOWN

Or more specifically my BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY   or

My  OTHER WILDLIFE PHOTO GALLERY

¡Pura Vida!

Last Post Until Tuesday

It seemed like thousands of acres of bananas enroute to the Caribbean.

The Cariblue Hotel is a collection of jungle huts.

Hotel is on the beach at Puerto Viejo.

Though Puerto Viejo is mostly a hippie surfer town, I’m in an upscale hotel.
But only for Thursday night (last night). Friday to Monday is roughing it
in the Bribri village. No more electricity or internet until Tuesday. 

Three others from the club are in this hotel a day early. Very interesting people! This is going to be fun! One guy still works for the World Bank and another is/was a computer software guru with close ties to Apple, IBM, and Microsoft.

See ya’ Tuesday.