For 4 days and nights it has been raining almost constantly in my Central Valley town of Atenas, while some lowland areas that typically flood or have landslides are being effected much more than we and our just wetness.
Most of us in Costa Rica are fine with no landfall of Hurricane Eta here, it has made landfall in Nicaragua and Honduras and I understand will just scrape Guatemala and Mexico as it heads for Western Florida and Alabama.
And the rain just makes us greener and more beautiful for when you tourists come here in the next few months! 🙂
Yes, this blog and my connected Gallery are both much about my travel photos, mostly in my retirement home of Costa Rica with an occasional foray into neighboring countries. But hey! I lived a life before Costa Rica and the “static pages” (non-blog) of this website and gallery continue to grow as I tell that past story, slowly, one page at a time. And the feature photo is of Sayaxche, Guatemala.
You might remember that in this fairly new Photo Gallery a few months back I added galleries for the photos I have from trips to Africa, Canada & Mexico and the TRAVEL web pages that tie the photos together are on the Africa,Canada & Mexico pages, with a narrative of some of my earliest international travel adventures – not far from home, but international nonetheless! And as I soon add pages on my U.S. travels it will complete my NORTH AMERICA section of travel pages, though there are really a lot of travel galleries to make for that!
In the last two weeks I have basically finished this travel page with links to all of my Central America travel galleries included, most in Costa Rica of course! 🙂 That will continue to be the biggest part of my photo gallery.
There are sub-pages for the four countries within which I have traveled in Central America with narrative and links to the photo galleries:
1st day in Guatemala enroute to and at Ceibal Ruins and Chiminos Island, December 11, 2006Monkey in Nicaragua
The 2006 11-day trip to Guatemala was one of my biggest adventure yet at the time and it just continues as I travel more here in Costa Rica and Latin America. Then since moving here the side trips to Nicaragua and Panama were both spectacular experiences! As the quotation above says, “To Travel is to Live.” The linked pages above take you to the various trip photo galleries ORif you prefer to just browse galleries, go to Pre-Costa Rica Travels where I intend to continue adding galleries of older trips when not traveling here! 🙂 Next up is South America and the Caribbean Islands trips, then I work on the good ol’ USA! 🙂
My favorite view from the mountain trail in Lost Canyon Nature Reserve. There are volcanoes way over there!
The new reserve’s nice, small sign at the farm house where we ate lunch. Like most private reserves it is operated by a foreigner.
Our van driver finds the hammock at Lost Canyon!
From the reserve and enroute there we saw several volcanoes.
One volcano from the van window. Yep, I had a whole van! Me, a driver and my guide. That is the transportation for all tours with Tours Nicaragua. By the way, I highly recommend them if going to Nicaragua for any reason!
And don’t miss my Nicaragua Birds photo gallery for 98 different species!
And remember that both my trips to Nicaragua were provided by Tours Nicaragua!Check out what they offer! I’m happy with them!
My earlier post did not include names plus I have added one more for 6 out of 9 colonial churches in León. I think the names are important!
Recolección Church León, Nicaragua
Cathedra Basilica of the Assumption of León León, Nicaragua
San Juan Church León, Nicaragua
El Calvario Church León, Nicaragua
San Francisco Church León, Nicaragua
La Merced Church León, Nicaragua
I walked to the ones I could find within walking distance of the town center where I stayed. The other 3 colonial churches might have been within walking distance, but I could not find them. The San Juan Church our van stopped by on the way out is how I got it. León is a much larger city than Granada with many more people and churches. It is a nitty gritty working city much more alive than Granada and much less tourist-looking. Next time I hope for more time to explore it further.
The Island of Venado is a strip of land running close to the mainland near Leon. Much of the island and the channel of water between it and mainland is Mangrove Forests which is good for birds, other nature, crabs, fishing, etc. We got our boat in this little bay.
When you pay for a private float trip you get to sit in the front of the boat! 🙂 Here near end of trip we approach the rookery or nursery in earlier post.
Even when working, young people have fun on the water!
This is one of the government nature reserves. I think there may be more private reserves than public right now.
It is currently legal for locals to collect firewood in the reserve as long as it is already dead wood. In Nicaragua most people still cook on wood fires.
Non-commercial Fishing is allowed in the reserve.
and “Nature Tourism” is growing here!
My guide Freddy had new hiking shoes he did not want to get wet, so boatman carries him across stream. I got my old shoes wet – no big deal anymore! 🙂 And why didn’t he take them off and go barefoot? Good question! The boatman is barefoot!
Where we got our boat was a little “Comedor” which is the same as a “Soda” in Costa Rica, a small Mom & Pop restaurant for cheap local food. We did not eat here but got sandwiches at a little local bakery.
And don’t miss my Nicaragua Birds photo gallery for 98 different species!
And remember that both my trips to Nicaragua were provided by Tours Nicaragua!Check out what they offer! I’m happy with them!
Mexican Porcupine Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Nicaragua
Green Iguana Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Nicaragua
Golden Orb Spider Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Nicaragua
Paper Wasp Nest Juan Venado Wildlife Refuge, Nicaragua
Monarch Butterfly Lost Canyon Nature Preserve, Nicaragua
Gray Cracker Butterfly Lost Canyon Nature Preserve, Nicaragua
Adelpha Iphiclus Butterfly Lost Canyon Nature Preserve, Nicaragua
Well, I’m not posting as often and haven’t even finished telling about my second trip to Nicaragua! Just been too busy and too tired late at night. I’ve also spent a lot of time trying to all my paperwork correct, in Spanish, for the Caja application interview tomorrow. Actually, I’m on standby for a no-show or vacant time slot tomorrow with my firm appointment the following Friday, the 15th. Be glad to get that behind me. And to be insured again!
And don’t miss my Nicaragua Birds photo gallery for 98 different species!
And remember that both my trips to Nicaragua were provided by Tours Nicaragua!Check out what they offer! I’m happy with them!
Red-winged Blackbird Enroute to Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Eastern Meadowlark Enroute to Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
White-lored Gnatcatcher Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Long-billed Starthroat Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Altimira Oriole (male & female) Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Dusky-capped Flycatcher Lost Canyon Nature Reserve, Nicaragua
Lost Canyon is just getting started with the owner’s house built and trails created. Cabins will come eventually. We didn’t see as many birds here, but it was middle of day and we hiked to top of the little mountain with several vistas enroute which I will show in a later post. I think birding will be better at the bottom of the hill and around the farms or down the dirt road.
The Director of Lost Canyon is Richard Leonardi, email him at info@lost-canyon.org or check out their website at http://lost-canyon.org/
See more Nicaragua birds I have photographed in my Nicaragua Birds photo gallery. Nearly 100 different species of birds!
And note that both of my wonderful birding trips to Nicaragua were executed by the excellent Tours Nicaragua!Check out their offers!
