Category: Rainforest

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Of the Marvelous – Trip Book

Sorry there were two posts yesterday, the old man gets flustered on the computer sometimes and makes mistakes! I intended for one of those today and this one for tomorrow, but here it is anyway! 🙂

I think this is one of my best books yet on travels around Costa Rica, this one about my week in Uvita on the southern Pacific Coast, whale-watching, many birds and other wildlife, sunsets, a river trip and visiting one of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve seen yet in Costa Rica, Nauyaca Waterfall, my 27th waterfall to photograph here!

You may see or “Review” every page of the book electronically for free without having to order. Enjoy another one of my tropical adventures in Costa Rica!     ~Charlie

The book:     https://www.blurb.com/b/9678019-of-the-marvelous

Or click the book cover image:

Click to PREVIEW this book online for free

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

And for even more photos see my “Trip Gallery” 2019 Cristal Ballena, Uvita

¡Pura Vida!

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Vistas

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

~John Muir

Day Vistas

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Sunset Vistas

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All from a week at Cristal Ballena Hotel, Uvita

See also my Ballena Trip Gallery  for ocean & river vistas.

Bonus Article

From the “Live in Costa Rica Blog”   —  What is the best way to do one’s due diligence for retiring or living in Costa Rica?

¡Pura Vida!

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Fruits & Flowers

Just a few of the beautiful fruits and flowers blooming all over the hotel grounds at Cristal Ballena Hotel with 2 shots made on the river trip in same area.

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“Almost every person, from childhood, has been touched by the untamed beauty of wildflowers.”    ~Lady Bird Johnson

¡Pura Vida!

For more area photos, see my Trip Gallery:

2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

OR for more Costa Rica Flowers see my gallery:

FLORA & FOREST COSTA RICA

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Birds at Cristal Ballena

Here are photos of 20 species of birds I photographed around the grounds of Cristal Ballena Hotel, about a third of them just outside my room! It is a good birding hotel! I actually photographed more species here than on the Mangrove Boat Tour!  🙂   And I will record all of them on my eBird page, even though I got no new species this trip – but I did get several better photos of some species which is always another goal! Enjoy and as always CLICK image to enlarge or start a slideshow.

Cristal Ballena Hotel BIRDS

See my BIRDS Photo Gallery and

This trip gallery:  2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

“Some birds are poets and sing all summer.”

~Henry David Thoreau

¡Pura Vida!

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Rio Sierpe Mangrove Tour

Wednesday of my visit to Uvita I took a taxi back close to the Palmar Sur Airport I flew into for the Mangrove Boat Tour on Rio Sierpe – my sixth place to do a Mangrove or River Tour in Costa Rica which always provides a lot of birds and other wildlife to photograph. This one did not disappoint! (Not my best, but very good!)

A Couple of Coincidences

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Carlos Gonzales

The big surprise for my solo boat tour with a captain and guide was that Carlos Gonzales was the guide – the same guide I had in Drake Bay at Aguila de Osa Hotel in 2017. He is one of the few “older” guides I’ve had in Costa Rica with the majority looking like they are fresh out of college. Carlos is 71.

Plus the funny coincidence was that the boat captain was also named Carlos and my name in Spanish is Carlos!   🙂   Tres Carloses!

Birds

 

Other Wildlife

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River Scenes

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“Oh, Eeyore, you are wet!” said Piglet, feeling him.
Eeyore shook himself, and asked somebody to explain to Piglet what happened when you had been inside a river for quite a long time.”
― A. A. Milne

🙂

¡Pura Vida!

 

Another Nature Adventure arranged by  Hotel Cristal Ballena!

This trip gallery:  2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

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Active Sloth

An oxymoron? Maybe, because they do sleep about 80% of their time and for why you will have to read about sloths on Wikipedia – the animal, not the cardinal sin!   🙂   The one sleeping in a tree near my room at Cristal Ballena Hotel near Uvita, Costa Rica decided to move around about the time I went out to check on him and here’s a portfolio of his activity.   🙂    Click image to enlarge or start slide show:

 

“Live Slow”

Says my Sloth T-shirt

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¡Pura Vida!

 

See also my Sloth (3-toed) Photo Gallery and

This trip gallery:  2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

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Nauyaca Waterfalls

Wow! Nothing like it anywhere! The featured photo above is the Upper Nauyaca Falls and the one below is the Lower Nauyaca Falls & Swim Hole with my new friends from Portugal in the water before the crowds arrived.

LOWER Nauyaca Falls, Costa Rica

 

Below is a brief slide show of people in the swim hole and the truck ride up the mountain dirt road to the falls which is alone is quite an experience while others road horses or walked uphill for an hour and a half. Truck for me!    🙂

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Nauyaca Waterfalls  &  Cristal Ballena Hotel  official websites.

This trip gallery:  2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

 

“There’s no better place to find yourself than sitting by a waterfall and listening to it’s music”
― Roland R Kemler

¡Pura Vida!

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Morning & Night Make a good Day!

I planned to post the report on Rio Sierpe Boat Trip today but still not finished – so just a quick glimpse at today, another nature day!    🙂

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A Roadside Hawk at hotel on my 5:30 AM Hike.
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This morning moon reminded me of what a beautiful world we live in.
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Another rainy-cloudy sunset tonight colored my daily dreams living in nature – beautiful!

 

“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”     – Edgar Allan Poe

¡Pura Vida!

@ 

Cristal Ballena Hotel, Uvita

This trip gallery:  2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

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Ocean Vistas Uvita

“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it’s sent away.”

– Sarah Kay

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The ocean kissing the shore at Uvita, Costa Rica
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One of the “Windows” at Playa Ventana, Uvita, Costa Rica
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“Whale Rock” seen from boat on the ocean side and . . .
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. . . Whale Rock seen from my hotel on the land side.

NOTE: We saw most of our whales somewhere near this rock which they seem to like! The name is because of their presence and not its shape. Here every July-October.

 

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Cristal Ballena Hotel seen from boat in front of Whale Rock.
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Whale Rock & the hotel are barely out of photo on right side of this photo I made earlier of Uvita and Whale’s Tail Beach or Playa Cola de Ballena from a plane. A truly unique place!

Made Possible by the . . .

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The only all water national park in Costa Rica. Flag is because it was Independence Day.

I just keep loving this country more every day!   🙂

And I’m way behind on reporting events and photos from this trip with Tuesday at the hotel experiencing and photographing a moving sloth, 4 crested guans, a flock of toucans and other birds followed by today’s mangrove boat trip on the Rio Sierpe with an unbelievable collection of photos I’m still sorting. Another great day in paradise with a birding guide tomorrow on the hotel property and Friday the Nauyaca Waterfall. Never a dull moment when you are “Retired in Costa Rica!”

¡Pura Vida!

And continued thanks to Cristal Ballena Hotel for making all of these exciting tours possible! A great place to stay when in Uvita!

This trip gallery:  2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

 

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A Fiery Kiss to the Night!

With rain and clouds every afternoon and early evening we haven’t had much of a sunset this week but tonight was a good teaser!

Sunset at Uvita

 

 

“A sunset is the sun’s fiery kiss to the night.”
― Crystal Woods

I was so busy photographing birds off my terrace and the above sunset that I haven’t had time to present the other shots from Whale Watching – but will eventually!   🙂   See more of my sunset photos in my VISTAS, BEACHES, SUNRISES, SUNSETS Photo Gallery.

Good Night from Cristal Ballena

This trip gallery:  2019-September 13-21–Cristal Ballena, Uvita

¡Pura Vida!