a note on howler monkeys

The howler monkeys were abundant around the places I stayed near the Caribbean. They are fun to watch and they well deserve their name. It's amazing how loud they are! Nearly every night or early morning during my travels in this part of the country, I was awakened by them, reminding me how far from home I was. During my last night in Cahuita, the heavy rains pounded on the metal roof, and the monkeys were quiet. 

and then on to Cahuita

During a lovely afternoon spent in the gardens and hiking through muddy trails in the preserved lands adjacent to the grounds of Tortuga Lodge, I enjoyed seeing many butterflies, birds and several poison dart frogs. The next morning I set off with a river pilot and guide to the port, where I was picked up by a shuttle driver. We drove through tiny villages and fields of banana trees, where the fruit was wrapped in blue mesh bags to protect from weather and animals (something I was able to ask about with my very limited Spanish combined with gestures). People were gathered at polling places for local elections. After several hours on the road, we pulled into the small complex of cottages that would be my home for the next three nights in Cahuita, a Caribbean beach town with a national park that includes miles of coastline. 

my cottage at Ciudad Perdida Ecolodge in Cahuita

I had half of the pink cottage with a shared kitchen in the middle. After getting settled, I walked to the town's center, about five minutes away. While enjoying all the local foods, I have to admit I relished the idea of a big slice of pizza after reading the Lonely Planet description of Pizzeria CahuITA. At the edge of town with children playing on the swings behind the restaurant and a glimpse of the sea from outdoor seating, it was a good choice. A thin crusted pizza baked in a wood-fired oven didn't disappoint. Lightly topped with tomato sauce, prosciutto, parmesan and mozzarella, this pizza fed me over several days, because leftover pizza is always a good thing.

The next day, after breakfast at the lodge, I went to the Cahuita National Park, a small park but wonderful for its beachside trails. I didn't catch sight of monkeys or sloths, but did see blue morpho butterflies fluttering among the plants. The day was hot, so enjoying the surf from the shade of the trees was perfect for me. I spent several hours just relaxing, reading, sketching and dreaming.  

nature tour in Tortuguero National Park

The highlight of my next day was a morning tour of the area around the lodge and of the national park from an open boat like the one shown above. I took my binoculars instead of a camera and just enjoyed traveling in the smooth waters on this quiet boat and seeing all kinds of creatures in their natural environs. Our tour guide, Angelo, was knowledgeable about the animals, environment and history of the area. Here's a partial list of what we saw as we puttered through the shaded riverways:

toucans
male three-toed sloth
howler monkeys, including moms with babies on their backs or chests, leaping between tree branches
freshwater turtles
blue morpho butterflies
adult male emerald basilisks, fighting up in a tree and the loser hanging upside down, seeming to be contemplating his next move
juvenile emerald basilisk, jumping off a log and skittering on the water's surface to the bank
herons
kingfisher
caiman

As we concluded our tour and left the boat, a staff member from the lodge greeted us with chilled watermelon juice, a delightfully refreshing drink. 

Tortuguero Village

Escaping the Nebraska cold to walk barefoot along the Caribbean beaches of Costa Rica was wonderful. It was about a 2-mile walk from the lodge to Tortuguero Village, a small, sleepy town where activity increases later in the day. Along these beaches during the summer and early fall, sea turtles lay their eggs. I walked around the town during the heat of midday, walked on a few trails of the national park, bought a few gifts and caught a water taxi back up to the lodge. 

in Tortuguero Village

A relaxing evening with a book and a great meal of grilled chicken served with a pineapple, mango, coconut sauce rounded out the day.

To the Caribbean

An early morning pick up in a shuttle van got me from the guest house in Atenas, through morning rush hour traffic of San Jose to the domestic airport, where I boarded this single-propeller 4-seater plane with a couple from Germany. I got to sit up front with the pilot and had a great view as we flew over the mountains east of San Jose, plantations of bananas and pineapples, rivers and villages until we could see the canals, small strips of land and on to the Caribbean Sea. We landed on a very small airstrip between the Tortuguero Canal and the sea, where staff members of Tortuga Lodge met us and loaded our bags onto a flat-bottomed boat for the short trip across to my home for the next two nights. We stepped off the boat and walked into the open-air dining room for breakfast. Gallo pinto, a meal of scrambled eggs, rice and beans, a mild cheese, fresh fruit and coffee fueled my day. 

The open air dining room of Tortuga Lodge, seen from the Tortuguero Canal

I enjoyed strolling through the grounds before checking into my room. 

the pool, hammocks and lounge chairs face the canal

gardens at Tortuga Lodge

my room at Tortuga Lodge

a boat ride across the canal and a nice walk along the Caribbean Sea to Tortuguero Village