Month: February 2020

The rough road and last few steep hills leading to the lodge made us wonder if we were going to make it. We had just forded a part of the river in our rental vehicle that looked like it had the potential to get our feet wet and we did not know if there were worse challenges to come. Then we got to the top of one hill where there was a sign that said, Keep going you are almost there. As I crested the hill, I stopped, made sure the SUV was in first gear, and continued down the other side. The sign was correct, and thankfully we soon found out it was an excellent choice for us.  

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted at our car by a gentleman named Ray with a cold drink. He then showed us around. From the open-air dining area, you have a view of the Pacific Ocean in one direction, and of lush rainforest in every other direction. He took us down a little path to see the pool. Looking back towards the mountainous landscape it was difficult to see the well-placed bungalows and tent cabins nestled on the steep slopes surrounded by trees. Our tent was closer to the main lodge than most but still rather secluded. High above the lodge is a large yoga platform, with a spectacular view. Most of the other tent cabins were quite a few steps above the yoga platform with views from their porches that were equally impressive. Our view was not as good, but I think they put us there because we were among the oldest guests, and I am sure management thought we would appreciate less steps and probably a little more privacy. I think they got that right on both counts. There would be plenty of opportunities to get exercise on the trails. We had lunch and arranged with Ray to go kayaking the next morning. The rest of the day we relaxed around the lodge and I shot a few photos.The woman who owns and designed the lodge is a former ski racer from Colorado who fell in love with Costa Rica on her first visit many years ago. This is her dream. Among other things she is a yoga instructor and though we did not come for that purpose, there were many who were there to take advantage of the excellent facility. When we arrived the owner, Lana, was in San Jose at a convention.  Soon after we arrived, a woman, also from Colorado, introduced herself as Lana’s mother. While we were there we learned a lot about Lana from her mother. Everyone at the lodge calls her Mom. Like many parents, she was happy to talk about her children, and since Lana was not there, we got the story from the person who knew her from before she was born. Mom was certainly proud of her daughter’s accomplishments, and rightfully so.  The place is pretty special! I am not going to go into the details of Lana’s life that we learned from her mother’s point of view during our stay, but I can tell you that someone else has helped Lana write a book titled: Married to Paradise.

Lana has assembled a group of talented people who do a great job taking care of the guests in this remote slice of Paradise. I knew that it was going to be a nice place when I saw toucans, hummingbirds, and numerous other beautiful birds within minutes of our arrival. My wife knew it was going to suit her when she was sure there was a hot shower, a flush toilet, a comfortable bed in the private tents, and fresh, delicious meals. What neither of us knew immediately was that one of the best things about the place is the people it attracts. I will talk a little more on this subject in later posts. Luna Lodge is the perfect place to relax and engage nature and to meet people who are into both.

To see a few other pictures from our first day, click here. I wish I had taken more pictures of the journey to the lodge to show you, but I was too focused on the road. Believe me, it was an exciting drive, though I was glad that for the next five days the SUV would remain parked.

I know the reason for renting a four-wheel drive is this leg of the adventure. I was hoping the little Suzuki would be up to the task when I reserved the car. At certain times of the year the streams that you have to cross can be above the level of the bottom of the door. The place that is our next destination is on the Osa Peninsula.  Much of this peninsula is designated as a national park called Corcovado. It is wild and remote. Most of the park is inaccessible except to the wildlife. It is known to contain some amazing creatures that are seldom seen; including jaguars, pumas, and tapirs, and lots of others that are not so shy. It is a bird-lovers paradise. We hope to see as much as we can in our five day stay in an ecolodge called Luna Lodge. The place comes highly recommended by our travel consultant and friend Irene from Greenloons.com. She has recommended some lovely places that have been certified eco-friendly and sustainable to us in the past. I don’t know where we are going, but I trust that google has the right directions and the journey (the second leg of our trip from point A to point B) to the lodge will take about 5 hours; the last two will be a bumpy gravel road from Puerto Jimenez to Carate, where the road ends and the drive up the riverbed begins. The picture above was taken near the bottom of the Osa Peninsula, just past Puerta Jimenez, looking towards Gulfo Dulce.

You miss a lot of the country if you travel by plane, so we have opted to drive. After arriving at the international airport in Liberia, Guanacaste Province, and spending three days at a resort, it was time for a change of scenery. I left the USA with a slight cold, but three days of sun and salt-air cleared my lungs and head.  Even though Costa Rica is a small country it takes about 10 hours to drive from the north to the south along the west coast. The road is good for most of the journey, but since the coast is rugged and steep mountains meet the shore, the way is not straight or flat. The road is often quite scenic, except when you catch up with a bus or truck.  The winding roads require concentration, but it is the kind of driving I enjoy.

We stopped a few times to take pictures along the way and were happy to see the vegetation change as we headed south. I have been wanting to visit Guanacaste since I heard Dr. Daniel Janzen, a renowned conservation ecologist from the University of Pennsylvania, speak at a conference on biodiversity in Washington, DC, at (if memory serves me well) the turn of the millennium. It was from him that I learned of the tropical dry forest. He dedicated his life’s work to research into this rare ecosystem. Most people are familiar with the tropical rainforest and know it is lush and green and loaded with biodiversity. The dry forest is deciduous, that is it loses its leaves for part of the year to conserve water. I have to admit, after a few days in the dry forest during the dry season it was good to make it to the rainforest. I guess I love the green.

After a day of driving, we made it to the hills above Manuel Antonio National Park, but did not get to go into it. We stopped at a local, upscale, watering-hole at sunset. To complete the scene, a pair of Scarlet Macaws flew above us squawking loudly. The picture above is from that location halfway from point A to point B. We still had another day’s drive to get to our next planned destination. Click here to see more photos.

For a small country, Costa Rica has more than its share of beauty. It has been quite some time since my last visit and the plan is to see parts of the country I have not yet visited. One of the things that appeals to me about the country is its biodiversity.  It is said that the country possesses the highest density of biodiversity on the planet. The country is roughly the size of West Virginia, yet it is estimated that it may contain 4 percent of the species found on the planet. 

We started our visit in the northwest. This area is dry and sunny in February. The beaches are picturesque and the sunsets stunning. The picture above was taken above Playa Hermosa. Life moves at a slower pace and the weather is certainly in drastic contrast to the USA we left behind. We have rented a 4 wheel drive vehicle and hope to see as much as we can and hopefully it will produce a few good images worth sharing. Click here to see a few from our first days in the Guanacaste Province.

Of course one person cannot possibly see it all, so the challenge is what should you focus on? My answer to that somewhat rhetorical question is whatever jumps out and grabs my attention at the time. I prefer not to travel by myself. Often I travel with family, but being a teacher (now retired) I would arrange trips with student groups and with teams I coached. It was gratifying to see the look on an athlete’s face when they saw the Rocky Mountains for the first time or the look on the face of a student after their first dive in the Caribbean. It has been a long time since I did that kind of trip, but the memory is still fresh. That leads me to my next story which I want to post before I am posting from my next location.

I have a friend named Bill who likes to travel and is an open-minded, adventurous sort who is married to one of my former colleagues. (When we get together these days, she reminds me that she was my boss, because she was the Chairperson of the Science Department.)  About twenty years ago, I remember the look on Bill’s face when he was suiting up for what was the highlight (for most of the students) of my first Costa Rican adventure; the challenging, white-water, Pacuare River. Bill and his wife Frances were helping me chaperone this high school, science-oriented trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica. Bill had never been white-water rafting. In fact, he told me just before the activity that he could not swim. I knew he was born and raised on a farm in the plains of Kansas, but it did not register as a place where kids did not learn how to swim. Not that it matters much, but Bill is a little older than me (At the time of this trip, Bill was in his early 60’s.) and an engineer turned attorney, who worked his whole adult career for the government. I mention this to let you know he was a little out of his comfort zone with a paddle in his hand, a life jacket strapped tightly to his torso, and a helmet on his head about to get in a rubber raft with a bunch of high school students whom he had only met ten days ago. Oh, and by the way, on the flight down from Washington, DC to Miami to make our connecting flight to San Jose, CR, we lost a jet engine. (Well, we didn’t really lose it, but it had to be shut down to avoid a fire.)  On one engine we had to divert to make an “unscheduled stop” in Tampa with emergency vehicles waiting with flashing lights near the runway, and a local news team ready to interview the passengers as we (fortunately) walked into the airport. So now that the stage is properly set, back to the look on Bill’s face…I still remember his grin and he is still a good travel companion today.

Last fall, Bill called me to ask if I was up for another road trip. Frances was going out of town with her sister and he was thinking there were things for us to see while she was away. In 2018 we traveled together to the southeastern U.S.A. to visit a couple of National Parks and National Historic Sites, along with a few State Capitol buildings. These are the things that sometimes fit into travel plans as I try to see it all.  Even though my background is biology, I am curious and interested in seeing whatever there is to see. I talk to many people who never take advantage of all the country has to offer, but Bill is not one of them. In 2019, Bill was interested in seeing a few more things in a loop through Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. We toured five State Capitol buildings, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, a few National Wildlife Refuges, Valley Forge, where George Washington made camp with his troops during the Revolutionary War, Delaware Water Gap, the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania (not to be confused with the Grand Canyon of Arizona), and had dinner with a friend I toured Madagascar with in 2018. Thanks to Bill for initiating this “little trip” that was quite enjoyable.  You can see some of the photos from this adventure by clicking here.  So What to See depends a lot on who I am traveling with and I like traveling with people like Bill who can challenge my curiosity and carry on a good conversation.

 I hope to post soon about a return trip to Costa Rica.