Costa Rica

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I WAS ON A CRUISE IN 2005 THAT CALLED IN ON THE WEST COAST OF COSTA RICA

AND I LIKED WHAT I SAW, SO I TOOK THIS TRIP TO SEE WHAT THE CENTRAL PART LOOKS LIKE.

YEARS LATER I WILL GET TO THE CARIBBEAN COAST TOO.

THIS IS MY FIRST TIME OUT WITH A DIGITAL CAMERA AND THERE WILL BE SOME EXPERIMENTATION WITH IT.
VERY SURPRISED NOW AS TO HOW FEW SHOTS I TOOK.
MUST HAVE STILL BEEEN IN FILM MODE.

THESE DAYS I TAKE THOUSANDS OF SNAPS.

THE HOTEL IS IN OTAGO, A FEW HOURS BY CAR FROM THE CAPITAL, SAN JOSE. IT IS VERY BASIC BUT CLEAN & COMFORTABLE. RUN BY A GERMAN COUPLE, OR MAYBE SWISS.

OTAGO IS A VERY SMALL TOWN. THE BIGGEST THING IN IT IS THE KIDS PLAYING FIELD.

A VIEW FROM THE BALCONY OUTSIDE MY ROOM....

IN TOWN THERE ARE A FEW TAXIS AND I FOUND ONE WILLING TO TAKE ME UP A TO PAOS VOLCANO. WE PASSED SOME LOVELY SCENERY ON THE WAY .....

MY THOUGHTS AS WE LABOURED UP TO THE TOP WAS THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO SEE ANYTHING AS WE SEEMED TO BE CONSTANTLY INSIDE A CLOUD.

BUT JUST AFTER WE STOPPED THE CLOUD BROKE & AFTER A SHORT WALK, CAME ACROSS THIS ....

THEN THE CLOUD ROLLED BACK AND WE LEFT..

I MUST TRY TO REMEMBER THAT VISITS TO VOLCANO'S MAY BE OBSCURED BY CLOUDS.

THE CLOUDS ROLLED AWAY THE LOWER WE CAME ....

I HAD NOT ASKED THE DRIVER ( HE DID NOT SPEAK ENGLISH & I DO NOT SPEAK SPANISH ) ANYTHING OTHER THAN TO VISIT THE VOLCANO BUT HE STOPPED AT THESE RUINS ANYWAY.

AND A DAM .... NOT EXACTLY THE HOOVER BUT NICE ENOUGH

AT THE HOTEL I WAS VISITED BY A FEW BIRDS INCLUDING HUMMNGBIRDS ....

THIS IS A RESTAURANT I USED MOST DAYS. IT WAS ALWAYS ALMOST EMPTY.
THERE WAS NOT TOO MANY PLACES TO EAT HERE.
THIS ONE, THE HOTEL WAS FOR BREAKFAST AND A COUPLE OF VERY SMALL BARS IN THE CENTER.

NOT A LIVELY PLACE.

I NEXT WANTED TO GO TO A NATIONAL PARK . MY TAXI DRIVER WAS NOT AVAILABLE SO I ASKED ANOTHER IF HE SPOKE ENGLISH WHICH HE DID NOT .. AND HE WAS EXTREMELY SURLY ABOUT IT.

I TRIED HIM WITH MY ALMOST NON-EXISTENT SPANISH & IT WAS LIKE CLICKING A SWITCH. HE INSTANTLY BECAME VERY FRIENDLY. WE SETTLED ON A PRICE & OFF WE WENT. HOPEFULLY I WOULD GET BACK. THE PLACE WE WERE HEADING TO IS WAY OFF IN THE JUNGLE.

NOW I GET TO EXPERIMENT. THREE SHOTS FROM THE SAME PLACE OF THE SAME THING ... A WATERFALL

EXTRAVAGANT FLOWERS .....

ME ... AND A GECKO ....

AND IT'S TIME TO HEAD HOME.

I STOPPED IN ON SAN JOSEE FOR A NIGHT ON THE WAY AND THE TOUR COMPANY NEGLECTED TO PICK ME UP IN THE MORNING FOR THE RIDE TO THE AIRPORT. I MENTIONED IT TO THE TRAVEL AGENT & ABOUT A WEEK LATE GOT A CHEQUE FOR THE CAB FARE.
A NICE TOUCH..

I MUST HAVE BEEN VERY MUCH OUT OF SEASON TO HAVE SO FEW TOURISTS AROUND & THAT WAS A BONUS.

I WOULD RECOMMEND COSTA RICA BUT THERE IS NOT A LOT OF NEED TO SEE SAN JOSE. IT WOULD HELP A LOT IF YOU HAD SOME SPANISH TOO.

LIMON - COSTA RICA

THE CARIBBEAN COAST THIS TIME FOR MY THIRD VISIT TO COSTA RICA.

OFF TO SEE SOME SLOTHS THAT ARE BEING HELPED BY VOLUNTEERS. THE SLOTHS ARE WAIFS & STRAYS, BROUGHT TO THE CENTER BY LOCALS..

CUTE .... SHE IS FROM LIVERPOOL IN ENGLAND. STUDYING SLOTHS & HELPING WITH THEIR REHAB.

CLOSE BY, WE GO FOR A LITTLE BOAT RIDE ON THE RIVER....

AND SOME WILD SLOTHS.....

AND BANANAS - IN BLUE BAGS TO KEEP THE SUN OFF...

PAST SHOPS..

AND BACK TO THE BOAT

WHERE THESE GUYS ARE WEIGHING THE ANCHOR ...

OR MAYBE JUST PAINTING IT...

WE HAVE LEFT SOUTH AMERICA BEHIND, CROSSED THE EQUATOR & ARE NOW IN PUNTARENAS COSTA RICA.

I WAS A BIT CONFUSED WHEN PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT PUNTA ARENAS WHICH WE LEFT BEHIND IN SOUTHERN CHILE AND PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA. TOTALY AT CROSS PURPOSES FOR A WHILE.

I AM GOING ON A TOUR TO THE TARCOLES RIVER. THE EXACT SAME TOUR AS I DID THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE.
I ENJOYED THE LAST TIME BUT HAD A THROW AWAY CAMERA AND COULD NOT GET A ZOOM ON THE BIRDS.

HOPEFULLY I WILL HAVE BETTER LUCK THIS TIME

IT DID NOT START WELL.

THE GUIDE INTRODUCED HIMSELF BY SAYING WE WOULD PROBABLY GET TIRED OF HIS VOICE BUT HE WAS PAID TO TALK, & TALK HE WOULD.

AND TALK HE DID.
DID NOT SHUT UP FOR A MINUTE WE WERE ON THE BUS.
THERE & BACK.

ACTUALLY, HE WAS QUITE GOOD.