Jan 28, 2017 Green and black poison dart frog by the Camino Experimental Norte, La Selva Biological Station.
Jan 28, 2017 The previous time here was in April 2013. If you are interested, read tweets from my archive http://tuijasonkkila.fi/blog/2022/10/costa-rica-2013/
Jan 28, 2017 La Selva is shipshape. New signs, kitchen renovated, tasty meals, ultra speed laundry service.
Jan 28, 2017 Yahaira, the guide, comments on Otto, the southernmost hurricane on record to hit C America: “No big deal here”
Jan 29, 2017 What La Selva cannot do is noice-cancel Sarapiqui traffic. 🚛 & 🏍gain more horsepower. Airplanes roar over 🍌fields, spraying pesticide.
Jan 29, 2017 It is silent only during wee hours. Luckily, that coincides with owls calling.
Jan 29, 2017 On the 23rd, 2-4am, a Mottled owl near the family house 3. On two subsequent nights after that, the popping call of a Spectacled owl.
Jan 29, 2017 Toucans (both Yellow-throated and Keel-billed), Collared aracaris, Rufous motmots, Slaty-tailed trogons, and Great tinamous are aplenty.
Jan 29, 2017 During the last 7 days, several Swedish birding groups have been unloaded from the archetypal Costa Rican tourist vehicle, a white minivan.
Jan 29, 2017 Later on this trip, a revisit to Mirador de Quetzales. In Jan2004, s/he was there (quetzals too). At that time, Jorge was the manager.
Jan 29, 2017 The page of La Selva mammals lists 4 species of primates.
Jan 29, 2017 However, Aotus lemurinus (Gray-bellied night monkey) has been seen here only 3 times, all in the 80’s.
Jan 29, 2017 The only time I’ve seen a night monkey species was in Oct 2007 in Peru. Few huddled together above the boat dock of Sandoval Lake Lodge.
Jan 29, 2017 Smallish groups of howler monkeys are common at La Selva and many of them stay near the station.
Jan 29, 2017 By contrast, in 7 days, only 3-4 busy spider monkeys, and a single capuchin. Lack of fruit trees? For howlers, there are always leaves.
Jan 31, 2017 Initially, after La Selva, the plan was to spend 4 nights at the Sirena station in Corcovado NP, where wildlife watching is at its best.
Jan 31, 2017 But things have changed since the last time there (April 2007). In Costa Rica too, there are new financing models for public services.
Jan 31, 2017 The station is now run (at least for three years) by an Osa Peninsula -based community organization, ADI.
Jan 31, 2017 This has brought a number of visible improvements, e.g. facilities have been renovated.
Jan 31, 2017 Earlier, eating was a slightly austere operation in a cantine. Now there’s a new restaurant where you can pay with a credit card.
Jan 31, 2017 The old plain, wooden platform for tents and hammocks is extended, and furnished with mosquito net hooded two-storey beds to rent.
Jan 31, 2017 On the other hand, new regulations are in place (e.g. no own food), and what once was free (e.g. canoeing) carries now a price tag.
Jan 31, 2017 However, the most challenging thing for a Costa Rica nature tourist these days is to get an entrance ticket to Sirena to start with.
Jan 31, 2017 We were told that a limited amount of tickets is on sale w/in a narrow time window at a time. This creates two markets for the tickets.
Jan 31, 2017 I guess hotels in the Drake Bay area and leading tour operators make a deal w/ ADI, and buy tickets in big quantities, just in case.
Jan 31, 2017 Smaller players and independent tourists have to enter the laborious “black” ticket market. Know somebody who might have spare tickets?
Jan 31, 2017 In our times when tax funding carries (sadly) a bad reputation, financing national parks and other top nature sites is a tough nut.
Jan 31, 2017 Our contact, a naturalist guide & good friend, failed to get tickets. Alas, no Sirena. Anyway, do (try to) visit Corcovado! It’s a gem.
Feb 3, 2017 If the Caribbean Lowlands featured only one Capuchin monkey, the welcome in the Osa Peninsula on the Pacific side was overwhelming.
Feb 3, 2017 The tiled roof of cabin nr 10 at Copa De Arbol Beach & Rainforest Resort in Drake Bay is enhanced by slabs of corrugated iron.
Feb 3, 2017 Around 5pm when daylight is getting old and tired, a group of a dozen Capuchins heads to their overnight tree top by the beach.
Feb 3, 2017 Their route goes via nr 10. You’re wildly shaken up from the late afternoon doze. What the…falling coconuts?
Feb 3, 2017 It’s peak season. Drake Bay aka Bahia Drake is buzzing with tourists hiking, snorkeling, horseback riding, fishing, pool-dwelling.
Feb 3, 2017 To the cooler spectrum of activities belongs a flight on a superlight, open, helicopter-type thingy. Like two bathtubs chained together.
Feb 3, 2017 Some bring their own toys. On the spacious sandy shore of the nearby Corcovado Adventures Tent Camp, a woman is operating a drone.
Feb 3, 2017 After few minutes of tap-tapping, she takes few steps back. Swiftly, the 4 rotors gain full speed, and the white quadcopter takes off.
Feb 3, 2017 At the same time, a V-shaped fleet of twenty Brown pelicans approaches. The vehicle whizzes by, but the birds show no reaction.
Feb 3, 2017 “Just taking some video from the scenery”, she explains in US English. On the tablet, surprisingly sharp live footage.
Feb 3, 2017 “In theory, it can fly up to 6 miles, but batteries may not last that long.” Her aircraft has disappeared from view.
Feb 3, 2017 Two mid-size passenger ships are anchored further away.
Feb 3, 2017 National Geographic Sea Lion, “the closest thing to Cousteau’s Calypso”, is on an 8d cruise. Start: Panama.
Feb 3, 2017 The other ship is Star Breeze. On 5 Nov 2005 at 5:50 am, on the coast of Somalia, it was attacked by pirates.
Feb 3, 2017 Here, Star Breeze is on her zigzag cruise along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Feb 3, 2017 The Drake Bay area has also local residents. How many, I don’t know. Often the only witness of their houses in the woods are dogs.
Feb 3, 2017 What’s odd here compared to La Selva, is lack of mosquitoes. La Selva was swarming of them. Here, none, not even in the forest.
Feb 4, 2017 5:51 am at Drake Bay Getaway.
Feb 4, 2017 Looking back, one of the unplanned themes of the visit to La Selva was ants.
Feb 4, 2017 First, the cabin of the latter part of the stay was Zompopa (=ant)
Feb 4, 2017 Second, on two consecutive days, I was startled to find a Bullet ant walking up on my sleeve.
Feb 4, 2017 Third, a colony of army ants passed by. This happened twice, both on the same trail, Sendero Tres Rios (STR).
Feb 4, 2017 Unlike in Corcovado NP where the number one bird family following army ants is antbirds, in La Selva it’s woodcreepers.
Feb 4, 2017 Northern barred-, and Plain-brown were the most numerous species, but few Ruddy woodcreepers were also there.
Feb 4, 2017 La Selva’s main trails like STR are 1,5 m wide concrete walkways. They make a good stage to watch the movements of the ant colony.
Feb 4, 2017 Part of it flowed in narrow streams (up) while others formed short-lived dense heaps (down).
Feb 6, 2017 Night of a Half Moon in Drake Bay as seen by Sony RX100 IV. I like this idea by the Drake Bay Getaway to put up hammocks for stargazing.
Feb 6, 2017 Cocoa woodcreeper repeats its song over and over again. On the bay, boats are returning from today’s tours. Drake Bay breaths tourism.
Feb 6, 2017 There are no docks. Boats are hooked on a buoy a few 100 m from the shore. In the morning, captains paddle or SUP to their vessels.
Feb 7, 2017 On top of the steep hill where the cabins of the hotel face the bay in the N, and Corcovado NP in the SE, blooms a balsa tree.
Feb 7, 2017 The flowers are an animal magnet. Scarlet macaws, Red-legged honeycreepers, Golden-naped woodpeckers, Red-tailed squirrels…
Feb 7, 2017 You might think that wildlife is scarce here, far from the NP, but that’s not true.
Feb 7, 2017 “We have seen tapir footprints”, tells Yens Jimenez Steller, one of the two owners of the lodge, “both those of an adult – and a baby!”
Feb 7, 2017 Many striking bird species visit the garden, e.g. Orange-collared manakin, Bay-headed and Golden-hooded tanager, and Barred antshrike.
Feb 7, 2017 Yesterday, down by the lodge’s café/restaurant, a pair of Slaty-tailed trogons was picking up termites from a nest eye level on a tree.
Feb 8, 2017 Mirador de Quetzales at Cerro de la Muerte. 2,5 km above sea level.
Feb 9, 2017 As a traveller, I appreciate an active, everyday presence of hotel owners. No big bosses, no “just working here” middle management.
Feb 9, 2017 Of course this does not scale. But if you ask me, time is running out of corporations in tourism anyway.
Feb 9, 2017 Around 20 local people are hired by Drake Bay Getaway but Yens and Patrick are its face and soul.
Feb 9, 2017 I still see them standing there side by side behind the counter, one laptop each, like Kraftwerk.
Feb 9, 2017 They route meals and drinks from kitchen to tables, and chat with guests. The total area of 5×3 m makes it all easy and intimate.
Feb 9, 2017 And when transportation is needed, Patrick starts the legendary red Toyota Land Cruiser (1980) and roars up and down the hill.
Feb 9, 2017 Some of that same authenticity that makes service stand out, is still left also here, at Mirador de Quetzales aka Cabinas Eddie Serrano.
Feb 9, 2017 On the wall, a weathered 1995 article from Costa Rica Today. The then Finca was still new. Eddie Serrano had settled here in 1950.
Feb 9, 2017 Luckily, the deforestation law was soon reverted. Much of Eddie’s beautiful cloud forest is said to be intact even today.
Feb 9, 2017 We saw the place in 2002. Eddie was already dead by then, and Jorge, one of his four sons, was in charge.
Feb 9, 2017 Jorge is a bit of an artist. After dinner, he carved wooden bird miniatures, explaining characteristics of different species to his son.
Feb 9, 2017 Today, Jorge has his own lodge downhill, Paraiso Quetzal Lodge. Lawns, jacuzzis etc. The lodge seems to draw US overnighters.
Feb 9, 2017 The main attractions of the original Mirador property however, are still the many wild avocado trees, and Resplendent quetzals.
Feb 9, 2017 Mirador is now run by the family of Jorge’s brother, Oscar. 2002, there were 8 cabins. Now, 15. But ppl seem to prefer day tours.
Feb 9, 2017 If time permits, we might visit Paradise to see if Jorge is present. His dry humor, love of nature, and artwork are fond memories.
Feb 9, 2017 At 5:30 am, in your simple wooden cabin, under four blankets, you wake up to cheerful calls of a Rufous-collared sparrow.
Feb 9, 2017 The thermometer shows +8 degrees Celsius. Inside.
Feb 9, 2017 Cloths are damp, feel terrible at first. The 1st night I went to bed w/ all cloths on. This way, they stayed dry but sleep was patchy.
Feb 9, 2017 After few hours, the morning chill is long forgotten. Sunny days are gourgeous. In left, front and right: Talamanca Mountain Range.
Feb 9, 2017 Some time during early afternoon, clouds start creeping in from SW, often accompanied with gusts of wind.
Feb 9, 2017 Clouds feel like aerosol when they surround you. Visibility is zero. Temperature falls sharply.
Feb 9, 2017 Before the sun sets, clouds slowly depart again. During the night, all heat of the day is sucked up to the clear starry sky.
Feb 10, 2017 The long tail feathers of a male quetzal are a genius adaptation.
Feb 10, 2017 Cloud forest trees are full of moss the size & shape of the quetzal, with some vegetation hanging from it, swaying in the wind.
Feb 11, 2017 Also, the red of the promeliads is close to that of the quetzal, especially when seen against the sky from below (which is always).
Feb 11, 2017 So how do you search for a quetzal? One option is to find a wild avocado tree, and wait.
Feb 11, 2017 Another (better) option is to follow Oscar Serrano and a selection of his dogs on a 6-8 am walk along the 4 km trail in the forest.
Feb 11, 2017 This time of the year, male quetzals start to show off, so they are relatively easy to film. Females, on the other hand, are shy.
Feb 11, 2017 Higher altitudes in neotropics are home to many hummingbirds species. On Mirador’s list there are half a dozen.
Feb 11, 2017 To most memorable experience this time up at Mirador de Quetzales is shared between stupefying sunsets, and flocks of Barret parakeets.
Feb 12, 2017 High up on the sky, in tight formation, a very big flock of birds is approaching at astonishing speed.
Feb 12, 2017 The flock reduces height, and passes you with a loud SWOOSH, almost reaching the sound barrier.
Feb 13, 2017 The 2,5 hr drive down from Cerro de la Muerte and then NW towards Quepos brings you first to San Isidro del General.
Feb 13, 2017 Some sources describe it as a “bustling metropolis” which is silly, but San Isidro do emits urban, Latin life that feels compelling.
Feb 13, 2017 “I have lived my whole life here”. Eric, a twenty-something Morpho Vans driver, wears sunglasses, a smartwatch and impeccable haircut.
Feb 13, 2017 Near San Isidro del General is Los Cusingos, a home-cum-museum of Alexander Skutch, the father of the first definitive book of Costa Rican birds.
Feb 13, 2017 ICYMI we were honoured to shake hands with Dr. Skutch there in 2004. He was 99 yro.
Feb 13, 2017 Anyway, this time the target was further up, one of the few NPs yet to be conquered, Manuel Antonio.
Feb 14, 2017 The last half an hour before Quepos is miles after miles nothing but oil palm plantations, on both sides of a perfectly straight road.
Feb 14, 2017 Top 5 Costa Rican export: 1) needles, catheters etc; 2) bananas; 3) pineapples; 4) medical instruments; 5) other food preparations by https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/CRI/Year/2015/Summary
Feb 14, 2017 You can be sure that what you eat is not a whimsical product. The banana handbook comes in two volumes: theory, and praxis.
Feb 14, 2017 Manuel Antonio is small and extremely crowded, but thanks to the top-notch guiding by Johan Chaves, the 7-12 tour was very good.
Feb 14, 2017 Some highlights: Helmeted iguana, Common potoo (two), Lesser nighthawk.
Feb 14, 2017 Crowdedness was partly due to Sunday, and the fact that Star Breeze (familiar from Drake Bay) was in town.
Feb 14, 2017 The picturesque beaches of the park are famous, accessible via the park itself.
Feb 14, 2017 Big groups of busy cruise guests, local families on their way to the beach with ice coolers – a bit confusing and noisy, but vibrant.
Feb 14, 2017 At the park entrance, the toilets are closed, wrapped w/ a yellow tape. Johan looks worried. “They have given only 3 days to fix this.”
Feb 14, 2017 The septic tank system is broken. Few portable toilets acts as a substitute. “In the worst scenario, authorities close the park.”
Feb 14, 2017 “But three days is not enough. Now they have appealed for deadline extension.” In peak season, closing the park would be a catastrophe.
Feb 14, 2017 There is also another looming problem in Manuel Antonio, both in the park and in local hotel gardens: Capuchin monkeys.
Feb 14, 2017 Clever and omnivore, Capuchins raid birds’ nests. That happens in the wild too, but these rather closed ecosystems are more vulnerable.
Feb 14, 2017 Capuchins love hammocks. They hop & swing & play in them. Show me a human who wouldn’t laugh and feel joy watching it all. That’s it.
Feb 14, 2017 Ecotourism has its own wicked problems. How to find a balance between healthy nature and income is one of them.
Feb 14, 2017 Here, I realized that nature guides benefit a lot from mini tablets. With offline photos and vids they can show & tell so much more.
Feb 14, 2017 Breakfast on the balcony of a Tulemar villa. A lowland rainforest species, Chestnut-backed antbird, walks by, singing its 3-tone song.
Feb 14, 2017 Despite the secluded property (or perhaps thanks to it), the resort is home to a big number of wild sloths.
Feb 14, 2017 Today’s sport fishing armadas disappeared to the South [x]. Capuchins arrived [x]. Squirrel monkies too [x]. Luggage closed [x]. 💔
Ilmestynyt alun perin Facebookissa.
21.1 illalla Iberian Boeing laskeutuu hieman töksähtäen Miamin kentälle. Ehkä miehistö oli väsynyt; lennon viimeiset tunnit alas USA:n itärannikkoa olivat jatkuvaa turbulenssia.
Vaikutelmaa keventää kaiuttimista virtaava John Lennonin, Plastic Ono Bandin ja Harlem Community Choir’in
“And so happy Christmas / For black and for white / For yellow and red ones / Let’s stop all the fight”
Vai oliko musiikkivalinta sittenkin lentoyhtiön puolisarkastinen ennuste alkaneelle vuodelle?
Muuten, en ole koskaan kuu(nne)llut sinkun b-puolta “Listen, the snow is falling”. Oletteko te?
Liput oli ostettu Finnairin lennolle, mutta kun check in -aika raksahti käyntiin, tulleessa viestissä oli maininta, että Miamin reitti lennetään koko kevään Iberian koneilla. Tämän katsottiin olevan sen verran järeä muutos, että liput olisi halutessaan voinut peruuttaa ja saada rahat takaisin.
No. Iberia on lentänyt ennenkin, kone oli vain pari vuotta vanha ja kielipuolituristeja varten mukana oli varmuuden vuoksi myös suomalainen lentoemäntä. Mielenkiintoista kyllä, kun turbulenssi uhkasi sitoa matkustajat liian pitkäksi ajaksi tuoleihinsa, suomeksi annettiin tiedote:
-Tällä Iberian lennolla teillä on mahdollisuus liikkua koneessa, vaikka turvavyövalo on päällä.
Okei?
Miamista Karibian yli Costa Ricaan.
-The flight will be choppy but we will do our best to fly you safely to San José. Please relax and enjoy your flight.
Tämä saattoi olla uutta, ovelaa psykologiaa American Airlinesilta. Ei ainuttakaan ilmakuoppaa koko matkalla. Sileää kuin photoshopattu selfieposki. Matkustajalle jäi joko se mielikuva, että ohjaamossa istui henkilöilmailuliikenteen paras kokoonpano ikinä tai sitten American is simply the best.
Kahdeksas matka tähän Viron kokoiseen maahan, joka on toistuvasti ykkösenä niissä ehdottoman tieteellisesti pätevissä kyselyissä, joissa haetaan maailman onnellisinta kansaa.
Eipä silti, eivät surveyt ihan pielessäkään ole. Jos nyt verrataan vaikka merentakaiseen naapuriin Haitiin, niin onhan Costan Rican asiat tosi mallikkaasti. Sää, esimerkiksi. Aina kun Karibian yli pyyhältää hirmumyrsky, sillä on poikkeuksetta välilasku Haitilla. Viimeisen 50 vuoden aikana Costa Ricaa on koetellut ainoastaan yksi hurrikaani. Se onkin tuore tapaus, marraskuulta 2016.
Costa Rican onni on sijainti. Se on juuri riittävän kaukana Atlantin hurrikaanivyöhykkeeltä.
Marraskuinen Otto vaati muutaman kuolonuhrin Costa Rican pohjoisosassa, lähellä maan toista kansainvälistä lentokenttää, Liberiaa. Otto mökelsi idästä länteen pitkin pohjoisen rajanaapurin, Nicaraguan, rajaa.
Siitä puheenollen, yksi asia Nicaraguasta on helppo nähdä lentokoneesta: valtava Lake Nicaragua. Etelässä se viistää Costa Rican rajaa, lännessä järven ja valtameren välissä on vain kapea kannas.
Kova Otto-tuuli aiheutti tietysti kaikenlaista ongelmaa yli koko maan.
– It was just awful. We were out of electricity for five days.
Tyynen [sic] valtameren puolella, Osan niemimaalla, Drake Bay -lahden rannalla, alueella josta kirkkaana päivänä voi kuvitella näkevänsä Panaman rannikon ja melkein näkeekin, Drake Bay Gateaway Resortin toinen omistaja Yens Jimenez Steller pyörittelee silmiään.
– We had to rent a generator!
Yens on niitä harvoja, joiden LinkedIn endorsement-lista sisältää mainesanat Virtualization, Linux ja Honeymoons. Hän ja partnerinsa Patrick Ludwig muuttivat tänne Seattlesta, perustivat Drake Bay’hyn ensin kahvilan ja vuonna 2014 hotellin. Alku on ollut mairitteleva: palkintoja ja taputuksia satelee. En ihmettele. Yens ja Patrick ovat ahkeria ja sosiaalisia ihmisiä, näköala mökeiltä on huima ja ruoka on herkullista.
– The only food that we repeat is the breakfast fruit plate. All others portions are different during your stay.
Erikoista sinänsä, mutta Yens on takaisin kotikulmillaan.
-See that red roof there? That’s the house where my family lived.
Yensin isoisä muutti tänne 1970-luvulla Costa Rican pohjoisosista kasvattamaan karjaa. Vaikka niistä ajoista tuntuu olevan vain muutama hassu teinivuosi, täällä se tarkoittaa historiaa, joka ei toistu. Sademetsään lähteneille pioneereille jaettiin maata käytännössä ilmaiseksi. Heidän katsottiin tekevän valtiolle palveluksen kesyttämällä villi luonto ihmisen hyötykäyttöön.
Hotelli on sustainability-luokan mallioppilas. Ei kertakäyttötavaraa, ei energiasyöppöä ilmastointia, minimivalaistus, lähiruokaa jne.
Sähköä sinänsä toki kuluu paljon. Omistajapari itsekin seisoo päivittäin tuntikausia ravintolatiskin takana ja näpyttelee läppäriä samalla kun seurustelee asiakkaiden kanssa, kantaa keittiöluukulle asetetut annokset pöytiin, ottaa vastaan smoothie-tilauksia ja suristelee erilaisia kahviannoksia kromatulla masiinalla. Kahvilan lattiaan on asennettu sähköpistokkeita puolen metrin välein.
Kahvin ja mansikoiden suhteen Yens on periaatteen miehiä.
– We don’t use strawberries.
Yens rytmittää nopeaa puhettaan horisontaalisilla, täsmällisillä kädenliikkeillä, kyynärpäät lähellä vartaloa, seisoo ryhdikkäästi, katsekontakti ei hellitä. Kaikesta huomaa että hän on tehnyt uraa yritysmaailmassa.
Kaikki tuntevat Costa Rican kahvimaana, mutta mansikka on tuntemattomampi suuruus. Pääkasvatusalue on Poás-tulivuoren rinteet. Kaikkialla on mustalla verkkokankaalla peitettyjä kasvitarhoja, ja ohikulkijoille kaupitellaan tien varresta mansikoita kilometrien matkalla. Mansikkamarkkinat läpi koko vuoden. Vapise, Suonenjoki!
Jos Yensiltä kysytään, niin paras kahvi tulee sekin Poásilta. Hotellissa käytetään vain sitä. Jos oikein keskittyy, kahvissa on havaitsevinaan tuliperäisen maan rikin aromin.
Syy mansikkaboikottiin ei käy täysin selväksi. Arvelen että taustalla on sekä halua erottautua massamarkkinoista että puoltoääni kahvinviljelyn puolesta ylipäänsä. Mansikat näyttävät vallanneen alaa kahvilta, ja tämä on pieni maa. Vaikka en asiantuntija olekaan, luulen että kahvin on tarkoitus pärjätä minimi-interventiolla – samaan tapaan kuin viiniköynnös – onhan kahvi täällä kotonaan. “Vieraslajina” mansikka taas vaatii jatkuvaa paapomista.
Toisin kuin viimeksi tässä maassa (huhtikuussa 2013), wifiä on nyt tarjolla about kaikkialla. Hotelleissa myös huoneissa/mökeissä. Ensimmäisenä wifiä tarjosi kännykkänsä hot spotin kautta Morpho Van -taksifirman kuljettaja. Kuten sovittu oli, hän odotti meitä San Josén kentällä Alajuelassa pahvilapun kanssa, ja sitten ajettiin vuorten yli Karibian puolelle, La Selvan biologiselle asemalle. Viikon kuluttua hän haki meidät takaisin. Seuraavana aamuna 12-paikkaisella koneella etelään, Osaan.
La Selvan salaateissa oli mansikkalohkoja.
Elintaso on noussut. Kuljettajalla oli Applen älykello, auto uusi, mukava ja äänetön, vuoristotiet hyvässä kunnossa.
Kuluneen Osa-viikon piti mennä toisin. Pääkohde oli Corcovadon kansallispuisto, Sirenan asema. Ei onnistunut, joten oli pakko turvautua plan-B:hen ja varata Drake Bay’sta hotelli neljäksi yöksi. Onneksi wifi! Jos kiinnostaa, mikä suunnitelmissa mätti, niin olen puhunut siitä jo tarpeeksi Twitterin puolella. Lyhyesti: sen jälkeen kun puiston majoitus- ja ruokailupalvelut ulkoistettiin jokin aika sitten, sinne on ollut todella vaikea saada sisäänpääsylippuja. Kenenkään. Lisäksi sinne ei enää saa viedä omia eväitä. Kuten Yens asian ilmaisi:
– We don’t know any more what’s going on!
Viimeksi eilen illalla Drake Bay’n hotelleilla oli ollut yhteiskokous, jossa oli pohdittu painostustoimia. Toivon hartaasti, että Costa Rica ei mene samaan jekkuun kuin eräät muut maat, joissa kansallispuistot ollaan ajamassa alas, “koska ei ole varaa”.
Rant over.
Fregattilintujen aaltosulkufiguurit taivaalla; lahdelle parkattuja veneitä siivotaan päivän snorklaus-, kalastus-, delfiininkatselu- ja tavarankuljetusretkiltä; pihan Lantana-suvun kukkapensaissa asioi suklaanruskeapäisiä, vihreäselkäisiä, sinivatsaisia (Bay-headed) tangaroita; (Rufus-tailed) kolibrit zingahtelevat viivana pisteestä toiseen; ihan kohta (Chestnut-mandibled) tukaanit lentävät korkeimmille puunoksille ja aloittavat kaikkialle kantautuvan illansuukieunnan.
Mitähän keittiölabra on tänään kehittänyt illalliseksi?