Apr 3, 2013 Hotel Pullman 5km from Madrid Barajas (MAD) has got one big pro: you can stretch your legs in Parque Juan Carlos I.

Apr 3, 2013 The park is very Spanish dare I say. Huge artwork bordering surreal. Walkways of royal dimensions. Sporty people with a character.

Apr 3, 2013 All of a sudden, two parrots! My first ever in mainland Europe. Most likely escaped from captivity. Another nice sighting: Green Woodpecker.

Apr 3, 2013 It’s good to have a bottle of rum in the luggage. The concoction of heat, moist & bugs in the rainforest easily overwhelms one’s nerves.

Apr 3, 2013 The rum of Costa Rica is Rum Centenario but it’s hard to come by abroad. At MAD, we bought instead Nicaraguan 12 yro Flor de Caña.

Apr 3, 2013 This time, IBERIA flew us via the coast of Venezuela, the land of lost nature tourism opportunities.

Apr 3, 2013 Costa Rica smells of burning trash and wild coriander.

Apr 3, 2013 You know you are in Costa Rica when in Alajuela, 30 min drive from SJO, you hear the lek song of Long-tailed Manakins while you eat breakfast.

Apr 3, 2013 After Pital, the dirt road via Boca Tapada to Laguna del Lagarto Lodge was bad but better than in 2007. 3.5 hr drive from Alajuela.

Apr 3, 2013 German-born V. Schmack bought this 100+ area in the 80’s for $5K. Son of a farmer, his plan was to use the land for cultivation.

Apr 3, 2013 First he tried pineapple (a success), then black pepper (world trade prize was soaring).

Apr 3, 2013 The trouble with pepper is that you cannot hurry. When the first crop was ready, the price was down again.

Apr 3, 2013 Schmack selected tourism thanks to an advice of a friend. He could’ve just as well cut all trees, and planted cocoa. Luckily not.

Apr 3, 2013 The lodge was opened for the winter season 1992/93. German tourist groups started to check in on a regular basis. Pura vida!

Apr 3, 2013 Then, on the night of 1.1.1996, a group of masked Nicaraguan guerrilla came with machine guns to the lodge.

Apr 3, 2013 They where after money, mostly. Strategy: hostage & ransom. The group took two women, Schmack’s Toyota, and left.

Apr 3, 2013 The drama lasted over 2 months. At the end, the ransom was paid and the women were released.

Apr 3, 2013 All of this was of course a disaster for the business. The lodge was closed for a year. German tourist agencies said they’d never return.

Apr 3, 2013 Schmack is bitter on German media. He was accused for cowardice during the armed incident, and the lodge was described as a hellhole.

Apr 3, 2013 Schmack has recently published his memoirs in German:”Der lange Weg von Oberschlesien nach Costa Rica”. My tweets here are based on it.

Apr 3, 2013 Today, Laguna del Lagarto Lodge is just about the only place in Costa Rica where you can see Great Green Macaws.

Apr 4, 2013 At dinner time, dozens of wood-colored junebugs arrive, circle around the whitest bulb, land on the green tablecloth, and stay put.

Apr 4, 2013 This has been a productive year for horse-flies. Handsomely black and orange. Work between 8 and 16. Bite like little devils.

Apr 4, 2013 Cover song of today: “Me and Pumilio down by the schoolyard”. Dendrobates pumilio aka Strawberry poison-dart frog is common in Costa Rica, like in here.

Apr 4, 2013 The male has an “insectlike buzz-buzz-buzz” as someone has said, but in my ears the sound is more like a tiny engine.

Apr 4, 2013 Wikipedia features an all-red species but local ones don’t have the nickname Blue-jeans frog without a reason.

Apr 4, 2013 Frogs in Costa Rica are usually nocturnal but Pumilios hop on the forest floor and on moss-covered logs and trunks in daylight. Photogenic fellows.

Apr 6, 2013 From my notes 4/2007:”Bats (16) fly out of the restaurant roof at 6:30 pm every day” Now: new roof, no bats. With all due respect – pity.

Apr 6, 2013 “Costa Rica represents 0.03% of the world’s land surface but is home to about 12% of the world’s bat species” https://www.nhbs.com/the-natural-history-of-costa-rican-mammals-book (good book)

Apr 6, 2013 There are bird feeding platforms in front of the restaurant. Every morning, birds find a fresh bunch of bananas. It lasts until lunch.

Apr 6, 2013 Today is an exception. Banana is served all day, and the platforms are decorated w/ twigs. Professional bird photographers are here.

Apr 6, 2013 They’ve been lucky: Brown-hooded Parrot, both Toucan sp, Collared Aracari, many Honeycreeper sp etc. The most spectacular ones.

Apr 6, 2013 Another banana station is located at the entrance to forest trails. That one is on the ground level.

Apr 6, 2013 No surprise that Coati cannot resist a free banana lunch but surprisingly, also Great Curassow tiptoed out from the dark.

Apr 6, 2013 Another flash-rich day has dawned. Whenever Palm Tanagers or Clay-colored Robins land on the bananas, burst shooting goes silent.

Apr 6, 2013 Strategic thinking is not restricted to humans. A nesting Cinnamon Becard has a security deal with Great Kiskadee https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_kiskadee#section_2

Apr 6, 2013 It’s comforting to see that Central American Spider Monkey seems to have it OK here. One reason: a national park on the Nicaraguan side.

Apr 6, 2013 A new verb from the book: to brachiate means “to swing hand to hand beneath branches like a gibbon”.

Apr 6, 2013 Did you know that spider monkeys are next to thumbless? I didn’t (pic from Wainwright p. 146)

Apr 6, 2013 A group of spiders has been several times on top of the tall trees easily visible from the entrance of the lodge. Several youngsters.

Apr 6, 2013 Female w/ a young come often to fruiting trees near the river. It looks like they’d throw fruit down but I guess they just spill a lot.

Apr 8, 2013 The soundscape of the night is cosmic. Frogs, insects, owl. The rest is dark matter that is hard to locate, could be inside my own head.

Apr 8, 2013 Hard to tell apart here: thunder, jet, volcano. All pulsate with a deep echo. Maybe swampy areas have special acoustical qualities.

Apr 8, 2013 It’s unlikely though that you could hear the active Arenal volcano from here. The distance is over 50 km.

Apr 8, 2013 The lodge lagoon houses a number of individuals from the only member of the Alligator family found in Costa Rica, Spectacled caiman.

Apr 8, 2013 Likewise, from the Crocodile family, only one species: American Crocodile. The lodge doesn’t have them on their list.

Apr 8, 2013 If either one swims towards you in some resort, look if it has a curved ridge in front of its eyes, like a bridge on a pair of glasses.

Apr 8, 2013 Also, if the mouth is closed (probably is ‘cos the reptile is swimming) no teeth protruding from the lower jaw? Relax, it’s a caiman.

Apr 8, 2013 Anyway, “only the African Nile crocodile and the Indo-Pacific crocodile are known to include humans in their diet.” (Leenders)

Apr 8, 2013 Chestnut-colored Woodpecker has the trendiest hairdo: chestnut rasta dreadlocks that stay in horizontal position with x-strong gel.

Apr 8, 2013 The only cicada sp I’ve ever identified in Costa Rica by the sound is the Sprinkler. Truly miss the Asian singing cicadas. Beautiful, varied songs.

Apr 8, 2013 A couple of days ago, before noon, a group of German tourists had seen a Tayra up on a tree in the forest.

Apr 8, 2013 Our stats since 2000 is one Tayra / trip (all about 4 weeks in dry season) on average. All but one sightings in Corcovado National Park.

Apr 8, 2013 The book tells how A. Skutch had seen one climb 30m up a clean, vertical trunk to get at a Laughing Falcon nest.

Apr 8, 2013 In January 2004, we were honored to meet Skutch on his farm, Los Cusingos, near San Isidro el General.

Apr 8, 2013 He watched politely the short video we’d filmed in Sirena, Corcovado, feat. an ocelot walking along a river bank at noon.

Apr 8, 2013 Fragile as he was, we didn’t stay long. Sadly, he didn’t see his 100th birthday, the preparations of which were under way.

Apr 8, 2013 The visit was arranged by Pieter Westra, son of the then owner of Talari Mountain Lodge (new mgmnt now).

Apr 8, 2013 Pieter started his own birding tour company shortly after https://www.aratinga-tours.com/ Warmly recommended, Talari too I hope & believe.

Apr 8, 2013 On the 7th, just before dusk: a big, loose flock of migratory raptors heading West. I lost count but easily more than a hundred.

Apr 9, 2013 First encounter with a snake this year. Length ~1m. Frog-eating Snake, maybe?

Apr 9, 2013 Zoologists haven’t been able to fully explain why there seems to be more adult oropendolas coming out of the nests than going in.

Apr 9, 2013 Animals who pay attention to humans: spider monkeys (threatening gestures), howler monkeys (stare), Hermit hummingbirds (hover close).

Apr 9, 2013 “I smell rain”, says the US-Taiwanese guy who volunteers here for some months. Ex-software engineer, and a keen photographer. Nice chap.

Apr 9, 2013 He has been eg to Borneo (Kinabatangan River). From here, he’ll move to Ecuador. I’d expect more people like him follow suit.

Apr 10, 2013 Pasture. On one side, a herd of mooing cows. On the other, howler monkies. In the middle, a lone, tall, white tree w/ macaw nests.

Apr 10, 2013 Standing under a cow shed surrounded of all sides by wet, red mud and fresh cow dung, you cannot avoid some Sunday philosophing.

Apr 10, 2013 During the past 10 nights, we haven’t heard the remarkable, otherworldly call of Great Potoo. In 2007 we did.

Apr 10, 2013 It was full moon, and the bird began to roar at a treetop, few meters from our cabin. I seldom say “awesome” but – double awesome.

Apr 10, 2013The audio file in https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_potoo is uploaded by me – but it gives only a faint idea, unfortunately.

Apr 10, 2013 Another non-seen: Agami Heron, the star on the lodge’s bird list. It dons a suit that would make every colorist green with envy.

Apr 10, 2013 Corcovado Info Center has a new set of shots from Sirena on their Facebook page. Many tapirs again. Sirena is like that, still.

Apr 10, 2013 The Mono forest trail drops momentarily down to a small swamp. Beneath the wooden bridge, old tapir tracks in the mud, filled w/ water.

Apr 10, 2013 We were told that, while canooing on the Second Lagoon (2 km from the lodge), a tourist had seen a tapir’s head on the shore.

Apr 10, 2013 Baird’s Tapir suffers from illegal hunting and deforestation.

Apr 10, 2013 Time to leave Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, the simple yet practical cabin, no-nonsense food and Macaws. Next: La Selva Biological Station.

Apr 11, 2013 Although w/o armed forces, the 11th April is a national holiday to celebrate the war hero “The Porcupine”.

Apr 12, 2013 Early morning in Caribbean lowlands is not far from a Turkish hammam.

Apr 12, 2013 Two-toed Sloths do are slow. One was up on the same tree than six years ago.

Apr 12, 2013 On the 7th, tracks of two jaguars were seen ~2km from the station. Still, herds of Collared Peccaries roam the camp. Too few predators.

Apr 13, 2013 Things happen when you least expect them. Last night, in the dark, while walking back from dinner: eyeshine ~4m above the trail.

Apr 13, 2013 A Central American Woolly Opossum was showing “monkeylike specializations of its arboreal lifestyle” as Wainwright puts it.

Apr 13, 2013 With its delicate fingers and toes, it had a good grip from a twig. The partly naked, prehensile tail hang free. Pink ears, pink nose.

Apr 14, 2013 Guided night walk on the 12th. Highlights: sleeping Casque-headed Lizard; one big Fer-de-Lance (1,5m) and one much smaller, both coiled.

Apr 15, 2013 “Poisonous snakes are relatively abundant” says the La Selva welcome leaflet and doesn’t exaggerate at all.

Apr 15, 2013 In April 2007, during 5 nights, we were lucky to see 2 different venomous snakes: an Eyelash pit viper (yellow) and a big Fer-de-Lance.

Apr 15, 2013 My husband had extra luck. He almost stepped onto them both.

Apr 15, 2013 Cabins are 1 km from the station, at the end of a 1,5 m wide concrete walkway, mossy and partly covered with fallen leaves and twigs.

Apr 15, 2013 It was just before breakfast. A 10 minute walk through a cool tropical forest is the best hors d’œuvre. We were chirping like Manakins.

Apr 15, 2013 After the old iron bridge, the last leg is straight ahead. Good spot for sloths. In the distance, one corner of the soccer field.

Apr 15, 2013 We look back. On his side of the walkway, resting against the edge of concrete, a spear shaped head of a snake.

Apr 15, 2013 He stops, mid-sentence.”What was that?”

Apr 15, 2013 The Fer-de-Lance wasn’t after us. Slowly, it came up to the concrete and slid over it. 1,5 meters. The width of the walkway, exactly.

Apr 15, 2013 It is still 2007. Next day, next concrete walkway (in total, 60 km of it in the park). Guided walk on the other side of the river.

Apr 15, 2013 Midday is approaching, temperature rising. He films a Pumilio. I am half present, in lazy thoughts. The guide is a bit further away.

Apr 15, 2013 “Is that plastic?” On the ground, between his legs and the tripod, something bright yellow. Unusual color on the forest floor.

Apr 16, 2013 Why none of us saw the snake a) coming or b) being there to start with – I honestly cannot comprehend.

Apr 16, 2013 Madventurism and crocodiledandyism are not our cups of tea. I got pretty scared. One side step, and his boots would hit the viper.

Apr 16, 2013 It is in the interest of snakes not to spend the venom in vain. Would this one consider being stomped on a serious threat?

Apr 16, 2013 I signalled him -> he understood at once -> did not panic -> stepped away -> happy end.

Apr 16, 2013 The viper’s stomach was bulging and it moved clumsily, inasmuch snakes can be blamed clumsy.

Apr 16, 2013 Stars were in favourable constellations; the snake was not alert and fast but probably quite drowsy after a good meal.

Apr 16, 2013 The guide was a bit shaken about the incident. So were we. Visitors sign a liability waiver but in the end it’s just a piece of paper.

Apr 16, 2013 “Many changes in La Selva”, answers the guide when we asked about what’s been happening here since our last visit. “Global warming”

Apr 16, 2013 “Draught has become more common. We have seen many starving snakes for example, maybe because rodents are moving to higher elevations.”

pr 16, 2013 Service has improved: free WiFi in cabins; fresh fruit on every meal; restaurant area more comfortable; staff more relaxed.

Apr 16, 2013 The amount of wild life here is still staggering, changes or not. You only need to take a few steps away from the A/C-ed reception.

Apr 16, 2013 Abundant right now: Motmot (both sp found here), Great Curassow, Crested Guan, Mantled Howler Monkey.

Apr 16, 2013 Talking about reptiles, in the scope right now: a hunting Bird-eating Snake.

Apr 16, 2013 Again, it crossed the walkway very close. Below dark yellow, green above with yellow spots, > 1m (wifi courtesy of one of the labs)

Apr 16, 2013 Actually, >2 m.

Apr 16, 2013 A Snowy Cotinga! All-white with big dark eyes. Always at tallest treetops.

Apr 16, 2013 Taxi is coming soon. This is the hardest time; I want to stay here! But – next: Monteverde via San Jose.

Apr 18, 2013 Only it wasn’t via San Jose but the scenic, winding Arenal route.

Apr 18, 2013 Rd 4 ->San Miguel, 140 ->Fortuna, 142 ->Tilarán, and gravel road via another San Miguel and Turin to Santa Elena. 5 hrs.

Apr 18, 2013 The top of Volcán Arenal was in clouds, water level in Laguna de Arenal very low.

Apr 18, 2013 The souvenir shop that shares premises with Aroma Tico in Tilarán, sells local art. One oil painting features a wind turbine.

Apr 18, 2013 This is windy area. On the other side of lake Arenal is a wind farm of several dozen mills.

Apr 18, 2013 All the way from Fortuna, Toad Hall has sprinkled rd 142 with well over 100 signs of WORLD FAMOUS and MUST SEE.

Apr 18, 2013 When the target is behind, a subtle change in tone: YOU JUST MISSED TOAD HALL

Apr 18, 2013 A piece of personal nostalgia: Villa Decary some km’s before the town of Arenal.

Apr 18, 2013 In year 2000, on our first trip to Costa Rica, we spent there some nights. Back then, all was new (not any more) and wonderful (still is).

Apr 18, 2013 Alex, the driver from Costa Rica Anywhere, lives in Tamarindo, one of the beach hot spots on the Pacific side.

Apr 18, 2013 Before St Elena, Alex starts to wave to ppl. A sunglassed look in the rear mirror. “My mother, father and brother live in Monteverde”.

Apr 18, 2013 Costa Rica is constantly on four wheels. People, cattle and goods are transported from coast to coast. There is no railroad.

Apr 18, 2013 A set of mountain ranges runs from N to S through the country. It splits the country in two slices.

Apr 18, 2013 At dawn in La Selva, you hear heavy trucks change gear on rd 32 that climbs up to Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo.

Apr 18, 2013 When Alex turns off the engine of the van at the entrance of Casa Hiro Rosa, we immediately hear two familiar bird calls.

Apr 18, 2013 Three-wattled Bellbird belongs to that avifauna that migrates latitudinally. In April, it moves up here.

Apr 18, 2013 As its name implies, Black-faced Solitaire is relatively hard to see, except in springtime.

Apr 18, 2013 If you haven’t heard the song/call of these birds, google and do.

Apr 18, 2013 Monteverde has a cute phone directory. 14 pages of the size A5.

Apr 18, 2013 Browsing the directory, you wouldn’t guess the US Quaker background of this area; a clear majority of surnames are Spanish.

Apr 19, 2013 Here, biting the dust is not yet another saying. Roads are unpaved, and in heavy use.

Apr 19, 2013 Monteverde is a top tourist attraction. Letting roads be on gravel, the Quaker community balances between income and sustainability.

Apr 19, 2013 On the premises of the Casa nests a Blue-crowned Motmot. Favorite spot: electric power cable in front of the living room window.

Apr 19, 2013 At the moment, this is the only house in Monteverde which you can rent for a couple of days. All other accommodation is hotels.

Apr 19, 2013 Sonia, the owner, is a friendly lady. Elegantly gray-haired, she must have been a ravishing beauty.

Apr 19, 2013 How many kilos fudge am I allowed to import tax free to EU, I wonder. The brand made by Monteverde cheese factory is delicious.

Apr 19, 2013 Another noteworthy product of the factory: guava cheese.

Apr 21, 2013 The wooden electric pylon number G-6 in a dusty curve, 2 km before the Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde, has a resident.

Apr 21, 2013 The middle-elevation cousin to lowland toucans, Emerald Toucanet, has got all the characteristics of a cover bird.

Apr 21, 2013 The size of the bill is in perfect proportion to the body, and the guacamole feathering looks very nice in every lighting.

Apr 21, 2013 The nesting tree isn’t much but it comes w/ a view: a wide valley w/ a blanket of forest and its broccoli canopy in all shades of green.

Apr 21, 2013 For a long time, the Toucanet peaks out of the hole, just like woodpeckers do. I don’t know what’s the point, but it looks funny.

Apr 21, 2013 Is a cloud “a cloud” if it crawls towards you on ground level? Aerosolic rain. Metronomic, never-ending call of Highland Tinamou.

Apr 21, 2013 Every naturalist guide can imitate the call of a Resplendent Quetzal, a short nasal yapping. A bit irritating, if I may say so.

Apr 21, 2013 In Guatemala, Quetzal is an icon: the national bird, and the name of local currency.

Apr 21, 2013 In Costa Rica, the bird is a genuine object of attention (and source of tourism income). Quetzals mostly eat wild avocados.

Apr 21, 2013 A fair amount of plastic waste in tropical forests are caps of water bottles. They’re also useless; fall of in 5 secs from the opening.

Apr 21, 2013 Sometimes changes in nature happen as we speak, and can even be a bit symbolic if you like.

Apr 21, 2013 The Monteverde area – from about 1400 to 1800 m above sea level – was free from venomous snakes until about 10 years ago.

Apr 21, 2013 The info leaflet of the hotel Monteverde Lodge & Gardens (where we checked in yesterday) has a matter-of-fact section about snakes.

Apr 21, 2013 “Probably due to global warming,we are seeing Eyelash Vipers around the lodge. They’re leaf green, and in vegetation about shoulder level”

Apr 21, 2013 Other fairly recent comers are spider monkies. In 2007, only few had been seen. Tomorrow we’ll hear more news; a tour w/ Ricky Guindon.

Apr 24, 2013 On a clear day like this,when you stand at the Continental Divide and look W, what you see in the hazy horizon, is the Nicoya Peninsula.

Apr 24, 2013 On 5th September 2012, at 08:42, Nicoya was the epicenter of the 2nd heaviest earthquake ever recorded in Costa Rica.

Apr 24, 2013 “It lasted maybe 30 seconds but felt like forever”. Ricardo Guindon stands on the brink of a vertical slope in the Curi-Cancha Reserve.

Apr 24, 2013 “I stood right here when it started. Because I was afraid there’d be a landslide, I moved here”. He takes few steps away, and looks up.

Apr 24, 2013 “Those big trees were shaking wildly above my head (grimace) and I thought, well, there is nothing I can do.”

Apr 24, 2013 Curi-Cancha is recently been opened for public. Earlier, it was there only for the guests of the now ex-hotel El Sapo Dorado.

Apr 24, 2013 “Last Friday, on Monteverde Day, we celebrated here the 60th anniversary of buying the 5000 ha from a gold mining company.”

Apr 24, 2013 We are looking for Bellbirds. In Monteverde, there are few (you can hear them) but hard to see because they stay up in the canopy.

Apr 24, 2013 We were told that most of the Bellbirds are one ecozone lower – here, roughly 100 m. “You’ll see them everywhere in Curi-Chanca.”

Apr 24, 2013 Some claim that Bellbirds can learn their song.

Apr 24, 2013 Fact or not, one thing is clear: there are different calls.

Apr 24, 2013 A QUACK! from above. Ricky shows his ambient smile. “That’s the Talamancan dialect”, he whispers.

Apr 24, 2013 “The one on the George Powell trail in Monteverede Reserve is bilingual I think. It knows also the Monteverdian BONK!”

Apr 24, 2013 In fall 2010, one special wild avocado tree species was fruiting here like never before – and brought Oilbirds http://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/2010/08/23/oilbirds-in-costa-rica/

Apr 24, 2013 “It was such a big event that they named this trail after the Spanish name of the bird, Guácharo”

Apr 24, 2013 In her best novel so far, Sand (1986), Ulla-Lena Lundberg describes a homecoming from the wild.

Apr 24, 2013 Shower, clean clothes, a cold beer from the fridge. Everything is nice, easy, urban.

Apr 24, 2013 “Then, after two weeks or so, I started to miss back to the desert again”, she writes. I know what she means.

Apr 24, 2013 Onboard, IBERIA doesn’t offer newspapers nor a private entertainment console. So, for this return flight I’m better prepared.

Apr 24, 2013Sonia, I promise to bring back The Tailor of Panama by John Le Carré you had on the bookshelf. Gracias!

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?