Bye for Now... Hasta Pronto y Gracias

Though we are still having amazing adventures (hanging bridges on a fantastic visit with my sister and her family!) and finding beautiful things (does a washed ashore moray eel count as beautiful?)  every day, we seem to have stopped writing about them. There are other projects on the go and our writing and storytelling seems to be focused elsewhere. Rather than carry the guilt of a languishing blog or pester the kids to continue posting, we've decided to quietly set the blog aside, at least for now. It has been a true joy sharing this incredible journey with you.

Meditation

I think the serene, mindful Nosara (or maybe the serene, mindful visiting cousin Mike) is rubbing off on Maeve. I found her like this in the living room a few minutes ago. She said she was meditating.

Prints

Yesterday afternoon, like most afternoons, I left Dan and the kids playing in the surf and walked along Playa Pelada, down to my favourite cove. Occasionally, I see unusual things in the tide pools (someone's forgotten flip flop, a purple spotted sea slug, a whole family bathing.) Occasionally, I recall the book (which one? Anne Tyler, I think?) where a woman, disillusioned with her life, takes a walk along the ocean shore and just keeps going, leaving her family behind (for the record, it never occurs to me that I'd like to do the same thing, - I'm firmly rooted and in love with my family - it just makes for a good storytelling prompt to consider the choices one makes.) Occasionally, I think deeply about my life or the life of those around me. Occasionally, I think about nothing beyond what we'll have for dinner. Always, I come back from that brief walk happy.

Yesterday, I noticed two sets of footprints, one large and one small. I followed them a ways and was surprised when the little ones just disappeared. They disappeared, of course, at the point where the Big picked up the tired Little and carried Little for the rest of the walk. I felt a small pang as I realized that my littles no longer ask me to pick them up and carry them (how had I not noticed?) They've grown so tall - Maeve nearly reaching my shoulder, Sam up past my nose (okay, so I'm not that tall, but still.) They've grown so tall and bold and curious and (mostly) kind and confident and word-strong and... heavy. I've mentioned before how very luck I am, right?

[Editor's Note: I began this post this morning, when the day had just begun. Hours later and I nearly deleted it as the kids were demonstrating their very best sulking and immaturity. Ah, but they've recovered, are humming in the hammocks and I'll keep 'em. And the post.]

A Few Surprises by Maeve

Yesterday evening, Mama, Daddy, Sam and I went to Playa Pelada. We were met with surprises. There were thousands of pelicans in the air and then a thousand more in the water and perched on the rocks. I'm really, really not exaggerating much at all. When I went swimming, I saw lots of little, brown fish. I think that might be why there were so many pelicans. Also, there are fewer people at Playa Pelada and so maybe the pelicans like the peace and quiet! It's no problem to swim there even with the pelicans. They float on the water quite a ways out. It's so cool watching them fly through the air and then dive zoom down headfirst to gobble a fish.

That same day, when we were walking along the beach, we saw a group of vultures all huddled around something. Sam went over to see what it was and he came back with a confused expression on his face. He said it was a turtle nest! I went over and decided he was right. Turtles don't nest very often at this beach so I was pretty surprised. I was sad that the nest had been destroyed. We learned today that the arribada (when thousands of mama sea turtles come at the same time to nest) began again last night a few kilometres down the ocean at Ostional. Maybe one of the turtles landed here instead by accident. We are going to check out the arribada in the morning. I wonder if there will be surprises there.

The Most Biologically Diverse Place on Earth: Part III, by Sam

[We didn't take many photos on the way home, so these are from the hike too.]

Our guide helping us get a better look at the crocodile.

After the boat dropped us ashore, we watched the same boats being loaded with mattresses piled high, on their way to the eco lodges. Then, we headed up the road for ice cream and to wait for our lift back to the hostel. We spent the rest of the day playing crib, eating delicious spaghetti (the sauce made from their own vegetables!), and reading in the hammocks and getting some sleep before heading home.

The Fer-De-Lance!!

We had to take a bit of a detour on the way home as we had to go to San Jose to pick up our Costa Rica license plates for our car. We traveled through the Southern Mountains. The temperature quickly dropped from 31 to 10 degrees! The roads were steep, windy and had lots of switchbacks and they and the scenery reminded me of Guatemala and there were even pine trees which reminded me of Canada. Along the way, we bought some local strawberries from someone at the side of the road. We dipped down into San Jose but didn't stay long as we were wanting to get back home that night. We decided to stop in Nicoya for some pizza and arrived just in time for their tope! A tope is a horse parade and several of them happen all over the country this time of year. We observed some  dancing horses with their singing cowboys and cowgirls. We played at the park and ate pizza which was delicious but I couldn't eat that much because of my very loose tooth which came out later that night (Jiri lost a tooth on this trip too!)

The boat being loaded up with mattresses.

We returned home just before Maddy and Jiri who were a little later because Maddy had a recurrence of his ear infection and had to go to the clinic. While we were away, it seems like a giant redwinged grasshopper and catydid had made themselves at home in our living room. We escorted them out with our bug catcher. The trip was long but it was so AWESOME. I hope to live on the Osa Peninsula someday, as a conservationist and photographer. It is the most amazing place.

The Most Biologically Diverse Place on Earth: Part II, by Sam

The hanging bridge on the way to the beach.

The Drake Bay Backpackers Hostel is part of the Corcovado Foundation which does biodiversity education projects and tours throughout the Osa Peninsula. We were greeted first by two friendly dogs, one named Bambi, the other named Vienticinco (25.)

The hostel has a vegetable (with almost ready to pick eggplants!) and herb garden, lots of hammocks, and even a volleyball court. We stayed in the dorm area with comfortable bunkbeds and mosquito nets. After we got settled in, we headed to check out the beach. To get there, you have to walk down several dirt roads to the airport where you actually walk down the runway to a trail! The trail includes a hanging bridge over a river that looked like a caiman would be living there. We couldn't go out very far into the sea because there was a steep incline and the waves were huge and forceful. After splashing in the waves, Dad and I took a walk to the end of the beach and back and we saw beautiful scenery with rainforest on one side and the ocean on the other. We also saw a squished iguana with its head ripped off. Later, we had dinner at a local soda (which is the Costa Rican name for a small cafe/restaurant serving traditional food like gallo pinto.) To get there, we had to walk across a log that was placed across the river. While waiting for our food, we all played tag and Maeve was running across the log and slipped causing her to fall in the river! It was not deep. After dinner, we headed back for an early night to bed because we had an early start the next morning.

All aboard the boat to Corcovado!

We ate gallo pinto and toast at 5am at the hostel before heading down to the beach where a boat was waiting to take us to Corcovado National Park. The boat was pretty simple but fast with a canvas roof to protect us from the sun. There were about 15 of us in the boat. About 10 minutes into the journey, we navigated through a series of rocks (with pelican, tern, and frigate bird roosts) to get to an eco-lodge to pick up other passengers. Then, it was off for about a one hour ride along the coast. There were huge swells and it was bumpy and fun.

My first sighting of a tapir in the wild!!

We arrived at the park at high tide. It was a wet landing which means we had to get out into the shallow water, first removing our hiking boots and socks. Maeve got wet again when a wave came in and splashed her all over. All the passengers headed to a nearby stream to clean off our feet, get our shoes on and prepare for the hike. We had a really nice and informative guide who grew up in Drake Bay. We explored the hiking trails and among the highlights:

• one Tapir (the largest land mammal in Central America)
• one Fer-de-lance (the most poisonous snake in Costa Rica)

  

  Can you spot the tamandua?

• five Scarlet Macaws (near the ranger station)
• one Crocodile (lazing in the river)
• all four species of monkeys (Howler, Spider, White-faced Capuchins and even endangered and rarely seen Squirrel monkeys
• a grunting wild turkey (called a Great Curassow)
• an anteater (actually called a Tamandua and it was foraging for termites high up in a tree!)
• incredibly interesting and super tall trees (including my favourite, the strangler fig)



Dad's good friend, the hermit crab.

•  and much, much, more!!

After about three hours of hiking, we returned to the trail head to have a vegetarian lunch and wait for the tide to come back in. The beach and the nearby forest were teeming with hundreds, maybe even thousands of hermit crabs of all sizes. We loved watching them and picking them up. Dad decided they are his favourite animal. Our guide told us that one of the main problems threatening hermit crabs is people, especially in Manuel Antonio Parks, take the shells away for souvenirs. The hermit crabs rely on those shells for their homes.

One of the endangered squirrel monkeys.

To leave the bay, we faced another challenge - the waves! They were little at first but then there were really enormous swells that felt like they were going to break on us. Once, we were on the brink of a wave and it felt like we might tip over but we quickly got back to calmer water. Our captain was very skilled. On the way back, we spotted a large rock island that looked like a shark fin. But, we didn't see any sharks.

The Most Biologically Diverse Place on Earth: Part I, by Sam

Breakfast before heading out.

Here goes a long series of posts to make up for 18 days absence!

One month ago, I was looking at the Costa Rica guide book, and dreaming about going to the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado National Park. One month later, we've returned from our trip to that same fantastic place. And, we got to do it with friends! Lynette, Mark, Maddy and Jiri joined us on the adventure.

See the Julia Butterfly drinking the croc's tears?

As our car remains a little broken down right now, we decided to rent a car. We asked for a very tiny basic SUV, but instead both families got pretty large ones. I was sure to pack my binoculars, hat, climbing gloves, camera and books etc. The way there was pretty uneventful until we got to the crocodile bridge in Tarcoles. There we saw the same number of crocodiles as last time - 34! This time I made sure to get some good pictures. The sidewalk is really skinny (about half a metre across) and so the traffic, including transport trucks, go zooming right beside you when you're peering over to see the crocodiles. One interesting thing was a tiny Julia Butterfly that was daring to land on the biggest crocodiles nose and eyes. I think it was it was trying to get the salt water from the tears.

Fiery-billed Aracari in Dominical

After the bridge, we continued on and got stuck in a traffic jam near Jaco (which has lots of abandoned condos.) Just before Dominical, we stopped to get some gas and encountered a troop of White-faced Capuchin Monkeys! They were really cute (especially the tiny babies) and very active.We stopped in Dominical where we stayed for the night. Dominical is a surfer town with some really big waves, a pebbly beach, and restaurants and people selling things along the beach. There were some people living and camping on the beach. There were also some abandoned hostels and shops. It looked as if one had somehow survived an earthquake and World War III. The roof was missing and there were trees growing out of the rooms. We ate and could hear the waves crashing on the shore and the live music at the same time. Before we ate, Maeve spotted some Fiery-billed Aracaris, which are similar to small toucans.

One of the abandoned hotels or "economic rooms."

At dinner, we got to sit at our own kid table with high stools. After dinner, Maddy and Jiri played some pinball. A visiting pilot gave each of us a miniature helicopter that was kind of like a glow in the dark slingshot. We chose a clearing by the beach and let them fly. Maddy accidentally shot his into a garbage can and then on top of a car. Maeve shot hers clear into a leaf cutter ants' nest and we had some trouble getting it out. The hostel was okay, with some hammocks you could relax and read in.

When we awoke the next morning, we got some breakfast at the hostel (I got a fruit cup and banana bread - other than that, there was a WHOLE LOT of beans and rice on this trip.) As our car rolled out of the parking lot, our departure was delayed because of a flat tire. The source of this turned out to be a really big screw. Dan and Mark put the spare tire on while the rest of us went in search of the book store and ponchos (in case it rained in the Osa Peninsula.) The ponchos were a success, and the bookstore was not as it turned out to be closed. After the tire was changed, we headed to Uvita where we could get the original tire patched up. Then, we were finally off to Drake Bay!

One of the beautiful Scarlet Macaws

As we got further into the Osa Peninsula, the scenery changed from tropical dry forest (and lots of brown from the lack of rain) to primary rain forest (and lots of different shades of green.) You could sense the change immediately as the air was more humid, and the trees were bigger and there was so much green. It looked like something straight out of a National Geographic Wildlife Documentary.  When we were almost at the hostel, Mom spotted three scarlett macaws so we slammed on the breaks and got out to see them. They were mostly red with some yellow and blue on the wings. We didn't get great pictures because they were obscured by the leaves and then flew by fast (but Mark a great shot on a walk, later.) Maeve does a great macaw impression.

DIY Swing and an Armoured Armadillo by Sam

Yesterday, I decided to build a swing. Next week, our friends Maddy and Jiri are arriving AND Mom wanted me to go outside and do something, so I decided to combine these two things and build the swing. I got the idea out of a Howtoons book (a really cool graphic novel/diy book that shows you how to do really awesome projects) that I got from Grampy Wayne for Christmas.

I put on my rubber boots (because I didn't want to step on a gecko or scorpion or anything in the field) and went out to find a suitable spot to put it.  I wanted to build it off the Guanacaste tree, but then I would need about a 100 ft rope because the nearest branch is about 40 ft off the ground. Finally, I decided on a tree that was not too high or too low. Several attempts were made to throw the rope over the branch. Then, I secured it around the trunk for extra support (using a killick hitch.) Then I used a clove hitch to tie the loose end of the rope around a sturdy stick that I could use for a swing.

Here's the thing. I kind of don't like some parts of the books that show you how to do these diy projects as it all goes so smoothly every time. For instance, for the rope swing, in the book they have a perfect straight up oak-tree with a perfect branch jutting straight out with no leaves or other sticking out bits in the way. They make perfect knots and find the one perfect stick lying around for the swing and then swing effortlessly through the air. My experience was more frustrating and needed several tries with lots of obstacles. My rope was too short. I kept getting it tangled in the leaves. The knot slipped a few times until I got it right. I looked forever to find a great stick and then couldn't grip on to it properly! I think Maddy and Jiri will like it though. Probably we can build it together again better.

Later, when Maeve had dance class, Dad and I explored around the area (she's in a new studio in Pelada). We took several cool trails. Once we were around the first bend, we heard a rustling in the bushes. We looked over to expect an iguana or something. Instead, we saw an armadillo! It was just nosing along the leaves looking for insects. When it eventually noticed us, it froze for a second and then scampered away. We were able to observe it for 5-10 minutes. We also saw a great owl moth. Again, we only had Dad's camera. I have to start carrying my camera around with me again.

Dad and I to San Jose and Back by Sam

Dad and I were driving to San Jose to pick up the car from importation. We thought it would be about a 7 hour round trip. Turns out, we were wrong. It took about 6 hours to drive one way! (I forgot to bring the camera so the few that we have are from Dad's phone.)

The problem was that about halfway through the trip, we encountered some construction. After about 10 minutes of waiting (in that time the car moved about 2 centimeters) we decided to take a detour.  This particular detour was on a dirt road through some sugar cane fields. On the way, we had to cross two rivers (we almost got stuck in one of them because our rental car didn’t have a snorkel and the water came in – about two inches on the floor of the car.) We also saw a sugar cane processing factory. It was very busy. We also saw a crested caracara which is like a hawk with a bright red beak and dozens of grackles and one spiny-tailed iguana when we got out to go pee. The sugar cane was about 1-2 metres tall and there was a maze of dirt roads all through the fields with lots of tractors driving around.

After emerging back on to the main road, the rest of the drive was uneventful until we reached the crocodile bridge. This is a bridge that spans the Tarcoles River which is very good for watching crocodiles. Supposedly, crocodiles like polluted water and if so this is the best place for them to be  because a lot of sewage from San Jose flows in to this river. We were expecting to see about a dozen or so, but we saw 34! The smallest was about 5 feet long and the biggest was 15 feet long! The sidewalks on the bridge were very narrow but at least there was a railing. Big trucks zoomed by. Just after we arrived, a busload of tourists piled out. They had lots of fancy cameras and t-shirts that said Pura Vida. I was really excited about seeing the crocodiles as I’ve been looking for them since the moment we arrived in Costa Rica. I went from never having seen a crocodile in the wild to seeing 34! One was basking on land with its mouth wide open, waiting for a plover bird to hop in and clean its teeth. 

Upon arrival in San Jose, we went to the person, Jon, who owned the rental car and who has been helping us import the car. He was very friendly and took us straight away to the mechanic to pick up our car. After picking up the car, we had dinner of a vegetarian sandwich. I hadn’t eaten for seven hours so didn’t even mind that there were mushrooms and olives on it (I really don’t like those particular vegetables usually) We discovered there was a problem with the brakes so we had to stay the night at Jon’s house. When we were getting ready for bed I looked out the window and saw a soccer game being played. It was no ordinary game. It’s called Futbol 5 and it’s played inside, in an area about the size of a tennis court, 5 players on each team, and only one net. The guide books all say that San Jose is the concrete jungle. I think it's better than that. I'm excited about going back and maybe watching a soccer game at the new, enormous stadium.

The next morning, we went to the mechanic again. We waited for about 20 minutes while he readjust the brake pads. I noticed a 1960s rusted green automobile. It belonged to Jon and he was hoping to get it restored to its old self. We pulled out of the garage to head home which was largely uneventful including the bread and cheese lunch. I read and played minecraft the whole way.

When we got home, we discovered there had been another ant invasion. It was still in process. Hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of ants were swarming over our front yard, climbing up and into the house. Patti sent me some information that says the ants are only on a mission to clean out your house like a broom, getting rid of all the dead insects and little bits from the corners and sides of your walls. After a couple of hours, they’ll move on. Even the scorpions are afraid of them. I haven’t managed to convince mom and dad to let them be yet. The good thing about ant invasions is that we get to go out for dinner. I had my favourite meal in Nosara – pesto pizza.

The Mud and The Frog and The Sloth by Maeve

Some of the really cool flowers near Rio Celeste.

This weekend, Mama, Daddy, Sam, and I and my Grandma and Grandpa went to a place called Rio Celeste and the Tenorio Volcano National Park. It is a blue, blue river that runs between two volcanoes. It's blue because another river runs into it and where they meet, their different minerals make a chemical reaction. It's stinky but very pretty. We stayed at a pretty good, small cabin at a farm that grew vegetables and coffee and had a butterfly garden and snakes.

You can spot a little of the blue river in front of Sam.

When we were about to start the long 3 hour hike to the waterfall, we were walking on a concrete trail that was sort of like a sidewalk and I said, "Is it going to be like this for the whole thing because that would be really boring?" But, it wasn't!! A little further down the trail there were pebbles and then it got muddier and muddier and then muddiest of all and I LOVED it! I got my boots really dirty. Even though it's the dry season (and it hasn't rained for weeks and weeks in Nosara) we were now in a part of the rainforest where it rains at least a little all year round and people had been walking so the mud was formed and gooey. My boots nearly came off a few times.

Me, at the waterfall

We heard something in the distance. I thought it was the waterfall. We kept walking a little faster now and then we got to a set of stairs going down. They were steep and had a beautiful railing that looked like a polished tree branch and there were so many steps!! When we got to the end, there was a little lookout over the waterfall. The waterfall was BEAUTIFUL. It was also noisy with so much water and you got sprayed a lot. It wasn't as blue as it is sometimes and I think it was because there had been so much rain which was mixing up the mud and things.

Isn't it beautiful?

We headed back up the stairs (which was tiring) and then we headed down a different trail. There was another lookout of the rainforest and you were supposed to see the tops of two volcanoes but they were hidden by the clouds. Then, we kept hiking and on a post by the side of the trail, there was a little frog! It was soooo cute! Hie eyes were striped black and red and his body was bright green. Its toes had big suction cups on them and it seemed to be asleep. He might have let me touch him but I didn't. It was a Fleischmann's Glass Frog, we are pretty sure. At the end of the hike we had a great lunch which included the best fried cheese EVER. Then we drove home on the bumpy road.

SLOTH!!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about the sloths! When we got to our cabin, Mama told the person that she really wanted to see a sloth. He took us right to the place on the trail at their farm where there were three lumbering along on the branches!!! They were so furry and wet and faster than I thought. Later when we were walking through the farm we saw a mama and its baby. It was so awesome.

Everyone at one of our fancy dinners

We have been having lots of fun with grandparents visiting. We've played lots of Chinese Checkers and Pente and we've gone to the beach a lot and eating gelato and having fancy dinners. So far though we have not had any luck showing any of our grandparents a sea turtle because it's not the right time of the month for mamas or hatchlings. Now we're going to go snorkeling. Bye for now!