Christmas in Costa Rica

I decided to leave Boquete for Christmas because I had a chance to go to the Osa Peninsula near Corcovado Nat'l Park in Costa Rica with noneother than the Jaguarman. This is where he works as a tour guide and I've been hearing about for a long time, so it was a good chance to go. It was a lot cheaper with a group (there were six in all) than if I were to have gone alone. Lyn, Steve, Eric, Ballardo, Isabella, and I all met at Steve's house a week prior to plan everything. The next day, Lyn went to David and did all of the shopping, and then spent the next few days cooking and freezing food (thanks Lyn)! Every meal was planned out and food/supplies were spread out evenly among members of the group. I carried most of the frozen goods in my pack...the idea was to eat the food as it thawed to eliminate the need for coolers, and to be able to have really good stuff to eat.

Lyn and I got up Friday morning at 5am, packed a few remaining items, and were picked up by everyone else except Jaguarman in a taxi. From there, we rode to David and transferred to a bus to Paso Canoas (border). We found a sit-down restaurant and did the border deeds in two shifts which was a good idea to save time and give everone a chance to eat something. We all got through without an issue (I'm so glad no one stopped me to ask what the fifteen freezer bags of stuff wrapped in newspaper was...we would have been there a looooong time)! From the border, we got another taxi which took us an hour or so to Golfito. Then we went by boat for another hour to Puerto Jimenez where we took a break and had a beer/ate. A pre-arranged taxi (in a Hyundai Galloper) picked us up and drove us down a nasty road with tons of huecos to a beach called Playa Zapote. It was beautiful, the weather was awesome, almost full moon. We set up camp and started a fire for the first pre-arranged meal of the trip. Lyn prepared so many yummy dishes that I have lost track already, so just know it was all excellent. Our neighbors went spear fishing and dropped off an entire, large fish for us which we ate after dinner, and then again for breakfast until it was gone. The night was a little cooler than anyone expected. I was glad I brought a tent, but Eric and Steve were rockin' hammocks. We drank rum and wine and told stories, and then waded in the receeding tide in the moonlight.

Yay, the beach!


Bella and our sand castle.


The group minus Jaguarman, plus taxi driver on left.


The next day was Christmas and we had until noon to play around on the beach. Isabella and I built a sandcastle which was quickly overrun by hermit crabs. There were hundreds of them! Then Bella and I went to a nearby lagoon where I saw some kind of animal the size of a beaver but different color. We were cautious around the brackish water for crocodiles. I gave Bella the nickname "cocodrilita" which she wasn't too fond of and punished me by putting hermit crabs in my hair. Somewhere in there, I decided to do my favorite yoga move, "the scorpion," and after about an hour realized my back was injured. The older guys laughed and said things like "sucks gettin' old, eh?" I had never before "thrown" my back out, but now I know what it's like. I spent the next few hours on hands and knees and lying in the sand. When the taxi driver from the day before arrived at noon, I had everything packed but need help with my bag...good thing no one was walking very far. I took some vitamin I and we continued on another two hours to Playa Carate on a very painful, bumpy road. On the way, we saw a Spider Monkey, Capuchin, and Squirrel Monkey. Here, we unloaded and paid the cab driver a ridiculous amount of money to get us some cold beer, made lunch, and waited for Ballardo to meet us. Ballardo came an hour or two later with a tour of three people he had just spent a few days guiding in the jungle. His tourists continued on, and our (now complete) group hiked about a half hour down the beach. It was very windy, and I felt guilty having someone else carry my bag, but there was not much I could do. That night, we cooked up a feast of kabobs, salads, beans and rice, wine, rum, chocolate, etc. There was a local gold panner/fisherman who joined us who was pretty rough around the edges, living off the land his entire life. I put a stick in the ground with a battery-powered plastic globe christmas tree that I brought.

Sunrise.


Sunrise.


Jaguar prowling around our tent city.


Scarlet Macaw.


Tent village.


Sunset.



The next morning we woke at 5am to a stunning sunrise, ate breakfast, sent a party to go for cold beers, saw some Scarlet Macaws, and relocated camp to an inland stream with plenty of shade. My back was still in pretty rough shape, so I just sat in the cool creek. Later that day, I walked with Steve and Bella to the town of Carate (really just a supply depot for hikers entering the jungle, and an airstrip). We hung out there for awhile and walked back. That night, more excellent food, a great sunset, and lots of laughs.

The following morning, we packed up and hiked to the road to wait for the collectivo bus which never came, so we took a taxi back to Puerto Jimenez, ate some of the most amazing ceviche I'd ever had, took the boat to Golfito, then a taxi to the border, then a bus to David, then a bus to Boquete. I split from the group and tried to find a taxi in Boquete to take me home at 9pm. At 12am, still no taxi, and a bartender friend had tried a few friends with no luck. Finally, my friend Elmer called a buddy of his who drove me home. I was in bed by 1am, exhausted and still in pain, but with a smile on my face!