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mg.bigadventure

September 2016 - May 2017
A 255-day adventure by mg.bigadventure Read more
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  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
    Day 139

    Moving on in Monteverde

    January 23, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Last night we ate again in one of the cheapest and best restaurants in town - this time I had rice without the beans, for a change! This morning we said goodbye to our hotel with coatis on the balcony. We’re still in the Monteverde area but today we moved accommodation to a place that has it’s own little reserve with nature trails – a place called Valle Escondido (hidden valley). On the way, we visited a ranarium (frog centre) in Santa Elena town, where we saw various Costa Rican amphibians with an informative guide. This afternoon, Solana made a new little friend, Lila, who turned out to be the daughter of the owner of the hotel & reserve. Solana is taking everything in and asking some good, and also some amusing, questions along the way. The other day, on our way to Monteverde, we passed some mountains and we were talking about volcanoes – she then asked “Are we on Venus now?”! We have just been on a night walk along the trails with a guide – we didn’t see as much as we’d hoped but we did see more coati, agouti, leaf-cutter ants and a stick insect. Hoping for better wildlife spotting tomorrow....Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
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    Day 140

    Last day in Monteverde

    January 24, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    We had a relaxed day, wandering the trails of our lodge in Valle Escondido, today. One of our favourite places along the trails was the "hammock garden" - a lovely place to relax, until a 4-year-old comes along and almost tips you out of the hammock! Gran Anne also produced a kite that she'd brought along - Solana loved it but unfortunately there wasn't enough wind to fly it properly - maybe tomorrow... Wildlife spotting today included a green & black lizard well camouflaged in a tree, quite a few vultures and hawks circling on the thermals in the valley below, dragonflies, more leaf-cutter ants, oriole birds and a little snake (the latter found by the lodge gardener). We also saw a big blue morpho butterfly - very eye-catching, although it would not sit still long enough for a decent photo. In the evening we also saw and heard a very noisy toad, which we think was a cane toad (although we refrained from licking it to test for hallucinogens!). It is also nice to fall asleep to the noise of the forest - mostly noisy crickets, but relaxing nonetheless. So far, we have seen and identified 5 species of mammals, 4 species of reptile/amphibians and more than 30 species of birds (31 that we have managed to identify and even more that we haven't), plus countless insects (some impressive, some biting and some downright ugly!).Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
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    Day 142

    Uvita, Pacific coast

    January 26, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Yesterday we moved on from Monteverde to Uvita, on the Southern, Pacific, coast of Costa Rica. The journey took about 5 hours but we saw plenty along the way, including vultures and other birds of prey, palm plantations and some massive crocodiles - lots of them! Our accommodation here is nice enough - large room, outside cooking facilities and a small pool - but it is more isolated than we'd expected and quite difficult to get anywhere without a car. Our main reason for coming to this area was to go whale watching but we were informed when we arrived that there are actually no whales here at the moment, so we're a bit gutted about that.... We have ended up hiring a car for a few days, to at least enable us to see some of the surrounding area whilst we're here. Laura is driving and it's an "interesting" driving experience, with only the main roads being made up and most of the minor roads being more like bumpy dirt tracks - plus the idea of road signs does not seem to have caught on here very much at all! This afternoon we went to Cascadas Verde - some waterfalls with pools where you could swim - it was a bit of a treacherous walk down with Solana and she was reluctant to go - but once we got there she loved swimming in the river and didn't want to get out! Afterwards we went for a walk along the beach, which looked and felt very tropical. The temperature here is much higher than in Monteverde - temps in early 30s C.Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
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    Day 143

    Last day on the Pacific coast

    January 27, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After a shaky start in Uvita and a lack of whales, we had a great day today and have decided that we do like the place after all! This morning we went to Playa Ventanas. We had to drive through a river to get there (luckily the car we've hired has 4WD!) but it's a lovely beach, with caves that you can walk into at low tide. We managed to time our visit right and could walk into the gloomy caves, see the waves coming in, tiny crabs and crustaceans like giant woodlice climbing the walls - very spectacular. There was also a river flowing into the sea, which was lovely to swim in after a dip in the Pacific, cool and got rid the sand in places you don't want sand! This afternoon, when the weather was a bit cooler, we went to the beach at National Park Marino Ballena, which has a sand spit in the shape of a whale's tail at low tide. We didn't time our visit here quite as well but did enjoy a long walk along the beach fringed with palm trees and dotted with plenty of tiny hermit crabs. This time, we had to walk through a river (happily only knee height) to get to the whale's tail bit! This evening we ate out at a local restaurant - more rice & beans, this time with fish. Costa Rica is more expensive than we were expecting - we are going over budget most days, so we've been staying in some places with cooking facilities and making our own food. Pasta & tuna is wearing a bit thin now though, so even the rice and beans was a welcome "change"! Here the currency is called Colones and the current exchange rate is about 680 to the GBP, so we're having to get better at large numbers in Spanish quickly.... Tomorrow we head North towards the capital city, San Jose - the road signs here are terrible, so I hope we know the way (cue the song!). We have nowhere sorted to stay for tomorrow night yet, so wish us luck....Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
    Day 144

    Finding the way to San Jose

    January 28, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Today started well but turned out not to be the finest of our trip... We went for an early morning walk and saw lots of birds, including at least 9 new species, bringing our bird species total so far to 48. The highlights included toucans, red-lored parrots (a very busy pair - look closely at the photo!), a hawk and, amazingly, a scarlet macaw - very impressive and all worth getting up early for. We then drove to Alajuela, Costa Rica's 2nd city, right next to San Jose airport. I went to at least 6 hotels looking for rooms but found that they were all either full or only had rooms that I wouldn't want my daughter and mother-in-law to have to sleep in (even though they would have been significantly under-budget)! Consequently, we drove back towards the airport for a more reliable source of accommodation. Attracted by the name, we managed to get a room in Hotel Mango, with all 4 of us sleeping in one room. It was already starting to get dark by the time we checked-in but, as the hotel unexpectedly had an outdoor pool, we jumped straight in - it was bloody freezing! On the plus side, the hotel has the added bonus of regular flight departures immediately overhead, to add to the tranquillity... To top the day off, the only places to eat nearby were a fast food chicken joint or an American diner; with reluctance we ventured into the latter and ate an overpriced, too large and unnecessarily sweet meal. Bring back the rice and beans!!! Ah well, the hotel WiFi is free and fast, so at least I can share the experience with you all. Hasta manyana (if we have WiFi at the next lodge).Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
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    Day 146

    Poas volcano

    January 30, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    We left Hotel Mango and drove North through the mountains (on quite a hairy road that Laura, who is doing the driving, took surprisingly calmly!) to Volcan Poas National Park. Undeterred by the signs alerting us to possible danger around the volcano, and "keeping calm" as instructed by the same signs, we took a walk along the trail to see the Poas volcano crater. It was pretty impressive - a large crater with a milky coloured lake and we were also able to see a fumarole spewing out smoke at the edge of the volcano. Solana was a bit worried that it was going to "derupt" and didn't want to look at it much - I think maybe we went a bit overboard with the info about what volcanoes are/do! After steering Solana away from the overpriced products in the gift shop, we got back on the road. We saw an impressive waterfall and some great views of the countryside and hills along the way, then we stopped at a tiny roadside restaurant for lunch. It was basically a dining room with 3 tables outside someone’s house and, finally, provided us with a cheap meal. We drove on to the Sarapiqui rainforest area, where we are now staying for a few days at Chilamate Rainforest Ecolodge. I had chosen this place to stay whilst we were still at home, so the pressure was on me – but happily it lives up to expectations and is a lovely place to stay. We have 2 neighbouring rooms, with a massive outside area with seating & hammocks. There is a river running nearby that lulls you to sleep at night and brings more bird life. We went for a walk by the river once we’d got settled and we saw more birds, including a large flock of egrets, and a couple of baby caiman (like crocodiles). Back at the lodge we relaxed with a beer and mani picante (delicious spicy peanuts), watching and listening to the jungle as darkness fell. Happily, we had a gecko on our ceiling to help eat the less welcome mosquitos...Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
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    Day 146

    Sarapiqui rainforest

    January 30, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    We had a couple of days (3 nights) staying at Chilamate Rainforest Ecolodge in the Sarapiqui rainforest. The lodge has its own trails, so it was easy to explore the forest on foot. Solana quite enjoyed being our "guide", with her binoculars and wildlife spotting card - so funny hearing her talking like the actual guides we've had! We saw lots of frogs, including green and black poison arrow frogs, howler monkeys (they're VERY loud!) and more birds, including toucans trying to steal bananas from the trees. To get to the lodge, we had to park the car and walk across a rickety-looking bridge (which the occasional car did go over but not sure I'd be brave enough), whilst our bags were transported across on a golf cart! Whilst here, the rainforest lived up to its name and we saw our first rain since arriving in Costa Rica. Some of the "showers" were quite spectacular but the additional mosquitoes it brought out after were somewhat less spectacular. They have been biting through clothes at times; bring on the permanent aroma of eau de DEET insect repellent for the remainder of the trip...Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
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    Day 147

    Spiders, sloths and sickness

    January 31, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    A bit of a shaky start to the day as Laura was ill in the night with D+V. The first illness of our trip, although I'm sure it won't be our last.... We went on a guided walk and saw green and brown basilisk lizards (very beautiful, especially the green one), monkeys, some large spiders (including the "golden orb", with one of the strongest webs of any spider - see photo) and more lizards. We also saw a 3-toed sloth - she was high up in the tree canopy and difficult to see/photograph (hence the not so great picture!) but worth seeing, after 2 weeks of waiting to see a sloth. Oh, and plenty of ants - many different types and sizes, including the "bullet ant", around an inch long and apparently very painful when it bites. Some of the ants (luckily not bullet ants) decided to explore my trouser leg and they bit me several times, to the point that I had to remove and shake my trousers before replacing them! It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "ants in your pants"... In the afternoon we explored the forest more, found a cocoa tree and also had a paddle in the Sarapiqui river. We enjoyed the buffet dinners in the lodge - a bit more variety made a welcome change to the ubiquitous beans & rice. In the evening we enjoyed a beer in the hammock again, watching the fireflies come out for the night.Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
    Day 149

    Tortuguero

    February 2, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We arrived in Tortuguero on Wednesday. Tortuguero is an isolated place, that can only be reached by boat or air - we opted for the former. This area is the wettest part of Costa Rica - very hot and humid. It is a rainforest area and there are a series of "canals" - lagoons and rivers with manmade joins to make them navigable. The river we are staying by runs parallel to the Caribbean Sea. It is a great place for wildlife spotting, which is what brought us here. Being so isolated, the easiest way to get here was to book a package for 3 days, which is what we did. Our hotel is lovely, easily the poshest we've stayed in so far (unsurprising, at double our usual budget!) but the trip is a bit too "organised" for our liking, with all the tours and meals having to be done at specific times, buffet food (albeit in an al fresco dining room with a lovely view) plus a named tour guide - all a bit "Hi De Hi"! Anyway, so far we've had a couple of boat trips, a walk in the forest and a visit to the Tortuguero village. We've seen white-throated capuchin monkeys, more toucans and hummingbirds, a hawk, impressive oropendula birds, more lizards & frogs and some blue crabs. We're off on an early morning wildlife boat trip at 5:45am tomorrow, so hoping to see more wildlife then.Read more

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
    Day 149

    Tortuguero village

    February 2, 2017 in Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    This afternoon we visited Tortuguero village - just across the river from where we're staying. The Caribbean black-sand beach here (see photo) is one of the most important turtle nesting beaches in the world, with 4 of the 7 marine turtle species in the world nesting here. It is not turtle nesting time at the moment, although it was when Laura and I visited Tortuguero in 2005 with our friend Helen; happily the guide we have this time around is a lot better than the one we had then! We are loving reading all of your comments on the blog, it is lovely to hear from our family and friends at home. Please keep your comments coming!Read more

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