Corcovado National Park

Ted. Two days after arriving in Drake Bay, we found ourselves at 6:00 am back down at the beach waiting for another little boat to take us to a beach/trail head where our hike into the national park would commence. This hour long ride was in the open ocean. 

Fortunately, the surf was subdued in the morning, so we were able to stop the engine at one point as a pod of Pacific spotted dolphins bobbed around and under our boat, visiting and playing (note - all of the photos you'll see here were found on the Internet).

At journeys end, we once again found ourselves climbing over the transom and wading ashore. As the boat roared away, our 9-person tour group did look like a bunch of castaways. 

Dubbed by National Geographic as, “the most biologically intense place in Earth in terms of biodiversity,” we were thrilled to begin the big adventure. Our guide, Roy was enthusiastic and had an eagle eye. He also carried a spotting scope and tripod, which proved helpful. We followed a trail through the jungle towards the ranger station at Sirena. There were several other small groups wandering around, all looking for similar animals. The trail was flat but soggy. In several places we had to wade across small streams or teeter on narrow log bridges. My waterproof shoes did not help when stepping through 12” of water. Of course, it soon started to rain, which should not have been surprising as this, after all, was a rain forest. 

We immediately spotted a wide variety of birds and mammals. No luck with snakes and reptiles, though. By the time we arrived at the ranger station we were pretty well soaked but had seen howler and squirrel monkeys, toucans, hawks (seen those) plus two very impressive great curassows, a male and a female. Costa Rica’s “turkeys,” these guys can weigh up to 10 pounds. 

Female great curassow

Male great curassow

The ranger station has a dormitory for folks desiring an extended stay as well as a tiny gift shop and café. We wrung out our socks, ate a cookie and headed out again, thankful that the rain had ended. 

There were two animals that I was especially keen to see on our visit, spider monkeys (the rarest of the 4 species found in Costa Rica) and tapirs, the largest mammals found in Central and South America. By the time we left, we had seen both. The tapir was surprisingly docile and we were able to approach to within about 20’. 

Geoffroy's Spider Monkey

Baird's Tapir

Then it was back to the beach where we climbed aboard our tiny return trip to Drake Bay. The surf was really pounding this time and I found myself whispering that old Breton fisherman’s prayer, “God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.” But make it back we did. Our adventure ended on a festive note as we all gathered at a small restaurant for lunch, beer and stories. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

The journey to Drake Bay

Ted. They say that nothing worthwhile is easy and that certainly applies to our effort to visit Drake Bay. For starters, one cannot drive there in a rental car. For some strange reason, the rental car companies forbid you to ford rivers in their vehicles. 

So, one must drive as close as possible, which ends up being the small fishing village called Sierpe which lies on the banks of a river with the same name. After making arrangements for long term parking, we walked down to the dock and climbed aboard the local version of a water taxi for the "one hour" trip. 

As we headed down stream, bound for the Pacific Ocean, I told Judy that I hoped I wouldn’t end up like Humphrey Bogart in “The African Queen,” dragging the boat through leech infested waters. Well, we did take a narrow short cut through a mangrove swamp, we really did see crocodiles along the shore and got up close to a troop of squirrel monkeys before the river dumped out into the ocean. 

This is where the ride got interesting. The surf in the afternoons can get a little rough and, with 10-12’ swells, our little 30’ boat felt like a tennis ball in a washing machine. No, I didn’t snap any photos at this point because I had a death grip on my seat. We cruised along the coast for a while and then entered the calmer waters of Drake Bay. That was a good thing because there is no dock for the village. Our boat road the surf in and when we were about 25’ from shore, spun around and backed up onto the beach. Two locals held the boat in place while we jumped over the transom into knee deep water and, like Douglas MacArthur, waded to dry land. Again, I was busy trying not to fall, so no photos. Judy assures me, though, that I looked magnificent!

Drake Bay as seen from our hotel

Osa Peninsula

Ted. The epicenter of biodiversity in Costa Rica is the Osa Peninsula in the extreme southern Pacific region of the country. Home of world famous Corcovado National Park, it is a mecca for those looking for animals, like jaguars that are rarely seen anywhere else. Sparsely populated and possessing lush rain forests right down to the beach, we quickly decided to add this place to our tour. 

Our base for three days was the tiny community huddled on the shores of beautiful Drake Bay. Legend has it that this was the hiding spot for the English hero (or villain according to Spaniards), Sir Frances Drake. Many, perhaps most animals in this part of the world are nocturnal so we were thrilled to learn about Tracie, “The Bug Lady.” A quick glance at her website, thenighttour.com, will demonstrate how excited we were to meet this bright young woman and her husband, Gianfranco. A native, like Judy, of Montgomery, Alabama, Tracie studied entomology at Auburn University and somehow ended up in one of the bug capitols of the world. 

This charming couple led us on a three-hour nighttime stroll through the jungle that we will never forget. If one of the 26 species we encountered was too far away to see with the naked eye and hand held flashlight, Gianfranco set up his cool tool – a tripod mounted spotting scope with attached flashlight and mini iPad. Our 8-year-old amateur naturalist grandson was most impressed with the Central American wandering spider (“Grandpa – those are deadly!!”) but I found the tailless whip scorpion to be much scarier looking. Two days later, we visited the national park but I think that warrants it’s own post.

Tailess Whip scorpion

Mesoamerican Tent-making Bats

Central American Wandering Spider (2" long & DEADLY!!)

Central American Woolly Opossum

Costa Rica - Dry season versus rainy season

Ted. Seasons in the tropics are different from those found in more temperature climes. For one thing, the days are roughly 12 hours long, year round and the temperature and humidity doesn’t really vary. Locals typically refer to two seasons, distinguished only by the amount of rain that falls. 

In Costa Rica, the dry season lasts from roughly December through April and the rainy season is typically from May through November. However, conditions are fluid (pun intended). We have been told that there was an unusual amount of rain during this dry season and we began experiencing hard rains in the second week of April. One may ask, why, in heavens name, would anyone want to visit a place during the rainy season? During our stay we have observed many changes as the rains have arrived and they are mostly positive. Here are some differences: 

Dry Season 

The mornings are sunny and fairly cool. This is the time to go exploring, visit the beach or sit by the pool. The afternoons are still sunny but incredibly hot. The beach sand is burning so you need to be in the pool or in air conditioning. The roads are hot and dusty and the vegetation is brown and dead looking. Animals are only active at dawn and dusk. There are some flowers and some butterflies. We did not hear any frogs at night. 

Rainy Season 

The mornings are sunny and fairly cool. This is still the best time for adventures. The afternoons can be sunny or there can be a gentle rain or a downpour. Unless it’s a downpour, one can still go out. The rains definitely cool things down and the evenings can be quite pleasant. Air conditioning is typically only found in the bedrooms of hotels and Airbnb’s so a gentle breeze, lower temperature and ceiling fan makes most living spaces and public venues quite pleasant. Local roads are not typically paved and they can have some serious mud puddles to navigate. The rivers are just trickles in the dry season so waterfalls and white water excursions are much more impressive in the rainy season. The rains make food more plentiful for wildlife so this is the time that many species begin their mating rituals in anticipation of new life forming. This also means that mosquitos come out in droves, so repellent is a must. It may be a coincidence but the sea turtle nesting seasons and peak whale watching season on the southern Pacific coast occur in the rainy season. 

Apparently most folks who visit Costa Rica simply want to lie on a beach so the dry season is, by far their favorite time to come. Consequently, the rainy season is less expensive and less crowded. Should you ever decide to visit a tropical destination, be sure to give some thought to the time of year that best fits your needs.

Sabor Español

 

Judy. About a quarter mile from us in Uvita, down a barely-graveled road, is a small porch restaurant called Sabor Español. We’d heard good things about it, and Trip Advisor gave it a good rating, so why not give it a go? We walked down for lunch one day, since the website said they were open from noon till nine PM. A sign across the entrance stated the same hours, but the place was deserted. We assumed the worst; after all, so many restaurants had closed during the pandemic, and it was, after all, just a shack of a place. 

A few evenings later, we wandered by after watching the sunset on the beach. Three people sat at a table, and jumped up when they saw us. They were open, but the hours had changed to evening hours—five until nine. We said we’d be back the next day. 

 “Would you like a reservation?” 

 Poor guys, there were about six tables, and I guess they wanted to know if they should bother opening, so we made our reservations for the next night. 

 Imagine our surprise when we returned that Sunday night to find the place packed, with little twinkling lights on the perimeter and candles on the table. And there were other surprises in store. Sabor Español is Spanish in every sense of the word—Spanish beer, Spanish wines, Spanish menu, and Spanish owned. The chef is from Ibiza, an island off the Spanish coast, and his wife is from Barcelona. I suppose it was his wife and son who served as both waiters and hosts, and the three of them worked like a well-oiled machine. Each dish is cooked to order, so, as in Spain, you’re looking at an evening of dining. While the service was excellent, you couldn’t expect thirty minutes in and out. 

 Often, when a dish was brought out, it was the chef himself who delivered it to the table, glowing with pride at his creation. then stopping by every table to greet patrons and ask how they were enjoying the food and the evening. While some customers like us were new, there were obviously regulars, and the hostess spent time chatting with them. It felt so homey, yet so very well run. Poor latecomers who hadn’t made a reservation were turned away, or told to return in another hour or so. 

 The Albariño wine was crisp, the Catalan mineral water tasty. We split gazpacho for a starter and almost licked the bowl. Then came Ted’s chicken brochettes with banana and bacon covered with a sweet brown sauce; and my shrimp in cream whisky sauce with polenta. Y’all, I like to have died from joy. 

Hours later we finished our espressos and wandered home. The moon was full, and the cicadas were singing. It was our penultimate day in Uvita, and what a way to go.