The coatmundi is an animal that we see a lot in Costa Rica, that is a medium sized mammal that looks like an anteater-raccoon mix. They are about three feet long, weigh from 10-15 pounds fully grown, and they can live about seven years in the wild, but fourteen in captivity. They are omnivores, their diet consists of eggs, fruits, inbertibaes, and even small birds and animals. The coatmundi is one of the more famous Costa Rican animals, and we saw them a lot in our backyard in Monteverde.
How to Do a 7-hour Road Trip in 12 Hours Flat
The mission today was to get from Drake Bay – far, far south down the Pacific coast – to Monteverde, a tiny enclave in the mountains of central Costa Rica. Continue reading How to Do a 7-hour Road Trip in 12 Hours Flat
The $300 Death March to Touch Tapir Butt
Let me say, right off the bat, Drake Bay – home of the elusive tapir – and I do not get along. It is in the southernmost part of the Pacific side of Costa Rica. For miles and miles there is nothing but a gorgeous, lush, remote landscape directly ordered up for Jurassic Park and other prehistoric jungle movies; undeniably beautiful and unspoiled. We got there by boating through the world’s largest mangrove reserve into the sparkling waters and crashing waves of the ocean. The place we stayed had a bunch of bananas hanging in the open-air kitchen for the guests and one, closer to the river, for the monkeys, who came and tucked them under their arms like little thieves in the afternoons, scampering back up the vines into the canopy. While snorkeling, we saw rainbow fish, dolphins, and whales up close and personal. After less than four days there, I could not wait to leave. Continue reading The $300 Death March to Touch Tapir Butt
Drake Bay Photos
Click on a photo to see enlarge it, read the caption, and start a slideshow.
The boat to Drake Bay leaving after dumping us and all our stuff on the wrong beach!
After a hot day, a boy can’t resist running out to feel the downpour
The beach nearest our AirBnB where we get picked up for all our tours
Little snorkelers – they took to it like pros!
The beach where we took our snorkel break
snorkel break
Xander determined to open a coconut –
..and – SUCCESS!
CLOSE encounters. eeks!
A school (bunch?) of dolphins swam up to our snorkel boat just after we got out of the water- and then stayed with the boat for 15 mintues
Corcovado Tapir Tour: Sloth through the tour guides telescope
the circled thing is a grasshopper that is, you’ll notice, as big as Xander’s hand!
spider moneky dangling
a Coatmundi – the Costa Rican equivalent of a raccoon
A strangler fig, which seem to be as common as birch trees in NH but waaaay cooler. You can climb up in them once they’ve properly strangled their host tree.
Whale bones from a whale that washed up on the beach two years ago – Daisy is standing next to the mandibles, the spinal column is between the kids
The Money Shot – Total Tapir
Xander took a night hike and got some fabulous pictures – this is a poision-dart frog
A glass frog – from the top.
The glass frog with the flashlight below so you see its transluscence and leg bones
Can you see the frog in this photo?? (it’s there!)
Xander just thought this guy was cute
Chillin’ Drake Bay style
Night walk
When we where in Drake Bay, one night I went on a night hike. Continue reading Night walk
My First Snorkel
We went snorkeling today. It was so beautiful and amazing! Continue reading My First Snorkel
The Cartago Pilgrimage
(taken from wikipedia, for expediency’s sake)
In the days leading to August 2nd, the Basilica is the object of extensive pilgrimage and visitation by over a million believers (estimates range from 1 to 2.5 million people), many of whom walk from different points throughout the country. However, most people join the 22-kilometer walk to the basilica from San José and surrounding communities. Locally the pilgrimage is known as the Romería and is one of the most enduring of costarican traditions . As a demonstration of their piety, many people choose to crawl part or the complete journey on their hands and knees. Continue reading The Cartago Pilgrimage
Day 2: Adjustment Period
Snippets from Daisy’s conversation with her father tonight:
“We went to a mall. We wanted to watch a movie but it didn’t even have subtitles, so I saw a little arcade in the mall and we played games.”
“Today was awesome– we saw pigeons picking bread at the place we were eating. It was gross.”
“So how was your day?”
Pigeons and Panaderias
Today we woke up and walked to a panadería, which is a bakery. Continue reading Pigeons and Panaderias
Are We There Yet?
(*photo taken from the balcony of our AirBnB; notations explained below)
July 31st: 1 down, 364 to go
I am typing this in our tiny, clean, artsy, low budget AirBnB. It’s 7:12pm and I am wiped to a level of exhaustion that I maybe experienced in the delirious weeks after childbirth, but it’s a toss-up. Continue reading Are We There Yet?
The Hooksett Globetrotters 