So many birds....so many names

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Catarata de Rio La Fortuna I
A 70m sparkling ribbon of pure water, cascades down from on high.Yesterday Jenny and I were determined to make it to the La Fortuna waterfall, and that we did. After paying a moderate entry fee (3,500 colones each) we walked down the trail to the falls. The LP guide book claims it´s rather challenging, ´think stairmaster with a view´but it´s really not difficult at all. There´s concrete steps! The whole way! On the way back up, Jenny was able to easily keep ahead of some reasonably fit-looking local guys, food poisoning and all.

Part way down the trail there is a view point with what would be a great view, if not for one tree sticking right in the line of fire for basically any good photo. Isn´t there some way to rationalize cutting that one tree down? Genuine Costa Rican toothpicks, anyone?

Once we made it down, it was magnificient. The sound and the mist combine with the sight of it all to render you speechless for a moment. Then some tourist gets in the way of your timed exposure for some cheesy pose on a rock and the cursing begins again. Ah well. Patience, grasshopper. While you can swim in the area directly under the falls so long
Catarata de Rio La Fortuna II
Minus the people´s heads. Notice the 2m Costa Rican flag atop the falls.as you don´t get too close, we opted instead to swim with the fishes just upstream. It was cold, but beautiful. Just as we got out to dry off the rain began, so we were pleased with our timing... for once.

In the evening we went back to the Baldi Thermae hotsprings, again... I know. That made it three times, but we really had to get another massage. We both opted for the US $55 Hot Stone and Reflexology massage, and it was great. I´ve never had a foot massage, and I never realized that ankles and shins are so sensitive. Leaving there we felt like butter, and Jenny´s indigestion was even tamed. If I were to get another, I´d go again for either Package Two (US $110) or the 45-minute Neck, Back & Shoulder massage (US $45). It was nice to know that we´d been saving US $5 each on the entry fee (plus taxi rides to and from) by paying at our hotel (La Choza Inn).

When I was updating our blog for the Caño Negro entry, I missed a pyrotechnic display courtesy Volcan Arenal visible right in town (very rare) by a mere five minutes.
Catarata de Rio La Fortuna III
View from the rapids upstream where there is a nice swimming nook. Nice, but chilly.That explains why the toilet bowl was heated and the cold water was almost too hot (really!) to shower in. Nothing like free hot water.

For today, our last full day not spent in transit, we went on what we expected to be an AM hanging bridges tour. Instead, our guides showed up and told us that we´d been booked in for a morning birding tour. We were rather surprised, but it certainly turned out to be a happy accident as we saw far more (both flora and fauna) than we could have otherwise expected. Think crocodile hunter, but for birds. Certainly worth the US $35 each.

We began the tour near Laguna Arenal to sight some waterfowl, which we did indeed. We saw many birds, including a kind of kingfisher, and were delighted to be learning their names (which we promptly forgot) after having seen many of them on our travels.

Unfortunately, the mirror in my SLR is dirty beyond belief (volcanic ash, anyone?) and anytime I throw on the 70-300 mm lens, all it shows is dirt. Consequently, I missed plenty of good shots (especially through the spotting scope) and was relegated to mostly scenic
Catarata de Rio La Fortuna IV
Where Jenny and I finally got to ´swim with the fishes,´ just upstream of the rapids after the falls.photos using my 50mm and 24mm. So when we get home ít´ll get sent for a cleaning-calibration. To be honest though, it was nice to finally be able to mostly concentrate on the tour as opposed to be compulisvely framing photos and listening with half an ear.

We saw two of the four toucans common to the Arenal area, a blue collared majestic jay, parakeets, super shy (and tiny!) manequin bird, yellow collared taninger, red collared taninger, Montezuma something bird, clay coloured robin, turkey vultures and wild turkey are the ones which easily come to mind. We also saw an iguana basking in the sun on a branch through the guide´s scope, golden web spiders (wowza) and I was the only one who missed the coral snake in the ditch on the way home. Damn.

Seeing toucans again was a thrill, certainly. They´re so... well, ridiculous looking with that huge beak that protrudes. But they´re just... awesome. The parakeets were also a highlight. But for me, getting a chance to drive a Land Rover Defender down the volcano was like icing the cake. And it was a turbo diesel too, nice and torquey. Can you believe they´re selling
Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal
Here is where the lava ripped down the slope back in 1968, and you can see the regrowth of the primary forest. Yes, in 39 years!it for only US $25 thousand?

Tomorrow we´re avoiding the peasant bus (and an Ace of Base tape back and forth and back again on the stereo... LOUD) to San José by taking a shuttle directly to our hostel (Costa Rica Backpackers... highly recommended) for a mere US $25 each, through our hotel. It´ll be great because not only will it save us nearly 2 hours, but then we have time to go to the Teatro Nacional to poke our heads around and take more pictures. An archeaological grad student I met last night (U of C, go figure) said it´s the most impressive public/gov´t building in all of Central America. Not hard to believe. And if there´s time, we´ll check out the ancient looking national history museum.

Other than that, it´s hard to believe that we´ve been here almost a month and that this time Wednesday we´ll be back into the daily grind. We´ve been impressed at nearly every turn and awed at every corner in one way or another. What we do know is that we´re now more grateful for what we have and recognize the things we take for granted back home. What´s best, for
Golden Web Spider I
Seen here is the male, which is eaten after copulation by his mate. About the size of a silver dollar.
I was told by our guide that scientists studied the web strands of this spider to develop Kevla... me, is that in addition to the amazing flora and fauna the Tico people have taught me about what really matters in life: family and being happy with what you have on hand. Our over-commercialized culture has lost something important along the way in the sake of advancment, and it´s diminished what we set out for in the first place. Here, the Ticos have just as much as we do, in a sense, as they´re attatched at the hip to their cell phones (every school kid seems to have them), enjoy high speed Internet for cheap everywhere, and yet they retain the unhurried way of life they´ve had for generations. People honk horns for hellos not out of rage. If someone´s parked in the middle of the road, that´s just the way it is, so go around. The no-problem attitude is one of the things that if I never make it back, I´ll work to retain, always.

Bueno.

Hola mi Amigos....

Para cinco dias estoy enfermo a mi estomago. Hoy, mi salud es muy bien!!!!

That is all folks .....I did in fact learn picito Español on this trip.

See you all soon,

Jenny.

Golden Web Spider II
The female, whose web was essentially interconnected with the male´s. I saw these two go after prey and were amazingly fast. The female, who eats her mate after copulation, was nearly palm sized.
´Magpie Jay´
Called many things, but the crown atop his head is distinctive. Same as the jay mentioned earlier in the blog.
Toucan
On a ridge about 600m away, this guy was just chillin´ out. The last bird we saw on our tour, and the one we´d been searching for all morning.
Parakeets
Having a snack of seeds on a branch together.
Disco is on Tour!!!
Land Rover Discovery, that is.

Do you figure that´s a sign of the roads being good, or bad?
Defender
Thou shalt defend thine keep...
If it´s good enough for the Queen of England, it´s good enough for me. If you´re trying to get ANYWHERE, this is your chariot.
I´ll Be Your Captian...
How could I not have a shit-eating grin driving one of these down a volcano?! A real Land Rover, and a DEFENDER to boot!

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Photos

Catarata de Rio La Fortuna I
A 70m sparkling ribbon of pure water, cascades down from on high.

Catarata de Rio La Fortuna II
Minus the people´s heads. Notice the 2m Costa Rican flag atop the falls.

Catarata de Rio La Fortuna III
View from the rapids upstream where there is a nice swimming nook. Nice, but chilly.

Catarata de Rio La Fortuna IV
Where Jenny and I finally got to ´swim with the fishes,´ just upstream of the rapids after the falls.

Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal
Here is where the lava ripped down the slope back in 1968, and you can see the regrowth of the primary forest. Yes, in 39 years!

Golden Web Spider I
Seen here is the male, which is eaten after copulation by his mate. About the size of a silver dollar.
I was told by our guide that scientists studied the web strands of this spider to develop Kevlar for bulletproof vests.

Golden Web Spider II
The female, whose web was essentially interconnected with the male´s. I saw these two go after prey and were amazingly fast. The female, who eats her mate after copulation, was nearly palm sized.

´Magpie Jay´
Called many things, but the crown atop his head is distinctive. Same as the jay mentioned earlier in the blog.

Toucan
On a ridge about 600m away, this guy was just chillin´ out. The last bird we saw on our tour, and the one we´d been searching for all morning.

Parakeets
Having a snack of seeds on a branch together.

Disco is on Tour!!!
Land Rover Discovery, that is.
Do you figure that´s a sign of the roads being good, or bad?

Defender
Thou shalt defend thine keep...
If it´s good enough for the Queen of England, it´s good enough for me. If you´re trying to get ANYWHERE, this is your chariot.

I´ll Be Your Captian...
How could I not have a shit-eating grin driving one of these down a volcano?! A real Land Rover, and a DEFENDER to boot!