SAN JOSE TO THE JUNGLE

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We arrived in San Jose tired and with alot to organise. We had enjoyed ourselves in Miami so much that we had forgotten to book a room for our first night here. We cleared the airport no problems and chose a hostel from LP. A taxi took us straight there but they were full so we wondered down the street but could not see anymore places to stay. After a few minutes and a lady gesturing across the road from her shop we found a small comfortable hotel. The room was lovely and the guy that ran it was so helpful with all our questions for directions to the Tortugureo National Park. Our lonely planet was a bit sketchy and confusing about how to get there but it seemed we have to get one bus to a place called Caliari and then a bus boat combination into the park itself. We walked to the bus station and were told that we could only buy tickets on the day so we left feeling a bit disappointed. Popping into a small local bar for a couple of beers we decided to just bite the bullet take the first bus the next morning and take it from there. With refreshments enjoyed and a very tasty local meal of beans, rice and shredded beef in sauce we headed back to the hotel to rest.

The bus to Caliari was due to leave at 9am the next morning we got to the bus station for 8.15am to get our tickets etc.. It was a bit stressful as we could find no info on what happens after the first bus but with tickets purchased we just went along with the idea that someone would give us info in Caliari. We were then approached by a guy speaking very good english and he explained we could buy tickets from him for the next bus and boat. This seemed ideal and at $10 pretty good value so we brought them and got on the first bus. He then came onto the bus to explain that all hand luggage should not be put in the racks as tourists are often stolen from on the buses. By this time there were a few more tourists on the bus and it was consoling that they were all as confused as we had been about getting to the park. The bus set off and the rain began to pour. It was 2 hours to Caliari so we sat back and watched the view from the window. The land is so green and lush which is no wonder considering it was bucketing down. It is better to travel in the rain though as you dont feel your missing out on the sun!!

We arrived in caliari and were told the connecting bus would be a hour, all the other tourists were doing the same journey as us and the time passed quickly. Tortugureo has no ATM so we stocked up on cash and bug spray here and were soon on the next bus. Different to the first it was not only overpacked by the time we had called in to the locals bus station it was also full of screaming kids. The rain was still pouring outside and I think we would have gone insane with the crying if not for our Ipods!! The roads we pocked and pitted and it was a real bone cruncher once we got into the banana plantations. We then had to leave the bus to walk through disinfectant before getting back on the bus. We presumed this must be the official entrance to the national park. The bus pulled up a few minutes later and we were shown down a path to the edge of the river. Still bucketing down we all gathered under a small shelter each and everyone of us trying to keep our backpacks off the very wet and very muddy ground. The guy waiting with us did not speak english and I could not find our phrase book to see when the boat was due. We were told 1.30pm by the guy at the bus station but at 2pm there was still no sign. Finally it arrived at 2.20pm and we were on our way once all the backpacks and people had be loaded on. It was quite disconcerting to start with as the boat was very small and not very high off the water. Secondly the river is quite wide and running very fast so the first 10 minutes were a little nerve racking for me at least, Tim wasnt really concerned at all!!

With the rain still pouring we began our journey through the jungle following the rivers twists and turns into smaller waterways and then much larger ones. The view was interesting and different but 30 minutes into the journey we just wanted to get there. We had no idea how long the boat journey was supposed to be and our backsides we going dead. We arrived into Torutuguero at 4pm, 7 hours after we started in San Jose. But we were here and were orgainsed enough to have a hostel booked so it was nice not to have to rush round like some others were doing to secure a room. On first glance the village looks run down and a bit shabby. By the time we had checked into our room which was more than adequate with a lovely ensuite and tiled floors we went straight out to explore. Our best mate Suz has been here and when she described the beach as looking like Skegness we really hadnt got any idea what to expect. Tortuguero is on the carribean sea but sure enough there was no sign of crystal blue waters and white sand. The waves were pounding against a very brown beach. The area is volcanic though so the sand is expected to be blackish, very much Skeggy beach for sure!!

The rain had subsided a little so we meandered through the very small town and found ourselves being made welcome by the locals. Everyone smiling and greeting us, the place is 100% safe and it was nice not to feel you had to be on your guard. Without tourism the people here would not be able to earn a living so they are both respectful and friendly which was lovely. Made up of soda bars (cafes), restaurants, hostels, shops and one poshish hotel the place is actually very charming. The area does have much larger more plush hotels but they are based on the river away from the village and the coast.

The boat guide had told us what the tours cost when we had arrived and on further investigation his prices seemed good so we booked the following morning to go on the boat tour of the jungle, followed by turtle watching the same night. With that organised we ate and went straight to bed feeling very tired and with a 5am start.

Neither is us wanted to get up when the alarm went off, we were both feeling a bit washed out and tired but soon the excitement kicked in. We had to be at the boat for 5.45am so we showered, dressed and took the 10 minute walk there. The boat we were going out in was quite small enough for 10 people and it was paddle not engine which we thought was a nice touch. Noisy engines would only frighten the wildlife away. Once again I found myself a little disturbed by how low we were to the water and the fact that there were no life jackets but hey ho we were soon paddling across the river. Our first encounter was with an iguana perched in the trees very well hidden by his camoflage I was impressed our guide even saw it. We watched him for a while and then continued paddling up the river where we saw our first howler monkeys hugged together in the tree tops. Howlers may be very loud (hence the name) but they are very lazy so not very interesting to watch them sit still and sleep. From here we headed into the smaller waterways and came across many birds I forget their names but they were pretty. One large water bird that dives for fish in the river was sat our drying his wings. As we continued we saw alot of these birds. Apparently their feathers dont have any oil and they have to dry out before they can dive again. So we paddled on down the river and were lazily floating along when we all spotted a croc. Now this is more like it and we soon paddled over to where it was. Our guide was cautious with our approach, on first evaluation he looked pretty small but at that point we could only really see his head. He babbled along and our guide got the boat a little closer soon we could see his back scales and tail. He was about 1.5 metres long and seemed unfazed by our presence. He just lay there watchign us watching him. He did have a bit of a thrash at one point so our guide held the boat back as he idled ahead of us. Really cool though as we´ve never seen wild crocs before and I certainly did not expect my first encounter to be in a diddy paddle boat!! We continued along the waterways spotting our first spider monkeys high in the trees. We saw more a little later which were happily swinging through the branches and hanging upside down by their tails. Impressive balancing I have to say. We also saw the jesus christ lizard (he can walk on water) and a few fresh water turtles whcih we very tiny. We were soon back to shore though having thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Quite surprising to look at our watch and see it was only 9am and we had already achieved so much. We headed back to the hostel for breakfast.

We decided that we would take the jungle walk in the afternoon as we had paid to for our park tickets but we could only do the walk on the same day as our tours. We meandered a bit after breakfast and then headed off the short walk to the park entrance. We had been told we had to hire wellied for the walk as they will not allow you to use your own footwear. As it turned out it was a good job as the mud was quite deep in places from the storm the night before. We followed the signs into the jungle and were completely on our own. We kept a look out for mokeys which we could hear but could not see. We watched many lizards scurry away at the sound of our footsteps but we did not see much wildlife. We were hoping to see a poison arrow frog but they too were not going to make it easy and neither of us were keen to stary off the beaten track. What with me and my various spider phobias and Tim with his snake issues we already felt quite exposed!!! What was and then had a bit of an afternoon snooze as we knew it was going to be a very late night for the turtle watching. We were not sure what time the tour was as the park allot the times late in the afternoon so we had to go back to the jetty for 5pm to see. Our tour was leaving at 10pm so we wen toff to get dinner and retruned in plenty of time. Our trip started with a 20 minute boat ride up the river in the pitch black which was quite exciting and unnerving. The guides son was sat on the very front of the boat with a flash light so we could see where we were going and other people could see us. Tim was in his element think it was the whole SAS image for him!!! We arrived at shore and rather unsteadily tried to get off the bost as there was no landning dock. The national park has no lights at all beacuse of the turtles nesting and therefore our walk to the beach was both clumbersome and quite scary. We kept tripping over things and could hardly see each other. We just held hands tight and tried to stay on our feet. Soon we were at the beach and surrounded by 4 other groups, the national park allows 50 visitors a night and there we all were bunched in our groups in the pitch black full of anticipation. Our guide explained we were group 4 and that there was a turtle currently laying up on the bank. We would have to wait for the other groups to view before we could but we didnt care as we could no believe it was all happeneing so quick. we had expected to hang around forever in the hope of seeing one so this was a real result. We clambered up the bank when it was our turn and sure enough there sat a 100kg green turtle. The guides flashed their infared torches and lifted up a leg (or maybe its a fin??) we could see the ping pong size eggs dropping into the whole it had already dug. So unbelievable to see and we were both seriously impressed by it. We hovered for a few minutes before moving back down the hill so the next group could see. As soon as we hit the beach again our guide rushed us over to another area where a turtle was actually returning to the ocean. You have to feel sorry for the poor things as they clumsily heave their bodies over the sand, logs and rocks backs to where they came from absolutely shattered. In the space of around 2 hours they heave themselves up the beach, then dig a large whole, lay around 100 eggs, cover them over and then struggle all the way back to the ocean. We watched avidly as he disappeared into the lapping waves. It was a really great sight and well worth standing in a very heavy thunder storm to experience. In fact the rain just added to the drama of the occasion particularly when the lightening lit up the sky and beach and for a few seconds you could see all around you and then nothing again. Finally we returned to the laying turtle who was now covering over all of the eggs that had been layed. Swishing her legs back and forth slowly the sand completely hid all the evidence. With the project the park runs these eggs stand a very good chance of making it to hatching but there are always the problems with dogs and snakes etc... Our guide showed us a turtle egg shell as we arrived on the beach, very leathery and tough but obviously someones dinner which was a real shame. So we left the beach feeling very pleased with how lucky we had been to see so much. Hopping back onto the boat and whisking back down the river we were back to the village at about midnight. We wondered up to the supermarker to get some drinks and then back to our hostel for some much needed sleep.

We had purposely left ourselves a free day in Tortuguero to chill out. we enjoyed the sunshine and the ever depressing packing up process. Cant say I´ll be sorry to get home and put my backpack straight in the bin!!! Such a pain to sort out all the time but I shouldnt really complain as we are really having a great time.

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Photos

Fresh water turtle
ahhh he was so tiny

Historic Tortuguero
This machinery has been left in the middle of the village from the 1950´s when they used to have a logging factory.

Tortuguero main street
Lifes pretty slow around here!

Please can we have some chicken
I found myself with a few friends when I dined out on fried chicken!!

Chilling in the local bar
the fanta is mine!!! I know whats going on???

Leaving the river
At least it was glorious sunshine!