Home Again

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Gail & I are back in our familiar surroundings after an awesome two-weeks in Costa Rica. I didn't do as many blog postings as I'd hoped, partly because of the difficulties in finding an internet connection that worked and partly because we were having such a great time!
The highlight of the journey for me was seeing the incredible variety of birds, flowers, insects, and mammals that abound in CR. We were privileged to watch two male resplendent quetzals vie for the attention of a lone female in a wild avocado tree one chilly morning. And on the way back from Caño Island in Osa, our tour boat slowed to witness a mother humpback whale teaching her son how to 'breach', a breathtaking spectacle where the whale leaps out of the water. (check out the photos)
To balance the out the wonders of nature, there were some hardships: Gail had an upset stomach much of the time, and I'm sill scratching the tick bites that I received while hiking through the rainforest.
The people of Costa Rica were very welcoming and gracious and our accommodations were clean and comfortable, which altogether made our trip thoroughly enjoyable.

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Photos

Resplendant quetzal
the Mayan 'bird of paradise' shines in the morning sun

Humpback whale
a young male learning to breach in the calm waters off Caño Island

Chestnut-mandibiled toucan
the Fruit-loops icon made a posed in a tree near our lodge at Punta Marenco

Baird's tapir
a fleeting glimpse of the elusive and endangered tapir in Corcovado, wearing a stylish radio collar