Slow Down, Look Around

Our last full day in Costa Rica and thankfully the hives are fading. Yup, the hives. When I got out of the shower last night my chest and arms were covered in them. No good reason as to why. I had accidently left my trusty travel body wash behind at Tabacon and ended up buying a new soap from the super mercado (since hotel soaps are always soooo drying) so maybe that was it? With that being the only likely suspect we could think of I took another shower washing with the hotel soap and then popped some Benadryl. They aren’t gone yet but they’re better.

As I was getting ready in the bathroom I heard an excited yell from Brandon, out on the patio, “Dog alert!” I heeded the call to see the couple with their two dogs on a morning beach walk. One was young and spry, running ahead playful, and the other was older and a little chunky monkey trying to keep up. Lagging behind, he seemed so grateful each time they stopped for a rest. He was trying but he was hot and tired. Little buddy. From our patio I could also see a group doing yoga, on a deck platform just off the beach, moving their mats restlessly to avoid the blazing sun in their faces.

Driving between Tango Mar and Paquera each day we kept passing Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Curu, the closest national wildlife refuge. It looked lush and inviting and based on what little info I’d found online and asking Tom Jones yesterday, it seemed like it’d be worth a visit, but best to go in the morning before the animals all go into rest-mode for the day. We choked down another subpar hotel breakfast (at least the atmosphere is pretty) and enjoyed the serene morning scenery on the 30 minute drive.

At the entrance to the Refugio, a short line of cars was in front us to get thru the checkpoint and pay station. That’s right, checkpoint, the Refugio does not allow any alcohol or pets in the refuge (as well as has some other restrictions) and the guard actually searches each car for contraband. The car in front of us had a cooler that they had to forfeit in order to get thru.

Waiting in line we simply turned our heads to look around us and did a doubletake upon realizing that a spider monkey was just hanging out, right there at the entrance, at the top of a little empty closet of a building. Sure enough, as soon as he saw us looking at him he turned his gaze down in submission. Just as we’d learned at the wildlife rehabilitation center, they are very curious but very submissive little cuties.

We paid our 18,000 colones (about $15 USD per person and 6x the cost for a Costa Rican national), had our car searched, and were on our merry way down the dirt road. The guard had instructed us that the road would take us to a little parking lot where we’d find a shop, maps, a soda, some activities information, and the beach.

Within a couple hundred yards of the entrance, Brandon stopped the car with a quickness; deer! Specifically, three little bucks who seemed to have just shed their antlers hanging out around the palm trees. He couldn’t hunt them for us to eat but he was happy to hunt them with the camera for a few minutes before we were distracted by a pair of red macaws flying overhead.

It amazed us how fast other cars sped down the dirt road and passed us. Slow down, look around, you’ll be amazed at what beauty you’ll see. We continued driving at a crawl with our windows down, hearing them before we saw them. A large group of howler monkeys was in the trees overhead. We got out of our car and watched them swing from limbs, climb branches, and run up trunks while they loudly howled. They were right overhead and I was so afraid we were going to get peed on! Or have poop thrown at us!

Finally moving on, after passing by a creepy shrine of sorts, we made it to the small parking lot. A man was working on some type of lumber repair with a trio of iguanas at his feet. Brandon saw a spider monkey going in one direction while I was looking in the other and saw another howler slothfully resting on a limb and letting it ALL hang out.

A large map on the wall displayed a system of ten trails throughout the Refugio.  In my head I started putting together a hiking plan.  Inside the little shop they had a price list for horseback riding.  If we could see the horses were well cared for this could be a good place for a ride.  I asked the shopkeeper where the horseback ride could take us and my question was definitely lost in translation.  Instead of any information about the horseback trails, he pulled out a paper map and started marking off all the trails which were closed (like half of them!) and giving us a suggested hiking route, telling us that the Ceiba trail was the best.

Knowing nothing of the horseback options but with a new hiking plan in place, we started towards the Finca de Monos trail and edited our plan down to just two trails, a little less than 5k worth, once Brandon realized how far the hike would be if we did the entire route. It was hot and humid so I felt a little finicky about shortening the plan but not terribly so. Shortly into the Finca de Monos trail a wooden bridge across a freshwater outlet to the sea greeted us. This bridge felt questionable at best. We decided it was sensible for only one of us to be on the rickety wooden planks at a time. All the crocodile warning signs didn’t help ease us about walking across the unstable planks right over prime croc habitat. With my hands on either side, so if a plank beneath my feet broke I could catch myself on the railing, I shakily crossed, stopping unsteadily in the middle to admire the beautiful outlet.

Finca de Monos was narrow, with mosquitos swarming, and we were melting in the moist air. Brandon tried his best to instill fears of the crocodiles and the potential for snakes hanging from trees as a tactic to cut the hike short. His reward? As soon as I realized there were spider webs across the trail, I had him take the lead. I already had a very rational fear of getting smashed by falling coconuts. We were disappointed to not see any crocs, in fact not to see anything living other than mosquitoes, spiders, and one squirrel, on Finca de Monos.

As a pep talk to us both as we continued on our sweaty hike I kept reminding us that the guy in the shop had said that the Ceiba trail was the best. While Finca de Monos was a pretty dark swampy type of terrain, as soon as we started on the Ceiba trail the sky was brighter with taller, greener trees and flora; much less dense. About 100 yards down the trail we heard a kerfuffle overhead. We froze, as one does when you hear a kerfuffle in a forest, and a white-faced monkey came strolling by right over our heads. He stopped for a moment, just a couple feet above, to check us out before continuing on his merry way. A smaller monkey followed shortly after, followed by an even smaller little cutie. Not seeming the least bit scared, they were all curious and checked us out as they made their way across the trail, jumping from the trees as they crossed to the other side of the crocodile creek.

Keeping our eyes peeled for crocodiles, we instead were surprised to round a bend and see horses alongside the creek. They had clearly broken through their fencing and were on their own little adventure, can’t blame them. They looked much healthier and happier than the sad horses we’d seen in Arenal. The horses weren’t alone, looking up, the high canopy overhead was bustling with activity as more white-faced monkeys swung from branches and flew between trees. The guy hadn’t lied, the Ceiba trail really was awesome!

Towards the end of our hike, a monkey cat (aka: coati) was lazily sprawled out on a tree and monkey cat tails moved throughout the tree roots aboveground. Overhead they climbed trees, raiding nests and breaking into coconuts. There must have been 20+ of them milling around. Not long before stumbling upon the group of monkey cats a stench had caught us off guard as a group of vultures feasted on something; we now realized it was probably a monkey cat. We were disappointed that no crocodiles could be found but the trails did not disappoint.

Back at the trail base a little dining hall served a Casado lunch; rice, beans, chicken, potatoes salad, a plate of fruit, and a juice. We were sweltering and sweaty, but also very hungry. The kind man in the dining hall asked us for our juice choice, the only option we could understand was guanabanana so that’s what we both went with. My entire body cooled down as soon as I started sipping on the delicious concoction of guanabanana (aka: soursop) blended with ice. It was like magic. I love guanabanana!

After lunch it was time to try to get some drone footage over the beach; there were too many trees and it could have been disturbing to the animals to try to fly the drone on the trails (drone video below has iPhone videos spliced in – the drone was never flown near any wildlife for the sake of their well-being). We walked to the end of the beach where the freshwater stream outlet met the salty sea and Brandon launched the drone. It was nerve wracking watching it disappear into the sky over the bay! The beach was fine but nothing special so after flying the drone we decided we didn’t need to hang out there any longer. All the “Beware of Crocodiles” signs and random tracks in the sand also put a bit of a damper on the idea of hanging out there for too long.

Knowing we wouldn’t have strong enough wifi or cellular service to do our video covid tests at the resort, we had brought our Ag Card tests with us to stop in Tambor, where service was strong, and take them on our way back as we need our COVID testing in order to fly home tomorrow. We parked along the main beach in Tambor, seeing the creepy little marina off the bay, and took turns logging into emed and taking our official COVID tests on video with our proctors; who undoubtedly were in call centers somewhere overseas. This was the first time we’ve used the Ag Card tests and it was even easier and more efficient than I thought it would be. No appointment needed, just log on to emed.com, click the “start testing” button, and wait in a queue for maybe a minute to be connected to a proctor. Our proctors walked us through administering our tests and then put us on a 15-minute hold before coming back on the line to confirm our results. Negative! Not a surprise, but always exciting. I will withhold my commentary on how well of a job they do proctoring the tests or how legitimate they should be considered given the experience… But, commentary on the process aside, sitting alongside the beach in Tambor was not a terrible place to take a COVID test!

Brandon decided to fly the drone while we were there. Since I had cell service I took a few minutes to check in with my team while he flew, until I heard the controller beeping frantically. I dared not say a word but standing a few feet behind him my heart started to slowly race, wondering why the drone was alarming. And then Brandon started alarming, “Look for it! Look for it! Do you see it? Look for it! The battery is about to die!” Yup, that alarm was the warning that if that drone didn’t get back soon it was going down with a dead battery. Why he didn’t just tell it to “return to home” so it came straight back to us I do not know. Thankfully, the drone came back into view and he was able to land it successfully without it dropping into the sea. Oh, and he forgot to start recording so there’s no video evidence of this flight!

It was still early afternoon when we got back to the resort and our plan was to simply chill. Enjoy the pool, enjoy the beach, just do a whole lot of nothing. We had picked up some coronitas at the mercardo the previous day and I went down to the pool bar and begged the bartender to lend us a bottle opener. They didn’t seem to care that we had obviously brought our own drinks as I was also able to get pool friendly plastic beer steins and limes from them as well. We lazed in the pool, drinking our coronitas and assorted colorful cocktails from the bar, and wondered why so many resort guests spoke French. To my delight, a trio of macaws went flying by overhead. And then five macaws. A few minutes later, a pair went back the other direction. And then the cluster of five again. I love seeing wild macaws!

The red tide was strong so the ocean water didn’t seem as inviting but after a couple of hours lazing in the pool Brandon went to get the drone off the charger to finally get some resort footage. I walked the beach and swung on the swings hanging from trees, absolutely eating it and falling flat on my face trying to step up a sand bank to get on one (yes, yes he did manage to capture that moment on drone footage), while he flew the drone as the sun began to set.

A young couple had a puppy and we couldn’t control ourselves, of course we had to ask to play with it. Little Tito was three months old and ready to wrestle!

As we readied for dinner, bright flashes of lightning kept cathing our eye.  The skies earlier had looked like some weather might be moving in so we weren’t surprised.  We headed to Oceanview Restaurante, directly across from El Chile, for dinner.   It was dark when we arrived so who knows what the oceanview was like but surely there was one.  A couple of adults sat at the bar and a table of teenagers were seated in the grassy “patio.”  As with all the other sodas we’d visited in Costa Rica, Oceanview Restaurante was open to the elements so the lightning continued to entertain us. I was surprised when it actually started to rain as we’d been told it was the dry season in that region and they wouldn’t see rain again for months. 

We ordered our first ceviche of the trip and felt immediate regret that we hadn’t been ordering ceviche sooner. It was probably the best ceviche either of us have ever had! We had been wary of ordering fish since so much of it seemed to be tilapia at many of the sodas but this was really good. We inquired what kind and to our pleasant surprise were told, “dorado.” Aka: mahi mahi! The perfectly balanced limey, flavorful ceviche was served with patacones and we devoured it, discussing how we’d messed up by not ordering ceviche anywhere until our last night. As our main course casados arrived the rain started to barrel down harder, pouring mercilessly. One of the waiters kept going out and moving their dog further under shelter, and by now the table of teenagers on the lawn seating had moved under cover; all helping grab chairs and moving the table. Our casados were delightful but the ceviche was the star of the show.

Thunder and lightning were abundant in the pouring rain as we finished our meal.  The dirt parking lot was turning into a mud pit and, of course, we were in sandals.  So much for it never raining there this time of the year. Brandon braced the elements to make the dash to pull the car up closer, so I didn’t have to go as far.  As I stood on the edge of the patio readying myself for the 20’ dash I’d still have to make, one of the restaurant workers came running up with two umbrellas.  He would walk me to the car!  Now THIS is awesome customer service.

Tomorrow we hit the road in the morning for the 3 ½ hour drive to the airport and to fly back to the states. It’s been a great getaway but we miss our babies and are ready to get back to reality.