The first time we saw the leatherback turtle I thought we were pretty lucky, but the second time I felt very privileged. We went back to the same turtle beach yesterday with a couple from Vernon BC, whom we met in Boquete. This time we didn't have to wait long as the first time as she came ashore shortly after it got dark. This one was a bit smaller than the first, only 800 lbs!!!! It was a similar experience as we watched her finish her nest. But this time she dug a couple of false nests, supposedly to confuse any would be predators looking for her eggs. We walked with her into the crashing surf in the pitch dark. Amazing.
We only have a couple of days left on our trip before heading back to Whitehorse. We are anxious to see the kids and grand kids. It's been a great trip and I hope the blog has given you some insight to the countries we have been through.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Bucket list realized
One of the many things on my bucket list has always been to witness a large turtle nesting. Yesterday that dream came true, when we saw a 1000 lb Leatherback turtle make a nest, then crawl an inch at a time back into a pitch black ocean that was pounding the shore with 10 ft waves. Unbelievable!!
We are in Bocas del Toro in the NW corner of Panama. Every place we have travelled around the world we always ask if the turtles are nesting. The answer has always been the same; you are here at the wrong time of the year. But this time we were told that the largest turtle of them all, the leatherback, was just starting to come ashore on Bocas del Toro. Three showed up last week. The nesting beach is about a 30 minute taxi ride, so we decided to go on a fact finding trip to find out what was involved. It turns out there is a local conservation group that patrols the beach all night long, monitors the turtles as they make land fall, collects the eggs if the nest is in a precarious location, and incubates them. The patrol people telephone a local restaurant / lodge operator when a turtle is spotted and for $10 they will take you to the nest. The hitch is no one knows when or where they will come ashore, but it is always at night. So we decided to spend the afternoon and night at the restaurant waiting for the call. The owner said he would take us back to our hostel after he closes up, usually around 1am. OK, this sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
After a bottle of wine, lunch, supper, and coffee we get the call. A group of us were escorted to the site at 11:30. The patrollers have infrared lights, so the whole scene takes place in sort of a mystical atmosphere, with this massive giant throwing sand 10 feet behind herself as she digs her nest. The flying sand hits me in the face as I'm kneeling down, trying to get a better look. She is breathing heavily as she labors to move her massive body around, dig a nest, and release her eggs. After an hour, she starts to move away from the nest. All the lights go off, including the infrared. It's pitch dark but you can make out this large form slowly moving towards the ocean. She measured 6.5 ft long,about 3 ft across, and 2.5 ft. high. The estimated weight is around 1000 lbs !! A monster. We walk beside her as she moves down the slope and the waves start to hit her in the face. I go in up to my knees then stop. The sound of the ocean is very loud as there is a storm surge with waves crashing on shore at least 100 feet into the ocean, some places the surf is breaking 1 km off shore. It was an incredible sight and a very unique experience.
We are in Bocas del Toro in the NW corner of Panama. Every place we have travelled around the world we always ask if the turtles are nesting. The answer has always been the same; you are here at the wrong time of the year. But this time we were told that the largest turtle of them all, the leatherback, was just starting to come ashore on Bocas del Toro. Three showed up last week. The nesting beach is about a 30 minute taxi ride, so we decided to go on a fact finding trip to find out what was involved. It turns out there is a local conservation group that patrols the beach all night long, monitors the turtles as they make land fall, collects the eggs if the nest is in a precarious location, and incubates them. The patrol people telephone a local restaurant / lodge operator when a turtle is spotted and for $10 they will take you to the nest. The hitch is no one knows when or where they will come ashore, but it is always at night. So we decided to spend the afternoon and night at the restaurant waiting for the call. The owner said he would take us back to our hostel after he closes up, usually around 1am. OK, this sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
After a bottle of wine, lunch, supper, and coffee we get the call. A group of us were escorted to the site at 11:30. The patrollers have infrared lights, so the whole scene takes place in sort of a mystical atmosphere, with this massive giant throwing sand 10 feet behind herself as she digs her nest. The flying sand hits me in the face as I'm kneeling down, trying to get a better look. She is breathing heavily as she labors to move her massive body around, dig a nest, and release her eggs. After an hour, she starts to move away from the nest. All the lights go off, including the infrared. It's pitch dark but you can make out this large form slowly moving towards the ocean. She measured 6.5 ft long,about 3 ft across, and 2.5 ft. high. The estimated weight is around 1000 lbs !! A monster. We walk beside her as she moves down the slope and the waves start to hit her in the face. I go in up to my knees then stop. The sound of the ocean is very loud as there is a storm surge with waves crashing on shore at least 100 feet into the ocean, some places the surf is breaking 1 km off shore. It was an incredible sight and a very unique experience.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Pics from Panama canal
Check out this Picasa album - Panama City And Canal.
https://picasaweb.google.com/105813651029977362721/PanamaCityAndCanal?authkey=Gv1sRgCI3znPzi8aqtTw
https://picasaweb.google.com/105813651029977362721/PanamaCityAndCanal?authkey=Gv1sRgCI3znPzi8aqtTw
Taxis, boats, buses and zip lines
Panama. We left Costa Rica at 4 am and made it to Panama City at 8 pm, traveling on regular taxis, collectivo taxi, boat, and a big bus. Panama City is a very large, bustling and cosmopolitan city. There's over one million people here, and it's very hot. We went through the canal, from Pacific to Atlantic oceans in 8 hours. It was very cool. Our boat was pretty small compared to oil tankers and cargo ships. It's a bit intimidating to be next to one of these giants when you are stuck in a lock. The canal is owned and operated by the people of Panama for the last 10 years- not to be confused with the government. It is it's own authority that is separate from the politicians- a very good There are three conditions the Panama Canal Authority requires before you can pass thought the locks. First, you pay in cash (up to $400,000) 24 hours before passing, your motor has been recently checked and certified, and that you hand over control of your ship to a Panamanian captain to take your ship through the canal.
Unbeknownst to us, Panama is known for great prices on clothes, electronics, etc, so many people come to shop. No one told us or we would have brought bigger suitcases. We spent part of a day in a huge mall and came away with a few pieces of clothing. TVs are half price if you are planning a driving trip to Panama. In the city of Colon, the second largest duty free zone exists, second to Hong Kong.
Another 8 hour bus ride and we made it to another cloud forest in the northern part of the country. It was similar to the cloud forest in Costa Rica, but much less touristic. We went on a couple of hikes thought the forest, and went on a zip line over the canopy. That was pretty exciting. I'm not afraid of heights, but it took my breath away standing on the first platform, looking several hundred feet down into the forest. Then they push you off. I'm pretty sure I didn't breath during the first couple of "zips". After the first one it got better. It took about one hour to do all 13 zip lines. Sheila didn't even scream. I was impressed. We have a video to prove it.
When we got back to our hostel, they asked us if it was OK to change the bed. We thought it would be nice to have clean sheets after 3 days. We were surprised to see the whole bed go down the hall. Something was lost in the translation. It was a laugh when we saw the bed leaving the building. Anyways we got a brand new bed, and new sheets.
Four days later we are back on a bus again for a 6 hour ride to some islands on the NE coast (Bocas). The most memorable part of this "chicken bus" ride was seeing a dog thrown up on top of a big bus, along with the bags. The poor thing looked terrified. You would too if you had to balance on top of a bus going down these roads. I guess the good news is it wasn't tied down, so if it fell off I guess it would bounce a few times,and with any luck, it might survive. We never saw the bus, or the dog, after it left the bus terminal. We did pick up a squealing piglet part way to our destination. I think it was in a grain sack, and obviously not impressed with its accommodations.
We have 10 days left on our trip before one more 12 hOur bus ride back to Panama City where we fly home.
Unbeknownst to us, Panama is known for great prices on clothes, electronics, etc, so many people come to shop. No one told us or we would have brought bigger suitcases. We spent part of a day in a huge mall and came away with a few pieces of clothing. TVs are half price if you are planning a driving trip to Panama. In the city of Colon, the second largest duty free zone exists, second to Hong Kong.
Another 8 hour bus ride and we made it to another cloud forest in the northern part of the country. It was similar to the cloud forest in Costa Rica, but much less touristic. We went on a couple of hikes thought the forest, and went on a zip line over the canopy. That was pretty exciting. I'm not afraid of heights, but it took my breath away standing on the first platform, looking several hundred feet down into the forest. Then they push you off. I'm pretty sure I didn't breath during the first couple of "zips". After the first one it got better. It took about one hour to do all 13 zip lines. Sheila didn't even scream. I was impressed. We have a video to prove it.
When we got back to our hostel, they asked us if it was OK to change the bed. We thought it would be nice to have clean sheets after 3 days. We were surprised to see the whole bed go down the hall. Something was lost in the translation. It was a laugh when we saw the bed leaving the building. Anyways we got a brand new bed, and new sheets.
Four days later we are back on a bus again for a 6 hour ride to some islands on the NE coast (Bocas). The most memorable part of this "chicken bus" ride was seeing a dog thrown up on top of a big bus, along with the bags. The poor thing looked terrified. You would too if you had to balance on top of a bus going down these roads. I guess the good news is it wasn't tied down, so if it fell off I guess it would bounce a few times,and with any luck, it might survive. We never saw the bus, or the dog, after it left the bus terminal. We did pick up a squealing piglet part way to our destination. I think it was in a grain sack, and obviously not impressed with its accommodations.
We have 10 days left on our trip before one more 12 hOur bus ride back to Panama City where we fly home.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Monkey falls out of tree, Jesus Christ lizards take cover (take 2)
We discovered a new definition for "hot". It's hiking on a beach at noon, on the Osa peninsula. I mean 45 to 50 degrees hot, with high humidity and no wind. This is no exaggeration. We have a thermometer. That's what we did to get to Corovado Park. It was worth it. We took a taxi from the place we were staying, Puerto Jimenez at 4 am and arrived at the beach at 6 am. It was a 21 km hike from there. Both of use felt like a fried egg when we finally arrived 8 hours later. In Sheila's words "you owe me big time for this one". For those who know Sheila , that pretty much sums up what the hike was like, although by the next day when her body temperature was lower she admitted it was a pretty neat experience. It seems we are always on some kind of adventure.
Even before we got to the ranger station (Sirena Lodge) we saw 3 tapir, monkeys (spider, white face, squirrel ) an ant eater, wild turkeys, and a bunch of new birds. We brought some of our own food as they charge $25 for supper and the same for lunch and breakfast. So after eating our quesadillas and sharing the shower with a 4 inch hairy spider (a whole new twist on showering with a friend), we headed to our tent at 7:30 to find it was still 35 degrees. It didn't seem to matter. By 7:35 we were both asleep, or better described as passed out from exhaustion.
At 5 am we were up and on the trail with our guide. I could list all the things we saw that day but it would look like a beerders list which is really boring. But to give you a flavor of what we saw: many Jesus Christ lizards(they walk on water, or more accurately they fly across the water at the speed of light), viper snake, two and three toed sloths, baby hummingbird, incredible forest, and a howler monkey that fell out of a tree. Sounds like a song! I deviate. Crazy, I didn't think monkeys ever fell but I guess it's one of those occupational hazards. Unfortunately he had a broken leg and likely became supper for a jaguar. The park has 2.6% of the worlds biodiversity consequently there was lots of stuff to see.
At one point we found ourselves in the middle of a herd of peccaries (pigs) which our guide told us if threatened will attack and if there are enough of them and few of you, they apparently will kill you. So I noticed our guide picked up a big stick and poked one of the pigs as it got close to me as I was taking pictures. There was a lot of snorting and gruffing, and many of the pigs hackles were standing straight up. But I guess they didn't feel threatened as the kept on going.
And then there were the ticks. Peccary equals ticks. If you don't spray you legs with the green capped OFF, you will be picking ticks off you legs for an hour before going to bed. It's not so bad as these ticks are small, about the size of a pencil lead. Lucky for us our guide told us about the green OFF.
After 8 hours of hiking on that day we were pretty tired again so when our guide told us that there was an opportunity to share a flight out in a small plane the next day, we took that option, because another day of hiking back on the beach might have completely fried my brain, not to mention my feet, legs, and every thing in between. It took 15 minutes by plane to cover what took us 8 hours to hike. What were we thinking? It's only money.
Even before we got to the ranger station (Sirena Lodge) we saw 3 tapir, monkeys (spider, white face, squirrel ) an ant eater, wild turkeys, and a bunch of new birds. We brought some of our own food as they charge $25 for supper and the same for lunch and breakfast. So after eating our quesadillas and sharing the shower with a 4 inch hairy spider (a whole new twist on showering with a friend), we headed to our tent at 7:30 to find it was still 35 degrees. It didn't seem to matter. By 7:35 we were both asleep, or better described as passed out from exhaustion.
At 5 am we were up and on the trail with our guide. I could list all the things we saw that day but it would look like a beerders list which is really boring. But to give you a flavor of what we saw: many Jesus Christ lizards(they walk on water, or more accurately they fly across the water at the speed of light), viper snake, two and three toed sloths, baby hummingbird, incredible forest, and a howler monkey that fell out of a tree. Sounds like a song! I deviate. Crazy, I didn't think monkeys ever fell but I guess it's one of those occupational hazards. Unfortunately he had a broken leg and likely became supper for a jaguar. The park has 2.6% of the worlds biodiversity consequently there was lots of stuff to see.
At one point we found ourselves in the middle of a herd of peccaries (pigs) which our guide told us if threatened will attack and if there are enough of them and few of you, they apparently will kill you. So I noticed our guide picked up a big stick and poked one of the pigs as it got close to me as I was taking pictures. There was a lot of snorting and gruffing, and many of the pigs hackles were standing straight up. But I guess they didn't feel threatened as the kept on going.
And then there were the ticks. Peccary equals ticks. If you don't spray you legs with the green capped OFF, you will be picking ticks off you legs for an hour before going to bed. It's not so bad as these ticks are small, about the size of a pencil lead. Lucky for us our guide told us about the green OFF.
After 8 hours of hiking on that day we were pretty tired again so when our guide told us that there was an opportunity to share a flight out in a small plane the next day, we took that option, because another day of hiking back on the beach might have completely fried my brain, not to mention my feet, legs, and every thing in between. It took 15 minutes by plane to cover what took us 8 hours to hike. What were we thinking? It's only money.
Friday, March 2, 2012
OSA pictures
Here is the link to pics from OSA peninsula. Just copy and past this link.
https://picasaweb.google.com/105813651029977362721/OSA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJCQ9afMpP-dwQE
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Is there good rum in heaven?
Do you think there is good rum in heaven? In all our travels we found the best in Nicaragua so far. It's even better than Cuban Havana Club and its called Flora de Cana. Why am I talking about rum and Nicaragua now? Must be because we are having an afternoon drink as I write this blog note!
We left San Jose for the OSA peninsula in the south west corner on CR. We took the express bus. In this case "express" meant bus rally or the bus Indy 500. Unbelievable! We travelled on top of the spine of a mountain range that runs north-south in the middle of CR, back into the cloud forest. There was a rosary hanging from the drivers mirror which was located right in front of the metal bar running vertically in the middle of the big bus windows. I started watching the rosary as it became a kind of barometer or plumb line. It was an 8 hour ride and for at least half that the rosary was at 45 degrees on either side of the metal bar. At one point it was at 50 degrees. It was a very winding road. After awhile I started to appreciate the drivers skill at handling a 50 passenger bus through this mountain pass.
At one point, after coming off the mountain road, we went thought kilometers of pineapple fields. Delmonte signs all over the place. It felt like the motherload. At that point I felt like I was on the "pineapple express". There were Super B Trains of pineapple trucks on the road. If you stuck your hand out the bus window you could have touched them. After awhile I just started looking out the window.
We are now safe and sound in Porte Jimenez. I think we found paradise. It is very hot as we are getting close to the equator now. The ocean is warm, about room temperature and calm. There are flowers, toucans, scarlet macaws, and parrots flying around town all day long. We just lay in our hammocks watching the birds fly by. It really is paradise. And, there are not a lot of tourists here, as it is not that easy to get here.
Yesterday I talked Sheila in to going on another fishing journey. We were out for the whole day and I caught my first rooster fish. I can now cross that of my list.
We left San Jose for the OSA peninsula in the south west corner on CR. We took the express bus. In this case "express" meant bus rally or the bus Indy 500. Unbelievable! We travelled on top of the spine of a mountain range that runs north-south in the middle of CR, back into the cloud forest. There was a rosary hanging from the drivers mirror which was located right in front of the metal bar running vertically in the middle of the big bus windows. I started watching the rosary as it became a kind of barometer or plumb line. It was an 8 hour ride and for at least half that the rosary was at 45 degrees on either side of the metal bar. At one point it was at 50 degrees. It was a very winding road. After awhile I started to appreciate the drivers skill at handling a 50 passenger bus through this mountain pass.
At one point, after coming off the mountain road, we went thought kilometers of pineapple fields. Delmonte signs all over the place. It felt like the motherload. At that point I felt like I was on the "pineapple express". There were Super B Trains of pineapple trucks on the road. If you stuck your hand out the bus window you could have touched them. After awhile I just started looking out the window.
We are now safe and sound in Porte Jimenez. I think we found paradise. It is very hot as we are getting close to the equator now. The ocean is warm, about room temperature and calm. There are flowers, toucans, scarlet macaws, and parrots flying around town all day long. We just lay in our hammocks watching the birds fly by. It really is paradise. And, there are not a lot of tourists here, as it is not that easy to get here.
Yesterday I talked Sheila in to going on another fishing journey. We were out for the whole day and I caught my first rooster fish. I can now cross that of my list.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Canadians and monkeys fight over mangos
It's the start of the fruit season: mango, watermelon, passion fruit, papaya, and pineapple. They all taste considerably better when they all grown within a few kilometers, rather than half way around the world. The flavours are amazing.
I'm not sure whats more entertaining, the howler monkeys in the trees eating mangos or the Canadians gone wild over fresh watermelon. Both are pretty messy! Don't stand under the mango tree when they are feeding as they drop the ones they don't like.
Boy it's hot - 35 C. The beach was nice, a couple of kilometers long, great for swimming and not very many people. By noon most people are off the beach and in their swimming pools because it's cooler. We lucked out with this place as it has a pool, a full kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a deck.
There was a group of howler monkeys across the street from us who started calling around 5 am. They are noisier than the roosters.
We discovered the newest thing if you want to invest into a condo. It's called "fractional ownership ". Not time sharing. They are quick to point this out, but really it's very similar. I guess they figured out most people who got sucked into the time sharing thing are not very happy. Anyways we go a free lunch, a bottle of wine, and three free nights in a nice resort in Mexico (if we go there on our own within the next year. Who knows) in return for their promotion for an hour and a half. And no we did not buy in. They figured out that we wouldn't sign on in the first 10 minutes as they first ask you how much you spent on our last three vacations. Let's see, Nicaragua cost us $40/day for both of us, before that we camped in Haines for $10 , and before that we camped in Angoon Alaska for free. They agreed that we weren't high rollers like many of the folks they take to.
Feb 18. Sheila and I are now in San Jose for a couple of nights, just to break up our bus ride from northern CR to the southern part of the country. Unfortunately we had to leave Catherine and John yesterday as they had other plans that involved repeating some of the things we did together with Johns mom when she arrives next week.
San Jose is a big city. McDonalds is big here. Literally, there is a big M in every two blocks. They are all two stories high and very busy. We like them because they have clean bathrooms. Theses are all good travel hints if your planning a trip.
I'm not sure whats more entertaining, the howler monkeys in the trees eating mangos or the Canadians gone wild over fresh watermelon. Both are pretty messy! Don't stand under the mango tree when they are feeding as they drop the ones they don't like.
Boy it's hot - 35 C. The beach was nice, a couple of kilometers long, great for swimming and not very many people. By noon most people are off the beach and in their swimming pools because it's cooler. We lucked out with this place as it has a pool, a full kitchen, living room, two bedrooms and a deck.
There was a group of howler monkeys across the street from us who started calling around 5 am. They are noisier than the roosters.
We discovered the newest thing if you want to invest into a condo. It's called "fractional ownership ". Not time sharing. They are quick to point this out, but really it's very similar. I guess they figured out most people who got sucked into the time sharing thing are not very happy. Anyways we go a free lunch, a bottle of wine, and three free nights in a nice resort in Mexico (if we go there on our own within the next year. Who knows) in return for their promotion for an hour and a half. And no we did not buy in. They figured out that we wouldn't sign on in the first 10 minutes as they first ask you how much you spent on our last three vacations. Let's see, Nicaragua cost us $40/day for both of us, before that we camped in Haines for $10 , and before that we camped in Angoon Alaska for free. They agreed that we weren't high rollers like many of the folks they take to.
Feb 18. Sheila and I are now in San Jose for a couple of nights, just to break up our bus ride from northern CR to the southern part of the country. Unfortunately we had to leave Catherine and John yesterday as they had other plans that involved repeating some of the things we did together with Johns mom when she arrives next week.
San Jose is a big city. McDonalds is big here. Literally, there is a big M in every two blocks. They are all two stories high and very busy. We like them because they have clean bathrooms. Theses are all good travel hints if your planning a trip.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Costa Rica random pictures
Copy and paste the link below to see some pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/105813651029977362721/CostaRica?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNSD5bvvwo_HRw&feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/105813651029977362721/CostaRica?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNSD5bvvwo_HRw&feat=directlink
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sloths Poop Once a Month
Most of our hikes have been guided by a local. English is their second language so sometimes things come out differently. The best one so far was the explanation of how many of the plants produce hard shelled seeds that are eaten by birds but because they are encased in a shell the seed passes through he bird via their droppings. In the words of our guide "the beerds pips the seed". He repeated himself several times. It was probably the bewildered look on our faces. There are a lot of fanatic birders here so now we refer to birders as beerders. There are also a lot of Germans here. Consequently, a lot of German beerders. You can pick them out as they all dress the same; matching two tone medium green colored, quick dry pants, shirt, and funny hats. They come to see "the nature".
The protection of the cloud forest in CR is thanks to the Quakers (and the German beerders) who left the USA years ago. Quakers are pacifists so they really don't belong in the US. When this area started to be developed for logging and farming they purchased large tracks of cloud forest in order to protect the forest. Five stars for the Quakers. They have no connection to the oats, at least I don't think so.
We also went on a guided night walk in the forest. We saw fire flies, armadillos, another pit viper, tarantula, serval very large and strange insects, a humming bird sleeping in it's nest, several forest mammals, and a sloth. Sloths are the hardest animals to see because the are high in the trees, sleep 18hrs a day, and appear as a big ball of fur. They become slightly more active at night. This one appeared to roll over onto it's other side and went back to sleep. Our guide told us they have an average of 900 parasite insects living on their fur. The insects probably think it's a dead animal. I guess it's because the sloth is a solidarity animal and therefore doesn't get groomed like monkeys. Anyways they don't look like the picture you see in the advertisement brochure. Heres a piece of Trivia. Sloths poop once an month.
We went on a self guided walk the next day and tried out some of the tricks our guides had taught us on how to survive in the forest, such as how to entice a tarantula out of it's burrow. The first hole we saw in the cut bank we shone our flashlights in and to our amazement there was a big female tarantula. You take a long thin stick and flicked it around in front of the monster spider to imitate an insect. It worked. We retreated quickly. Apparently they can jump up to two feet. We were pretty proud of our new found skill, but I'm pretty sure we won't be using it that often.
Feb12. We are now in Plays Coco on the west coast of Costa Rica. We are here for 6 days but it's the kind of place I could spend 6 months. Catherine found this amazing place to stay. It's a condo that they rent out by the week or month. It's just like home, except it's got a swimming pool! It's for sale for $150,000. So far this is by far the best place we have stayed in for the whole trip. It's got a full kitchen so we will be cooking most of our meals.
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