Trip to Tortuguero

2. May: Today we're set to leave to Tortuguero National Park, which derives it's name from the turtles, which come it's sandy beaches to lay eggs. We are supposed to be picked at 6:20 opposite San Pedro Mall, so we need to get up really early. We have breakfast at 5:40, do some last-minute packing, run to catch the bus to San Pedro. We're there early, Madeleine had warned us that they might be late, so I sit, relax, and start updating my diary. At 7:00 at last the bus arrives, we're the 4th and 5th passengers and we get the last seats. Shit. The guide, Bernie, gets on my nerves right at the beginning, he is loud, brash, cocky, and sniggers all the time. The a/c is way too cold and I ask for it to be turned down.


Last Look into Hannelore's courtyard from our room	The bus to San Jose / San Pedro

We drive through a cloud forest area and then through Brulio Carilio National park, which has a highway through it! Our guide explains everything in Spanish. I'm too pissed to even listen. It's a nice drive and even rains a bit and then the road keeps descending till we reach the lowlands. It gets warmer, the rain has stopped, and we fork off from the road to Limon and drive in the direction of Siquierres. We see pineapple plantations and then huge banana plantations. We stop at one and watch workers cutting the pods, others are sorting them, washing them, packing them and loading them onto trucks. The good bananas are exported, the bad ones go to the local market.


Rainforest through rainy minibus window on way to Tortuguero	Old bus at breakfast restaurant

Beforehand we had stopped on the way for breakfast and we get to talk with the other travelers, who are a Belgian family of three consisting of a man ("I'm a diplomat"), his wife (who doesn't seem to grasp any conversation) and their very young, spoiled daughter, who rarely smiles. She is here on volunteer work and they've come over to visit her.


Costa Rica Country scene	Can you see the Sloth (part 3)? The head is looking up

The plants themselves are sprayed with insecticide, and they are good strong, green, healthy looking plants. They all have blue plastic bags around the fruit, which prevents insects from getting on them and also provides additional warmth for growth.


Banana plantation, bananas are wrapped in blue plastic bags	Cutting bananas from stem

We stop again to watch a tree full of huge scarab beetles, kids have picked some and placed them on branches, which they hold out for us to photograph. We can touch the beetles, which are slow and lumbering, their bodies are velvety to the touch. Amazing insects!


Amazingly huge velvety Scarab Beetles	Boats used for shuttle to Tortuguero

We then reach a port "blanca…", be get onto a very flat boat, which turns out to be quite a power machine, with a huge outboard at the back. It skims amazingly smoothly at high speed over the flat, tranquil water of the river. Tortuguero can only be reached by water, there are no roads leading there. We stop on the way for a drink, there is reggae music and several young black Rasta guys milling about.

We continue on to Laguna Lodge, and on the way the boat stops a number of times to view all sorts of wildlife on the river, there is a crocodile, several birds and monkeys. The lady manager is already waiting for us at the lodge and gives us a good reception with a welcome drink. We get our rooms, which are very nice and above our usual standard, and then head for lunch with cabbage, cucumber, tomato, good sauce, meat, rice, vegetables, dessert, fruit juice. Everything is included except bottled drinks.


Canals to Tortuguero	A real live crocodile


Black riverbank	Tiger Heron


A stick insect	Lazy howler monkeys


Canal reflections	Heron in "Yoga" position

The Hotel has a canal/river on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other, and it's a nice beach with lots of strange logs of dead trees littering the beach. There are dangerous currents here and swimming is unfortunately not allowed. In the afternoon, we tour to Tortuguero village, which is a really small, local place, very laid back. It has a turtle museum (I didn't fancy there was anything in it, so I skipped), I bought some postcards and even found the post office, which was actually run out of a local flat. Unfortunately, they're out of stamps. We've been joined by a Dutch and an Italian couple.


Heliconia at Tortuguero Lodge	Lizard at Lodge

Very smooth Canal water surface	Wild beach at Lodge (no swimming!)


Kids playing in Tortuguero Village	"Mini" Super Market

It is hot and humid. Bernie knows a lot and has rehabilitated himself with me. He's switched to English. Dinner is similar to lunch, there's Spaghetti with chicken pieces. Next morning we need to meet at 6:15 to start the dawn tour of the park.

Trip to Tortuguero

Last Look into Hannelore's courtyard from our room

The bus to San Jose / San Pedro

Rainforest through rainy minibus window on way to Tortuguero

Old bus at breakfast restaurant

Costa Rica Country scene

Can you see the Sloth (part 3)? The head is looking up

Banana plantation, bananas are wrapped in blue plastic bags

Cutting bananas from stem

Amazingly huge velvety Scarab Beetles

Boats used for shuttle to Tortuguero

Canals to Tortuguero

A real live crocodile

Black riverbank

Tiger Heron

A stick insect

Lazy howler monkeys

Canal reflections

Heron in "Yoga" position

Heliconia at Tortuguero Lodge

Lizard at Lodge

Very smooth Canal water surface

Wild beach at Lodge (no swimming!)

Kids playing in Tortuguero Village

"Mini" Super Market

Continue to 3.5 Tortuguero National Park