Costa Rica

 "Rich coast."  That's what Costa Rica means in Spanish.  We found the slice of coast we explored in Costa Rica to be rich, indeed.  "This is just a taste, a taste," our guide said of our 9-hour shore excursion, which included a tram ride into the jungle canopy and a boat ride through crocodile-infested waters. 

We rode in an open-sided tram high above the green, jungle-covered hills.

There were all sorts of strange plants and birds in the trees around us, as we swung along, fifty to eighty feet above the ground. 

We learned that bananas grow upside down.

This flower was as red as the scarlet macaws we saw nesting in the tree above us.

The prickly "monkey brush" plant is used by monkeys to comb their fur.

Our guide was a master at pointing out strange birds, plants, and even "coatis," a small animal like an opossum.

The Costa Rica lizards are huge, and colored to blend into the rocks and tree trunks.

The nature reserve had a butterfly enclosure, with thousands of butterflies inside.

We relaxed over a lunch of rice, beans, chicken and tortillas, accompanied by live marimba music.

"You'll see miniature, brightly painted Costa Rican ox carts everywhere," our guidebook proclaimed.  We did.  Luckily, I resist the impulse to drag such things home.  I am not, however, so resistant to jewelry and tablecloths.

 

 
 

The next adventure was a cruise down the Tortuguera River that empties into the Pacific Ocean.  We explored the territory of two huge, 18 foot crocodiles who had each marked their space.  When one headed into the territory of the other, our guide said, "I'd like to stay around to see how this turns out," but we had a schedule to meet.

We also watched the guide on another boat feed fish to a croc to tease him out of the water.  The guide was so close the croc could easily have swiped him away.  Totally illegal, but we couldn't take our eyes away.

There were dozens of crocs sliding along, half-submerged, and birds nesting on islands in the river.   As we floated down another branch of the river, with no boats nearby, the boat pilot stopped his motor and we were very quiet, listening to the only sounds--bird calls.