I've now crossed over the border to Costa Rica and headed to Corcovado National Park, according to National Geographic, 'One of the most biologically intense places on the planet'.
It is situated in the Osa peninsular, the most Southern one in CR on the Pacific side. On the way I went down the most scary descent ever / see the pic of the hairpin bends. Basically straight down the side of a cliff.
I joined a guided trek for three days into the park - this involved a 20km trek in and out, and other hikes on the middle day. The 3 Canadians also on the trip rested the middle day. In some ways sensible, but yours truly wasn't missing anything, so the trek out was a bit of a nightmare.
The trek includes about 6km on the beach, which is very hard going and crossing rivers, one of them well over my waist with the pack on my head!.
Saw crocs, went kayaking and achieved another goal - scarlet macaws. Hopefully even the most ralcalcitrant ornithologist among you will be able to spot which photos they are. Also saw all four types of monkey - howler, squirrel, white faced cappuchin and spider. The noise the howler monkeys make is amazing and they start at 4am!
The second evening a chap was sitting on the steps to the ranger station eating a bowl of pasta when a large , 5 inches maybe, scorpion ran out from a gap and grapped a bug between his feet and ran back again. To say he was a bit put out would be understating things!
I'm now heading up the Pacific coast and have met another cyclist going the other way! Guy from Seattle is taking a year to ride down from Mexico to as far as he can get, possibly Chille. Though he spent 6 months teaching English in El Salvador.
There's a lovely waterfall just near the hostle here which you can slide down, but I had a couple of probs climbing up - though got there in the end.
All the best
Chris
1 comment:
Impressed to see you are still moving eastward or is it north by now? The Spanish classes are a good idea – I recall being quite surprised how little English folk, even in the tourist trade, have there. Still you have mastered ordering few beers and that will get you a long way. The photos are getting better perhaps the birds are becoming more varied but they look good and I love that one of the kids running with the kites. You look a bit fitter (well less pink anyway) than when we met although you have some pounds to lose before you are in the same shape as that other cyclist you show. Anyway keep posting – I love them. John
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