Jungle Tarpon Lodge Tortuguero

... menacing in the background. Despite everything, Tortuguero still seems like a poor village, and impression that did not change when afterwards I was walking around town. It was still raining, so I went and sat near the water at Budda Bar, a really nice place, where I could enjoy a glass of wine and feel lucky and happy &#8211; rain or not. <br><br>It was still raining when we got back to the hotel, but that certainly did not prevent me from going in the pool ...

... a canal tour at 2pm, but it was canceled due to the weather. We were able to explore the small strip of land that makes up the town in between showers. It took 1 minute to walk the width of town, from the river to beach. The beach is a long gray sand beach that looked very New England meets the tropics with the overcast skies and drizzle. We walked the length of town in about 5 minute;, from the colorful boat dock to the entrance of the ...

... boat and we went through canals for about an hour and a half to the small town of Tortuguero and to our hotel.  We stayed at the Pachira Lodge-really nice-they have small cabins that are split into a few hotel rooms each and each cabin is on a little path surrounded by greenery.  Once we got there we had lunch-fish, salad, veggies, etc (pretty good lunch especially for being buffet-style).  After lunch we had a tour of the town of Tortuguero so about 20 of us got back ...

... corrugated huts. Two large brightly coloured parrot statues up on high plinths stand rather incongruously at the river&#8217;s edge surrounded by gaily coloured picnic tables and chairs. The town is full of gift shops and cafes and after walking around we decided to get a cool drink in the Budda Café in the centre of town. The garden was cool and it was a relief to get out of the hot sun.<br><br>On the way back we decide to walk along the beach. The sand here is dark as a result ...

... stopped for breakfast at a restaurant near Guapiles in the mountains and waited patiently in line to be served, the place was packed with tourists. The rain was falling quite heavily now and the mountains about us were shrouded in clouds but the views from our table were amazing. Breakfast was better than it looked consisting of scrambled egg and the ubiquitous rice that would form the basis for most of the meals we would eat here.<br><br>Back on the road ...

... Our staff and board members are putting a lot of time and effort into this event and we are working hard to get everyone there: local staff from Costa Rica, past volunteers, local community members and our supporters. Our sincerest and deepest appreciation goes out to Modesto "Tico" Valle, the Executive Director of the Center, for donating the space and beverages. The ...

... going after those infamous "tico trout".  While there are many stories explaining how trout came to inhabit the waters of the central mountains here, from US military guys from Panama to American workers on the canal, the very fact that we can find trout here is what completes a Costa Rican fly fishing experience.  Instead of huge 12 weight "clubs", up here in the central mountains we whittle out rod size to a 2 or 3!  For the uninitiated, this would ...

... nicaragualainen rommi on valtavan hyvää. Tosin tähän ei voi saada täyttä varmuutta maistamatta kahden euron litrahinnalla myytäviä kansanrommeja, mutta kahden litran muoviset pakkaukset olivat turhan kookkaita hankittavaksi. Jotta blogi ei jäisi liian viihteelliseksi niin ottakaamme myös oppitunti poliittista historiaa yhden sitaatin kautta. "Somoza may be a son of a *****, but he's our son of a *****", sanoi väitettävästi Franklin D. Roosevelt vuonna 1939 ...

... of the road (often 100 foot drops), and staying on my own side of the narrow roads with pedistrians around every turn. On top of that I was also panicked by each and every local driver speeding by passing me on blind curves, up hills, and even at 4-way stops! I was convinced each of them was going to be hit head on from oncoming traffic, but magically each of them survived. Again, these are habits seldom seen on American streets, but apparently ...

An early night. It was a good day but interesting. This morning Federico and I met up with Lacette at the info center to pain the steps black as well as the ramp. There were ants everywhere and they were not the friendly kind. Lacette and I were dancing around as they ate at our feet. She said something to me about having my hair braided. The thing is - I don't know I really want it done. I know it sounds like a good thing for her and the kids on the island but I am not sure ...