Yellow Coco Lodge Puerto Jimenez

... the Boruca people, against the Spanish. After about two days of deliberation we eventually did buy a mask and we hope that it is safely on its way to South Africa as we speak.

We also spent some time sorting out our Corcovado National Park tickets and booking beds at the ranger station. The Park is accessed via two routes, the one that we chose started from Carate, about a two hour truck drive from Puerto Jimenez and the most accessible in the rainy season. The other ...

... crazy little lizard that looked like something out of Jurassic Park. Our plan was to visit the Park Corcovado the next day but we found out that the shortest hike was 10 hours. So, what the hell, we jumped a ferry instead and headed to Golfito to await a bus to Pavones, home of the legendary long left breaking wave.

... to climb it. at the top there was another little fall with a pool and i jumped in and swam around for a bit. we continued to hike around looking for the third member of our crew cause she didnt follow me to the top. we walked around for an hourish and found a huge fig tree with more climbing gear. Some one is having so much fun with that!!! then we were surrounded by howler monkeys and they just sat in the trees and watched us. later we ...

... he could find, leaving Monica and I waiting patiently on the inland side. For about fifteen minutes we didn't hear or see anything, either from Roger, or from any animal that might be hiding within. I was getting bored of waiting now so I lobbed a large stone in to see if I could get a reaction from whatever was hiding in the grass, but everything remained deathly still and quiet. But then a few minutes later, there was suddenly a ...

... caution we waited until the tide was moving out. Although we made it safely, it definitely was one wet affair! At the other end a random encounter with two girls and a guy with a semi-automatic machine gun made us wonder if coming here alone was a bight idea. The next 10 kilometers greeted us with remarkable beaches, huge crashing waves and very curious capuchin monkeys which descended from the forest onto the beaches to eat sweet flowers from overhanging trees. On one ...

... from Carate. Walking on the beach with our packs was tough, but little did we know how tough it would get later on. . . The lodge was really nice, we stayed in a tent cabin with a great view of the sea and a big soft bed. It rained almost the whole time we were there, and the storm woke us up in the middle of the night when the lightning was coming down to the sea. That night Ido saw a small bird snake, just walking on the path. The symphony of frogs was ...

... fairly well, one of my goals while being here!! i can't quite throw it around my back yet, but i'm getting there. anyways, on our third day we went into the national park with some boys that we had actually met in our hostel in santa theresa and they had shown up in MA. they are hilarious aussies, and we have had some good times!! anyways, the park was amazing. it wasn't too strenuous and we saw some amazing things. we hiked up to the ...

... early to get married in Hawaii (though she lost her passport so she has to wait until the embassy is open to get a new one, hopefully she will make it in time), so I have to do the entire last draft of that paper. Overall this has been a good experience for me. I have learned the following things: 1. the tropics aren't all bad, just the hot humid parts 2. lizards are cool and cute, but plants are still cooler and easier to catch 3. chocolate is ...

hola, Daniel and I left Boquete and the three great Quebeckers to try our luck in Costa Rica. So far I have observed waaaay more gringos, higher prices, more hustlers and nicer buses. After crossing a mangey border at Paso Canoas (replete with a homeless American without any teeth who helped us find the transfer point that we were in fact already standing at), we turned our watches back one hour and switched our American dollars for Tico (Costa ...

... canvas overhead is a welcome respite from the sticky heat that surrounds you. When the rains come you can hear it heading in from the distance. It begins with a far clap of thunder booming like a single drumbeat, deep and resounding. And then far ahead of you to the north, the sound of sand falling on thin paper slowly moves in. As the rain shower nears, the canopy ...