We were up at 5 am to get ready for the Early Bird Walk at 5:45. It's really not that difficult to wake up early here. (That's why I included our wake-up times, and we're not early risers.) In fact, if you don't, you miss out on so much!
We had coffee and banana bread that was set out at the restaurant. The guide had a telescope set up on the main deck and had found a sloth. I think he said it was the more uncommon two-toed sloth. And we saw several monkeys quite close up on our way to the tour hut. They were cracking open the green coconuts and drinking from them - with gusto!
The staff drove us to a place on the main road maybe a half mile before the Escuela Carbonera, then we made our way back toward Lapa Rios. We got to use binoculars - it was fun! (However, I would definitely recommend bringing your own pair of binoculars - they would've come in handy so many times!)
We found out those birds we always saw from our deck that fly like buddies, always in pairs, were Scarlet Macaws. They are monogamous pairs that live to be up to 80! We saw green parrots, parakeets, herons, buzzards, lots of others I can't remember. It's an easy walk, though you have to cross a bit of water. I didn't take any pictures of the birds because I would have needed a telephoto lens.
This is the Carbonera School, a school that was set up by the founders of Lapa Rios and the surrounding community in this remote region where no schools previously existed.
* * *
We were back for breakfast at 8 or so. Nick had the pancakes again. I had the tico especial again. Mixed fruit is one of my favorite of the fruit juices. We had just enough time to stop off at our bungalow, then we proceeded to the Wild Waterfalls hike.
On to the Wild Waterfalls hike...
But first some interesting trees. It looks like a puppy in there.
If I'm not mistaken, that's the sap from the Calomina tree.
A Golfo Dulce Poison Dart Frog.
That was a lot of fun. Kinda difficult and lots of water to cross. Water shoes would work the best. I didn't know if my Tevas would have good enough traction, and by this point, Nick had given up on the Rafters even on dry land, so we used the rubber boots that the lodge provided. At one point, after fishing around for just the right spot...I managed to step in the deepest part and completely submerged my right foot. I poured out like a gallon of water from it! It was like a cartoon!
Another picturesque view on the way back to the bungalow.
We saw a Coati doing the same as the monkeys in the morning.
A Golden Orb Spider near the pool.
Now we're washing up, getting ready to go to lunch, and it's raining.
For lunch, Nick had casado con pescado, and I had the salad with tuna - medium rare and absolutely delicious! Succulent! I had the welcome drink (another of our favorites). Nick also had mixed fruit. The chip of the day was yucca and the juice was something neither of us cared for. It was made out of rice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Nick had the brownie for dessert.
We then looked through books in the main lodge by the sofas and bookcase, about animals of Costa Rica and the Lapa Rios story.
Then we came back to our bungalow and had naps. During the napping came a mighty rain. This is how I imagined the rainy season - this kind of rain all or most of the time. But it wasn't like that at all. I'm glad we had this as part of our experience at Lapa Rios though. It was beautiful to hear and watch.
I got up and watched the storm and read. Nick slept a bit longer. We enjoyed this then got ready for our private dinner at 7. This was part of the Honeymoon Package.
The private dinner was out by the pool under the hut. They had it set up with a dining table, 2 chairs, and candlelight. It was very nice. I think when it's not raining (it was still raining), they set this up by a waterfall, but I'm not sure how they execute this, as the waterfalls seemed difficult to get to.
It's all good that tonight was the night for the private dinner because they had pulled down the rainscreen in the restaurant, so you didn't have a nice view. When the waiter, Javier, led us out to the table, there was a HUGE tree roach on the champagne cooler. Dude, like 6 inches in length! Javier ever so gently encouraged him to move away.
The appetizer was tomatoes, palmito and parmesan on thin, hard bread slices. I had the Tico tower for the first course; Nick had some kind of salad. The main course was Churraso-style steak with chimichurri sauce, those potoato-y things and some sort of sweet, grainy mixture surrounded by onion and bacon with a sprig of rosemary.
It was a lovely dinner. The service was excellent, and the company most enjoyable.
Part of the company...
We walked back with our umbrella and talked a bit on the veranda. The rains had stirred up this lovely fragrance. Not sure, maybe jasmine. This was probably the hawkmoth flowers. [previous post about hawkmoth flowers, near the end of the post]
Well, off to sleep in the magical, tropical rain forest...
next post > day 14 - Lapa Rios Goodbye
previous post > day 12 - Lapa Rios Night Walk
first post > day 1 - Adventure, Exploration and Relaxation
We had coffee and banana bread that was set out at the restaurant. The guide had a telescope set up on the main deck and had found a sloth. I think he said it was the more uncommon two-toed sloth. And we saw several monkeys quite close up on our way to the tour hut. They were cracking open the green coconuts and drinking from them - with gusto!
The staff drove us to a place on the main road maybe a half mile before the Escuela Carbonera, then we made our way back toward Lapa Rios. We got to use binoculars - it was fun! (However, I would definitely recommend bringing your own pair of binoculars - they would've come in handy so many times!)
We found out those birds we always saw from our deck that fly like buddies, always in pairs, were Scarlet Macaws. They are monogamous pairs that live to be up to 80! We saw green parrots, parakeets, herons, buzzards, lots of others I can't remember. It's an easy walk, though you have to cross a bit of water. I didn't take any pictures of the birds because I would have needed a telephoto lens.
This is the Carbonera School, a school that was set up by the founders of Lapa Rios and the surrounding community in this remote region where no schools previously existed.
* * *
We were back for breakfast at 8 or so. Nick had the pancakes again. I had the tico especial again. Mixed fruit is one of my favorite of the fruit juices. We had just enough time to stop off at our bungalow, then we proceeded to the Wild Waterfalls hike.
* * *
On to the Wild Waterfalls hike...
But first some interesting trees. It looks like a puppy in there.
If I'm not mistaken, that's the sap from the Calomina tree.
A Golfo Dulce Poison Dart Frog.
That was a lot of fun. Kinda difficult and lots of water to cross. Water shoes would work the best. I didn't know if my Tevas would have good enough traction, and by this point, Nick had given up on the Rafters even on dry land, so we used the rubber boots that the lodge provided. At one point, after fishing around for just the right spot...I managed to step in the deepest part and completely submerged my right foot. I poured out like a gallon of water from it! It was like a cartoon!
* * *
Another picturesque view on the way back to the bungalow.
We saw a Coati doing the same as the monkeys in the morning.
A Golden Orb Spider near the pool.
For lunch, Nick had casado con pescado, and I had the salad with tuna - medium rare and absolutely delicious! Succulent! I had the welcome drink (another of our favorites). Nick also had mixed fruit. The chip of the day was yucca and the juice was something neither of us cared for. It was made out of rice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Nick had the brownie for dessert.
We then looked through books in the main lodge by the sofas and bookcase, about animals of Costa Rica and the Lapa Rios story.
Then we came back to our bungalow and had naps. During the napping came a mighty rain. This is how I imagined the rainy season - this kind of rain all or most of the time. But it wasn't like that at all. I'm glad we had this as part of our experience at Lapa Rios though. It was beautiful to hear and watch.
I got up and watched the storm and read. Nick slept a bit longer. We enjoyed this then got ready for our private dinner at 7. This was part of the Honeymoon Package.
The private dinner was out by the pool under the hut. They had it set up with a dining table, 2 chairs, and candlelight. It was very nice. I think when it's not raining (it was still raining), they set this up by a waterfall, but I'm not sure how they execute this, as the waterfalls seemed difficult to get to.
It's all good that tonight was the night for the private dinner because they had pulled down the rainscreen in the restaurant, so you didn't have a nice view. When the waiter, Javier, led us out to the table, there was a HUGE tree roach on the champagne cooler. Dude, like 6 inches in length! Javier ever so gently encouraged him to move away.
The appetizer was tomatoes, palmito and parmesan on thin, hard bread slices. I had the Tico tower for the first course; Nick had some kind of salad. The main course was Churraso-style steak with chimichurri sauce, those potoato-y things and some sort of sweet, grainy mixture surrounded by onion and bacon with a sprig of rosemary.
It was a lovely dinner. The service was excellent, and the company most enjoyable.
Part of the company...
Well, off to sleep in the magical, tropical rain forest...
next post > day 14 - Lapa Rios Goodbye
previous post > day 12 - Lapa Rios Night Walk
first post > day 1 - Adventure, Exploration and Relaxation
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