Costa Rica

The prospect of flying back to Gatwick on Saturday is looking less and less appealing, this place is simply magical. The howling squawk chorus woke us up at 5am so we were ready for our 6am departure to the mangroves. An anteater meandered across the lawn as I drank my rocket fuel coffee and the canoes were attached to the back of the speedboat. We pootled down the coast in the speedboat and into a river estuary, spotting numerous types of birds, a crocodile and squirrel monkeys. Hubby had his’fuss face’ on at the prospect of canoeing with crocodiles, but they stayed well hidden and it was utterly peaceful as we paddled through the mangroves (apart from the occasional marital steering conflict!) We floated with the current back to the boat, had a delicious smoothie and then headed back to the hotel for breakfast. It’s not often that one reads a book by a swimming pool accompanied by an iguana. After lunch, a change of scenery to wallow in the sea, do we really have to leave???

Our last hotel of the trip and by far the loudest dawn awakening - howler monkeys howling and a huge variety of squawking, squealing and twittering - no chance of sleeping after 5am! I did a wonderful yoga class at 7am with a lovely, gentle instructor and no omming. After breakfast we went snorkelling in a tropical bath also known as the Golfo Dulce.  There weren’t a huge number of fish but enough to make it fun and most importantly, it was utterly peaceful. This place is indescribably beautiful, with so much wildlife everywhere. Hubby is finding it tough but just about coping... If only we could stop itching all the bites, it would be perfect! Lots of birdy action by the pool Bit of rain this afternoon ‘forced’ us to head for happy hour cocktails 

One last walkies at Drake Bay before we left and I finally got a photo of the gorgeous scarlet macaws The pelicans were in formation heading south for their sardine breakfast After our breakfast we were picked up in a 4x4 taxi for our bumpfest drive across the Osa peninsular to Puerto Jiminez, mildly disconcerting to see the machete by the driver’s seat. We had several river crossings, a change of driver and then a change of car and another driver when we got to the paved road, not exactly like a London Uber journey! A boat was waiting for us at the port (more of a pier really) We then went across the Golfo Dulce and saw a big pod of spotted dolphins - amazingly I actually got them in the photo! Playa Cativa hotel is tucked up against the Piedras Blancas National Park and can only be reached by boat It is all rather luxurious and the guests seem to be predominantly posh Brits - we will try not to disgrace ourselves (given the price of the drinks I suspect we will be mostly sober!) I wi...

Today was essentially a repeat of yesterday except I turned right out of the hotel for my 2 hour walkies! There were lots and lots of birds, including a pair of toucans. Once the tide had gone out sufficiently to enable crossing all the little rivers, I walked down the soft, sloping beach which was quite a workout for the legs. Back at the hotel, we lazed around reading, watching wildlife  and eating - this is the 4pm ‘snack’..   We had a lunch with an 85 year old English lady who was annoyed that she hadn’t been able to go on the snorkelling trip with her ‘toyboy’ partner - she has a wound on her leg which has become infected in this tropical climate and has to be kept dry, otherwise she would be out there doing everything. They went to Papua New Guinea and Namibia last year - I do love an inspirational feisty female! We are moving on to our final hotel tomorrow, even more in the back end of beyond if that’s possible, definitely living la Pura Vida.

We have decided to cancel the remaining guided tour and make the most of this beautiful hotel. The squawk squad woke me up at sunrise and I trotted off for a 2 hour pre-breakfast walk. There is a coastal path which was completely deserted, slightly spooky but rather fabulous. After breakfast we settled ourselves down for a happy day of reading with this amazing view. Two pairs of scarlet macaws flew over at regular intervals and Rusty had a reading companion - no need for a guided wildlife tour! A plate of delicious fruit was delivered to my lap without asking - it’s a tough life... I had an afternoon pootle and paddle on the beach, then back to my book, happy day.

The night walk was quite an experience, all a bit scary at first with pitch darkness, rustling in the undergrowth and weird loud noises. We walked down to a river and waded through it, giving the mosquitoes ample biting opportunities, but saw an amazing variety of creatures: ants, spiders, lizards, frogs, toads, a venomous viper, a sleeping bird, crickets, stick insects, crayfish, tadpoles.. The guide was great and it was all very fascinating but unfortunately just too long. We were with two elderly ladies, one of whom would have struggled to stay upright normally, but clambering down uneven steps in the dark, wearing wellies was a decidedly daft idea. She also wanted to know the name of absolutely everything in English and Spanish with tedious details of its daily life. Her companion took a photo of every single creature we found.  Meanwhile back at our stunning hotel, the raucous dawn chorus meant that we were easily awake for an early breakfast before today’s boat trip. We went ...