San Jose sunrise.

This has been a fantastic trip. Thanks, Sarah, for having the idea and doing all the work!

And special kudos to Paul and Marcos. They were the perfect hosts for our visit to their country. Paul’s knowledge is deep, and he always was entertaining while educating us. He also managed to keep 46 people herded for ten days, without us feeling like a part of a big tour - I think we all had very personal experiences. And Marcos who managed to move an enormous bus around tiny streets without breaking a sweat - and he kept the bus spotless, too.

Britt coffee plant.

San Jose traffic.

San Jose rainbow.

Dinner tonight was the group’s last time together, so it was a more formal meal at the top of the hotel we stayed at. The Holiday Inn is the second tallest building in San Jose, so the view from the 17th floor after dark was wonderful.

And a shot of Paul (right), Marcos (left) and a friend of theirs in Sarchi.

Our turn in the front seat today. Much more thrilling than I thought - this bus is gigantic.

Our lunch stop was in the town of Sarchi, which is famous for their painted oxcarts and painted everything else. We watched some of the local artists painting souvenirs.

Cans of paint.

Paint pots.

Palette detail.

Artist’s drawers.

Reading “Death by Black Hole” by Neil deGrasse Tyson on the beach. A great collection of articles by a brilliant scientist/author. This chapter is called ‘Footprints in the Sands of Science’ - appropriate, yes?

Sarah and I took a couple of classes – the first was a “coffee class”, which was not quite what we expected. Rather than learning about the history of coffee, or how to brew the perfect cup, or a tasting of different blends, roasts or varieties, the class was really about how to make coffee-based cocktails, complete with bartender and lots of samples. We had a great time!

The hotel also offered a towel folding class which we thought would be fun – we’ve enjoyed the elephants and swans that have shown up on our beds at various hotels. They’re surprisingly simple to create.

Another sunset at the end of the pier – this one a little less dramatic because of the clear skies, but nonetheless very relaxing and beautiful.

After dinner Eric and I took Kevin and Sarah back out to the end of the pier to see the phosphorescent algae, but the bloom was a fraction of what it was the night before so it was difficult to see. I went out much later and tried to get some time exposure shots, which were only moderately successful. (Pictures to come…)

Tastes like chicken.

Big croc. (Image processed)

Croc/rock camo.

Peaceful co-existence (not). A few minutes later I looked away for a moment and the croc took a snap at the bull. Drat, bad timing!

Sadly this huge guy has gotten a plastic ring caught around his neck.

We then headed down to Camaronal beach, where we walked around the small beach community in search of Red Macaws. We finally spotted a pair (they mate for life) in a beach almond tree. It must have been some sight watching the group of American tourists standing under the tree gawking up at the birds, while local Costa Ricans on vacation were enjoying their beachside campsites all around us, unimpressed by what is a very common sight to them.

Wild macaws, reaching for a nut.

Got it!

Puntarenas has a gorgeous beach.

And I have a gorgeous wife.

Net fisherman.

Beach, pier, and a very bright sun.

Sunset and a cocktail.

After dinner we relaxed for a bit, then Eric and I went for a walk back out the pier. Once at the beach we saw that there was an algae bloom happening of phosphorescent algae that I’ve seen in Southern California before. When the algae get churned up they glow blue. We first saw breaking waves lighting up as if they were being hit with a spot light, then we realized what was happening. We continued out to the end of the pier, where the pilings would cause the water to light up every time a wave came by. As our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we started noticing bursts of blue underwater, presumably made by darting fish. Then we noticed splashes near the surface where fish would rise to eat smaller fish, then a blue streak would shoot back down deep – they looked like meteors under water. This submerged fireworks display was dazzling, and we enjoyed it for about half an hour before heading back in, sad that for the first time on the whole trip neither one of us had a camera with us.

Oliver, our naturalist guide.

Cloud forest, and me.

More leaf cutter ants! The worker ant has cut the leaf and is carrying it back to the nest. The smaller ant you see on the leaf is a nurse - she’s cleaning the leaf and will help grow fungus on the leaves inside the nest.

This leaf cutter ant nest is over 10 years old. What you see here is about 8 feet in diameter, and very fragile. If you were to step on it it could collapse.

Built on the bottom of a giant leaf, this nest is home to either bees or wasps - I didn’t stick around to find out.

One of the many beautiful birds we saw in the cloud forest.

Twenty minutes of the drive to and from the cloud forest was along a twisty two way, one lane, road. Normally not that unique or interesting, unless you’re doing it in a tour bus with small trucks coming the other way. Marcos proved his skills.

A half an hour further down the road and we stopped for lunch, then on to Doubletree in Puntarenas for the next two nights.

Much better was getting an ice cream fix at 9:45am.

Topiaries

True.

“Pura Vida” is a common phrase in Costa Rica. Literally “Pure Life,” it is used to express happiness, approval, friendliness, and a reflection of a culture that loves life and the beautiful gifts of Costa Rica. We were taught the phrase on the first morning of the trip, and it was used liberally throughout the rest of the days (and not just by us tourists!).

This image is a time exposure painted with a Maglite flashlight.