Simon Crosbie's Travelogue - Central America

Simon Crosbie has recently departed on a life-changing experience. By coincidence, prior to attending our Costa Rican evening in November, Simon had already decided that he was heading over to South America to take part in volunteer conservation projects. A recent but amicable split with his partner prompted Simon's career break, and having read an article in a national newspaper about different options, Simon finally settled on two project/expeditions with Global Vision International. The first will be five weeks in Tortuguero National Park on a Marine Rain forest project monitoring, turtles, Jaguar predation and other flora & fauna.

Simon will be spending his first month on a Spanish language home-stay in Liberia, and then plans to take his PADI diving exam.

You can keep up with Simon's activities in South America, and read all about his 'Jewels of Costa Rica' trip later in the year, by checking the new blog right here!

Third Instalment from Simon:

So, since my last blog from the foothills of Rincon de la Vieja, just north of Liberia, I have done a lot...and managed to lose myself further into the pace of life, very remote and wild places and not a little socialising along the way!

I seem to recall promising accounts of the Turtle Conservation project in Tortuguero on the north Carib' coast of Costa Rica and Manzanillo at the southern extreme of the same coast, close to the Panama border....

...after a 5am bus from Liberia to San Jose - most travellers connection to the next must see place - I took a taxi to Terminal Caribe which serves all routes to the east coast and a 12 noon bus bound for Manzanillo. Manzi' is at the end of the track - literally - on the road heading south towards Panama; although there is a turn off just before Manzi' to Sixaola, the border crossing into Panama - more on that later.

The bus by-passes on the outskirts of Limon (Puerto) which has a definite seedy, port-town feel, run-down, hot, humid but not without a certain charm. Hugging the coast, with lush jungle to the right, we call in to Cahuita and the reggae-rasta village of Puerto Viejo which turns out to be the destination for most on-board. A veritable united nations of travellers and revellers - it's not rasta/reggae for nothing!! - travelling light, backpacked to the max surf-dudes/babes empty on to the sandy streets. One of five left, I shake, rattle and roll down the remaining 13km gravel track to Manzanillo.

This is the wet/humid coast, but you wouldn't know it today - 4th March 2008 - the streets are dusty, sure it's humid it's right on the beach, and it's 34C. But what a beach! The settlement, for that it what it feels like, has a couple of pulperias, grocery stores, a few sodas, cafes, and one main bar/restaurant by the name of Maxi's. Maxi is the Don of this tranquil little jewel, and his staff, family & friends cluster around the bar area at street-level in the evenings, slamming down dominoes, beer and Ron y Cola, almost drowning out the background reggae (nothing is too loud here) in alarming displays of competitiveness - not quite the Bulls Head on a Friday evening I can tell you!!

I find Cabinas Manzanillo, run by Sandra y Pablo, at the end of the street as you enter town and prepare for a week of being a beach bum, jungle tours, snorkelling and generally dropping a couple of gears down from life in Liberia...I didn't think it was possible to be honest; but you can lower yourself to a state of near hibernation down here.

That beach...a gentle crescent of white sand stretching for a mile or two. It's midweek, so there are no weekend Ticos and very few gringo's/travellers...the nearest person to me on the beach must be at least 300yds away, and as far as I can tell, we are the only two on the beach!!

I meet up with a Czech couple who invite me on a jungle tour the following morning...our guide is Omar...a true rasta, and what he can't spot, find or tell you about the local flora and fauna probably is not worth knowing. Everything from the toxic terrors of the poison apple tree which gives it's name to the village, through to edible if odd smelling fruit, the chewing gum of the jungle - quinine - very bitter, I can see why you need gin with it, to wild cilantro/culantro (coriander) and forest palms in whose curled-up leaves a family of bats has taken up residence...and then flight; eyelash vipers, golden orb spiders, caiman, howler monkeys, sloths and iguanas - the latter two he has spotted from some 100m, and which we eventually see having stared right at said beastie for fully five minutes!

I come to appreciate the skill, patience and fortitude of the people who find and film for the BBC, among others, as it is clear that whilst the jungle may be swarming with life, it doesn't just come up and pose for you - a few monkeys aside of course!

With a day to go, a family of Howlers descend from the canopy to the sweet-leafed trees next to my room, no more than 8ft away from me at times. The alpha-male - you can tell who he is!! - gets the pickings first and gradually the clan join him in contented browsing.

And so it's back to San Jose to meet fellow volunteers and interns who will guide us on our journey from the capital to Tortuguero, and the research station at Cano Palma.

A couple of buses and three hours or so later, and we are on the boat from La Pavona, through the lush canals to Tortuguero...intense, wild, humid and what you can't see in bird life, you can sense living and breathing just beyond the fringe at the waters edge - it is quite simply, stunning!

At the boat dock of the base, we are met by seasoned volunteers - well they have been there 5+ weeks and we check in to our shared dorms. The dock, base and rooms are festooned with webs of the large, beautiful and harmless golden orb spiders, literally hundreds of them.

So, we are in the jungle. Breakfast is at 0430, study, orientation and surveys start at 0500 to make the most of the cooler conditions and the stunning jungle dawn. I say cooler...the coolest recorded temperature on the weather station (a daily observation) was 24C!

I will spend a month here, doing bird surveys of 30 listed types and tested to a 98% pass-rate, jungle transects for mammal surveys - including monkeys and tracks/sightings of peccaries, raccoons, agouti, deer, coati and other furry critters. The 3km transect, recently cut by machete taking 6 weeks, is at canal/sea level...it rains here, a lot, so water and mud to waist and often chest depth is normal. Travelling 3km takes 8-9 hours...it's hot, humid, energy-sapping and utterly fantastic!!

The main purpose of this project is to monitor marine turtle nesting patterns and numbers and the occurrences of jaguar predation on said turtles. Night surveys involve turtle tracking, egg counting, triangulation & GPS recordings, measuring the carapace and disguising the nest after nesting to help reduce poaching - all in complete darkness...well near as damn it; red light only, as white light or fires will result in scaring off the turtles. Night surveys are typically from 4 - 8 hours, depending on activity.

At 5am, jaguar walks begin. In position on the beach near Tortuguero village at 5am, we commence a 15 mile beach walk to monitor jaguar prints and carcasses. Exhausting, hot and often very smelly work - a rotting turtle carcass is normally sensed before you see the vultures...if you are down-wind of course. It is quite staggering to imagine a jaguar dragging a 200-500LB turtle into the vegetation...it takes two people to turn it upright - although sadly deceased - to take measurements and photos for the research base and the government conservation authorities.

But it is not all work - mostly, but not all. By way of respite there is a tour lodge on the other side of canal from the boat-dock. In the evenings we head over to Don Edgar's...or DE's... for a cold Imperial or a Ron y Cola...or both!! This we achieve by canoes of varying sizes...which are wobbly, well actually we are...but great fun. Although it must be said, on the day of a particular 'jagwalk' we were returning on the main canal and spotted...well you couldn't miss it really...a 12-14ft Croc'. I swear, it did not look real...until it moved. Canoeing to DE's that evening took on a wholly new psychological challenge...but a beer is a beer after all, and needs must as they say!!

I am writing this blog back in San Jose, it's the 8th May 2008, and I have much to catch up on. Writing retrospectively is giving me a fresh sense of just what a life change this is, how much I have seen; and I have not even got to telling you about Panama, Quito and a month in the Galapagos yet.

Before I do, I will wrap this edition up, but not before letting you know that there is a very real opportunity for life to take on an even greater change in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Enough, I hear after Easter snows, spring has sprung back home. Home...? Where is that...?

Second Instalment from Simon:

Well I'm now very much into the pace of life in Liberia. Having a one-on-one Spanish course for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week plus homework is hard going if you have not been to school for many years, but after the first few days of scrambled brains, it started to stick. Living with a tica family is also a very good way to stick to Spanish speaking only and makes you learn.

So with improving communication abilities and a strong desire to see more than just the beach - very tempting though it is - trips to the interior needed to be arranged.

Just a couple more beach recommendations though, including Playa Brasalito which is great for swimming, body-surfing and stunning Pacific sunsets. 1km further on from Brasalito is Playa Conchal - so named because the beach-sand is of crushed sea-shells, which stays cool in the heat of the afternoon. The beach is steeper and there can be a rip current only a few yards from the shore (only the week before one unfortunate soul was lost because of the rip-tide).

At the weekends, the tico's arrive to camp & generally set up with family and friends. They are lovely people, and not a knotted hankie in sight! A recommended boca or snack can be had at the entrance to the beach, a 15 minute walk from Brasalito, where small grills with pork & chicken kebabs and the wonderful ceviche; raw fish in lime juice with chopped tomatoes and coriander, can be sampled. Together with an ice-cold imperial the ceviche is particularly good, and for around 2-quid, it really is hard to beat!

OK, back inland, and a 1.5 hour drive north from Liberia (6kms) and the 20kms by gravel track to Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja. A volcano swathed in primary and secondary rainforest, to such elevations where cloud forest occurs. Along with 8 other compadres, we split into two groups to take the fumarole, mud-pool & hot spring & hike to the waterfall routes.

I took the latter to Catarata Cangreja, a 5km each-way hike. Starting early is a good idea particularly at this time of year - the verano or summer. A light mist-mizzle was refreshing and at an altitude of around 775m a pleasant change from the scorching 35C of Liberia.

That said, take a couple of litres of water, better still add rehydration powder/salts or multiminerals and drink regularly. After about an 1.5 hours you emerge from the forest into what looks like African Savannah; sweeping views of grassland, plains, backed by the verdant forest clad of the volcano - it is truly stunning - and, on the day very hot, back up to 30 degrees C plus! Swallowtail & Morpho butterflies and geckos were abundant!

After some two hours at a good pace, with a couple of rest/drink breaks, we descended some 100m down into a gorge, green & cooler and the destination of a light azure-blue plunge pool and waterfall falling some 30-40 metres. Forget the shampoo adverts - this is the real thing!! The water is cool and refreshing after a good hike, and all but one of us leapt in, grinning like fools and blissfully happy.

Try it, you'll love it! But take snacks too.

At time of writing, I am now in San Jose, doing some CouchSurfing, which, for any of you budget travellers is a fun way to keep the costs down. Travellers are offered either a couch or a spare bed or mattress in local households. It's fun and very sociable. Of course contributions to the household are gratefully received, so buying some food, beer, or wine or all three, or cooking & washing up are the done-thing!

Back in San Jose from a week in Manzanillo, near the Panama border on the Caribbean side, its cooler, higher here and as well as writing this blog, I'm preparing for the next project - 5 weeks in Tortuguero where I am volunteering on a Turtle Conservation & Jaguar Predation project.

I'll add the Manzanillo blog in a week or so together with early experiences in Tortuguero. As for the Manzanillo trip, encounters with Howler monkeys, spiders, snakes, bats, sloths and more, feature - together with photos of course.

What I can say is that my experience gets richer by the day - I dare you to sell-up and go, you won't regret it! Bye 4 now, Croz'

First Instalment from Simon:

Something many people, including myself of course, have thought about doing is to up-sticks, dump the rat-race and get involved with something really meaningful.

So this is for real with yours truly; I'm fortunate enough to have been able to sell the house, car and material frippery, opting instead to be a volunteer on conservation projects and just see where the road leads me.

First stop, Liberia, Costa Rica, to take a Spanish language course, live with a local (Tico) family and immerse myself in a new culture and way of life. Let me tell you, so far I'm not finding it difficult!

For starters a few experiences in getting here, with Delta via Atlanta, and advice for those of you taking two or more bags with you. The connection time was tight with headwinds over the Atlantic causing a 1 hour delay and with only a 2 hour connection window, it was tight. At Gatwick the ground staff were not certain if my luggage would get straight through to Liberia, they even questioned if I was heading for north Africa via Atlanta? That sorted, the bar code and numeric on my ticket was essential on landing in Liberia - more on that in a minute.

So having made the connection for Atlanta/Liberia I sat back and enjoyed the 3.5 hours, touching down on time and to a balmy 29 degrees at 8pm. Oh yeah!...Oh no...!

Minus my dive bag!! My backpack made it but not the bright yellow Aqualung bag I was expecting to see. Fortunately my rep met me the following morning and took me to the airport; and after the Delta flight arrivals had cleared, my bag arrived through security much to my relief. And that bar code...? Absolutely essential when you fill out the missing baggage claim form which is required with a description of your baggage - there are posters on the wall with bag-type codes and colour codes. Use them - they are important. The immigration staff will take a copy of your passport, which you will need to produce the next day together with the white copy (top) of the claim form.

Delta, credit to them, tracked the bags which have a corresponding bar code on them and despatched them 'Rush' status.

Panic over - apart from the reservation I believed I had confirmed over the phone for the first night (that's another story) - I started acclimatising to temperature and culture and practising my limited Spanish before heading to the Pacific & Playa Samara and 3 nights at Tio Tigre where Ricardo takes fishing, snorkelling and diving trips.

The beach is breathtaking, a 1 mile + crescent of pale grey sand lined with palm trees, low-key/set-back beach bars, and safe swimming with gentle surf good for beginners & boogie boarders. They are very child-friendly here, but I didn't see too many families.

The ambience is one of total, laid-back calm, relaxed with some good eating & drinking spots and where doing as little as possible is an evolved art form. But cheap it isn't. If you're using Lonely Planet as a guide, the 2006 edition quotes prices which have increased in the region of 15-20%.

I've taken the bus so far and they roads are good if a little lumpy in places; you can drink the tap water and the whole place feels safe and people are friendly and respectful. But this is week one for me, and already I have met a guy with an organic farm near Lake Arenal who is going to introduce me to a zoologist friend of his who lives on the small island on the lake and has a grant to start a rehabilitation and rescue operation from one of the government run conservation authorities (MINAE) - including the diminishing Scarlet Macaw, so there are possibilities for conservation volunteer work here - more on that hopefully if it evolves.

I met a very interesting Italian (Giancarlo) from Verona one morning when I volunteered myself for some beach cleaning - the odd plastic bag, cup and can - every little helps! He was an expert in Costa Rican jade and volunteer from a Verona Museum of Natural Sciences. With a turtle conservation project 1km away on the next beach - ASVO on Playa Buena Vista - every little will help! Seriously, the impact of litter has yet to reach the nation, they seem blissfully unaware and I could have wept the first morning when I saw people watching a family size coke bottle imitating tumbleweed down the beach. It seems the world over, rubbish is always someone else's problem....sorry I digress; Playa Buena Vista is a beautiful chocolate-sand beach, deserted but for Giancarlo, myself and his dog Carluccio. The surf and rip-current was definitely up here and it was truly wild, the air full of surf mist and the beach scattered with bleached driftwood - and no rubbish!

You can visit the volunteer station, where they monitor and hatch Olive Ridley, Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback species here, make a donation if you want. You can also arrange for night-walks...something I will be coming back for to gain some experience for my Marine Rainforest trip in March to Tortuguero.

Now back in Liberia, preparing to go back to school tomorrow!

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