Marina Papagayo (look for the green Footloose)

After a few days of hanging out in Playa del Coco Anchorage with the Papagayo winds blowing like snot, we were relieved to dock at Marina Papagayo. This was to be a quick stop, a week no more, eager to get moving to the Gulf of Nicoya. When we arrived there was a Panama Posse fleet here, which made it fun to catch up with boats on our route, including Michelle & Juan on Ay Caramba, who also own a Catana. We’ve met only a few Catana people out here, so we were happy to exchange some stories and tour their 431. Other than socializing, we  made the most of our week taking care of some boat projects. Michael was able to repair our main sail bag, which was huge, since the zipper had broke, leaving our main sail vulnerable to the elements. We also sewed the unraveling bits on our gennaker and once again re-furled it, tighter this time, fingers crossed it will unfurl and furl with ease as we anticipate using this sail quite a bit going south. AHHH. Footloose is all cleaned up and ready to go. Our last night at Marina Papagayo, we splurged and went out for dinner at a neighboring resort restaurant with our buddy boat partners, Paradisea and Sonamara. Over Manhattans, we chatted about our sail plan for the following morning, expecting to depart at 0600. Returning to the boat, I noticed that the air condition was off — did we trip a breaker?  Also- the AC panel was all lit up red. Uh, Michael, I think there’s a problem. Long story short, our Mastervolt inverter/charger was down. Michael was up until one am troubleshooting, but to no avail. Plans aborted, we watched our friends leave the harbor at dawn. We’ll catch up, but now it’s time for us to order parts in foreign places. Concerned because we’ve heard how expensive Costa Rica can be. How would this work?  Dan who manages the Marina, walked us through our options, including flying to Florida to pick it up and carrying it through customs. Imagining our new inverter being tossed about in luggage, we opted to have it shipped with a freight forwarder. 2 weeks approximately.  Costly setback for sure.

While we sorted things out, many sights to see around the marina. Many of the posse fleet had departed, but a new one rolled in, Interlude, with Captain Mike, making his way back from Panama to Mexico. We first met on the HAHA 16, so it was especially nice to reconnect and reflect on where we’ve been.

Sailbag Repair

Aquila and Adix (schooner). Aquila owned by “Walmart” Family

Aquila and Adix (schooner)

Aquila

Beach Walk at Dawn, Near Marina

Infinity Edge Pool at nearby resort

Nesting in the Neighbors Rain Gauge

Neighbor’s Bird, flew over for a visit

This bird was born in the neighbor’s rain gauge

Who’s that?

Passerini’s Tanager (F) maybe?

Wild Fungi

Iggy in a Tree

Tapir

Young at heart

Wasp Nest

Coati

Social Flycatcher

Capuchin

Waiting for Inverter Delivery… Flexible sailors, we try not to cry, but we do find ways to mend disappointment. In this case, we got out of Dodge, away from the dock, in search of birds and monkeys, and Costa Rican Pura Vida! The wildlife and bird watching in particular at Palo Verde National Park and La Fortuna (Arenal Volcano) did the trick.

Palo Verde

Birds of Palo Verde

Palo Verde National Park is home to spectacular wetlands and one of the best examples of a tropical dry forest. It was quite dry and windy during our visit. The water level in the surrounding marshes was also low, so some species had already departed for temperate summer nesting grounds. Probably better to visit December – February for full-spectrum of birds that migrate here every year. The Roseate Spoonbills, for example, had pretty much cleared out (we saw one or two, but two weeks earlier they were plentiful when our friend visited).  Still, we saw plenty of other species. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, we booked two nights at the OTS (Organization for Tropical Studies) Lodge, located right in the heart of the park. This is not a tourist place by any stretch. Most visitors are scientists, researchers, academics. They do welcome mere novice bird aficionados, so we were in. The lodging is basic with no air conditioning and mosquito nets hung over the twin beds. We did have our own bathroom with warm water. No matter, as we were not here for 600 thread count sheets. It was comfortable and cheap with three meals included with the lodging (bonus, given the aforementioned inverter order). Plus there were interesting people, and wondrous birds.  We rose with the sun and hiked to marshlands with cameras and binoculars. Jose, the young man working in reception, also serves as a guide. He introduced us to the nearby marshland and pointed out the birds in his scope. We also befriended a couple visiting from Holland, Marc and Pauline (pronounced Pauline EH). Marc is a serious and knowledgeable bird watcher. Outside the dining hall was our favorite spot for dining and talking about birds, travel, and even some politics.  We also met Gernot and Richard Kunz, a father and son team of biologists visiting from Austria. Gernot is an entomologist, so he had light traps set up and collected insect species (leaf cutters) for examination. Apparently, the dry air and full moon were not ideal conditions. He was passionate about teaching and mentoring future biology teachers to learn more about the morphology of organisms.  He also was an advocate for the spider family, who undeservedly are the most feared in the insect kingdom. Go ahead hold the tarantula in your hand! Gernod and Richard have created an application “Animals of Costa Rica”, and continue to update it with every new animal identified (over 7000 photos so far).  He explained how people name new species (never after yourself!).  He showed us a picture of this brightly colored leaf-cutter, which reminded Marc of a Picasso painting, and so it was that he named it thus – “Picasso”.  On the funny side- Gernot noted that someone even named a Caterpillar “Trump.” Laughing I asked, does it have orange hair?  -Yes, as a matter of fact!  We all cracked up. It is also the most venomous in the genus, go figure.  Gernot and Richard went off the beaten path around the park as you might expect. Gernot directed us to a nest, “turn right on Catalina, continue on the road till you reach the lone banana tree, behind that in the Guanacaste tree, third branch up, you can’t miss the large nest with baby Jabirus  We found it!

Road Trip to Palo Verde

Sugar Cane Operation

Windmills (reminds us of Northern Calif)

Brahma Bull

Palo Verde

Trees galore

Dining Hall, Outdoor Seating

Dry and Windy, Serene

Marc and Pauline

Gernot and Richard

Trump Caterpillar!

Turtle of Palo Verde

Pauline and Marc admiring the turtle

Capuchins

Sweet

Wild Palo Verde

Costa Rican Squirrel

Palo Verde Marshland

Sneaky, liked to hangout near garbage cans

Iguanas are tagged for study

Friendly Iguana, loves watermelon!

Iggy’s Tail

Jabiru Nest

Jabiru Chicks

Birdwatching at Palo Verde: It’s harder than you think. First to spot them or hear them, and then to identify them. Throw in a camera to focus and it is quite challenging. We are still learning, but having fun doing it.

Quite a Sight

Michael Focusing on Flight

Bird Watcher

Path to the Marshland Birds

Wood Storks, Egrets, Ibises, oh my

Herons and Sandpipers too

Whistling Ducks too

Crocodiles!

Wood Stork

Jose and Marc, Morning Bird Watch

Cracked Earth with prints

Cattle Egret

Jabiru

Great Curassow

Great Curassow

Roadside Hawk

Parakeet, unidentified

La Fortuna, Arenal Volcano

Toucan with Arenal Backdrop

Leaving Palo Verde, we drove 2 1/2 hours NE to La Fortuna, from the hot and arid climate to the lush rainforest.  Along the way, we picked up hitchhikers, a mother and young daughter escaping Nicaragua to be with family in Liberia, Costa Rica. We let them off at a bus stop near La Fortuna with a few colones.  Wishing them safe travel and reunion. Onward we went, through the curvy mountainous region around Arenal. We stayed at the Arenal Bungalows, again nothing fancy, but nice garden and view of the Arenal Volcano. There is lots to do in this area— ziplines, thermal hot springs, hiking, horseback riding, and of course bird watching. Obviously, a tourist hot spot, a far cry from the solitude of Palo Verde. We went to Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, where we did a self-guided hike through the park and then returned the following morning for a guided bird watching tour. Our first day, we sat drinking coffee, waiting for our hiking reservation. Sitting next to the gift shop, I turned my head and “WOA is that real?”  I spotted my first Yellow-Throated Toucan just perched on a tree smiling at me. There’s something about your first in most things, including spotting tropical birds.  Thrilling!

Arenal from Mistico Park

Arenal under Clouds (often)

Arenal

Rainy Morning

Spotting Birds in a Rainforest is challenging, but delightful

Olive Warbler

Gustavo, Bird Tour Guide

White Hawk

Rare

Yellow-Throated Toucan takes Flight

Bats

Snake Verde

Wild Boars

Spider Monkeys, Mistico Park

Michael crossing hanging bridge at Mistico

A Waterfall in the Rainforest

water below

Ants at work

Lush & Colorful Plants

I see you

Bird of Paradise

Beautiful Tropical Gardens, Mistico Park

Birdwatching at La Fortuna: Many new birds here, varied colors and songs. I walked around with my head tilted back, eyes to the sky, waiting for a glimpse!

Humming Bird, Rufus Garden

Yellow-Throated Toucan

Blue-Black Grosbeak (M)

Crested Guan

Great Kiskadee

very rare and pretty

Garden Birds Eating Papaya

warbler

No Place Like Home

Marina Sunset

After our four-day tour, we were excited to get back on Footloose. Before giving up the rental car, we stopped at Auto Mercado for one more  provision run and of course lunch at Coconuts at Playa del Coco. Marina Papagayo is really nice, but isolated without a car. There are restaurants and one small market around the marina, but very expensive. We did get a reasonable marina rate with a Panama Posse discount, and the staff and amenities are A+, with great walking and biking paths, a pool to cool off in the afternoon, do-it-yourself lavandaria and a quiet cool conference room with strong wifi. Back on Footloose, we began tracking our inverter shipment. It may be delivered as soon as Friday. Michael should have it installed quickly and we’ll be back in business – ready to catch up with our friends along the Costa Rica passage. 

Local Brews

Rare Pollos indeed

Aztec Parakeet

Fair winds everyone,

Lisa and Michael