Trip Report -- part 1 -- Bosque del Cabo -- March 2009
Part I of II
Bosque del Cabo, Osa Peninsula My partner and I went back to Costa Rica from March 13 to March 22, 2009. This was our second trip – last April we went to Manuel Antonio for six days. This time, we decided to venture out a bit, thanks to the encouragement, experience and wisdom of people on the travel boards – thank you all! You know who you are (and some of you don’t!). We spent three nights on the Osa Peninsula; five nights in Brasilito in Guanacaste; and one night near the airport in Alajuela. I'll post a part II about our time in Brasilito and Guanacaste. We flew nonstop from Newark to SJO on Continental, incident free. We got in around 11:30 AM CR time and walked over to the Sansa terminal for our flight to Puerto Jimenez at 2:15 PM. I thought we just might be able to make it onto an earlier flight, so we hightailed it over but found out there were no earlier flights. So, I ended up going back to the main terminal to pay our departure tax early and get cash from the ATM. While in the Sansa waiting room, the electricity went out everywhere except in that little store – the owner kept watching her novella as the rest of us sat in darkness. It didn’t seem to affect the flights though, and we took off pretty much on time. Let me just stop and say that I’m much more into wildlife and nature than my partner is. He likes it, but I’m much more into venturing out, looking under rocks, seeing the weird things. Going to BdC was totally my idea, and though it’s a far cry from roughing it, I knew the relative openness of the cabins, lack of a/c, bugs/critters was going to be a hard sell. After much back and forth, he agreed to go, but I have to say, I had A LOT of anxiety about this trip – as many of you on here saw from my posts about snakes, the heat, etc! I was worried we’d sweat to death at night, there would be snakes crawling over his feet, etc. So, this anxiety was in the air with me during many steps of the trip (I’ll get to the lack of heat at night but the presence of snakes in a bit!). Okay, back to Sansa. The plane was very small – maybe seating 12 people. I knew the plane was going to be small, but I guess I had neglected to explain all this to my partner (one of the few things I guess I selectively [“subconsciously”] chose not to share!). After some simple breathing exercises and some creative visualization, though, we both survived the 45 minute flight to PJ. By this point, we were getting a bit tired. The initial excitement was starting to wear off, and we still had the 45 minute ride to Bosque del Cabo (oh boy!). Carlos, from BdC, met us at the airport. Unfortunately – and maybe this is normal – but he came in a pickup truck. Not a problem in itself, but we both had to share the front seat. Luckily, we’re both thin, small people – but, honestly, if either of us had been larger, it would have been really uncomfortable. Also, the truck really had no shocks to speak of, so combined with the incredibly bumpy, jarring, long ride in a sort of cramped space, we were both pretty crabby when we finally showed up. This is honestly the ONLY real complaint I have about the whole BdC experience – and I don’t know if it’s usual or not – but it was a bit unpleasant. I think if we hadn’t already been so tired, it wouldn’t have been so bad. Also, Carlos stopped a couple times on the way to show us wildlife (crested owls and howler monkeys), so that helped a lot – gave us a little fix when we needed it! But, it is a long, very bumpy ride – at least in March – and you must prepare yourself psychologically for that. The ride back was much more pleasant. Kevin took us back in a larger vehicle. We had the whole back seat, there seemed to be more shocks, etc. Plus, we hadn’t been traveling all day, so that made a huge difference. And there were these amazingly, brilliantly yellow blossoms falling off trees like yellow snow – it was magical (and I didn’t get a photo!). Kevin said it only happens once every two years – and they weren’t doing it on our ride TO BdC four days before. We got our cabin pick: Congo. I won’t go on, but I’ll just say it was the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t describe it in words, and photos could never do it justice. I now know the meaning of the term “breathless” – truly. The view made it difficult to pull ourselves away from the cabin deck and go on the trails – and, honestly, I saw a ton of wildlife from the deck and porch. Others have said this, and it’s true for the most part I think. You should definitely go on the trails, but if you don’t, you’re still going to see a lot. I took the sunset tour with Philip on our second night because I was so excited to get to the pond and see the tree frogs all hanging out and mating and whatnot. Unfortunately, Philip told me it hadn’t rained since early December, and this unusual lack of rain was affecting some of the wildlife patterns. I never got to see the tree frogs, but I did get to see marine toads, a smoky jungle frog, and a few cateye snakes. I was a little disappointed, but no one controls the weather or the animals – and I learned a tremendous amount in that hour. Oh, got to see a wandering spider and a bird that roosts on the ground (of course I’ve forgotten the name). We even had a marine toad in our cabin one night! And of course the cool flashlight trick – and all those diamond eyes! Okay, so I don’t want to do a detailed day to day. In those 2+ days, we went on the Creek Trail (a couple times); Trogon Trail (which includes the first little bit of the Golfo Dulce Trail); visited the Tropical Garden a couple times; took the “old trail” from the Tropical Garden back to the driveway; Pacific Trail; Titi Trail (three times); the driveway. Here’s a list of our additional critter sightings and where (if I can remember): various agoutis and pizotes, mostly in the yards and trees around the cabins, but also on some trails and in the Tropical Garden; spider monkeys galore around our cabin every morning and every afternoon – also saw them on various trails; several tucans in the trees around the cabin, mostly down toward the ocean; several scarlet macaw sightings everyday, flying by the gap in the trees from our deck; an armadillo one night by our deck; several hummingbirds; several golden orb spiders on trails and near our cabin (watch out for those insanely large, multilayered webs on the trails!); several leaf cutter ant sightings; three blue morpho butterflies on the driveway, early morning; a bunch of smaller orange butterflies on that “old trail” back to the lodge from the Tropical Garden; howler monkeys on the driveway on our way in; one poison dart frog, on the Pacific Trail; sea slugs, sea urchin, fish and crabs down at the Pacific beach; various other birds I don’t know the name of; several kinds of bats; these two large birds on the Titi Trail – they were almost as large as turkeys, but I couldn’t get a good glimpse. Lots and lots of hawks circling in the sky. A very large cicada on a tree beside our deck – the cicadas were going CRAZY while we were there – an eerie singing in the distance. Oh, and that snake. Well, a very large 4 to 5 foot snake crossed a path about 15 feet away from us, down by the little creek where the Zapatero Trail ends by the driveway (upon further looking at photos on the web, I’m starting to think it was a boa – the head was too big to be a bird snake, I think). My partner luckily did not see it, but of course I reacted – fun! I’m sure there are other things we encountered I’m forgetting. Some surprises: We didn’t see any capuchin or titi monkeys. Due to the unusual dryness, the grass was parched and brown (but the forest areas were still green and relatively lush). It was actually cool and comfortable at night. This I totally did not expect – and it was a welcome surprise. I think the three higher cabins get a really good breeze, plus the Congo cabin has a pretty much unobstructed wind tunnel from the ocean – so it’s really, really breezy. Not sure if that’s so true with the other cabins. We used the little fan at the head of the bed to help, just in case, and I found myself pulling up the sheets in the middle of the night. (We kept our doors shut, but opened up the blinds all the way to help with air circulation.) So, I had some preconceived ideas that were unfounded, but it was all for the good. It was all a great experience. We had some nice conversations with Kim and Phil the owners, Gerly and Laura at the front desk, Xinnia one of the restaurant servers – just great people all around. I think I’ll stop there with the BdC portion of our trip. I’m sure I’ll remember more, and I can just add as things come to me. I’ll just say that, in the end, BdC was an amazing experience, and my partner was won over many times by the time we left – and it more than lived up to my expectations. We were very sad to leave, and I know we’ll be back. Next time, though, we’ll be sure to go either right after the rainy season or maybe at the beginning – maybe January or May/June/July. The total lack of rain was a fluke, but I would like to see it in its total green state also. Now, on to Brasilito… |
plumboy - Great trip report so far! I wish I could have summarized my trip report into segments as you did but I have a tendency to ramble a bit ;) so I needed to structure mine into days....needless to say, I still overdid it a bit...lol
Was Tim (and Cathy) still walking around with his monopod and camera nonstop?? (they were from Canada) I wish I had the dedication he did to getting clear shots w/ a monopod/tripod...I saw previews of some of his pics and can't wait to see the finished product!! They were really nice...saw your earlier post....hubby and I kind of kept to ourselves also...that "quality time" thing ;) Looking forward to hearing the rest - that's a bummer about your ride in to BdC - the first day is always exhausting! |
It's an amazing place, isn't it? They are doing a lot of things right there; that, coupled with the nature galore, makes for a great location. So glad you guys enjoyed it.
It is NOT common to be picked up in a pickup and I wouldn't care for that so much either. Must have been a bit of a glitch with the transfer planning. Usually it's Frank or Kevin in a 4 wheel drive SUV, Land Rover or similar. Anxious to hear the rest--especially about Brasilito--one of our favorite spots, so nondescript, but SO much busier than it used to be. Thanks for taking the time--nice report! |
Yeah, the couple from Canada was there -- the man with his camera equipment. They were staying next door at Lapa, and they were going to be there for 2 whole weeks! I was so envious.
Next time, I will definitely stay 4 or 5 nights. Three was good for a first time, I guess -- definitely would not stay less than that -- but 4 nights would've been perfect. I can't imagine 2 weeks! That would be amazing. It's funny, but the pickup truck had two rows of cushioned seats in the back, and I later saw people being picked up in that truck from maybe the beach? Anyway, when I first saw it at the airport, I thought, "No, no way am I riding that 45 minute bumpy ride in the back!" So, at least we got to sit in the front (I was even worried our luggage would fly out and kept looking back every once in a while until I became comfortable). But, honestly, if we had been a bit bigger, it would've been the back for us! I also want to correct myself: I don't mean to suggest it's actually chilly at night. But, with the little fan on, coupled with the breeze and the fact that it did cool down a lot at night, it did make for a cool breeze in our bed. I think the unusual dryness also contributed to low humidity -- this was nothing like Manuel Antonio last April. It was SO humid in MA when we went -- at BdC, our clothing actually dried out on the porch within a few hours -- unexpected. |
Enjoying your report and sounds like you both had a great time! We will make it to BdC one of these years - feel like I've already been there by reading so many trip reports about it and seeing photos.
Looking forward to hearing about Brasilito since we were there last March and loved it. |
Wonderful trip report, plum, and you saw a snake - I am jealous!
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Great report plum! As mentioned, you didn't get the usual pick up with Frank or Kevin, may have been a little complication somewhere, sounds like you got the pick-up that takes tou to the beach and back and the horseback riding tours. Probably very bouncy I'm sure, must've been a long day.
Love the trick with the flashlight, eh?! |
Actually, I saw about six snakes, if you count the cateye snakes at the pond. Philip told me sometimes in the wet season, the cateye snakes are literally hanging from the trees! Can't wait for that sight. So, volcanogirl, you'll have to do the sunset tour next time -- snakes pretty much guaranteed (they're small though).
Yes, love the flashlight trick! Can't wait to try it out everywhere now. A little afraid to do it in my apartment though :) Very cool. I hope to get to the Brasilito part of the trip tomorrow sometime -- work has been a killer since I came back. |
Great report plumboy! What a great trip so far! Since I got a sneak peak already I won't repeat myself, but I'm glad that most of your anxiety was unfounded. ;-) Will you be posting a link to your pics? You got some really great ones!
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I'll have to figure out a way to share my photos w/o sharing all of the other, more personal, folders. I'll work on it...
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So glad you had a great experience at Bosque (except for the drive there), and that your partner enjoyed it, too. Knew you would love Congo, how could anyone not? The lack of rain combined with that wonderful breeze Congo receives made it really comfortable sleeping.
It's okay that you kept to yourselves...think many other people do that, too. I am just so naturally interested in other people, where they are from, what cool places they traveled and what their story is; being at Bosque makes it easy to start that type of conversation. Steph, I have the same tendency! LOL! Looking forward to the rest, plumboy! |
I'm adding things as I remember them -- sorry this is so disjointed!
I had a little scare with my camera while I was there. I stupidly only brought one memory card with me. It's a 4 gb, so there should be room for about 1,000 high quality shots. Well, I woke up on our first morning at BdC, and I had only taken about 10 or 15 photos at that point -- but my camera was telling me I only had room for another 10 or so! I was devastated! I ran around the grounds offering to buy memory cards off people, but of course everyone needed their own. So, I resigned myself to the sad fact and started taking low quality photos (I was going to be able to get at least about 40 or so with that setting). Anyway, at lunch, I noticed a man had a rather large camera bag -- looked pretty professional. We had nodded to this couple the night before, so I just went up to him and asked if he had an extra memory card I could purchase. Instead, he took my camera, realized the problem and became my hero. Basically, he downloaded the photos I had already taken onto his laptop and then proceeded to show me how to reformat the memory card while inside the camera (now I know!). Voila -- it was fixed! I had the entire 4 gb back for use. They were leaving immediately after lunch, and I never got their names or a photo of them. Whoever you are -- probably back in Germany now -- you have no idea how much you helped me! Thank you, thank you, thank you. So, I learned the hard way -- always take at least two memory cards with you! Just wanted to share that story. |
Oh, I should add that Kim Spier told me that she had heard from someone that by deleting images off the camera, you can sometimes corrupt the memory card. I don't know if that's what happened, but something obviously did -- so, from now on, I will no longer delete from the camera -- another lesson learned.
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Plum I am so enjoying your report. I know exactly what truck you are talking about, we had a wonderful once in a life time experience in the back of that same truck flying up the road from Golfo Dulce w/Kevin at the wheel and four of us hanging on for dear life in an unbelievable torrential downpour!
(That is one looong sentence!:) ) Sounds like you had a wonderful time, looking forward to the rest of the story as they say. It really is a magical place. Interesting about the mem card, I have a fairly new 4GB card and somehow the little "lock" is gone and it won't let me add any pics. If that would happen while at BdC, I would probably need CPR. So yes, take extra you never know. Anticipating your pics and the report! |
Great report on BdC, plumboy. It's such an incredible place. I get to head down there in June for visit #2 and cannot wait!
Now I'm a little freaked out about <i>my</i> memory card because I always delete photos off it when I need to make space. Taking a spare card is a great idea... Looking forward to the rest of your report. :-) |
Yeah, the only problem with not deleting is that I came back with over 600 photos to sift through -- most of them basically duplicates, blurry, etc. Better safe than sorry though, I guess.
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Great report plumboy. Glad that Congo lived up to your expectations. It would be hard to grow tired of that view.
Looking forward to seeing some of your photos once you get a chance to share them. Regarding memory cards. Yes, always take extra. They are pretty cheap these days. I have never read that deleting individual images hurts membory cards (I would bring home 1000's of pics if I didn't delete as I go). However, you should always reformat your card once you have downloaded all your pictures (Instead of deleting all). Plus, don't delete the photos off of the card via computer. I have followed that process for years and never had problems. |
Okay, WAY overdue, but I realize I never put up a link to my photos from this trip. Here it is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rdc121/CostaRica2009# |
Great pics plumboy! I'm taking tips for next trip because all of mine are usually either landscape or wildlife. tully and I were agreeing on that, but I still didn't get as many quirky shots or food shots as I wanted last time. Hotel Conchal looks sweet. I'm actually considering it, as well as Fenix Hotel in Samara for next trip...Not sure where I'll land yet though!
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Oh, yeah, you gotta take photos of the food! That's at least 50% of the joy for me.
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