DECEMBER, 2004 & JANUARY, 2005
December 27, 2004 - January 1, 2005
With Jimmy, Nikki, Kalley, and Michael's arrival in San Jose we piled into our six seater Cesna death coffin to Bahia Drake. Most of us had never been in such a small plane, so it was we guess a mix of fun and fear. It you want good humor check out the pictures of Kalley on the website.
The Osa Peninsula is as beauthiful from the sky as it is on the ground. After a clean, dirt strip landing in the middle of nowhere, we got into a waiting 1968 (maybe) Land Cruiser, which Cerreseto couldn't stop coveting. None of us could for that matter. The ride to our bungalows at Bahia Drake was straight out of Romancing The Stone. Lots of potholes, washouts, and river crossings. When we arrived at the Jade Mar cabinas, we were unfortunately greeted with the all top typical, we have 2 of the 3 ocean view cabins you though you reserved. Anyhow, long story short, a few beers, and a short discount later, all was well. Day one was drinks and acclamation, the adventure started the next day.
The next day we found a great expedityion outfit, Corcovado Expeditions, and our guide, Luis, took us on some excellent trips over the next week. The first took us into Parque Nacional Corcovado by boat for a 4 hour jungle/rainforest hike through both primary and secondary growth rainforests. The hike seceeded all expectations. The Osa Peninsula is home alone to 2% of the planet's biodiversity, and it feels like we saw most of it. There are 4 species of monkeys in Costa Rica, and we saw 3 on that hike alone; the Howler, White Face, and Squirell. We also got to see two Scarlett Macaw pairs (they mate for life, and never re mate) as well as several termite nests, strangler vine trees (at all stages of conquest, ranging from the beginning of wrapping a tree trunk, to the final stage of having completely strangled the host tree, and only leaving a hollowed out area inside its own vnes, where the host tree once was). Many of the trees we saw in the primary growth forest (which had not been logged over the past 100 years prior to reservation by the governement) were 250-300 years old. We all also spent a lot of time swimming in the 85-90 degree water and just laying on the beach.
While we didn't SCUBA on this trip, the snorkeling trip into the reef reserve off of Corcovado Park was awesome. Along with beautiful reef formations, we saw several sharks, eels, rays, and flounders, which camoflouge themselves just under the surface of the sand on the ocean floor.
Finally, with a little bit of coaxing for some, we took a canopy tour, and rode zip lines through the tree tops in the rain forest. It wasn't quite the fear factor some of us imagined, but it was a good time none the less, and was a nice warm up for the incredible cloud forest canopy tour we did a week later in Monte Verde.
Also, in a nice change of pace, we spent New Years Eve in this nature paradise, instead of an LA bar, not that we don't love LA bars!! At any rate, we changed up our all inclusive Jade Mar meal routine for a fancy dinner at Isla de Osa, which had some of the best open grilled shrimp and Mahi Mahi which has ever been grilled over human history. Mmmm. Then it was bed by like 11:30, yep I think everyone miswed New Years for the first time ever. A gorgeous time all around.
