Costa Rica Part 1 - 10,000 Turtles, Camped with Pumas.
Friday, 9 November 2012 10:39 am
Thursday 8th November:
Not complicated but just back and forth to different offices; Immigration, Customs, Police, Fumigation, Customs, Insurance, Customs, Copies, Inspections, Customs etc etc. Finally we drove away after 4 hours at 1.15pm, leaving behind the great line of trucks heading north.
Our first town of La Cruz was for an ATM, and a late lunch, now that we had some local currency. The Colone - C500 = US/A$1.
Camp was just 6Kms back towards the border at a private guest house belonging to a charming german couple, who allow camping at their private resort.
Camp 268: Casas Castillas Camp
Cost: C2,500/vehicle = US/A$5. (toilet, cold showers & WiFi)
N11* 07.281 W085* 35.646
Today : 99 Kms.
Trip Total: 94,034 Kms
Friday 9th November:
Awoke to the sounds of Howler Monkeys. Costa Rica is more westernised (read Americanised) than the other Central American countries. Roads are better, less roadside rubbish, quality of living appears improved, thus the cost of living is also higher.
We are heading to Playa (beach) Ostional where last night 10,000 turtles came ashore to lay their eggs.
On the way these monkeys scrambled across the power lines.
Arrived around 3.30pm and an ideal time, as we had plenty to see before the sun set.
The beach was covered with tracks as turtles moved up to lay their eggs and then tracked back to the water.
We watched as they dug their holes and deposited the eggs.
The beach is so full of nesting sites that with every dig so many earlier eggs are dug up.
The Vultures know this, and wait as an egg is flicked their way before it is quickly fought over.
Just before the new moon, the turtles lay their eggs here every month from June to December. Each female turtle does her laying three times a year.
There is a good success rate.
45 days after laying, the hatchlings break out of the egg, fight up through the sand and waddle towards the Pacific Ocean.
We were fortunate to see a clutch of new born turtles do just that.
Again it is a fight for survival.
Those Vultures are waiting again to grab a meal.
However many survive to return to lay eggs on the very same beach they hatch from.
As we leave and night falls, hundreds then thousands descend on the beach. Photography is now not allowed.
With an estimated 10,000 turtles last night multiplied by approx 100 eggs each laid = 1 million eggs in one night.
Tonight another arribada or flotilla of 10,000 turtles descends onto the beach, and it almost disappears as they jostle for a laying position.
Camp was only 12kms away of one of the famous surfing beaches.
Camp 269: Guiones Beach Camp
Cost: Nil
N09* 56.772 W085* 40.269
Today : 233 Kms.
Trip Total: 94,267 Kms
Saturday 10th November:
This morning the girls are approached by a couple of vendors selling their pottery. The venders are successful with a couple of small sales.
Via lesser tracks we return to the beach village of Samara and Bill manages to get stuck in a river...but only momentarily.
He is just too quick for a good photograph.
Visited the Las Pumas Animal Rescue Shelter 4kms east of Canas.
It was started 50 years ago by a Swiss couple who became concerned with the destruction of the rainforest and loss of endangered species habitats.
Now they provided care for injured felines - Jaguars, Pumas, Margay, Ocelots and Jaguarundis (which I have never heard of before)
Never camped in a Zoo before !
Camp 270: Las Pumas Camp
Cost: By donation(We gave $5/head)
N10* 27.206 W085* 07.524
Today : 151 Kms.
Trip Total: 94,418 Kms