Caribbean to Pacific – we get wet!!!

From about Sept.3rd to 17th was nearly solid travel. We spent a few days in San Jose, then ventured to the Caribbean side of the country, then back to the north Pacific coast.

On the Caribbean side, we spent a morning snorkeling off the Cahuita Reef. Just chock full of colorful fish. I’m sure I spotted Damsel fish, Parrot fish, … and many more that I can’t name.

We mostly cruised the coast to get the flavor of the area. It’s just as the guidebooks describe – more Jamaican than Latino. Fewer people, surprisingly different terrain, and a very laid back attitude. We stumbled into their dry season, which was a relief after lots of rain.

On our return, we stopped at Caño Negro reserve. This is a unique area, where the rivers flow from the volcanoes (Tenorio and others) towards Lake Nicaragua. It’s important as a nesting area for many birds. We took two boat tours – one AM, one PM, to catch (figuratively) as many birds as possible. Caimans (like half-size crocs) like to lounge on the beaches here. The crocs are there, but rarely seen.

After Caño Negro, we drove to Playa Hermosa and stayed for three days. We updated our diving skills with what they call a “Resort Course” sanctioned by PADI. It covers the basics you need for a closely escorted dive. We spent an afternoon in their pool clearing masks, clearing our ears, giving each other the OK sign, and so on. Then the next morning out on their boat for 2 dives. It was perfect for us, not having been in SCUBA gear for nearly 20 years. Like the geezers we are, we reminded the instructors that the last time we dove was before they were born. I think they gave us some extra lead weights for that.

And then back to Playa Grande.