This past weekend, 5 of us went down to the Osa Peninsula, which is basically the last area in Costa Rica that really hasn't been touched by developers. Since it was the long weekend, we left on Wednesday afternoon on a 6 hour busride to Palmar Norte, where we stopped for the night. On the way there, we literally went up what is called "the mountain of death" here. Thankfully, I awoke from my dramamine-induced sleep only after we got past most of it, or I think I would have been scared (judging by the speed in which we went over it on our way back). The lady at our lodge arranged everything for us because the place is so remote - "Ector" picked us up as promised at the bus station at midnight when we rolled in, thankfully, as we looked around groggily, and took us to a little hotel where we stayed for the night. That morning the family there cooked us a great breakfast, and Ector's brother, Juan, picked us up in a taxi and took us to Sierpe, where we met our boat that was to take us through the mangrove swamps, down the Sierpe River, into the ocean, through Drake Bay, and finally, to Punta Marenco. Yes, it was a long boat ride - but amazing! It took a couple of hours to snake through the swamps and then emerge into the ocean, where the boat ride was wild.
We literally surfed our boat into shore and got dropped off at the bottom of the hill at Punta Marenco, where we were pointed to our lodge. A lot of huffing and puffing (5 days luggage in arm) and 2 snake spottings later, we arrived at our lodge. So beautiful! The views here just never get old, and this one sure was lovely as well.
We settled in, and that afternoon, walked down to the beach and on a trial. One of our professors here had been to the Osa a couple of weeks before, and he left us with the following instructions:
walk down the beach until you see a river. Look for a man in a hammock. If you can't see him, yell RICARDO!!! Ricardo will row you up the river and take you to 5 waterfalls
This is exactly what we did. We found Ricardo in a hammock, right where promised. Ricardo led us up rocks and trails, and we jumped off waterfalls all afternoon. It was so fun. And to top it off, we saw monkeys at the top!
Friday, we went to Cano Island, which is a 45 minute boat ride off the coast. On the way there, we saw 2 humpback whales and a bunch of dolphins. We spend the morning snorkeling, had a great lunch on the island (and nap until I was attacked by sand flies because my sunscreen was not unscented - note to self), and then went back out to snorkel some more.
Saturday, we went on a hike in Corcovado National Park. First of course, we had to get on another boat. You basically have to get everywhere here by boat. Our guide, Steven, was able to spot so many animals and knew all about the trees and plants in the area. That afternoon, we ended our hike at a beautiful waterfall that ended up in a pool at the bottom.
This is a pretty pathetic rundown of my weekend, but a) I'm a little rushed, and b) I simply can't put this place into words. All I could keep thinking was that I was basically on the edge of the world. Check out my photos to put it into a little better perspective. Sadly, I didn't take my camera all the way through Corcovado, but I did get some good ones.
Today, I am heading on my final trip - Arenal Volcano. Expect a final update, probably when I get back stateside. Cheers!
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