Today we traveled from San Jose over the mountains and down to the Caribbean coast. We saw just how far we are going to have to climb back up and we were introduced to the tropical heat.
We turned off the main road and soon were driving along vast banana plantations on dirt roads. We passed a few places where our “trail” crosses or parallels the road. It is going to be hot tomorrow.
We loaded our gear on a boat at Goshen dock (Muelle Goshen) and made our way to some very rustic cabins that are referred to either as Julio’s Cabins or Aventuras del Caribe on Google maps. The cabins are set deep inside the Rio Madre de Dios a couple of kilometers from the mouth to the Caribbean. That river joins up with the Pacuare River just before flowing into the Caribbean. We discovered that across the river from the cabins was a small dock and path that lead across the narrow isthmus to the northern Pacuare Reserve station – a turtle conservation group. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing our best to acclimate to the tropical climate and communicate with the people running this place because we didn’t speak much Spanish and they didn’t know much English.
After dinner I joined a small group on a turtle tour. It was a beautiful night with stars aplenty, a little bioluminescence and a few fire flies, but alas we missed seeing a nesting leatherback by minutes. My boat ride back across the river didn’t show up, so I got a ride with the others in the group who graciously paddled me back across the river in their boat.
We spent the night in our cabin, mosquito free and listening to the sounds of the surrounding jungle.
The view from the dock where we spent the afternoon and evening trying to get used to the heat of the Caribbean.