A Slight Misstep

By and large our trip to Costa Rica was a smashing success. Sure, there was a bit of a disappointment in that we couldn't do our canopy tour due to the rain, but that was offset by the opportunity to toss down shots of local rum. On the other hand, there was one side-trip that we purchased that I would have to suggest you skip. That was the visit to an "authentic" Maluku Indian village.

The Great House


I guess this was authentic if the Maluku have existed throughout the years by operating a giant souvenir shop.

Interior Of The Great House


We were treated to a demonstration of a native dance and ceremony that did have a bit of poignancy about it. It was largely a lament of how the environment was being destroyed by the white man and the Maluku way of life was no longer possible to sustain. They also passed around a variety of masks that were used in their ceremony and explained the meaning of each one. Again, this would have been a bit more impressive if each one didn't also have a price tag.

Maluku Dancers




We all got to join in the dancing but, because we were all dancing, there was nobody to take a picture. I did get one taken of me after the dance was over though.

Bar Man And Instrument


There were a few native huts that we could see, but they were totally empty so it was pretty obvious that nobody actually lived here.

A Typical Maluku Dwelling


At least they did make the souvenirs that they sold and they weren't just some knock-offs from Asia or India.

The Factory


Now I wouldn't have minded this whole thing if there wasn't the continual insistence that this was an authentic Maluku village and that the people really lived here. I just didn't find that plausible. The only "livestock" that I spotted was a nice looking turkey who didn't seem like he would be anyone's meal anytime soon. And, as I mentioned, none of the dwellings looked inhabited or habitable.

The Turkey


Sadly, this reminded me of when I was just a little Bar Boy living in Minnesota. On our family drives up north we would pass, and sometimes stop into, "authentic" Indian villages, complete with a tepee or two and one or two Native Americans (as they are now known) dressed in buckskins and feathered headdresses selling little birch bark canoes, drums, bows and arrows, and other similar stuff.

One of the other draws of this side-trip was the promise of a frog and butterfly garden. For some reason I thought this would be an outdoor area where we would see a variety of frogs and butterflies in their native habitat. That too proved to be a bit of a disappointment. There was a meshed enclosure for the frogs and I spotted two. The Mysterious Chinese Woman claimed to have spotted a third though.

Frog 1


Frog 2


The butterflies were kept in a similar enclosure and, again, there didn't seem to be too many of them. I did get a picture of one though.

Butterfly


All in all I would suggest that if this little side-trip is offered to you, just say no. By the way, everyone in our little group felt the same way and, sadly for the Malukus, nobody bought any souvenirs.

Down The River

No rain in Tamarindo as we got on the bus for our river trip. It was a bit of a ride to the river, but well worth it.

Boarding The Raft


As you can see, it wasn't a very big raft. On the other hand it was a fairly smooth ride. This was about as rough as it got, and was really just a ripple.

Shooting The Rapids


Although we were all wearing life-vests, we were told that we didn't have to worry about drowning anyway because the crocodiles would get you first.

Ferocious Crocodile


These crocodiles were just a bit bigger than the ones you used to be able to buy at pet stores. I suppose if about a hundred of them attacked you it could be serious, kind of like being attacked by piranhas. Maybe there were larger ones lurking out of sight and these were just to lull you into a state of overconfidence.

I was more worried about this fellow who loomed up unexpectedly.

The Real Danger


Luckily he didn't appear to be hungry and let us pass without an incident.

We did see a lot of wildlife, birds and bats and howler monkeys.

Birds


More Birds


The little bats were interesting. They were just kind of pasted up against the rocks and were about the size of a quarter. The white spots are lichen and the dark spots are the bats.

Tiny Bats


There are a lot of howler monkeys in Costa Rica and you can hear them almost every night once you get away from the larger cities. They are a bit more difficult to see though. This one was quite willing to pose.

Ready For Your Closeup


After a couple of enjoyable hours on the river we disembarked and headed for lunch.

Disembarking


A tasty tilapia lunch (not the one we were served, however).

Yummy


They do a lot of tilapia fish farming in Costa Rica so there is a good chance that the next time you buy some that is where it originated.

Our trip is coming to an end, but I think I can milk it for one or two more postings. You will simply be astounded my my visit to a..., you will just have to wait.

Friends Of The Mississippi

My brother and nephew are big on the ecology thing and are going to be paddling on the Mississippi to raise money for Friends of the Mississippi River. Friends of the Mississippi River is a nonprofit organization working to protect the unique ecological, cultural, historical and recreational assets of the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities. Through education, outreach and advocacy, they are connecting people to the river and raising awareness of how protecting it benefits everyone.

If you are interested in learning more about this organization or would like to contribute to it, click the kayak.

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Tamarindo

The day broke as rainy as it had been the previous day so there would be no sky-walk or zip-lining. Instead we hopped on our bus and headed for our next destination, the beach town of Tamarindo. On the way we stopped for lunch in Liberia. This is one of the larger cities in Costa Rica and has an international airport. If you were just heading to Tamarindo this is where you would probably fly into. We didn't really explore the town, just stopped for a very nice seafood meal (I had cerviche) and a beer or two.

No Bar But A Beer


I couldn't resist toasting this lovely lass who looked like she was raising hers as well.

Toasting (But Not Frying) A Mermaid


Tamarindo is a great little town that is growing like mad. It is on the Pacific coast and is very popular with foreigners (people like me). Initially it attracted a lot of beach bums and surfers because of the surf, naturally, and its low cost. It still retains an almost 1950's feel to it in certain areas, but is rapidly being developed as more and more of the wealthy gravitate there. Kind of a pity, really, but there is no stopping progress. See it now before it changes to much.

A Bit Of The 1950's Flavor


A Surfside Bar


The Surf


Actually, the bigger waves were down the beach a bit, but this place did attract a good surfer and soccer bum crowd, both locals and foreigners.

Nogui's


It was my kind of place so settling in for a couple of beers wasn't a hard thing to do.

Settling In


As I said, it had a nice surfer/soccer feel to it.

Surfer Soccer Motif


Later, after showering and changing, I headed back into town from the hotel which was about a mile away down a dirt road. There are plenty of taxis though but the ride is a bit expensive. The price I was quoted was $15 per person, one way. This is an example of how the place is changing with fancy hotels outside of town for the rich. Needless to say I simply walked.

There are a lot of nice bars and restaurants in town, most are open-air and right on the water. Before deciding upon a place to eat I stopped into one of them for a beer.

Copacabana


They had a nice enough bar and a friendly bartender so it was a good place to quench my thirst after the walk into town.

Thirst Quencher


Of course if sit too long you are never sure what or who you might attract.

I Sat Too Long


After a refreshing beer I headed down the street to Nibanna to have dinner and, of course, another libation.

Nibanna


Libation


Tomorrow six of us are scheduled to take a raft down a stretch of river and hopefully we will be able to do that. No rain here now, we seem to have left it behind us. The rest of the group has scheduled another zip-line excursion so they are also hoping for dry weather. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Beef Eggs

These would go great with a chicken-fried steak.

Beef Eggs


I am lazy today so will try to post more Costa Rica pictures later or, perhaps, tomorrow.

Monteverde

After a brief intermission we are back to Monteverde. We headed out in the morning to take a walk through a cloud forest. Feels like walking in a grandiose green cathedral, albeit a damp and muddy cathedral.

Heading Out


It was an interesting hike though, and the Mysterious Chinese Woman had never been to anything like a rain forest before. She is interested in things botanical so for her this was a real treat.

We weren't really walking above the cloud forest too much, that was supposed to be later in the afternoon. This bridge did give a nice perspective though as you could look down upon the forest floor from tree-top level.

Heading Across The Bridge


We saw an abundance of strange flowers but, sadly, not too many birds and none that you could really get a picture of.

Flower


Flower


Flower


Strange Growing Thing


You may have noticed that Bar Man isn't real good when it comes to writing about nature. On the other hand, The Mysterious Chinese Woman was getting up close and personal with it.

Up Close And Personal


Like any good National Park there was a large souvenir shop. This one at least featured someone actually making souvenirs. He did a pretty good job of it too.

Blowing Glass


The finished products were quite attractive and, I thought, reasonably priced.

The Finished Product


Not too far away we saw where he got his inspiration.

Inspiration


There were a lot of hummingbirds buzzing around feeders that had been set out, and I do mean a lot. Kind of wish I had a fly-swatter with me.

A Hummingbird Extravaganza


I was told that at dusk the hummingbirds leave and bats swoop in to feed. They stay for an hour or so until they drain the feeders and then head off to feed on nectar. That would have been interesting to see.

Unfortunately our afternoon sky-walk, which was to consist of walking across swinging bridges above tree-top level, was rained out. Although this was the start of the rainy season, what we got was well beyond the norm. There were two tropical storms, one in the Pacific and one in the Mediterranean, no, wait, that would be the Caribbean (thanks Peter) that were dumping water all across Costa Rica. It was a deluge. In fact it rained so hard that there was a mini-mudslide at the neighboring hotel so the people staying their couldn't even get to their rooms. They were forced, forced I tell you, to hang out at the bar. I felt so badly that I rushed over to console them.

Bar Man Offering Consolation


After my rum and coke I was encouraged to try a shot of their local rum. They drink it almost like you would drink a shot of tequila, with salt and lime. It really wasn't bad at all. In fact it was a lot smoother than a lot of tequilas I have had.

The Local Favorite


Tomorrow we are going to try for the sky-walk again. Only a few of us were booked for that. The rest of the group had been scheduled to do one of those zip-line things. They were much more bummed out than we were because for many of them that was to be the hi-lite of their trip. They are going to give it another shot as well. And, by golly, I think I will have another shot too.

Flooded Subways

National Geographic News recently had an article about the possibility of a hurricane hitting New York City. They say that forecasters are warning that a hurricane making landfall at or near New York City could cause catastrophic damage in the United State's largest urban center.

While a storm is unlikely to make direct landfall on Manhattan, a nearby storm would cause extensive flooding and heavy storm surges. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff also warned that a hurricane striking the city could result in destruction on a massive scale.

Needless to say this could cause massive flooding of the subway system, most of which is, and I find this interesting, underground.

Determined to be prepared for this eventuality, the city has begun to place lifeguard stations at each of the subway entrances and exits throughout the five boroughs. This one, in Downtown Brooklyn, has done much to alleviate the concerns of commuters.

Lifeguard Station Protecting The Subway


Let it never again be said that New York doesn't respond to threats to its safety and the safety of its inhabitants. It should be noted, however, that several people I talked to felt it would be helpful if there were also lifeguards.