Soon after breakfast, we were loaded up and ready to hit the road. Minor was his usual cheerful self.
We left Monte Verde on a slightly better road, passing by the village of San Luis, which is home to a biological station that studies frogs.We drove through lots of cattle ranches on our way toward the coast. We saw a large spiny-tail iguana on the side of the road and a spectacular white-throated magpie jay.
As we left the mountains, we got on the Pan American Highway along the coast. We stopped to walk over the bridge across the Rio Tarcoles, which is adjacent to Cararra National Park.
This spot is well known as a favorite gathering place for crocodiles, scores of them lounging around near the bridge. Evidently, there’s plenty here for them to eat. The Rio Tarcoles bridge area is home to the highest concentration of American Crocodiles in the world. We counted 28 on one side of the bridge, the largest one was about 15 feet long, weighing about 500 pounds.
Cararra National Park is a special area because it sits right on the border between the tropical dry forest to the north and the tropical rain forest to the south. Also because it is the nesting area for Scarlet Macaws – as sooner as those words left Alex’s mouth, Minor screeched to a halt for us to see several of these magnificent birds in trees near the road.
A bit further along the coast highway, we stopped at a little gift shop that specializes in wood products. We watched an artisan working and enjoyed some snacks.
The next community down the beach was Playa Agujas, where we stopped at the local kayak outfitter’s place for a picnic lunch. They had all the makings for sandwiches, as well as fresh pineapple, watermelon, mango juice and iced tea – but, the best part of the meal was the cerviche made from white marlin.
Alex said the secret to the best ceviche is to cook the fish for 2-3 minutes in lemon juice, then add cilantro and other species – and last add the secret ingredients: club soda and ginger ale. We couldn’t be sure if he was joking or not, but it sure tasted good!
Lunch was served on the rooftop, so we had a good view of the trees nearby. High in one was a green iguana enjoying his lunch – flowers of the Mountain Immortal Tree. In another tree, we spotted some Orange-Chinned Parakeets.
On the road again, just past Jaco Beach, Alex spotted a pair of Scarlet Macaws in a tree. We got out to have a look, only to find 8 more a few yards down the road. Wow!
As we approached the town of Quepos, we drove past MILES of African Palm Trees. From these, palm oil is harvested for export – to make soap, detergent and candles. This is a profitable business, but it has drastically changed the landscape and ecology by destroying lots of rainforest.
After a quick ride through Quepos, we arrived at our hotel, the Villa Lirios – just in time for happy hour and dinner.
