We are on yet another “Rosie” tour today. But, unfortunately, she has a migraine and isn’t joining us. Her husband Ozzie does the tour leading honors though, and we all meet and head out onto the pier at 7:30. Our tour guide is there to meet us (even though we are 1/2 an hour early) and he takes us to the van so we can wait to leave in comfort (A/C comfort – it’s already hot out here). We need to wait for another group he is organizing, then finally at the appointed 8am time, we head out for our nature tour.
Since Costa Rica is all about nature and ecotourism, we figure this tour is perfect. Our first stop is to visit a local farmer who has monkeys on the property that, while not exactly domesticated, are much more friendly to humans (particularly because we feed them!).
It’s a very fun stop. The white face monkeys are little and not threatening – and ever so active. They are playful and we had a great time watching them climbing all over the trees and cooling off in their “jacuzzi.”
Jumping on top of people was apparently a favorite activity – and they really liked one lady in our van – climbing all over her head.
I got to feed one, who decided he liked my fingers too. He was apparently a baby, chewing my nails and finger tips, teething. Which was really cute, until I told Chris, our guide, and he asked if I was bleeding. Uh, oh, didn’t think about that as the little thing was chewing away. Fortunately, he didn’t break the skin. Phew!
There were a bunch of monkeys playing in the woods, so we walked up a hill to see them and actually spotted a Pisote – which resembles an anteater, to some degree with his white elongated nose. They are reputedly aggressive, and doesn’t like the monkeys. We just kept our distance and took pix.
After a quick antiseptic hand wash and bug spray coating, we clamber back into the van to head to the Tarcoles river for our Crocodile viewing boat ride. But first, a restroom stop at a “typical” fruit vendor on the side of the road. Well, not so typical, but maybe more “touristic” – this place is a huge outdoor store selling everything from souvenirs to snacks to fruit smoothies. The bathrooms are rustic, to say the least, but when you gotta go, well, you use your iPhone as a flashlight to see inside the pitch dark stall, and you go.
(Not too bad a stop actually, as we score some salted fried plantains with lime. Looking forward to those back in the cabin.)
Back on the road, we cross the Tarcoles river bridge, which is only one lane because it is a good place to view a lot of crocodiles on the banks, so there is a constant stream of tourists walking along the bridge. Since we are on a deadline, we’ll come back here later.
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