Bahia Ballena 4/28
Rich and Reg on the path along the beach
Sunday we went into Tambor, the village at Bahia Ballena. We walked to a small boutique hotel with a swimming pool, a bar and a restaurant looking out onto the bay for some cold drinks and lunch. Everything was made of beautiful woodwork. The doors were finely carved. There were wooden lawn chairs next to the beach for watching the sunset. We saw red squirrels climbing through the trees. It was a quiet restful place. It was even more quiet as it is the end of the dry season and fewer tourists. Soon the rains will start but we hope, not too soon.
Tables by the pool
Carved doors
On the other side of the bay, was a small enclave of building on stilts. As we walked towards it we saw howler monkeys sleeping in the trees. We even saw a small one hanging by its tail, eating leaves. We have heard them howling since we arrived in Costa Rica at all of the anchorages but this is the first time that we have seen them.
Howler monkeys, a small one hanging by its tail
We saw the Bahia Ballena Yacht Club, a restaurant over the shoreline, but it was all locked up and it looked like it had been closed for a while.
Isla Tortugas 4/29
After Bahia Ballena we went to Isla Tortugas. As weleft the harbor, two men in a panga flagged us down and wanted us to tow them north. They wanted to go as far as Puntarenas but we were only going to Isla Tortugas so that was ok too. Their tow line broke twice but we got that sorted out. They had a small puppy on board as well. Later we saw them sailing north with a black plastic bag as a sail. We hope they made it.
Nantucket sleigh ride
Isla Tortugas, has a few restaurants on the beach, only open during the day, but a popular place for tour boats to bring tourists to go snorkeling or hang out at the beach. Reg, Phoebe and I got our snorkel gear and decided to check it out. The water was warm, 30 degrees Celsius and I did see a few wrasse but that was it. Maybe the light was wrong or too much wind and waves but I thought the snorkeling was poor compared to what we have seen in the South Pacific.
That evening was dinner for the four of us on Windarra. Rich fixed chicken on the BBQ. Yummy.
Curu 4/30
This morning we had the anchor up at 7:00 am and we went over to Curu, a small bay opposite the island. It is the home of the Curu Wildlife Refuge, http://www.curuwildliferefuge.com/. It is a private reserve that is family owned and operated. Luis, the son of the original owner, was our tour guide. He is a wealth of information, explaining how the reserve was initially set up, what he experienced as a child living on the property and now as the operator. In addition to the reserve itself, folks may stay in one of the cabins on site and enjoy the beach, the bush and an artificial reef that was created in the bay. They also provide PADI diving.
Capuchin monkey eating a mango
Luis walked us through the forest, where we saw trees of teak, mahogany, .a form of cashew, mango, banana, and much, much more. We saw the guanacasta tree, native to Costa Rica, whose name in the indigenous peoples language means ear which is the shape of the seed pod. We saw howler monkeys, Capuchin monkeys and spider monkeys. Luis explained there are certain limes that grow on the property that the Capuchin monkeys we open and spread the juice on their fur to clean it. They care for spider monkeys that may no longer live in the wild, often because their teeth have been removed so they do not bite but of course, now they may not survive on their own. We were lucky and saw a pair of red macaws, as well as Jesus lizards (they can race across the surface of a stream), leaf cuttings ants and woodpeckers. It was a great experience and we would suggest it to others.
Hanging out
Isla San Lucas 4/309 56.877 N 84 54.647 W
After our tour we motored north to Isla San Lucas. It was once the site of a prison, for Costa Rican prisoners. The facility is closed now but tomorrow we will check it out.
Tonight we are anchored in calm, flat water and we are looking forward to a great night's sleep.
Good night.
Sent from SV Windarra iPad
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