Down the River

On Sunday, we set out on a river safari through a local tour group. Our guide, Edson, was reaaly knowledgeable, about he local flora and fauna, sue, but also about politics, the culture, the school systems, Costa Rican history, you name it.

Fred and Nancy were in a separate boat, with a newer guide. They saw about a third of the animals that we did, but they struck up a friendship with the other tourista couple in their boat. Enjoyable, I guess, if talking to people is your sort of thing.

There's a crocodile.

A basilisk, or Jesus Christ lizard, so named because they run across the top of the water. (Only Jesus *walks* on water, our guide said.)

Toucan. They travel in pairs.

Some folks were in canoes, and these two Brazilian guys went the wrong way on the rapids. All the guides went in the river to extract their trapped canoe.

We also stopped midway to visit a local farm, 120 acres purchased in 1938 for $1. The owner is 102 years old, and their house is still an electricity-free, dirt-floored building where they cook on a wood stove. No pictures, though. Other people were snapping away, but it felt strange being in someone's house and treating it like a zoo.

When we booked, we asked, Do we wear swimsuits? No, the agent said, the boats are very safe, no chance of getting wet. Well, guess what it does in the rainforest? We had about fifteen minutes of downpour. Fortunately we had a waterproof bag that we stashed cameras and binoculars and passports in. Unfortunately, we missed pictures of iguana, howler monkeys, wood storks, and a number of wild creatures. All in all, maybe the most relaxing two hours of the trip.