9th - 10th August
Got soo many photos for this post I have put them in a separate post after the txt... My ability to format is limited on me phone.
Sooo... From the darkness we awoke to the sounds of jungle... buzzing, sqwaking and grunting noises were accompanied by shards of light piercing through the jungle surrounding our little hut and as I pulled back the curtain I was greeted by four colourful Toucans sitting in the tree just in front of the hut! WOW! Not used to being outdone on beak size I think they were curious to see two animals (me & dad) with bigger hooters than them!
We had decided to take Kenneth up on his jungle tour so after a quick bit of brekkie, we missioned into Jiminez, gave Kenneth $160 each and he sorted our guide (Gabriel) and tickets for entry to the National Park. After stocking up on supplies for the trip we met Gabriel at the hostel, packed the car with boards and took off down the dirt road towards Matapalo.
After a bumpy half hour we reached our first destination, a right hand point break called Pan Dulce. I have never seen such a pretty beach / wave / backdrop combo in my life. Turquoise waters lapped at the soft sand at the edge of the jungle while a perfectly formed, peeling right rolled across the bay with the Gulfo Dulce and mountains in the background. Mind blowingly beautiful!
Unfortunately the tide was high and the swell too small to push through... the odd set was breaking up on the point and Gabriel and I jumped in for a couple of waves. With a bigger swell the wave would have run for over 300m but today was not the day so we pushed on to the beach at Matapalo.
Matapalo is the most exposed point on the pennisula and picks up any swell going... it was sick! See the two photos with the hammock type thing hanging from the tree and the shredder on the head and half wave in the background. The wave was powerful and pushed a strong, steep right hander down the beach before crashing down in a heavy shore dump. I had some super fun waves and got to see a couple of turtles popping out of the water just meters away!
It was super useful to have a guide / surfer to show us the spots in this very remote part of the world, the roads were unreal, and resembled boulder river beds more than a road. Without a guide I don't think we would have believed them passable and the decision to get a 4x4 was definitely justified.
Leaving Matapalo we slowly clambered over the boulders back to the road to Carate and as we stopped to return a borrowed knife to a friend of Gabriels we spotted a small troop of howler monkey's playing in the trees above us!
From Matapalo it is a further 45mins drive to Carate which is the end of the line and where our accommodation was for the evening. Both dad and I were totally spent and when we entered the house we had a nasty shock... a small tv belted out tinny spanish voices from a soap opera, two guys hung in the hammocks on the porch, there was no toilet roll in the filthy bathroom and the kitchen was a state. Gabriel showed us to our room, where the mosquito nets were torn and hanging off the walls and there was no bedding! After a long day and with high expectations we were dissapointed to say the least. It hit dad hard, partly because of tiredness from his flights and travel but also due to the new traveler paranoia he was not comfortable or able to relax.
We went out for a walk down Carate beach which was stunning, dark sand backed by jungle and an incredible, moody sky line, it was beautiful.
Back in the house I knocked up a shockingly bland stir fry and we ate off stools in our room after which dad passed out and snored like a trooper! Gabriel very kindly rolled me a joint and we passed it round on the porch, I hadn't smoked in 4 weeks and it hit me hard! I went and laid down and enjoyed a most incredible hour of kaleidoscope colours combining with the rhythmical beat of the jungle... It was like an insight into the origins of tribal music!
The next morning at 6am we were up and off to the Corcovado National Park... we hiked for 3km's down the beach and jungle trail to the ranger station at the entrance to the park. Bright red Macaws sqwaked and flapped around in the trees above and we stopped every five minutes to try and get a decent photo. At the park entrance we signed a register and were told of a young American guy who had gone walking in the park without a guide 3 weeks ago and was lost & presumed dead. It is illegal to enter the park without a guide and whilst the section we walked was pretty easy going (there was a cut trail and we were always within 20m of the beach), you could see how easy it would be to get completely lost here. In addition the place simply buzzed with life, everywhere you looked there was something scurrying or rustling or simply hanging in a web. I have never seen such an abundance of wildlife anywhere in the world, we were treated to a great day of animal spotting.
In two days I reckon we saw the following: Macaws, golden orb spiders, jesus christ lizards (they run on water!), normal lizards (they don't!), iguanas, howler monkeys, picato monkeys, spider monkeys, an owl, crabs, turtles, 4 or 5 different types of little birds, 2 anteaters, a furdilanze snake, toucans, blue morpho butterflies, hummingbirds, 3 woodpeckers, a couple of bats, a tiger heron, several dogs and I had a Tuna steak when we got back! There were probably more but I can't remember and I think I made my point!
After walking for about 3-4hrs we were ready to turn back. Unfortunately the trail was not a loop and we simply went the same way back which was a bit dissapointing but the animals had changed position so it kept us interested. As with all these things I never seem to turn back until I'm tired, the trouble is you've then got to walk the same distance to get back! By the time we got back to the car we were knackered, it was a sweltering day and we were both dripping with sweat. Sitting down in the air conditioned car was bliss!
Corcovado absolutely delivered. I had heard so much about the fantastic nature reserves and wildlife in Costa Rica and was so glad we took the time to go so far South. We very nearly didn't do the Osa Pennisula at all but I think it has been one of the most special places I've seen so far and it was amazing to do it with me dad! I know there were a few moments that were well out of his comfort zone but I don't reckon he'll forget it in a hurry!
Thankfully we didn't have another night in the house in Carate so we drove back to Matapalo where I had a quick, but terrible surf and then back to the jungle hostel In Puerto Jimenez. Dad and I had some excellent sea food in town and several beers before passing out in our jungle hut! An amazing couple of days!
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