Matapalo I

Did you know that I hate whoever is responsible for the editing features  on this blog using ipad.  The time spent trying to re-edit blogs is greater than the time spent writing them, and still often ends with poor formatting and wrong new paragraphs.  So, I am breaking down my blogs into smaller chinks.

Saturday, March 15 Outdoor living indoors
We bid a sad goodbye to our wonderful place in Dominical to travel to Tres Peces in Cabo Matapalo, on the southern point of the Osa Penninsula.  This area is much less developed and therefore holds an incredible variety of flora and fauna.  The drive was uneventful until the final eighteen kilometres, when the road deteriorated into a dirt road with big potholes.  In fact, the last three kilometres would be undoable in a regular car.  We even crossed two streams.  The house was amazing and scary at the same time.  It was an open air concept.  There were no doors, even to the two bathrooms.  The kitchen, seating area and downstairs bathroom were completely open to the outdoors.  Two bedrooms upstairs were connected by a walkway.  Beds were surrounded by mosquito netting.  Our room was open to the back yard, and I could look out onto the ocean without lifting my head from my pillow.  Here too, there were no walls to the ceiling and, according to the caretaker, who lives in an old cabin on the property, monkeys often like to hang out in the rafters.  Of course, all manor of night bugs are also free to join us, hence the netting.  It is important to be a quiet bathroom user, since anyone sitting downstairs can hear every sound. There were tarps rolled up downstairs and in front of our bed, which should be rolled down if it rains.  Everything in the kitchen was old looking due to exposure to weather, and we were concerned about the cleanliness if the kitchenware.  The hot water was less than lukewarm, and there was no plug for the sink.  It made us wonder how previous renters washed dishes, under cold running water?  No matter where you are in the house, you can feel the breeze, if you are luck enough to have a breeze in the 30+ degree temperatures.  We also discovered that the cicadas have followed us, and there is nowhere to get away from the sometimes ear-splitting noise.  Nevertheless, we were looking forward to the experience.  The view was stunning and the rain forest was again at our doorstep, so to speak.  Jo continued to have stomach problems.

Sunday, March 16 Park It!
Our first night in our open house was very warm.  Its a good thing there was a little fan over the bed.  I woke up before daybreak to sound of howler monkeys, and later to the husky sound of macaws and toucans.  I was up by 6:15.  That's crazy.  I went for a walk to a nearby beach and was entertained by a large group of howlers, a black hawk, and dozens of scarlet macaws. Sister G went with me and as we walked along the beach she said she wished we would see some toucans. No sooner were the words out of her mouth, and two toucans landed in the tree in front of us.  Many macaws flew over, always in pairs, and she said she wished they would land instead of flying by.  A minute later, that's what happened.  In fact, we witnessed a macaw climb into a hole in a tree, clearly a nest.  Over the course of the day, we saw at least 50 scarlet macaws fly by or in trees.  We discovered why we always saw them in pairs, when we followed the loud sound they were making and soon recognized that these pairs were all mating in the trees.  G also said she wanted to see an anteater, but I guess that was pushing it.
Today was to be a relaxing day, being Sunday of course, and we came to the Osa Peninsula planning to go to Corcovado, a large national park boasting one of the most concentration of wildlife in the world.  The local activity guide also advertised Lapa Rios, a nearby resort that offered guided walking tours.  In the afternoon we went for a walk to check out this place, since info we received indicated Corcovado might be a problem because you need day passes which must be bought a month in advance, a bit of info that would have been useful for the owners to pass on in their info package of things to do here.  After leering at a number of mating macaws, our walk along the narrow, tree covered and boulder filled dirt road led to a big hill.  I was sure we were getting close to Lapa Rios, and carried on up the hill while the women decided it was too hot, and difficult for Jo, who had mot kept any food down for days now.  Each bend in the road revealed another stretch of uphill, but soon I reached there.  I talked to someone in the office about day hikes.  Their hikes were only available for those staying in their lodge.  I then asked about a day hike in Corcovado and he said that the rules were changed a few months ago.  Now you must hire a guide to enter the park, and the process had
become much more complicated.  However, he said the park was huge and a one day hike would probably not be worthwhile, since it would take a six hour hike just to get to the area you want to be in.  So, suddenly, our plan for the week was shot.  No park for us.  No looking for exotic wildlife.  When I got back to where the women were, they were busy taking pictures of a new bird they saw, and a coatimundi. Very cool.  I turned around and saw a big exotic tropical bird.  Then as we walked back, we came across a troupe of spider monkeys, then some howler monkeys, a number of green parrots, a Costa Rican rail, a medium-sized ground bird, and some other smaller birds.  I guess if you
can't go to the park, it comes to you.
One of the novelties of this house, with its open bathroom, etc. is that you are always within earshot. You can sit on the toilet or take a shower without missing any part of a conversation.  The downside is that when it is hot, and it has been 24/7, there is no where to go to cool off.  We are off the grid, and rely on solar panels.  There is not even a ceiling fan.  The caretaker's dog freely wanders in to visit.

Monday, March 17 are the macaws an Irish clan?
Lazy day Monday.  Our greatest activity was an afternoon walk down the road, which looks like a dried out river bed.  If we saw 50 scarlet macaws yesterday, we saw at least 100 today.  All day long, pairs flew by, including one flock of 15!  On our walk, we found a tree along the beach that had 8 macaws in it, with many others circling in and out.  I am finding it very busy here.  Every day I find bird species I had not seen yet, at last count 53 species.  Every time I sit down, a new bird flies by, demanding my camera's attention.  BIL's slr camera still is not working, but today showed signs of life.  Back into the rice!
Tonight there is no breeze and we feel rather sticky.  Air conditioning in Tamarindo next week sounds really good.  I emailed Henry, our taxi driver, to see if he would accept our proposal to pick us up Friday and bring us back to Tamarindo.  He responded affirmatively, and seemed pleased for the business, including a future trip to the airport.
Mosquitoes have not been an issue, although there seems to be invisible bugs that bite at your ankles.  As I write this for the second time, Google having deleted my previous edit, a land crab walked by, in our living room area.  These crabs are maybe three inches wide and can be found all over the place, burrowing holes in the yard. Two of these guys were wondering around the house.  With the open concept, it is surprising we do not have more critters inside.
It struck me today that it is never quiet here. Between the pounding of the surf, the sound of crickets 24/7, the loud caws of the macaws, the howls of the monkeys in the morning, the chirping and singing of many different birds throughout the day, and the bursts of noise from cicadas, which can last for half an hour or more, there is always substantial noise at all times.