My perfect day Today was a great day.
After an early 5 am wake up, we take a fantastic canoe trip through Tortuguero National Park - it is made up of so many little islands connected by natural waterways. We see Caymans, many birds, and a couple of sloths!! The sloths are super cute!! Just as our canoe trip is finishing it starts to pour buckets of water - I don't think I've been soaked so much and so quickly by rain before - and being early morning rain, it's actually a bit chilly.
After arriving back at our hotel, I decide to shower and nap to warm up. Finally at 9 am I head for breakfast in the quaint village. There are two restaurants open, and of course I head to the one making fresh fruit juices and order a fresh mango, papaya, and passion fruit juice with a big plate of fried plantains - my favorite and very delicious. Fried plantains are one of life's great yet small pleasures. They are like starchy caramelized bananas and such a wonderful comfort food.
As I am eating breakfast a massive wasp decides to land on my pants and crawl up them - on the outside - It is now on my private area and I am terrified (probably more so because I am allergic to stings). I slowly... very slowly get up - when I ask for help, these two European asses just back away and point and laugh... great. There are not a lot of people around... I begin to pray... and finally the bee tires and flies away... relief and I did not wet myself. I am feeling proud of myself for keeping my cool!
It is still pouring buckets, and your wondering how is this a perfect day...
After an early 5 am wake up, we take a fantastic canoe trip through Tortuguero National Park - it is made up of so many little islands connected by natural waterways. We see Caymans, many birds, and a couple of sloths!! The sloths are super cute!! Just as our canoe trip is finishing it starts to pour buckets of water - I don't think I've been soaked so much and so quickly by rain before - and being early morning rain, it's actually a bit chilly.
After arriving back at our hotel, I decide to shower and nap to warm up. Finally at 9 am I head for breakfast in the quaint village. There are two restaurants open, and of course I head to the one making fresh fruit juices and order a fresh mango, papaya, and passion fruit juice with a big plate of fried plantains - my favorite and very delicious. Fried plantains are one of life's great yet small pleasures. They are like starchy caramelized bananas and such a wonderful comfort food.
As I am eating breakfast a massive wasp decides to land on my pants and crawl up them - on the outside - It is now on my private area and I am terrified (probably more so because I am allergic to stings). I slowly... very slowly get up - when I ask for help, these two European asses just back away and point and laugh... great. There are not a lot of people around... I begin to pray... and finally the bee tires and flies away... relief and I did not wet myself. I am feeling proud of myself for keeping my cool!
It is still pouring buckets, and your wondering how is this a perfect day...
Tortuguero I lived in rainy Vancouver for six years, and no way are buckets of fairly warm rain going to ruin my day. I finish my breakfast and am about to leave back for the hotel, when a toucan flies down to a nearby tree. Oh it's beautiful and it's beak is just fantastic. I stand and watch and admire the beautiful creature, and then it flies away. Now I head back to the hotel, and I put on my bathing suit and head down to the beach.
This is quite the interesting small island. From our hotel, on one side you get to the large river that has caimans and other such things, and from the other side of the hotel is a 30 step walk to the Caribbean ocean, with a strong current but no crocodiles. Down at the beach I am all alone with myself, and without a care in the world. I run and run and run like I've never run... in the sand, my hair soaked, my arms flailing about - I run and walk about 8 km. I plonk down onto the sand full of energy; seeing the ocean in front and the jungle behind me. I begin to stretch and do yoga in this total seclusion - This, this is amazing. I go for a swim in the ocean and feel so free and alive. I dance around and sing and I feel as flighty and high as a bird. I play. Eventually I go back and come across another nest of hatching sea turtles on the way and watch the little critters make their way down into the sea. I feel incredibly lucky and very grateful.
After returning to the hotel I see that my roommate is out with the key, and so I sit and wait. Two of my favorite peoples (on our tour) invite me along to chill with them at a ocean cafe, and front me hot chocolate money - life is good. Soon we head back to the hotel - its the oldest hotel on the island - Mrs. Junie's, and tonight she cooks us a special meal - rice with curried thyme chicken and fried plantains. It is delicious. Her family has built and run this hotel and restaurant for the past 3 generations - the family is fabulous, and their food is great. The hotel is nice and clean, and its so close to the ocean on one side and river on the other side that the noise of the water is soothing and amazing.
This is quite the interesting small island. From our hotel, on one side you get to the large river that has caimans and other such things, and from the other side of the hotel is a 30 step walk to the Caribbean ocean, with a strong current but no crocodiles. Down at the beach I am all alone with myself, and without a care in the world. I run and run and run like I've never run... in the sand, my hair soaked, my arms flailing about - I run and walk about 8 km. I plonk down onto the sand full of energy; seeing the ocean in front and the jungle behind me. I begin to stretch and do yoga in this total seclusion - This, this is amazing. I go for a swim in the ocean and feel so free and alive. I dance around and sing and I feel as flighty and high as a bird. I play. Eventually I go back and come across another nest of hatching sea turtles on the way and watch the little critters make their way down into the sea. I feel incredibly lucky and very grateful.
After returning to the hotel I see that my roommate is out with the key, and so I sit and wait. Two of my favorite peoples (on our tour) invite me along to chill with them at a ocean cafe, and front me hot chocolate money - life is good. Soon we head back to the hotel - its the oldest hotel on the island - Mrs. Junie's, and tonight she cooks us a special meal - rice with curried thyme chicken and fried plantains. It is delicious. Her family has built and run this hotel and restaurant for the past 3 generations - the family is fabulous, and their food is great. The hotel is nice and clean, and its so close to the ocean on one side and river on the other side that the noise of the water is soothing and amazing.
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