Tortuguero

A 4 1/2 hour minibus ride took us from La Fortuna through the banana plantations to the San Juan River in the north east. There we boarded a river boat for a 2 hour ride through the lush forests to the remote village of Tortuguero. We had chosen a hotel, but when we arrived at the dock, the owner said they were full until tomorrow. We walked most of the town in search of a room but everything was full. One last lead to follow and fortunately there was a room available - not a great room, but a place to sleep. And for only $14 so you can imagine what it was like ! We washed our sweat drenched clothes in the sink, hung them out to dry in the 32° sun, and headed out for a great fresh fish dinner at Miss Junnie´s restaurant. Only when we retired for the evening did we realize why the price was so low. The sheets were like sandpaper ! At least the place was clean.
Early the next morning we moved over to our original choice and what a lovely place with nice touches everywhere. We took a 3 and 1/2 hour tour of the river and National Park. The wildlife was fabulous - spider monkeys, caymen, birds of all description, and best of all we watched a 3 toed sloth feeding from low branches. It was so close we could have reached out and touched it. In the afternoon, we hiked into the Park and saw several spider monkeys playing in the branches just above us.
The next day we walked the ocean beach to the north and visited a Lodge which had a breeding place for the Gaudy Leaf Frog. Later in the afternoon Sue took a canoe out on the river - no easy task with the swift current and wake thrown up by all the river boat traffic.
Tortuguero is a small remote village teaming with children. Most people there are employed in the tourism industry in some way or another. The wages here are quite low and the standard of living reflects that when compared to other parts of the country that we have visited. We had hoped to stay more than 4 days but our hotel was booked so we decided it was an opportune time to head for Cahuita and the southern beaches.

Hasta Lluego !