Poison frogs, bullet ants and chocolate!

11/25/2012  Susan: I woke early, around 5:45 am, to the sounds of the rain forest coming alive. I was too excited to see what lay outside to stay in bed any longer! (It had become dark very shortly after we had arrived the night before). So while Dan slumbered a little longer, I snuck out of bed and quickly dressed, grabbing my camera and binoculars. 

It was cloudy, and was just becoming light outside. The birds were carrying on, but I was disappointed not to hear any howler monkeys. I crept around the small lawn behind the cabin and peered anxiously down the trail leading into the rain forest. Was it safe to venture into the rain forest by myself at such an early hour? I tiptoed down the path, watching for any venomous snakes or the infamous bullet ants I had read so much about. (Bullet ants are about ½ inch long, and their bite is said to be one of the most painful bites of the insect kingdom! It’s supposed to feel like being shot, thus the name “bullet” ant.)  

I admired a giant millipede crossing the path, and stopped to photograph her. I had only ventured about 20 feet when a mosquito buzzed me, and I realized that it was NOT safe in the rain forest until I got some insect repellent on! I retreated from the path and returned to the lawn. I walked down to the river and saw a hummingbird flitting among the flowers (too fast to photograph), and watched a kingfisher swoop over the river. I tried to see the birds high in the trees, but it was still so early that it was to see so high. And then I heard it… off in the distance, but unmistakably the calls of the howler monkeys. So cool! 

Dan: Woke to the sounds of many birds, subdued howler monkeys, and the strong rushing waters of the Sarapiqui River. It rained hard overnight. Wonderful breakfast of fresh pineapple, watermelon, mango, plantain, ham, scrambled eggs, rice and beans. The large glass of watermelon juice was especially notable. Of course, it included excellent coffee grown nearby. Megan originally came to Costa Rica from Vancouver, Canada in order to help local coffee growers get livable wages for their coffee crops.

We took a two hour nature walk with 19 year old William, who has worked at Chilamate for six years. William’s high school offers ecotourism training such as English, birds, plants, ecology, etc. This walk was included in the stay. The highlights included two species of toucans, two species of poison frogs, bullet ants, and howler monkeys very close. The trails were clear but muddy. Thankfully the retreat loans out rubber boots. 

 

While waiting for lunch, we laid in the porch hammocks and watched birds with our binoculars. Numerous small birds of several species scoured the vegetation for insects, while lizards did the same. Apparently there are many insect predators that help to keep the insects at bay.

Delicious lunch of chicken, rice, beans and hot coffee that was very welcome considering the surprisingly cool temperatures. After lunch, Davis drove us to the Tirimbina Biological Reserve where we took the three hour $25 per person chocolate tour through a former cacao plantation.

Tirimbina is a non-profit 850 acre preserve that has some abandoned cacao plantings but is mostly intact rainforest. It has an extensive and extremely well-engineered trail system. They have two very long suspension bridges. One over the raging Sarapiqui River and a second over a deep ravine. The second bridge provides a walk through the rainforest canopy. Adventurous tourists go whitewater kayaking on this portion of the Sarapiqui river. We greatly enjoyed the cacao tour, demonstrations, and especially the tasting of freshly made chocolate drinks and products.  

Susan: During the last part of the tour, the guide showed us the cacao trees. He stopped talking suddenly at one point and told the man across from him to hold still. He reached over and flicked a bullet ant off the man’s sweatshirt. No harm done. I was photographing and admiring the cacao trees a few minutes later when I felt something land on my bare arm, and looked down to see a bullet ant that had fallen from the branch overhead. Yikes! I quickly shook my arm, and thankfully it fell to the ground without molesting me. Needless to say, bullet ants are common around here, and we were very careful to look first before touching ANY plant or twig.

Dan: The trails at Tirimbina were remarkably easy to hike considering the steep wet terrain: a tribute to great engineering and construction. Davis picked us up and returned us for dinner thanks to Monica from Switzerland interpreting for us. She had to ask the receptionist, who did not speak English, to call Davis for our pickup.

We had an excellent dinner at the retreat. Each dinner starts with a delicious homemade hot soup. By the time dinner is served between 6:30 and 7:00, it is cool enough in the open air dining pavillion to wear a long sleeve shirt. The delicious juice of the night was tamarind. I was surprised that I had not had it before from a Mexican restaurant in the USA, since it is especially popular in Mexico.