Osa Penninsula Trip

We left San Jose by bus at 6:30 am Sunday moring for a long trip to the Osa Penninsula. WE traveled on the bus for about 6 hours and the trip was longer than expected due to terrible road conditions and traffic. Osa is considered the most Biodivers prat of Costa Rica and the lack of infrastructure found on the way there made it very clear that the Osa is very untouched from human society. At one point, we had to get of the bus so it could cross a skinny bridge that the bus driver didnt feel safe doing with all of us on. We also at one point had to push the bus to get it unstuck on a hill. The last part of our trip to get to Drake Bay (where our "hotel" awaited) included a 2 hour boat trip down a river and into the Pacific ocean. Without even a place to dock the boat on the beach we were staying, we were forced to get a little wet to reach our final destination.

We were the first guests our hotel had ever had as it just opened recently.Because of this, we were treated amazingly! Noone went hungary and they were very generous in meeting any of our needs. Fernando the owner was especially friendly and made the stay very enjoyable. Where we stayed was probably the most "outdoorsy" place I had ever spent the night. It was small tents with three cots each and bug netting aournd us. Though it was not something that I am used to, it turned out to be lot of fun. It was as if you were staying in the jungle because there was wildlife all around us. Along with a place to stay, the hotel also had a bar and a little sitting area for everyone to relax and play cards and most of our nights were spent doing just that.

The first day in the Osa, was filled with two hikes through the rain forest. The first was for strictly observing the beauty of the nature around us. We were provided a guide and were lucky enough to see many different wildlife. All sorts of bugs, birds, and interesting plants were all seen. My favorit parts were seeing a Jaguar foot print on the path we were following that the guide said was probably about 3 days old and the opening, drinking, and eating of fresh coconut. Again, surprisingly, I found I like something that I originally believed I did not.

The second hike was much shorter and led to a water fall where we were able to swim and relax. The water was a perfect temerature for the hot day and we were ever able to jump off the waterfall into the awaiting pool below. It was a refreshing swim and after the short hike back out of the forest, we traveled by boat back to our hotel.

Tuesday morning we woke up early again and set off by boat for and island that was aboout an hour and a half away. After arriving on the island, we loaded up the gear needed to go snorkeling and headed out to sea. The water was very clear and we were able to see all sots of fish and coral reefs from about 15 feet away. When I dove, I was able to get even closer and I saw many colorful and interesting fish. The highlights for me were seeing two schools of fish both containing what I guessed to be hundreds of fish and the BlueJack fish which was blue on its top half with silver sports and silver on the bottom half. The BueJack was about 3 long and according to our guide is a very good fish to eat. While on the island we also ate lunch, explored the coastline, and swam in the water.

On the boat ride back to our hotel, we saw the bird, Brown Boobie, which led us to dolphins since the Brown Boobie usually follows them and their feeding patterns. The dolphins we saw were Silver-Spotted Bottlernosed and our guide believed they were traveling in a pack of 50 or so. We followed in our boats for about 15 minutes and watched as they came up and out of the water for air.

I spent the nights in the Osa playing Hearts, a new card game that I learned and really enjoyed the company of everyone on the trip with me. The last night, Fernando through a small party for us where he made some cocktails and provided some music for dancing.

Wednseday morning, we left at 7:30 am and arrived back in San Jose around 6 pm after another long and adventurous trip through CR.