Off to the Pacific

We left La Fortuna just after 8am this morning, to start our trek out to the Pacific.  It is this leg of the tour that gets the most takers when we offer up motion sickness pills.  For the next 2 hours we climbed up in to the Cloud Forest, and with the cool A/C temp on board, students quickly forgot the hot and humid weather we left behind.

A quick rest stop in San Ramon, on the western edge of the Cloud Forest, was quite refreshing.  It was cool, and literally we were up in the clouds.  This region is known for its production of cheese.  We bought and shared a couple types of cheese, and students also were brave in trying out different coconut candies and other traditional confections. 

From San Ramon we started our descent out to the Pacific.  Arriving at the Tárcoles River, we stopped for lunch and a guided crocodile safari.  (Originally on the itinerary was horseback riding, yet due to a quarantine of more than half the heard at the stable we work with, we scrambled to replace the horseback activity for the crocs.)  As we motored up river, we spotted 8-10 crocodiles moving alongside the boat.  Our boat captain beached our boat, and from a small cooler up front retrieved scraps of raw chicken.  He hopped from the boat, signaled the crocs and in a rather aggressive fashion the crocodile came to shore to snap the meat from his hand.  This allowed not only for some great Kodak moments for all, but gave one the chance to appreciate the size and speed of this great reptile.

We have spotted the Pacific, and should arrive at our hotel (Villabosque) shortly.