Limon, Costa Rica; Tortuguero Canals
Morning found us entering the busy and steamy port of Moin, Costa Rica. Moin is a deep and excellent natural harbor that is located 8 km.up the headland towards Tortuguero, from Limon. Soon our buses transported us thru the paved road of Braulio Carillo lined with the red blossoms of the African tulip and Malaysian dwarf coconut trees. We passed by old plantations of cacao now overgrown with vegetation. These cacao plantations were very productive in the 17th-century but a disease wiped out most of the trees and now they are harvested mostly for local consumption. Bananas have become the important export crop of Costa Rica and soon we turned onto a dirt road that led us into a sea of green! We were surrounded by lush forests of banana plants. The numerous hands of bananas were covered with a blue plastic to protect them from predators such as insects and birds.
Stopping next at Matina, we were met by a very friendly group of musicians who serenaded our arrival to the Tortuguero Canal. We all munched happily on delicious tropical fruits and swayed to the rhythm of the guitar. From here, we would take covered wooden boats and explore the waterway of the long canal. No sooner had we set off when we spotted a large green iguana and then an emerald green basilisk lizard perched on a dead branch almost at water level. Not wanting to disturb it, we remained at a safe distance while the clicking of several camera shutters could be heard. As we headed down the river we encountered several American crocodiles and various water birds such as Roseate spoonbills and Neotropical cormorants. And then the driver of our boat suddenly stopped our vessel to point out the two-toed sloth and then the three-toed sloth as well with its greenish hair. The sloth is one of the most successful large mammals to occupy a tropical rainforest. It specializes in an arboreal, leaf-eating way of life to such an extent that the effects of predators and competitors are hardly perceptible. By being a strict herbivore, the sloth has more energy available to it than other large carnivorous mammals in the tropical rainforest. As we continued along the canal we continued to spot other flora and fauna including Northern jacana, Purple gallinule and a tiger heron. The canal stretched out ahead of us like a vast floating rainforest complete with Mantled howler monkeys along the trees in the canopy. Sadly, our exciting time on the canal came to an end and we were back on the ship relaxing and reflecting on our terrific day! Tomorrow is another day with the country of Panama looming on the horizon.
Morning found us entering the busy and steamy port of Moin, Costa Rica. Moin is a deep and excellent natural harbor that is located 8 km.up the headland towards Tortuguero, from Limon. Soon our buses transported us thru the paved road of Braulio Carillo lined with the red blossoms of the African tulip and Malaysian dwarf coconut trees. We passed by old plantations of cacao now overgrown with vegetation. These cacao plantations were very productive in the 17th-century but a disease wiped out most of the trees and now they are harvested mostly for local consumption. Bananas have become the important export crop of Costa Rica and soon we turned onto a dirt road that led us into a sea of green! We were surrounded by lush forests of banana plants. The numerous hands of bananas were covered with a blue plastic to protect them from predators such as insects and birds.
Stopping next at Matina, we were met by a very friendly group of musicians who serenaded our arrival to the Tortuguero Canal. We all munched happily on delicious tropical fruits and swayed to the rhythm of the guitar. From here, we would take covered wooden boats and explore the waterway of the long canal. No sooner had we set off when we spotted a large green iguana and then an emerald green basilisk lizard perched on a dead branch almost at water level. Not wanting to disturb it, we remained at a safe distance while the clicking of several camera shutters could be heard. As we headed down the river we encountered several American crocodiles and various water birds such as Roseate spoonbills and Neotropical cormorants. And then the driver of our boat suddenly stopped our vessel to point out the two-toed sloth and then the three-toed sloth as well with its greenish hair. The sloth is one of the most successful large mammals to occupy a tropical rainforest. It specializes in an arboreal, leaf-eating way of life to such an extent that the effects of predators and competitors are hardly perceptible. By being a strict herbivore, the sloth has more energy available to it than other large carnivorous mammals in the tropical rainforest. As we continued along the canal we continued to spot other flora and fauna including Northern jacana, Purple gallinule and a tiger heron. The canal stretched out ahead of us like a vast floating rainforest complete with Mantled howler monkeys along the trees in the canopy. Sadly, our exciting time on the canal came to an end and we were back on the ship relaxing and reflecting on our terrific day! Tomorrow is another day with the country of Panama looming on the horizon.
