Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
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Day 68: The Wildlife and The Hunter
April 16, 2006
At 6 o'clock in the morning 2 eight-passenger boats quietly enter the Tortuguero National Park. The instructions for the wildlife watchers are simple but strict: no talking, giggling, sneezing, coughing, crying or snoring (not out of the question during a slow and silent 6AM boat ride through sleepy jungle!).
Our two-boat fleet is led by Castor Hunter Thomas, the son of the very first wildlife watching guide in the history of the park, and, as we quickly find out, a man with x-ray vision! No creature in disguise escapes his piercing glance, whereas it takes us a while to even discern what Castor is pointing at :) In addition to lifelong experience as a guide and overwhelming knowledge about the wilderness, Castor is also a true nature lover. He refuses to use a motor to propel the tour boat and looks down even on those who use the "noisy" electric engines. Only a good old ore meets his standards. Finally, Mr. Thomas himself seems to be counted as one of the rare creatures of the national park. We overheard the guides of the passing-by boats telling their groups: "So this is an egret…. There is a tiger heron right there on the bank… And look! Look! It's the famous Castor Hunter Thomas I've told you about in that boat over there!"
Starting the excursion at 6 o'clock is essential for Castor. Anybody showing up in the park half an hour later gets smiled at and wished a good evening :) The tour costs $5 per hour and lasts 3 to 4 hours. The national park entrance fee is another $7. Looking for Castor to book a tour means asking anybody in the village where he is at the given moment. Most of the people will know.
Going on a tour with Castor is worth every effort. During the 3 wonderful hours you will hear a lot, see a lot and learn a lot. Not sure about the quality of other guides' services, but going to the park on your own is a guaranteed blow. Had we gone without Castor, the highlights of our expedition would have been the beautiful banks of the river Tortugero and a several howler monkeys, as these are impossible to miss even if you are blind.
We come back from the tour right in time to catch the 11 o'clock waterbus back to Pavona. Successfully get our $3 locals' tickets and start an even longer (3+ hours) and completely uneventful ride back to Pavona. The water in the river has gone even shallower in just one day, and the boat does not even make it to its final stop in Pavona. So we get a bonus 10-minute walk to the parking lot across a pasture during which we try our best not to step on huge snakes!
Very late in the evening we arrive in the beach town of Cahuita (on the Caribbean
coast, south of Puerto Limon). The little town is widely famous for being
a hot spot among free-love practicing gringas, and we are sure interested
out to see what those famous Cahuita nights are about! Yet, getting up at
5 several days in a row does its nasty job, and our short nap before the night
out lasts until late in the morning :)
Click on the pictures to enlarge
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The banks of the Rio Tortuguero
Tortuguero upes krantai |
The Hunter :)
Izymusis Medziotojas |
One beer too many? :)
Skauda galva... Uzdraude knarkti.... Ir kokio galo as uzsiregistravau isita 6 valandos tura?! |
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Tiger heron
Vienos rusies garnys |
Snow something egret
Antros rusies garnys |
Sunbathing tiger heron
Garnys deginasi |
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Wildlife gone wild
Bezdzionele pamiso |
See the parrot?
Matote papuga? |
Now you know why it's better to go with Castor :)
Dabar zinosite, kad geriau papugu ieskoti Castorui padedant! |
|
Another perfect example of camouflage
Driezas Jezus Kristus (taip pavadintas del sugebejimo vaikscioti vandens pavirsiumi) |
Jesus Christ lizzard got his name for the ability to walk on water
Driezas Jezus Kristus is arciau |
Think your nose is too big? Take a look at the poor toucan!
Jei kas nors jaudinates del perdideles nosies, pasiziurekite i tukana! |
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Our favourite beauty
Nevalgau sokolado, nevalgau marmelado... |
Looks like Castor is finally bringing my breakfast....
O!! Castoras atveza pusrycius! |
Nice flower (Castor mentioned the name but how can you remember everything :))
Grazi gele. (Castoras sake pavadinima, ir kas minta jos vaisiais, bet uzmirsom :)) |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
68-oji diena: Tortuguero grozybes ir gidas vardu Medziotojas
2006 m. balandzio 16
Lygiai 6 valanda ryto dvieju astuonvieciu valteliu flotile pajuda link Tortuguero nacionalinio parko. Vienoje is ju, zinoma, sedim mes. Truputi ziovaujam, bet slapta dziugaujam matydami, kad bendrazygiams is kitos valties keltis buvo dar sunkiau (zr. viska pasakancia nuotrauka :)) Turo vadova issirinkome ne pirma pasitaikiusi, o patikimu saltiniu rekomenduotaji, izymuji Castor Hunter Thomas (isvertus i lietuviu kalba "hunter" reiskia medziotojas), kurio tetis Dama (toks vardas!) buvo pats pirmasis gidas Tortuguero istorijoje. Tokio vedlio kompanijoje nei vienam ketsaliui nuo musu nebepasislept!
Malonus pasiplaukiojimas Rio Tortuguero upe trunka apie tris su puse valandos
ir kainuoja $5 uz valanda, plius dar $7 uz iplaukima i nacionalini parka.
Plaukti reikia labai tyliai - nevalia garsiai kalbetis, aikcioti is susizavejimo,
koseti, verkti, knarkti ar juoktis is gretimoje valtyje skaudancias galvas
sunkiai nulaikanciu bendrakeleiviu. Patiems daryti nereikia nieko, tik patogiai
isitaisyti ir atidziai stebeti ir klausyti, ka rodo ir pasakoja Castoras.
Turim prisipazinti, kad, be Castoro pagalbos, ir mes, ir musu bendrazygiai
bendrom pastangom gal ir butumem pamate kokius 3 paukscius - sunku patiketi,
kaip puikiai laukiniai gyvunai sugeba uzsimaskuoti!
To, ka matem tarp 6 ir 9 valandos ryto, neaprasinesim - pridedam kruva iskalbingu
nuotrauku, tikedamiesi perteikti bent nedidele dali ispudziu is Tortuguero
nacionalinio parko.
Po pietu isplaukiame atgal i Pavona - ir vel sekmingai uz $3 :) Parplaukiam, laimei, be nuotykiu, nors kelis kartus atrode, kad valtis tikrai apsivers (kitus mokom brangius daiktus deti I neperslampamus maisus, o patys ju neturim! :)) Nissanas istikimai laukia brangiojoj stovejimo aikstelej, ir patikimai parrieda duobetu zvyrkeliu atgal I Cariari, nuo kur vel prasideda asfaltuotas kelias. Taciau "asfaltuotas" Costa Ricoje labai retai reiskia "geras", todel nakvynes vieta - Cahuita (nediduka miesteli Karibu juros pakranteje) - privaziuojam jau sutemus. Cahuita nakvynei pasirinkome neatsitiktinai - sis nedidukas pajurio miestelis neoficialiai garseja ypatingai laisvu paziuru gringais. Labai norejom pamatyti, kaip vyksta pikantiskasis Cohuitos naktinis gyvenimas, deja! Kiaulystes desnis eilini karta suveike, ir paskutiniuju trumpai miegotu naktu efektas pasireiske butent sivakar - prigulem "trumpam pailseti" pries eidami stebeti naktiniu Cahuitos nuotykiu... ir atsibudom ryte :)
