Welcome to Nicaragua?!

We were driving north today, out of La Fortuna, for another nature cruise, this time on a river which separates Nicaragua from Costa Rica.  It was a different biosphere than we'd seen at Tortuguero, with the promise of seeing more monkeys and different species of birds.  We would be on the Rio Frio and our base would be the small town of Cano Negro.  The drive there was through extremely fertile farmland, with all kinds of vegetables and fruit being grown, including very large citrus orchards.  It was obvious that folks were doing well.  In fact, and I should have mentioned this before, I was struck by the lack of obvious poverty during our trip.  Also, in a HUGE contrast to Vietnam, there was no trash.  Literally.  Everywhere.  I've become so used in third-world countries to seeing refuse along the roads, especially in small towns with lots of plastic bottles and bags.  Throughout our trip through Costa Rica, I never saw that.  Everything was simply clean and neatly swept.  Aside from the lack of trash, our guide explained that there is not a lot of income disparity in Costa Rica, and that the vast majority of the population constitutes the middle class.  The ultra wealthy are primarily outsiders -- lots of American celebrities and sports figures -- who have been buying up large estates overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  I did not doubt what our guide told us, as prices in the country were VERY similar to those in the United States.  I had expected things to be relatively cheap, whereas they were not much lower than what we pay here.  Even with the huge influx of Nicaraguan economic refugees, most of them can find farm or factory work with relative ease.  This also leads me to think about all the Americans who have been retiring in Costa Rica.  We did not visit the areas in which most American settle, but we heard a lot about them.  Health care in Costa Rica is ranked in the top 20 of the world (unlike the U.S., which is ranked at 69), and property costs and taxes are lower than at home.  I want to read more about the Americans who do choose to retire there, and exactly how that works.

We Passed a Tree on the Bus that Was FILLED With Iguanas Like This

It was hot and steamy when we unloaded from the bus, which was the first time we really encountered that kind of weather during the trip.  Luckily, clouds began in roll in, which made for better pictures and lowered the temperatures a little.  We loaded onto a large river boat, which was for our group alone.  It had a central covered area with lots of padded seats (far more than we needed) and large open-air viewing platforms at the front and rear, which made it ideal for wildlife viewing.  Gio had told us that our phones might start lighting up with notices that we had entered Nicaragua and, sure enough, they did.  We never formally crossed into Nicaragua, but we were close enough for register on their cell networks.  That was close enough for me.  It is perhaps the most dangerous country in Central America and certainly not recommended for Americans to visit.  I was not disappointed to be close but not actually there!

Message That Kept Popping Up on My Phone

As with our earlier river tour, we saw all kinds of animals and birds, and our captain was able to get the boat into very tight places, to afford us even better views.  We saw our third species of monkeys -- spider monkeys -- which are known for (and we saw them) swinging on vines from tree to tree.  The main species we saw were howlers, white-faced capuchins, and spider monkeys.  The capuchins are omnivores and are therefore very active and often come down to where humans are, usually to steal food.  Howlers, conversely, are herbivores and with their diet, move much slower.  They usually perch very high in the tree canopies and move slowly and deliberately.  Spider monkeys essentially split the difference.  They eat some birds, reptiles, and plants, but usually stay away from humans.  We also saw a lot of birds, and once again I wish I could remember all the names.  During the two-hour tour, we had two heavy rain bursts, but we stayed sheltered and they passed quickly, so it was no big deal.  Again, it did wonders to keep the temperatures pleasant.  We were lathered up with bug spray and sunscreen, but really didn't need either.  Bugs remained no problem, which I'm sure is attributable to the countless birds and reptiles.

As We Left the Small Dock

Spide Monkey

Spider Monkey

Bats on the Underside of the Tree

Another Jesus Lizard

An Ahninga Eating a Fish -- Looks like a Snake, but It Is a Bird!

Cayman

White-Faced Capuchin Monkey

Baby Is on Her Bacl

Local Fishermen Caught in the Deluge

We had a lunch at a restaurant next to the dock before we started the drive back toward La Fortuna.  I haven't written much about our group of fellow travelers, but I have to say that we all agreed this was our favorite group, as a whole.  The people were all very nice, very interesting, and everyone got along very well.  We had one couple from Canada in the group, which was a first for us.  They explained how they must technically bend the rules to sign up for trips with Gate1, but they have been happy, so they go through the rigmarole.  Aside from them, the majority of the 28 folks were in their 60's.  Anna drew a lot of attention as the youngest in the group, though there were two single ladies from Florida (who met in middle school) and another single woman from Missouri, with whom she really hit it off.  They were all in their late 30's or early 40's.  The woman from Missouri is currently an Emergency Room nurse, after teaching English for about 15 years.  She said the Missouri legislature "devasted" the English curriculum, so she went to nursing school.  Now, as she has been working with abused and battered women a lot in the ER, she is starting law school in the fall.  She said that she sees so little legal support for the woman she treats in the hospital, and she wants to make that change.  We all really enjoyed her, and her outlook was so positive.  She had a wicked sense of humor.

Lunch!

As with most groups, most everyone avoided political talk.  That said, it was clear by the end, that everyone on the trip hated Trump, pure and simple.  We didn't dwell on it, but it was obvious from all kinds of comments.  Ironically, the couple from Canada were the ones that WANTED to talk U.S. politics. They were anxious to ask us our thoughts, but we all tried to avoid the topic.  I did, however, talk a lot with a man traveling alone from Idaho.  He works for the Department of the Interior and was traveling without his family.  Over the course of several very long one-on-one chats during bus trips it came out that he had had a mental breakdown over all the things going on at his work.  He talked about 40% of the Forestry Service being fired, and that he had to personally fire folks he had known from years and years.  Two pregnant women -- one 8-months and one 5-months along -- were terminated and lost their health insurance, with no recourse.  We shared our PTSD stories of the awfulness we've witnessed over the past year.  We kept our conversations between ourselves, and kept apart from others, but it was cathartic to speak to someone who witnessed the carnage from another angle.  At the trip's end, he confided that the time away had done wonders for his mental health, and we both thanked each other for listening to the other's sad tales.  

Anywho, for this evening, there was our first optional activity, which was a visit to thermal springs (warmed by the volcano), followed by a lavish dinner.  More than 20 of us signed up and it was a ton of fun.  The bus brought us a few miles up the road to a swanky resort.  They had five or six thermal pools, all fed from the mountain, and each with a slightly different temperature. Drinks could be ordered and consumed in the pools, and we all had a very nice and relaxing time.  We were pleased that the waters did not have any sulphury smell, which was surprising given the sourcing.  After a couple hours lounging in the water, we all changed and regathered for our nicest group meal of the trip.  It was a huge buffet with a lot of great choices, beyond a lot of the local staples (beans, rice, chicken), of which we were all beginning to tire.

Arriving Back our Hotel Before the Spa and Dinner

With the warm water, cocktails, and big dinner, we all had to drag ourselves up the hill to our little villa.  Again, I'm happy to report, I was first to bed and first asleep!  Allen for the win!!!