Costa Rica 2013

Wednesday13November

We leave Monteverde and our hotel located at the Santa Elena info center, to reach Manuel Antonio, a natural park located on the west coast further south.

And a last look at the magnificent green mountains

a horse farm

And some macro photos

Breakfast at Soda Sardinal. And we quench our thirst because crocodiles are waiting for us!!!

Indeed, 1 hour later, on the road leading to Manuel Antonio, a bridge offers curious onlookers a breathtaking view of a group of crocodiles enjoying the food thrown by the locals...

Click on this link to see the location on Google Maps.

These are American crocodiles (crocodylus acutus).

Hind leg and front leg.

If he hides, his fangs are clearly visible...

And zoom in on this one to see its "stalactite" and "stalagmite" teeth...

And there, as a gift, he opens his mouth wide so you can count them all!

Beautiful, very much alive crocodile skin...

Oh yes, there are many of them, about fifteen...

And now, in motion...

On the other side of the bridge

Here we are, arrived at our destination in the town of Quepos, located a few kilometers from Manuel Antonio Park. During lunch at a 'soda' (local restaurant), a torrential rain blocked us in the restaurant for a good hour until the clouds calmed down.

There, it's calmer, all that's left is to take off our shoes to cross the streets.  

To finish the afternoon, we're going to enjoy the beach located in front of Manuel Antonio National Park. Because, after all, we still haven't swum in this Costa Rican Pacific!

The rain invites itself, but everything is there for the "cliché" sunset photo in front of the palm trees and over the Pacific!  

We decide to swim despite the rain! And faced with these droplets crashing on the sea with the setting sun, I can't resist, I go into the water with my camera, there are surely beautiful images to be made!    

Well. Finally, the images aren't sensational, and what's more, it required the sacrifice of my camera because a huge wave came without warning while our backs were turned! And crash, here are the nice tourists completely overturned underwater with, of course, my precious image-taker... And it didn't survive...   So I had to finish the last week with my smartphone... So please be lenient with the photo quality, thank you!

Thursday14November

Today, a visit to Manuel Antonio Park, the smallest park in Costa Rica, but with very dense wildlife. The first host to greet us is a small iguana hidden in its small bush. And it's also my first frustration because it's impossible for me to take the photo I want! So I make do with what I have, especially my little Nexus 4 smartphone...

An owl butterfly (caligo eurilochus)

Leaf-cutter ants at work!

Not only do they mate, but they do it in front of the camera!

An iguana warms its back in the sun

The trail sometimes runs along the beach. An opportunity for us to swim.

But that's without counting the raccoons, capuchin monkeys, and iguanas. We hang our bags from tree branches to prevent these curious little creatures from reaching them.

A capuchin monkey

View of Manuel Antonio Park

Spiky tree and goblet mushroom

That's all for today. Last photos, especially on the beach where we were last night. Tomorrow, we hit the road again to reach Corcovado in the Osa Peninsula in the south of the country.