charliedoggett.net
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| I should have never let her shoot us with that bright window behind us! Tried to fix! Oh well, we got a lot planned anyway and I am now the treasurer. |
We all thank my friend Aaron in Canada who read my last post on Angel Tree and sent money! Wow! We are off to a good start financially!
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| A little mountain stream at breakfast! |
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| And overflowing at lunch time in a heavy rain! |
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| At least Nicole enjoyed his “Churchill,” a slushy with ice cream! Can you imagine that? |
A group of 6 of us went to eat at a beach-side cafe where I absent-mindedly laid my camera bag (backpack) on the concrete floor behind my chair next to the sidewalk. We ate, visited, and had a good time together. As we got up to leave I realized my backpack was gone, easily grabbed by someone walking by. I should know better! As someone suggested, I paid my “Gringo Tax” or more accurately my “Stupid Tax.” I did feel stupid, but also a little empty, violated, hurt, and helpless. We told a foot patrol
policia who just told us we had to go down to headquarters to file a report and the bus was leaving in 15 minutes. Nothing else to do.
With no cameras beyond my cell phone, I cancelled my Monzanillo Bird Watching trip (which I had thought about doing anyway with my busy schedule and expenses) and will use the money saved to help buy a single new camera and a better lens that I have been wanting anyway. But it will cost a whole lot more here, whether purchased locally or on internet with import taxes. Maybe the duty free shop in Nicaragua will have a good deal tomorrow, but I doubt it. And in the mean time I honestly feel sorry for the thief, who must live a hard life. Does he give any thought to the person he robs? He can’t think very well of himself!
Tomorrow early I leave for Nicaragua border to renew my visa. G’night!
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| Acorn Woodpecker (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Sooty Thrush (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Flame-colored Tanager Male (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Flame-colored Tanager Female (1st sighting for me) Immature Rufous-collared Sparrow below her San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Emerald Toucanet (1st sighting in wild for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica (Fruits are wild avocados, favorite food of Quetzals) |
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| Black-capped Flycatcher (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Black-billed Nightingale Thrush (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Possibly a White-throated Thrush or Nightingale (?) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Flame-throated Finch (1st sighting for me) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Resplendent Quetzal Female No males seen even though they were the reason we went to this place. I had better luck on my two other trips here. See my Quetzal Gallery. San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Violet-headed or Magnificent Hummingbird San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Magnificent Female or Green Hermit Hummingbird San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Fiery-throated, Magnificent or Violet-headed Hummingbird (?) San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica |
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| Rio Chirripo Pacifica Waterfall See daring teens come over on kayaks on video Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Mirador Cloudbridge Waterfall These are just 2 of many waterfalls in this reserve Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Kiskadee Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Masked Tityra Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Blue-tailed Hummingbird ? Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Sulphur-winged Parakeet Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Slate-throated Redstart Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Magnificent Hummingbird Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Stripe-tailed Hummingbird Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Western Peewee Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Yellow-thighed Finch Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Wilson’s Warbler Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Rufous-collared Sparrow Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Mountain Elaenia Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Blue-gray Tanager Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| Black & White Warbler Rio Chirripo, Costa Rica |
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| A warm fire in the lodge on a cool, rainy night. |
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| My room balcony overlooks the mountain cloud forest. |
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| I walked down to Rio Chirripo in the rain for a quick photo. |
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| Just a few of the flowers outside my room. |
Tomorrow morning I have a birding guide picking me up at 6:30 for a hike in a nearby forest. Hoping for a Collared Trogon and a Black Guan among others!
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| My shot from the top of one of the mountains in Talamanca range in 2014. |
My general plan was to get settled in a home, explore locally, then travel, maybe as much as a week or weekend ever month to continue my exploration of this amazing Costa Rica. I’m now into the travel stage beyond some short trips earlier. Joining the Birding Club of Costa Rica came with a built-in trip every month, though eventually I will skip some of those and do my own thing. But for this month and next I’m doing the birding club trips and adding my own exploring days while in that part of the country.
Today (Tuesday) I take bus to Alajuela, pick up some mail, go to airport and get a rental car. Tomorrow after Spanish Class, I drive south 2-3 hours into the Talamanca Mountains where I have been two other times (09 & 14) but love it enough to go again with the club. I’m going early to explore a different part of the mountains, Mount Chirripo, the tallest mountain in Costa Rica. I’m not climbing it! But staying at a yoga retreat center lodge near the base, next to a national forest and the national park, Rio Chirripo Retreat. On Thursday I have scheduled a birding guide to take me out for some good photos of birds other than quetzals. Then Friday I move to Miriam’s Quetzals to join the club for more birds including the Resplendent Quetzal. There I’ll share a little cabin with some other guys there without spouses. Birding is all we do for two days. So get ready for some more bird photos! 🙂 And oh yes, it gets cold up there! I’m taking 2 weights of jackets plus long pants!
And if you don’t remember what a Resplendent Quetzal looks like, here’s my earlier shots of some.
Just in: Guava Leaves are Good for You! As much as the powerhouse Costa Rica fruit Guava. My favorite is Guava Marmalade, but good in fruit punch or just a guava fresca or guava ice cream! But I still prefer guanabana as first choice to drink! My cancer prevention fruit! 🙂
A good article: 7 Things to Consider Before Retiring Abroad And it is not just about Costa Rica. For what it is worth, I seriously considered Panama as my second choice and the cost of living is lower there than in Costa Rica but more nature here won out for me. Wherever you consider moving, check out these 7 things as a minimum and then visit the country multiple times and study it before moving there. Then you almost always want to rent at first to make sure the area or neighborhood is where you want to settle before you buy. It is easier to buy than sell! Me? I will only rent. Freedom! (And lack of money!) You too can have a stress-free life in paradise without American politics, crimes and wars! Pura Vida!
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| Unidentified Butterfly In My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica I’m seeing fewer now. June & July are the peak months for butterflies here. |
If you know the identity, please leave a comment below. Thanks! -Charlie
And my Spanish post today: Verbos Tallo Cambio
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| Teen in one of the school bands |
Okay. I’ll stop after this, though there are a lot more photos from the parade that I like. 🙂
I could have made this Faces post all children, but since I used some faces of them in Post 1 (children), and a cool youth face in Post 2 (bands), and another youth face in Post 3 (flags); this is mixed, even with adults.
I’ll go back to bugs and bird tomorrow, but Wednesday I head out for 4 nights in the Talamanca Mountains, so more new stuff then! Maybe a better photo of a Resplendent Quetzal! Then the following week to the Nicaragua border on Visa Run again. And the week after that to the Caribbean again. Never a dull moment! 🙂
And don’t you like the looks of the Atenas Ticos?
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| Do you not want me to make this photo? |
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| The local agricultural technical school (largest in Central America) had my fave! This is the traditional dress from post colonial days with men’s in next photo. |
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| Students of Agriculture come here from all over the Americas, including U.S. I can see some of the school farms used for SFS, Sustainable Field Service We help improve agriculture all over the Americas! |
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| Beautifully painted oxcarts are a long time tradition here. Two in the parade. |
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| Riding barefoot is a doubtful tradition, though maybe early youth did so. |
Día de la Mascarada or “Traditional Costa Rican Masquerade” (31 October) originated as an adaption of Spanish Carnival. The local band, una cimarróna, strikes up a beat for the masked characters to dance or walk in a parade or fiesta. The next 5 photos are of the masked characters in this particular parade by a school or organization I did not catch the name of:
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| A Fire Truck, Bombero, always leads off in every parade, this time followed by a group of “Future Firemen of Costa Rica” or some similar name in Spanish. |
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| Not sure how 3 younger teens got to skate in the parade, trying to show off, but none of them exceptionally good! I guess they see this as future or current culture!? |
COSTA RICA EXTRA TIDBIT:
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| Surfer at Manuel Antonio Beach |
And will the World Surfing Games (link to article in English) be held in Costa Rica in 2016? Only if someone comes up with $1 Million Dollars in next two weeks (see article) and it is doubtful the CR government will spend that much. But, after all guys, Costa Rica came away from this year’s contest with the most gold medals! (link to 2015 tournament page)
It is like the national sport for those who live on the Pacific coast and Jaco is considered one of the best surfing beaches in the world. Not my passion, but very interesting! Here’s a surfer shot I made at Manuel Antonio Beach last year in mild waves.
Pura Vida! And tomorrow, my last installment of Fotographias de 15 de septiembre desfile: CARAS (FACES) – maybe the best parade post! 🙂