Manzanillo Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Retired in Costa Rica

September 26, 2018September 26, 2018

Newest Book is Now Out! Caribe Tuanis

Here’s the LINK to the photo book of my trip two weeks ago: Caribe Tuanis Click title to REVIEW the book electronically in my bookstore, all pages for free! Best seen at Full Screen!

The title is my fusion of two Costa Rica slang words and is not grammatically correct Spanish! One Tico tried to get me to add “El” like “The” in English. No. “Caribe” is CR slang or short for Caribbean which I think is used in English some also and the slang word “Tuanis” is like the American slang of earlier years “Cool.” So my English translation of the title would be “Caribbean Cool.”

Three-toed Sloth this year – Rare face shot

Since my last year’s book on the Caribbean was all birds and nature, I wanted to do something different this year, featuring teens jumping off a waterfall and surfers riding the waves plus Bribri Indigenous People, and of course the Rastas of all Caribbean Culture. Enjoy!

¡Pura Vida!

September 15, 2018September 15, 2018

South Caribe Non-Bird Animals

Everywhere I go in Costa Rica I find birds and other animals to photograph and this trip was no exception. No new animal sightings here this time for me unless that purple grasshopper is truly different from the other “Giant Grasshoppers” I’ve seen and photographed. But there are some different kinds of shots this time and 11 to 13 different species. Enjoy the brief slideshow:

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Green Iguana male with mating orange color

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

~Jane Goodall

See my TRIP Photo Gallery: 2018 Caribe South, Puerto Viejo for many other kinds of photos from this fun trip and for more on the South Caribe see these other trip galleries:

And oh yes, today is 15 Sept–Independence Day–and I made photos of the parade, but need to process and want to finish my Caribe visit posts first with one or two more. So the parade is coming here soon! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

September 14, 2018

South Caribe Birds This Year

Some trips I put more energy into getting many more bird photos, this year in South Caribe was more relaxed and slower, focusing a little more on culture and people, but here are my 10 birds and 1 nest photos representing 8 species with 3 having both male and female photos. My one “lifer” or first-time seen bird was the Gray-necked Wood-Rail.

Birds are still my first passion, but tomorrow I will share the “Other Animals” seen here this year including one of my better sloth photos shot near the hotel, as were most of the birds. I saw a few water birds from a distance but not as many as usually seen here. And I’m very pleased with my new Tamron 60mm lense which has really helped to zoom in on more birds!

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The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind.

~Carly Simon

See my TRIP Photo Gallery: 2018 Caribe South, Puerto Viejo for many other kinds of photos from this fun trip and for more on the South Caribe see these other past trip galleries:

¡Pura Vida!

September 9, 2018

More from Manzanillo

More photos from Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge visit yesterday:

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Did you notice the quote on the entrance sign to this refuge? It is . . .

“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”

― Charles Darwin

¡Pura Vida!

September 8, 2018

Explored Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge Today

Many more photos from today to share tomorrow after I visit an indigenous people reserve village. Staying busy and loving it! Omar Cook, my guide today is pictured here and he was fabulous! I’ll share more scenery and animal photos tomorrow. I’m exhausted now! A lot of walking!

I’m making too many photos to keep up with while here, but when I get home I will continue sharing. This less popular and less visited tourist area of Costa Rica is still one of my favorites! Simple and natural!

¡Pura Vida!

October 25, 2017August 6, 2018

Eyelash Pitviper HAIKU

Yellow Eyelash Viper
Photographed at Manzanillo, Costa Rica
Haiku & photo by Charlie Doggett

Check out my Haiku Photo Gallery for more like this. Expect a book eventually! 🙂

Or if it is the snake you like, see my Reptile Photo Gallery for a few more.

-o-

Good “Happiness” advice from Albert Einstein I read in The Washington Post today:

“A calm and modest life brings more happiness

than the pursuit of success

combined with constant restlessness.”

~Albert Einstein

Supposedly he had no money for a tip after a meal and wrote this note to the waiter as his “tip.” The note just sold at an auction for 1.56 million dollars!f Not a bad tip! 🙂

From Charlie, living a calm and modest pura vida in Costa Rica!

🙂

October 4, 2016August 6, 2018

Ara Project Visit in Manzanillo

Great Green Macaw
On property of Ara Project
Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Great Green Macaw
On property of Ara Project
Manzanillo, Costa Rica
Macaws mate for life!

Great Green Macaw
On property of Ara Project
Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Black-mandibled Toucan
On property of Ara Project (and probably stealing Macaw food!)
Manzanillo, Costa Rica

The Endangered Species Great Green Macaw (birdlife.org) (or an easier article on Wikipedia) is listed in my Costa Rica Bird Guide as “rare” or “uncommon” in just a few spots along the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.

The Ara Project is one of the main reasons this endangered species is returning to Costa Rica. Click the Ara link to read about what they are doing in the Manzanillo area of Costa Rica with the Endangered Great Green Macaw and the less endangered larger population of Scarlet Macaws on our Pacific Coast. Habitat loss is the problem for both species and they help by providing Macaw housing in trees along the Caribbean coast. They have a hospital for injured birds or orphaned babies, but the others are all free and wild but come back “home” in Manzanillo for socializing, food that is provided, and some still use the tree houses or even hollows in trees here because it is a community of Green Macaws.

They exist in 3 other Central American countries and 2 in South America, but endangered throughout their habitat and rare or uncommon to find with fewer than 1,000 total left on earth. So I am thrilled about getting many photos here! The guided tour is set for the same time every afternoon when they are feeding which guarantees you photos. My guide was a Bribri young man named Duaro who is so knowledgeable about the birds and their services there and also speaks very good English! His Uncle Alex was my guide the next day to see birds in the Bribri Reserve (another post coming on that).

And of course there is my BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY with 200 species from Costa Rica now!

October 3, 2016August 6, 2018

Manzanillo Beach

View from My Beach-side Hammock (3-pix panorama)
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica

Looking to the Left
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica

Looking to the Right
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica

Dangerous Currents – No Swimming!
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica
Yeah! They had a sign in English too, but this one more interesting! 🙂

Maybe Dangerous, But Fun Waves for Many!
And many swim anyway and/or try to surf – “At Your Own Risk”
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica

Multiple Caution Signs Protect the Hotel
And are probably required by their Insurance Co.
And “No Life Guards” is indicated at check-in
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica

Barefoot Beach Futbol (Soccer)
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica
And by the way, ALL BEACHES ARE PUBLIC in Costa Rica! There are no private or hotel only beaches.

Local Boys – Not Tourists!
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica

Tourists Walk By, Watching the Soccer Game
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica
American, Canadian, European, South American? All nationalities here!
Though Asian visitors seem to be mostly on the Pacific side and inland.

And Someone Kayaks By Our Beach
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica

Sundown Mist One Evening
Manzanillo Beach, Costa Rica
This beach was not positioned right for the
sometimes beautiful Caribbean sunrises
Like this one at Tortuguero
and on wrong side of country for sunsets! 🙂

I am not a “Beach Person” as some people call themselves, not liking to swim in the ocean at all! But I do love to visit and walk on the many beautiful beaches here. Some friends ask me to compare the Atlantic and Pacific beaches and that is difficult.

It is almost down to specific beach compared to specific beach. In general the Caribbean (or the Atlantic beaches) are less developed with more wildness and more natural things than much of the Pacific, though the Osa Peninsula or Corcovado National Park is a big exception on the Pacific side as are some other “South Pacific” beaches. In the north or Guanacaste there are a few pretty beaches but overall I think it is over-developed and I thought the famous Tamarindo Beach was ugly and overcrowded! Jaco is pretty but also overcrowded, especially on weekends as the closest beach to San Jose. South of there at Manual Antonio National Park there are two gorgeous beaches that are very crowded, both the one in the park and the one outside the park.

I still have a lot of exploring to do before I even think about ranking beaches. Then there is the important reason or purpose! Are you a surfer, swimmer, sunbather, fisher, or photographer? Each beach is different for each purpose. And there are a lot of choices! If you believe travel articles, here is one on “The Best Beaches” by “Costa Rica Experts.” You will not find Manzanillo listed though it is one the nicer ones I have visited and least crowded! Then here’s an article on “Costa Rica’s 6 Most Stunning Beaches” by TicoTimes, the online English language Gringo newspaper. And travel sites like TripAdvisor rank the ones that hotels and resorts pay them to rank best, so don’t believe everything commercial sites say. For example Tamarindo is promoted as one of the best, but after my visit there, it is one of my least favorite, remembering that I do not like crowds, commercialism and a lack of nature. So maybe that is why I favor the Caribbean beaches more than most people.

See also my VISTA GALLERIES for Caribbean Beaches and Pacific Beaches

October 2, 2016August 6, 2018

Safari Hotel – Almonds & Corals Manzanillo

My Room, a large wall tent on platform.
Almonds & Corals Hotel, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Two Four-poster Beds
Almonds & Corals Hotel, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Aff Hammock for daytime resting
Almonds & Corals Hotel, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Sink, toilet & Shower beyond the Hot Tub
Almonds & Corals Hotel, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

The “Hallways” between Room, Dining, Beach
Almonds & Corals Hotel, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Covered Outdoor Dining Room
Almonds & Corals Hotel, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

And Short Walk to the Beach
Almonds & Corals Hotel, Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Wood Carving of a Toucan by Office

Almonds & Corals Hotel,

Manzanillo, Costa Rica

Note that this property is right on a beautiful beach which I will show in a separate post. AND many of the photos of animals were photographed right here on the hotel property in the jungle! It is truly living in the rainforest of South Caribbean Costa Rica. The beaches and towns on the Caribbean side are smaller, less crowded, more rustic and more natural than the much more developed Pacific Coast. And less expensive! But both sides have a lot to offer! And the reason I live in Central Valley instead of either coast is that both coasts are very hot and humid year-around and more expensive. But from the Central Valley I can easily visit both coasts and live in “The best weather in the world!” 🙂

PURA VIDA!