Cano Negra, Baldi Hotsprings

Feb 19

living fences. Branches a re stuck in the ground and new growth appears. Wire is strung between the tree and VOILA, a fence!

sugar cane

bats lined up in their daytime sleep

Our taxi to Nicaragua, following the Black Canal

albino monkey

baby follows mama. monkey see, monkey do

welcome to Nicaragua

Baldi Hot Springs

19 hot pools to enjoy

me and Marsha, man that feels good

Just me!!!

continued from Lomas Resort , we head north to Cano Negro, passing through fields of oranges, cassava, sugar cane, pineapple, beans, papaya and the iguana bridge. On the canal we had a real show of monkeys, the spider monkey, albino mama, three babies and two separate groups of howler, discussing whose territory this was! Boy are they noisy! Birds were plentiful and at the border to Nicaragua, a huge marsh was filled with Rosetta spoonbills. The boat crossed the country line and we were 36 illegal folks on the river with no passports. Good thing this is not a manned border crossing!
 Fausto gave a great history lesson as to why there are presently 1.2 illegal Nicaraguans in Costa Rica. Very interesting chain of events. The afternoon was spent at Baldi Hot Springs, a series of 19 pools, all fed by the hot waters of Volcan Arenal. Nobody wanted to leave but back we came to La Fortuna. This town was renamed after the eruption of Arenal because it escaped the tragedy that the other side of the mountain suffered. So meaning Fortunate, they developed quite the little tourist Mecca with many hotels, outdoor activities and hot springs. The last few years have been a struggle due to the world economy and the fact that Arenal is not burping as frequently as in the past. If the volcano is declared dormant, folks fear for the future of their tourism. Our first rain since October 30, when we left home, is falling at present. It is so refreshing and I am surprised that the humidity is so low here, love it!