| We passed close by the beautiful Islas Tortugas, full of tour boats, and a few hours later anchored in-between Isla Cedros and Isla Jesusita, a most protected and tranquil anchorage. We spent four busy and delightful days at this anchorage. Like many of the previous anchorages in Costa Rica, we were treated here to an abundance of bird sounds, many butterflies, and the roars of howler monkeys. We ended up anchoring next to two cruising boats that had been with us at Barillas, El Salvador, and so had much fun revisiting. Often at night, lightning could be seen in all the surrounding hills, but somehow this anchorage never seemed to get the rain. On Tuesday, we tried out our inflatable kayak for the first time. On Wednesday, we took the ferry (1� hour trip each way) across the Golfo de Nicoya to Puntarenas for the day to buy supplies, get laundry done, and enjoy a lunch with other cruising friends from Barillas. On Thursday, we had our first of two exciting �wildlife adventures� while in Costa Rica. We took a taxicab with another cruising couple to the nearby Curu Wildlife Refuge and spent 4 fantastic hours hiking through the jungle. As it was the low tourist season, we had the entire refuge to ourselves. We saw monkeys, a variety of birds, some lizards including the Jesus Christ lizard that �walks on water�, iguanas, beautifully colored butterflies, and a variety of small colorful insects. We had especially wanted to see monkeys in the wild, and we weren�t disappointed at the Curu Wildlife Refuge. Often while walking along we could hear branches move, but when we looked we saw nothing. It wasn�t until we stopped that the monkeys finally came - and did they come! It was most exciting. We could see the white-faced monkeys (more properly known as white-throated capuchin) move through the branches, coming from quite a few trees away, coming closer, curious to get a look at us. It reminded me of Curious George in the series by that same name. Then, a further ways off, we could hear the howler monkeys coming closer, but never coming as close as the capuchins. At most anchorages throughout Costa Rica we have heard the sounds of the howler monkeys coming from shore - quite a loud noticeable �howl� sound. But, here in this jungle, because they kept coming closer, the sound became louder and louder - like right out of a Tarzan movie. In Spanish, these monkeys are called �mono congo�, which I think most appropriate, as their sounds definitely reminded me of Africa. On Friday, August 1, we departed Islas Cedros and Jesusita and headed southeast across the Golfo de Nicoya. That afternoon it rained a lot as we approached Los Suenos Marina in Bahia Herradura to take on fuel and water. In our Costa Rica cruising guide, it mentioned that the Rio Tarcoles marked the artificial boundary separating the northern dry topical forests from the southern wet tropical forests. With the rain that afternoon, we totally concurred. After fueling, we headed 5 miles back up the coast to Punta Leona. Unfortunately, the anchorage at Punta Leona ended up being very rolly, but since it was getting dark and we had no other options, we stayed and put out a stern anchor for the night to keep us into the prevailing swell. Originally we had planned to spend a day at Punta Leona, but instead left immediately Saturday morning. As we exited Golfo de Nicoya, we were met by big incoming swells, thus making for a slow passage. Once outside, though, the waters became calm. We continued heading southeast along the coastline. Late in the day we passed by Quepos, could see that it was quite rolly, and so decided to continue on overnight to Bahia Drake. We ended up motoring the entire way with squalls on and off throughout the night. Any time there was some wind it came straight down the nose. Thus, we started coining the phrase �we must be going the right direction as the wind is right on the nose.� We anchored in Bahia Drake just as the sun rose on Sunday, August 3. |
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| Howler Monkeys |