Carera Park & La Ensenada Lodge – day 4

Posted on February 26, 2009 by JoeTourist

Feb 26, 2009 – Thursday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge & Carera Park, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

Swiss Travel, the company our guide Jorge works for, originally planned to take us to a beach near Puntarenas today, however only a couple of people signed up and several of us suggested to both Jorge and Gary that we would much prefer a walk through Carera National Park. To their credit, Swiss Travel cancels the beach trip and substitutes Carera, providing each person pays the US$10 park entrance fee. Most of our group sign up for this trip, and we leave this morning on the bus. First stop is the bridge over the Tarcoles River to see the crocodiles. They are huge – about three metres long. The bus meets us on the other side and we drive the short distance to the park entrance, where we pay our entrance fee.

A pair of Scarlett Macaws in a nest in a tree

We walk along a relatively flat trail through the rain forest, which transitions from “dry” to “wet”. We are treated to two opportunities to see Scarlett Macaws (both nesting in trees). We also see Jesus Christ Lizards. Jorge flushes them out and they scoot across the stream – that’s how they get their name (walking on water). There are sandwiches and cold drinks waiting for us as we drive back to La Ensenada in the bus. After the hot temperatures in the rain forest, the air conditioned bus offers some welcome relief.

Afternoons at Le Ensenada are hot, so most of our group disappear to their cabins for siestas or adjourn to the pool for a refreshing swim. After having dinner at 5pm, we observe Venus and the thin Crescent Moon as they both set in the west at sunset – a beautiful sight. I’m tired after the hike in the midday heat, so I go to bed after dinner. I wake up at midnight fully refreshed and ready for our last night sky observing opportunity at La Ensenada.

La Ensenada Lodge – day 2

Posted on February 24, 2009 by JoeTourist

Feb 24, 2009 – Tuesday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge, Manzanillo, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

2009 Southern Skies Fiesta & Tamarindo Coast

I join the early morning wildlife walk at 6AM since I’m still up from the previous night’s observing. The horses are in the field as the sun rises, and we see a big iguana along with some birds as the Howler monkeys look down on us from the trees. Time for breakfast and a nap.

I go on the boat trip to the mangrove swamp, showing up at 2PM down at the dock with my Canon 50D and the 17-85 zoom lens. However after we spot our first birds (Pelicans), I wish I had brought the 70-200 zoom instead. The birds we see are pretty close, but the extra reach of the longer zoom lens would have given me better image scale. We follow a similar route as last year, seeing lots of birds busy catching fish, spoonbills in the trees, and a Pelican colony at close range. It is cooler than I remember the boat trip from last year, and the water isn’t as rough on the return trip. After we return, I have a swim in the pool before going for dinner – very refreshing!

This evening I look at M42 Orion Nebula through a 15” Obsession Dobsonian telescope one of our group has brought with them on the trip. Our astronomy leader Gary thinks this telescope holds the record as the largest aperture telescope brought on the tour so far. All I can say is the views through it are superb. The breathtaking view of M42 reveals the beautiful blue colour of the reflection nebula – a first time for me with any scope I’ve used on this showpiece object. We also have a look at the Sombrero Galaxy, where the dust lane is evident, and Comet Lulin’s spectacular dust tail.

Later in the evening, I do some astrophotography using my dSLR mounted on an Astrotrac tracking mount on a tripod. It works very well, but my choice of targets: the emission nebulae in Vela turns out to be underwhelming. Later I change targets to a widefield of M42 Orion Nebula, including the Flame Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula, and am rewarded with a breathtaking resultant image.

After midnight, I turn my camera to Comet Lulin and have yet more success. I take relatively few frames to capture the comet’s tail, but stacking 62 light frames referenced to the comet head shows just how fast this comet is moving through the cosmos indicated by the star trails. I go to bed tired but happy after a busy night of observing and photographing the night sky.

El Silencio Cloud Forest

Posted on February 14, 2008 by JoeTourist

Feb 14, 2008 – Thursday – La Fortuna to San Jose, Costa Rica

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

We leave the Tabacón resort this morning, returning from La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano to San Jose and the Central Valley. First stop is El Silencio de Los Angeles Cloud Forest. This is the first Cloud Forest I have experienced up close, and it is fascinating. We see lots of fauna and flora, including several varieties of hummingbirds, army and leaf-cutter ants, orchids and other amazing flowering plants. The cloud forest lives up to its name as the clouds silently drift through the forest canopy, nourishing all the life below. We have a very nice lunch at the adjoining Villa Blanca restaurant, and I admire the folklorique mural on the wall depicting historic industry in Costa Rica.

Historical scene on a tile mural in the Villa Blanca lobby

We get back on the bus for the drive back to San Jose, however there is the inevitable shopping stop at Sarchi. Thank goodness it is only a half hour this time before we are underway again. I really find the shopping part of these tours to be boring and a waste of my time. We run into rush hour traffic as we approach San Jose, which makes us late for our Farewell dinner. We all rush through our Courtyard Marriott hotel check-in, and manage to get to the restaurant before they cancel our reservation. This is a different restaurant than last week. The dinner is very nice – no band playing this time, a few short speeches are made, and I get to talk with some of my fellow Canadians in the group.

Rush hour traffic on the highway into San Jose

I have to be the first to leave the restaurant, since my flight tomorrow leaves at 7:45am. I am told my airport transfer is arranged for 5am, so that means I have to get up at 4am – a killer hour. Also, due to a scheduling mistake by Continental Airlines, I now have to overnight in Seattle-Tacoma, so I won’t be returning home to Victoria, Canada until Saturday instead of Friday evening. Back to the reality of a more crowded, hectic pace, with travel stress and decisions to be made, after a sublime two weeks in rural Costa Rica.

Arenal Volcano

Posted on February 13, 2008 by JoeTourist

Feb 13, 2008 – Wednesday – Arenal Volcano

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

I have a nice breakfast of waffles with fruit and chocolate sauce, coffee & fresh fruit juice at 5:30AM. Today is obviously starting off early, since we go on a hike to see a volcanic flow on Arenal Volcano. A woman in our group sits on an unstable rock and rolls to the ground, resulting in some cuts and bruises. Otherwise, everyone coped well with the sometimes rough terrain. There is some rain at the start of our hike, and it is cloudy to clear the rest of our time on the mountain shrouded in cloud, which is not unusual for Arenal. The last time I was here 10 years ago, Arenal was in cloud as well. We watch the volcano spit hot boulders for awhile and then return to the bus.

The Arenal Volcano Observatory is our next stop – a sublime place which has a nice restaurant overlooking the volcano, a resort, Lake Arenal, and the observatory operated by the Smithsonian Institute. We have a leisurely lunch, observe the volcano from the deck, and have fun watching the tropical birds feeding on some fruit left out for them at a feeding station. There is also a Coatimundi foraging in the gardens. From this vantage point I take better photos of the mountain than from our hike earlier in the day. Steven O’Meara shares a bit of history about Arenal, and then we get back on the bus and return to Tabacón.

The rest of the afternoon is free, so I go to the hot springs and spa and soak in the hot pools. Some of them are very hot (41.5°C) and others are as cool as 25°C. I find a hot pool away from the crowds and alternate between hot and cool for about an hour. Our hotel room booking includes admission to the hot springs, so many of my group are also taking advantage of the facility. Normal admission is $60/person for a day pass. There is a free shuttle between the hotel and the hot springs – they are located about a block apart.

We enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Arenal Kioro Hotel, a resort located toward La Fortuna not far from Tabacón. This two year old resort is situated on the mountain and has wonderful views of the area. The whole complex is quite spectacular. After dinner, we drive back to Arenal and park along an access road, trying to spot the hot lava rocks as they tumble down the mountain, but it is so cloudy we only spot a couple before giving up to return to Tabacón.

La Selva Preserve

Posted on February 11, 2008 by JoeTourist

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

Feb 11, 2008 – Monday – La Selva Preserve, Sarapiqui Rain Forest, Heredia, Costa Rica

We visit the nearby La Selva Preserve this morning, which is a biological research station focused on the rain forest. Our guide is a bird nesting researcher, so he is very knowledgeable about the many birds we encounter on our nature walk. He also has interesting stories to tell about La Selva itself, as well as the flora and fauna in the preserve. He catches a Blue-black Grassquit to show us the feathers, and we also see a poison dart frog on the forest floor (Oophaga). He calls the birds to us using a portable speaker he drives with a bird song database from Cornell.

Oophaga - poison dart frog on the forest floor

Our guide Diego conducts a walking tour near the hotel this afternoon, but I just want some down time, so I don’t go. It is wonderful to just sit on the deck overlooking the lagoon; watching and listening to the rain come down in showers, and observing the interesting wildlife, which is so close. As I explore the hotel grounds, I also discover some unique features of Sueño Azul Hotel, including high wire acrobatic apparatus, and a horse barn with a riding ring. Then there’s the previously mentioned pedestrian foot bridge across the river, providing guests with their main access to the hotel.

My wildlife spotting list from this amazing tropical area just for yesterday and today reveals an abundant diversity!

Cherrie's tanager perched on a branch in the rainforest

Poas Volcano & Sarapiqui

Posted on February 10, 2008 by JoeTourist

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

Feb 10, 2008 – Sunday – San Jose to Poas Volcano to Sarapiqui Rainforest, Costa Rica

I have a nice omelet for breakfast this morning in the Marriott before we leave San Jose. Our new, smaller group departs a little after 8am, driving north out of the city through coffee plantations in Alajuela. Our first stop is Doka Estate Coffee Plantation for a rest break, where I have a very well-made cappuccino, and I purchase a coaster with a Costa Rican frog motif embossed on it.

Nearby Póas Volcano is our next destination. Since this is Sunday, the place is crowded with Costa Ricans. The weather is notoriously fickle on top of this volcano. Our group hikes from the visitor centre to the main viewpoint, and as we arrive the clouds part for about a minute. Unfortunately I don’t take any photos before the clouds completely obscure everything again!

Steven O’Meara is on this trip as an expert in volcanoes. While we wait for the clouds to part, he stands on his Pelican case and gives us an impromptu presentation on the special features of Poas, and shares a general dissertation on global warming and how volcanoes are contributing to the problem in a major way. After about a half hour, the clouds blow away for 10 minutes or so, giving us a good photo opportunity before we leave Poas Volcano.

Our next stop is to see some spectacular falls along the road that follows the Sarapiqui River northward and then east over the mountains through the town of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. We have a late lunch along the way at Hacienda Pozo Azul Adventures, where the restaurant has a butterfly house with some very nice tropical butterflies. It’s free admission, however I only have a few minutes to take some photos before we depart, heading southeast.

We pull off onto a side road and park while our luggage is loaded into a pickup truck and taken to the Sueño Azul Hotel. We drive a bit further, and everyone walks across the river on a foot bridge, directly to the hotel grounds. Once I am settled in my room overlooking one of the many lagoons on the property, I observe several birds from my deck: a Snowy Egret and a Green Heron are fishing in the lagoon, and also several colourful birds are in the nearby trees.

We leave the hotel after dark for the Tirimbina Rainforest Center, where we are given a wonderful introduction to the bats which are found in the area. One of the rangers catches several bats and brings them inside so we can look at them up close. They are fascinating creatures, and so small and cute. Their little faces are all screwed up, since they are so frightened by being handled, but they are soon released back into the night by members of our group. After returning back to the hotel and navigating the foot bridge once again, we have a very nice late dinner at 9pm.

La Ensenada Lodge – Day 4

Posted on February 8, 2008 by JoeTourist

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

Feb 8, 2008 – Friday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge, Abangaritos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

This is our last full day at La Ensenada “Star” Lodge. Before sunrise, I see Rigel Kentaurus and Hadar with the Southern Cross in the beautiful pre-dawn light. I then go on our final nature walk this morning as the Sun rises. We spot lots of interesting wildlife, including a Cane Toad in the dining room as we gather, and then a Green heron on a snag in an algae-covered pond, a Clay-coloured Robin Clay-coloured Robin, Southern white-crowned shrike, Squirrel Cuckoo, and a Tropical Kingbird perched in trees.

Crux and other southern constellations in the pre-dawn southeastern sky

I sign up for a horse ride this morning. We all have a good time; especially considering none of us have ridden horses for many years. The last time I rode a horse was when I was an early teen. The horses are very well trained, and the ride is an interesting two hours going all around the ranch. We go to the top of a hill overlooking the coastline, and ride around the hill where the tractor ride took us previously. I take some video which captures the experience pretty well, despite all the bouncing around I was doing while on horseback. We even see a pair of Double-striped Thick-knee birds run across the pasture grass.

After lunch, two musicians play the xylophone tandem in the bar/lounge. Otherwise, our afternoon is free of activities. I have a nap after dinner, waking up around 7:30pm to clear skies! This is the opportunity I have been waiting for all week. I take a time lapse of the southern horizon over a 3 hour period until midnight, which shows some of the southern celestial objects in the sky as they rise. I then setup the Astrotrac after finding a spot where I can see Polaris, finally getting a good polar alignment. Now I’m cooking! I image the Eta Carina region, and then move to Crux, imaging the Southern Cross and the Coalsack dark nebula.

Feb 9, 2008 – early morning, Saturday – While the camera is imaging the Southern Cross region, I process the Eta Carinae images since I can see they are quite good. Finally, I’m happy with some results from this dark sky location! Both my friend and I are up until 4am imaging the night sky, since this is our last chance. Several of our group pull all-nighters, since the sky is so wonderful. I think it is perhaps the all-time best observing evening I’ve ever experienced. It is warm, the magnitude 6 sky is steady and crystal clear, the temperature is very comfortable at about 25º Celsius, and there are no mosquitoes!

La Ensenada Lodge – Day 1

Posted on February 5, 2008 by JoeTourist

2008 Costa Rica Southern Skies Fiesta, Volcanos & Rainforest

Feb 5, 2008 – Tuesday – La Ensenada “Star” Lodge, Abangaritos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Early morning wildlife walks are conducted by our guide Diego every day we are at the lodge. The main draw is the variety of birds, however iguanas, squirrels, vegetation, flowers, and the farm animals are also observed by our group. For those of us who are dedicated night sky observers, we sometimes join the wildlife walks as the Sun rises, before having breakfast and then going to bed!

I don’t have high expectations for the Tractor Ride this afternoon, however it turns out to be a memorable experience. The owners of La Ensenada are Italians, and their son Giancarlo guides the hour and a half Tractor Ride all over the property. We see their salt ponds, horses and Brahma cattle grazing in the pastures, stop at the Aguna Observatory wildlife observing platform at a pond. Along the way we spot lots of birds and iguanas, and near the end we wind up a narrow road to the top of a hill overlooking the property and the Gulf of Nicoya. Giancarlo’s Mama serves us some superb antipasto, beer and soft drinks while we take in the view. What a nice touch! By the way, the passenger wagon we are seated in is being pulled by an Italian Landini tractor.

The group having snacks and beverages atop the scenic hill

It is clear this evening, so I take a series of wide field photos of the Taurus-Eridanus-Aires area, and then the Orion area later. Eridanus – The Celestial River – is a very large constellation near Orion, but it hugs the southern horizon from our nothern latitude, so observing it from Costa Rica means it is much higher in the sky. I then capture a series of photos of the spectacular Eta Carinae Nebula before midnight, however my tracking mount isn’t properly aligned with north, so the photos are not very useful. So this evening is rewarding for visual observing, however I have to refine my astrophotography technique.

North Coast of Kaua’i, Hawaii

Posted on January 17, 2001 by JoeTourist

January 17, 2001 – North Coast of Kaua’i

Kilauea Point, Kaua'i — Kilauea Point, Kaua’i

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, is north of Kapa’a on the Kuhio Highway. Watch for the signs and turn right to get to Kilauea Point and the little community. There is no entrance fee, but please drop a donation in the boxes provided. The lighthouse grounds can be home to wildlife. We found an Albatross on a nest, and the nearby cliffs are covered with nesting Shearwaters, Red Boobys, and Laysan Albatrosses. Kilauea Point is the most northerly point on Kaua’i, and Kaua’i is the most northerly of the Hawaiian Islands, so I assume this why the birds find this a good location for nesting. I also spotted a flock of about 6 Nene Geese (native Hawaiian goose).

When the Trade Winds are high, this area around Kilauea Point experiences huge surf, causing some spectacular wave action. Moku ‘Ae’ae Islet and blowhole is a sight to see just off Kilauea Point. There is a small community at the turnoff to Kilauea Point, and I would recommend Kong Lung – a funky store filled with unusual gifts some might be interested in. I also recommend the Lighthouse Bistro for lunch or dinner (located beside Kong Lung). You can’t go wrong ordering their fresh fish of the day. Very good food – highly recommended.

Just past Kilauea Point is Anini Beach County Park. This is a good spot for a picnic lunch, and the fantastic white sand beach is rarely crowded. Anini Beach would make an ideal destination for a whole day’s outing, since it one of the safest for swimming (not too common on Kaua’i due to the offshore reef and strong currents), and it has good picnic facilities. Another good beach just past Kikauea Point is Kalihiwi Bay. As you can see by the photos, the surf was up while I was visiting in January 2001, so no swimming was possible. The surfers were certainly out there riding the waves, although the emergency rescue was called while I was there, so it was even a bit too rough for some of the surfers!

Princeville is the next community along the North Coast. It is one of those planned communities, which are so common in Hawaii. Everything revolves around the superb golf courses, and yet I find all of them so sterile and cold. No doubt the exclusive properties are very expensive to purchase, and yet they hold no appeal to me whatsoever.

Past Princeville is the Hanalei Valley, which is very picturesque. Hanalei is a small community located on a superb little bay with the same name. The valley is rich and fertile, and many crops are grown here, including lots of taro. Needless to say, there is a great deal of rainfall in this area. Hanalei Bay can experience spectacular surf when the winds are high. If you rent a kayak, stick to the inland waterways.

Ha’ena Beach (aka Tunnels Beach) is normally calm and is a good beach for swimming and snorkelling, but as you can see by my photos, the surf can get very high. Ke’e Beach is much smaller than Tunnel Beach, but it is the end of the north shore road. While you are there, have a look at the Waikanaloa Wet Cave.

Near the end of the North Shore road is the Limahuli Gardens, but they deserve their own article!

North Coast of Kaua'i

34 photos