La Selva lies about 3kms south of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui which is where Mr. Leader found an interesting sounding restaurant. It sounded interesting to him because it was beside a river. Other than the fact that we went once the daily downpour had started so looking for odos was pointless, it turned out to be very good.
Having enjoyed the restaurant on our first day, there seemed little point going elsewhere so it has been our regular lunchtime haunt for all three days at La Selva. It is the Restaurante Vista El Rio Sarapiqui and has a 4.3 rating on good ol’ Google.
This morning my slightly haunting Howler Monkey dawn chorus was a little late; I heard nothing until about 04:30. When I did hear it, it was obviously very close. I poked my nose out of the front door and the troupe was in the trees right beside my lodge. I watched in fascination as they moved, mostly obscured, feeding from the leaves of the trees. Eventually some of the Howlers moved into more advantageous positions and I did what I could with my camera in the dim early morning light.
After my dawn entertainment and breakfast, we made our usual 07:00 start on the trails of La Selva. The weather had chosen today for a slow start with some lingering cloud from yesterday afternoon’s thrashing downpour, which continued through the evening. I began to wish that we’d made a slow start, too, ‘cos sod all was happening for the first two hours.
In the lull we found a sort of circular veranda affair to sit under and wait for things to brighten up. Around it, though, were some of the enchanting red frogs, which provided a little photographic diversion. They are about 2-3cms long and quite captivating. These are some of the chaps whose skin toxins are used to coat darts and spears with poison. Its relative is the equally small Green and Black Poison Dart Frog. An unknown (to me) lizard seemed to be keeping a wary eye on me as I entertained myself.
Eventually the day got going and so did our odo hunting. We found a couple of bits of habitat with a colourful new damselfly for me: Heteragrion erythrogastrum (Red-and-Black Flatwing). Mind you, given that this is my first time in Costa Rica, they’re all new to me.
The lads wanted to revisit a swamp they’d been to yesterday but I found the descent into the swamp a little too treacherous, even though I was now wearing my own Wellies, my luggage having joined me, so discretion being the better part of valour, I decided to leave my companions to it and waited patiently; well, mostly patiently.
Today’s meteorological thrashing started a little early at 12:30 so, once again, we found ourselves en route to lunch at our favourite restaurant in the driving rain. My companions both opted for the whole grilled Tilapia, which seems to be a very popular fish in Costa Rica. I stayed true to form with the Hamburguesa con Papas.
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