Costa Rica 3

Its been raining off and on since last night, even though this is the dry season  I tried to walk up to the cloud forest reserve but chickened out after a while because the road was too muddy and slippery.  Its just as well, since I am not planning to go to the reserve itself until I have squirrelled away enough money, but I was planning on visiting the Cafe Colibri and enjoy the hummingbirds there that swarm around the feeders. Colibri, for those who dont speak Spanish, is a word for hummingbird.  I kind of like it better than hummingbird.  Instead of heading back to the bed and breakfast I braved the strong wind and the sporadic drizzle and continued to walk, stopping in a bakery cafe for most of two hours where I had a pleasant conversation with a Chilean couple who seemed attracted to my art.  I am drawing a quetzal right now.  Here is a Google image to refresh your memory of this rock star of the bird world



Im not including the tail since the pages of my sketchbook arent that big.  I have had some more birds sightings today, including blue crowned motmots, and I must have seen at least six of them



I also saw three white throated magpie jays



I also had some nice hummingbird sightings in the garden of my bed and breakfast, while having breakfast by the window and from my room.

Still, if anyone asks me if Im a birdwatcher, the answer is always a flat no.  I dont stalk birds with a camera or binoculars, which I find kind of creepy, actually, when considering the birds point of view.  Birders are a funny breed of geek and I have to admit that they often make me smile.  On the plane to Costa Rica I was sitting next to a woman who told me about all the equipment she was having to pack with her for the birdwatching tour she was going to be on.  I thought, how much work she and other birders could save themselves if theyd just permit themselves to chill and get outside to enjoy it for its own sake.  Maybe by holding still, not wanting to see them so much, by playing a bit hard to get they wont scare the little critters off.  It just seems to be a mentality that I dont relate to, but each to their own, and I will not begrudge anyone for doing what makes them happy, just so long as it doesnt hurt anyone, especially the birds.

I continued to wander around, taking sideroads and enjoying the scenery, the tranquility, and of course the birds, that just seemed to come out of hiding whenever they wanted only to conceal themselves again when they felt like it.  As God ordained.

Later I went to a restaurant near Santa Elena for a smoothie, stayed to work further on the quetzal drawing, then ordered something to eat.  I have decided to stay within a fifteen thousand colones a day spending budget, or roughly, thirty five Canadian, and anything I save will go into a fund for visiting the forest reserves, none of which offers an entrance of less than twenty dollars Canadian.  As I have previously mentioned, prices have really gone up here, thanks to the booming tourist economy, and the cheaper restaurants have offerings the same prices or higher than in Vancouver.

I am aching all over from climbing hills on the way back, and I know its good for me so I will stop complaining, Gentle Reader.