Sunday, November 12, 2017

El Romanso

The drive to El Romanso took far longer than expected. Heavy traffic and severe damage to the road, with road works everywhere. Our driver Ernesto was very patient and stopped in many places to allow us to take photos of the beautiful scenery.


And birds....

Scarlet Macaws.
The camera was having problems again with condensation. No matter how often I wiped the lense, this was the best shot I coulg get!
Eventually we reached Peurto Jemenez, where we were picked up by a driver from El Romanso, in a four wheel drive Landcruiser.
Three wet water river crossings was the reason for the Landcruiser. We saw more animals (not birds) on the road into El Romanso than we had seen anywhere else. Edwin stopped to allow us to take many photos. Squirrel Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Howler monkeys.


Two Screech Owls, iguanas, other birds.
El Romanso is located on the Osa Peninsular. Nearby is the Cotaverde National Park. This area is reputed to be the best place in Costa Rica to see animals.
We are here for four nights. And have chosen to stay put in the hotel and its grounds to recouperate from all the previous travel and rush.
In just the first two days we saw White-nosed Coatis, White-faced Capuchin Monkeys, Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, Agooti, Scarlet Macaws, Toucans, Puff Bird, Roadside Hawk, Masked Owl, Red-headed Manakin and many other birds.

White-faced Capuchin.
On day two we walked one of the paths through the jungle. There are two suspension bridges on the propert, from which you can see over the canopy and into the stream below.

On this walk, a troupe of Howler Monkeys passed over our heads in the canopy above.
Our room is delightful.

A house really, with verandah, lounge chairs and a hammock outside.

No glass windows, only wire netting and wooden shutters to allow the sea breezes to flow through.

A king-size bed with inside and outside bathroom; separate toilet. Very cool and airy, very comfortable.

El Romanso is situated about 250 meters from the Pacific Ocean, but about 300 meters above sea level. So as you can imagine the path leading to the beach is VERY steep.


Dining room and swimming pool area face the sea and are completely open. The dining room is a bamboo structure built into the forest overlooking the canopy. A beautiful setting.
The lodge prides itself on its ecological sustainability. It has reached the highest possible grading for eco-tourism in Costa Rica. Very strenuous regulations are applied to the ratings. So this is no mean feat! Even the linen is sun-dried! In an area that receives 8 meters of rain a year, and with 98% humidity, I don't know how this is achieved! As we stay, a consultant has come to advise the hotel and staff on the most ecologically sustainable cleaning and washing products to be used in the laundry. Already the soaps provided for guests are 100% biodigradable and fully organic as are the floor cleaners etc.
Yesterday we ventured down to the sea.



As stated before, very steep. From the hotel you cannot see the waves, although it is so close.
The beach is black, volcanic sand, lined with palm trees and native red hibiscus.
On the beach a fresh water stream runs into the sea. Further upstream there is pool below the fresh water cascades. Here we saw cat prints, quite large, but failed to see the ocelot that had made the prints. The prints looked very recent but...... unfortunately not a cat to be seen. We were told that ocelots are very fond of turtle eggs and often dig up the nests. This would indeed explain why the tracks went around in circles.
It took 25 minutes approximately to get down to the beach and very tough going on Peter's knees. A short walk along the beach before we had to return to the hotel for a scheduled telephone call with Nigel and Mum.
We gave ourselves a good hour to get back as we had been advised that the walk back would take at least 40 minutes. Peter almost sprinted up the hill, with me following much more slowly behind. It was hot and humid. We were saturated with sweat by the time we reached the hotel. So much so that, we had to rinse all of the clothes we were wearing, including undies. Peter wished that he had walked up without shirt, because this now meant we had to dry two of his shirts, in 98% humidity. It looks like we will be taking wet clothes to Panama!
For the past two days it has rained and mist has settled in right up to the edge of the dining area. Indeed the mist has drifted in whilst we've been eating.
This has been a great place to relax and gather energy again for our next frantically busy next leg of the journey. We have slept to the sounds of rain in the roof, crickets and frogs in the forest and the crashing of waves on the beach below - wonderful!

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