Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
The “rich coast”. Tropical paradise. Banana Republic. Quintessential neotropical rainforest. Before we could go ashore in this small Central American country, the officials in the small port town of Golfito had to scrutinize some paperwork and stamp our passports. With this completed early in the predawn moments the ship moved a short distance to the eastern shore of the large bay of Golfo Dulce. After replenishing our gastronomy we swung into Zodiacs for the short ride into the lush gardens of Casa Orquideas. Ron and Trudy MacAllister have lovingly nurtured hundreds of plants on their small piece of property nestled at the bottom of steep heavily forested hills. Our morning was spent walking around the gardens searching out and learning about not only plants but also the abundant and varied other wildlife such as birds, insects, and even a few reptiles.
One of the interesting plants was the annatto (or bixa), or as it is called in Costa Rica, achiote. A powder that covers the small seeds inside the colorful spiny pods has been used as a dye by indigenous peoples throughout Central and South America. The dye has some insect repellant virtues which the early people discovered. For more modern people the dye is a natural color that has been used on a variety of foods such as butter, cheese, and rice. It also is found in some cosmetics. As equally colorful as some of the flowers were some of the birds we spotted, like the male Cherrie’s Tanager. One of the more sought after spottings was of Chestnut-mandibled Toucans.
In the afternoon the sea surface was mirrorlike so a few people paddled the kayaks across the end of Golfo Dulce or quietly along the edge of the mangrove lined shores. Another group went to shore to search for birds and other wildlife along the not so bustling road through a heavily forested area. These walkers experienced the quickness with which it can rain in this part of the world as they were caught by a torrential downpour of warm tropical water. Having dried out and refreshed at a typical Costa Rican buffet dinner, a group gathered in the lounge to learn the fine art of Latin American dance from a couple of the crew, staff, and Wellness Coordinator.
The “rich coast”. Tropical paradise. Banana Republic. Quintessential neotropical rainforest. Before we could go ashore in this small Central American country, the officials in the small port town of Golfito had to scrutinize some paperwork and stamp our passports. With this completed early in the predawn moments the ship moved a short distance to the eastern shore of the large bay of Golfo Dulce. After replenishing our gastronomy we swung into Zodiacs for the short ride into the lush gardens of Casa Orquideas. Ron and Trudy MacAllister have lovingly nurtured hundreds of plants on their small piece of property nestled at the bottom of steep heavily forested hills. Our morning was spent walking around the gardens searching out and learning about not only plants but also the abundant and varied other wildlife such as birds, insects, and even a few reptiles.
One of the interesting plants was the annatto (or bixa), or as it is called in Costa Rica, achiote. A powder that covers the small seeds inside the colorful spiny pods has been used as a dye by indigenous peoples throughout Central and South America. The dye has some insect repellant virtues which the early people discovered. For more modern people the dye is a natural color that has been used on a variety of foods such as butter, cheese, and rice. It also is found in some cosmetics. As equally colorful as some of the flowers were some of the birds we spotted, like the male Cherrie’s Tanager. One of the more sought after spottings was of Chestnut-mandibled Toucans.
In the afternoon the sea surface was mirrorlike so a few people paddled the kayaks across the end of Golfo Dulce or quietly along the edge of the mangrove lined shores. Another group went to shore to search for birds and other wildlife along the not so bustling road through a heavily forested area. These walkers experienced the quickness with which it can rain in this part of the world as they were caught by a torrential downpour of warm tropical water. Having dried out and refreshed at a typical Costa Rican buffet dinner, a group gathered in the lounge to learn the fine art of Latin American dance from a couple of the crew, staff, and Wellness Coordinator.
