Central Costa Rica Trip 2011(San Jose to Arenal Volcano)
From Feb. 22 - Mar. 3, 2011 Kenny and I went to Costa Rica on a fabulous photography tour with a great group of people from Chattanooga, Alabama, Pennsylvania and New York. We went with Strabo Tours International and Costa Rican-based Horizontes Tours. I couldn't resist doing something humorous with this funny Bougainvellia flower!
"Camarón amarillo"Pachystachys luteaAcanthus familySan José, Costa RicaFeb. 22, 2011This is a well-named plant, the flower bracts really do look like shrimp!
Erythrina speciosa / Pea Family San José, Costa Rica Feb. 22, 2011 This tree was growing at the Bouganvillea Hotel garden in San Jose.
Bougainvillea glabraSan José, Costa RicaFeb. 22, 2011The Bougainvillea Hotel was a riot of color with gardens of its namesake flower, orchids, heliconias, and many other tropical flowers
"Vólcan"Solanum wendlandii Tobacco FamilySan José, Costa RicaFeb. 23, 2011This pretty vine graced the entrance gate of INBio Parque.
It helps to learn a few Spanish words when visiting Costa Rica. Although many people speak English, most of the signs are in Spanish. The shape of this stop sign is familiar to American travelers.
A lovely sanctuary window in Las Mercedes church.
On the road through the mountains on our way to Arenal, we hit a traffic backup. One driver decided to pass on the right and make his way on up the road.
Many restrooms in the smaller towns required payment, at only ~40 cents, it was worth having clean facilities!
"Chayote" Sechium edule / Cucumber Family La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 24, 2011 It was dark when we got to the hotel in La Fortuna, so I was anxious to get outside the next morning to look for wildflowers. I found this vine growing near the hotel.
"Paira" Melanthera nivea / Aster family La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 25, 2011 This vine grew wild on the edges of the hotel property.
Baccharis trinervis / Aster Family La Fortuna Falls, Costa Rica Feb. 24, 2011 This was a small tree growing next to the observation deck at La Fortuna Falls.
Kenny and Kris at the garden of the Bougainvillea Hotel in San José. Photo by Tom Harrison
"Ayer, hoy y mañana"Brunfelsia grandiflora Tobacco FamilySan José, Costa RicaFeb. 22, 2011This plant gets its unusual name from the way the flowers change colors as they age.
"Flor de pasión" Passiflora vitifolia / Passionflower family San José, Costa Rica Feb. 22, 2011 I was thrilled to see this vine blooming at the hotel in San Jose! It was one of my target plants. The leaves of the passionflower vines are the food source for the caterpillars of Fritillary caterpillars.
on the outskirts of San José is a wonderful introduction to the plants, animals and numerous ecosystems in Costa Rica. This room has a great program on the many national parks in the country. Costa Rica has more land protected in parks than any other country in Central America. There are many laws protecting the environment, so animals and plants have a better opportunity to live here.
This is just a small sample of the many species of butterflies found in Costa Rica. We were thrilled to see the gorgeous, Blue Morpho (center) flying wild in the forest at Parque National Manuel Antonio in Quepos.
Las Mercedes "Iglesia" is a beautiful church located in Grecia. It was built in 1958 of iron plates. Being on a photography tour was great because we would often stop at interesting places to give us an opportunity to get photos.
I have always been intrigued by the intricate hand-work on "molas", these were crafted by the Kuna Yala Indians. At $19 I felt these souvenir T-shirts were a bargain! I got one with a parrot.
We found out the cause of the traffic backup --- a sugar cane truck had turned over on a sharp curve earlier in the day and dumped its load!
Phyllodactylus tuberculosus La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 23, 2011 I was excited to see several of these cute little geckos on the wall on our hotel in La Fortuna.
Centrosema plumieri / Pea family La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 24, 2011 This pretty pea was blooming in the trees at the edge of our hotel yard.
Conostegia subscrustulata / Melastomataceae La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 24, 2011
Some of the group braved the 660 steps to walk to the base of La Fortuna Falls. Going down wasn't so bad, but the hike back up was a lung-buster! We were glad we did it though, we saw lots of interesting flowers, ferns and even a Clear-wing Butterfly. Unfortunately, it wouldn't stay still long enough for me to get a photo. :(
Our first night in Costa Rica was spent at the elegant Hotel Bougainvillea in San José, named for the beautiful red and hot-pink flower seen all over the country.
Heliconia danielsiana San José, Costa Rica Feb. 22, 2011 This was a very weird heliconia, it was very fuzzy!
The National Flower of Costa Rica "Guaria morada" (Spanish names in quotes) Guarianthe skinneri / Orchid family San José, Costa Rica Feb. 22, 2011 This is the National Flower of Costa Rica and it can be seen planted on trees in many areas. I bought some of the tiny plants in gel to bring home. I hope I can keep them happy and alive! The Spanish name for the plants is in quotation marks.
One of the INBIO Parque guides gave a talk on the programs provided by their staff. We were amazed at the size of some of the insects in this collection! Secretly, I hoped to see some of these critters during our trip! :)
"Cuajipalo"Caiman crocodilusSan José, Costa RicaFeb. 23, 2011This caiman was seen at the INBio Parque, fortunately, he was sunning himself on the bank of the pond.
"Corteza Amarilla"Tabebuia ochracea neochrysanthaGrecia, Costa RicaFeb. 23, 2011 These beautiful yellow-flowered trees glowed like gold when the sun shone on them! The final hotel we stayed at was named for this tree.
Costa Rica is a major coffee growing country. Therefore, coffee makes a popular souvenir.
What a surprise it was when the bus pulled up to this church with spectacular topiary gardens in Zarcero! The cypress shrubs are neatly trimmed by the park gardener, Evangelisto Blanco. The church was built in 1895.
Our Hotel room at the Arenal Manoa had a fabulous view of the volcano when the clouds lifted the last morning.
Hippobroma longiflora / Bluebell Family La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 24, 2011 I'd love to know why this plant has this name! It has a beautiful white, star-shaped flower.
Like many of the restaurants in the tropics, Hotel Arenal Manoa was airy and open. Fortunately, hungry insects and birds were not a problem! We enjoyed seeing the volcano out the back patio.
This little anole hitched a ride on Willy's tripod as we walked down to La Fortuna Falls. :)
The Hotel Bougainvillea has acres of spectacular gardens! I could have spent hours looking at the numerous orchids, cannas, Flame Vine, heliconias, bromeliads, and on and on!
"Pavón amarillo"Justicia aurea Acanthus familySan José, Costa RicaFeb. 22, 2011This was another of the interesting plants in the garden of the Bougainvillea Hotel.
Flame Vine; Flaming Trumpet Vine
"Triquitraque"Pyrostegia venustaBignonia familySan José, Costa RicaFeb. 22, 2011 This brilliant orange vine grew on the fence along the garden at the Bougainvillea Hotel.
"Iguana negra"Ctenosuara similisSan José, Costa RicaFeb. 23, 2011This old fellow was photographed at INBio Parque. Ctenosaurs look a bit different than the common Green Iguana.
"Amapola"Malvaviscus concinnusSan José, Costa RicaFeb. 23, 2011This is a common shrub in the forests of Costa Rica.
The ornate marble sanctuary of Las Mercedes church in Grecia was very beautiful.
We saw lots of wooden gifts at souvenir shops, such as these lovely multi-colored boxes in Sarchi. I bought a wooden necklace with these pretty colors several years ago in the Virgin Islands, unfortunately, the lovely purple hue eventually turns brown.
As we neared La Fortuna, we had to negotiate many hairpin curves! But, at least this road was paved! Many of the roads in the high mountains were dirt. The cloud-clad mountains can be seen in the distance, these are the home of the famous cloud forests of Costa Rica.
Polygala paniculata / Milkwort family La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 24, 2011 I almost overlooked this small plant with tiny pink flowers as I was walking in the yard on the hotel grounds.
"Avecilla" Heliconia psittacorum / Heliconia family La Fortuna, Costa Rica Feb. 25, 2011
We took this "Turismo" Bus on our travels. Our wonderful driver, Jason, did a great job of keeping the windows clean so we could get good on-the-road shots. He amazed us driving on the narrow, curvy, bumpy mountain roads! These small buses are seen all over the country, they can get around easier than the large tour buses.
La Fortuna Falls is a beautiful 270-foot cataract plunging over a volcanic cliff.