Ten Years On - Another Castle

Is it really ten years since we were watching Steve Redgrave win his 5th Olympic medal in the early hours of the morning at Wedderburn Castle?

Since then there have been a few changes: at the latest count there are 12 children born to our wedding guests (probably it for this generation, Susan?); three weddings; one divorce; I've lost contact with three of the guests while Linda has only lost one.

Happily we have retained contact with most of those who joined us for our wedding and I know that many of you follow the blog - so thanks for all your good wishes.We couldn't manage another party at Wedderburn - although we did consider it - because we couldn't get anyone to look after the pigs for long enough. However Keith agreed to cover so we could have three nights away and we headed off to Kilkenny - which also has a very impressive castle.

We enjoyed the city, ate in one very good restaurant and took advantage of the retail opportunity to buy those essentials that we cannot get in rural Co Clare - Wasabi peanuts, Rice wine vinegar and fish sauce. We also found an excellent bottle shop near our hotel so we could pick up some different wines.

Didn't miss the early morning chores at all - although I was still up early and enjoyed my morning coffee and Telegraph crossword at a great little coffee shop .

Stopped by the slaughterhouse on the way home - just to make sure I could find it when the time comes and met the butcher - TJ Crowe - and his mother who made us very welcome and gave us a tour of the place.

Back home in time for friday evening chores and within 15 minutes it was as if we had never been away!

A Day at the Races

After a gap of 34 years, the Ballyvaughan Horse and Pony Races were held on Sunday afternoon on the 'Lawn' in front of Newtown Castle.

The day had started grey and cool with a regular succession of heavy showers, but we drove to Ballyvaughan anyway - held up by the queue of traffic for the match-making festival at Lisdoonvarna (but thats another story).

During lunch at Logues Lodge we could still hear the rain beating on the roof but by the time we had parked the car and donned wellies for the walk across the cowfield, the sun was out and we were just in time for the start of the first race - although too late to place a bet with any of the nine bookmakers who were competing for our attention.

Only 2 runners in the second race but Linda managed to pick the winner - €4 back for a €10 stake - but it was downhill from there - we didn't pick another winner for the rest of the afternoon. It did show us just how seriously they take their racing though with regular reminders over the PA about the number of champion jockeys who had started in surroundings like these.

After 6 races we decided to call it a day - Linda spent her winnings on ice creams - and we made it back to the car just as the heavens opened.

Home Produce

In addition to the 28 eggs which the Hockey Girls produce each week, we have also managed to feast on cauliflowers, courgettes, beetroot, courgettes, red cabbage, and courgettes. Thankfully we have a long list of recipes which include courgette as our three plants are very productive.

I think we may have to accept that there is no point in trying to grow tomatoes outdoors in this climate. We planted 3 tomato plants at the end of May - two in the raised beds and one in an upside down container - and we have harvested a total of three ripe tomatoes and have just taken another two green tomatoes to ripen on the windowsill. It's definitely easier - and cheaper - to buy them in the supermarket.

Our neighbours have provided us with sweetcorn and potatoes and helping Keith with his poultry means that in addition to a couple of ducks we have also had all the duck livers and hearts (60 from the last batch) along with the lambs livers and kidneys from the first pair of lambs. Still 5 more lambs to go so plenty more liver and kidneys to come and we will have at least half a lamb for the freezer.

Have just confirmed the pigs appointment with the slaughterhouse for 4th November - all I have to do now is decide how we want the meat butchered. Have been gathering recipes for a variety of types of sausage (am open to any suggestions!) and am tempted to have a go at airdrying a whole ham - Serrano style of course. Should be busy for the second week of November and have plenty of meat to see us through the winter!

Autumn arrives

There may be many things which herald the end of summer and onset of autumn, but nothing is clearer than the departure of the swallows.

They arrived at Moyhill in mid-April as we returned from our travels and have been our constant companions over the spring and summer. Initially there were 6 or 8 individual birds who settled in their old nests in three of our sheds, their first broods were fledged surprisingly early and followed by a second and finally over the last couple of weeks we have watched their third broods fledging. On Monday morning there were about 50 swallows on our telephone wire watching the sunrise. I don't imagine that they will all survive their long journey south, but there must be a pretty good chance that we will see some of them back again next spring.

It has been great to see their aerobatics - even if we have both had to duck a few times as we encountered one of them coming out of a shed as we went in!. It was also wonderful to see the faces of the fledglings peeking from the nests and to see their first tentative flights round the roof spaces. We missed them as soon as we woke up this morning and realised that they had gone - although I won't miss the copious piles of droppings in the sheds and on the cars.

You can also tell it is autumn because our local schools all started their new term this week - and of course we have had clear blue skies and sunshine since Sunday afternoon. I thought that only happened in my rose-tinted memories of my schooldays.

We identified another indicator of the arrival of autumn on Monday afternoon. We had enjoyed a walk along the green road above Blackhead and had our picnic lunch at the ringfort on the side of Gleninagh mountain. As we headed home - watching a juvenile Hen Harrier being mobbed by a couple of crows - we promised ourselves coffee and cake at our favourite cafe in Fanore. Unfortunately when we arrived, we discovered that their summer season had ended and they are now only open at weekends.

You shouldn't name pigs if you are planning to eat them!

Our two pigs have now been with us for almost 4 weeks and they have settled in well and are putting on weight before our eyes. Only another 8-9 weeks and they will be off to the butcher! Hoping to get them to 50-55Kg by then and this looks very achievable.

They are great fun and despite my initial reservations have proved very easy to manage - they'll do anything for the hint of a bucket of feed and they learned about the electric fence very quickly.

Everyone says that you shouldn't name them as it will make it difficult when it comes time for the trip to the butcher, however you haveto have some way to identify them. My solution was to name them after a couple of people who I would happily slaughter if I had the chance so I am pleased to introduce Billy and Bruce.

Billy is the one with the thin face -and a passing resemblance to ET -and is named after an old colleague who some of you may remember, while Bruce is the fat greedy one who is just like his namesake - an old client from many years ago. It amuses me - childish, I know - that these two now spend their time together, sleeping in the same pen and eating from the same bowl while their namesakes couldn't abide each other!

The Michaelmas Goose

While most of our geese will be ready for the Christmas market, we will have quite a few ready for Thanksgiving. I am keen to see if I can have one ready for a Michaelmas dinner - 29th Sept - since this was when rural folk - admittedly mostly in eastern England - would kill the "green" goose which had been grazing on the pasture throughout the summer and for which they had no winter fodder when the grass finished. May have to resort to fattening one of the bigger candidates over the next few weeks to achieve this.

As you can see from the photo they are being pampered -the inflatable pool from Argos only lasted 4 weeks because they kept biting the air tubes. Managed to replace it with a hard plastic pool (sandpit) also from Argos. They are also a greedy lot and I have to move their 50m electric enclosure every night to give them fresh grass. In return they have done a great job of cleaning up the grass on the paddock - with a little help from weedkiller and fertilizer.

I'm sure the work will be worth it when we taste the first one fresh from the oven!

Say hello to the Hockey Girls

As soon as we got back to Moyhill after our trip to the UK in June, we finished the preparations for the hens and headed off to Loughrea on a wet afternoon to pick them up. Had hoped to buy them from a guy who lives about 5 miles away but for some reason he never answered his phone or returned my calls - perhaps too busy in the pub.

On the way home we were discussing names and it seemed like a good idea - to me anyway - to name them after some of Linda's hockey friends. Obviously we had to study them carefully to ensure that the names were appropriate, but after at least 10 mins consideration we are pleased to present Susan, Karen, Jinty and Ali T (from L-R):

I will leave it to those who know their namesakes to guess which of their traits we recognised but it is probably fair to say that Jinty was the first one out of the house wanting to make friends, while Susan always wants to be in charge!

They took to the henhouse immediately and Linda was delighted to find the first egg on their first morning with us.

Within no time at all, they were each producing an egg every day - a little on the small side to begin with - but they are now averaging 28 medium eggs a week. No consideration at all for my low-cholesterol diet! And the noise they make when they are announcing the arrival of an egg - no need for a rooster to wake us up!

Normal service to be resumed

With apologies for our lengthy absence - and thanks to all who enquired of our continued well being! Hope to bring everything up to date over the next week or so and then try to keep it current.

Life at Moyhill continues to be everything we could want. Looking after the geese, hens and pigs is keeping us busy, amused and fairly fit.

The morning routine starts around 7.00 am and takes an hour or so before breakfast. Then there are the daily maintenance checks, making sure the electric fences are clear and energised, and that the watering system is not blocked etc ; and the cleaning chores - clearing chicken shit daily, cleaning out the goose pen every 2-3 weeks, and likewise for the pigs. As we move from summer towards autumn there is also the issue of vermin - currently setting 5-6 traps for mice every day with chorizo still the most successful bait - luckily we have no evidence of rats in our sheds but have seen them next door.

After all this we can get on with the day until the evening chores which usually start around 6.00 pm and completed after dinner. We now understand why evening events here all start at 8.30pm or later - so that everyone has time to get all their jobs done!

I promise I will bring it all up to date over the next week or so - lots of stories to tell: e.g. who are the hens and pigs named after? how do you treat a poorly hen? where can you buy decent pasta in the West of Ireland without driving too far? What wine to serve with pigs tails and ears?

Sorry again for the long silence. You'll all be begging me to shutup again soon and this may be the only blog for a while which doesnt mention the weather!

Airports and stress

Sitting at Galway Airport with a pint of the blackstuff awaiting boarding call for our flight to Edinburgh. This is my kind of international travel -picked up from home at 5.15 by our local taxi man; easy 65 minute drive to the airport; 7 mins from arriving at airport to sitting in departure lounge with a pint (4mins for Guinness to pour)- Linda held up at security removing shoes, belt, jewelry,underwired bra etc...
Off to the UK 10 days - new car to buy, Mother's 80th birthday party to attend and various friends to catch up with - luckily neighbour Keith is looking after the goslings till we are back.
Forgot to mention that congratulations are due to Linda who got a sterling 3rd prize in the knitting section of the Ennistymon show at the weekend and 10 euros in prize money - paid for the beer at the show!

Which little piggies???

Linda has a new dilemma today after we called into see the piglets which were born about 10 days ago. She has to choose which two from the litter of nine will be ours by the end of July.


Of course they are very cute at this age - even the other ones we saw at 16 weeks were hard to resist. The piglets are crossbreed Saddleback / Duroc and should reach more than 100kg at 6 months. In addition to choosing our two, we still have a couple of other steps before we can bring them home. Most importantly, I am still waiting for my Pig Herd Number from the Dept of Agriculture -while the Irish may try to avoid many aspects of their British history, they could probably give the Civil Sevice in the UK lessons in bureaucracy.

Christmas dinner arrived today

Not looking their best at the moment as they lose their down and develop feathers but I am sure they will be plump and juicy by the time December comes!

Of course these are only our three - they were accompanied by a further 18 which we are going to raise for Keith.

After two days, we are still having to watch them when they are on the paddock because some are still small enough to get through the fence mesh. Hopefully they will grow sufficiently in the next few days to overcome this problem.

Wish I had a video camera this afternoon to record Linda's attempts to drive them back into the shed

Customer of the Month

Stopped in at the builder's merchants again this week to find that I was their Customer of the Month for May - mostly timber, cement and hardware but the mains power unit for the electric fencing helped. Linda is still waiting for me to explain how I will use the power unit when we get back to the Barbican!

Glad that most of the joinery and building work is now finished - only 40 metres of fencing to erect - hoping to find someone with a post driver on their tractor to make life easier! In addition to the pen for the geese, I have built 5 gates, 2 doors, a couple of window frames, a sawhorse and a garden table. More carpentry & DIY in the last 5 weeks than I did in the previous 20 years!

Despite the efforts of 5 cows and their calves which followed the sheep onto the paddock, I still had to get the strimmer out to prepare for the arrival of the geese - too much dock, crowfoot, and nettles. Think we may have to resort to spraying them to keep them under control. Would prefer a non-chemical solution but havent found anything that will eat them yet.

In amongst all this work, we have managed a couple of trips around the Burren - had a great walk today along the clifftop from Hag's head to the Cliffs of Moher. Bright and sunny but a strong breeze which kept it cool. Hordes of Spotted Orchids, Sea Campion, Thrift and Bog Cotton along the paths and on the fields. There were also flocks of sea birds including the puffin colony and the auks and guillemots nearby.

With everyone gearing up for the Whitsun holiday, most of the visitors appear to be from northern Europe - including a pack of Dutch Harley riders in leathers and a gay german couple who had matching leathers but no Harley.

Our local agricultural show - the North Clare Show at Ennistymon - this weekend. Linda is busy finalising her entries for the craft competitions so expect news of her successes in my next blog! I chickened out because I didn't think my soda bread could compete with the local ladies.

Local Radio

I know I have mentioned it before, but I am a great fan of our local radio statio - Clare FM. In a county with a population of less than 150,000 they regularly manage to attract 70,000 listeners in industry surveys. They must be doing something right!
Of course the local adverts - often made by the owners or staff of the business concerned - are a great source of amusement. We are currently being entertained by the ad for a local ferry operator offering tickets on "legendary" cruises on board their "majestic" vessel beneath the Cliffs of Moher (which are majestic) where passengers will be able to see "thousands of rare birds" including the "world famous Puffin".
Guess there is no broadcasting or advertising standards oversight!

Our first wet day!

Stuck inside for a lot of the day as we had our first significant rain since we got back three weeks ago - we've spent most of that time outside getting things ready for vegetables, geese, pigs and hens.
The raised beds are finished and hopefully there will be no more ground frost so we can start planting out next week. Keith offered me topsoil for free - only problem was moving it 500 yds from his land to ours. After I finished moving 15 barrowloads, I was ready for a soak in a hot bath!
Had to concrete part of the shed floor for the geese pen and patch the inside of the walls before I could start on the woodwork. Have almost completed the front of the pen and planning to pick up the wire mesh for the top panels tomorrow. The goslings are already in Keith's barn under heating lamps and should be ready to move over here in the next week or so. Meanwhile, our landlord has got his electrician rewiring the shed and the joiner will be fitting new doors tomorrow.
We found the old stone chicken house hidden under the scrub and brambles and have managed to clean it out and get it sealed and vermin proof. Just need to replace the woodwork and it should be ready for hens next month.
Linda found time to replant the flower borders and the front of the house is looking very attractive. By the time the new doors on the shed are fitted and painted it will be time for a new picture!
We have also been on a couple of walks on the Burren to see the spring flowers but everything is much later this year because it has been so cold. Last year the farmers were complaining that they had to keep the cows inside because it was too wet - this year they are complaining because it's too dry and the grass hasn't grown enough.
The sheep did a good job on the paddock - just need to cut down some of the reeds and the docks and we will be ready for the geese. Unfortunately we lost one of the ewes - not sure what happened - she just lay down one afternoon and didn't get up again - she died before the Vet could get to her. Keeping the lambs inside the fence provided us with regular exercise as they crawled under, pushed through or jumped over the electric wires. Strange that it always seemed to be the little black lamb which was the ringleader!
So we are now waiting to see whether our flock of geese will arrive before Molly the donkey has her foal which is also due very soon.

A busy week

Sunday morning sitting listening to Eoin O'Neill on Clare FM - seems like we never left.

We have 6 sheep and 7 lambs on the paddock getting the grass and weeds under control - they managed to escape on the first afternoon into a neighbouring field and we had to run some additional electric fencing to keep them in - Linda still counts them everytime she goes out - just to check!

Veg patch is coming along well - have cleared about 16 sqm of weeds and nettles and built one of the raised beds - hope to finish the second one tomorrow and get the top soil delivered this week. Keith provided me with a load of matured manure for this year and - after I helped with the mucking out yesterday -brought up two loads of fresh stuff so I am ready for next year. Luckily we have plenty of space away from the house!

Even managed to plant up a couple of trays of seeds so that we will have something to put in the beds. Told one of the neighbours that I was planning to grow some beetroot - he said he prefers it out of the jar!

Celebrations on Thursday when the Irish car passed its NCT test - legal on the road for another 2 years. Got knocked back first time because one of the seatbelts was jammed, but luckily it was only a toffee jammed in the catch.

We even managed time for a couple of concerts at Glor in Ennis: saw the Kilfenora Ceili Band again - a year on from their centenary concert; and then caught Martin Hayes, Peadar O Riada and Caoimin O Raghallaigh launching their new album "Triur sa Draghean" - a great evening.

In addition to the cuckoos and swallows, we have been joined by all the wee birds which appreciate the feeders being serviced again. The Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Great Tits were the first to arrive but they are being joined by others each day.

Off for a walk around Black Head this afternoon -we went to Eagle Rock last week and found that many of the spring flowers have started to bloom - hope to see more today.

Home at last

By 6.00pm on Wednesday 22nd April we were sitting on the deck at Moyhill sipping champagne in the evening sunshine with the sound of a cuckoo in the background and the first swallows overhead.

The ferry trip was uneventful , and after a great dinner, bed & breakfast with Uncle Jack in Donaghadee, our drive to Moyhill only took 6 hours - including lunch in Maynooth and a slight detour via Athenry when we missed our turning off the new M6. We had the car unpacked by 4.30 and took advantage of the glorious weather which has continued for our first three days - bright sunshine and 16C today with 19C promised for tomorrow.

Eugene - our very accommodating landlord - has completed the work on the gullies and drains on the driveway and across the front of the yard which should be a great improvement when the rain comes. Like the Isle of Seil, where we were last weekend, the winter here has been very dry - extremely cold but almost no rain or snow. He has also had to replace all the carpet on the ground floor following a burst pipe, so the cottage is in great shape for our return.
We have had a busy couple of days: utilities reconnected - only temporarily as one of the contractors then took out the phone cable with a JCB; Car tax renewed; bank account reactivated; shopping for essentials; and broadband connection set up. Yes, we finally have broadband - in our absence, the wireless broadband coverage has extended to Moyhill and I am posting this blog via our new wifi modem. We also retrieved the MG from Keith’s yard - waterhose repaired and running relatively normally. Now we have to decide on its future.

As I write this on Friday evening - on my new Toshiba NB305 netbook - everything has been unpacked, and normal life has been resumed. We are starting work on the vegetable beds tomorrow morning and planning to have our seeds started in doors by Monday ; watch this space!

In an idle moment, I totted up that I have packed my toothbrush 43 times in the last 4 months and am very glad that it won’t be going anywhere for a couple of months. We had a fabulous trip but - as trite as it may sound - it is very, very good to be home!

Is it finally over?

We are leaving this morning for Stranraer and the ferry to Belfast - thankfully booked last week and unaffected by the clouds of volcanic ash which has caused so much disruption this week. Have to pack up the car again for the last time and hope to be back in Moyhill on Wednesday afternoon. Even remembered to order heating oil although we have been very lucky with the weather since we got back and the forecast is promising more fine weather for the next week or so.

Have had a great time in the last week or so catching up with friends and family: a memorable night out in Edinburgh -although somewhat hazy due to excessive amounts of alcohol; driving along the side of Loch Lomond - with sun sparkling on the few remaining snow patches on Ben Lomond - and then through Glen Lochy on a clear bright afternoon on our way to Seil; and helping Brian with his lambing for a day - 4 more lambs to add to the 39 already born.

Guess that really is the end of the holiday. Time to get back to normality and start working on all the projects that we have been talking about for the last few months. Still have to organise our broadband access at Moyhill, so we may have to rely on the library at Ennistymon for internet access again for the next week or so.

With neither TV nor internet, we will - thankfully - miss the rest of the general election campaign in the UK. Based on the current polls, it looks like Nick Clegg will win 'Britain's Got talent' while Simon Cowell and Louie Walsh fight it out for the job of Prime Minister. I was going to vote for Arsene Wenger but after Sunday's performance against Wigan I'll have to think again.

Reality check !!!

As I type this note, Linda is ironing – for the first time in nearly 4 months – while watching Coronation Street – for the first time in more than a year!
Currently in Airdrie, after a great drive up from the south coast on Thursday. We spent Friday in Edinburgh with Sandra & Gavin and the kids. It all went pear-shaped on the way home on Friday night – the car started overheating just after we got on the M8 and despite the best efforts of the RAC, we ended up being towed home.
Booked it into the Ford dealer for Monday morning and bought bus tickets for our weekend trip to Aberdeen. Great to see Gill and Ali – pity Graham and Alan are both working away.
This morning’s Scotsman told us that Coatbridge is the “fattest” place in the UK – highest percentage of obese people – just think of all those fish suppers and strawberry tarts enjoyed by overweight balding locals– and that’s just the women!
Have returned to a veritable heatwave, it was 19C in Glasgow today – acres of unsightly flesh on display. Thankfully, the car only needed a new water pump – even got some change from £300 (only pennies but…..) – and hope we can carry on the trip without further problems. Edinburgh on Wednesday, Seil for the weekend and ferry to Belfast on Tuesday.
Looking forward to being back at Moyhill more and more – while Linda shopped in Glasgow today, I spent a couple of hours in Waterstone’s reading about raising pigs, hens and geese. Now need to start putting it into practice!

Back to reality

So much for our careful planning - the three day Easter alcohol ban in Costa Rica included the dutyfree shop at the airport. Luckily we had plenty of time at Barajas in Madrid to pick up some supplies.

Arriving at Terminal 3 at Heathrow after an incident-free journey was a shock to the system. Reckon we saw people of more races and nationalities in the 20 minutes waiting for our driver than we have in the last 13 weeks. Typical return to London with a driver who couldn't find his way out of the carpark without his satnav, and had about as much knowledge of the streets of London as our 12yr old niece!

Linda tells me that our London hotel is the 19th place we have stayed on our trip - am looking forward to being able to put away the suitcases when we get back to Moyhill in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we have another day of unpacking, sorting and repacking before we get on the road again for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends.

Thankfully the car started first time and only needed a hose down to remove 3 months of dust and grime. All I have to do now is pack it full and face the bank holiday traffic on the A3.

Final thoughts

Sitting at the Hostel in San Jose, waiting for transport to the airport and thinking back over the last 13 weeks. We have both enjoyed the trip, had some great experiences, met some interesting people and seen some great sights. It´s hard to pick out individual highlights but would start with:-

• The variety of canal birds we saw at Jalova
• The orchids and other flowers in the garden at Jalova
• Seeing the Resplendent Quetzal at Monteverde
• the beach at Playa Samara - and the huge Tuna steak
• The troop of White-faced Capuchins who paraded past our cabin at Manuel Antonio
• Our time at the Ocean Coral with Jim & co and particularly St Patrick's day in the rain
• The pink flamingos at Celestun
• Mayan ruins at Uxmal
• The view over Lake Bacalara
• Floating on our backs down the canal at Sian Ka'a n

Food and drink has featured as well but there are only
few memories:-

• Ice cold Imperial and Papaya daiquiri at the Buddha Bar in Tortuguero after 2 weeks of abstinence at Jalova
• Dinner at El Refugio at Punta Uva
• Whole grilled Snapper at Selvin´s in Punta Uva
• Ceviche at the beach restaurant in Samara
• Tuna sashimi and Tuna steak at El Gusto in Samara
• Mudslides with Mark at Ocean Coral
• Linda´s frozen margarita and steak at El Paraiso in Merida

And the people

• All the Ticos and Ticas who have been so friendly and helpful
• the North American tourists who provided us with so much amusement and bewilderment
• the Mexican boat driver at Celestun
• the beach waitress and the entertainment staff at the Ocean Coral

As Joni Mitchell sang, ´the taxis´s waiting...´ time to go - be in touch when we are back in London

Travelling home

Our journey home started as we left Tulum yesterday to drive to Cancun for our flight back to San Jose. Cancun airport was very efficient, checked in, through security and spending our last pesos in the Cuervo Tequileria within 30 mins of arriving. Uneventful flight - except for the landing through some low level turbulence - and an equally efficient trip through immigration and customs. It was great to be back in CR where the people are much more friendly and welcoming than in Mexico - from the immigration and customs officers to the taxi drivers and hotel staff. We had meals in Mexico with waiters who managed to get through the whole meal without uttering a word; our waiter last night stopped for a chat and gave me a blow by blow account of the Arsenal/Barca game which he had watched in the kitchen - don't hold out much hope for the Gunners on the return leg, but at least the conversation helped improve my Spanish.

Surprisingly for a Tico waiter in a Chinese restaurant, he expressed some disparaging views of the Chinese customers who were just arriving for a wedding dinner. Maybe he is influenced by the 5000 chinese workers imported by the Chinese Govt to build the new CR National Stadium which is a gift from China. Apparently there are no Tican's on the site and all of the supplies and most of the materials have been imported directly from China.

Luckily we had done our research and picked up our beer and wine supplies before the three day nationwide embargo on alcohol sales kicked in. Lots of people caught out today when they went to buy some beer for the weekend. No drink for sale anywhere in the country until Easter - can't imagine that working in the UK or Ireland!

Our research on other things wasn't so good - didn't realise that almost every business in the country would be closed for the Easter Holiday - and very few buses running. Organised a day trip to Poas to see the volcano again - and allow Linda to finish her shopping - and drummed up 10 others from the hostel to join us and share the costs. Turned into quite a sociable event with the people who are about to start their 10 weeks at the GVI project that we left 2 months ago.

Plenty of time tomorrow morning to pack before heading to the airport after lunch and our flight to London via Madrid. Back in London for Saturday afternoon hoping that the sun may be shining and the weather warmer there than it is today!

Our last stop

All that effort at Cancun on a borrowed laptop trying to get hotels confirmed for the last part of the trip proved to be a waste of time. The hotel in Merida was closed when we got there, while the hotel at Tulum - although everything it claimed on its website was a long way from town and even further from the beach. Found an alternative at the Posada del Sol - Italian owned, like many of the businesses here - which faced on to the beach and a funky room with a huge open bathroom. Naturally, the beach and cold beer beckoned - only a week until we are back in London - and our plans for an active afternoon were postponed. Great fish restaurant next door for dinner - although the prices are definitely Riviera Maya levels - have paid less for a meal in Nice!

Booked a trip into the Sian Ka'an Bisophere for Monday which turned out to be slightly less than wonderful - although the 30mins floating down a freshwater canal in the wetlands was one of the best parts of the whole trip! They also served us a great lunch, but the boat tour of the lagoons to see the wildlife was a challenge since it was done so fast that everything was frightened off and even included a collision with a mangrove tree - so that Linda ended up with a bruised head and the captain's tip went out the window!

Tulum is three locations - the Mayan Ruins on the coast, the beach community where we stayed and the town which has grown up on the highway - complete with all the usual brands. Headed to the town in the early evening for internet and dinner. Internet was a challenge - lost about an hour's work when the computer dropped its connection - which is why I am behind schedule with the blog! Thankfully dinner was great - restorative beer and real pizza in an Italian restaurant.

For our last day, we headed for the Mayan ruins - very different from the others we have seen - Tulum was a fortified coastal town which guarded one of the important sea routes and much more functional than the temple sites. Then we drove to Akumal bay - hoped to snorkel in the bay but it was too choppy, so we headed for the Lal-Ku lagoon - which is inland and quite shallow. Great place to swim and snorkel and watch fish although it was a little busy. Had also planned a visit to the caves at Aktun Chen but after 90 mins in the lagoon, we had had enough and headed back to the beach again.

Another great dinner in a spanish restaurant - best seafood paella for a long time and a floorshow during the meal which was billed as live music, but was mostly juggling and acrobatics, and surprisingly entertaining.

The lake of seven colours

Left Campeche on Friday 26th heading for Xpujil and a night at Hotel Calakmul. It`s a long drive across the peninsula and we had included the stop to break the journey as we didn`t know what the roads would be like. However all the roads in the Yucatan have proved to be good. They are generally straight, flat and well surfaced, with little traffic, the only hindrance are the speed bumps or topes which you find at the entrance to every town and village. There are quite a few double semi-trailers on the road, all over 35m long and often travelling at 100kph or more - I spent a good hour of the journey trying to stay ahead of a guy towing a pair of lpg containers and it was only the topes which kept him behind me! As a result we made it to Xpujil in time for lunch and decided to carry on to Bacalar.

The hotel Laguna at Bacalar is a 70's fantasy in concrete which sits on the banks of the lake with incredible views to the south over the lake - there really are 7 shades of blue - and the wetlands beyond. Although the building is a little worn, the location and views made up for everything else - we were swimming in the lake within 20 mins of arriving! Decided to check out Friday night in Bacalar itself and finished our meal just before they turned off the lights and rolled up the pavements.

Up early to watch the sunrise - the hotel rooftop bar allowed a clear view of eastern and western horizons - and then a swim in the lake before breakfast. The breeze was a bit strong for kayaking so we planned a day of sightseeing which lasted until lunchtime when we headed back to the poolbar to seek refreshment. The Mexican schools had just closed for two weeks for Easter, so we watched the arrival of three or four groups of holidaymakers - like our Canadian friends, the Mexicans appear to travel in packs - usually not less than 6 adults and 10 children at a time! With the pool now full of screaming wains, we headed for the lakeside which was marginally quieter. Dinner at the hotel was quite lively and thankfully the kids were dragged out of the pool before bedtime - I hadn`t quite reached Jimmy C mode but it was close.

In the morning we were joined for breakfast by two other refugees from the large family groups - an Aussie couple from Adelaide who are travelling from pole to pole on a pair of BMW touring bikes. They had started from the south of Argentine in November and hoped to reach Northern Alaska before the end of summer - in Linda´s opinion "the first interesting travellers we have met on the trip" (excluding canadian friends and family of course). As they rode off towards Campeche, we headed north to Tulum.

Mayan History and Architecture

Our decision to postpone our visit to Chichen Itza on Sunday proved to be the right one. Read the local paper on Monday and there were more than 16,000 people there for the equinox who could see nothing because of the mist and rain. We went on Tuesday morning - got there for 0900 and beat the coachloads of tourists who were streaming through the turnstiles buy the time we left at 1300.
A truly amazing place, in both scale, stonework and astronomical alignments. Must have skipped the Mayans in history class - or perhaps have forgotten what I learned - but having visited both Chichen Itza and Uxmal, I am now reading about their history and demise under the conquistadores.
Stopped at Uxmal - much more visitor friendly than Chichen Itza - en route from Merida to Campeche where it is currently around 35C at midday. Luckily the hotel has a pool and a friendly waiter who brings cold beer at regular intervals. This is my first and only non-driving day of the week so thought I should take advantage.
Heading for Xpujil and more Mayan ruins tomorrow and then on to Lake Bacalar.
Have realised that we have only a week left in Mexico and have had to face up to some of the preparations for our return to London and Ireland - guess the real world had to intevene sometime!

Sunday in Merida

Arrived in town too early to check in to our hotel, so we dumped the car and headed for the main square and found ourselves in the middle of regular sunday festival. The roads were closed to traffic, there was dancing and singing in the street, hundreds of stalls selling clothes, souvenirs and food and most of the population out for the afternoon. Very lively and safe, despite the constant attention of the indian women selling shawls etc.
Still trying to choose my favourite local beer - which has, of course, required considerable research. Think I have settled on Modelo Especial but will have to keep tasting.
A bit of a mixup over the hotel booking - despite 10 or 11 email confirmations. It was a very small place and they had decided to take Sunday off- we probably bumped into them in the square without realising - they had arranged for someone to meet us to let us in but we missed each other. Took a bit of time wandering the streets until we found a new place - an old Mission - named for a famous priest who spent his life baptising those indians who were willing and burning those who weren't! Slightly disconcerted by the floodlit freestanding cross in a wall niche beside the bed until we found the light switch.
Spent Monday on the Lagoon at Celestun. This is a huge saltwater lake on the Gulf of Mexico which is home to thousands of Flamingos which breed here between March and April. We took a two hour boat trip to see the Flamingos, the mangrove swamps and the freshwater springs - I had a swim in one of these until we noticed the crocodile around the corner.
We shared the boat with a Mexican couple which led to my longest Spanish conversation of the trip - not sure that we understood everything but I think I got away without saying anything too embarassing.
Thankfully - as a result of my exposure to our Canadian friends - I overtipped the boatman which meant that he and his mates were more than willing to give me a push start when I found the battery was flat - guess who left the lights on?

On the road again

After another party night at the Ocean Coral to celebrate the last night of the holiday (for some) we managed a quiet morning on the beach to allow me to dry out before heading for the carhire desk at Cancun Airport to pick up our car and start the next leg of the journey.
Not having much luck with car hire on this trip - because I had specified manual gearbox we ended up with one of the oldest cars on the lot - not much demand for manual cars from their usual clientele. Have never seen a Nissan Tsuru before and hope not to see one again. Very simple old style Nissan but it drives reasonably well, the aircon works and we have already driven 500km. Rattled a bit a top speed on the toll road out of Cancun but I put that down to road surface!
The Cuota - toll road - is amazing - so expensive that no-one uses it. In 160km we saw 8 other cars - which all raced past us, and two trucks which we left behind us. Got to the toll and found it was $20 for the privilege. It was also completely soulless as there was tall vegetation on both sides and you couldnt even see the other carriageway. Still an effective way to cover the distance.
Our first night was in a lovely old hotel in Valladolid (recommended to us for the courtyard restaurant) where we had dinner and breakfast. Wonderful square in front of the Hotel and being Saturday night, everyone was out in their finery for a stroll around the square or a chat in the s-shaped chairs which they call "confidenciales". Our first experience of Mexico!
The plan for Sunday was a visit to Chichen Itza - the largest and reputedly greatest Mayan site - and then on to Merida for the evening festivities. Unfortunately it was raining as we left Valladolid and stayed that way until we reached Chichen Itza where the access roads were closed off by police because of the crowds expected for the Spring Equinox celebrations. Given my limited tolerance for crowds and queueing and the fact that I have already lost two umbrellas on this trip, we decided to continue to Merida and reschedule our visit.
Had to stop at the service station to check on a warning light which appeared on the dashboard and not really reassured by the hire company´s assurance that it was nothing important. Checked all the vital components and decided that we would continue since they were only prepared to replace it if we drove back to Cancun which would have been a 600km round trip.
Made it to Merida before lunch and found ourselves in the middle of their regular sunday celebrations in the main square.

It’s a Different world!!

Friday evening sitting on the terrace of our room at the Ocean Coral at Puerto Morelos, on the fifth day of our first all-inclusive holiday anywhere – and it could be almost anywhere with a slight Latin American theme! Bars are open from 10.00am until 6.30am and there are at least 8 places to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner.
6.00am start each morning to put towels on the sun loungers and then a walk along the beach before breakfast. Then off to the beach for more sun, sand and non-stop bar service, before a break for lunch followed by more sun and sand. Then on to pub night in someone’s room followed by dinner, more drinking and either karaoke, dancing or just plain old carousing.
We have had a great time with Linda’s CC&CD, BMWD, CBC (Jim) and all his friends and families here. After 9 weeks of just the two of us, it has been great to have some different conversations and lots of partners to have a drink, or chat or play volleyball or go kayaking. However my liver is probably ready to revert to a more normal way of life.
Had a very lively St Patrick’s Day celebration which finished up with a beach disco, before which I managed to wade through the lobby fountains with a leprechaun on my shoulders!
Back to reality tomorrow when we pick up car and head for Valladolid and the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. Meanwhile our Canadian drinking buddies are on a 5.00pm flight home and are all back at work on Monday – tough for some!!! We still have two more weeks in Mexico.

Divided by a common language

For the last week or so, we have been surrounded by American tourists ranging from snowbirds, families and young couples to the hordes of college students on spring break. Despite having lived and worked around Americans for most of my life, it is still interesting to note those little differences - like the older gentleman who came and sat down with us as we were quietly playing cards - waiting for our shuttle pickup - and regaled us with the story of his life and his Welsh wife and then excused himself after 10 minutes and went off to talk to someone else!
On the journey down to Manuel Antonio, our fellow passengers started by introducing themselves, talked for the whole 4 hour journey and then insisted on swapping email addresses when they were dropped off. Probably more Jimmy C's type of people!
Linda's turn to get the stomach bug when we arrived but it was only 24 hours until she was back on the frozen margaritas and mango daiquiris!
Manuel Antonio has both National Park and long pacific beaches and our cottage is surrounded by forest while only 10 mins walk to the beach. We had a great hike in the park where we saw Howler and Capuchin monkeys, three toed sloths, agouti and a variety of birdlife - including a Fiery-billed Aracari and a Golden-naped Woodpecker. Then we got home and saw everything again from the comfort of the rocking chair on the terrace - we had a troupe of about 20 capuchins which passed by, feeding as they went and checking out the roof of the cottage as well. It is great to sit with a cup of coffee in the morning and watch the humming birds flitting around the Hibiscus and the Heliconia.
This is our last day on the beach before we head for San Jose tomorrow and our flight to Cancun - after 4 weeks of relaxing, not sure how I will cope with rushing around airports etc - however looking forward to the next leg of the trip. With the help of both old and new friends (thanks to Ali, Toby & Mo) we have devised a plan to see most of the main sights of Yucatan over 11 days - after 5 days with Linda's cousin and friends at Puerto Moreles.

Driving in Costa Rica

With 4 days before we are due back on the Pacific coast at Manuel Antonio, we decided to hire a car to allow us to explore the Central Valley and to see one of the volcanoes - either Poas or Irazu. Booked a small 4x4 with Economy carhire in Liberia (one of the biggest local companies) but when we got there the only 4x4 they could offer us was a Nissan Frontier pickup with a crewcab - which they described as an upgrade. Linda was not impressed but since it was only for 3 days, I thought it would be OK. Unfortunately it drove like a tank and the 200km journey down the Interamericana was an interesting trip - even managed to get stopped by the Police - think I was a bit quick through a small town - but once they saw the gringo passport they just waved me on.
Found a great hotel - El Cafetal Inn - on a coffee plantation near Atenas - tremendous views and a great pool. Only 30 mins from the International airport so it would makes a great place to start or finish a trip to CR.
Drove to Poas on Saturday and managed to get to the craters in sunshine - great sight and a pleasant walk around the trails - unfortunately that was all I could manage because of some hot pickle I had eaten with my breakfast which disagreed with my stomach in a big way. Had to retire hurt to the bedroom leaving Linda on the sunlounger by the pool.
Better by the next morning and headed for the Waterfall gardens at La Paz - which meant driving almost to the top of Poas again before turning off straight into a wall of mist and low cloud and a road which was still under repair after a recent earthquake. Managed about 20km of part road / part dirt track only to find that the waterfall gardens were completely obscured in the mist which meant driving back the way we had come.
Found a couple of places to stop on the journey back to the hotel and had to settle for another afternoon by the pool!
Dropping off the truck in San Jose this afternoon and picking up a shuttle down to Manuel Antonio where we will spend the next 6 days in a self catering cottage on the beach next to the National Park.

Failed again

We managed to see most of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano on our visit to the National Park - except the peak which was constantly wreathed in cloud, which also meant that we were not allowed to hike to the crater. Pity as this is classed as one of the best hikes in the country.
The alternative was a walk to the Cangreja waterfall which was tremendous - the swim in the pool was very refreshing and just a bit cooler than my last swim in the Pacific. We also walked around the park and saw the mudpots, fumaroles and mini volcanoes spouting sulphurous steam which killed the wildlife all around. We stayed at Rinconcito Lodge which is very remote and the first time on our trip that we felt we should have hired a car. Having said that, the roads up there are so bad that I was quite happy to pay the taximan his $30 for each trip.
We are currently in Liberia enjoying their Fiesta de Toros which has bullriding, cowboy parades, bands and dancing until the early hours and fireworks every morning at 5.00am - decided that one night was enough and heading south later today - determined to get to the top of one of these volcanoes.
Kept my promise and replaced Linda´s watch as soon as we got here - was very glad to see that it was still working when we got up this morning having spent nearly 5 pounds on it!

Time to move on...

After a week on the beach at Samara, it´s time to move on - volcanoes, hiking and beef next.
This has to rank as one of the top ten beaches we have visited and definitely one to come back to. While we have had some great fish and seafood here I´m looking forward to some red meat when we get up to our next destination. The lodge is based around a working cattle farm and serve their own beef and dairy products in the restaurant.
Apparently just as hot there - highs of 35C and not much below 22C at night - so we will probably miss the sea and the pool, but hopefully we will get to hike to the crater of the volcano and even try the hot springs.
Must bring the netbook with me next time - everywhere offers free wireless access and relying on internet centres has introduced a whole new level of frustration!! I am sure Skype is a great way for people to stay in touch but I am not really interested in the mundane, petty and usually inane conversation which is always so loud that you can hear them across the road. Makes it hard to concentrate and destroys that inner peace that we all strive so hard to find!

Snowbirds

Costa Rica is such a safe, relaxed place that we are surrounded here by people who are escaping the winter in North America - mostly Canadians. In fact when I told a local driver that I was from London he immediately asked "Ontario?" Many of them are getting ready to head home in the next week or so after 8-10 weeks here. Had never thought of Jimmy C as a snowbird but I guess his annual February trip to Thailand would count!
There also a lot of Germans settled here running local businesses - including our hotel, the local bakery and the hotel and flying service that run the ultralights. Even learned this morning that Michael Owen and the Beckham's have a house near here and that Mel Gibson has just built a beachfront house on a private stretch of the coast north of Samara - didn't realise it was such a fashionable place.
Have also been able to keep up with the Premier league which is very popular here - great result today for Man City and I know Bernie will have enjoyed Birmingham's win - just hope that Arsenal can take care of Stoke later on.

Earthquakes & Tsunamis

Woke this morning to news of the huge earthquake in Chile and the tsunami which is threatening the whole Pacific Rim. I guess it will be some time before we hear how badly it has affected Chile, but there have been major alerts across the pacific and massive coastal evacuations in Hawaii where they expect the tsunami in the next few hours.
There was an initial warning here to expect a 2m wave at around 10.30 but this was eventually withdrawn and everyone went back to the beach!
After all the kayaking that I have imposed on her, Linda's treat this morning was a flight over the coast and the mountains in an Ultralight - actually an Autogyro with a German pilot. She got a great view of the beaches and the coral reef offshore and quite a few photos, including a video of the landing - shot over the pilot's shoulder.
We have settled into the local routine without any problem - early morning swim followed by breakfast then an hour or so on the beach, a bit of shopping or internet, lunch, siesta, a dip in the pool and then back to the beach again as the sun goes down. After dinner there are the reggae or salsa nights at the beachfront bars. Its a rough old life, but someone has to do it!
Have tried a couple of the local restaurants - had some tremendous Tuna last night - but have also enjoyed being able to cook for ourselves.

On the beach

Arrived here - Playa Samara on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula - on Tuesday morning, which was a day early for the apartment we had booked. Just proves that I don´t even know what day of the week it is - which many of you have thought for sometime.
Found a very nice B/B for one night - La Mansion run by Marlene McCauley - an American lady from Arizona whose husband Alan is Irish and whose daughter and family perform in a group called Celtic Spring - Irish music and dancing - of course we got to watch the DVD before we left. Probably the best breakfast of the trip, and amusing to watch the long suffering Tica who did all the work for her 'mistress' even down to changing the channels on the TV, while Marlene sat with her feet up. However it was a great place and one to go back to.
Moved on Wednesday to our apartment at the Belvedere Hotel . It's good to have a bit more space after all this time on the road and a reasonable kitchen so that we can cook for ourselves.
Playa Samara is a beautiful beach and great for swimming, kayaking and snorkelling as the bay is protected from the sea by a coral reef. This means that there aren't any surfers here - which is probably good news.
Have decided to stay here until after the weekend when we will move back inland to the volcano at Rincon de la Vieja. We toyed with the idea of going over the border to Granada in Nicaragua for a few days but decided that we are enjoying the beach too much!
Swimming each morning at 0630 when the temperature is already in the high 20's and then laying in a shady spot during the heat of the day. Need to work on the tan before we meet up with Linda´s cousin in Mexico!

Back to sunshine

When we got to Monteverde on Saturday evening, the sun was shining and it was a lot warmer. After an early start on Sunday morning we managed a four hour hike through the Cloud Forest, which really is an amazing place - even greener and wetter than the west of Ireland. Every surface is covered in various levels of growth, from mosses and algae to the hundreds of epiphytes growing on every plant and tree - everything trying to compete for light through the canopy. There are even native orchids growing on some of the plastic fence rails.
We walked on our own and it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We had not seen a lot of wildlife in the first couple of hours but as we came around a bend in the trail we spotted the irridescent green/blue colouring of a male Resplendent Quetzal.
This a real rarity even in the cloud forest and a bird that Linda was really keen to spot since it was one of the reasons for us being here in the first place. A couple of years ago, she had picked up a book at the St Giles' bookfair, written by an American Ornithologist about his attempts to sight the Quetzal in Guatemala during the Eighties and this led directly to our decision to come to Central America.
After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Orchid Garden where they have more than 400 species of native orchids - less than a third of the total orchid species here in CR. Most of them are so small that you need a magnifying glass to see the flowers clearly.
We did a hike in one the Santa Elena reserve this morning - much smaller but even quieter and then had a lazy afternoon preparing for our next move. Tomorrow we are heading for the beach at Playa Samara on the Pacific coast - time for a bit more relaxing in the sun!

Who said the roads were bad in Ireland

Since leaving Tortuguero - where all our transport was by boat and we didn't see a car for 5 weeks - we have experienced some of the worst roads that Costa Rica can offer. Even on the main highways you suddenly come to a shuddering halt because of a pothole which covers two lanes and is deep enough to bury a couple of bodies.
However on Saturday - having given up on the Arenal Volcano, we decided to cut our losses and took the cross-country route to Monteverde - instead of the 140km drive around the lake. This involved a short bus ride to the lake, a 30 minute boat trip across the lake and then a journey in a 4x4 over dirt roads and up and down some very steep climbs - despite only being 35km, the journey took nearly 2 hours and even in the 4x4 we needed a couple of attempts to get up one of the hills.
I'll never complain about the roads in County Clare again - well not for the first week or so anyway!

Linda says...

So that's enough about us. It would be really nice to hear what you are all up to!

An expensive kayaking trip!

According to the plan, we were up, packed, breakfasted and ready to check out at 0730 this morning - just in time to be picked up for our kayak trip on Lake Arenal. Slightly offputting that it was still raining, but we knew we would be getting wet anyway.
It turned out to be a great trip, the rain was only intermittent amd the wind and waves only affected one leg of the trip. However we had some great bird sightings and were able to get very close without disturbing them. Saw Ringed, Amazon and Green Kingfishers along with Snowy and Great Egrets, and three Great Blue Herons - including one which was being harassed by an Osprey! There were also Northern Jacanas, a flock of Whistling Ducks and Scarlet-Rumped Tanagers. However the real surprise was a Limpkin which is very unusual for the area.
Unfortunately, in my rush to get the binoculars from the drybag, I managed to drop my sunglasses and Linda´s watch over the side and was too slow to catch them. Guess that will cost me when we get somewhere with a proper jewellers!

There´s a volcano out there somewhere!

Since arriving in La Fortuna on Wednesday, we have still to catch a glimpse of the Arenal Volcano which dominates the area. It has been hidden in the clouds and mist and by the rain which has fallen almost constantly.
It has made it hard to enjoy the tours - our walk over the hanging bridges in the rain forest on the volcano´s slopes yesterday morning was very wet and all the wildlife was sensibly sheltering from the rain.
When we got back to town, we decided that the only thing to do in the rain was to buy a day ticket to the Hot Springs resort and we spent the rest of the day relaxing in the thermal pools - there are 25 of them ranging from 32-63deg C - and trying to avoid the temptations of the three pool bars and waterside restaurants. Definitely felt cleansed and relaxed by the time we left.
It was also a great place for people watching - although we left before the main tourist rush in the early evening when they arrive in coachloads.
We´ve just cancelled our volcano climb for this morning and are hoping that the sun will come out later today as forecast. Planning kayaking on Lake Arenal tomorrow and then moving on to Monteverde and the Cloud Forest.

Fellow Travellers

As one travels around Costa Rica, there are constant reminders that you are in North America´s backyard .
From the tour operators who price everything in US Dollars and charge extra if you want to pay in Colones, to the hordes of US and Canadian tourists all around.
On our trip from San Jose, we were joined at one of the hotels by a blonde Florida bimbo - with husband and 4 bags in tow- who looked as if she had just stepped off the set of Miami Vice. In addition to complaining loudly about most aspects of the journey, she kept us all waiting at the rest stop because she was shopping in the souvenir shop and then asked a stream of inane questions of the driver which didn´t help his driving on the mountain switchbacks.
Then, as we sat in our Hotel lobby yesterday evening, we overheard another guest complaining about how poor the roads were and how long it took to get anywhere and then badgering the receptionist about how he and his wife could drive both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of CR and see everything in the 4 days that they had allowed to see the whole country!
Interestingly China is making a big play here , signing major new trade agreements and financing the construction of the new National Stadium.
My new best Tico friend - Javier - who has been our guide for a couple of tours here in La Fortuna probably explained the changes best when he told us that in addition to English he also spoke Japanese, some German and French and that at the end of this season will be taking Mandarin lessons. Although in his 20'´s, his card describes him as a ´Professor of Biology´but he says he earns more money as a guide than as a teacher.

Wlldlife spotting

Forgot to mention that our time at Jalova did allow us to see a wide variety of birds, reptiles, insects and monkeys.

There were Howler, Spider and Capuchin monkeys living around us in the rain forest which were rarely happy to see us and usually reacted by screeching, throwing things or peeing on you if you stood in the wrong place. We saw tracks of many other mammals - Jaguars (of course), Tapirs, Coati, Agouti, White-tailed and red Brocket deer and raccoons - but only saw the Red Brocket deer. We did see an Agouti a couple of times in the garden of our cabin at Punta Uva.

There were quite a few reptiles starting with the big crocodile which lived on the beach by the boat landing - where we also saw evidence of a couple of other crocs preparing their nest sites. There were lots of Eyelash Vipers, a few pit vipers, a coral snake (which crossed the trail just in front of Linda - I'm sure she'll show you the video some time) and a Boa Constrictor which was laying on the trail digesting its lunch. There were also Green iguanas - including a group of youngsters living on the edge of the base, lots of Anoles and Whiptails and - of course - a few gekkos as well.

During the wet weather we could hear the Marine Toads and frogs calling at night and there were a lot of toads around the compound. The smaller frogs were harder to see, but we did see the red-eyed treefrog, and some of the others saw poison dart frogs as well. We were outside the marine turtle season but did see one Green Turtle which had come up to lay its eggs at the wrong time and was predated by a Jaguar. There were lots of river turtles on the canals and the occasional caiman.

There were not as many insects as we expected although there were some large spiders - Brazilian Wandering spiders, Golden Orbs and even a Tarantula or two. A few scorpions - including one on the end of Linda's bed and quite a lot of ants and mosquitos.

Since the bird surveys were one of reasons for being there, it was great to see such a huge variety. I think we managed about 24 of the Survey species - including 9 egrets & herons, and 6 kingfishers. We also saw 3 types of toucan - with amazing colours; flocks of parrots; a whole range of waders, terns and gulls; huge flights of Brown Pelicans - up to 51 in one formation; along with Trogons, orependulas a variety of antbirds and treecreepers and two types of woodpecker - including the one that they based Woody on! In addition to the Black and Turkey Vultures, we also saw Ospreys, Kites, falcons and various other Hawks.

As we head off for the mountains, I hope we will add to the list and perhaps see the elusive Quetzals when we get to the cloud forest.

Does Jinty have a twin sister???

One of the volunteers - a lady from Essex who is taking a career break from working at the London Stock Exchange - could be Jeanette´s twin sister. She was so alike in so many ways that Linda spent the first two weeks calling her Jinty! Only those who know Jeanette would really appreciate this but it was quite scary to imagine that there may be two of her wandering the planet!

Our rainforest experience

Difficult to know where to begin. As I said at the outset, the accommodation was basic but pretty much what we expected. We were in a dorm with 6 bunks - although luckily one was unoccupied and in recognition of my elderly state I was allowed one of the bottom bunks. The mattresses were a little on the thin side but we were generally in bed early and up most days by 5.00 am or earlier. The food was plain but ok - the amount of salsa, ketchup or soy sauce used at a meal was a good indication of how well - or not - the camp duty team had done.

The biggest challenge was probably the communal living part - being in close and continuous proximity with 25 - 26 others! While the volunteer group mixed very well and there were no clashes of personalities, it was very different from the last 8 months or so in Ireland when it was just two of us in a fairly remote location. I think that 10 years or more at boarding school taught me a lot about living with others and Linda had similar experiences when she was in the Merchant Navy. Unfortunately many of our group seemed completely oblivious of the other people living in close proximity - particularly for those who may have been sleeping or relaxing!

The group consisted of 4 Americans, 3 Europeans, 3 Colonials, one Costa Rican and 15 Brits. There were only 5 over 30, with the majority being under 25 and three under 20. It meant that conversation was littered with words such as "awesome', 'cool', 'chilled', 'lush' etc, and was all at a volume that was better suited to a parade ground than the living room.

Amongst the characters, we had - in addition to the Essex lady of a certain age referred to previously - a young scandahooligan affectionately referred to as 'boy' - a bit like Cheetah in the Tarzan films; a couple of people seriously commited to conservation; one seriously committed to loud conversation; a young 'good ole boy' from Georgia; a couple of perennial students; a couple who were in their gap years before, during or after their university degree; and a number who seemed to be hiding from the real world having left behind their careers in journalism, construction, engineering etc and looking for something more meaningful. There were some who had clearly worked hard to save the money for the trip and some who were relying on the generosity of others - usually parents.

Despite all these differences, we bonded well as a group - partially as a result of the limited management ability of the Field Coordinator who single-handedly managed to lose the goodwill and support of the volunteer group by the end of week 2. She compounded this by failing to address the problem until the end of week 4.

Most of the difficulties were due to teething problems at the new base and to the management failings which is a pity as I think it showed the organisation in a bad light. I am not sure that I would ever consider this type of trip again - and if I did, I know I would be doing it on my own as Linda has made it clear that she wouldn't be joining me! However, it was an experience that we both enjoyed - even if we are not keen to repeat it anytime soon.

Back in San Jose

Just arrived back here after 6 days on the Caribbean coast at Puerto Viejo and Punta Uva. Stayed at three different places which became more "rustic" and remote - with plumbing which was challenging.
The night out in Puerto Viejo with the rest of the team was great fun - we ended up at one of the local hotspots where it was Ladies Night - free drinks for the girls and guys not allowed in until midnight. Great fun and a bit of dancing to the early hours - unfortunately a bit too much for one of our girls who ended up having to explain to the local constabulary why she was hanging over a fence on the way home. We left them all the following morning - after Linda had given them her suggestions for hangover remedies - and headed down the coast and found a couple of quieter places where we managed a bit of swimming and kayaking over the coral reefs. Had planned to go back for some snorkelling but the weather changed on Saturday and we didnt fancy fighting through the Sunday morning surf.
Managed some great meals however - particularly in a place at Punta Uva called El Refugio - run by an Argentine couple - which was open to the forest on three sides. definitely our best meal in CR so far - think it will be hard to find anything better.
Found a private bus service for the journey back here - Interbus - which was a bit more expensive than the public bus but took us door to door and was airconditioned as well - think we may be using them a lot over the next few weeks.
Planning our travels for the next 4 weeks in CR and heading up to La Fortuna on Wednesday to see the Arenal Volcano and then on to the cloud forest at Monteverde and Santa Elena.
Have decided that 4 weeks here will be enough and have booked our final two weeks in Mexico - flying up to Cancun for a few days with Linda's BMW driving, CC & coke drinking, Canadian banker cousin and then on to see the rest of the Yucatan.

On the beach

The rain forest expedition is over - more on this later - and we are now on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca which is one of the big surf resorts. It is a very busy place but we are only here for a couple of days - to allow time for laundry, internet, telephone and banking - and then we are heading down the coast to Punta Uva - much quieter with a coral reef for snorkelling and kayaking and a bit of sitting in the sun with a cold drink watching the waves!
So far have managed a couple of cold beers, some fresh fish, and quite a lot of reggae. We are here with some of the others from the expedition and big night out planned for tonight - perhaps even some Salsa!
Will try to report tomorrow - if the head allows.

Coffee, Porridge, Rice and Beans

Luckily we had endless supplies of Costa Rican coffee to counteract the effects of the porridge which formed our staple breakfast diet.

We all took turns at cooking meals for the team which resulted in some excellent food and some which was not so good. Rice and beans formed a substantial part of the diet and without any refrigeration, the weeks supply of fruit and veg did not last long in the hot conditions.

On my last camp duty stint - on the last day before the shopping trip - we managed rice, beans and veg for lunch and veg, beans and rice for dinner. Have definitely lost weight in the last 5 weeks but Linda has warned that I will have to arrange a less dramatic way to ensure next year's detox!

Cabinas Princesa

Mid term break this week means that we have three days off. While one group headed off to the mountains for white water rafting, we decided to settle for a couple of nights in Tortuguero. Recommended to Cabinas Princesa which has a great location on the beach, a pool, hammocks under the trees, cold beer and caribbean food! Music at the bar seems to alternate between country and reggae. Sun still shining and the rain has all fallen at night.
After three weeks in bunk beds it was great to have a double bed last night - although Linda insisted that I shave off the three weeks of facial hair before I was allowed in.
Think we may come back here after we finish!

Ants in your pants

Early in our stay at Jalova, we were warned to shake out clothing before dressing after one of the staff was bitten by a poisonous spider - fortunately it was a dry bite with no ill consequences. Then someone else came across a small scorpion in a sweater which had been left on the floor.
Despite these warnings, Linda managed to grab a pair of trousers off the line and put them on without checking. After a loud scream she took them off again as the ants - which had been searching out a sweet wrapper left in the pocket - crawled all over her legs. Luckily she only got a few little bites and has almost forgiven me for falling about laughing.

It aint half hot here

Áfter my last post, the sun came out and has shined everyday for the last two weeks - daytime temps have been between 25 and 30deg and down to about 18 at night and hardly any rain.
This made the Jaguar walk a real ordeal. Walking 15 miles on soft sand with 6 litres of water and 5kg of kit would have been enough but throw in hot sun and temperatures pushing 32 and you will understand why I thought I was going to melt by the end! Have never been so happy to have an umbrella as a parasol.
After pouring a litre of cold water down my back I was able to manage a cold beer and a chocolate brownie to help recuperation!
We followed jaguar tracks for 13 of the 15 miles but no sign of any turtles - still at least a month before they start arriving. Now working on a plan to try to capture some pictures of the Jaguars on the beach with cameras hidden in plastic debris - if 'whispering Dave' can have dung cams to film tigers why not?

What it says on the tin!

When you come to the Rain Forest, the one thing you have to expect is Rain.
We arrived on Friday evening after a couple of light showers and woke to clear blue skies on Saturday. However by early evening the rains started and kept going with no more than the occasional 15-20 min break until the following Thursday afternoon. Even the locals think this is unusual since this is the wet season and not the wet wet season.
A good test for the waterproof gear and my favourite piece of kit is definitely my poncho.
In addition to everything being damp, it is difficult to keep your feet dry and warding off trench foot is going to be a challenge.
Still - it is warm, there hasn't been any snow and the sun is shining today!

Greetings from Tortuguero

Well, we made it to the camp at Jalova after a 4 hr bus ride - last 45 mins on dirt tracks - and 2 1/2hrs on a water taxi. We are the first group at the new camp so there is a bit of work in getting things finished around the place. Accommodation is on the basic side of basic but we have been so busy that bed at 8.00pm and breakfast at 5.30 seems completely normal now. The camp is based at an old farmhouse with a number of outbuildings surrounded by a coconut plantation. Rain forest surrounds everything on three sides - the fourth side is the Caribbean - dark sand beach and very stormy seas for the last week. This is the second most important beach for green turtle nesting in the world and stretches for about 18 miles. I am on the rota for the jaguar walk on Sunday which involves a 15 mile walk along the beach looking for signs of jaguars and predation on the marine turtles.
We both managed to pass the Bird and mammal tests at the end of our training - so on to the surveys which start on Saturday.
Friday is our day off, so we are in town today ($20 water taxi ride) to use internet and phone, do a little shopping and perhaps pizza and cold beer for lunch. Even managed to find the laundry so that we can get clothes washed and dried - 95-100% humidity at camp means that everything is always damp.
The wildlife is amazing - mostly birds so far - we have seen most of our survey species just around the camp. Slightly worrying to find that our boat landing beach is also a crocodile breeding site - fortunately not the right season now. However we did see a big 2.0m crocodile on the river bank this morning.
There are about 26 people on camp -including staff and volunteers - not surprised to find that I am the oldest in the group. Think the average age is around 27 and the youngest is 19!
Will probably only get to town weekly or less but there are occasional extra trips.
Food is also basic but keeping us both well. Big bonus last night when a local fisherman brought us a bonito which was cooked for supper / breakfast. All those years of January detox are standing us in good stead!

Italian food, coffee plantations and American Tourists

After our first full day in San Jose we found an excellent Italian restaurant and decided to treat ourselves to a hearty meal before we start our diet of rice and beans in the jungle. La Piazzetta at the Sabana end of Paseo Colon was very smart, the food was excellent and they had an extensive wine list. Only problem was the Maitre d' who was slightly more fawning than Basil Fawlty - tried hard to push the expensive red italian wines - but conceded gracefully whem I found the slightly more reasonable Rioja at the other end of the list.

Our trip to the Doka coffee plantation was great - found that they still operate a water driven coffee mill which was installed by J Gordon & Sons of London in 1909. The coffee plantations really dominate the higher ground on the sides of the volcanoes around the Central Valley. They also had an enclosed buterfly garden which allowed us to get close to some of the more common local butterflies such as the Blue Morpho which had a wingspan of at least 5 inches.

The tour included a couple of other stops which were designed to allow for souvenir shopping - biggest problem were the 6 US tourists on the bus with us. Conversations ranged from odd - such as the first young couple who had done Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica by bus in the last 4 weeks and gave us chapter and verse on the problem of toilets without paper - to the inane chatter of three young spanish americans from LA. Next time we do one of these tours I will have to make sure I have my ipod plugged in.

Driving back into San Jose this evening through the rush hour made me yearn to be in the rain forest already. Think this will be the last internet access for a week or so.

Bienvenidos a Costa Rica

Arrived in San Jose safely last night after a long - 11.5hrs - and uneventful flight from Madrid. The flight was full, service limited and food was best forgotten. What makes anyone think that three slices of white bread and two slices of cheese constitutes an inflight snack?
Staying at Gaudy's backpacker hostel which is interesting - very friendly and helpful - but basic. We have the room with the balcony - which allows us a view of the traffic and the Crowne Plaza Hotel - where Linda thinks we should be!
Last night I slept in my eighth bed in 2 weeks and surprisingly had the best sleep for nearly a month - perhaps having no plans to remember or worry about was the major factor - it certainly wasn't the matress or the traffic noise.
Spent our first day sightseeing and doing some last minute shopping - had to get Linda some wellies for those jungle walks- also visited the National Theatre which is a fabulous building in the style of the Royal Opera House that looks out of place in the centre of San Jose which has the architectural style of 1960's Philadelphia.
Booked for trip to a coffee plantation tomorrow - decided to avoid anything strenuous prior to our departure for the rain forest on Friday.
PS - interesting to note that Starbucks has arrived in Barajas airport in Madrid. Managed to avoid the temptation but did not the location for our journey home.

Sin Hogar

4th January
That means Homeless in Spanish!.
All packed and ready to head for Heathrow. A new adventure begins...
Meanwhile, Linda has seen her boss this morning to tell him that she won't be going back to work in April and we have agreed to give our tenant in the Barbican a lease for a further year. Have also agreed to get Moyhill back from 1st May and plan to be there for a year or two.
Probably would have been easier if we had made the decision before we packed up, but.....
Thankfully we can put all this behind us for the next 12 weeks as we enjoy our rainforest experience. We will try to keep in touch along the way with tales of Caribbean sunsets, exotic birds, caymans, jaguars, cold showers, mosquitos etc.
Happy new year to all our readers.