Day 80 - Limon, Costa Rica

Hola!

It’s great to be back! I have enjoyed visiting some of the same places again. You leave & think you’ll never be back & all of a sudden – POOF! Here you are! Well, there I am!
I had planned to take Jaco to a wildlife sanctuary near town, but when I inquired with some of the locals, they informed me that the family was no longer here. They had moved a _ hour away. Unfortunately we didn’t have that much time. When I was here several years ago, one of the Jewelers onboard organized a trip for us to visit this sanctuary. It was wonderful! I was able to hold a baby toucan, a baby howler monkey, a baby boa constrictor (yes, I hyperventilated!), sloths, a spider monkey, a scarlet macaw and many other beautiful birds & creatures. The couple who lived there were very hospitable & they lived right on the beach. Their son would explain to us about the rainforest & the animals. It was always a day well spent!

Sadly, the husband passed away a few years ago. I can’t remember his name, but her name was Marina & the son, Hector. I hope we can visit them next time we’re here.

So, it was on to Plan B. Jaco didn’t have much time (as usual!), so we ended up taking a tour through the Tortuguero Canal. It was $50 well spent! We took a small boat up the canal looking for wildlife. The vegetation was astounding. Massive trees stretched up as far as you could see, lush & green, the air was among the freshest I could breathe. We saw several sloths, many egrets & one blue heron. We spotted a Cayman – a small alligator, along with a chameleon & an iguana. There were several colourful birds flitting about the mangroves that lined the canal. We saw banana plants & some sugar cane. It was great! The sunshine was wonderful too!

We headed back to town & strolled to the local supermarket. Jaco was on the hunt for nut bars. He enjoys a diet of mainly citrus & granola bars. Luckily they had some & he was able to replenish his stash.

He left me in the market, where I found a few last minute souvenirs. It was difficult to shop, as I shouldn’t buy wood – chopping down trees in the rainforest – but then I shouldn’t buy leather – chopping down trees in the rainforest to raise cattle on soil with no nutrients. What’s a girl to do? This ain’t no boot shop in Italy, I know that much!

There you have it. That’s the last port of call until I fly home. I’m super sad that it’s come to an end. The warm weather & sunshine, exotic places to visit, but most of all, the time I spend with Jaco. He’ll fly to Barbados & I’ll fly back to Calgary. I don’t know for certain when we’ll see each other again. My heart is heavy knowing that we’ll spend so much time apart, but I will hold near & dear the certainty that we’ll meet up again, in an unknown location & feel the same rush of emotion that yes, this is the most wonderful person I could have possibly chosen to spend the rest of my life with. As I’ve said before, I truly am the luckiest girl I know.

This will most likely be the last blog post until I’m back in the Frozen Land. Thank you for continuing to follow along as I endeavour to regain my health & enjoy each & every day along the way. Here’s to a wonderful year of HEALTH, happiness, laughter, love & peace!!!! May we all pray for peace, one by one, & make it happen around the world! God bless!

Muchos besos,
Maria y Jaco
xxxx

Three egrets

One egret perched

One egret walking in the water

Can you see the iguana? At least I think that's what's in this photo! :o)

Lush & green!

Honestly, there's a sloth in this photo!

Banana flower

Mangroves... I'm going back someday to Blue Bayou...

The head of a s-l-o-w moving sloth!

Karma Chameleon - You come & go...

Beautiful canal boats

Heron!

Best Wildlife I saw the entire tour!

Our ride & guide. Note the message on the windscreen. **Ahem** I didn't notice this until we were on our way. Yes, I was a little worried we might end up someplace not so nice. Luckily he was happy to bring us back & take off to chase some 'ladies'.