This is about Jim’s 17th herp trip, his first to the Caribbean slope.

I am not really a participant, kind of just along for the ride. There are 8 people taking part, 4 women and 4 men (counting Jim). The trip began on May 12, with excited “herpers” arriving at the Aeropuerto Hotel at different hours of the day. The plan was for the hotel to shuttle us at 5 AM to the Holiday Inn where we would be picked up for our long trip to Tortuguera.

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Once we got out of San Jose – it was Sunday so traffic was light — we were able to enjoy the beautiful countryside. Our driver Tomas was very informative and entertaining — stopping at a banana plantation, for example, to explain that the blue bags that were hung around the banana stalks were placed there so that the bananas on that stalk would all ripen at the same time.

He also stopped to point out things of interest to herpers: a basilisk lizard, some toucans and some monkeys. When the tourist van ride ended, the boat ride began. It was about a 2 hour ride to the Almond Street dock where we were picked up by another boat which took us to the Vista al Mar Hotel where we would be staying for the week.

Vista al Mar Hotel is very remote… nice, appropriate for the rain forest setting in which it is located: several buildings containing rooms with baths… although not all had hot water, beautiful trees, palms, and flowering bushes.

There is a very nice pool and 3 or 4 circular “ranchos,” which covered multiple hammocks where one can rest, sleep, read, or just enjoy time talking from one hammock to the next.

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The trees and bushes are home to all kinds of birds, including toucans and trogans, as well as an unbelievable variety of insects, and, of course, monkeys (spider, howler, and white-faced).

The beach with its huge surf — really big waves that are a bit scary for me — extends for miles. This is where the turtles come to lay their eggs — unfortunately, we missed the primary time for the leatherback turtles to do their thing, and I don’t know that I could handle the 3 to 4 hours of walking the beach in the middle of the night to find and mark the nests for protection.

Along the route a couple of otters were spotted by some of the canoers as well as a couple of caiman. Yes, it is definitely jungle.

Three meals a day were served, not gourmet, but adequate — you certainly wouldn’t go hungry. Lots of rice and beans. And the cooks and wait persons were always smiling and striving to please — even helping us to figure out the right Spanish word to use.

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The purpose of the trip, of course, was to find snakes, but along with the search for snakes came the discovery of other reptiles (frogs, toads, lizards, iguana), insects of an incredible variety (not just mosquitoes and yellow flies, although they were definitely present), and amazing birds of all kinds.

Each day had an agenda; some would take off in canoes and explore up and down the banks of the canal (this is where the otters were spotted), some would engage in their own exploration around the grounds of the hotel or across the canal at the Cano Palma Biological Research Station.

The Research Station provided the center of activities as this was where the night searches began, using trails that had been created… although a slight departure from a trail was not uncommon. Understand that my reports of anything that took place here is definitely second hand as I did not partake in those searches.

The rainy season kicked in with a vengeance the first night we were there. It was ponchos and boots all around, and mud was the name of the game. I’m not going to go day by day, but the rain was often a factor.

Jim had made preparations for going to different places and exploring different areas and then varied them when the number of snakes found wasn’t up to his expectations.

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One morning they headed down the beach to find the property of a local man who had reported “a lot” of snakes there and who said he would be happy to have them come and hunt there (in Spanish, of course).

If you will remember, the focus of my narratives has been – “It’s not the destination but the journey.” Well, on this journey, I have definitely been a spectator, and my observations of the people who joined Jim here has been very interesting.

Of the 7 participants, 6 had accompanied Jim on previous trips. And Meg, the only newbie, fit right in. The passion for their hobby (and that really isn’t a good word as it seems more than a hobby) is unbelievable, and their knowledge is vast.

When Melissa and Bill first met, they found that they had both been on one of Jim’s trips. They now raise and care for tortoises and turtles, but have a yard full of lizards and frogs, in Florida and could not be more knowledgeable about their pursuits.

Sherry, and Jackie and Skip were on last year’s trip. Sherry is from Colorado and loves snakes — she even writes a blog in the name of her stuffed pink Hondudran ghost milk snake named Pinky that she throws around her neck.

Jackie is, I think, more of a birder than a herper, as she has her camera and her bird book out at all times, looking to identify birds that she doesn’t recognize. Her husband Skip seems to like the birds and the snakes and has some amazing photography equipment that takes amazing pictures. They are from Indianapolis.

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Shawn, from California, has been on 2 of Jim’s previous trips and has traveled about doing the same thing in many of the Central and South American countries. Meg, the newcomer from South Carolina, claims her children include 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 30 or more snakes. Her favorite snake is the “snaileater” and she was ecstatic at actually finding one on the trails on the second night out.

She is “Meg on the spot” with her camera and has gotten some amazing shots, one of which is a mother hummingbird feeding her baby. (National Geographic stuff if you ask me.) All of these guys have eyes like eagles and can do amazing things with cameras.

Today is Thursday, and I am doing my thing at the computer while they are out doing their thing out in the jungle.. We have 2 more days on this trip.

Jim and I are going to take a canoe trip early tomorrow morning so that I might get to see the toucans and the otters along the canal. I have seen the monkeys since they have been in the trees right around the hotel.

Then on Saturday it will be back in the boat for 2 hours, then back our the tour van for another 4 hours, then back to Atenas to pick up our little Heidi and get ready to head home on Tuesday. Pretty soon I’ll get to see and hold my brand new baby grandson, Luke.

Written by VIP Member Anne Harper who is a retired English teacher, having taught high school English for 33 years. Anne was not a well-travelled person, or at least until Jim Kavney came into her life. After they both lost their spouses 8 years ago, they met and began a relationship which has enabled her to meet and fall in love with the people and the country of Costa Rica, which was already in Jim’s heart. Their stays have extended from weeks to months, and this year, for the second time, they will be spending 4 months in Atenas.

Anne Harper & Jim Kavney are retired and currently living in Atenas, Costa Rica.

Jim’s website, now called Costa Rica Herping Adventures, is available to anyone interested in reptiles and has summaries and pictures from all the trips to date. Jim states that he would be happy to answer questions and identify snakes for anyone who wants to send a picture to his email address, which can be found on his website.

Snakespotting Adventure Tours in Tortuguera, Costa Rica.

Article/Property ID Number 3700

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