Who knew that a 4 meter wide cement main street(Calle Central)which starts at Miss Junie’s lodge and ends at the entrance to the National Park takes only 10 minutes to walk.
Who knew that Calle Central would lead us by so many quaint shops and restaurants, trash bins of over sized native animals, parks for children filled with monkey bars, swing sets, tire games mixed in with the archaic rusty machine parts from your wood processing past? Who knew that at the Muelle Paraiso between 5 o'clock and 6 that hundreds of Oropendolas would descend in a squawking cacophony as the flock split and the Chestnut Mandible Oropendolas roosted on the river side of the street and the Montezuma Oropendolas flocked to the ocean side of the street. This is not written in guide books.
Who knew the friendly hotel desk clerk offered wonderful suggestions for places to eat(Miriam’s #1), prepared us coffee and breakfast, and was a guide for night walks on Tortuguero’s Green Turtle laden beaches. Who knew that many folks there worked different jobs. Like the guy doing wood work on the boat was actually an experienced river guide and was excellent at spotting animals while knowing their natural history.
Oh Tortuguero, you have managed to create an economy out of your natural resources that attracts a special clientele. There are no hard-charging surfers or late night revelers searching for fringe activities. There are no group therapy yoga studios for lost souls who think that stretched ligaments and muscles make them more intelligent. There is real nature…not pretend nature, for those that wish to be surrounded in it and taken in by her. The inspirational story of the sea turtles and how the numbers of nests have recovered into over ten thousand per annum and how as the turtles recovered. But so have the Jaguars. When a walk on the trail can lead to multiple odiferous signs of where these large cats have hidden their kills and you know they are somewhere nearby…watching….waiting for nightfall to return to finish their meal.
Who knew that you could spend the sunset with cervezas and a river. Long boats going here and there. Herons and egrets roosting across dusky waters. And when night silently approached…it was time for the guided hikes into quiet darkness. With headlamps or hand torches we never knew what we might see. Perhaps a cool snake or a red-eyed tree frog will be on a leaf. It could be an io moth... amazing us with its deceptive wings or perhaps a paca, eyes ablaze, could casually creep by. But when you’ve seen the last little boa and the boots are returned, there is the solace of a river and the darkness. Where a chair and a beer and a friend is all that you need to help you understand all that you’ve seen. As you grow weary, and your eyes start to close you may hear an exhale out in the pitch as a manatee gulps air and moves on.
Oh Tortuguero, what a timeless place you are. Growth capped by land mass but still quite modern with the best internet in all Costa Rica. Certainly hot and wet for those that don’t mind as we know its all part of your tropical charms. We will be back…not sure when or what day…but you are forever in our souls.
I don’t know exactly know how you do it, Tortuguero, but you do it damn well.
