Cindy Southgate's Travels

February 17

Mike and I were up at 5 am after an early bedtime the evening before. We sat on our patio until 7 am and then headed into the village to pick up some food for breakfast. We visited the general store and the bakery with Lucky leading the way.

I did a lot of research before our trip to figure out our transportation options for this trip. It was too far to drive from the main airport to Puerto Jimenez without sacrificing a couple of days, and I knew we wouldn’t need a car here or at our next location. The ferry was a great choice – it would take several hours to drive all the way around Golfo Dulce but only 35 minutes to ride the boat across.

We called for a taxi, even though it was only a 10 minute walk to the dock. The road was very bumpy and rocky so we wouldn’t be able to roll our carry on bags. While we were waiting for our taxi a man arrived with a cart selling pastiles. It has a long pastry crust and is filled with potatoes and sauce. It was very good.

We arrived at the dock early to make sure we got a seat. We found the office which was a structure made of netting and corrugated metal. We had actually walked by here several times and had wondered why there were always people standing around. We assumed it was a bus stop but we never saw any buses.

We checked in at the desk and then stood to wait as there were only a few benches to sit on and they were full. We chatted with a few people and discovered one other couple was headed to the same resort as us. They suggested we share a taxi and we agreed. I had already arranged to have one waiting for us on the other side.

We got our life jackets and headed to the ferry. After everyone was seated, they filled the aisle with everyone’s bags. The ferry only cost us $7 each – less than the taxi ride to the resort on the other side. (It was $30)

We got off the ferry in Golfito and found our driver. He was able to fit all four of us in his van. We had about a 30 minute ride to Esquinas Rainforest Lodge which was located away from the town and up in the mountains.

We were greeted in the parking lot and taken on a tour of the property. We were hungry so we headed to the dining room for lunch at our assigned table. The food here was a bit bland but OK. All our meals were included here because of the isolated location.

After lunch we got settled in our room. The cabins were set along a few paths partway up a small hill. The room was a good size, but there was no glass in the window, so we felt a bit self conscious about making any noise. There were curtains to block the sun during the day, along with a ceiling fan. It got quite hot in the room during the day but cooled off each night. Everyone had umbrellas by their doors as well as citronella candles beside the outdoor chairs.

We were told to help ourselves to some rain boots and to keep them for the duration of our stay. We would need them for our night tour to protect us from snakes and other poisonous things.

The pathways and gardens were well maintained and I enjoyed seeing all the different plants and flowers. There was almost always an Agouti here enjoying the coconut shells that the staff left out for them. Agoutis resemble ground hogs and are very common in Costa Rica.

The bar here is self-serve until 5 pm. You may help yourself to your drink of choice and then record it on a paper on a clipboard. These bats literally hang out there behind the fridge.

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and reading. The pool was a bit dirty the day we checked in but was clean the following day.

We had dinner at 7 pm each night, which I found a bit late. The dining room was full. This resort is very popular with the birding community, and there were always organized tour groups here for that reason. We found out later that Peter, who we had shared the cab with, was a very well known birder.