Tortuguero National Park

 Today we left at 6am for a boat ride through the national park. I cursed myself for forgetting my (new) binoculars but we did see quite a bit without them.

Caiman (caiman crocodilus)

Then at 10:00 after breakfast we went back to the park on foot. It was a long walk and this time I had my binoculars.

Whip tail lizards were easy to see

The bridal veil mushroom. This is what it looks like fully grown:

We also saw spider monkeys and howler monkeys. What a scary noise they make!

A turtle that had been eaten a long time ago, probably by a jaguar

Many baby turtles that died, a very sad sight. We saw some live ones and a few in our group wanted to pick them up and take them to the sea but Daniel discouraged them. If they aren't strong enough they will just die in the ocean, he said. I don't think I will get to see a live, fully grown, green sea turtle on this trip!

I again was sick with diarrhea and the tour guide thinks I should see a doctor. But we won't be near a clinic for a couple of days!

I had a smoothie with a couple of ticos and that was fun, speaking Spanish, but later, after feeding a skinny dog, I ran into them again and the one man, Abel, seemed too drunk, and it wasn't pleasant. 

I decided not to join the group for dinner and instead just rest, read, and lie in the hammock.

The main street in this tiny town (photo by Werner Eberle)