Friday 11th November - Forbidden Love Scenes


Once again the rainy season fails to appear and we are blessed with sunshine. We pack, breakfast, catch up on the internet and even spot a visitor in the boathouse. Tortuguero has been great fun and the bird watching pretty good but we are ready to move on. It is long suffering Denis's job to marshall and count us, make us recheck our luggage and escort us up the river to the exchange point. No fallen tree excitement this time but some of the launch skippers have their Grand Prix hats on and there is a bit of racing.
Back at Rancho La Pavona the water level is a few feet higher than three days ago and we don't have as far to carry the cases. We have packed on an every eventuality basis which means that we are carrying almost twice as much weight as we used to take to India. But after today it won't be a problem. We say goodbye to Denis and reaquaint ourselves with Umberto who guides us onto the bus and then sits in total silence, unlike the outward trip.
The ride back towards San Jose has little to commend it. We ride alongside a stretch of disused narrow gauge railway for a while. It used to carry bananas down to Limon but looks to have been out of use for some time.
The bus stops for lunch at the same place that we had breakfast on the way out.  By way of variety there is pulled pork with the beans and rice. Quite a few of the group are taking different transport from here. We have another ten minutes on the bus before getting dropped at another restaurant where we are met by a man from Adobe Car Hire. He quickly takes us through the paperwork and hands over a shiny new Mitsubishi SUV with 78 km on the clock. It even smells like a new car. The boot is a bit on the small side and we have to put a bag on the back seat but it seems to work ok.
Pieter has given us driving directions for each day of the next two and a bit weeks so we set off confidently. "Turn right onto Route 4 at the Rancho Roberto Restaurant".  We quickly realise that we have missed the turn but there is not a sign of Roberto or his restaurant, just a lot of roadwork)s as a busy junction is being turned into a flyover. There is a chance to turn back and we are soon on the correct road following signs to Puerto Viejo*. D is not only getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road but also relearning how to drive an automatic for the first time since 2008. Fortunately the road and traffic are not too demanding and the rest of Pieter's directions are perect. It is not his fault that we drive past the sign marking the entrance to the hotel without seeing it. We realise that we have gone too far when we run out of road.
Our room is light and airy with a terrace at the rear. We unpack and sort ourselves out then go for a swim. One is left in no doubt about what is considered unacceptable behaviour in the pool.

One of the USPs of this hotel is their frog garden, handily situated by the restaurant. Once it is dark we head there to see what can be seen. One of the waiters gives us a short tour and finds us several different small but brightly coloured frogs. The light is poor and their posing generally leaves a bit to be desired but this little chap made our night.
We haven't forgotten that it is Friday and that a Radinja Pub photo is required. Here you go.Thank you to our friendly barman for taking the photo.

* Old Port



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