You take the high road... and we'll take the slow road... actually, you broke it... better get a new one

So after four days of indulgent comfort (well for me anyways... Chris of course being a large dermal scratch zone), we left Quepos to go to the high country to track down the most beautiful bird in the world (marketers eat your heart out) - the "Resplendent Quetzel". Now the Quetzel is the national bird of Costa Rica, and much like the national animal of Canada, the beaver, or the national bird of New Zealand, the Kiwi, no one has actually ever seen one.

Apparently it is iridescent green with a fuzzy head, and red breast (think Billy Idol with a wig and bright t-shirt) and a couple of very long tail feathers.

At the time of typing this entry, we are staying at the Turriabla Volcano Lodge, accessible only to four wheel drive vehicles. Its situated at 2600 metres. Its cold. At night its 11 degrees. Now, gentle readers you need to appreciate that this is about 1/4 of the high temperature we had the day before we arrived here... For those that didn't hear me the first time... it's COLD (NB: KJ and Karen if you are reading this we are well prepared for skiing).

This is a very lovely place. In the high season they have a total of 28 simple rooms that they manage to rent out pretty much every night. In the 'green season' - which is a sneaky way to say 'rains everyday' - they still expect to rent out the majority of the rooms. However, due to the lodge being situated 3Km from the Volane Turriabla, and the fact the Volcan Turriabla has been showing mucho activity that indicates and real and present danger (aka very nice firework like explosion), the actual number of guests staying in the lodge is 4. Max, not to worry, Don Antonio, who runs the place, has lived in the shadow of Volcan Turriabla for 50 years and has yet to be hot by flying red hot boulders.

Ed Chris: Hmm, Don Antonio is also not scared by mountain lions and relies on a couple of cuddly longhaired puppies (Pyrenees Mountain dogs) and a mule to protect his ranch: not phased by losing six horses to said lions last year - one of which, at least, was later to be found in a tree. Coool kind of dude, as are all the caballeros round here: wellington boots and yellow ponchos being Pret-a-Porter. Most disappointed we didn't wanna take the hosses for a spin - they really nice characters I'm sure but not so robust looking really. Note that this would have been a three hour horse ride to see the inside of a dormant volcano or a 12 min drive to the same place. It's cute to note that when you do drive to the top of the volcano the park ranger requires you to park in a position so you can make a speedy escape if in fact Volcan Turriabla decides to get snitty.

However, lets get back to the journey from Quepos, the town of everything luxuriant, to Turriabla, the town of the most beautiful bird in the world.

We left Quepos around noon a few days ago and decided to take the low road. On the map this looked like a peaceful 20km drive south down the coast and then a 200km drive through the central mountains to Turriabla. The 20kms down the coast was a dirt road about 40 metres wide which is used as the main artery for large trucks carrying African Palm fruit processed into palm oil. Each fruit weighs some 10kg and produces around 8kg of oil. The processing plants stink.

This bridge is a coastal classic. We must have gone across a dozen of these old one lane, iron beasts. They have steel planks that jump up and down as you drive across them. Some of them make the river fords of a week ago seem safe.

At the end of the southern dirt coast road we stopped to take a look and a walk on the last Costa Rican beach we will see before we leave. This was a fantastic rustic, wild surf beach. A great last coastal stop before the climb inland.

The drive drive inland and north was on a pretty standard two lane Costa Rican road. To interpret this, I mean that it is narrow and steep. The 200km took about 6 hours but is through amazing cloud forests up to 3500 metres high.

Arriving in Turriabla we were assured that the lodge was very well marked, and so it was. Following the signs, we arrived at a fork in the road which stated - left 17kms to hotel, and right 24kms to hotel. Well my folks didn't raise no dummy so we took the shorter of the two roads. Now this was 4pm and the sun sets (very fast) at 6pm so we had lots of time. We knew that access to the Lodge was only 4*4 so we weren't worried when the road went vertical and the rocks got bigger. As our progress slowed to 10kph and then 3kph we realised we were in for a lengthly drive. The Hyundai did us proud and we arrived at the lodge at dusk, the last 15Kms taking about 90 mins (quick update on the Hyundai... We broke it! Started making a very suspicious noise about 25km from our destination so we crawled to the nearest Hertz and made the international sign for broken car. The Hertz mechanic jumped in and took the car around the block and responded with the international sign for "you're screwed". A few signatures and a replacement car and we were in our way).

The last couple of days here have been great. The temperature during the day is about 20 degrees at the lodge and 11 degrees at night. In town, 2100m lower and a 45 min drive, the temperature is up in the high 20's and the jungle is completely different. Odd combination up here, swarms of humming birds in front of the ranch, and wood burning stoves in each little bedroom. The volcano rears its cloudy head the other side of the valley. We understand we're supposed to hear the rumblings. We haven't. But can see some steam when the clouds clear. Could be smoke, hard to tell. Its a working farm, an ox cart carries off the muckings out from the cow-shed early in the morning (Ralph hasn't seen that yet, must just be looking in the wrong direction). And I think the oxen also pull a plough way down in the valley below.

Yesterday we visited Costa Rica's main archaeological site. A 900 year old village that used to house a few hundred. One of three tribes of indians that used to live in this valley. The road that you can see in the pictures is around 150m long and rises from the river to the chiefs lodge. It used to be bordered by thick thorn bushes, Apocalypto type guards and shrunken heads. 'Nuf said.

Today we visited a Hacienda that grows sugar cane, macadamias and coffee. We watched the processes of each, had quite a bit of raw and slightly processed sugar cane, learned the difference between premuim and second grade coffee and had a handful of fresh macadamia nuts - all good. The gent that owned the Hacienda in the old days as also the presidente of the bank of Costa Rica and got his mug on the 50 colone note. Now replaced by a coin as its only worth about 10 cents.

Tomorrow we leave here for our last night outside the capital city of San Jose. It will be very sad to leave this place. So much to see, so much variety, so many very nice people.

written by  REB on August 12, 2007 from San Jose, Costa Rica
from the travel blog: Welcome to the Jungle...
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