Baldi Hot Springs

Gallery

Received permission today to sell prints at the Garden Fair in Hof ter Saksen on Sunday May 3rd. So now I can start preparing.

Garden

Not a lot happening in the garden at present but a few snowdrops are out and the first crocus are coming through. Yesterday I saw two turtle-doves by the bird-feeder (next to the pear tree!). This is a first.

This Time Last Year

We are up for breakfast at 7.30am and leave for the Rio Penas Blanco by 8.30am. We are to paddle the upper section today and finished where we started yesterday! carolyn will paddle with me. At the put-in we go over some paddle strokes and practise our ferrying. This is where you cross from one side of the stream to the other without going downstream. This technique is very handy when you have obstacles to avoid.

The river is very easy and pleasant and though there are not too may birds about we still have plenty to see. We stop at a couple more places to practice the ferrying. This will be important when we move onto faster and more difficult rivers.

When we reach the take-out Carolyn and I prepare the lunch whilst Manuel and Luis get the boats out and loaded onto the bus.

After lunch we got to the Arenal National Park for a walk across the volcanic outflow from 1997. Unfortunately the weather is cloudy and we don't get to see much. On the way back to the car though we see a whole troop of Coatis, maybe 15 of them!

In the evening we go to Baldi Hot Springs and chill (!) out.

This Time in 2007

Today we took the boat around Mancarroncita which is smallest of the inhabited islands. We saw the usual array of birds and noticed in particular the Oropendula nests habging from the trees.

On the way back we stopped off at Mancarron Island to visit the church and the library and the small village. We saw a computer class too - whis is a new project which Jim and Carolyn are getting off the ground. Ernesto was at home too so we said hello.

After the usual lunch and siesta on San Fernando I went off for a butterfly hunt. Later Carlos and I paddled the canoes down to Jose Ramons place so they could be picked up by the Collectivo in the morning. We would be going to San Carlos tomorrow and then down the Rio San Juan.

In the evening Scott and Serena came by for a chat and then Jim came home from his computer class and put us straight about our schedule for the next few days. carlos and I would be on our own with Lee!