A Train journey on the El Chepe

This Time Last Year

Woke at 5am, got myself packed and was out the door at 6.15am. I jumped a taxi to the Mirador to take some shots. Amazingly James was already there. He'd jogged (or run!). I missed the sunrise but I still got a few shots of the distant mountains.



James jogged back to the hotel and I took the taxi down to the station to wait for the others to walk down

The El Chepe train was only 15 minutes late and we piled on-board to have breakfast in the restaurant car.



We all relax and enjoy the views. It's a spectacular ride. At Divisadero the train stops for 15 minutes so we can get out and enjoy the view over Copper Canyon.


We arrive at Bahuichivo and our hosts at the Rancho del Oso (or Hotel Paraiso del Oso) are their to meet us. It's about a forty minute ride along the bumpy road to the hotel. We checked in and then later had our welcome Margaritas before dinner.

This Time in 2007

We were all up for breakfast at the cafe for 7am. Four of the group are going horseback riding today and will also ride a zip-line through the canopy later. The rest of us are going for a hike through the Arenal National Park.

Our planned through walk had to be abandoned however as some people who own the access have closed the entrance off. Instead we went to the main entrance and hiked in and back, with a loop in the middle. It was a very hot morning and the birdlife was very quiet. We did a toucan and we did hear a Bell Bird though we couldn't locate it. For a change the weather was clear and we had a great view from the lava flows across the lake to the volcano.



We arrived back at the hotel about 1pm and decided to have a picnic lunch in the hotel gardens. The others arrived shortly after.

When lunch was finished we all piled into the bus to return to the Rio Penas Blanca. We would start todays paddle from where we left off yesterday. It wasn;t long after we;d started that Amy and David were once again in the water! We'd even give them special lessons before we started! In fact they came a cropper at exactly the same place where Harry and Cathy wrapped a boat around a tree-stunp on our last trip! Although the boat did sink this time it didn't get pinned. We let the boat go whilst we dealt with them and finally got them to shore at a small beach.

We then got them to sit in 3's in two other boats whilst Carlos and I went to find the lost boat. It was caught under a branch but we were able to empty it and rescue it.

At this point we decided that it would perhasp be best if we split the pair up! I took Amy and Carlos took David and Florence had to try and get on solo - a first for her!

Again the river was very quiet in terms of bird-life. We did however see a couple of troops of Howler Monkeys and an Iguana.

We pulled up on the beach at the confluence of the Rio Penas Blanca and the Rio San Carlos just to stretch our legs before paddling the last few hundred metres to the take-out. It's always a long way to carry the canoes at this take-out.

On the way back ti the hotel we stopped at the Iguana Bridge for an ice-cream.

Back at the hotel we had a very speedy 5 minute turn-around before driving to the Baldi Hot Spings. We stayed here a couple of hours and enjoyed ourselves immensely in the warm waters. I even discovered so more springs higher up the mountain.

Then we jumped back in the bus and shot back to the hotel for another quick turn-around before walking into Fortuna for dinner at a local cantina.

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!