Costa Rica Day 2

Day 2’s bird is the Great Kiskadee. This was a beautiful bird that was quite numerous at the hotel, many of the pictures taken were during our breakfast where they were patiently perched around the dining area waiting for crumbs. This bird was so common that by the end of the trip you heard many people saying, “oh, it just a Kiskadee”. Poor little guy, I was happy to see him at every sighting!

 

First morning in Costa Rica! Our group was off to an early start and everyone, binoculars at the ready, seemed excited to start “bird watching”. 

From the left: Helen, Carlos, Lisa, Me, Ginny, Jen, Valerie, Dave, Nancy, Gerry, Betty, Dan, Barb, Gina, and Linda (Bob was behind the camera and Tom and Harrison must have decided to sleep in).

This was one of our first crazy looking bird sightings, the Crested Guan. Check out those feet!

Can you spot me and Jen? Both have our hair in a braid, and are wearing a white hat, grey shirt, black pants, and a black backpack. I swear, it wasn’t planned. What a couple of Twinkies!

We spotted a Toucan on our very first morning!

 

Our first tour for Day 2 was the Arenal Volcano Observatory. We did a wonderful hike down to a waterfall then had lunch up at the lodge. It was a bit surprising to be so close to a smoking volcano. Yep, it was active and smoking – we could have died if that thing blew - a little hard to tell in the picture because the smoke was mixing in with the cloud, but as the clouds moved, the tip of the volcano stayed white!

This is the first time I've seen the third line of this saying. Love it, wish we all lived by this motto!

We saw more crazy birds. This one is the Montezuma Oropendola.

After the Volcano, we went on a tour of a chocolate farm. We actually saw the entire process of making chocolate, all the way back to the tree.

Then, off to the hot springs. This place was fabulous, the water in these pools were heated by the geothermal activity of the volcanoes. It was a total tourist attraction (I think Carlos and Harrison were the only Costa Ricans in the pools) but the novelty didn’t detract from the wonder for me … loved soaking in the hot waters with the volcano smoking right above us. Carlos said the locals have another place they can go that is totally natural, no fancy landscaping, and free. 

Dinner was at another locally owned restaurant in the little town near our hotel. Then it was off to bed… more early morning birding and an action packed day planned for Day 3.