On we go…. Part 2

So after a white-knuckle trip down the side of the mountain, we arrive safely at Savegre Mountain Hotel. I promptly attempt to register at the garage. A patient campasino informs me that guests normally register in the hotel lobby, and directs me to that location approximately 40 feet behind me. I try to come up with something clever to explain why I am trying to register in the garage, but I am suffering from some sort of stress thing, so I just get back in the car and drive the 40 feet. I have no idea why I did this, except it seemed important at the time to make a showing that I was not a total idiot.

Getting out of the car, the first thing that hits you as you step out of the car is the hummingbirds. It is not that the hummingbirds are rare here… they are not. But never are you going to see maybe 300 of them within 10 feet of you. Now I know why there are so few in my back yard. They are all here, and that 300 number pales when you learn there are 4-5 more locations where they are congregating around feeders in equal numbers. I took a bunch of crummy pictures, but if you want to see them, click here.

We check in without further delay and are directed to our cabin, a spacious thing with a ceiling about 50 feet above the floor. The reason for this becomes clear when I build a fire in the fireplace only to discover that Ticos may not fully grasp the concept of a vent or of drafting. Our cabin fills with smoke, so we decide to take walk.

There are numerous trails where you can see an enormous amount of wildlife. Wildlife here means birds as the other wildlife, like the monkeys, have all died years ago… most from falling out of trees laughing at gringos building fires in the cabins.

One of the trails (senderos) is about 25 KM long (about 16 miles). We give that one a pass. Anything that long requires a motor vehicle or a thinner person.

On the way, I am told that there exists a tree where the Quetzals come to chow down on avocados. I am also told I must arise early in the morning at first like in order to catch them on film. I decide this would be cool, so I make plans for the next morning if I have not passes on due to smoke inhalation.

The smoke has cleared from the cabin, so ML and I return to await arrival of friends Ray and wife Patricia. Ray is the one who discovered this place and I must admit… he hit gold. The Rio Savegre area and h0tel simply sucks the stress right out of you. Normally, it takes me 2-3 days to relax, but for some reason, this is happening in minutes.

R and P show up with a supply of munchies and various beverages all of which contain alcohol. As it is now raining, we spend time in front of the cabin allowing nature and the Seagrams to do their thing.

Dinnertime!

There is only one meal plan here… all meals included. This is, of course, because there are no restaurants withing 200 vertical miles. We head over to the restaurant coincidentally located 45 feet in front of the garage, and are treated to a large buffet containing the usual Tico fare of rice, beans, fish, chicken, funny meat, and tiramasu. While this restaurant will never win any awards for fine cuisine, it is certainly quite acceptable… acceptable enough that I make 2-3 return visits.

There is no nightlife here. You are expected to commune with nature then go to bed. We decide this is OK so we all head off to our cabins. A small surprise is that it is now cold! I mean REALLY cold… like 40 something. Blankets are not going to be enough so I decide to build another fire. We open all the windows and I do my thing.

So after deciding to sleep on the floor…

The Quetzal!

OK, morning arrives and I am off camera in hand to capture a photo of the evasive, reclusive and ever resplendent Quetzal.

I clump my way up a short trail to the Quetzal tree. Now I have no idea why I would think there was not already Quetzal IN that tree, but I do know I have no future whatever as a wildlife photographer. As I draw near, a brilliant flurry of blue, red, and green blasts out of the Quetzal tree and disappears into the forest.

Nuts!

Now I have no idea why I would think there was not already ANOTHER Quetzal in that tree, but now I am SURE have no future whatever as a wildlife photographer. As I draw closer, another brilliant flurry of blue, red, and green blasts out of the Quetzal tree and disappears into the forest.

(Bad word.. much worse than “Nuts!”)

Ok… perhaps the pros find a semi secluded place from which to watch the damned tree and try to remain silent? I do this, and after maybe 15 minutes that feels like 15 hours, a Quetzal flies back to the tree and promptly hides on the opposite side of the trunk. I am patient however, and after another five minutes, the little devil pops his furry head around the side of the trunk. Their heads look like a green fuzzball… about the size of a walnut. Odd since their body is much larger and their tails are about 2-3 feet long!

I snap about 342 photos hoping to get 1-2 that are decent. I am pretty sure the pros get their shot the first time. Above right and left are a couple that at least do not totally suck. Click any to enlarge.

Saving wildlife.

After breakfast, we hear our neighbors yelling. It seems a wild parakeet has flown into their (close) window and has died.

“Not so”, says my wifey.

As regular readers here and in my personal BLOG know, ML is a country gurl and loves all living things regardless of how many legs they have. She races to get to the dead bird.

“Aha! Not dead”, says she. “All we need to do is blow air up its butt!”. I am translating this rather loosely from the Spanish!

If this were any other person than my wife, I would advise treatment of some sort, but for now, I keep quiet and watch her as she blows air up its butt.
She does this far maybe 2-3 minutes (not actually touching here lips to that area I might add). The bird begins to move a bit and in another moment, spreads it wings and takes off!

I am fairly sure this technique is not taught at the leading veterinary schools in the USA, but to watch this is pretty amazing. It also beggars the question as to who was the first person to try this technique and how on earth that thought came into their mind in the first place.

Ok…. that’s it. Another fun weekend coming up soon. This place costs $200.00 per night including all meals… less if you elect to rent a cabin without the fireplace.

So ML tells me it is time for us to go somewhere. To getaway for a few days. I suggest the beach but she wants the mountains. I must have the only Tica wife that really could care less about going to the beach!

A little investigation gives me a name of a place 9 KM (6 miles) off the Pan American Highway going south toward Panama. This is located along a stretch of road know as el cerro de la muerte or roughly “the hill of the dead”. I am not sure from where came that name, but maybe from the fact that a bunch of folks get killed there every year because the winding mountain road becomes shrouded in fog and rain most afternoons year around. The trick, of course, is to drive it in the morning!

So reservations are made at the Savegre Mountain Hotel for the next weekend, and we start getting excited… until we realize there is nobody to watch the house while we go play in the mountains. This problem gets resolved when housekeeper Maritza says she’ll spend the time guarding the house and feeding the animals, so the planning begins. We will leave early in the AM to avoid the fog and rain on the cerro de la muerte.

We start the trip directions in hand and head south. We must pick up the Pan American Highway after Cartago. This is normally simple, but there was an unexpected problem when the idiot behind the wheel (ummm… that would be me) took a wrong turn that took us on scenic but incredibly boring tour of Cartago’s open aire market.

Back on the road, we map read to discover that we must find kilometer marker 80 where we will make a right turn to pick up the 9 km road that leads to the hotel. I see no markers, but my eagle eyed wifey does… little stone thingy’s that could pass for gravestones for really tiny dead people. We begin the count them as we head up the mountain.

Now I like to sort of be prepared, so as she counts them off, I subtract that number from 80 and add it to the trip thingy on my odometer! That way, I will sort of know when KM 80 is coming up!

This process probably would work well in any country, but somehow I have forgotten I live in Costa Rica.

She reads off “KM 33″ so I do the math (80-33= 47) and add 47 to my odometer 230 + 47 = 277!

This works quite well until we travel another 3-4 km and she cheerfully reads off “KM 41″. “Ummm, are you sure? That is not possible!”, says I. After a short fight (that she wins), and another maybe 2 km, we reach the next grave marker. “KM52″ says she! HUH???

It is clear my system will only work if there is some relationship between the km markers and reality. I sort of give up. We sit in peace for a while until she sees KM 65. “Cool” thinks I. Only 15 klicks mas!

After traveling at the most about 1 KM, she screams “There it is! KM80!”.

She is right. There is the marker and 200 feet later we see the road we seek leading off to the the right… as advertised.

I make the turn, and we begin heading toward our final destination. The hotel provides a helpful description of this last 9 km: “…until you reach kilometer 80, where you take a detour to the right for 9 kilometers on well-maintained country road, finally reaching the slopes of the Savegre River – your tranquil destination.”.

The key phrase here is “well-maintained country road”.

This road actually is in pretty decent condition. Left off is the small fact that you are almost vertical as you descend.

This might be nerve wracking to some, but you can be comforted by the fact you can’t really go very fast as there are maybe 73 hairpin (180 degree) turns as you descend. Also, as there are no guardrails protecting you from the maybe 800 foot vertical drops, you do tend to keep the car in first gear as advised by the numerous road signs.

So this is how our weekend adventure starts!

I will post Pt 2 or “How Tim screws up twice while trying to take a photo of a Quetzal“, perhaps tomorrow… and maybe with more pictures!