Pura Vida
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
December 28, 2017
And God said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.
The plates beneath the dry land eventually began to separate, creating the contours of our current continents. From the deep, subduction drove the ocean floor above its surface, creating the land-bridge connecting North and South America, a portion of which we now know as Costa Rica.
The continental divide collaborates with the ocean to the west and sea to the east to create many micro-climates, ranging from hot and wet to scorching and inundated.
And God said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.
The plates beneath the dry land eventually began to separate, creating the contours of our current continents. From the deep, subduction drove the ocean floor above its surface, creating the land-bridge connecting North and South America, a portion of which we now know as Costa Rica.
The continental divide collaborates with the ocean to the west and sea to the east to create many micro-climates, ranging from hot and wet to scorching and inundated.
From the fields and forests that thrive in these conditions come all manner of flora and fauna, a few native, many imported, some in transit between two continents, with this area serving as a biological Hartsfield for all manner of species.
As with that air hub, those passing thru Costa Rica often find themselves here for an extended period, though with much more freedom of movement and reliable provisions of fresh fruit, coffee, and spring water.
Actually, I am not sure the phrase Pura Vida, a fall-back expression for anything pleasant (a sort of Costa Rican “Prego”) can be translated to anything remotely comprehensible to denizens of any American airport.
Our initial and most pronounced exposure to an assortment of Costa Rican crops and critters came by way of the Tarcoles River.
Straddling the blurry boundary between a rain and a (relatively) dry forest, this aquatic highway carried us to its mouth at the Pacific, past an abundance of black cormorants, black hawks, blue and white herons, grey and white pelicans, a rainbow of macaws, a few howling monkeys, and a host of crocodiles.
Most of the crocodiles were lazy and indifferent, but we did see a head-on collision that caused a couple to get a bit ornery. Despite a burst of mutual anger, this tropical fender-bender seemed to leave neither the worse for wear. It did, however, provide a nice show for us rubber-neckers.
Most of the crocodiles were lazy and indifferent, but we did see a head-on collision that caused a couple to get a bit ornery. Despite a burst of mutual anger, this tropical fender-bender seemed to leave neither the worse for wear. It did, however, provide a nice show for us rubber-neckers.
“I’m walkin’ here!”From the water, we took to the air. A skyride over and through the canopy of a beautiful rain forest enabled views of sloths, toucans, and arboreal termite nests the size of medicine balls. Also, notwithstanding all we have learned from Kellogg’s over the years, while toucans may prefer Froot Loops, they typically feed on woodpeckers.
Returning to earth, a nature walk brought us past a broad assortment of snakes, toads, butterflies, and processions of remarkable carrier ants cutting and carrying leaf fragments and seeds of up to thrice their body weight.
Returning to earth, a nature walk brought us past a broad assortment of snakes, toads, butterflies, and processions of remarkable carrier ants cutting and carrying leaf fragments and seeds of up to thrice their body weight.
Treading now onto treacherous ground, I will admit that these hard-working laborers are all female. In this case, however (in anticipation of knowing nods and snickers from certain quarters), it is not because the males are lazy.
It is because they are dead.
The males basically exist to facilitate reproduction. That purpose accomplished, they are of no further use to the colony and their dead-weight lives may expire with no loss or remorse among those that remain.
Actually, that explanation probably did nothing to halt the nods and snickers so, recalling that anyone acting as his own attorney has a fool for a client, I should probably just rest my case and get back on the ship
Pura Vida.
JD
