A stuck in the mud

The hobbits
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So, once we'd arrived in Las Horquetas de Sarapiqui we got set for our forthcoming trip into the rainforest. We were to be staying in Rara Avis Rainforest Lodge in "remote pristine jungle bordering the Braulio Carillo National Park". Getting set for our trip meant exchanging our decent walking shoes for a pair of wellies & stashing our daypacks (containing all we needed for the next couple of days) into bin liners to keep out the mud & rain.

In order to get up to the lodge we had to travel uphill in a "charabanc" cart, pulled by a tractor. It was the bumpiest ride of my life - through mud & over rocks, & in some places you could see where the road had been washed away so many times by the rain that the tractor path is now about 2 metres lower than it was originally (we were travelling through gullies carved out over many years). After an hour or so the slow bumpy ride got too much for some of us so we leapt off the back of the cart & decided to walk it instead. Within only 5 yards I managed to sink into mud up to my knees - now we know why they insisted we needed wellies for this trip! A kindly guy came to my rescue, & from then on I was very much more careful :o)

Our transportation into the rainforest
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It took us around 4 hours in total to get up to the lodge (just 15km away from our starting point) & we arrived in total darkness - so it wasn't until the following morning that we were actually able to see where we'd travelled to. Fortunately for us there was a bunch of college kids from Connecticut staying at the lodge at the same time (doing a two-week field project), meaning that we were 'upgraded' to the nice accomodation with hot running water. Yippeeee :o)  That said, I was rudely awoken early in the morning by a HUGE cockroach that flew into my face. Bleurgh!! On top of which, Deborah next door was awoken by a rat running across her head. I guess that's what you get for staying in the jungle!

Spider whose web is the world's strongest natural fibre
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The following morning we were taken to have a look at the various projects being conducted by the college kids at the lodge. We started off by visiting the spider farm - where they are currently 'harvesting' a specific spider web that is currently believed to be the strongest natural fibre in the world. There are plans to use the web in medicine (e.g. for internal stitches) as well as for clothing. Then we went to see the reptile, bird & mammal teams. Following this we went on a guided walk through the jungle. It was very wet & soggy (my poncho was already coming in handy) so we only lasted for a couple of hours.

Meeting a tapir!
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After lunch we headed out on another short walk. The only reason I went was because I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Miguel - the local wild tapir! Lo & behold near to the end of our walk someone called out that Miguel had indeed been sighted but before we could reach the spot where they'd seen him the lodge tractor came chugging up the hill at great volume, scaring him out of sight. GRRRRRRRRR! We spent another half an hour running around looking for him, but to no avail. Feeling rather miffed we trundled back to the lodge, only to discover that Miguel had beaten us to it! There he was standing in the middle of our grounds being fed & stroked by one & all. So fantastic, I couldn't believe how lucky we were!

Wellington boots
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[As soon as Miguel had entered the grounds, one of the guides turned to the young Japanese lass in our group & asked her "have you ever seen a tapir before?". She thought he said "have you ever seen a tape before?" so (assuming he meant a videotape or similar) replied "of course I have, but WHAT'S THAT?"!!! Hee hee hee - had a good laugh about that one :o)]  So, anyway, I got to feed & stroke a wild tapir which was truly awesome. The rest of the day was pretty lazy & mostly involved eating, drinking & playing cards.

In the charabanc cart
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The next day it was time to live Rara Avis - another 4-hour journey through thick mud back to Las Horquetas. Again we did half by foot & half by cart. I managed to stumble in the mud & fall smack onto some wooden stepping stones which has left my left leg covered in bruises = nice! Once back in the village we exchanged our well-used & very muddy wellies for our own walking shoes, & collected the rest of our belongings. A minibus was waiting there to take us onto our next destination of the tour - La Fortuna.