Day 18... Bucket list done!

 I came here with a list in my head.. of stuff I wanted to see. In fact 2 lists, the reasonable and the absolutely fanciful one, because after many hours searching for wildlife around the world, I know it doesn't come out on order... for that you go to a zoo... or my house! 😜

So my fanciful list... which included a jaguar, an ocelot, a puma and several snakes, including the Fer de lance, was indeed just that. although I was incredibly lucky enough to see the Fer De Lance, twice if you count the baby one at La Tarde. 

My less fanciful one included sloths, tapirs, turtles and the apparently ubiquitous Eyelash Viper, which has so far eluded me.

I am trying to book another night walk for one more opportunity to see snakes and frogs not out in the day but until I sort that I have been searching everywhere.

Today I took a boat over to Cerro Tortuguero, the 'mountain' which you need to pay $2 to climb the steps. Tours cost $25 but through a bit of research yesterday, I knew when the boat would leave so I headed to the docks. It was a really hot and sticky day, the kind where you just step outside and you are instantly drenched.

I waited for the boat and as I did I watched a young man, armed with a file, carve something. I had seen him before and knew he made animals but out of what? So I went and asked him and he told me it was a palm tree nut... he has amazing skill in the carving so I asked him to carve me an eyelash viper!

Tricky!

He took up the challenge and I left him with 1000 colones as down payment and hopped onto the boat.

The boat ride was reasonably short and after a few other stops, we arrived at the drop off point for the hill. The only high point in Tortuguero and not really that high.... but in this humidity...... not fun!

I walked along the decking boards, doing my useual scanning process, left, right, up, down. All areas looking for somethong that stood out in the dense foliage... a splash of yellow, a dot of red... movement... noise...

A collaboration of the senses is required to find anything here... if you believe Adonis, he can smell the Fer De Lance!

A whiptail lizard sprang past me in its hurry to get to the other side of the trail...

and then... a splash of red.! I bent down. for a closer look and found two oophaga pumillo (strawberry dart frogs, also known as blue jeans) hopping along the detritus of the jungle floor.

I'd found some myself!  So satisfying. I stood and watched as oblivious to my presence they hopped around, occasionally diving towards a food item. Really cute little things!

I went onwards and started the climb upwards on stairs. Scanning the jungle around. A few spiders, the odd lizard and loads more dart frogs!!

The dart frogs were everywhere here... climbing up logs, hiding in the leaf litter...

Some people passed me,. intent on reaching the top but ignorant of the world around them... either that or they were trying to avoid the hordes of mosquitos that congregated whenever I stopped. Spray be dammed. Not working at all, and soon I was being bitten, through my clothes as well, to add to the myraid of bites I already am suffering from.

I got to the top and was rewarded with a lovely view of the river and Toruguero and the sea... as well as a bit of a very welcome breeze.

After a few minutes, I headed back down and made for the dock. I had just missed the next boat out so walked through the jungle looking for the other dock.

Once there, having waited for a boat for a bit and got fed up, decided to head to the village of San Fransisco amd get a boat from there as I figured they would be more frequent from there. It was a pleasant walk but still ridiculously hunid. I got to San Francisco dock asked about when the boat was and treated myself to some cinnamon buns and a gatorade whilst I waited.

In due course a boat came along and I hopped on.

Back in Toruguero I recieved a message from Viktor saying that there was a pit viper near marker 48 on the beach and it would. probably still be there. He sent me a video showing me roughly where it had been the night before. I wonder if that had been the splash of yellow I had had to hurry by on the way to the turtles.

I also stopped off at the kayak place to see if they had managed to sort a night walk... they hadn't yet but were keen to help. I told them about the Eyelash pit viper and they suggested I could sneak into the national park via the beach without paying the 15 dollar entrance fee.... sounded like a plan!

So I went straight to the beach (I still hadn't eaten today) as I didn't want to risk it moving. I struggled down the sand... it was sooo hot and humid and I was knackered and probably a little low on blood sugar!

The distance to marker 48 seemed interminable but eventually I reached 47 and dived into the cover of the jungle... I walked along scanning the branches... and then... a splash of yellow amidst the browns and greens ...

There it was... smaller than I thought... just wrapped around a branch. Its head was facing the opposite direction so I clambered through some branches to get a better look and get a bit closer. It raised its head a little as if to say.. I know you are there... I'm keeping an eye on you...

and what beautiful eyes... topped with the 'eyelashes' that give it its name.

I was enchanted and got as close as I could without disturbing it too much. Whilst they are venemous and it might ruin what was left of my holiday... a bite from this viper would probably not kill me. An estimated 30% of viper bites are dry bites anyway, meaning no venom is delivered. It seems they are a restrained type of snake.

I have seen this type of snake before in captivity, a friend had one. They are apparently popular as a first venemous snake because they are not particularly defensive snakes and tame down well.

They are certainly a stunning species!

That pretty. much finished off my less fanciful bucket list and I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I staggered back to find some food and drink.

It had been a damn good day!