It is 5am on Christmas Day and I have been awoken, partly because I need to go to the loo, but the sky is lightening and the birds are singing. The Howler monkeys are not so loud here as they were in Puerto Jimenez but maybe they are just drowned out by the medley of birdsong. I have tried to record it on my phone but the result doesn’t really do justice to the beauty and clarity of the sounds that are all around me. Apparently more than 100 birds have been recorded in this small peninsula in Costa Rica and judging by the myriad calls I am listening to I think they are all singing now!
I am staying in a tent hung in a wooden platform which I hope is snake proof but suspect is not. Snakes are my only real fear. Insects are a nuisance especially in the evening as the sun goes down but apart from reacting to the bites with large red weals as I do, they are mostly harmless. The mosquitos here do not carry malaria and we have seen little sign of any anyway. Javier told us that Costa Rica has only just recently been declared malaria free. There are bats in the toilet behind my sleeping quarters which fly hurriedly out of the window when I unzip the door. I have to wipe the guano from the toilet seat before sitting down (TMI, sorry!)
I am looking out immediately onto shrubs and with brightly coloured leaves and flowers in what seems to be a well planted garden surrounded by the tall trees of the jungle. A hint of steam rising from the tops of the trees gives an ethereal feel and, at this time of day, the temperature is deliciously cool. As the birds awake a new song joins the throng and others fade away. Few birds can be seen but every now and then tiny little yellow and green birds flit across my vision, then a flash of brilliant red and high up I see the silhouette of macaws accompanied by their raucous screech. A pair of brilliant red, green and b;lack birds have just flown noisily across right in front of me and landed in a tree opposite, and then a pair of black with almost fluorescent red wings birds whizzed by too!
Christmas Day is the hump day on our trip – the exact midpoint and it could be a difficult one for some who are more than a little homesick. However, they are pulling together and supporting each other and all very excited for Secret Santa and the prospects of the day.
Today’s walk gave us the opportunity to look around us and enjoy the scenery and learn about the plants and animals we could see. It was a 10km circular walk around the lodge, just a day pack, some snacks and water. This evening I tried to write down as much as I could remember of what Randall told us but couldn’t get all of it. So, for our reflection I asked the girls to all tell us something that they learned today. What a wondrous thing crowdsourcing memories is! Here are the facts in no particular order. This website gives some additional information.
The Ceiba Tree – this is a sacred tree to the Mayans who believe that the Gods live high up in the branches and the long vines that hang down to the ground are the connection to the underworld. The roots are deep and give life to the tree and to the people. The sharp spines that cover the trunk help protect the tree from the Strangulator trees as do the colonies of fire ants that seemed to be hosted by the tree that we saw. They can grow up to 200ft tall and are often the only trees to be spared when a forest is cut down. The canopy of the tree is home to epiphytes which also provide space for myriad animals, insects and other plants to exist.
The Surá Tree – this tree is tall and has very smooth bark. Randall told us that it is a special tree for the Mayans and mythology says that in the beginning there was only land. When the tree grew too tall the monkeys chewed the trunk until it fell over. It created such a large space in the forest that the ocean formed in the space it created. I can find no literature about this on the internet but it is clear that many civilisations believe that trees are the givers of life and connect heaven and earth or the spirits and the people.
Strangulator Tree (Higueron) – this actually starts life out as an epiphyte and is a member of the fig family. The seeds are dropped by birds in the tops of trees and the vines that grow from them reach down to the ground where they take root and thicken. As they thicken the light is taken away from the host tree and it gradually dies.
The “Naked Indian” Tree – this tree obviously has a botanical name but because of its red peeling bark Ticos call it the Naked Indian tree. Randall told us that the it is the bark where photosynthesis occurs in this tree. The blog to which I have linked the name of this tree also describes the multiplicity of uses this tree has.
The Walking Tree – so the story goes that the mini trunks that look like splayed roots on these trees actually “walk” in search of light to help the tree grow. But this could easily be a popular story that guides tell trekkers just because…well, they can! Who knows?
Waramu Tree – well, I can’t find this tree on the internet using this name so maybe I misunderstood the name. Anyway, there is a photo so someone may recognise it. He said that this is a tree that the sloths like as the leaves are tasty. It is hollow and so when the trees are young they were young they were used by the Mayans to make pipes. It also has a symbiosis with ants – they live in the hollow part and if the tree is attacked they swarm out and defend the tree.
Vaco Tree – this tree is called the milk tree or the cow tree and produces a white milk like sap that seems to be high in iron. It is used in medicines to treat anaemia. Randall also told us that the wood is used for building and so many of these trees were cut down by the Conquistadors.
A plant the name of which I can’t remember but which Randall called the jungle man’s friend. Just like the New Zealand Bushman’s friend, this large soft leaf can be used when you are caught short in the jungle. But its uses don’t stop there; it can also be used as sun shade if draped over your head, folded over the back of your neck it has cooling properties, if you break the stem and chew on it, it will numb your mouth so it has been used as an anaelgesic and crushed and rubbed onto the skin it acts as an insect repellent.
Havillo – this tree can grow tall like the Ceiba but when small it has sharp thorns all over it. These were used by the Mayans as poison darts; once they took them off the tree they would stick them in poison dart frog to get the poison. The sap of the tree is also poisonous.
Golden Orb Spider – the female is much larger than the male which is to the left in the image. They are not harmful to humans and the webs are so strong that research is going on to see if scientists can reproduce the silk to use to make bullet proof vests.
Ant Facts
- If you kick an anthill, the warrior ants come out to protect the queen.
- Big ants were used by Mayans as sutures on wounds.
- Leaf cutter ants release an acid that kills the vegetation in their path to clear the way.
Butterflies – we saw so many beautiful butterflies while we were in Costa Rica. The beautiful Blue Morpho flashed by often, rarely settling long enough to get a photo, brilliant green and gold and red butterflies and the stunning Owl Butterfly.
