LapaRios

1998

The plane to the Puerto Jimenez on Costa Rica’s southwesterly Oso Peninsula was small and afforded us great views of the coastline and the rain forest (especially through the crack caused by the improperly closed emergency exit!). We landed smoothly on the aging dirt and cement runway and taxied to the terminal (which was no more then a patch if grass on the side of the runway where the plane could turn around). We eagerly piled out of the plane and were slapped with heat and humidity that almost knocked us down. Papa Lapa – the host of Lapa Rios resort where we were staying – came ambling out of a beat-up pickup with his hand extended. Papa Lapa looked and sounded exactly like Bill Macy from the movie Fargo. He was a trial lawyer in Minnesota until he sold everything he owned in the States and moved with his wife to the Oso Peninsula to create a world-class ecolodge in the rain forest.



Flying Into Puerto Jimenez	The Considerable Airport	Bumping to the Resort

So here we were in the middle of nowhere. Papa Lapa loaded our bags into the back of the pickup as we smiled and wondered how we were all going to fit in the cab of the truck. Nope – back of the truck for us too. We bumped and rumbled down a rut-carved dirt road into the middle of the rain forest to the lodge nestled 45 minutes from "town."


Ridge-side Bungalows	What Ya Get . . .	The Ubiquitous Squirrel Monkey

At Lapa Rios we were greeted by Papa Lapa’s wife (in that funny "yaa, don’t cha know we're from Fargo" accent) and the rest of the Lapa Rios’ staff with tropical drinks at the ready.


		Cocktails in hand with fresh fresias on top, we toured the open-air facility built discreetly into the side of a jungle-choked hill. Lapa Rios’ property adjoins one of the finest rainforest refuges in Central America. This place had spectacular views of the Pacific and Panama’s northern-most coastline on clear days. This resort epitomized the Costa Rica experience. The lobby is actually the entrance to a huge open-air thatched pavilion, or palapa, that houses the dining room, bar, kitchen, massage room, and wooden viewing balcony perched precariously on the cliff overlooking the jungle. The most striking feature of the palapa is the enormous bamboo and hardwood spiral staircase that rises thirty feet from the center of the dining room to a circular observation balcony that overlooks the jungle. Pretty amazing. I remember spending quite a bit of time in this luxurious vantage point soothing down cool beer and gazing at the incredible fauna and flora below. It would be pretty easy to spend weeks here admiring the surroundings, just getting away from civilization for a while.
Central Stair

Ten minutes into a tour of the property we were greeted by monkeys, toucans, families of the mischievous coati mundi, and even a renegade sloth.


Eerie-sounding Howler Monkey	Toucan	Coati Mundi	Hangin' with a Sloth

A pathway out of the dining room leads past an isolated swimming pool and wooden deck that offers stunning views of Gulfo Dulce and the Pacific beyond. Further down among the trees stands the string of the private guest rooms that extend along the ridge line. Each room is an individual, thatched roof hut with shiny hardwood floors, bamboo furniture, and clean white-tiled indoor/outdoor bathrooms.


		The rooms feel like something from Out of Africa complete with wicker beds, neatly made with pressed bright white sheets and covered with delicate mosquito netting. As we walked in, a gentle breeze filtered through the screen walls. Everything is wide open to the jungle -even the shower is indoor/outdoor with screened walls. Each hut has its own patio with an ocean view, and days could be spent reading books and watching the dynamic zoo swing, fly, and slink past in the jungle.
Poolside	Shower View

Back in the dining room we took down a local beer (offered in large bamboo holders to keep the beer cool) and planned out a basic schedule of hikes for the next couple of days. We were ambitious, opting for morning and afternoon hikes every day.

The hikes were informative and interesting and some were guided by a local shaman, or medicine man, who spent a lifetime studying the indigenous plants and animals, as well as the mysteries and legends of the forest. You should see this guy in action some time!

Rambo on a Night Hike



Bamboo Beer	Shaman Make-Over	Megan Gets the Treatment

We learned about the flora and fauna and saw bunches and bunches of monkeys – representing all of the local species (howler, white faced, spider and squirrel monkeys), in addition to hundreds of colorful and exotic birds, countless shiny, clicking insects, beeping frogs, and more.

The omnipresent shaman told us about all the plants and their healing powers. He would often pick berries, flowers and leaves to create soothing balms and fragrances. I bet he could whip up some pretty interesting goodies in that jungle of his.

Beepy



Hiking with the Shaman	Now that's the Jungle!	Returning from a Hike

Some hikes were grueling and others were more like gentle walks around the property. We even took a night hike braving a continuous torrential downpour (I think the guys enjoyed playing Rambo sloshing through the mud and underbrush like a bunch of little kids).


	The beach was popular with locals an novice surfers (no real waves) but due to the gray sand and murky water, it wasn’t much of a draw – save for the occasional white face monkey darting out after a picnicker's remnants. The shoreline had an uncanny atmosphere like something from Lord of the Flies, and we expected to see a group of savages pop from the encroaching jungle onto the narrow stretch of sand.
Tide Pools		White-faced Monkey

We saved the most strenuous adventure in the rainforest for the last day – when we decided to fly into the heart of the Corcavado wild life refuge for a full-blown nine hour hike through acres of preserved jungle.


Lunchtime!	Follow the Stream	Fine Dining in the Jungle	Jungle Bedding

We arose early and headed back to the airport to catch our flight to the ranger station in the middle of the Corcovado reserve. We met up with our French guide, Pierre and hopped on the smallest plane I’ve ever seen – just enough room for the pilot, and four passengers. We lifted off and flew at near tree-top level over forests, hills, ledges and rivers. We began to get a little nervous as we approached the coastline where the ranger station was reputed to be – because there was no runway in sight. As we descended, a tiny sliver of green grass appeared as if it were just recently carved from the trees. The "runway" was short and spilled onto the pacific coastline. It had rained heavily the night before and the pilot warned us that the landing would be slippery; if we came in and didn’t hit it just right he said we wouldn’t be able to stop by the time we got to the end of the runway. Super. I remember Pierre smiling at me and saying, "Watch this. You’re not going to believe it!" Great. The grass was so slick that when the wheels hit the mud the pilot took turns rapidly alternating the left wheel brake and the right wheel brake. The damn plane would slide sideways to the right, then sideways to the left, skidding and splashing all the way. When the teeny plane finally came to rest we all breathed a sigh of relief.


Luxury Flight	Where's my Cocktail?	Where's the Runway?	That's the Runway?!	OK I'm Cool

Pierre led us to the ranger station where he chided the shirtless park rangers about the French winning the World Cup over Brazil. The rangers grumbled a bit, but were nevertheless happy to talk soccer. We signed the registry book and then set off into the jungle for a full day.

Right away we saw tons of monkeys. They seemed to follow us as they swung from tree to tree, chattering. Occasionally, they would show their annoyance with our presence by hurling unripe (rock hard) fruit at us from a hundred feet in the air. Watch out. One goal on this hike was to see the rare and elusive South American or "Baird's" Tapir –a kind of elephant pig combination thing.

About an hour in Pierre pointed out a fresh set of prints and we followed him off the path into the forest with the hope of seeing the creature. My mind started to wander…what would I do if we actually ran into one of the enormous jaguars that inhabit these woods? Or what about all of deadly snakes we heard so much about? Yikes.

Hoofing It

Just as I was getting a little worried about the path – we stumbled upon the damn tapir about twenty feet away. What a treat. Here was this huge, gentle beast with a stumpy trunk munching on fruity figs in the shade of a low-lying tree. I’ve never seen something so big in the wild. We watched him for a good ten or fifteen minutes before he wandered off across the stream into dense trees.


The hike continued for three or four more hours before we broke for lunch. When we finally did stop, we were all sweating profusely. We plunked down on the picnic table for ham and cheese sandwiches with fresh fruit and cookies. Just when we started to relax and fall into a post-lunch coma, Pierre roused us for the afternoon jaunt. The afternoon walk was more leisurely and we often stopped to watch leaf cutter ants, bizarre rodents and wild hens. We ended up down by the beach towards the end of the afternoon and collected the unusual seed pods (frog’s eyes and hearts) that dotted the beach. Later, we casually wandered back up to the runway to find our pilot almost frantic. See, he was also the airlift emergency pilot – and was just paged to pick up an ailing man who needed medical attention back in Puerto Jimenez. Furthermore, a big storm was coming in and he was afraid we wouldn’t be able to fly out unless we left right away. So we packed in and headed out. Sure enough, the weather turned bad and the flight was a bit rocky on the way back. We were pretty happy to touch down and get back to the hotel for a shower and lots of soothing, cool drinks.
		Time to go . . .


Back at the Ranch	Familiar Sight	Twilight	Fully Stocked Bar

After several successful days in the rain forest, we hopped back on the plane bound for San Jose. The trip back included an unscheduled stop in some lowland backwater to transfer to an airplane that was supposed to work better than the one we were on (which seemed to be ok to me, but who was I to argue?). As we sat in a corrugated tin lean-to beside the runway, we noticed several ominous handbills posted everywhere warning us that we were in midst of a Dengue Fever epidemic. So we were understandably concerned – swatting at mosquitoes (both real and imagined) like a bunch of recovering heroine addicts.

Home again, home again jiggity jig. Good bye, leaf cutter ants.

Summary: Costa Rica kicks ass. It is the perfect combination of comfort and adventure. Visitors can be as daring or reserved as they want to be – and yet everyone will be treated to an unforgettable experience.

Drinks Anyone?


Time Out	Cheers!	Last Breakfast	At the PJ Airport