Tortuguero

Tortuguero is in the middle of nowhere on the Costa Rican Caribbbean coast. You can only get there by boat or plane. There are lots of tourists here--more tourists than turtles.

I rented a canoe and went on an aquatic trail early in the morning in the Parque Nacional Tortuguero. Part of the trail is closed to motors, so I left the tourists behind. The channel narrows and finally ends. In places, I had to squeeze the canoe under tree limbs. I saw three species of monkeys in several groups (families, bands, bunches??). I also saw green iguana and lots of parrots, butterflies, fish, heron and egret. The monkeys were feeding and very active--swinging, moving and jumping from tree-to-tree.

I stayed at Miss Junie's, a good hotel with clean rooms, bathrooms, fans and a large garden on the river. Restaurants charge tourist prices. rice and chicken, a simple typical dish, costs 8 U.S.