In my last post I mentioned that E and I through our astronomy course were able to visit 3 beautiful beaches in CR....Cabo Blanco, Santa Teresa, Curú.
The location that we fell in love with, though, was Playa Quesera, part of Curú and accessible through a winding cattle trail. Well! After finding that beach we decided we had to come back and CAMP!
So we rescued the little tent E has from it's corner in our apartment, took some blankets and swim suits and enough food for 3 days, and went!
It was an afternoon when E got off of work and we waited for a friend of his to all ride the ferry together. When we arrived to Paquera (from Puntarenas, El Puerto) it was already completely dark and E's friend was kind enough to give us a ride into the trailhead so we would not have to walk so far in the dark. He also has contacts there in Curú and knows the owner, so he was able to help confirm that it was OK to camp there.
(NOTE: Apparently there is a standing reservation for someone who comes from Canada every year and does a camping trip there. But at the end of the reservation period they are no longer going to allow people to camp there in Curú.)
We arrived at the trailhead and put on our backpacks and turned on our flashlights, the dry leaves and gravel crunching under our feet as we skirted past some loose horses hanging out by the gate and started to make our way through the dry forest at night.
What a different view! E's main concern was snake activity, considering that some venemous snakes are known to be more active at night and that there are some more agressive than others. Not even a meter later we had already encountered a small boa constrictor, about 1.5 ft long on the ground along our path. 10 mins later we encountered a small vine snake and could hear and see him as he slithered away from the beams of our flashlights through the bushes along the edge of the trail. We heard several birds, swatted many mosquitoes and once saw a pair of eyes staring back at us from the depths of the night as we crosssed the pasture but did not encounter the terciopelo, and agressive venomous snake that caused E to walk slowly and cautiously. We took way too much food with us, and we were both sore when we finally arrived to the beach and were facinated to find the sand blanketed by hermit crabs and haloween crabs in a frenzy of activity, moving and crucnhing the undergrowth all around us as we approached the beach and heard the waves and as we set up our tent and established camp they moved in to check us out, then scrambled away from our heavy footsteps as we walked across the sand. We light two small candles to conserve our flashlight batteries and opened a box of wine and looked up in awe at the stars, E finding several constellations and me settling myself down on my back on the beach to watch the sky and being rewarded with 3 shooting stars...! E did not see any this time around.
Sleeping was not a very comfortable affair...the size of the tent might be ok for two people, but when you stop to considered how to fit in the backpacks and bags of food and shoes, well...it's a whole other thing! I slept all of two hours after trying to get comfortable and failing, then hearing hermit crabs scratch at the walls of the tent where it met the sand, right next to my head. Several times I also sat up and squinted out into the pale moonlight to see where the tide was, as it crept up the beach toward us but never quite reached up all the way to get us wet. By the time my alarm went off at 6am I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep anymore and E couldn't either, so we both got up and had an early breakfast and listened the the little radio E had brought and watched the hermit crabs crawl around our feet as the sun spread it's slow warmth across the sand. We spent most of the morning laying out on the beach in the shade, trying to sleep a little now we no longer had to worry about the tide or the mosquitoes with the ocean breeze. Later around 9am we finally went into the water, crystal clear and perfectly warm and snorkeled and swam for a while.
E got an important phone call while we were there, and was offered an opportunity to go as a volunteer to the Isla del Coco! He said yes, and being overjoyed and having to make plans to leave that coming Saturday we started to pack up and left Playa Quesera early with the sun shining over head as we hiked our way back to the entrance of the trail. E called a taxi which got us to the ferry just in time to buy some tickets and get back to Puntarenas and then to Esparza where we both starting preparing for our trips away. He will be on the island for one month volunteering and doing work very similar to that of a park ranger. This island, Isla del Coco, is part of the Galapagos and a touristic visit there costs five thousand dollars or more. E was excited for the chance to visit and learn more biological info, historical info and just to broaden his experience as a naturalist, and I am excited for him as well. Really it is not an opportunity that comes along every day!
The only negative of this beach camping experience was my choice of footwear. That may not sound like a big deal, but believe me, it really makes all the difference! I wore my Chacos (sandals) and it was a huge mistake as I got terrible blisters along the bottom of my feet and also a really bad chafe on my toe that removed quite a lot of skin, making it painful to walk. E taped me up and gave me a few bandaids and I learned my lesson...just wear shoes, it really is a much better idea.
I will keep that in mind for next time...because there will absolutely be another visit to the beautiful Playa Quesera, definately my favorite beach in all of Costa Rica!
Pura Vida
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