Costa Rica sans pictures

I can see our popularity ratings are going to take a plunge since we left our camera cable in our Eurovan in Houston. You'll just have to believe without seeing for now.

We are bringing our body temperatures down in the air-conditioned internet cafe in Puerto Jiminez after three nights in the jungle. This particular jungle ("the most biologically diverse place on earth" - National Geographic) resides on the Osa Peninsula in the south-western corner of Costa Rica. It teems with wildlife. I mean, it feels like you're wandering around in zoo; they're that easy to spot. Only they're all real, wild, free-range beasts of the forest.

We faced a set-back on arriving in Puerto Jiminez - the departure point for Corcovado National Park. The main station in the park is closed for October. And on a two-week schedule, we didn't have time to hang around. So we had to put our plans to trek across the park on ice and make others. We camped for two nights on the park's boundary hiked a day hike into the park. We saw toucans, scarlet macaws, black birds with red heads that even Mark didn't know the names of. We saw raccoon-like cuartis, spider monkeys and an anteater. Our eyes were on stalks. We returned to our camp with serious dehydration headaches, even though we drank water all day. You just pour sweat in the jungle. Well, Mark pours sweat, I pour 'glow', of course.

Last night we spent a deux in a remote 'hostel' (sleeping platform) in the jungle. I woke Mark up to check he wasn't being eaten by a fer de lance - one of the world's deadliest snakes - but other than that it was a beautifully peaceful night. We were woken up by howler monkeys this morning and ate papaya and bananas for breakfast.

Gotta go as we're due for dinner with two Dutch travellers we've met. Off to the Caribbean tomorrow.

R