Flowering Roadside Rest Stop

A roadside rest stop on the way from San Jose to Monteverde has a garden with flowers planted in the shape of a toucan on the hill.

Maybe they got this idea from the gardens at Disney World.

I apologize that I have not been able to post photos every day of late.  I have been in a very busy period with work, etc., so I will do what I can when I can on a going forward basis and beg your indulgence for shortcomings from daily posting.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the people, culture and countryside of Ethiopia.

A perfect sunset on a perfect beach

At low tide the gentle slope of Tamarindo beach is so gradual that a reflection shot is possible in the ocean at sunset.

I took this photo in the souther end of the bay, which is sheltered by an island and reef, so the waves are gentle here.  San Francisco Point is on the left.

Today is Sunday, so we have new posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos from our cruise along the east coast of Baja California, with some samples of the marine life in the Sea of Cortez.

A large, red compound flower

I don't know of people use the term compound flower, similar to the compound eye of an insect.  To me, this flower resembles an insect's compound eye, as it is made up of lots of small flowers that combine to form a large flower.

This week we are showing some more photos from my wife's recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Playa Langosta

Playa Langosta seems to go on endlessly to the south of the Langosta
estuary.  This is a view back to the north, towards our condo and the main part of Playa Langosta, that I took during one of our walks south along the beach.

The only way to reach this part of the beach is by walking south from the main part of Playa Langosta where our condo is or by having access through the security gate of the 5,000 acre master planned resort community of Hacienda Pinilla.  All beaches in Costa Rica are public, but the public cannot drive to this beach unless they are owners or guests of a home, condo or resort that is part of Hacienda Pinilla.

This week we are showing some more photos from my wife's recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Tree with walking roots

This tree in Tamarindo has what are referred to as walking roots.  The trunk does not reach the ground, but splinters in lots of different directions, and spreads it base.

This provides shelter and habitat for animals.  I will leave it to my imagination to contemplate what creatures might find a home in that thicket.

This week we are showing some more photos from my wife's recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

A quiet spot in the gardens of the Cala Luna Resort

The grounds of the Cala Luna Resort in the Playa Langosta area of Tamarindo have lots of charming, quiet places, such as this garden scene.

This week we are showing some more photos from my wife's recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

The Transition from sandy beach to tide pools

Langosta beach is sandy along the shore at high tide, and then under the water are the remains of a volcanic flow or lava, now shaped like rivers of rocks.

This week we are showing some more photos from my wife's recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  

Ready for Zip Lines

This photo shows my wife ready for a zip lining outing.  Zip lining has been popular in Costa Rica for years.  I have recently been noticing more zip lining places in other locations, including the USA.  I assume that the presence of zip lines in he USA reflects that the safety of zip lining has reached a point that insurance companies are now comfortable writing insurance policies for zip line operations.

This week we are showing some more photos from Julie's recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  

Waterfall near Rincon de la Vieja

The slopes of Rincon de la Vieja volcano just northeast of Liberia provide the elevation gain, slopes, and rain at higher elevations to cause lots of streams and waterfalls.

Today is Sunday, so we have new posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing some more photos from Julie's recent trip to Guatemala, featuring the market town of ChiChi and Guatemala City.

Roseatte spoonbills in the high branches of a tree

Trips down Costa Rican rivers reveal lots of birds who take advantage of the riparian habitats.  Rosaette spoonbills are easy to spot, even when perched near the top of a distant tree, because of the round shape of their bills and their pink coloration.

This week we have photos of Punahka, Bhutan, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Lily pads

I doubt that Claude Monet ever made it to Costa Rica, but if he had been able to visit, he would have found lots of water lilies to paint.

This week we have photos of Punahka, Bhutan, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Parrots at an animal rescue center

Corobichi River raft trips often include a stop and short walk to the Las Pumas Animal Rescue Center.  Founded by a Swiss woman in 1982, the center cares for injured and orphaned animals, such as these parrots

The government of Costa Rica is attempting to outlaw private zoos and to discourage people from keeping wild animals as pets, with the exception of animal rescue and rehabilitation facilities.

This week we have photos of Punahka, Bhutan, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Rafting on the Corobichi River

I showed a photo of the Corobichi River a few days ago.  This photo shows my wife, Julie, and the river guide as he paddles down the river.

This is a wildlife viewing trip, not a white water rafting adventure.  Both white water rafting and wildlife viewing raft trips are popular in Costa Rica.

This week we have photos of Punahka, Bhutan, posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Baby Crocodile

Yes, there are crocodiles in some of the rivers of Costa Rica.  Floating by on a raft or boat is a pleasant way to see them.

Local people do swim and fish in the rivers, but they must know where it is safe to do so and where to avoid.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the people who have gathered for a festival in Punahka, Bhutan.

Egret

Birds are the most common wildlife sightings along the rivers of Costa Rica.  Costa Rica has more bird species than the USA and Canada combined.

But larger land animals can also be spotted, as I will show tomorrow.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the people who have gathered for a festival in Punahka, Bhutan.

Raft trip on the Coribichi RIver

The Corobichi River is a pleasant place for a relaxing raft trip to view wildlife, as I will show during the next few days.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the people who have gathered for a festival in Punahka, Bhutan.

Red flowers in the trees

All over Tamarindo, especially along the beach, we have trees the bloom with red flowers.

This week we have photos of the people of Guatemala posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Playa Flamingo

This is another view of the beach at Playa Flamingo.

A few years ago there was a proposal to build a resort development and pier for cruise ships at Playa Flamingo, as it has one of the few bays suitable for sheltering ships in the area.

There was a delay due to controversy in the letting of the contract for the large infrastructure  projects, and then the 2008 recession hit and the plans have been shelved. There is no town at Playa Flamingo suitable for being overrun with cruise ship day passengers.

This week we have photos of the people Guatemala posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Playa Flamingo

Playa Flamingo is about 15 minutes north of Tamarindo. The bay is sheltered by the peninsula, so this part of the beach has gentle waves.

This week we have photos of the Dalmation Coast of Croatia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Ocean sunset

Just like it is pleasant to look down on the beach and ocean from our Langosta condo balcony/patio, the sunset views over the ocean are even more relaxing.

Even on days when there is not much color in the sunset, there can be delicate highlighting from the sunset that is a serene way to end the day.

This week we have photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Ocean view

I can't think of  anything more relaxing than sitting on the balcony/patio of our Langosta Beach  condo with a snack and a drink, and listening to the surf and looking down on the relentless march of the waves rolling in to the shore.

One guest in our condo even reported to me that they saw whales from our balcony.

This week we have photos of the people of Guatemala posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Yellow bird

I don't know what type of bird this is, but I was pleased to see him in the trees outside our condo at the Tamarindo Diria Resort.

This week we have photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Carry-out food for raccoons

The August 1 Theme Day was carry-out, so I am adding another post related to the theme, also using animals enjoying the equivalent of carry-out food.  I recently showed a photo of a raccoon.  This photo shows why we have some raccoons who are used to people.

The Capitan Suizo Resort puts food out for raccoons.  They come into the lobby like house cats and help themselves to the dinner.  People enjoy watching them, although hopefully this does not cause their skills to atrophy to the point where the easy food left by man makes them unable to provide for themselves in the wild.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Croatia.  The Dalmatian Coast of Croatia is a scenic, cultural and architecturally intriguing place to visit.

Theme Day -- Take-Out (for Monkeys)

Today's worldwide Daily Photo Theme is "Carry-Out" or "Take-Away."  I like to find a distinctively Costa Rican interpretation of the Daily Photo themes, so I am showing a photo of a carry-out food delivery for monkeys.

This is a photo of my son feeding a banana piece to a white-faced capuchin monkey.  I am sure the monkey believes that he has humans well trained to bring him food.  He is right.

This week we have photos of the people of Guatemala posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

To see how other Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of Take Out, use this link.