Alexa and Marisol with the howler baby, now also named Marisol. I now know there are two towns in Costa Rica named Puerto Viejo. The one most people are familiar with is Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, which is located about 125 miles east of San Jose and 35 miles south of Limon, putting it at the extreme southern end of Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. That's the city I tried to program into my Gringa neighbor's GPS - fortunately without success. Alexa, my Tica neighbor and co-pilot, suggested we enter the name of the hotel where we were to meet the rescuer when we arrived, and (again fortunately) it was listed under accommodations.
So off we drove, heading east from San Ramon on the Transamerican Highway, or Highway 1. According to the GPS our anticipated arrival time was 8:35 AM, which was impossible, but I assumed the machine was wrong (even though I know I'm horribly GPS-impaired). Alexa and I left at 6:00 AM with hopes of reaching Puerto Viejo in five hours, picking up the orphaned howler monkey, eating lunch, and getting home before dark at 6:00 PM...in spite of the probability of torrential rainy-season afternoon downpours.
Forty-five minutes into our trip (with an interesting bonus: Costa Rican law requires semi-trucks to pull over and wait out the commute between the hours of 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM) the GPS told me to exit off Highway 1. A dim cartoon lightbulb went on above my head and, with growing suspicion, I followed the GPS directions...I had expected to continue west for at least two more hours. Then I pulled over to check a folding map. We were (correctly) going to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, "a small pueblo located in the province of Heredia known for bird watching, wildlife observation and adventure" which is several driving hours closer than Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. I'd have made a huge mistake without the GPS, (but this type of confusion isn't surprising when I have telephone conversations in Spanish).
Forty-five minutes into our trip (with an interesting bonus: Costa Rican law requires semi-trucks to pull over and wait out the commute between the hours of 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM) the GPS told me to exit off Highway 1. A dim cartoon lightbulb went on above my head and, with growing suspicion, I followed the GPS directions...I had expected to continue west for at least two more hours. Then I pulled over to check a folding map. We were (correctly) going to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, "a small pueblo located in the province of Heredia known for bird watching, wildlife observation and adventure" which is several driving hours closer than Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. I'd have made a huge mistake without the GPS, (but this type of confusion isn't surprising when I have telephone conversations in Spanish).
Green = San Ramon, Purple = Destination, Red = Puerto Viejo We arrived at the "posada" or inn, and met the owner, a Tico wildlife guide who had lived in British Columbia and spoke perfect English (not the person I had originally spoken with on the phone). We drove a short distance to where Marisol, a campesina Tica woman, lived.
In addition to transferring the precious orphaned howler monkey to us, Marisol loaded the back of the Honda CRV with local fruit...mangos, pipas, and guabas. (Most North Americans haven't seen either pipas or guabas, which aren't imported, so a translation won't be meaningful - Google for photos if you're interested.)
To be continued...
In addition to transferring the precious orphaned howler monkey to us, Marisol loaded the back of the Honda CRV with local fruit...mangos, pipas, and guabas. (Most North Americans haven't seen either pipas or guabas, which aren't imported, so a translation won't be meaningful - Google for photos if you're interested.)
To be continued...
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