Our Great Adventure: Puerto Viejo de Talamanca Day 341 25/08/2015

The temperature overnight was much cooler than it had been for the last few days which made it more pleasant for sleeping. Unfortunately the local rooster was a very early riser at 4am and not only woke us but also the nearby dogs and chickens. Breakfast wasn't included in the price of the b&b and seemed really expensive so we headed to a local cafe and had one of the best breakfasts in a long time, granola, fresh fruit and yogurt along with toast, butter and jam. We were picked up from the b&b at 1000 which gave us time to buy our bus tickets to San Jose before we headed out. We were going to get a private shuttle again but it was $90 more than the local bus with what seemed like very little extra benefit other than dropping you off at your hotel when it arrived. We were the only people doing the kayak tour and we set off along the coast road to Punta Uva, about 7km east of Puerto Viejo. There we met our guide, Pancho, and set off up the river in our kayak. The water near the sea was quite murky and shallow and although we were paddling upstream it didn't take much effort. Not long after setting off we saw our first sloth with Pancho's help. In the water were small turtles and bats were clinging to the underneath of a bridge we paddled under. Further upstream we got our first glimpse of spider monkeys swinging through the trees. In the distance we could hear howler monkey. A jesus lizard (the ones that walk on water) was sunning itself on a branch near the bank. The bank is continually being eroded and the river contained a lot of fallen trees and branches that we had to manoeuvre around. At a bend in the river the water shallowed and was too low to continue. We pulled the kayaks onto the gravel and watched howler monkeys in the trees above. After a while we set off back down stream with very little effort required. Above us there was movement in the canopy and a group of spider monkeys swung across the branches. A capuchin monkey was sat in the tree above and seemed quite angry, dropping bits of branches down on us. All too soon we were back at the beach. We had some snacks and then Pancho showed us a 6 mth old sloth, lazing in a nearby tree. They really are very strange but cute animals. We set off through the nearby jungle for a short walk. The ground was thick mud and we were very glad that we'd opted to kayak and not go on a trek. The path came out on a lovely white sandy beach fringed with trees, one of which had a sloth in it. From here we walked down a track, back to our starting point and lift to Puerto Viejo. In town we went to a bakery for late lunch before walking back to the b&b. In the evening we went to Miss Lidia's Place, a caribbean restaurant for dinner and enjoyed a traditional meal before heading back to the b&b and hoping the rooster would be having a lie in!