River cruise
Bouncing down the mountain trail we knew that once we returned to the lowlands it would be muggy, sticky and uncomfortable in the midday heat of Limon.
Limon has a fairly high annual rainfall so there are many narrow river canals that carry the rainwater from the mountains to the sea. The waters are muddy because they're laden with rich silt from the tropical forests which enriches the vegetation along the canals. After arriving at the river cruise pontoon we were given another refreshing drink and a tub of cubed tropical fruits – so refreshing and rejuvenating in the tropical heat.
Then we climbed down into long narrow barges for our jungle river barge cruise. Throughout the trip our new set of guides provided us with a running commentary and interesting facts about the flora and fauna of the river-jungle habitat. We spent the next hour or so looking for bird and animal life on the river banks and in the trees and grasses which lined the river. Some of the birds were hard to spot because they camouflaged well amongst the grasses and reeds. When we saw our first caiman warming himself on the muddy bank we felt he was less savage-looking and aggressive than the crocs we'd seen in Kakadu. Caiman feed on the many fish in these rivers and the occasional unsuspecting monkey who ventures onto the river bank but we don't think we'd risk getting too close either.
Dotted along the river canal's edge were family homes with several narrow but long fishing boats docked at the river's edge. We saw families either preparing to go fishing or mending nets in their grassed bank areas. Some of the fishing boats passed us as we meandered along the canal. They were very swift and noisy and the swirl of the bow wave almost swamped our low-lying barges but our guides seemed unperturbed so we took it as par for the course.
The barge cruise was relaxing and from time to time we were surprised by a passing long boat, monkeys swinging from branches or chattering as we floated by their "home" and we spotted many birds. When we came across a pile of abandoned boats and outboard motors and we learnt that this pile of expensive watercraft had been seized and confiscated by anti-drug squad police who patrol the many river canals in the area. We were told that these impounded boats have been sitting on the bank for several months, awaiting the trial of those caught in the act of drug smuggling. After the trial the boats and motors will be sold as revenue for the Police Force who has a massive job in preventing the distribution of drugs across this part of the world. 
We got excited about the many tall wild apple trees we noticed growing amongst the thick jungle entanglement of vines and rainforest trees but our guide told us that whilst these green apples looked inviting, they're really sour and inedible even for the monkeys and sloth. Sometimes birds have been known to peck at them but mostly they rot and drop into the river where they add nutrients and colour to the river water. We made frequent stops on the river when our guide would stop the barge, turn off the engine and we'd wait in the silence for a tropical bird, monkey or sloth to emerge. We saw some really unusual water birds but many were so tiny that we were unable to capture them before they flew off. I think they were hunting insects which inhabit the warm tropical waters and reeds. Most of the time we could not even see animals, hidden amongst the trees leaves but our local guide with his trained eyes, would usually point out their hidden positions to us. Then we'd "aah" and "ooh" in wonder at the colours or antics of the animals we saw.
Sloths may be very shy and quiet, inconspicuous and difficult to find high up in the treetops, but were able to get some great photographs of them after being given explicit directions by our guides. One thing we all agreed on was that sloths have really cute faces and ever so long nails.
Here are a few facts we learnt about sloths.
· Sloths are extremely slow-moving mammals found in the rainforest canopies of Central and South America.
· There are two species of sloths: two-toed and three-toed.
· Most sloths are about the size of a small dog and they have short, flat heads.
· Their hair is greyish brown but, at times they look grey-green in colour because they move so slowly that tiny camouflaging algae grow all over their coats. The algae-green fur colouring also acts as a camouflage from enemies like eagles, jaguars and snakes.
· Some sloths stay in the same tree for years. Their huge hooked claws and long arms which allow them to spend most of their time hanging upside-down from trees.
· Sloths also sleep upside-down for up to 18 hours at a time.
· Sloths are nocturnal and sleep curled up with their head placed between the arms and the feet drawn close together. This disguises them as part of a tree so that its enemies like the jaguar do not see them.
· Sloths rarely climb down from the trees and can live for up to 30 years.
· Since they have a slow metabolism, they need very little food. They feed on fruit, leaves, buds, and young twigs.
· Sloths live solitary existence and only gather to mate.
· Females are pregnant for 7-9 moths and only give birth to one baby. A sloth also gives birth to her baby upside-down.
· Babies cling to their mothers until they are able to take care of themselves.
· Sloths can live up to 40 years.
When our river cruise ended we were driven back to the port of Limon. It was only about 5pm and still daylight so we decided to go for another walk through the Varga Park that we'd visited earlier in the morning. Remembering that someone had said there were sloths in the trees in the park we planned to look for them even though we'd seen several sloths on our river trip. When we reached the park we saw a crowd of tourists looking intently up into the trees on the edge of the park. Sure enough there were several sloths at various angles in different trees.
We stood gazing up at them, watching their slow movements as they scratched themselves or sought a leaf to chew. They had such contented faces and were not at all put off by the crowds below. We were surprised to see two sloths in the same tree and as we watched they slowly moved towards one another and rubbed noses. This only happens in spring and we were fortunate to see two sloths together because they usually live solitary lives. We took our share of photos and headed through the park, taking care not to trip over broken pathways (there was an earthquake in 1991) or twisted jungle vines that are gradually overtaking the park structures.
The seawall and promenade along the beach were also destroyed in the '91 earthquake and no repairs have been made, so at high tide the sea covers parts of the park's once grassy lawns. We had to watch that we didn't slip on the muddy ground surfaces or trip over cracked and broken cement blocks on the shoreline.
Sadly, we also saw the now broken graffiti-covered walls, of a once-proud and inviting restaurant, which lie in ruins and are sinking into the sea. As we watched the waves rolling over these ruins we couldn't but think how sad it is that poor countries like Costs Rica are unable to repair or rebuild ruined or decaying infrastructures. Australians do not realise how fortunate we are to have a rule of government that has set procedures in place to take responsibility for peoples' needs, basic health, education and relief in times of disasters. In spite of this sight we did enjoy the cooling breezes from the sea and we saw a tiny island lying about 700 metres from the shore . A monument about the island stands on the shoreline but it is missing its' inscription. Henri, local man, walking his baby stopped to explain to us what had been written on the missing inscription prior to the earthquake's destruction. He said that the island is not inhabited, except for some sea birds that make their nests on it but that it is famous because, Christopher Columbus is said to have landed on this island in 1502 on his fourth and last sea voyage. Then we recalled that earlier today we'd seen a statue of Columbus in the park and its' inscription stated that "Columbus had anchored in the bay, adjacent to the park area for several days in 1502," Henri also told that though Columbus did not step onto Limon's shores, due to health issues, but that nevertheless each year on September 25th the streets of Limon are filled with people and colourful celebrations are held in his honour.
Henri's baby daughter was named Isabella and she was so cute. We thanked Henri for sharing about some of the history of Limon.
As we left to return to our ship we noticed that many families were relaxing on the shore with picnic hampers. As the last rays of sunlight began to set we noticed lovers cuddling and older folks sitting and chatting among the broken concrete blocks that once formed a seawall and prevented the sea from swamping the town.
Several parties of police on the beat we patrolling along the shoreline as the crowds began to gather and as we headed for the ship at dusk, we were watchful but not alarmed. Once we had passed through the immigration section of the port area we visited the markets which were set up earlier today just for the cruise passengers on our ship.
We looked at heaps of things to buy but settled on two large bags of local freshly roasted coffee for Matthew. We passed some fellow passengers who were having some last minute foot pedicures in the passenger port markets. Then we headed for the lights of the Sea Princess, as the sun was setting.
Limon looked peaceful and idyllic in the fading sunset shadows. We know it is far from idyllic but it is beautiful and the pristine areas of the rainforest with its lushness of tropical trees and vines and the memories of zipping 5 metres above the treetops, past monkeys and silent sluggish sloths will stay with us forever.
Yes we were tired but we had had a wonderfully satisfying, enjoyable and educational one-day visit to Costa Rica's port town of Limon.
