During breakfast, we learned that the phone of our German friend hasn’t really returned to life, and that he couldn’t get a new one in the village. Nevertheless, he seemed to remain in high spirits. Near the dock, we saw a young male striped basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus) and after I followed it to a pile of rotting logs I saw there another juvenile one. I gently caught the larger male for closer examination and then released it.
We left Tortuguero after breakfast by boat, the way we came, having been picked up directly from our lodge’s private dock. On the way out we again saw several lazy crocodiles, one of which was harassed by a very large flying beetle that was apparently trying to drink some salt from its tears, as it repeatedly hovered near its right eye, touching it from time to time. The reptile couldn’t be bothered, and showed no reaction apart from occasional blinking.
Leaving Tortuguero
During much of the ride from Tortuguero to La Fortuna, near the Arenal volcano, there were heavy tropical rains, and we were happy to be in a modern 4×4 car and not outside in the rain. We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant in a small town on our way, and reached the apartment we rented in La Fortuna in the early afternoon. Tamar and I drove to the supermarket and stocked up on a lot of fruits, canned vegetables, pasta and other provisions, including a bag of ice for making fruit shakes. It turned out that the water heater was not working properly. Fortunately the apartment on the ground floor of the two-story house was not occupied. Alvaro, our friendly landlord, gave us the key to that apartment so the kids and Lilach could shower there (I actually liked the tepid shower in the “cold” water), and promised to fix the heater the next day.
Family Trips 