Month: February 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 29th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 29th, 2012

February 29th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

There are three types of monkeys (howler monkey, white face monkey and Squirrel monkey) that you can find here in the Pavones area.   The monkey pictured above is the howler monkey.  Howler monkeys cannot be mistaken by their howl as it is considered the loudest land animal and can be heard up to three miles away.  They are most vocal at dawn and dusk.  These monkeys are claimed to be the laziest in the animal kingdom and spend 80% of their time resting on the dense tree tops in the rain forest.  It is rare that you see them come down from trees.  Their diets mostly consist of leaves, flowers and fruit.  The howler monkey can grow from 56 to 92 cm (not including tail) and weigh between 15-20 pounds.  The lifespan of a howler monkey ranges between 15 to 20 years.  All howler monkeys travel in groups.

Most tourists who hear howler monkeys for the first time think its some type of big animal like a guerrilla!  But don’t be alarmed, they are not aggressive and they keep their distance from humans.

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 28, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 28, 2012

February 28th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

We have been waiting patiently for some swell to come in.  This whole past week has been small and unimpressive.  Today waves were in the knee to waist high range.  The forecast does not look promising but we are hoping to get a little bump on Saturday and Sunday.  This is the time of year to grab the snorkel gear and go spearfishing.

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 27th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 27th, 2012

February 27th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

This time of year, you can help to notice this red fruit appearing everywhere around town. This red fruit is called Water Apple (Wax Jambu or Rose Apple) and originates from Southeast Asia.  The tree that bearers this fruit grows up to 12 meters and can produce up to 700 fruits!  Most of these fruits are shaped like a pair and the shinny waxy skin ranges from white, pink and rose.  The taste of this thirst-relieving fruit can be best described as tasting like a rose flavored apple.  The liquid to flesh ratio is similar to a watermelon.  You can pick them right from the tree and eat them raw but don’t them sit too long as they spoil within a few days.  The fruit is regarded as a tonic for the brain and liver. An infusion of the fruit acts as a diuretic.

 

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 26th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 26th, 2012

 

February 26th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Horseback riding in Pavones is an activity to try when you are in town.  There are a few routes that you can choose from that very from 3 hours to 6 hours.  The tour is very scenic because you get to experience riding on the beach and the rain forest.  Along the way, you can see tons of wildlife such as monkeys, Toucans, Scarlet Macaws, Blue Morph Butterflies, sloths and more.  Depending on the year the tour guides can take you to some amazing waterfalls and rivers.  You can also tour the Guaymi Indian reservation located in the nearby mountains.  Book your horse backing riding tour here with PavonesCR and get ready for a great experience.

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 25th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 25th, 2012

February 25th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Just another day in paradise.  We had some great weather today, blue skies and temperatures in the 90’s. We had a great scene this evening for sunset.  The sun is now setting directly over the tip of the Osa Peninsula.  Just right after sunset we had two boats come in after a full day of fishing in the Gulfo Dulce. Hope they caught some good fish so we can head to the Pavones Fish Market tomorrow so we can get some fresh fish to eat!

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 24th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 24th, 2012

February 24th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

One of the great perks of living in a tropical place such as Pavones, Costa Rica is being able to enjoy exotic fruits that surround us.  There are so many different types of edible fruits that grow here, its unbelievable that most of them are unheard of in other parts of the world.  One of my favorite fruits in the area is called Biriba (Rollina Mucosa).  I’m even luckier to have one of these trees in my backyard.

This fruit has been said to have originated in the Amazon.  The Bariba tree will grow anywhere from 4-15 meters in height and will start producing fruit after three years from planting its seeds.   When read to be harvested, the fruit turns from green to yellow.  In its pre-ripe green stage the fruit is a hard fruit and as it becomes ripe it softens up and turns yellow, kind of like a sponge.  Its shelf live is short lived, after just about 2-3 days it turns black and starts to become spoiled.  This is one of the reasons why it does not travel well and is not exported. The fruit itself is very distinguishable from its bumpy surface with soft spines.  Its taste is awesome which can be described as a creamy mango-kiwi custard.  Next time you come into town, ask one of the locals where you can try one of these great exotic fruits of Costa Rica!

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 23, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 23, 2012

 

February 23rd, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

We took a boat trip today across the Golfo Dulce to Puerto Jimenez to pick up a friend.  The trip took about 45 minutes and it was a great day to be out on a boat.  Along the way we had some amazing views of coastline, blue skies and and glassy calm waters.  We also had the pleasure of seeing some curious dolphins who swam next the boat a pretty common sight when out on the gulf.

The Golfo Dulce (Translated to the Sweet Gulf) is one of three tropical fjords in the world reaching 600 foot depths at the center of the gulf.  Here lies an abundance of  aquatic life such as bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays, Humpback Whales, Bryde’s Whales, False Kiler Whales, Orca Killer Whales and Pygmy Sperm Whales just to name a few.

If you are planning a trip to Pavones, heading out on a boat is a great way to spend your vacation.  If you are planning a surf trip to Matapalo, sport fishing, sight seeing, or need a boat taxi, please let us know here at PavonesCR and we’ll get you set up and ready to enjoy an amazing boat trip.

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 22, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 22, 2012

February 22nd, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is home to approximately 135 species of snakes, most of which are non-venomous.  There are 15 venomous snakes in Costa Rica, thats roughly 13% of the snakes.  There are 1800 or so snakes found in the world and Costa Rica holds 7.5% of the worlds snake population.  That is an amazing number considering how small Costa Rica is!

This photo is of a Costa Rica Green Tree snake I saw today just out front of my property.  I was really surprised of how fast this snake was.  Always use precaution when you see a snake if you are not sure if it is venomous or not.   It was great to observe this snake make its way from the ground to trees.  It is easy to loose sight of this snake in a tree due to its color and fast movement.

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 21st, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 21st, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – Febraury 21st, 2012

Its hard not to walk by this place and imagine the type of history the Esquina del Mar Cantina has had over the past few decades.  Now, just merely rubble, rebar and concrete slab are the only thing left of the most historic landmark in Pavones.   As most of you know by now, the popular cantina burnt down on November 28th, 2011.  The demolition has really come a long way thanks to some locals who wanted to clean it up to make the presence of the area look a lot better.

There has been a lot of meetings and talk about what the town of Pavones is going to do with this area.  There are some rumors of a skate park going in there but who knows exactly what is going to happen with the area.  We have other important issues to deal at this time so this probably won’t be decided until a while.  I personally think a skate park would be the best thing that could go there.  A skate park would be a great compliment to the town and for the community as well.  If we could find someone with talent and experience to help build an amazing skate park and as a community keep it clean, I think we could have something special here.  Imagine all those flat days with no waves, a skate park in Pavones sounds pretty good way to spend the day!

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 20th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 20th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 20th, 2012

This dude was pretty stoked to catch some fun uncrowded waves this morning during low tide.

Scarlet Macaws are a pretty common sighting around Pavones.  They have a very loud and distinct call that you cannot mistake for anything else.

Another epic Pavones sunset.  This time of year we have some really amazing sunsets as the sun dips next to the Osa Peninsula.

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 19th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 19th, 2012

February 19th, 2012Pavones, Costa Rica

Pavones was with out electricity most of the evening and last night due to a fallen palm tree that fell from my property on to the line!  We thought it was a branch that fell at first (which is common here) but then we heard some cracking and smelt smoke.  Turns out our yard caught fire and the palm tree was on top of the electrical line on fire as well.

ICE (the electrical company) was called and they showed up in a decent time frame to work on it.   But unfortunately they made a huge mess cutting down other trees and branches.  Guess who had the privilege of picking up after them, THIS GUY!  Thanks ICE!

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 18th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 18th, 2012

February 18th, 2012 – Pavones, Costa Rica

Another hot day today.  We had a huge barbeque today thanks to the folks at Super Rio Claro.  The early afternoon some great soup was passed around and later on in the evening was when they did a full on bbq from the cow they took down the day before.  There was a live dj mixing up the tunes.  There was a great appearance by the community but then again free food, who wasn’t going to show up!!!  The beers were flowing, the food was going and the dance floor was growing!

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 17th, 2012

Pavones, Costa Rica – February 17th, 2012

February 17th, 2012 – Pavones Costa Rica

It was a scorcher today.  Summer is in full swing and temperatures are blazing.  February and March in Pavones are some hot months (and in all of Costa Rica).  The kids were making the most of the weather by jumping off the Rio Claro bridge to cool off.  We had some fun surf today as well.  Waves were in the chest high range.