From Paraiso Quetzal Lodge,  Alex and Maria drove us down the mountain back to San Jose, Costa Rica. We bade Daria farewell at the airport and then hopped on a 16 passenger propellor plane for the southwest part of Costa Rica…..the Osa Peninsula. We landed in Puerto Jimenez, alarmingly next to the cemetery. Our destination was an highly rated ecco lodge, Luna Lodge. Here is the map of the Osa Peninsula.

From Puerto Jimenez to Luna Lodge is only about 40 some miles. However since the trip is on an extremely rutty dirt road, the adventure was several hours. We truly wondered where on earth we were going when the road ended and we kept going up a dry river bed.

We did see this Great Potoo in a tree outside of Puerto Jimenez.

After the voyage through the dry river bed, we reached another dirt road with a sign that said something like “Relax, the worst is over”. After a steep drive up the dirt road, we arrived!!! What a treat to be met by smiling faces with icy towels and refreshing drinks!!!! Soon the owner of Luna Lodge, Lana, came to personally welcome us. You can see pictures of Luna Lodge here. It is a very unique place and extremely beautiful.

It was HOT!!!!! Beautiful jungle but HOT!!!! We did have a bungalow with a fan, which helped at night….sort of.

Remember the tendonitis in my arch that cause so much woe at Paraiso Quetzal? Sadly at Luna Lodge I still had the tendonitis plus, our bungalow was up the hill. Yikes!!!!

Lana, the owner of Luna Lodge, suggested that the massage therapist might be able to help my tendonitis. Being a firm sceptic, I had my doubts. On the other hand, I was not doing well making it up to our bungalow and back. Ok, let’s try the massage therapist. I wish I had had someone take pictures of the scene with me on the mat on our deck, the message therapist, the bell and the incense. Oh yes, the music. Whatever, after one session I could walk pretty well. After two sessions, I could walk very well.

As a result of the magician….errrrrr massage therapist, we were able to get about and see some of the wonderful animals in the jungle around Luna Lodge., like Herman, the resident young iguana.

A breeding pair of Black-mandibled Toucans. The female has just accepted a treat from the male.  The little niceties worked, as a couple of minutes later, it was “hubba hubba”.

A pair of scarlet macaws

The White Hawk looks very regal and almost mystical.

There are four species of monkeys on the Osa Peninsula. We were lucky to see all four, but I was only able to photograph two. As it turns out, monkeys are not easy to photograph. They do not delight in waving at the camera while performing adorable antics. The squirrel monkeys pictured below are part of a large group that is very focused on getting from one feeding spot to another. They move extremely fast, swinging from limb to limb. I was going nuts trying to get any picture that wasn’t a blurry mess. Then our guide clued me in to the fact that all of the monkeys in the pack travel the EXACT same line. So you see the path, select one place to focus the camera and wait. Much better.

Howler monkey busy lolling about

Yellow-headed Caracara on the left. Crested Caracara on the right. Members of the falcon family, Caracaras do not share the flying acrobatics and speed of other falcons. Caracaras are more likely to be seen walking on the ground, perhaps with a group of vultures. Caracaras mostly eat carrion….yum. We are always thrilled to see the very striking Crested Caracara.

On the left is the stately black hawk. On the right is the Roadside Hawk…..often seen along….”can you guess?”….roadsides.

Farewell to the beautiful Luna Lodge. I arrived in a very gimpy state and left walking. The staff was friendly and very helpful. The food was delicious…much of it coming from the Luna Lodge garden. We made some nice friends and had a wonderful time.