I had escort duty today and this time it was a very pleasant excursion. It was an hour and a half river adventure looking for crocodiles, Caimans, and lots of birds. After an hour and a half ride into the countryside, we arrived near Carara National Park on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. The Tarcóles estuary is noted for mangrove forests, and the mouth of the Tarcóles river is considered to be one of the richest sites for seabirds and shorebirds. In addition to the other critters I mentioned, we were on the lookout for iguanas and lizards. A big plus was that the weather was absolutely beautiful this morning when we went on this excursion.
So what is the difference between crocodiles and Caimans? Both belong to the same family, but caimans are smaller than crocodiles and have a more V-shaped snout. Crocodiles, on the other hand, are larger and have a more U-shaped snout. Caimans and Crocodiles belong to the same order, but they are distinct. The way one must approach this difference is like monkeys or apes. While all of them are primates, they have differences. As such, a gorilla is different from a chimpanzee.
Caimans are the cousins of alligators, both of them belong to the Alligatoridae family. Crocodiles are distant relatives. Both of them are predators and carnivores. The crocodile, however, has species that live in saltwater, while caimans live in freshwater only. Caimans are typically found in central and south America, while crocodiles are found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Both species are Apex predators and have a significant impact on their ecosystems. They are known for their sharp teeth, powerful jaws, and excellent swimming skills.
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| The Tarcóles River |
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| Brown pelican |
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Costa Rica has two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. Some places get up to 20 feet of rain per year – – not inches, but feet. They export bananas, pineapples, and coffee. They import fuel. There are three volcanoes in the country. There is 600 miles of coastline on the Pacific side, but only 70 miles of coastline on the Caribbean side. Our guide spoke excellent English, with very little accent and talked the entire time. He was quite a salesman for Costa Rica.
Michael went on the included tour and did not enjoy it. They rode the bus for 45 minutes to get to an elementary school where they spent an hour watching little kids dance and then they took the bus back. He did not take any pictures as he did was really bored and did not find little children really appealing.
After returning to the ship and a quick lunch, Michael spent the rest of the day at the pool while I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to nap, but to no avail. We did go to dinner at the Italian steakhouse with friends and after dinner, return to our room to do our paperwork. And we happen to notice that the ship was going in the wrong direction! Long story short, there was a medical emergency, and we turned around and went back to Puentarenas for the evacuation. As of this writing at 10:11 PM, they are just lowering down one of the lifeboats. We hope that it’s not life-threatening.