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We were
introduced to Balvin shortly after arriving at the fishing camp in Barra
del Colorado. We had to fly into a strip in a small plane and then take
a boat up river but we were finally there. Like most of the people who
live in the jungle on the Northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, Balvin
is of Jamaican descent. He speaks with that soft almost Creole form of
English as sweet as Balvin is big. As we shoved off that first morning,
about 100 yards from the lodge Balvin pointed to a sand bar and said "Reptilios
Grande" with a smile. An 18 foot saltwater crocodile opened his mouth to
let us know that this was his spot on the river.
A tussle with a large jungle tarpon is something to try, not just for
the fish but for the trip you have to make to catch one. This fish lived
in a different world than I, where the edge of civilization couldn't be
seen with the naked eye. Not even by plane. When the rain started the
howler monkeys would begin their grunts, sounding much bigger than their
small furry stature would suggest. "I don tink monkeys like rain,"
Balvin said in his jerk flavored brand of English. It was like heaven.
And several
days later we find ourselves at a lodge up by the volcano. Treks through
the rain forest can wear a guy out. But there is a hot spring that just
has to be tried. And, in a throw back to San Francisco, the flower of a
blue hibiscus is floating in the current. What is a guy to do but put it
in his hair and jump in.
So back at the lodge, as the sun is going down, Jan snaps a picture of a
tired old hippie coming in out of the rain forest. I believe he is
dreaming about giant tarpon and the howler monkeys who don't like the
rain.
~ Tom |
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