We left La Fortuna at about 5:30 am and began the long treck down to Tortuguero. This was not a short trip. We drove our rental car back to San Jose, took a taxi to the bus station. The bus ride was about 4 hours. We waited about 3 hours for another bus to take us 2 hours to the dock. Then it was about an hour to tortuguero by boat.

Tortuguero is an amazing little town. You can only reach it via plane or boat, and the boat ride is incredible. You go winding through the canals looking for wildlife and typically end up soaking wet from the rain. The hot smelly bus ride and all of the waiting around to get to Tortuguero is more than worth it.

We spotted quite a bit of wildlife on our boat ride and I managed to get a a few shots despite the torrential downpour.

So bummed this little guy was facing the wrong direction... at least we can see the beautiful colors and patterns on his skin.

The rain that poured down in Tortuguero was incredible. I have never experienced such a massive dropping of water. And while it wasn't so conducive to many activities we enjoyed the time to read while listening to the rain dropping on the tin roof.

When there were breaks in the rain we took the chance to walk around the village and check out the beach. Here Charlie is sporting the latest in high fashion, Costa Rica style.

And I even got to have my drink from a coconut. More to come...