Granite Spheres on Cano Island
The monkeys were at it again this morning. I heard them running on the rooftop, so I immediately got out of bed to protect the cookies. I took the basket into my room and went back to bed, figuring that the monkeys would leave once the food was gone, but I overlooked the fact that there was still a small bowl of sugar. Needless to say, they did not leave as anticipated.
read more closeI had to go back out there after the sound of breaking glass startled me awake again. They had stolen the sugar tin and a coffee mug and had dropped the mug on the floor and the tin of sugar in the bushes. I had to shoo them away and hiss at them to convince them that they could not have any thing else on the tray. About 10 minutes later, they left. Maybe they went to steal the neighboring cabin's muffins -- who knows.
I will be joining a tour today with a neighboring hotel, Aguila de Osa Inn who also runs snorkeling and diving trips. We are headed to Cano Island where some of Costa Rica's best snorkeling and diving is located, mostly because of the variety of fish and marine life found near the rocky reef. Since I have still have two dives to complete for the open water certification, and my instructor is not here, I will be snorkeling today.
I was dropped off on Cano Island for free time while the other passengers on the boat went to dive. I took the opportunity to hike the trail from the ranger station up to an archaeological site and pass some ancient Indian burial grounds.
The hike began with a steep climb up some natural style steps and then flattened out for most of the rest of the way. We passed through secondary and primary forest along our way. The island was logged a number of years ago and is now recovering, and protected.
About 1.5 miles up a beautiful jungle trail, small to medium sized granite spheres sit arranged on the forest floor. There was a traditional mortar and pestle type grinding platform and several other rocks that have obviously been napped into various traditional tools or wares.
We enjoyed a scrumptious picnic lunch at the beach on Cano Island after the divers returned from their morning dive. The afternoon was then spent snorkeling not too far offshore where sharks and large schools of fish swam below me. The water was warm and relatively clear, with no less than 25 feet of visibility. The water was actually a little turbulent for me and I began to feel sea-sick after thirty minutes so I returned to the safety of the boat. We picked up the divers who completed their second dive of the day and returned to Aguila.
Aguila de Osa offers luxurious rooms, an onsite spa, gardens and trails for enjoying and a full assortment of tours. They are located on mouth of the Aguila River where it empties into Drake Bay.