Hiss ‘n’ Things, LLC.
Highlights of Trip 6

Nov 11th to 18th, 2003

This trip started off looking like it was going to be a piece of cake. Me being the eternal optimist I occasionally let my mind overload my backside. Why should today be any different after all I only have 3 people going on this trip with me instead of the usual 6 or 7. Pete was already in Costa Rica going down a few days before us. Pete is a season traveler and has herped in many more Countries that myself. Pete was on Costa Rican Herping Adventures 05/14/02 and knows his way around Costa Rica. I was glad to have Pete with us again he has great herping stories that span the years. I’m not saying Pete talks much because he doesn’t. But, his stories are real interesting. Well, back to Miami International Airport where I would meet Jim and Stacy at 3 PM at the airline ticket counter. I made it only 4 or 5 minutes late that is like perfect for me. Jim recognized me from pictures on our website. We introduced ourselves and headed for the ticket counter. We took care of our business there and were directed to the Concourse and our gate. After a long hike we were there with an hour and a half wait. I glanced up at the sign it said San Jose, Costa Rica. The departure time looked like it had been extended around twenty minutes; oh well, delays can happen no big deal. We sat around getting to know a little about each other. Finally the boarding call for Costa Rica. As luck would have it there was a young lady on the mike who no doubt graduated at the top of her class in speed talking, which went well with her non-understandable accent. We started feeling a little concerned about now and we noticed the tip of the plane over the walkway, which blocked a view of the plane from where we were. The tip of the tail section look like American Airlines and we were taking Martin Air. Jim checked with the booth and they said we were at the wrong gate, not only that we were in the wrong Concourse. We had no carry on so we started to walk real fast from the end of the Concourse we had to go through Security again at the next Concourse. Jim and Stacy had a slow down at Security on the first go around with the film for their camera I thought I’d better run because I just had a book in my hand and that should be no problem. I knew if I could get though Security and get to the gate before they closed the door, I could get them to delay a few minutes if Jim and Stacy had a delay at Security. By now I was running sprints and walking to catch my breath and sprinting again, trusting all the time that EMS guys were close by. As I got close to the end of the Concourse; I noticed that things looked familiar, like they did six months before. Hey, I just thought that the airline just made another Concourse changes, a year before they departed from Concourse A. Finally I see the gate and all of the attendants are standing there looking at me with grins on their faces. Well, we made it Jim and Stacy were only a minute behind. We got in and sat down and the plane started backing out. We almost blew it, Martin Air only flies from Miami three times a week. Our arrival in Costa Rica and getting to the hotel was routine, a few drinks at the bar and we were ready for bed and we needed a good nights sleep because our adventure really starts tomorrow.

11/12

The car rental was suppose to pick us up a 8 AM at the Hotel Irazu to take us to their office to fill out the paper work to get the car with all of us as drivers. Time went by and they didn’t show at 8:30 I called them with my reservation number and they said I had reservation for yesterday. Well, I probably got the wrong date. OK, I asked how soon could you send us a pick up? Fifteen minutes, great I’ll wait in the front of the hotel. Another half hour goes by before I call again and this time I’m not too happy. I talk with someone else this time he promises me he’ll delivery the car over with the paper work filled out and ready to go. We don’t have to go to their office, how long I ask, well, fifteen minute of course. We get the car at 10:00 the time I normally leave but we are ready to go. The first half hour is routine driving on the highway now we have to climb the mountains up and down for an hour and a half. This is white knuckle time for first time travelers although the roads are a lot better than they were only five years ago, they are still scary. Finally we are out of the mountains and on good roads. Jim spots a snake on the side of the road, I U-turn and go back, it’s a five foot boa but he’s been hit. Jim is heart broken he has been working with Boas for twenty years and his goal on this trip is to see one in the wild. He now amends his goal to seeing one alive in the wild. We stop at the Rio Tarcoles to see the crocodiles. I do this every trip it an impressive sight seeing these 15 foot monsters laying in the water 30 feet below you. Back in the car we only have ten minutes to the Hotel Villa Lapas. Arriving at the hotel we find Pete waiting for us. It’s great seeing his smiling face after two years. I make the introductions all around and check us in. We decide to go to the rooms and unload first and then eat lunch. I hop in the car the others say they will walk to the rooms. As I’m driving one of the worker shakes his head and points up the road. The message I get is I can’t use the road? There is a slight bend in the road as I go around it I see why he was shaking his head. The side of the mountain is covering the road there had been a mudslide. They were already working to clear it with a backhoe-front-end loader and in a couple of hours I was able to use the road. On our way in from the highway I had seen 5 or 6 slides. This was the first time in six trips that I had seen this, later I talked to the owner and he said about two weeks before our arrival one day there was a big storm that had caused all the damage. That afternoon we crossed the river and did some hunting in the rain forest on the other side we found some dart frogs but not much else. After dinner we road cruised until about 2 AM coming across 2 Red Tail Boas, 1 Rainbow Boa, 1 Blunt Headed Tree Snake all DOR and caught 1 Cat Eye Snake.

11/13

After breakfast I thought it would be a good idea to spend the morning on the Skywalk trail hunting for snake and animals. So, we got our gear together and piled into the car. Leaving the hotel there is a road with a steep grade, I would say at least 45 degrees, and maybe 300 feet long. I put the car in first gear and push the gas almost to the floor. There is a bend in the road so it’s hard to see the top from the bottom, of course it’s a single lane and if a car is coming down you’ve got a problem. This morning that is not the case. The problem is when I get near the top there is a big flat bed truck at the top with his back end still hanging down the road and he’s stopped. So, I stop and wait a few seconds. He’s not moving so I think he’s waiting for the road to clear so he can make his turn. I wait a while longer and tap the horn a couple of times. I see his rear wheels turning and all of a sudden his back end is fishtailing from one side to the other. Now, I’m worried he’s going to come back on us. The road is concrete but all the red clay from the slides is covering the road. If that truck hits us we may get knocked either into the mountain or off the other side into space and a 40 or 50-foot drop into a river. I slammed the car into reverse and hit the gas and start fishtailing myself sliding off the road goes the left side of the car. I look up the road and the truck is in the same place he’s OK. He gets out and piles rocks behind his tires. I get everyone out and try getting the car back on the road, no luck! Jim, get a smaller rock and puts it behind my front left tire, only the front tire is off the road, if I can climb on to the rock I maybe able to get on to the road. It works and I back slowly to the bottom. Well, that was my thrill for the morning. A little while later they bring in the backhoe to get the truck the rest of the way to the main road. We walked up a path to the road and walked up the road towards the top of the mountain hunting all along the road. We saw a couple of rather large squirrels in a tree; we also spotted some birds but no luck with herps. We headed back to the hotel for lunch. Because the road is so bad we decided to hang around the hotel this afternoon and hunting around we came across a baby Fer-de-Lance, a Brown Vine Snake and a Cat Eye Snake. Not bad for just being around the hotel. After dinner Jim, Pete and I head back out on the road for another night of road cruising. We add two Blunt-headed Tree Snakes, and another Cat Eye Snake all caught on the road. We get to bed around 2 AM.

11/14

Well, it hasn’t rained except for a few light showers and I’m feeling a little more confident about the road up to the Skywalk trail. So, after breakfast I asked the group if they wanted to make another try at get up the mountain. Well, I not surprised when they give an enthustic thumbs up. We gear up and pile into the car again, this time I go a little slow at first when I can see the top of the road I hit the gas and we make it to the top and are on the road to the Skywalk. We start up the mountain and there is heavy equipment all around bulldozer, backhoes, big Mack trucks that could fit our car in its back. The road was a mess but we push on until we come to a truck blocking the road. I stop until he clears to one side so I can pass. As soon as I hit the gas the car starts sliding sideways, I can’t believe it, everyone out again. They weight the car down here and there and I finally get it turned around. Back at the hotel, I’m to say the least disappointed. A while later one of the guides comes up to me and said that he had just seen a terciopelo (Fer de Lance) near the end of the skywalk trail. I got directions from him, and then Pete and I set out to find the terciopelo. We walked up the trail until we found a small waterfall, we looked around and Pete spotted him lying coiled on some rocks. We went back to the hotel and found Jim and Stacy at the table having lunch. I asked if anyone was game to walk up the trail after Pete said yes, Jim and Stacy declined. Pete and I make the walk and came within a couple of bridges from the top. We would have made it but we got caught in a downpour and needed some beers real bad. Only herps were some dart frogs. After dinner Stacy and Pete decided to call it a night. Jim and I hit the road going further then I usually go and were rewarded with a nice find we caught one Sibon and found another DOR, a Boa DOR, caught one Blunt Headed and found 4 DOR and found one Oxyrhopus petolarius DOR. It was a full day we got in about 3 AM.

11/15

At breakfast I suggested that we all wall up the Skywalk trial. Everyone said they are ready to go “let’s do it.” We walk slowly hunting each tree and along the path and near by grounds. It’s hard going walking constantly up hill but by being forced to go slow we were doing a good job hunting. I realized this is much better for hunting than starting at the top and walking down. Walking down hill your momentum move you faster and you can’t see as well as going up hill, but boy it’s sure easier on your legs. By now we are all sucking deep breaths but not sweating because the rain forest keep you cool, well almost anyway. We come to a thatched shelter with seats where the guides will let the tourist rest and talk about what they’ve seen. We sit and drink some water and rest a bit. Five minutes and we start looking around Stacy spots a snake, I’m standing next to her and see where she’s pointing, there’s a little movement, make a grab and come up with a Brown Vine Snake.

Good spot for Stacy in the jungle it’s very hard to find anything unless it’s moving. They know this and don’t move if they know you’re around. After we took some pictures of the Brown Vine Snake we let it go, along with a Blunt Head Tree Snake we had from the other night. Within seconds they disappeared even knowing they were a few feet away you couldn’t see them without moving at different angles. Even at that it may take minutes and only seeing a piece of them. We walked higher and higher up the mountain and came to a spot where six months ago I released two Golden Eyelash Vipers. We hunted the area slowly covering ever tree but no luck. They may have been far away or close enough to be watching us, we’ll never know. As we got close to the top of the mountain we came to an area that looked over the valley below, we were over the treetops. At that time someone spotted a giant Toucan in a tree we were over looking. He was large and beautiful with a multi colored beak. I had seen toucans before but not this close. It was a real treat for all of us. He was in the tree for two or three minutes eating fruit or seeds, so we got a real good look. A short time later we were at the top. After a short rest we started down it was easy going compared to coming up. We made it back to the hotel in time for a late lunch, which we eat slowly because we were beat. So much so, that Stacy and Jim decided not to join the evenings hunt. Pete and I hit the road and did quite well. The first thing we came across was a five-foot caiman, which I thought was alive. When I ran back I thought it was a crocodile its head was so narrow but after getting a good look at it, I saw its head had been hit in such a way as to make it look more narrow that it was. Really to bad it had been hit because it was a beauty nice and fat. We put him off the road and kept driving seeing nothing until later in the night. We came across 5 cat eye snakes DOR plus 2 cat-eyes we caught, 6 blunt head tree snakes DOR, 1 rainbow boa and 1 fer de lance DOR. Fifteen snake that night which is the most on any trip so far. Eleven snakes was the best night before this and that was with two cars on the road hunting. Too bad we didn’t find them all alive; timing is ever thing you have to be lucky enough to get them before a car does. We got back to the hotel about 2AM Boy; was I dragging. The trip up and down the mountain took us 3 1/2 hours plus a long night on the road just about did me in, after all I’m not in my 20’s anymore.

11/16

Sunday morning we all made it up and down the mountain again seeing no herps other then dart frogs. About half way down the mountain we could hear music that sounded like it was coming from the hotel. The further down the mountain we came the more I was sure the music was coming from the hotel. What going on? I ask myself, well we’ll soon find out. We were ready for some lunch; the mountain has a way of working up an appetite. When we got to the restaurant we were told that lunch and dinner today would be served in the new restaurant across the bridge. Well, the new restaurant was in the brand new “Old Costa Rican Town” that had been built since I had been there six months ago. When I left the Villa Lapas in May nothing had been started. I just found out that the property had been a fish farm that raised tilapias to sell to restaurants. All the work had been completed in six months, oh they were still doing some finishing work on some of the buildings but they were 98% done. It’s amazing what can be done when you don’t have inspections every inch of the way. They built a restaurant with a nice large dining room. The whold thing is a replica of a Costa Rica town a hundred years ago everything built around the town square with a Park. They have several shops each selling different items. At the end of the square they built an Iglesia (Church). Everything looked great as we walked on the bridge over the river to the brand new “Old Town”. There in the middle of the square was the small band playing the music we heard from the mountain. We were luck enough to be the first ones to have a meal in the new restaurant;

it was like all the meals there, delicious! We had the evening meal there also but after dinner we all decided not to road hunt and just look around the hotel it was raining so it turned out to be a short non-productive night.

11/17

Pete and I had to leave early, so after a quick breakfast we headed for the car. We had an appointment with a boat captain to hunt Sea Snakes this morning. Jim and Stacy didn’t want to have to deal with possible seasickness and stayed behind. We had a half hour drive to the boat and arrived on time. Of course we didn’t see anyone that looked like the captain, so we just waited around. Pete pointed to the right front tire, which was flat, at least it gave us something to do. As soon as we changed tires, a guy on the beach was waving us to the small boat he just came up in. This was our transfer to the larger boat moored out beyond the breakwaters. We were on our way, after three hours we came back empty. It took us almost 2 hours to find a weed/debris line where we had a good chance of finding sea snakes, but today was not our day. Last year on the November trip we found them and everyone on the trip was able to catch a sea snake. I had a problem with my camera last year and only one picture came out in focus. But of all the pictures I took on that trip it’s the one I would like to have best.

This is a totally Yellow Sea Snake, (Pelamis platurus) is normally black and yellow, so this yellow one is a rare find. Pete and I stopped at a gas station to get the flat repaired, they put a patch inside the tire instead of just plug it. It took a little longer but I felt it was safer and it cost less then two bucks. While we were gone Jim and Stacy went the Carcara National Park and saw Monkeys, Scarlet Macaws and a few other animals. Then they came upon a sign with an arrow that said Poison Snake pointing to a Fer de lance about four foot long just laying in a coil. The sign was placed by one of the guides so all of the tourist can get the most out of there trip and so many pictures of the herpafauna. This guide also spotted and marked with a sign the Fer de Lance we had found a few days before. We had been trying to keep tract of him. He stayed in the same place all day the first day we came across him. The next day we could not find him but the following day the guide found him 20 or 30 feet from our original sighting. The guide marked him with one of his sign and he stayed there for the next two days.

He may have stayed longer but we had to leave. After dinner that night we boys hit the road again, this being our last night no one wants to waste it. That night we came across 2 blunt headed tree snakes, 1 cat eyed snake, 1 rainbow boa and 1 sibon all DOR.

11/18

Travel day, by far not my favorite day. We poked around the hotel had a late breakfast, passed out some tips, picked up and headed out. We found a nice Conophis lineatus about three feet long on the road but he had been hit. Sooner or later I’m going to find one of these interesting snakes live and I hope it’s sooner. We drove three hours to the Snakes of the World in Grecia and spent a couple of hours at their exhibit. After we dropped Pete off at the Hotel Irazu he wasn’t leaving until the next day. Next stop we dropped off the car and got a ride to the airport. At the airport we had a good wait after a few beer we went to our gate where it was freezing. And here I am in shorts and a tee shirt. When we got to Miami at mid-night it’s even colder, my teeth are chattering. Of course I have a sore throat the next day and I’m sick for a week. If you ever come on this trip with me please remind to dress warm for the trip home. Boy! I can’t wait for the May trip, so many snakes to find, I wish it was tomorrow.

Jim Kavney

Species List

The following is a list of snakes our herpers encountered on our trip to Costa Rica Nov. 11th to 18th. 2003.

Species	Found Live	Dead on Road
Sibon anthracops Snail Eater	1	3
Imantodes cenahoa Blunt Head Tree Snake	3	13
Bothrops asper Fer-de-Lance	2	1
Epicrates cenchria maurus Rainbow Boa	0	3
Boa constrictor Common Boa	0	3
Leptodeira septentrionalis Cat Eye Snake	5	6
Oxybelis aeneus Brown Vine Snake	2	0
Oxyrhopus petola	0	1

 

Totals 43

13

30

 

Note:
This trip we didn’t come across a lot of snake but we did have some quality. This list does not include the numerous other forms of reptiles and amphibians we came across on this trip.

This list was compiled by: Jim Kavney.

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Each of the Herpers on our trip has a few things to say about their personal experiences.

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My Herping Adventure in Costa Rica

Stacy and I had a fantastic time on the trip, being my first “abroad” herping trip I was not sure what to expect. Your knowledge of the area and its wildlife was great. To have someone along that knew what he was doing eased a lot of the “first timer” stress of the trip. If you ask Stacy what her favorite part of the trip was, she will say without a doubt the Canopy Zip Lines was her favorite. I am not so flashy though, I just loved being in the rain forest and being able to wander through it. Just seeing so many different animals in their natural environment was great. Not just the snakes, but the Bats, Macaws, Toucans, monkey’s, the frogs, and all the other animals that are so readily seen on the trip make it a fantastic place to visit, Most of my friends are all ready sick of hearing me talk about it, but I am already making plans to go back. Of all the other trips that I have looked into, I can think of no other that offers the convenience of a comfortable AIR CONDITIONED room, with greatly prepared meals all with in walking distance to some of the most pristine Rain forest left on the planet! What a great place you have found and a perfect place to go herping. I knew I had made a good choice when we first arrived, placed our bags into our rooms and just walking down to lunch we saw that beautiful Male Black Spiny Iguana, Leaf Cutting ants and a green metallic Humming Bird, and that was all from the side walk of the resort! I show people the pictures of the American Crocodiles in the River by the bridge and they can’t believe that they are an endangered species with so many of them being right there in plain view.
It is hard for me to bring it down to just one single thing that I enjoyed the most on this trip, just hiking the trials and seeing the beauty of the area was amazing. Pete made for great company and good story telling and you and your knowledge of the area made for an expert guide. The trip was the first time in 14 years of marriage that my wife and I were able to get away from it all for a week and just enjoy ourselves without the worries of “civilization.” The Brown Vine snake was one of the most interesting snakes to catch. When Pete and I let the first one go into the vines and I was able to watch it do it’s instinctive behavior of waving in the wind like a twig, it was fantastic. Something most people only get to see on TV and it was there right in front of me. The Green and black dart frogs are prettier then anyone can imagine and the Fer De Lance’s tendency to stay in one area for days was an interesting trait to see (I think that one by the waterfall on the upper trail stayed there for what… 4 days?)
The Snail eating Sibon Snake was another great find and a real interesting species too see, in fact it is now my screen saver on my computer at work, I must have had to explain that snake 100 times since I came home.
I think one of the most appealing attributes to this trip though, is the local people and staff. Stacy and I have traveled much of the Caribbean and been to some of the most beautiful coastline there, but we always left with the feeling that the locals resented the “foreigners” being in their paradise. The Ticos truly are friendly people and they worked hard to make our stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

I hope to be able to take Stacy down there with you again, I don’t think this May will work for us, Stacy is out of Vacation time, but maybe the following May, I would like to see the rain forest at the beginning of the rainy season and see any difference in it.
Thanks for a great trip.
Jim and Stacy Hopkins

Additional information about Jim’s trip can be found on: Jim’sWebsite:

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My Herping Adventure in Costa Rica

This is my second trip with Hiss ‘N’ Things to CR this was as good or better than the first. I have been to C.R. 6 times, and I have always found more Herps with Jim than I have with other friends.
I normally get to Costa Rica a few days before Jim and his small group, this year it was Jim and Stacy from Florida and we all hit it off great. Before Jim, Jim and Stacy got to Costa Rica. I herped and birded watched up in the mountains and on some small farms, saw lots of different kinds of geckos and poison dart frogs. After a few days of running around, I caught up with the crew at the fabulous Villa Lapas where Jim is well known and we get the very best of the Tico hospitality and service. We even had the ground crew finding snakes for us. We had heavy rains and had to contend with some mudslides, added to the fun. Road collecting 

Pete Mooney

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Thanks for visiting!

 

Last Updated August 2, 2004

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Website created and maintained by: Jim Kavney