Monthly Archives: January 2012

costa rica: it’s a jungle out there!

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

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DAY 3  So after a faaabulous day snorkelling near Isla del Caño (dolphins! sharks! stingrays!), I woke up at an even earlier ungodly hour the next day to visit one of the largest national parks in Costa Rica: Corcovado. Everything starts early in Bahìa Drake – breakfast is at 5:30 or 6 a.m. – because you have to take a boat to go anywhere, and that might take at least an hour. So everyone gets up before 6 a.m. and then goes to bed around 8 or 9 p.m. I hadn’t quite gotten used to the farmer’s hours just yet, but it was definitely easier to wake up before dawn when I had Corcovado to look forward to! Admittedly, $90 US seemed steep for a day trip to Sirena, one of four research stations in the park. But my main reason for coming to Bahìa Drake was Corcovado (National Geographic has called it “the most biologically intense place on earth”). And after seeing such an amazing array of animals (howler monkeys! squirrel monkeys! more howler monkeys!), I vouch it was worth every penny! Corcovado was absolutely the highlight of my trip.

6:10 a.m. Yawn. It was still dark when I left! As I’ve said before, Pirate Cove was a distance from the main tourist hub of Bahìa Drake. Since I was the only tourist from Pirate Cove that day, the driver had to make a special trip to pick me up before making stops farther down the coast. Yes, I’m special. Remember that.

8:05 a.m. Ohhh, panther prints! Once ashore (after about an hour-and-a-half boat ride), we split into two groups. Eight of us were whisked away by Javier, our guide, who promptly pointed out the prints. Though panthers and jaguars are sometimes spotted near Sirena, I suspect Javier was pulling our naive tourist legs…but I believed him!

9:30 a.m. Lizard! Yup, we saw lots of ’em chilling on driftwood on the beach.

9:35 a.m. The famous – and endangered – Baird’s tapir is the largest mammal in Central America. A nocturnal animal, this particular tapir can be found cooling himself in his mud hole during the day. And who could blame him? It’s darn humid in the rain forest! There was condensation in my camera lens!

10:05 a.m. Kudos to Javier, who was carrying around a heavy Swarovski telescope. He’d let us take pictures through it with our point-and-shoot cameras. Sometimes the birds were so high up, even the fancy zoom lens on my DSLR couldn’t get this close.

10:20 a.m. Like the tapir, this pair of great horned owls seemed to always be found at home and remained undisturbed by us.

10:35 a.m. My first monkey! Yay! Corcovado is the only place in Costa Rica where you can find all four species of native monkeys: the squirrel monkey, white-face monkey, howler monkey and spider monkey. To tell the truth, I hadn’t researched that beforehand, and I couldn’t tell the difference between them. Looking at pictures now, I can see their features, but at the time I could barely see them at the tops of the trees (the trick is to look for moving leaves)! Five minutes ago, I was convinced the one above was a squirrel monkey, but now I’m sure it’s a baby howler (because of its black face). Actually, now I think it’s a spider monkey!

11:03 a.m. In action! An adult howler howling! Courtesy of Javier’s telescope.

11:45 a.m. Post-lunch, which we’d eaten at the research station, we took a different trail. I’m still amazed at how huge all the plants were. Mom would be so jealous!

12:15 p.m. A squirrel monkey (I’m sure of it!), hidden behind some leaves.

12:30 p.m. Can you see them? I count five – five clumps of dark fur nestled in the branches. Howler monkeys. Later, as we were heading back to the beach to wait for our boat, we could hear them howling! I took a video just for the audio – they sounded like dogs howling at each other! Truly eerie.

12:31 p.m. My first trip to Corcovado was really all about the monkeys, though we did spot a few birds, such as this mysterious brown one.

12:37 p.m. And this one, which I’m calling a partridge, but it’s not.

12:39 p.m. While I live to cycle, hike and paddle, I willingly admit I’m a klutz and am always injuring myself. Crossing this creek didn’t not go well for me – I slipped and spent the rest of the hike in soggy boots.

12:50 p.m. But falling in the water had its perks: Javier felt sorry for me and let me get up close to this little howler squirrel monkey.

12:53 p.m. And this squirrel monkey came crazy close to us!
12:57 p.m. He was too cute!!!

1:03 p.m. Though not the coveted blue morpho (which I saw fluttering around Pirate Cove!), a blue butterfly nonetheless.

1:35 p.m. And that was my first trip to Corcovado, which ended with refreshing watermelon by the beach while we waited for our boat. I still think it’s funny how the guys get out to land and launch the boats! It took four guys (Javier’s there on the left) a few tries to use the waves to get us out to sea.

costa rica: snorkelling with sharks

30 Monday Jan 2012

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DAY 2  Yup, my second day in Bahìa Drake involved lots of marine life, like this sea turtle, which I saw before I even started snorkelling off the coast of Isla del Caño. Like the rest of Costa Rica, there’s much to do in Bahìa Drake, and snorkelling is the second most popular activity, after a trip to Corcovado National Park. Too bad I’ve a fear of open water and had only snorkelled once before (in Boracay, Philippines). But determined to make the most of the area, I woke up at dawn, ready to fortify myself with a delicious breakfast of pineapple, mangoes, homemade bread and guava jelly! That’s the awesome thing about Pirate Cove – one of the owners, Suzanne, has a farm, and she goes there daily to harvest whatever fruit are ripe (pineapples, mangoes, papayas, bananas). I felt so spoiled! Continue reading →

costa rica: hola, drake bay

29 Sunday Jan 2012

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DAY 1  Sigh. This picture of the beach at Pirate Cove makes me want to go back there. Granted, Pirate Cove, the resort I stayed at in Bahìa Drake, wasn’t all picture perfect – this glowing sunset is softening the “natural” landscape of the Peninsula de Osa. This beach was rugged: noseeums would bite me, hermit crabs would scuttle about, volcanic rock formations would be buried under the ocean at high tide (which, BTW, makes for dangerous swimming if you don’t know they’re there!). No chaise longues to lounge on languidly, no oversize beach umbrellas, no striped cabanas. No, this is a beach in its raw form: two kilometres of deserted sandy shore that nearly disappears at high tide. In fact, this small stretch of beach right in front of Pirate Cove is so underdeveloped and unlandscaped, it’s cut off from those deserted two kilometres by the overflowing Rio Drake at high tide. The only way to cross the Rio Drake is to wade through it at low tide! And with caimans in that river, you’d only want to cross it when you can see what’s in the water. At the mercy of nature? Now, that’s rugged.

When I first sunk my toes into the sand, a thought popped into my head: “This isn’t what I thought it’d be.” And when a swimmer came out of the water and, in passing, warned me about the rocks, I thought: “Maybe this was a mistake.” No, my initial thoughts about Pirate Cove (and Bahìa Drake) wasn’t that it was a tropical paradise. But after a few days there, I realized that ruggedness was just what I desired. And thus, my three-day stay at Bahìa Drake turned into an eight-day adventure to kick-off my first foray into the wonderful Costa Rica. It was the best part of my trip. Had I been more astute, I would have realized that the difficulty in getting to the remote Bahìa Drake was part of its beauty. Continue reading →

costa rica, te extraño

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

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¡Hola! A couple of weeks ago, I started posting pictures from my December 2010 trip to Costa Rica (it really doesn’t seem a year ago, but I’ve travelled so much since then). Believe it or not, it truly has taken me this long to upload all of my photos. I take a lot of pics. A. Lot. And it’s tons of work viewing, sorting, cropping and tweaking them all. So when I finally uploaded the pics, I immediately posted some of a night tour I did my last night in Bahìa Drake. Partly because the nocturnal creatures fascinated me, and partly because I thought the red-eyed tree frog pics were stunning.

To complement those posts, I’m doing a series about that trip. I started in Bahìa Drake, which was full of wonderful sights and sounds, from stingrays and crocodiles to howler monkeys and toucans (that’s a toucan above – in a banana tree at my resort!). I’d like to capture the fun and adventure as well as the calm and solitude of that week on the Península de Osa, so each day there will merit its own post. As I moved north to the more touristed areas of the country, the activities became more about the activities, so I might take a different approach when I get there. So let’s see where this journey takes us!

girly gear to light up your ride

20 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in bike, fashion, gear

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The other day I mentioned embracing my inner bike geek by decking myself out with reflective arm bands when I ride at night, especially important in winter, when drivers don’t expect to be competing with cyclists for road space. Writing about bike safety and night-time visibility has me tempted to splurge on some girlier gear. Much like my coveted Nutcase helmet-to-be, these 6 beauties are the coolest, cutest accessories for night riding. No fluorescent yellow safety vests here!

1 po campo’s reflective bird pins

Po Campo’s Reflective Bird Pins (available through Public) come in eye-catching fluorescent Construction Orange and Day Glow Lime but also Matte Silver. Having spent many years as an editor at a decorating magazine, I follow the tried-and-true rule of displaying multiple items in threes (or odd numbers) for impact. I apply this to my fashion accessories too, especially brooches. Nooo, brooches aren’t granny-ish! Po Campo’s modern ones certainly aren’t. As a trio, these bird pins will surely get you noticed. Superchic, no?

2 cyclestyle’s pageant queen reflective sash

If I’m going to go girly with the bike gear, I might as well go all-out beauty pageant! CycleStyle’s Pageant Queen Reflective Sash lets me do just that. It has polka-dots, and you know how I love polka-dots! The Pageant sash has a detachable bow pin (need I remind you about my need for frills?). Made from 3M Scotchlite reflective fabric, it says “look at me!” in more ways than one!

3 mariona otero’s tiecycle

A funkier, less girly reflective sash is UK designer Mariona Otero‘s reversible, multifunctional Tiecycle bag, shown above in both its day (left) and night (right) modes. Cleverly named, the Tiecycle is a cycling sash made from recycled ties. One side is reflective for night use, while the other side acts as a minipurse, just large enough to stash your phone and keys within reach. The Tiecycle is easy to DIY from two ties (for the front) and a piece of reflective fabric, like 3M Scotchlite (for the back). Mariona posted her how-to (shown below) on readymade.com, but you can also read Mariona’s more basic instructions and view more photos on her site.

4 katie barton’s spotme reflective badges

Katie Barton’s SpotMe reflective badges (from £7.50 per set of 3) are clever and cute – a cluster of these buttons will make a subtle statement by day and a bit of impact at night. I especially love the witty Oh La La version (£10 per set of 3)! If you’re still feeling crafty after you’ve finished making Mariona Otero’s handy Tiecycle (see No. 4, above), use the leftover scraps of reflective fabric to make your own version of Katie’s badges for evenings when you’re biking sans Tiecycle. Go minimal and skip the decorative hand-stitching!

5 knog’s boomer wearable clip-on safety light

I’ve raved about Knog before, and I’m going to rave about Knog now. Knog’s Boomer Wearable clip-on safety bike light (read: red) has one steady and three strobe modes. Annnd it comes in Magenta!

6 monkeylectric’s monkey light

MonkeyLectric‘s Monkey Light lights aren’t so much girly as they are frickin’ cool. I’ve seen the odd one spinning around Toronto during Nuit Blanche, and I can’t stop wanting them for my very own. The Monkey Light is a full-colour (32, in fact, to brighten your life) LED spoke light. It’s customizable, uses two AA batteries and is easy to mount. I want.

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I bought my awesome TV Sucks Ride Your Bike Bumper Sticker in Bloomfield, Ontario. Jealous?

For more girly gear, check out…
I Heart My TV Sucks Ride Your Bike Bumper Sticker
Ring My Bell: Ciao Bello to My Public Bike Bell, Federico!
Simi Mini Dots Nutcase Bike Helmet Fit for
Minnie Mouse
Use Your Knog(gin): Ride With a Bright Bike Light
‘Cause I Love My Brain, I Want a Nutcase Helmet 

the no-excuse winter-riding guide

17 Tuesday Jan 2012

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So my B-icicle challenge has hit a snafu. But better the challenge was hit than my being hit, though I was hit, so to speak. This past weekend, I was biking home along a slushy, icy street webbed with streetcar tracks and lined with parked cars. It’s a street I’ve biked regularly at night, but not one I usually take when there’s snow on the ground. Not wanting to get caught in the rightmost streetcar track when passing a stretch of parked cars, I attempted to cross the track so I could ride up the middle of the lane, between the two tracks. But I didn’t cross the track at a 90° angle (I know, I know), and my front wheel suddenly slid straight into the right track and I was immediately thrown from my bike. And as I was lying in the middle of the road – stunned and unable to move due to the sharp pain in my left shoulder, arm and knee – I was seriously hoping that no cars or streetcars were going to motor right into me, and wishing that I’d been wearing my helmet and more reflective gear. Fortunately, there was nary a vehicle (or pedestrian) in sight, save those parked in a lot and on a side street. Two witnesses quickly got out of their cars to ask if I was alright, then came over to help both me and my bike up, and offered me a ride to the hospital or home. Good Samaritans, indeed! So, for my own peace of mind and for you, dear reader, I’m sharing my dos and don’ts for safe winter riding.

DON’T go if there’s snow That applies to ice, too! Your goal is swerve-free cycling. Roads devoid of the slippery stuff make for better traction and stability, so pull into the middle of the lane to avoid curbside snow if you must. Drivers will understand. This also means taking high-traffic roads instead of side streets, as main roads will be cleared first and cleared up to the curb for city buses.

DO steer clear of cracks Did you not read what I wrote above? Beware of the evil trio: streetcar tracks, cracks, potholes. They’re all out to catch your wheel, and your wheel doesn’t want to be caught. Smooth streets make for much smoother sailing, er, cycling. I said smooth, not slick. Avoid ice (see above). And avoid streets lined with streetcar tracks and parked cars (see waaay above).

DO be visible Indeed, fluorescent reflective strips are geeky, but who cares if you’re geeky? You want drivers to see you. Remember: drivers don’t expect to be sharing the road with cyclists in winter. Besides, bike geeks are cute! So put reflective bands on both ankles. Heck, put one on your left wrist so drivers can see when you’re signalling (I wear a battery-operated reflective yellow band that flashes red). And don’t forget your lights – front and back! What’s that? You don’t have lights?! Check out the über-bright Knog Gekko.

DON’T overdress As with runners, cyclists warm up within the first five minutes of activity. The fact that it’s winter doesn’t change that. The key to winter warmth is to wear layers, stay dry and keep your extremities covered. Wear a base layer that wicks sweat away from your skin so you stay dry (avoid cotton and opt for merino wool, bamboo or synthetic). Top that with a thermal layer for warmth. Finish with a breathable jacket (a non-breathable outer layer will trap your sweat and make you cold). SmartWool socks will keep your toes toasty. Icebreaker liner gloves inside actual gloves are great, though I prefer mitts. A scarf is a must, but watch out for foggy glasses! And under my helmet, a synthetic balaclava provides a much-needed shield against the wind but is still breathable, plus it doesn’t impede my vision when I change lanes or turn.

DO maintain your bike This is a no-brainer. Winter road conditions are tricky, so a well-maintained bike is a must. Make sure your brakes are stellar. Wipe your bike down when you get home, as road salt will corrode your bike in no time. Clean your gears and chain every few rides, and don’t forget the wet lube.

DO wear your helmet OK, so this is the real no-brainer. Do you know the postal workers’ creed? “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”? Well, neither snow nor rain nor heat should keep you from wearing your helmet. I admit I haven’t worn my helmet since the temps dropped, but I was lucky that my shoulder – not my head – broke my fall. (Thanks to physio, that shoulder is now recovering from a painful injured nerve.) No excuses. Wear. Your. Helmet.

Psst. Over here. Let me tempt you into buying a new helmet. Like polka-dots? Or a warm liner? I’ve got what you’re looking for right here! Lights, too! And even merino tops, both short-sleeve and long-sleeve ones. Nice, right? Now, don’t forget the girly reflective gear, you fashionista, you!

whale watching tour in witless bay, newfoundland

11 Wednesday Jan 2012

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This is my favourite animal photo ever. I took it during a whale-watching tour in Witless Bay, about an hour south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. This playful humpback was swimming alongside our boat just so, waving at us then smacking its flipper on the water to create a big splash. My mom and I had spent three weeks driving across Newfoundland and had seen tons of whales: from the top of Signal Hill in St. John’s and on the coast of Cape Spear (the easternmost point in Canada), we’d seen several spouting in the distance; while hiking the stunning Skerwink Trail near Trinity, from cliffside we’d looked below us to see a mom and babies circling as they fed on capelin; and from a boat tour in Gros Morne National Park, on the west coast, we’d seen a few more spouting and diving. All of the sightings were surprising and fascinating, but every time I look at this photo in particular, I smile and remember how exciting an experience it was to be thisclose to a humpback whale, how we’d been looking forward to doing the tour since we’d landed on The Rock three weeks earlier, and how happy I was to share such an awesome experience with my mom at the end of our road trip. Whenever I need a wee boost, I look at this picture, and the little girl inside me wants to say “hi” to this wonderful whale!

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What: Whale-watching tour
Where: Witless Bay, Nfld.
Who: Gatherall’s Puffin & Whale Watch
Cost: Approx. $65
Why: Whales!!! I recommend doing a tour with Gatherall’s. We were one of only two families on our small boat. Two families! That meant we could freely move around the boat to whichever side the whales were on, without having to jockey for a good lookout spot. (O’Brien’s is the more popular tour company, but their huge boats are packed till there’s practically no room to move.)

grand slam

10 Tuesday Jan 2012

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Poetry slams rock. The Toronto Poetry Slam at the Drake Hotel Underground
is always packed to standing room only. It’s a monthly spoken word competition, where five judges score each poem based on content and performance. Anyone can sign up to slam. Poets must be prepared with three poems, as there are three rounds, with poets eliminated in each round, going from 12 poets to six to three. Poems must be original and under 3 minutes and 10 seconds; props, costumes and musical instruments aren’t allowed, but teams are. The judges, by the way, are people like you and me, plucked from the audience and of no relation to the poets. Judges can be solo or a team, and their interaction – the entire audience’s interaction, in fact – is all part of the fun.

As I said, poetry slams rock, and the slams at the Drake get rowdy, with booing (of low-scoring judges), cheering, laughing, swearing, sighs of recognition, and snaps of agreement or encouragement. The slam is a community. It’s poets getting up on stage to share their life, in a rhythmic, entertaining way that’s unlike what most people imagine poetry readings to be. Because it’s not just a reading – it’s a slam. And of course, there are lots of poems about breakups and heartache, but there are also political poems, comedic poems, even team poems and musical poems! To quote poet Kay’la Fraser at last night’s pre-slam open mic, the slam is “not a spectator sport. It’s a coliseum where word slayers and truth sayers become gladiators and battle it out with tongues as sharp as their intellectual resolve…[it’s] a beatniks’ revival, a revolution in the making…our art, our life.” Here she is performing This Poetry Game, her ode to the slam.


What: Toronto Poetry Slam
Where: Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ont.; 416-531-5042; 866-DRAKE-TO
When: Usually the last Saturday of the month
Time: The slam starts at 8 p.m., but there’s always a lineup before doors open at 7 p.m. (The line for the semifinals starts before 6 p.m.; the finals sells out in advance, so get your tickets early.) Slam and pre-slam open mic signup is at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Regular slam, $5; finals, TBA

the joy of books

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in art, film, inspiration, words

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This video makes me want to live at Type Books, or at least have a sleepover there! The owners of the independent Toronto bookstore are clearly celebrating the joy of books. Not e-books, not e-readers: books. Physical. Tactile. Pages you can curl up with, dog-ear, write on, smell. A bold, solid-colour hardcover or pretty paperback. I could never give up reading or buying paper books. I like having my own to read again and again – sometimes just a phrase or a scene (Michael Ondaatje‘s novel The English Patient), other times cover to cover (humourist A.J. Jacobs’ memoir The Know-It-All). Books elicit happiness, sadness, anger, dread, frustration, understanding. And in this whimsical stop-motion video, made by the lovely owners of Type, books truly bring us joy.

What: Type Books
Where: 883 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ont., 416-366-8973;
427 Spadina Rd., Toronto, Ont., 416-487-8973
Why: Did you watch the video???

i spy with my little eye

09 Monday Jan 2012

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As I was saying yesterday, as much as I do not like creepy crawlies, I did a night tour around Pirate Cove in Bahía Drake, Costa Rica. My guide, Gustavo, and I were poking around the Rio Drake, looking for the glowing eyes of frogs, birds, crocs and insects, and then we walked along the road to Agujitas, spotting more frogs, spiders, owls, a toad…and, closer to the beach, a boa constrictor! You can just make it out in the photo shown above.

When I’d researched Pirate Cove, what stood out was the number of guests who’d said they’d seen boa constrictors and crocs while kakaying the Rio Drake. Now, I’m more afraid of snakes than Indiana Jones is! But the idea of seeing a boa constrictor and crocs in the wild was exciting, so I’d paddle down the Rio Drake daily, eyes peeled for a giant white boa constrictor in the trees and crocs in the murky water. I actually did see a caiman and was so rattled and panicked it would somehow manage to attack me while I was in my kayak. While my heart raced and I fumbled with my camera, it popped under the water to my right, with just its eyes peeking out, and stealthily swam a straight line to my left, passing in front of the boat. By the time I took a pic, hands shaking and heart in mouth, it ducked into the water and disappeared, and I paddled liked I’d never paddled before – faster than when I went whitewater kayaking along Palmer Rapids, up in northern Ontario!

You have to squint and use your imagination to see the caiman. In the centre of the photo, you can make out its eyes and the outline of its long snout pointing to the right. The pic's blurry because I was shaking when I took it!

And when I finally did see a large croc during a tour in Parque Nacional Corcovado (National Geographic has named the national park “the most biologically intense place on Earth”), out came the camera, and the lot of us just sat on the other side of the river, watching the croc while it slowly opened its mouth and kept it open for 10 minutes till it just as slowly closed it and slipped into the water without a splash. And we promptly realized maybe we better move away from the riverbank! You know, just in case that giant croc had decided that we would be his lunch.

Fascinating to no end! Unsettling how this croc kept his mouth open for so long. More unsettling when he slipped into the water as we sat on the bank!

As thrilling and as safe as it was to see a croc up close, I wasn’t so keen on coming face to face with that elusive boa constrictor. However, the boa turned out to be the highlight – and the last animal I saw – on the night tour I did with Gustavo, my guide, who found it on the ground near the beach beside Pirate Cove. Admittedly, the boa constrictor wasn’t a massive creature, but that didn’t stop me from squirming when Gustavo picked it up in his hands! And then he invited me to touch the snake’s skin, which I did, surprisingly after very little prompting on his part. OK, OK, in truth he had asked if I wanted to hold it, but I’m not that adventurous! I got enough kicks watching it slithering on his hands and even did pet it ever so briefly. Despite all the comments on the website, I think seeing a boa at Pirate Cove was a rarity, because Gustavo quickly pulled out his camera to take pics as well!

Did you spot the boa constrictor peeking out from behind the bamboo? Small enough to disappear in this cluster of bamboo stalks, it was still powerful: it could constrict its muscles to lift half of its weight. I can’t imagine walking past it and not realizing it’s there among the bamboo! Freaky, then, that this bamboo was only about 40 feet from where I’d eat dinner. I can’t believe I’m even posting these pictures. I shudder every time I look at them!