A36 | TRAVEL nsnews.com northshorenews FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017

JANICE & GEORGE

MUCALOVContributingWriters

“Do you want to see asnake?” asked Rey, ourexpedition guide. Hehad just been notified bywalkie-talkie of a snakeahead of us on the trail.We tromped quickly to ascene worth filming byNational Geographic.

The snake was biting intoa baby bull frog the size ofa tennis-ball, strangling thepoor thing at the same time.The plaintive squeals fromthe frog were heartbreak-ing. “They’re cries for help,”explained Rey, as we watchedin pity and horror. “Yes, it’ssad to us, but it’s nature.”

Nature – in all its awe –was being dug up and tossedat us in spades.

We were cruising fromCosta Rica to Panama on asmall ship, the Safari Voyager.More accurately, we were“uncruising” with UnCruiseAdventures.

The cruise line operateseight small adventure vessels(maximum 84 passengers)in Alaska, Hawaii, CentralAmerica, Mexico and theGalápagos. You won’t find acasino, jewelry shop or poolonboard. And you won’tspend much time in yourcabin, or want to. (Cabins,though comfy with ensuitebathrooms, are much smallerthan staterooms on larger, tra-ditional cruise ships). Rather,you’re outside in nature –hiking, kayaking, swimming,snorkelling and spottingwildlife on skiff excursions.

And, sorry, no duty-freeshopping! There are few(if any) ports or towns onmost itineraries. You visitdeserted islands, nationalparks and remote wildernessareas instead. Take our snakeencounter. That was on ahiking foray in the dry forestof the Curu National WildlifeRefuge. The ship anchored offthe non-touristy, southeasterntip of Costa Rica’s NicoyaPeninsula; guests were ferriedashore in rigid Zodiac-styleinflatables. And like all land-ings, it was a “wet landing”– where, steadied by crew,we slid off the inflatable intoknee-deep water and wadedup onto an isolated beach.

More hiking and wildlifehighlights followed on ourthird day when we venturedinto the lush rainforest ofCosta Rica’s untouched OsaPeninsula. We’d been toldthree pumas and a jaguar

roamed the CampanarioBiological Station propertywhich we walked in the morn-ing. The sound of cicadas wasalmost deafening as (mindfulof any camouflaged poisonoussnakes) we trod carefully overgnarled roots along the leaf-strewn path, our eyes dartingfrom left to right, internalantennae on high alert.

“Chances are you won’tsee a puma or cat in thejungle,” said the station direc-tor. “But a thousand eyes willbe watching you.” No matterthat we didn’t see a jungle cat– the exuberant beauty of thegiant mahogany and “walking”mangrove trees was rewardenough.

That afternoon, we hada tough decision to make.Chillax on the beach? Theship’s crew had set up a“beach club” under the shadeof leafy trees, with canvasstools, towels and even asmall bar for rum-and-pineap-ple cocktails. Or join Rey on along, “guide’s choice,” coastalhike which he promisedwould bowl us over with itsscenic beauty?

The hike won out. And inthe excitement of spying notone, but two, neon- yellowtoucans soon after setting off,we forgot about the energy-sapping humidity that soonslowed our stride down to a

mere strolling pace.The toucans were easier

to spot than the three-toedsloth we’d seen our first dayin Manuel Antonio NationalPark. Looking like a coconut-sized bump high up in a tree,the sloth – greenish in colourfrom the algae that flourish inthe fur – had blended in per-fectly with the forest canopy.

We’d needed our guide’stelescope to make it out. Bycontrast, these toucans werehard to miss once Rey pointedthem out.

Ditto the white-faced capu-chin monkeys jumping in thetrees. Locals dub them “mafiamonkeys,” as these charmingthieves steal food and cameralenses from unsuspecting

visitors. “They’re the smartestmonkeys of the bunch,” saidRey. “They know how to usetools to cut open coconuts.”

Crossing a sweet beachcove – with grey sand, fineas powder – we met a familygroup lounging in white plas-tic chairs at the water’s edge,beers in hand. We wonderedhow they happened to be

here in this remote piece ofwilderness paradise. It turnedout they were also Canadians,from Ontario, who had renteda nearby house (invisible fromthe beach) through VRBO. Itwas only accessible by boat,and their groceries had beenshipped in by water taxi.

A bit further on, westopped to watch a startlingscene. The sea was bub-bling and boiling up with fishbeneath a cloud of dive-bomb-ing pelicans! And whoopingand hollering, two local fisher-men raced into the water,tossing their lines in. Withinminutes, they reeled in fourfat silvery jackfish. Dinner,they proudly explained, wasgoing to be good that night,fried up with oil and garlic.

Just before meeting theboat that would pick us up,we came across a palm-fringed lagoon. It lookedvery inviting for a dip. “Aswim would be great hereif it weren’t for the croco-diles,” cautioned Rey. Andsure enough, what looked tobe an innocuous log on thebank lazily rose up on stubbylegs and slid silently into thewater.

Hiking is all well and good,but UnCruise also knows ofbeautiful beaches in this part

Adventurecruisedives intonaturalworld

Thenewly refitted Safari Voyager sails various Costa Rica andPanama cruises year-round. In all, Uncruise Adventures operates eight small adventure vessels(maximum84passengers) in Alaska, Hawaii, Central America,Mexico and theGalápagos. PHOTO SUPPLIEDRICHARDHALLPATTERSON

Zodiacs tethered offManuel AntonioNational Park onCosta Rica’s central Pacific coast.PHOTO SUPPLIED JANICEMUCALOV

See Cruise page 39

Uncruise lineprefers toexplore areasless travelled

TRAVEL | A39FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017 northshorenews nsnews.com

of the world. We were readyfor a beach day when wecalled in at Granito de Oro(“Grain of Gold”) the nextmorning. This tiny uninhab-ited islet off Coiba NationalPark in Panama – with clearturquoise water lapping ontoa blindingly white sand beachdotted with palm trees – isabout as perfect as a tropi-cal island can get. Time forsnorkeling! A kaleidoscope ofcolourful fish scenes unfoldedunderwater – yellow-and-black striped Sergeant Majorsdarted about, balled schoolsof silver jackfish swam by,puffer fish hung effortlessly inthe water. Some lucky guestseven saw a white-tipped reefshark.

And in a Zen moment, agreen loggerhead turtle glidedby gracefully just below thesurface as we tried our handat standup paddleboarding.

Come evening, we alwayslooked forward to “happyhour.” That’s when every-one mingled over drinks,shared the day’s experiencesand learned about the nextday’s adventures from theexpedition team. Happily,all cocktails and winesare included in the SafariVoyager’s rates because wetook a particular liking to the“Valencia” – brandy, apricotliqueur, fresh orange juiceand sparkling wine – thatDaniel, the bartender, shookup. Meals were equally good.Sample dinner: spiced carrotsoup, followed by leg of lambwith eggplant and saffron rice(or for seafood lovers, shrimpwith chipotle honey sauce).

We completed our cruisenavigating the 77-kilometrelength of the Panama Canal,most of which is a vastman-made lake studded withislands and tropical vegeta-tion. At the canal’s entrance,

sitting on deck at sunset, wewere spellbound by the origi-nal locks’ operation. Runningon steeply rising tracksalong both sides of the locks,electric locomotives (called“mules”) attached to the shipby cables, seemed to pull theship along. (In fact, they keepa ship from bumping into thesides of the canal as it passesthrough the locks). The wholeexperience was quite surreal– it’s impossible not to beamazed by this ingenious locksystem, which raises ships 25metres above sea level at oneend of the canal, then lowersthem back down again at theother.

As a goodbye to our timein the world of nature, thepassage through this man-made marvel was perfectfor re-entering the world ofcivilization.

If yougo:

Starting in April, new eight-night “Pure Panama” itinerariesrun until November, 2017.

Rates start at $3,745USD p.p. and include cruiseaccommodations, mealsand alcoholic drinks, guidedadventure excursions, andonboard naturalist talks.For more information visituncruise.com.

CruisenavigatesthePanamaCanal

Boarding the skiff inManuel AntonioNational Park onCosta Rica’s central Pacific coast.PHOTOS SUPPLIED JANICEMUCALOV

On its toursUncruiseAdventures focus onhiking, kayaking, swimming, snorkelling andspottingwildlife on skiff excursions.

An endangeredwhite-facedcapuchinmonkey.

From page 36

To appear in this Dining Guide email arawlings@nsnews.com

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