God wants to bless us in all areas of our life. Nothing is ever too big or small for God for He loves us & desires to see us happy & fulfilled. As our time in Puerto Jimenez comes to an end, I reflect on how we’ve always wanted to visit the Osa Peninsula here in Costa Rica. It’s wild, untamed, remote. It’s the real Costa Rica. The little town of Puerto Jimenez is small & definitely not a tourist town. I don’t think we saw another tourist while we were in town yet we never felt out of place & everyone we met was super nice.
Iguana Lodge was the perfect place for us & we were the only guests for a couple of days then one other couple came. Every morning we woke up to the most amazing sunrises right from our bed & all day nothing but the sound of crashing waves from the beach literally right out front.
The highlight of our time here was going hiking with Sidnar in Matapalo. I had been working out extra hard because I knew I wanted to hike in the Osa & I needed to condition myself. We both agreed this was easily one of the best things we’ve ever experienced. The hike was not for the faint of heart. It started out easy & low key. Sidnar our guide was magnificent in every way. Not only did we get information on animals & plant species, once he saw we were interested we got a full blown cultural lesson on the migration of ancient people & animals & how things came to be in the Americas. Sidnar was a master at finding animals. Most of the time we couldn’t even see them until we looked through his telescope. Half way in though Darren was doing pretty good spotting things himself.
The second part of the hike was truly magnificent. THIS was the famed Osa of Jurassic Park legend that I had come seeking & it didn’t disappoint. We were led into the dense jungle where all manner of plants & trees closed in around us. I had no time to fear spiders falling in my hair or snakes under foot. Sidnar was moving fast & I had all intentions of keeping up. There was NO way I was getting separated from him not even for a second. We splashed through creeks and rivers sometimes waist high. Climbed through places where only roots served as your foothold. Pushed aside trees and vegetation. Walked through areas where paths had ceased to exist only to stumble into a pristine area where water rushed over rocks creating a small waterfall effects.
I was already thanking God for allowing me to see & experience this great beauty when Sidnar informed us we would be going further. Normally during the rainy season we could go no further but the rains hadn’t been too bad & it was safe for us to go. We climbed higher & higher until we stood right under the most magnificent waterfall ever. We were the only three people for miles around, there weren’t any buildings, no sign of civilization, the jungle enveloped us, monkeys chattered & birds squawked, & there was nothing but pure peace & the sound of the water crashing before us spraying us with it’s cool droplets. Shaded by the jungle & cooled by the waterfall we sat, talked, laughed, & enjoyed the wonders that the Master Artist had created for us. Sometimes you can’t capture the beauty, the peace with pictures or words because beauty isn’t always seen. It’s felt. Its that joy that makes your heart swell, that peace that makes you appreciate God & all he’s done & continues to do.
After 4 hours in the jungle we returned to the lodge where our good friend Spike greeted us with as much joy as if he were our own little Bandit come back to life. From the moment we arrived at Iguana Lodge Spike rarely left our side. He especially loved when we took walks on the beach so he could hunt out things in the sand & brush. Every night he would walk us back to our casita in the dark to make sure we were OK then he would go out hunting. Each morning we would find him sleeping outside our room in the chair or directly in front of the door standing guard against all who would intrude. Leaving Spike was sad but we truly believe that God sent the spirit of our little Bandit to be with us for that moment in paradise & we cherished every minute of it.