Got an early start, in a futile effort to beat the humidity and heat. Today’s mission was to hike a ways down the Drake Hiking Trail that pretty much starts in front of the hotel. The groomed track runs along the coast from town as far as San Pedrillo, maybe 10 miles down the path. We passed by the big stands of bamboo then crossed the hanging bridge over the river we kayaked up the other day.

The trail does a big climb up past some old school Tico houses tucked into the jungle before dropping steeply to the hidden beaches below. We’d pass an occasional solitary local but didn’t see much of anybody else. Beautiful coves and rocky outcrops made for spectacular views.

Wildlife was doing a good job of evading us until we reached Los Paniquines where a few spider monkeys appeared in the trees overhead. They were moving at a fast pace and quickly disappeared into the canopy.

Near the elementary school in Caletas, we came upon a dog hanging in a tree. He was dangling there so long, I thought his teeth might be stuck in the wildly frayed nylon rope he was holding onto. The well meaning gringos went to his “rescue”, holding him up and wrestling the rope off where it was intertwined with his teeth. He hopped around barking at us for a minute then jumped back up, latched onto the rope and resumed his sport.

At an hour and a half, we turned back. Same amazing vistas and colorful jungle flora. A few more hikers arriving on the trail. Several single women and a few couples along with local guys looking like they’re off to work. One or two groups were camped at the camp ground and at the glamping tents on the point. As we got near to home, we stumbled into a big troop of capuchin monkeys near the bamboo munching on mangos. Animated and awesome bunch. They are the smartest monkeys in Costa Rica, super curious and mischievous.

From there, it was a short stroll home. After naps and showers, we sat around on the main deck with Rolando squaring up the bill and chatting about everything under the sun. A short hike along the beach brought us into town where we failed spectacularly to score any Osa souvenirs. I’d seen a cool mug and some shirts at the lone tourist shop the other day but I guess they’re closed mondays. We wandered around the muddy street eating ice creams in front the hardware store before walking back down to Delicias for dinner. The dining entertainment was watching the guaro sipping connoisseurs having their happy hour in front of the grocery store across the street. Our last night in Drake gave us a gorgeous sunset over the far end of the bay.