No worries and other Tortuguero, Costa Rica Local Custom Tips

This guy came bounding out of his house and started yapping at the dog. "Woof, woof, woof." The dog quickly became frenzied and joyfully bounded around his companion and they set off down the village trail in front of me. On what errand they set out, I don't know, but both seemed happy and content with each other's company.

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Every dog deserves a napping spot. The hounds seemed to have free run of the village, but none seemed aggressive or threatening in any way. I imagine they help keep vermin under control and of course, they provide useful services as play companions for the villages children.

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Toddlers are always looking for mischief. I think that's a given, whether they live in Milwaukee, Timbuktu or Tortuguero, it matters not. Like the dogs, it seemed that the children had free run of the village.

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This kid is not locked up, he is practicing to become Costa Rica's next star goalie at the indoor football field. I don't imagine that there is a village or town in Costa Rica that does not have a football field. In Tortuguero it makes sense to put a roof over the facility--otherwise the kids would be playing their matches in mudpuddles.

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There's a menacing guard dog. I could not resist snapping photos of the nice pups of Tortuguero. Made me miss my pack who were languishing in the kennel back home.

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What more does a boy need? I never had my own dog as a kid, but I sought out all the neighbor dogs and asked them to play. Where I grew up, most dogs were off leash and free to roam the neighborhood during the day--just like at Tortuguero. Funny to go so far away to be reminded of my own childhood days.

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Locals hanging out at the village green, discussing grave matters I'm sure. Decades ago, attempts were made the clear the forests and grow plantation crops such as bananas. Timber was also harvested. The Tortuguero River and canals made it easy to move products down the coast for export. However, the climate was not exactly conducive to plantation crops.

In 1975 the National Park was formed and nowdays Tortuguero is known as a tourist attraction. The town is not exactly overrun with tourists as it is still difficult to reach since it is not connected by roads. But I would venture to say that almost every household in Tortuguero, now has some connection to the tourist trade.

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I shot this photo from a distance and did not hear the man play his guitar. But looking at the photo, I become quite melancholy. The man is missing his right hand--something I did not notice until I viewed the picture at home. It must be extremely difficult to make ends meet in Tortuguero with such a disability.

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Mom looks pretty serious, but as always the youngsters are looking for ways to goof off.

I always feel self-conscious when taking candids of people. I'm not the type of person that can get right up in someone's face and snap a photo (no future as a paparazi for me). So almost all of the photos that you see of people on these pages were taken from a lon distance using a telephoto lense. Even though momma seems to be staring me down--I don't think she even knew I was in the vicinity.

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Boys, being boys, will always find a river to be a fascinating place. I'm sure that these two practically live in the river. I just hope that they keep a watchful eye out for crocs and caiman.

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