S/V Lisa Kay at anchor, Islas Tortugas
November 7, 2011

Islas Tortugas
You guessed it, Islands of the Turtles (not!). As usual this once upon a time turtle haven no longer has any turtles, but despite that I think this is the loveliest anchorage we have ever been to. Solitude, beauty, powdery white sand beaches, palm trees, and turquoise water...awww....Thank you to Len and Erin on S/V Maestro for encouraging us to stop here!

After a short two hour scenic motor over from our last stop, anchoring in front of the secluded island, we couldn't wait to get in the water and explore the beaches. Islas Tortugas is two islands, one uninhabited except for the chattering parrots that would return in the evening to roost, and the other that has a daytime beach club for the tourists that are boated over for a day of snorkeling and relaxation on a lounge chair. Needless to say, Ben jumps on his surf board and paddles over to the empty beach, finding the biggest hermit crabs ever! And, unfortunately, piles of (mostly plastic) garbage that has washed up on shore with the tide, over and over.

We notice another sailboat pull in, drop anchor, and a single man jump off with his dog and swim to shore. How cute. Gotta go meet him, and for those of you who know us, pet the dog! Nice man from Germany, living and working here for many years, who just loves to sail to these islands for a one night get away. We also meet another tourist couple here from Kentucky, who really just came to Costa Rica for a dental vacation. Yep, what would have cost them over $20K in the States, cost a little over $6K here, was finished in a few days and with all the latest and greatest in technique and hardware. They were very happy and had met many tourists doing the same thing. Something to think about for those of you who want some work done.

No sooner do we return to our boat when a panga pulls up offering fresh oysters. "No gracias", says I, and no sooner do I say this and the guilt creeps in. I just should have bought some, even if we don't eat them just to help these people some. Oh well...next time. I really do wish we were more adventurous when it comes to seafood. But like I've said before, it really grosses us out. No matter how fresh it is, it still seems to smell fishy, and we just love seeing things alive, not dead.

We proceed to have a yummy dinner, with a clean conscience, of something vegetarian and it just so happens the movie Dead Calm is on TV which Ben has never seen before. What fun to be all snuggled in this cozy little anchorage watching this scary movie while swaying on the hook on our creaky boat!

About 8 AM the next morning we hear a tap on the hull and here is one of the men from yesterday who was offering oysters, now all alone in a sort of dugout canoe, offering some sort of beautiful white meat fish fillets. "Okay", says I, "Cuanto questa?". We settle on $6.00. (For the record, we did eat this fish the next day and it was yummy...minus the 8 MILLION BONES!!...Sigh...) Our new friend with the name of Roja, or something like that, asks us if we would like lobster for dinner. "Si", we say excitedly! (Hey, I never said I was a perfect vegetarian!) "Comida," he asks? He wants some food. Now let me explain, because this guy is quite a sight. First of all like I said, he is in this canoe that looks like it shouldn't even float. His oar is a stick with an old street sign attached. He has on some tattered shorts and a very small long sleeved wool sweater (seriously in this heat?!). It looks like a child's size on this man, and the holes are sewed together with fishing line! Well, what can lame me pull together? A banana, an apple, two nut granola bars, a large box of juice, and a cold glass of water. Our boat suddenly reminded me of my mother's pantry, which means it is virtually empty. We don't have a lot of "snacky foods", just things that we prepare fresh. He simply says, "Gracias," and is on his way.

We spend our day attempting to snorkel at the nearby pinnacle, but the water is very murky and we give up after a short while. Instead, we bring a large hefty bag to the deserted island to pick up garbage. Again, another lame effort on my part because we fill the bag within ten minutes and only make a dent in what was there. We know our next stop we'll be near a marina where we will be able to bring all of this and it will be recycled, but I have to admit that the fear crawls into my mind of bringing bugs on our boat. Ben enjoys an afternoon of "skurfing", that is surfing behind our dinghy, water ski style, and then we turn in for the day. Suddenly who's there but Roja! And with enough lobster to feed an army and he wants $50.00.! "No,no,no," says I. "How's about I pick out what we want and pay you $25?" ( now stop yelling at me you fellow boaters, I know we probably way over paid) but, we had a delicious dinner and were very grateful for it.

Later on in the evening, as Larry and I were swinging in our hammocks, watching the sunset, we are astonished to see Roja, paddling across the bay, the BIG bay, for a long, long time...wow. The next morning we ask him, as he visited us again, "How long does it take you to get home?" Two hours says he! Whoa! I pack him more food, this time rice, beans, and canned corn, and a chocolate bar, and tell him we are leaving. "Buen viaje" we say, and really mean it.

After a few hours of fantastic snorkeling, and going back to pick up more garbage we wave goodbye to these beautiful islands, feeling so blessed that we came.

For related pictures see gallery titled: Isla Tortugas