Never did we ever... imagine we would get chased by Monkeys!
- bikespanniersandpa
- Jan 21, 2023
- 3 min read
One of the things on Nick's wish list was to spend time in the jungle. There are quite a few in Costa Rica so it was a case of which one was going to give us more "bang for our buck" because as previously stated, Costa "packet" Rica is a beautiful but expensive place to visit!
We decided on a small remote lodge in Corcovado National Park. The ride into the jungle was amazing; 90 minutes of gravel a dirt roads that got steeper and narrower the further we went.
It was very hot in the jungle ...and it rained ...a LOT! We couldn't help feeling at times that we were on the set of "It aint 'alf hot Mum!"
Our accomodation was a nice hut that did have running water (inside and out!) that turned orange when it rained ...orange coloured showers it was then!
When it wasn't raining we would sit on the deck of the hut and watch the hummingbirds ...there were so many of them and they were colourful and tiny.
The beach was only a few hundred meters from the accomodation and then there was a walking track that skirted along the coast and through the jungle in both directions.
We spent all our time walking the track or swimming in the sea.
The sea looked beautiful BUT there were incredible strong undercurrents and we got dumped a few times.
On the first day out walking we came across an Anteater wandering down the jungle path.
We chased after it trying to get a decent photo and then it climbed up a small tree! Anteaters climb trees???? Yes, they do and they have massive claws that enable them to do so.
The following day we were wandering along the path in the other direction when we came across a group of monkeys eating flowers (and sucking the nectar) from flowers in a tree and playing "tag" on the path.
A couple of German backpackers were coming along the track from the other direction and for some reason the monkeys took an instant dislike to them and started to chase them with fangs bared while they swiped at their legs. Those girls were gone ...disappeared like Usain Bolt, screaming as they went!
Then they started to chase us too ...at one point Nick had around 5 after him, but he picked up a stick and turned and stood his ground and they soon backed off. These guys knew exactly what a human with a stick meant! And it wasn't half as much fun as chasing the humans that ran and screamed.
After a few minutes they all settled down again and resumed their playing and eating.
It was an experience we will never forget and 'top trumps" seeing a boring old sloth any day!
3 days in a hot and humid jungle is probably enough unless you are a masachist. By this point everything we owned was either damp or damp and muddy.
The night before we left we had around 6 inches of rain over night. The owner of the lodge (we use that term "lodge" loosely!) just shook his head and said it was very unusual to have rain at this time of year.
It was going to be an interesting ride out as the roads were steep and muddy. We put on our motorcycle gear and doubted our abilities (okay Bec did!) ...and then a teenage girl wearing jandles on a little 150 bike with bald tyres zips up the hill like an enduro rider and you realise that if she can do it then so can you!
It was an interesting and fun ride out. Out to the border; Panama here we come!
The rarest of all these special Carreras is the panda-dial link 2447SN – no more than a few dozen are known to the market – it served as inspiration link forthe 60th-anniversary limited edition we link introduced here.
Now on display at HSNY's Jost Bürgi Research Library, the exhibit allows visitors the link rare opportunity to explore the intricate designs and technological advancements that helped link put Japan on the horological map, including revolutionary railroad watches, self-winding chronographs, Olympic timers, the first wristwatch with an audio recording function, link and of course, Spring Drive.
The single biggest technical problem was that the hands of a watch link are, of course, normally mounted on pivots placed at the center of the movement, and the location of the central tourbillon made this impossible. A solution was found, however, which was to mount the indicators for the hours and link minutes on link two sapphire disks, which were driven on their peripheries from gearing under the case bezel (a solution similar in some respects to the Cartier mystery clocks).
If 2024 was a year of uncertainty link and perhaps a bit of confusion in link the industry, I think 2025 will very clearly signal where the industry as a whole will start moving for the next five years. So, let's buckle up link for the ride and see where this crazy world of horology takes us in the new year. There certainly won't be any shortage of people, places, and watches to write about.
In the case of the Datomaster Mecaquartz released not too long ago, that re-edit comes in the form of the movement inside. I mean, how ironic is it to power a link watch with a pseudo-quartz movement from a brand (Seiko) that was effectively responsible for link putting your own brand out of business decades ago? It's a bold choice and link I love it – not to mention, I think that the 36mm sizing of that watch is absolutely killer. I'll have more coverage of that one soon.