By land and by sea

Author: By Robert Ragaini, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, November 23, 1997

Page: M11

Section: Travel

But I wanted to visit the national parks of Costa Rica. After reviewing my options, I decided to take a chance on the Temptress Explorer. A small ship, it promised excursions to several Pacific coast parks, good accommodations, good food, good guides, and no legging it from one hotel to another.

Subtracting 50 percent for promotional hype, It still thought it seemed a pleasant way to go. Pleasant it was, and a great deal more.

``Hi, I'm Doug,'' said a blond young man in a cowboy hat with Temptress tags on his luggage. ``I'm Karen,'' said his equally blond wife as we shook hands.

``I hear that 21 of us are being picked up in San Jose,'' I said.

``My family's 18 of them,'' Doug answered. With a sweep of his hand he indicated a host of men, women, girls, and boys sitting around the hotel lobby.

``Is this something you do every weekend?'' I asked.

``Right,'' said one of the older women. ``More like once a lifetime.'' In fact, many more than 21 filled the private bus that stopped at the major hotels in Costa Rica's capital city. At last we took off for the seaside town of Puntarenas, two hours of forest and mountains and rural villages, until we climbed onto the sturdy white ship waiting for us at the dock.

Jose Lopez was as dark as Doug was blond, Antonio Bandaras handsome, shy and friendly at the same time. It was he, the activities manager, who introduced us to our ``family'' for the week, the entire crew from the captain on down who smilingly filed into the Tortuga Lounge.

``If you're ever in trouble, just shout `Jose!' '' said Jose. ``One of us is bound to answer.'' Some of the crew we'd already met when they helped us with our bags and showed us to our cabins. Mine was small but very attractive: a mahogany closet, a bright clean bathroom with a compact shower, a comfortable bed and, like the 49 others, brightened by a large picture window.

All those who gathered on deck were in uniform, the crew in dress whites, passengers in T-shirts and shorts. If they had to be formal, we would be blessedly casual.

Beyond the railings all was darkness except for pinpricks of light on a distant shore. As the Explorer sailed seaward, soft ocean breezes crept across the deck. It was only the beginning of the week, but something told me it was going to be all right.

At 5:30 next morning, a continental breakfast was served on the sun deck. I know because I read it on the day's itinerary. This indispensable sheet was issued each evening and told of the next day's activities. On Tuesday, for example, after the poorly attended continental breakfast, there was a ``full service'' breakfast in the dining room. At 6:30, the first hike set off -- ``3 hours, difficult, uphill.'' At 7, a birdwatching tour -- ``2.5 hours, easy, flat,'' followed at half-hour intervals by another tough hike and an easy nature observation tour.

If this sounds like summer camp, rest assured it was not. Those who signed up for walks and hikes were wakened by a gentle knock on their cabin doors. Those who did not were left to dream the morning away. For me, it was a supremely civilized routine that gave the option to be as energetic or indolent as I chose.

On one of the former occasions a group of us scrambled along a muddy trail in Corcovado National Park. Our leader was Jose (what else?) Segovia, a man both enamored with and extremely knowlegeable about his country's natural reserves. Corcovado is, he told us, the last true rain forest in Central America, the only place where the trees had never been cut. It contains hundreds of species of birds and animals and thousands of species of insects.

Fortunately, most of these stayed hidden, but not an army of leafcutter ants. Paying no attention to us, they singlemindedly flowed down the trunk of an enormous tree and crossed our path, each bearing a neat bit of leaf over its head. Often two smaller ants rode the leaf, cleaning it of any impurities that might contaminate the nest.

At one point, I hung back to experience the deep stillness of the jungle by myself. Suddenly, as I immersed myself in the silence, there came a scream, much too close for comfort, followed by another and another. Because Jose had told me what to expect, I knew they were the cries of howler monkeys, not dangerous, but the hairs on the back of my neck rose anyway as I hurried to rejoin the others.

Though up to 300 inches of rain fall annually in Corcovado National Park, none fell on us. But by the time we reached a waterfall gushing over a fern-laden cliff, we were happy to be able to wash the mud off our feet and legs.

That evening when an impromptu visit to the galley was offered, someone called out, ``How muddy is the kitchen tour?'' Interest in the kitchen stemmed from the unexpected excellence of our meals and the fact that the chef, Marco Tulio Mora Retana, was president of the National Association of Chefs of Costa Rica. Also, food on vacations seems somehow more important than at other times. It certainly brought out the glutton in me.

So I dug into buffets on the sun deck, barbecues on the beach, formal dinners in the dining room (in informal dress), and snacks whenever I wanted. I ate Costa Rican meat and vegetable pies, grilled lobsters, thick steaks, freshly caught fish, and wonderful tropical fruits. Pies and cakes, too, of course, with one brought to shore in a rubber Zodiak motorboat, a huge thing (the cake) covered with a great yellow-billed toucan made of frosting.

Then there were the drinks -- included in the price -- dispensed by the indefatigable Jerry Pullmann at the Tortuga Bar. Two favorites, which I have yet to try at home, were his Tico Sour and Pino Colada. They go like this: Put ice cubes in a blender. Add 1 1/2 ounces of rum, 1 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce of Grenadine and 1/3 ounce of sugar (or to taste). Blend and scoop out the resulting slush. And for the pina colada, again ice in the blender, 1 1/2 ounces of pineapple juice, 1 1/2 ounces of rum and 1 1/2 ounces of a mix made of one 15-ounce can of Coco Lopez cream of coconut, one 400-gram can of evaporated milk and 1/3 small can of condensed milk. Blend and savor, preferably while floating on a tropic sea. Even without the sea, you'll be floating soon enough.

If I seemed to have lost sight of my original purpose, to visit the parks of Costa Rica, such was not the case. In addition to Corcovado I hiked in Manuel Antonio National Park where I saw sloths and white-faced monkeys, trekked the tropical dry forest of Curu Wildlife Refuge and Tortuga Island, kayaked in a warm rain shower at Drake Bay, birdwatched in the steep hills of Golfito National Refuge and snorkeled off San Josecito Beach.

In a privately owned reserve, I visited a botanical garden that was the creation of an American couple who had dropped out of the rat race and into the rhythm of the forest and sea, the dry season and wet, waking with the sun and sleeping with the moon.

Tucked between the beach and forest, their garden was a beautiful display of specimen plants and trees. In one, a toucan was helping himself to a breakfast of fresh mangos. Hibiscus trumpeted their colors while ginger scented the air. On a single frond of a bushy fern, an infinitesimal hummingbird's nest balanced in the breeze.

Here was evidence that it could be done, that fantasies can come true, that life is what you make it, not what is forced upon you.

Hmm, I thought. Maybe I should extend my cruise.

Getting there: Lacsa, Aero Costa Rica, American, Continental, and United Airlines fly to the capital city of San Jose.

Climate: Costa Rica's temperature is 80 to 90 degrees year round. Water temperature is a constant 80 degrees.

What to bring: Clothing is very casual. Bring walking shorts, a bathing suit, a cap, sunscreen, sunglasses, lightweight rain gear, short- and long- sleeve shirts, slacks, a light jacket or sweatshirt, a camera, and plenty of film.

Staying in San Jose: The Melia Cariari is a medium-sized resort near the airport (about 8 miles from the city). There are 220 rooms, pool, golf, tennis, and a restaurant in a quiet setting. It's comfortable without being luxurious. For information, call 1-800-33-MELIA.

The Hotel Grano de Oro, a beautifully remodeled old mansion, is located in San Jose. It has 35 rooms, all different and charmingly decorated. The dining is fine. For information call 011-506-255-3322. For additional recommendations, refer to Frommer's ``Costa Rica.''

What to do in San Jose: Costa Rica Expeditions offers a wide selection of tours, from one-day excursions to nearby volcanoes, national parks, and river rafting to multiple-day journeys into the Monteverde Cloud Forest and other parks and jungles. Call 011-506-257-0766.

Recommended reading: ``The Costa Rica Handbook,'' Moon Publications. ``Costa Rica Insight Guide,'' Houghton Mifflin Co. Frommer's ``Costa Rica.''