POSTCARD N.159 - COSTA RICA

Postcard sent on the 28th June; received  0n the 19th August 2024

Postcard image: Agalychnis callidryas (Red Eyed Tree frog)
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Ask me to thin Costa Rica and I will say volcanoes and colourful frogs. 

I got t a lovely card from Eric, the Flying Dutchman, posted in Costa Rica and since it did not have a volcano image, I wasn't at all surprised to see that it had a great picture of one of those amazingly colourful creatures that are endemic to central America, and Costa Rica in particular, a country with a  incredible degree of biodiversity. Muito Obrigado, Eric! Fantástico postal.

The Red Eyed Tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas) is an absolute icon of Costa Rica.

An arboreal being, the small frog (females can grow up to 3 inches while males do not exceed 2) is most active at night, when it hunts for insects, its main diet staple, although they are known to eat smaller amphibians too. 

Being such a colourful creature, one would think it to be poisonous, but it seems that is not the fact, Be it as it may, the red eyed tree frog is a tremendously photogenic little creature and the image on the postcard corroborates this.

Stamps., left to right:

- On 04MAY2007, Correos de  Costa Rica issued a 5 x 155 Colones mini-sheet dedicated to pre-Columbian art (the term  Pre-Colombian designating the period before contact with European culture, that is to say up to 1492, date of the arrival of  the first Christopher Columbus' expedition to the  Americas).

Two of these stamps can be seen on the postcard, the one on the left illustrated with a photo of a Ceramic Censer with an alligator figure on top of the lid and the other with the figure of a warrior.

- The centenary of FIFA the Federation Internationale Football Association was celebrated in 2004. 

For the occasion, Correos de Costa Rica issued, on 15DEC2004, the 2 x 140 Colones se-tenant pair of stamps on the cover. The stamp on the left is illustrated with the logo of the organization and the one on the right with a rather subdued image of a soccer player over a soccer field At first sight I thought that the image was some sort of a map, but it doesn’t bear any resemblance to the map of Costa Rica, after a more attentive examination. 

-- The 75 Colones stamp  is illustrated with an image of  a Venus fan (Gorgonia flabellum), a form of soft coral whim can be found in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean sea, as well as in the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is considered to be a vulnerable species, in terms of its conservation status.

The stamp is part of a 4 x 75 Colones stamp set issued on 25SEP2002, dedicated to the marine life of Uvita island or Isla Quiribrí, a small  415 m x 320 m Island, off the Caribbean coast of  Costa Rica.

COVER N.67 - Costa Rica

Postmark: Correos RECIBIDO Sucursal Correo Central 
Posted on the 14th January; received on the 28th January

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While in Costa Rica, my daughter Marta also sent me a letter from the country's capital, San José.

Unfortunately (not that I blame her, of course) the stamp applied on the envelope is the same ATM label used on the postcard Marta had previously sent me.

This nice label was first issued on May 2018, and it features the photograph of a  Red Legged Honey creeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus).

The postmark indicates that the letter was sent from the central Post office in San José.

POSTCARD N.62 - Costa Rica

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 4th January; received on the 20th January
Postcard image: Perezosos (Sloths)
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Sloths. Oh how I would love to photograph them in the wild, or at the very least, see them in the wild, just as my daughter Marta has, during her trip to Costa Rica. Thanks a lot Marta, for the beautiful card. Dad loved it and it is a great addition to the collection since it represents another entry into the list of countries.

Sloths... interesting creatures... it is amazing how they seem to live their life in stop motion... always hanging from a branch,  moving so slowly it is tiring just to observe them.

According to the Wikipedia, there is a total of 6 species, distributed by two genera whose main differentiating feature is the existence of 2 (genus Choloepus) or 3 (genus Bradypus) toes in the forelimb.

Sloths are endemic to the rainforests of Central and South America and are a close relative of another strange creature, the anteater.

While two-toed sloths are omnivorous, their 3 toed cousins are almost exclusively vegan :-) feeding on leaves from a very reduced number of tree species.

Another curious fact abouth sloths is that although they are slow on land, they are pretty good swimmers, and I've seen proof of this on a documentary on tv.

Marta used a self-sticking ATM label, first issued on May 2018, featuring the photograph of a  Red Legged Honey creeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus)  to mail the postcard to Portugal.

The machine applied cancellation is almost illegible and is upside down. Still, I managed to read the place where the card was mailed from: the town of Quepos, in Punta Arenas.