IOU Costa Rica...
12/26/05 - 1/4/06
By, Sara Hollerich
Day 1 - 12/26/05
I have been anticipating this trip for several months, actually years if you count how long I have been wanting to come here. I have been trying to read up on the culture and found a great book "Costa Rica Culture Shock". Some of the information seems to be a bit outdated but for the most part it is a great book.
I left Minnesota at about 1:00 today. It was around 30 degrees when I left. It was actually a pretty hectic morning. I realized that I forgot my binoculars in Iowa and had to stop at Shopko to pick up a few supplies before heading out to meet Mike in Minnespolis. He was nice enough to drop me off at the airport. He even took me inside and waited in line with me. When I forgot my boots in the car he went out and got them while I waited in the security line. Then he took the shoes I was wearing back out to the car. I guess I owe him big.
On the way down I sat next to two men who have been to Costa Rica several times and they shared a lot of very interesting stories and facts with me. One was engaged to a girl from Columbia that is now living in Costa Rica.
When we were flying into San Jose it was pretty cool. The lights were all arranged very strange. They looked like snakes. I asked the man sitting next to me who had lived there for 12 1/2 years and he said that San Jose is very hilly. The roads run along the hills in line with the contours so they move with the hills. So the lights were street lights. When we got closer to the ground I could see the hills better.
One thing I noticed about the airport in San Jose was how friendly it seemed. Almost like the United State but with less security. They had security but it wasn't that big of a deal - more like pre 9/11. I am used to seeing guards with machineguns in every other country I have visited but Costa Rica wasn't like that. We flew in, got off the plane, and went right through customs with no problems. The Ticos (that is what Costa Ricans call themselves) are very friendly and nice.
After customs we met up with Ricardo (our driver) and Anselmo (our guide). They took us to our hotel which was across the street from Del Monte (which I thought was a church because of the big glass windows) - guess not. We settled in for the night because the next day was going to come early.
The other people on the trip are Cindy (a soon to be IOU member), Doug, Michael, Bev, and Bob.
Day 2 - 12/27/05
Always start with breakfast. I had fresh pineapple, watermelonon, eggs, and papas fritas (fried potatoes). Not to mention hot chocolate. I ordered that by accident. It is sort of funny. This woman was bringing around coffee with milk. I asked for some milk (didn't know it was hot) and realized my mistake when I noticed the steam rolling off of it. So I pretended I meant to do it for a while and when Anselmo started talking about chocolate I decided to ask for some and combined it with my milk. Wow was that good. I think I will have that every morning until we leave.
We left for INBIO Parque about 8:30. They pronounce INBIO, en-bee-o. INBIO is a park, sort of like a zoo, but is designed for the people to understand their land and for tourists to understand the country. It provided a nice introduction to the country and its different types of environments. The dry forests (0 m - 500 m rainforests (500 m - 1000 m) and cloud forests (1000 m and highter), m = meters.
They warned us to never lean on anything in the forests because of snakes, many of which are poisonous, and ants. There is an ant here that is called the bullet ant - its sting is supposed to be like getting shot by a bullet. Our guide got stung a few years ago and said it was the worst pain he ever felt.
There are so many symbiotic relationships in the forests. The Cecropia tree has ants that live inside thorns. The ants protect the tree and without the tree the ants will die, without the ants the tree will die.
INBIO took us through the dry forests, rainforest, cloud forests, wetlands, and had a small aquarium. I saw a lot of iguanas, turtles, spiders, and even poisen dart frogs while we were there. I saw a sloth too. I really wanted to see one. They call them el perezoso de dos or tres dedos. The dos or tres depends on how many toes they have. Basically it translates to lazy two or three toe.
On our way to Selva Verde we passed through the cloud forest. You can tell you are in the cloud forest because of a plant called the poor man’s umbrella it has huge leaves that can be used as an umbrella (miss states the obvious strikes again). That plant only grows there, when you stop seeing them you know your back in the rainforest.
Arriving at Salva Verde was petty cool. It is a beutiful lodge with very nice rainforests surrounding it. The entire wall where we entered the lodge was covered in orchids - most of them weren’t blooming. One of the guides helped me identify several different types of birds (flycatchers, creepers, montezuma orapinchula - the largest oriel in the world - and many different types of hummingbirds).
He told me there are mites that live in flowers and hitch a ride on the hummingbirds beaks to travel.
We also had a cooking class tonight. We cooked a heart-of-palm dish, tortillas (I made one shaped like a turtle), plantas fritas (fried plantains), and a juice. They were all really good dispite the fact that we used bell peppers and papaya. I don’t like either but they were combined just right and I didn’t even know they were in there.
We went on a night hike tonight too. I saw a red eyed leaf frog and a Fleichmann's glass frog (you can shine a flashlight on it and see it’s heart beat!). The rest of the hike was somewhat a bust because of the rain. We did see another frog and some cool insects like a walkingstick and spiders but that was pretty much it.
Well it’s late and tomorrow I have to get up earily for a morning bird hike. Goodnight for now.
Day 3 - 12/28/05
Last night we had the fan on do high I woke up freezing this morning well before I needed to get up and move around. The rain had finally stopped and we had to get up for a bird hike at 6:00. Anselmo came to our door and knocked to get us up because there are no phones in our rooms so there is no way for us to get a wakeup call. The howler monkeys didn’t wake us up this morning but they did start to call a bit later. They were sort of far away so they weren’t that loud, but if they are close they make a lot of racket.
The bird hike was great, we walked around the hotel and saw several different types of birds. In all, we saw 45 different species of birds today. Some of them were very colorful.
After the bird hike we went to another hotel which had a butterfly garden. One room in the hotel contained butterflies and beetles arranged in displays. The butterflies were looping around and making pretty designs. Some of the irridecent beetles were arranged like necklaces.
After looking through the rooms we went over to the butterfly garden. They had about six different types of butterflies inside including Blue Morphos which are a really pretty, large, blue, irridecent butterfly. There was another one that I don’t know the name of that is brown with a large eyespot on its wings. I found several different types of caterpillars, including one that tried to escape by hitching a ride on my pants, and two other large furry ones. I also found many chrysis.
While I was looking at a butterfly a tree started to move. At first I thought it was Anselmo shaking the tree but then I realized that the ground was also moving. I have never been in an earthquake before but I was today. It wasn’t a very big one but it was a very strange feeling. Everything started to shake and the ground almost felt like you were standing on jelly. It wasn’t scary because I was outside and it didn’t seem that bad. The epicenter was to the south probably about 100 miles or more? I am not really sure I am very disoriented as far as distance goes down here, everything is in km and meters. Places take longer to get to because the roads are very windy and you cannot go very fast.
After the butterfly garden we walked around the rest of the hotel grounds. They have school groups that come to the hotel and plant trees. There is an almond tree that is very important to the green macaw. Many of the trees were cut down causing the macaw population to decline and the macaws were endangered, but now efforts have been made to grow more trees and the macaws have made a come back.
Ricardo, our driver, helped point out blue-jean and green poisen dart frogs. I told him I like ranas (frogs) and he has been pointing out every kind of frog he can find. He even found a frog we didn’t know in a pond in the butterfly garden. It had gold around its eyes and it was so cute. It just sat there the entire time we were in the garden propped up so proud. It never moved a muscle, maybe it was fake... JK.
Ricardo pointed out several birds to me on our hike. I am proud of myself because I spotted a group of chrysis (proably about 10) on the underside of a leaf while we were walking around the grounds. Anyway I digress. Ricardo is really funny and is becoming a good friend (before you get any ideas he has three daughters close to my age and a wife so it isn’t like that). I am trying to learn Spanish while I am down here and he is trying to learn more English. It is pretty funny sometimes. We go to great lenghts to be understood. We use body language, sounds, ect. to get our point across. For example, today at breakfast I couldn’t remember the word for ham so I snorted like a pig and pointed at the ham. Everyone at the table cracked up and we laughed so hard we cried (I did it a bit louder than I meant to). Ricardo is a very animated speaker. He uses his hands and body a lot to get the point across. Anselmo is also becoming a good friend, he is also trying to teach me Spanish and about the culture. While I am here I really want to see what "Pura Vida" is all about.
On the way back to Salva Verde we stopped at a pineapple plantation. Pineapples only make one or two fruit a year (if they can be fooled into making two). The rest of the year they are tended by the pineapple farmers. The fields are sort of pretty, they are small blueish-green plants. I was expecting a tree but they look more like an agave plant (what they make tequilla out of).
Before lunch Cindy and I went for a short walk in the rainforest. We saw the green poisen dart frog, but that was it. We did get a couple of photos however.
After lunch we went white-water rafting. While waiting for our guide, Ricardo and I taught each other Spanish and English. It is so nice to learn. On our way back to the hotel before lunch he kept telling be about a house boat. I misunderstood what he was trying to say to me. It was really a house shaped like a boat. The language barrier can be frustrating but at the same time learning is so much fun.
Our raft guide was Alex, aka Frogger. I think he was from Columbia but I am not sure. Most of the rafting guides were from other countries, not Costa Rica. We went to an area of the river Cindy, who has been on this trip three times, has never been to. They told her it was too dangerous on her previous trips but it wasn’t that bad. We went over the commands before we started then promply got stuck on a rock going through the first rapids. I didn’t feel too bad, all three boats got stuck and we had to bounce on the boat while our guide pushed and pulled and tried to free us from the rock. It was kind of fun, like jumping in one of those jumping bag things kids jump in. After every rapids we would cheered “Pura Vida" and hit our paddles together in the center.
Our rafting trip was pretty cool. We ran into a couple of walls, went over some large waves, and my half of the boat got sucked into a giant hole. I went completely underwater after the guide told me to sit on the ground because he knew what was going to happen. It was so cool! It was like a whirrl wind I didn’t know what happened until it was over and I popped up. I really wish we had a photo of that moment. I bet you couldn’t even see me at all.
During the trip we stopped for a snack and jumped off a small cliff into the rushing water below. It was right at the bottom of the rapids. I took a deep breath and jumped. It was so much fun and very cool water (I was really hot) we did it twice.
Two of the guides made grasshoppers out of palm leaves and let Cindy and I keep them. They are so cute we tried to learn but didn’t have much time to figure out how nor anyone to show us how to make them. The guides were too busy packing up and helping us get going again.
We saw several different types of birds and four howler monkeys relaxing in a tree. We also saw a few iguanas that challanged us by bobbing their heads. Oh, so scary 50 feet up in a tree.
Tonight has been very relaxing. We swam in the pool, had wood oven pizza, and of course a couple of vhinos by the river. Their cab is great. Cindy, Bev and I sat out on the deck for quite a while trying to see some wild animal but had no luck. The only thing we saw were some lightening bugs. I can hear animals all round but they are just very hard to see.
I wouldn’t say that the vacation has been relaxing to this point, but it has been full of adventure. Just the way I like it. Tomorrow is a big day so for now Audios!
Day 4 - 12/29/05
What a way to start my morning. I went for a bird hike, got to see howler monkeys, and literally had ants in my pants. Or an ant anyhow which was pleanty. The ant even made me dance. Cindy had been taking footage of of the monkeys and forgot to shut off her video camera and got the audio but not the video. I am usually a fairly conservative person when it comes to personal items but this is one case where I wasn't too shy to dig around in my pants. After eight bites I finally got the ant out. It was pretty big and black. I have no idea what type it was, I am just glad it wasn't a bullet ant (because getting bit by one is supposed to feel like getting shot). I have heard that their bite is about ten times more painful then a wasp sting. Our guide Anselmo has been bitten by one before and he said it really makes you cry. He had a worse reaction than most because he was allergic to the bite. The ant that stung me was the equivilent to a honey bee I guess. I went through stages of it hurts, to it only itches, to it burns, and back to it hurts and then itches.
After breakfast we were off to the Dole banana farm. It was very interesting to learn about the banana plantations. Banana's do not grow on trees they are the biggest herb in the world. They grow from corums like a crocus. They also need a lot of water because they are 90% water. You can cut throught them very easily, almost like cutting a flower but with a much bigger stem.
There is a difference between wild bananas and the bananas that we buy in the grocery store to eat. The wild bananas have productive seeds which are acutually quite large. You would be spitting out a lot of seeds if you tried to eat one. They are also shorter. The bananas that we eat have too many chromosomes so they are not fertile. They are reproduced by cloning, not by seed. They still have seeds in them, but they are very small and infertile so we do notice them while we eat them.
Each banana stem has only one bunch of bananas during its life. While the stem is producing bananas another stem is growing that will take over for the stem that is growing the bananas. A little tiny stem is also starting to grow that will take over for the stem that is growing now. Think of it sort of like a grandmother (banana producing), daughter (getting ready to produce bananas), and a baby (just starting to grow from the base of the corum). It takes nine months for the banana plant to produce what I only know is called "the purple thing". It is basically the banana's flowers. During the last week or two "the purple thing" is emerging from the stem of the banana plant and it squeeks as it travels up the stem. They say the banana plant is screeming because it is giving birth (it takes nine months for “the purple thing” to emerge much like a human baby). When it pops out the top in inverts and hangs down then the outside of “the purple thing” opens up and the baby bananas are exposed. The top few are female and begin to bloom and grow slowly reaching towards the sun (which is how bananas get their shape).
Towards the center of “the purple thing” are the male flowers. Workers visit each banana plant a few times as the bananas are developing. The fist time they cover the baby bananas with a plastic bag to discourage insects, the next visit they take off the flowers (which are located on the end of each banana) so the banana does not get rotten in the center or attract insects, the third visit they cut off the purple thing and the lower three clusters of bananas except for one little banana on the bottom. Why do they leave that little banana you might ask? Well he is the hero of the day. The little banana on the bottom keeps the plant feeding the stalk all the way down to the tip end of stalk so the stalk does not rot and cause the bananas to go bad.
When the bananas are ready to be harvested two men come and cut down the entire banana plant’s stem and harvest the bananas. The plants weight about 125 pounds. They have to carry the entire stalk to a little train type of thing which is then pulled through the farm back into the plant where the bananas are sorted and shipped.
At the plant workers cut the bananas off and sort the good from bad bananas. They use water to move the bananas from one place to the next because the water rinses off the latex (sap) the plant produces and keeps the bananas from brusing. Then they put stickers on each bunch of bananas and paint the stems, then pack and ship them to other countries. Germans eat the most bananas followed by Americans.
Rejected bananas are used to feed animals, make baby food (if they are brusied), and even used as fertilizer. Parts of the banana plants are simply thrown on the ground and allowed to decompose to help make the soil better.
Dole is the company we visited and they are very proud of the work they do in Costa Rica. They not only use very small amounts of pesticides and herbicides and try to be environmentally friendy. They have eared some sort of award, I cannot remember, for being so environmentally friendly. They also treat their workers very well. They provide housing, healthcare, education and a lot of benefits to the workers.
After we were finised with our tour we sampled some banana liquor. Carlos, our banana guide, told us to be sure to sip, not shoot, the shot. It was very strong and cleaned out your nose. I purchased a bottle for $8.
The Sarapique River was the next stop. We took a boat ride down the river and saw many types of birds and other animals. It was mainly a relaxing trip simply for wildlife viewing. We saw camen, neotropical otters, emerald baslisk, an anole, two-toed sloth, howler monkeys, iguanas, long-nosed bats, and several species of birds.
After lunch and a swim (which I must say provided the best bird watching of the day) we went for a hike in the primary rainforest. The family that purchased the land and created the Selva Verde Lodge has taken great pains to preserve a section of the rainforest for the wildlife in the area. They have disturbed as little as possible there and used non-destructive techniques to clear trails. Basically the same principles we use in the States in wilderness areas. No loud machines, everything is done by hand and very carefully so the smallest amount of land is disturbed.
We learned about trees, animals and insects on our hike through the forest. Leaf cutter ants were busily defoliating a tree and carrying their booty into the mound to feed the fungus they will in turn eat. Crafty little farmers. A lone bullet ant scoped us out. I was just happy it kept its distance. One type of ant bite is enough for this trip. We smelled a snake but didn’t see it. Believe it or not they do have a distinctive sent. Just pick up a garter snake and you will find out what they smell like. We also saw white-faced capuchines (a monkey) and a blue-jeans poisen dart frog.
It was getting dark and we were getting hungary so we headed back to the lodge. Better not to get caught out in the rainforest without a light in the dark anyway. After dinner we had a surprise waiting for us. A Central American Wolly Opossum and a Kinkajou graced us with their presents at the feeders. They were a welcome site and very cute. I took photos, with a flash, then later felt bad because I realized that it probably hurt their eyes. I will have to remember that for future reference. I don’t want to be the cause of them being somebody’s dinner.
Day 5 - 12/30/05
Today we left Selva Verde behind it was a very nice place to stay. I am going to have to look into their program where they allow volunteers to come and work for a year at a time. They place them with families, I wonder if they provide a stipend? If not now maybe I can retire there someday. I didn’t get up and go on the bird walk today because could hear it raining and didn’t feel like dealing with that. I think it would have been a perfect day to watch the birds because so many were active this morning. I saw three that I hadn’t seen before. The rain had stopped by the time I got up.
We left for our hotel for Arenel around 8:00. I sat up front with Ricardo so I could practice by Spanish. We had a lot of fun talking but I think I missed out on some of the talk about the Costa Rican culture. We did speak briefly about coffee (shade grown vs. full sun coffee). Shade grown coffee is better for the environment and animals, but sun grown coffee apparently tastes better. Anselmo said that he doesn’t drink coffee so he just knows what other people say. I can’t contribute to this thought process because I hate coffee. Costa Rica dosen’t grow as much coffee as they did at one time. Much of the best coffee land has been taken up by the growing San Jose and its surrounding towns.
We arrived at a small town near Arenel (La Fortuna) and got out to streach our legs and did a little bit of shopping. I got some cool stickers. Then we went to our hotel and checked in. The volcano was covered with clouds and you couldn’t see the top. Our hotel was nice, we each had a small cabin. Cindy and I had three beds for two people.
After lunch we went to hike at Arenel. For the most part the volcano was covered in clouds, but you could still hear it rumbel then see the lava moving down the side of the volcano. During the day it just looked like stones falling down the side but at night you could see the orange of the lava. It was pretty cool. Back to the hike. There were signs posted eveywhere to hike at your own risk because it was an area of high volcanic activity. We got to see a talamanca galliwasp (a small lizzard), an eyelash viper, and a coutimundi.
On the hike we passed a couple of areas where there had been lava flows. The volcano had woken up after several hundreds years of inactivity. Before 1968, it had not erupted since 1200 to 1500 A.D. Since 1968 it has erupted daily. People used to camp in the crater and hike all over the volcano.
Now you cannot get too close to the volcano. In fact, the areas we hiked on had signs warning visitors about the danger of hiking in the area. There have been many phyroclastic flows even in recent years. The volcano has been active for 38 years. One of the last major flows took place in 2003.
In 1968, over 100 people and several hundred animals were killed in the eruption. The volcano actually covered a small town. The night before there were several earthquakes and that morning peple heard a sound like a huge plane flying overhead. It was the volcano erupting. It had another major eruption again in 1992. I bought a book on the volcano, it was very interesting. In one area there are several craters in the ground. These were made when the mountain blew its top in 1968. Large rocks were ejected into the air then made craters when they hit the ground.
After the hike we went back to the hotel, ate supper and relaxed for a while. Then we drove to the other side of the volcano to see what we could see. The coulds were still covering the volcano but on our way there I could see a glowing spot every now and then. The lava would flow appear from under the clouds where you could see it. It seemed like we drove forever to get to the observation spot. The road was full of potholes and it was interesting as always.
Once we stopped and got out of the van we could see orange lava every now and then. Some of the flows came down very far. It was sort of neat to see the difference in the night and day. Day the lava looked like rocks tumbing down the hill, but at night it flowed orange for a few seconds until the outer crust cooled and turned black.
We moved spots a couple of times an got different perspectives. We still couldn’t see the top of the volcano but it was cool anyway. Some people were camping there and I couldn’t help but wish it was me.
That night I drempt Arenal was erupting and eventhough I didn’t get to see it in person it was vivid as real life in my dreams. The dream woke me up at 4:30 in the morning so I went outside to see if I could spot the top of the volcano. It was finally clear (no clouds) but we were not on the active side of the volcano anymore so all you would see was the hot lava flowing out of the top of the volcano every once and a while. The otherside would have been truly impressive I think.
Day 6 - 12/31/05
Happy New Years Eve. This is my third new years in a forgin country. I wouldn’t mind if it were an annual activity. It was beautiful outside and you could see the volcano. Anselmo tried to wake Cindy and I up earlier to see the volcano but we had already been out. It was nice of him to think of us.
There are several words dealing with the volcano I learned in spanish.
Montana del fuego – Volcano
Lava – Lava
Rockas Caliente – Lava (hot rocks)
Eruption – Eruption but pronounced slightly different
Cenisa – ash
Estruendo – rumbling
Fumarolas – fumes rising from the volcano
Aguas termales – hot springs
Retumbar – noise the volcano makes.
(The spelling of the words above may not be correct but you get the idea.)
The hotel we stayed at was called th Lava Tacoteles which means virgin forests that have been cut by lava.
We had a road trip over to Jaco that took about five hours. We stopped and bought some dulce (candy) and bananas that had been wood roasted. The candy was very good and the bananas were alright. I don’t think I would a wood roasted banana again.
We drove through more rainforests, cloud forests, and dry forests. We talked more about Costa Rica. I learned that the government has outlawed hunting of any type and only trees that have fallen down naturally are harvested. Fishing is allowed but you may only take what you need to feed your family. Anselmo said that even though thes laws have been in place for a long time they have only been enforced in the last few years. There deforeststion has actully stopped and now they are planting many trees again. Some animals are making a comback. Scarlet and green macaws, tapier, and many other animals are coming back. Some species are feared extinct like the golden toad. I hope the toad is like the ivory billed woodpecker in the United States. We though it was extince for a long time but just last year we confirmed a sighting again. No one knows if the toads are extinct for sure but they are presumed extinct. I hope they are not. They are still on all the guides and some people have claimed they still see them. Just like the ivory billed woodpecker. Without proof people just don’t believe. Maybe it is a good thing, so they are not disturbed.
After a quick lunch we were off to the canopy tour. They put all of our gear for us so they knew we would be safe then lead us up the trail. Bev and Ricardo stayed at the van but everyone else went on the tour, incuding Bob. It was a long hike back into the forest with quite a few step along the way. We hiked through a valley for a little while then up a hill near a waterfall. The canopy tour was not what I expected. I don’t know what I though it would be, but I didn’t think it was a series of ziplines. We got to the top and they fastened you in. You don’t even have a chance to ge scard. They just shove you off a slide then you go – ready or not – zipping through the canopy. Then you stand on a small platforms while you wait for your next turn. While you wait you have a chance to look around and see what is going on.
We saw some birds and ants. I am very careful now. I don’t want to get bitten again. They had a few surprises for us. We sat in a tree house, did a rope swing, and a free repel. I would love to do it again. I want to do the one at Monta Verde! It is very high and through the cloud forest.
After that Ricardo and I looked in the stream and saw some tadpoles and glass shrimp. It was fun to play around in the sream for a while looking for animals. I felt like I was a kid again. I almost fell in a couple of times and we had a wonderful time. We even caught a tadpole con pedes (with feet) and a shrimp to show everyone. They are fast little buggers!
We got back at the hotel in just enough time to take a quick swim in the ocean and in the pool before dinner. Then Anselmo, Ricardo and I hit the town for New Years Eve. Everyone else was just too tired and went to bed. Ricardo soon turned into a pumpkin as well leaving Anselmo and I to celebrate the new year. The bar was packed, but it was still a lot of fun. We got a little happy new year package complete with hats, streamers, and noise makers to celebrate with.
Day 7 - 1/1/06
Today we went to Manuel Antoneo National Park. It was so beautiful. It is right on the coast and protects quite a chunck of land and ocean. I wouldn’t really call the wildlife there too wild however. The white faced monkeys stole peoples food and hung around all the time. I took several photos of them. It was obvious people feed them although it isn’t really allowed. The coati came right up to, so did raccoons. The beach was beautiful too.
Anselmo, Doug, Michael and I hiked up to a high point and were rewarded with a spectacular view. We saw more moneys and two and three toed sloths and heard the only type of tucan I didn’t get to see while I was there. What a view.
There were hermit crabs everwhere on the beach. When I returned from the hike Cindy, Micheal, Doug and I snorkeled near some large rocks. We did see not see many fish in other areas but there was quite a varity near the rocks. There were wrass, butterfly fish, and so many others I don’t know. They were all very beautiful. Some were so camoflaged that you couldn’t see them until they moved.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped for pizza. At the pizza place we got to see some squirrel monkeys. They just happened to be coming through. The road had a small monkey highway over the top of it. Some kids fom the US had raised money and sent it down. It was fun to watch them cross. They leaped from tree to tree. I don’t know how they do it. What if the branch breaks.
Anselmo said they hold onto a branch with their tail until they know their grip is firm. I saw a couple of branches break and the monkeys were holding on with their tail so they didn’t fall. I wonder how it works if it happens when they jump and they land of a branch that breaks. Maybe they only aim for greenery.
The driving down here is crazy. Besides San Jose it is the only thing I will not miss about Costa Rica. Anselmo said the 95% of the accidents are caused my male drivers. I find this amusing because Ricardo was complaining about the woman driver in front of us because she was being cautious. Ticos are very friendly people and very nice to be around. But they drive like crazy people. Well not quite like they drive in Mexico but close. By the way coconut is good on pizza.
Day 8 - 1/2/06
To Tortuga Island! We left early this morning so we would have time to stop and look at the crocadiles. I couldn’t believe how big they were. I knew that crocadiles were big but I didn’t really think that they would get that big in the Americas. I thought that was an Austrailia and Africa thing.
Again I must stress driving in Costa Rica is a bit crazy as was our next hour in the van. Some of the bridges are holy bridges – you pray from the second your tires touch them until your off the bridge. I would hate to think about what would happen if an earthquake hit while driving over them. They are bridges no one in the states would even consider driving on. Old train trussels just wide enough for your tires with no sides. Oh well, I made it I guess. Ricardo apologized to us upon our arrival for the bumps and swerves but he didn’t want us to miss our boat. I appreciate that and was only scard one time because we were passing on a curve and I didn’t realize that we were on a three lane highway. My heart stopped for just a moment.
The boat ride out to Tortuga Island was beautiful. Costa Rica is very mountainous therefore there is a lot of change in topography even on the beaches. There are huge rocks sticking up out of the water with birds nesting on every availabe space on the smaller islands. Not many natural predators but they are white on top because of all the bird poop. They reminded me of bald men.
After about an hour, or a little more we arrived at Tortuga Island – shaped like a turtle. It was like a little paradise. I had signed up for snorkeling on our way there and we took off soon after arrivial. They weren’t the greatest reefs in the world. I read somewhere many of Costa Rica’s reefs had been destroyed by pollution and earthquakes. Cindy said that it looked healthier than the last time she was there.
This must be my trip to get stung. Swimming around the boats I got stung by something in the water right on the top of my foot. Thank goodness it wasn’t too bad. The ants were definitely worse. I think there may be some benefits to wearing one of those body suits while snorkeling. They protect you from the sun and from the stinging sea creatures.
We did see quite a few fish and the small patch reef did seem as like it was recovering. Now if only they would use permanat anchors so they didn’t have to drop their anchor on the coral it would help the reefs to look even better. For all the steps Costa Rica has taken to protect their environment, the little I saw they could work on their coasts a bit more.
After snorkeling we had lunch. I am not really sure what the appatizer was they served us but all I have to say is that it was awesome. Apparently it had raw fish in it. Who knew! It was great! Lunch was also good. Thank goodness I saw the bird hop in the macarroni salad and steel a noodle after I had my fill!
Lunch was entertaining because they played music and the guys making lunch were funny. The servers were making fun of eachother. One of the guys kept talking in a falcetto voice. Anselmo said they were teasing him about having a woman’s job.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy. We walked around the beach. Swam in the ocean. Petted a peccray (which normally wouldn’t let you touch it and if your ever attacked by them it is best to climb a tree). I wouldn’t usually condone this type of activity, but I really wanted to see what it felt like. I am pretty sure it had been brought to the island and was someone’s pet. Anyway it was interesting to see up close and personal. Don’t try that in real life kids.
We all snorkeled around the rocks on the beach some more. I even stumbled upon a stonefish, I think that is what they are called it looked just like a stone, and no I didn’t get stung this time. Doug could have though. He decided to sit on a rock just a few feet away from the fish. That would have been painful!
On the return trip Cindy and I sat on the nets for a while (part of the boat). I kept looking out over the ocean thinking about how I could wake up every day here and be happy. Part of me really wants to return for an extended amount of time. Maybe forever. It is fun to think about anyway. Maybe I will get up enough courage to do it. Better sooner than later, right now I don’t have much tieing me here. Just work, house, friends, family, and a dog. Sell the house, take the dog with, have the friends and family visit (who doesn’t want to visit paradise), that only leaves work. I have a great job now. What to do, what to do?
After our arrival we were on our way back to San Jose. I hated to see the coast and the forests go. We arrived back in San Jose in time for dinner then called it an early night. The rest of the evening was our to do whatever we wanted.
Day 9 - 1/3/06
It seems that up and at um early is a theme on this trip. Not that I wouldn’t want it to be. I want to see and absorb as much as I can while I am here!
We went on a city tour this morning. I can’t say it was the highlight of my trip because I prefer the country. Out of all the places in Costa Rica I think San Jose was my least favorite. That being said there was a lot there that was worth seeing. We spent the morning visiting the National Theater. They use it for diplomatic events, operas, plays and the like. It was very beautiful and would be sort of like our White House. They built it because some premadonna(o) wouldn’t come sing in Costa Rica in the 1800’s because they didn’t have a nice enough place for him/her (can’t remember which) to sing. Costa Rica vowed that would never happen again so they hired people from Europe to come over and build and design the theater. It took seven years to build.
Next we went to Natural History and Cultural Museum of Costa Rica. The museum is housed in the old armery which is no longer needed because Costa Rica does not have an army anymore. There are still bullet holes from the last battle ever fought in the country when they over threw a president in 1948. The new president abolished the army and created a law which states that no president can run for more than one consecutive term in office.
It was very interesting to look around the displays. They had information on several of the native people who live in Costa Rica. They also had several of the large balls that you can find in the south western side of the country. They are sort of like the Easter Island heads except they are large spheres carved out of stone. Some have people burried under them but no one knows how or why they were made. Now you can find them all over the country and some are painted. We saw one that was painted like a soccar ball.
We went to Sarche in the afternoon to do some shopping. I ended up with a couple of very beautiful cutting boards, a t-shirt, and some coasters. It was nice to get a chance to look around. I should have bought that pot though. Oh well, maybe on the next trip. I also want to buy one of their little coffee carts. They are so cute and would make a great end table.
On the way back from Sarche we stopped in Greese. Funny story. They have a church made out of metal there that was supposed to be put up in Greese but the company made a mistake. They shipped it to Costa Rica and found a town named Greese put up the church then found out three months later that they took it to the wrong county. Opps!
After Sarche was our farewell dinner with Anselmo and Ricardo, I will miss them both. Everyone else had to leave in the morning very earily but I wasn’t leaving until the afternoon flight. I didn’t get to see Ricardo again but Anselmo promised to take me around again in the morning.
Day 10 - 1/4/06
My last day here. I was tempted to stay but knew I couldn’t at this time so I packed up my bags and prepared to go. Anselmo turned up round 8:30 a.m. We had breakfast then walked around the city for a little while. It was sort of discusting. We walked down one street and there was a fowl smell. At first I thought it was dog excrement but I am pretty sure it was human – right there in the middle of the sidewalk. Gross! Again San Jose not my favoriate part of Costa Rica.
We wound up at the Children’s Museum which is in the old jail house. It was really pretty cool. We walked through space the final frontier. Learned about the origin of life on Earth, experienced an earthquake not a real one (it was sort of like a ride), saw animals, and took a very interesting tour of the human reproductive cycle. Apparently we are a conservative culture in this way. I would never have seen anything like that in a children’s museum in the states. It was actually a nice way to explain sex to children. It wasn’t scary and kids weren’t going “oh Mom or oh Dad do we have to talk about this” then rolling their eyes. It explained things in simple easy to understand pictures and experiences. They even put an empathy belly on a teenage boy. He got picked on a lot by his family it was pretty funny. Eventhough it was all in spanish I was amazed that I understood most of it. It is a guided tour, so the adults make sure the kids get the complete story. I guess it would be one way of showing your kids about reproduction from conception to birth. I wonder if parents take their kids there when they have the birds and bees talk?
They also had facinating exhibits on how Costa Rica generates its power, produces its crops, the human body, and many other exhibits. Anselmo and I had a quick lunch then he dropped me off at the airport. I will miss him, he has become a good friend.
The trip back was long and bittersweet but my old life awaited. I stayed in Georgia tonight with my friend from high school Sarrah. I was fun to see her and her new house.
Day 11 - 1/5/06
I arrived in Minneapolis around 9:00 and Mike's dad picked up at the airport. I drove home and took it easy for the rest of the day. Traveling really takes its tole.
In all we saw 97 different species of birds that we identified and several mammal, spider, and insect species.
By, Sara Hollerich
Day 1 - 12/26/05
I have been anticipating this trip for several months, actually years if you count how long I have been wanting to come here. I have been trying to read up on the culture and found a great book "Costa Rica Culture Shock". Some of the information seems to be a bit outdated but for the most part it is a great book.
I left Minnesota at about 1:00 today. It was around 30 degrees when I left. It was actually a pretty hectic morning. I realized that I forgot my binoculars in Iowa and had to stop at Shopko to pick up a few supplies before heading out to meet Mike in Minnespolis. He was nice enough to drop me off at the airport. He even took me inside and waited in line with me. When I forgot my boots in the car he went out and got them while I waited in the security line. Then he took the shoes I was wearing back out to the car. I guess I owe him big.
On the way down I sat next to two men who have been to Costa Rica several times and they shared a lot of very interesting stories and facts with me. One was engaged to a girl from Columbia that is now living in Costa Rica.
When we were flying into San Jose it was pretty cool. The lights were all arranged very strange. They looked like snakes. I asked the man sitting next to me who had lived there for 12 1/2 years and he said that San Jose is very hilly. The roads run along the hills in line with the contours so they move with the hills. So the lights were street lights. When we got closer to the ground I could see the hills better.
One thing I noticed about the airport in San Jose was how friendly it seemed. Almost like the United State but with less security. They had security but it wasn't that big of a deal - more like pre 9/11. I am used to seeing guards with machineguns in every other country I have visited but Costa Rica wasn't like that. We flew in, got off the plane, and went right through customs with no problems. The Ticos (that is what Costa Ricans call themselves) are very friendly and nice.
After customs we met up with Ricardo (our driver) and Anselmo (our guide). They took us to our hotel which was across the street from Del Monte (which I thought was a church because of the big glass windows) - guess not. We settled in for the night because the next day was going to come early.
The other people on the trip are Cindy (a soon to be IOU member), Doug, Michael, Bev, and Bob.
Day 2 - 12/27/05
Always start with breakfast. I had fresh pineapple, watermelonon, eggs, and papas fritas (fried potatoes). Not to mention hot chocolate. I ordered that by accident. It is sort of funny. This woman was bringing around coffee with milk. I asked for some milk (didn't know it was hot) and realized my mistake when I noticed the steam rolling off of it. So I pretended I meant to do it for a while and when Anselmo started talking about chocolate I decided to ask for some and combined it with my milk. Wow was that good. I think I will have that every morning until we leave.We left for INBIO Parque about 8:30. They pronounce INBIO, en-bee-o. INBIO is a park, sort of like a zoo, but is designed for the people to understand their land and for tourists to understand the country. It provided a nice introduction to the country and its different types of environments. The dry forests (0 m - 500 m rainforests (500 m - 1000 m) and cloud forests (1000 m and highter), m = meters.
They warned us to never lean on anything in the forests because of snakes, many of which are poisonous, and ants. There is an ant here that is called the bullet ant - its sting is supposed to be like getting shot by a bullet. Our guide got stung a few years ago and said it was the worst pain he ever felt.
There are so many symbiotic relationships in the forests. The Cecropia tree has ants that live inside thorns. The ants protect the tree and without the tree the ants will die, without the ants the tree will die.
INBIO took us through the dry forests, rainforest, cloud forests, wetlands, and had a small aquarium. I saw a lot of iguanas, turtles, spiders, and even poisen dart frogs while we were there. I saw a sloth too. I really wanted to see one. They call them el perezoso de dos or tres dedos. The dos or tres depends on how many toes they have. Basically it translates to lazy two or three toe.
On our way to Selva Verde we passed through the cloud forest. You can tell you are in the cloud forest because of a plant called the poor man’s umbrella it has huge leaves that can be used as an umbrella (miss states the obvious strikes again). That plant only grows there, when you stop seeing them you know your back in the rainforest.
Arriving at Salva Verde was petty cool. It is a beutiful lodge with very nice rainforests surrounding it. The entire wall where we entered the lodge was covered in orchids - most of them weren’t blooming. One of the guides helped me identify several different types of birds (flycatchers, creepers, montezuma orapinchula - the largest oriel in the world - and many different types of hummingbirds).
He told me there are mites that live in flowers and hitch a ride on the hummingbirds beaks to travel.
We also had a cooking class tonight. We cooked a heart-of-palm dish, tortillas (I made one shaped like a turtle), plantas fritas (fried plantains), and a juice. They were all really good dispite the fact that we used bell peppers and papaya. I don’t like either but they were combined just right and I didn’t even know they were in there.We went on a night hike tonight too. I saw a red eyed leaf frog and a Fleichmann's glass frog (you can shine a flashlight on it and see it’s heart beat!). The rest of the hike was somewhat a bust because of the rain. We did see another frog and some cool insects like a walkingstick and spiders but that was pretty much it.
Well it’s late and tomorrow I have to get up earily for a morning bird hike. Goodnight for now.
Day 3 - 12/28/05
Last night we had the fan on do high I woke up freezing this morning well before I needed to get up and move around. The rain had finally stopped and we had to get up for a bird hike at 6:00. Anselmo came to our door and knocked to get us up because there are no phones in our rooms so there is no way for us to get a wakeup call. The howler monkeys didn’t wake us up this morning but they did start to call a bit later. They were sort of far away so they weren’t that loud, but if they are close they make a lot of racket.The bird hike was great, we walked around the hotel and saw several different types of birds. In all, we saw 45 different species of birds today. Some of them were very colorful.
After the bird hike we went to another hotel which had a butterfly garden. One room in the hotel contained butterflies and beetles arranged in displays. The butterflies were looping around and making pretty designs. Some of the irridecent beetles were arranged like necklaces.
After looking through the rooms we went over to the butterfly garden. They had about six different types of butterflies inside including Blue Morphos which are a really pretty, large, blue, irridecent butterfly. There was another one that I don’t know the name of that is brown with a large eyespot on its wings. I found several different types of caterpillars, including one that tried to escape by hitching a ride on my pants, and two other large furry ones. I also found many chrysis.
While I was looking at a butterfly a tree started to move. At first I thought it was Anselmo shaking the tree but then I realized that the ground was also moving. I have never been in an earthquake before but I was today. It wasn’t a very big one but it was a very strange feeling. Everything started to shake and the ground almost felt like you were standing on jelly. It wasn’t scary because I was outside and it didn’t seem that bad. The epicenter was to the south probably about 100 miles or more? I am not really sure I am very disoriented as far as distance goes down here, everything is in km and meters. Places take longer to get to because the roads are very windy and you cannot go very fast.
After the butterfly garden we walked around the rest of the hotel grounds. They have school groups that come to the hotel and plant trees. There is an almond tree that is very important to the green macaw. Many of the trees were cut down causing the macaw population to decline and the macaws were endangered, but now efforts have been made to grow more trees and the macaws have made a come back.
Ricardo, our driver, helped point out blue-jean and green poisen dart frogs. I told him I like ranas (frogs) and he has been pointing out every kind of frog he can find. He even found a frog we didn’t know in a pond in the butterfly garden. It had gold around its eyes and it was so cute. It just sat there the entire time we were in the garden propped up so proud. It never moved a muscle, maybe it was fake... JK.Ricardo pointed out several birds to me on our hike. I am proud of myself because I spotted a group of chrysis (proably about 10) on the underside of a leaf while we were walking around the grounds. Anyway I digress. Ricardo is really funny and is becoming a good friend (before you get any ideas he has three daughters close to my age and a wife so it isn’t like that). I am trying to learn Spanish while I am down here and he is trying to learn more English. It is pretty funny sometimes. We go to great lenghts to be understood. We use body language, sounds, ect. to get our point across. For example, today at breakfast I couldn’t remember the word for ham so I snorted like a pig and pointed at the ham. Everyone at the table cracked up and we laughed so hard we cried (I did it a bit louder than I meant to). Ricardo is a very animated speaker. He uses his hands and body a lot to get the point across. Anselmo is also becoming a good friend, he is also trying to teach me Spanish and about the culture. While I am here I really want to see what "Pura Vida" is all about.
On the way back to Salva Verde we stopped at a pineapple plantation. Pineapples only make one or two fruit a year (if they can be fooled into making two). The rest of the year they are tended by the pineapple farmers. The fields are sort of pretty, they are small blueish-green plants. I was expecting a tree but they look more like an agave plant (what they make tequilla out of).
Before lunch Cindy and I went for a short walk in the rainforest. We saw the green poisen dart frog, but that was it. We did get a couple of photos however.
After lunch we went white-water rafting. While waiting for our guide, Ricardo and I taught each other Spanish and English. It is so nice to learn. On our way back to the hotel before lunch he kept telling be about a house boat. I misunderstood what he was trying to say to me. It was really a house shaped like a boat. The language barrier can be frustrating but at the same time learning is so much fun.
Our raft guide was Alex, aka Frogger. I think he was from Columbia but I am not sure. Most of the rafting guides were from other countries, not Costa Rica. We went to an area of the river Cindy, who has been on this trip three times, has never been to. They told her it was too dangerous on her previous trips but it wasn’t that bad. We went over the commands before we started then promply got stuck on a rock going through the first rapids. I didn’t feel too bad, all three boats got stuck and we had to bounce on the boat while our guide pushed and pulled and tried to free us from the rock. It was kind of fun, like jumping in one of those jumping bag things kids jump in. After every rapids we would cheered “Pura Vida" and hit our paddles together in the center.Our rafting trip was pretty cool. We ran into a couple of walls, went over some large waves, and my half of the boat got sucked into a giant hole. I went completely underwater after the guide told me to sit on the ground because he knew what was going to happen. It was so cool! It was like a whirrl wind I didn’t know what happened until it was over and I popped up. I really wish we had a photo of that moment. I bet you couldn’t even see me at all.
During the trip we stopped for a snack and jumped off a small cliff into the rushing water below. It was right at the bottom of the rapids. I took a deep breath and jumped. It was so much fun and very cool water (I was really hot) we did it twice.
Two of the guides made grasshoppers out of palm leaves and let Cindy and I keep them. They are so cute we tried to learn but didn’t have much time to figure out how nor anyone to show us how to make them. The guides were too busy packing up and helping us get going again.
We saw several different types of birds and four howler monkeys relaxing in a tree. We also saw a few iguanas that challanged us by bobbing their heads. Oh, so scary 50 feet up in a tree.
Tonight has been very relaxing. We swam in the pool, had wood oven pizza, and of course a couple of vhinos by the river. Their cab is great. Cindy, Bev and I sat out on the deck for quite a while trying to see some wild animal but had no luck. The only thing we saw were some lightening bugs. I can hear animals all round but they are just very hard to see.
I wouldn’t say that the vacation has been relaxing to this point, but it has been full of adventure. Just the way I like it. Tomorrow is a big day so for now Audios!
Day 4 - 12/29/05
What a way to start my morning. I went for a bird hike, got to see howler monkeys, and literally had ants in my pants. Or an ant anyhow which was pleanty. The ant even made me dance. Cindy had been taking footage of of the monkeys and forgot to shut off her video camera and got the audio but not the video. I am usually a fairly conservative person when it comes to personal items but this is one case where I wasn't too shy to dig around in my pants. After eight bites I finally got the ant out. It was pretty big and black. I have no idea what type it was, I am just glad it wasn't a bullet ant (because getting bit by one is supposed to feel like getting shot). I have heard that their bite is about ten times more painful then a wasp sting. Our guide Anselmo has been bitten by one before and he said it really makes you cry. He had a worse reaction than most because he was allergic to the bite. The ant that stung me was the equivilent to a honey bee I guess. I went through stages of it hurts, to it only itches, to it burns, and back to it hurts and then itches.
After breakfast we were off to the Dole banana farm. It was very interesting to learn about the banana plantations. Banana's do not grow on trees they are the biggest herb in the world. They grow from corums like a crocus. They also need a lot of water because they are 90% water. You can cut throught them very easily, almost like cutting a flower but with a much bigger stem.
There is a difference between wild bananas and the bananas that we buy in the grocery store to eat. The wild bananas have productive seeds which are acutually quite large. You would be spitting out a lot of seeds if you tried to eat one. They are also shorter. The bananas that we eat have too many chromosomes so they are not fertile. They are reproduced by cloning, not by seed. They still have seeds in them, but they are very small and infertile so we do notice them while we eat them.
Each banana stem has only one bunch of bananas during its life. While the stem is producing bananas another stem is growing that will take over for the stem that is growing the bananas. A little tiny stem is also starting to grow that will take over for the stem that is growing now. Think of it sort of like a grandmother (banana producing), daughter (getting ready to produce bananas), and a baby (just starting to grow from the base of the corum). It takes nine months for the banana plant to produce what I only know is called "the purple thing". It is basically the banana's flowers. During the last week or two "the purple thing" is emerging from the stem of the banana plant and it squeeks as it travels up the stem. They say the banana plant is screeming because it is giving birth (it takes nine months for “the purple thing” to emerge much like a human baby). When it pops out the top in inverts and hangs down then the outside of “the purple thing” opens up and the baby bananas are exposed. The top few are female and begin to bloom and grow slowly reaching towards the sun (which is how bananas get their shape).
Towards the center of “the purple thing” are the male flowers. Workers visit each banana plant a few times as the bananas are developing. The fist time they cover the baby bananas with a plastic bag to discourage insects, the next visit they take off the flowers (which are located on the end of each banana) so the banana does not get rotten in the center or attract insects, the third visit they cut off the purple thing and the lower three clusters of bananas except for one little banana on the bottom. Why do they leave that little banana you might ask? Well he is the hero of the day. The little banana on the bottom keeps the plant feeding the stalk all the way down to the tip end of stalk so the stalk does not rot and cause the bananas to go bad.When the bananas are ready to be harvested two men come and cut down the entire banana plant’s stem and harvest the bananas. The plants weight about 125 pounds. They have to carry the entire stalk to a little train type of thing which is then pulled through the farm back into the plant where the bananas are sorted and shipped.
At the plant workers cut the bananas off and sort the good from bad bananas. They use water to move the bananas from one place to the next because the water rinses off the latex (sap) the plant produces and keeps the bananas from brusing. Then they put stickers on each bunch of bananas and paint the stems, then pack and ship them to other countries. Germans eat the most bananas followed by Americans.
Rejected bananas are used to feed animals, make baby food (if they are brusied), and even used as fertilizer. Parts of the banana plants are simply thrown on the ground and allowed to decompose to help make the soil better.Dole is the company we visited and they are very proud of the work they do in Costa Rica. They not only use very small amounts of pesticides and herbicides and try to be environmentally friendy. They have eared some sort of award, I cannot remember, for being so environmentally friendly. They also treat their workers very well. They provide housing, healthcare, education and a lot of benefits to the workers.
After we were finised with our tour we sampled some banana liquor. Carlos, our banana guide, told us to be sure to sip, not shoot, the shot. It was very strong and cleaned out your nose. I purchased a bottle for $8.
The Sarapique River was the next stop. We took a boat ride down the river and saw many types of birds and other animals. It was mainly a relaxing trip simply for wildlife viewing. We saw camen, neotropical otters, emerald baslisk, an anole, two-toed sloth, howler monkeys, iguanas, long-nosed bats, and several species of birds.
After lunch and a swim (which I must say provided the best bird watching of the day) we went for a hike in the primary rainforest. The family that purchased the land and created the Selva Verde Lodge has taken great pains to preserve a section of the rainforest for the wildlife in the area. They have disturbed as little as possible there and used non-destructive techniques to clear trails. Basically the same principles we use in the States in wilderness areas. No loud machines, everything is done by hand and very carefully so the smallest amount of land is disturbed.We learned about trees, animals and insects on our hike through the forest. Leaf cutter ants were busily defoliating a tree and carrying their booty into the mound to feed the fungus they will in turn eat. Crafty little farmers. A lone bullet ant scoped us out. I was just happy it kept its distance. One type of ant bite is enough for this trip. We smelled a snake but didn’t see it. Believe it or not they do have a distinctive sent. Just pick up a garter snake and you will find out what they smell like. We also saw white-faced capuchines (a monkey) and a blue-jeans poisen dart frog.
It was getting dark and we were getting hungary so we headed back to the lodge. Better not to get caught out in the rainforest without a light in the dark anyway. After dinner we had a surprise waiting for us. A Central American Wolly Opossum and a Kinkajou graced us with their presents at the feeders. They were a welcome site and very cute. I took photos, with a flash, then later felt bad because I realized that it probably hurt their eyes. I will have to remember that for future reference. I don’t want to be the cause of them being somebody’s dinner.
Day 5 - 12/30/05
Today we left Selva Verde behind it was a very nice place to stay. I am going to have to look into their program where they allow volunteers to come and work for a year at a time. They place them with families, I wonder if they provide a stipend? If not now maybe I can retire there someday. I didn’t get up and go on the bird walk today because could hear it raining and didn’t feel like dealing with that. I think it would have been a perfect day to watch the birds because so many were active this morning. I saw three that I hadn’t seen before. The rain had stopped by the time I got up.
We left for our hotel for Arenel around 8:00. I sat up front with Ricardo so I could practice by Spanish. We had a lot of fun talking but I think I missed out on some of the talk about the Costa Rican culture. We did speak briefly about coffee (shade grown vs. full sun coffee). Shade grown coffee is better for the environment and animals, but sun grown coffee apparently tastes better. Anselmo said that he doesn’t drink coffee so he just knows what other people say. I can’t contribute to this thought process because I hate coffee. Costa Rica dosen’t grow as much coffee as they did at one time. Much of the best coffee land has been taken up by the growing San Jose and its surrounding towns.
We arrived at a small town near Arenel (La Fortuna) and got out to streach our legs and did a little bit of shopping. I got some cool stickers. Then we went to our hotel and checked in. The volcano was covered with clouds and you couldn’t see the top. Our hotel was nice, we each had a small cabin. Cindy and I had three beds for two people.
After lunch we went to hike at Arenel. For the most part the volcano was covered in clouds, but you could still hear it rumbel then see the lava moving down the side of the volcano. During the day it just looked like stones falling down the side but at night you could see the orange of the lava. It was pretty cool. Back to the hike. There were signs posted eveywhere to hike at your own risk because it was an area of high volcanic activity. We got to see a talamanca galliwasp (a small lizzard), an eyelash viper, and a coutimundi.
On the hike we passed a couple of areas where there had been lava flows. The volcano had woken up after several hundreds years of inactivity. Before 1968, it had not erupted since 1200 to 1500 A.D. Since 1968 it has erupted daily. People used to camp in the crater and hike all over the volcano.
Now you cannot get too close to the volcano. In fact, the areas we hiked on had signs warning visitors about the danger of hiking in the area. There have been many phyroclastic flows even in recent years. The volcano has been active for 38 years. One of the last major flows took place in 2003.In 1968, over 100 people and several hundred animals were killed in the eruption. The volcano actually covered a small town. The night before there were several earthquakes and that morning peple heard a sound like a huge plane flying overhead. It was the volcano erupting. It had another major eruption again in 1992. I bought a book on the volcano, it was very interesting. In one area there are several craters in the ground. These were made when the mountain blew its top in 1968. Large rocks were ejected into the air then made craters when they hit the ground.
After the hike we went back to the hotel, ate supper and relaxed for a while. Then we drove to the other side of the volcano to see what we could see. The coulds were still covering the volcano but on our way there I could see a glowing spot every now and then. The lava would flow appear from under the clouds where you could see it. It seemed like we drove forever to get to the observation spot. The road was full of potholes and it was interesting as always.
Once we stopped and got out of the van we could see orange lava every now and then. Some of the flows came down very far. It was sort of neat to see the difference in the night and day. Day the lava looked like rocks tumbing down the hill, but at night it flowed orange for a few seconds until the outer crust cooled and turned black.
We moved spots a couple of times an got different perspectives. We still couldn’t see the top of the volcano but it was cool anyway. Some people were camping there and I couldn’t help but wish it was me.
That night I drempt Arenal was erupting and eventhough I didn’t get to see it in person it was vivid as real life in my dreams. The dream woke me up at 4:30 in the morning so I went outside to see if I could spot the top of the volcano. It was finally clear (no clouds) but we were not on the active side of the volcano anymore so all you would see was the hot lava flowing out of the top of the volcano every once and a while. The otherside would have been truly impressive I think.
Day 6 - 12/31/05
Happy New Years Eve. This is my third new years in a forgin country. I wouldn’t mind if it were an annual activity. It was beautiful outside and you could see the volcano. Anselmo tried to wake Cindy and I up earlier to see the volcano but we had already been out. It was nice of him to think of us.
There are several words dealing with the volcano I learned in spanish.
Montana del fuego – VolcanoLava – Lava
Rockas Caliente – Lava (hot rocks)
Eruption – Eruption but pronounced slightly different
Cenisa – ash
Estruendo – rumbling
Fumarolas – fumes rising from the volcano
Aguas termales – hot springs
Retumbar – noise the volcano makes.
(The spelling of the words above may not be correct but you get the idea.)
The hotel we stayed at was called th Lava Tacoteles which means virgin forests that have been cut by lava.
We had a road trip over to Jaco that took about five hours. We stopped and bought some dulce (candy) and bananas that had been wood roasted. The candy was very good and the bananas were alright. I don’t think I would a wood roasted banana again.
We drove through more rainforests, cloud forests, and dry forests. We talked more about Costa Rica. I learned that the government has outlawed hunting of any type and only trees that have fallen down naturally are harvested. Fishing is allowed but you may only take what you need to feed your family. Anselmo said that even though thes laws have been in place for a long time they have only been enforced in the last few years. There deforeststion has actully stopped and now they are planting many trees again. Some animals are making a comback. Scarlet and green macaws, tapier, and many other animals are coming back. Some species are feared extinct like the golden toad. I hope the toad is like the ivory billed woodpecker in the United States. We though it was extince for a long time but just last year we confirmed a sighting again. No one knows if the toads are extinct for sure but they are presumed extinct. I hope they are not. They are still on all the guides and some people have claimed they still see them. Just like the ivory billed woodpecker. Without proof people just don’t believe. Maybe it is a good thing, so they are not disturbed.
After a quick lunch we were off to the canopy tour. They put all of our gear for us so they knew we would be safe then lead us up the trail. Bev and Ricardo stayed at the van but everyone else went on the tour, incuding Bob. It was a long hike back into the forest with quite a few step along the way. We hiked through a valley for a little while then up a hill near a waterfall. The canopy tour was not what I expected. I don’t know what I though it would be, but I didn’t think it was a series of ziplines. We got to the top and they fastened you in. You don’t even have a chance to ge scard. They just shove you off a slide then you go – ready or not – zipping through the canopy. Then you stand on a small platforms while you wait for your next turn. While you wait you have a chance to look around and see what is going on.We saw some birds and ants. I am very careful now. I don’t want to get bitten again. They had a few surprises for us. We sat in a tree house, did a rope swing, and a free repel. I would love to do it again. I want to do the one at Monta Verde! It is very high and through the cloud forest.
After that Ricardo and I looked in the stream and saw some tadpoles and glass shrimp. It was fun to play around in the sream for a while looking for animals. I felt like I was a kid again. I almost fell in a couple of times and we had a wonderful time. We even caught a tadpole con pedes (with feet) and a shrimp to show everyone. They are fast little buggers!
We got back at the hotel in just enough time to take a quick swim in the ocean and in the pool before dinner. Then Anselmo, Ricardo and I hit the town for New Years Eve. Everyone else was just too tired and went to bed. Ricardo soon turned into a pumpkin as well leaving Anselmo and I to celebrate the new year. The bar was packed, but it was still a lot of fun. We got a little happy new year package complete with hats, streamers, and noise makers to celebrate with.
Day 7 - 1/1/06
Today we went to Manuel Antoneo National Park. It was so beautiful. It is right on the coast and protects quite a chunck of land and ocean. I wouldn’t really call the wildlife there too wild however. The white faced monkeys stole peoples food and hung around all the time. I took several photos of them. It was obvious people feed them although it isn’t really allowed. The coati came right up to, so did raccoons. The beach was beautiful too.Anselmo, Doug, Michael and I hiked up to a high point and were rewarded with a spectacular view. We saw more moneys and two and three toed sloths and heard the only type of tucan I didn’t get to see while I was there. What a view.
There were hermit crabs everwhere on the beach. When I returned from the hike Cindy, Micheal, Doug and I snorkeled near some large rocks. We did see not see many fish in other areas but there was quite a varity near the rocks. There were wrass, butterfly fish, and so many others I don’t know. They were all very beautiful. Some were so camoflaged that you couldn’t see them until they moved.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped for pizza. At the pizza place we got to see some squirrel monkeys. They just happened to be coming through. The road had a small monkey highway over the top of it. Some kids fom the US had raised money and sent it down. It was fun to watch them cross. They leaped from tree to tree. I don’t know how they do it. What if the branch breaks.
Anselmo said they hold onto a branch with their tail until they know their grip is firm. I saw a couple of branches break and the monkeys were holding on with their tail so they didn’t fall. I wonder how it works if it happens when they jump and they land of a branch that breaks. Maybe they only aim for greenery.The driving down here is crazy. Besides San Jose it is the only thing I will not miss about Costa Rica. Anselmo said the 95% of the accidents are caused my male drivers. I find this amusing because Ricardo was complaining about the woman driver in front of us because she was being cautious. Ticos are very friendly people and very nice to be around. But they drive like crazy people. Well not quite like they drive in Mexico but close. By the way coconut is good on pizza.
Day 8 - 1/2/06
To Tortuga Island! We left early this morning so we would have time to stop and look at the crocadiles. I couldn’t believe how big they were. I knew that crocadiles were big but I didn’t really think that they would get that big in the Americas. I thought that was an Austrailia and Africa thing.Again I must stress driving in Costa Rica is a bit crazy as was our next hour in the van. Some of the bridges are holy bridges – you pray from the second your tires touch them until your off the bridge. I would hate to think about what would happen if an earthquake hit while driving over them. They are bridges no one in the states would even consider driving on. Old train trussels just wide enough for your tires with no sides. Oh well, I made it I guess. Ricardo apologized to us upon our arrival for the bumps and swerves but he didn’t want us to miss our boat. I appreciate that and was only scard one time because we were passing on a curve and I didn’t realize that we were on a three lane highway. My heart stopped for just a moment.
The boat ride out to Tortuga Island was beautiful. Costa Rica is very mountainous therefore there is a lot of change in topography even on the beaches. There are huge rocks sticking up out of the water with birds nesting on every availabe space on the smaller islands. Not many natural predators but they are white on top because of all the bird poop. They reminded me of bald men.
After about an hour, or a little more we arrived at Tortuga Island – shaped like a turtle. It was like a little paradise. I had signed up for snorkeling on our way there and we took off soon after arrivial. They weren’t the greatest reefs in the world. I read somewhere many of Costa Rica’s reefs had been destroyed by pollution and earthquakes. Cindy said that it looked healthier than the last time she was there.
This must be my trip to get stung. Swimming around the boats I got stung by something in the water right on the top of my foot. Thank goodness it wasn’t too bad. The ants were definitely worse. I think there may be some benefits to wearing one of those body suits while snorkeling. They protect you from the sun and from the stinging sea creatures.
We did see quite a few fish and the small patch reef did seem as like it was recovering. Now if only they would use permanat anchors so they didn’t have to drop their anchor on the coral it would help the reefs to look even better. For all the steps Costa Rica has taken to protect their environment, the little I saw they could work on their coasts a bit more.
After snorkeling we had lunch. I am not really sure what the appatizer was they served us but all I have to say is that it was awesome. Apparently it had raw fish in it. Who knew! It was great! Lunch was also good. Thank goodness I saw the bird hop in the macarroni salad and steel a noodle after I had my fill!
Lunch was entertaining because they played music and the guys making lunch were funny. The servers were making fun of eachother. One of the guys kept talking in a falcetto voice. Anselmo said they were teasing him about having a woman’s job.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy. We walked around the beach. Swam in the ocean. Petted a peccray (which normally wouldn’t let you touch it and if your ever attacked by them it is best to climb a tree). I wouldn’t usually condone this type of activity, but I really wanted to see what it felt like. I am pretty sure it had been brought to the island and was someone’s pet. Anyway it was interesting to see up close and personal. Don’t try that in real life kids.
We all snorkeled around the rocks on the beach some more. I even stumbled upon a stonefish, I think that is what they are called it looked just like a stone, and no I didn’t get stung this time. Doug could have though. He decided to sit on a rock just a few feet away from the fish. That would have been painful!On the return trip Cindy and I sat on the nets for a while (part of the boat). I kept looking out over the ocean thinking about how I could wake up every day here and be happy. Part of me really wants to return for an extended amount of time. Maybe forever. It is fun to think about anyway. Maybe I will get up enough courage to do it. Better sooner than later, right now I don’t have much tieing me here. Just work, house, friends, family, and a dog. Sell the house, take the dog with, have the friends and family visit (who doesn’t want to visit paradise), that only leaves work. I have a great job now. What to do, what to do?
After our arrival we were on our way back to San Jose. I hated to see the coast and the forests go. We arrived back in San Jose in time for dinner then called it an early night. The rest of the evening was our to do whatever we wanted.
Day 9 - 1/3/06
It seems that up and at um early is a theme on this trip. Not that I wouldn’t want it to be. I want to see and absorb as much as I can while I am here!
We went on a city tour this morning. I can’t say it was the highlight of my trip because I prefer the country. Out of all the places in Costa Rica I think San Jose was my least favorite. That being said there was a lot there that was worth seeing. We spent the morning visiting the National Theater. They use it for diplomatic events, operas, plays and the like. It was very beautiful and would be sort of like our White House. They built it because some premadonna(o) wouldn’t come sing in Costa Rica in the 1800’s because they didn’t have a nice enough place for him/her (can’t remember which) to sing. Costa Rica vowed that would never happen again so they hired people from Europe to come over and build and design the theater. It took seven years to build.
Next we went to Natural History and Cultural Museum of Costa Rica. The museum is housed in the old armery which is no longer needed because Costa Rica does not have an army anymore. There are still bullet holes from the last battle ever fought in the country when they over threw a president in 1948. The new president abolished the army and created a law which states that no president can run for more than one consecutive term in office.
It was very interesting to look around the displays. They had information on several of the native people who live in Costa Rica. They also had several of the large balls that you can find in the south western side of the country. They are sort of like the Easter Island heads except they are large spheres carved out of stone. Some have people burried under them but no one knows how or why they were made. Now you can find them all over the country and some are painted. We saw one that was painted like a soccar ball.
We went to Sarche in the afternoon to do some shopping. I ended up with a couple of very beautiful cutting boards, a t-shirt, and some coasters. It was nice to get a chance to look around. I should have bought that pot though. Oh well, maybe on the next trip. I also want to buy one of their little coffee carts. They are so cute and would make a great end table.On the way back from Sarche we stopped in Greese. Funny story. They have a church made out of metal there that was supposed to be put up in Greese but the company made a mistake. They shipped it to Costa Rica and found a town named Greese put up the church then found out three months later that they took it to the wrong county. Opps!
After Sarche was our farewell dinner with Anselmo and Ricardo, I will miss them both. Everyone else had to leave in the morning very earily but I wasn’t leaving until the afternoon flight. I didn’t get to see Ricardo again but Anselmo promised to take me around again in the morning.
Day 10 - 1/4/06
My last day here. I was tempted to stay but knew I couldn’t at this time so I packed up my bags and prepared to go. Anselmo turned up round 8:30 a.m. We had breakfast then walked around the city for a little while. It was sort of discusting. We walked down one street and there was a fowl smell. At first I thought it was dog excrement but I am pretty sure it was human – right there in the middle of the sidewalk. Gross! Again San Jose not my favoriate part of Costa Rica.
We wound up at the Children’s Museum which is in the old jail house. It was really pretty cool. We walked through space the final frontier. Learned about the origin of life on Earth, experienced an earthquake not a real one (it was sort of like a ride), saw animals, and took a very interesting tour of the human reproductive cycle. Apparently we are a conservative culture in this way. I would never have seen anything like that in a children’s museum in the states. It was actually a nice way to explain sex to children. It wasn’t scary and kids weren’t going “oh Mom or oh Dad do we have to talk about this” then rolling their eyes. It explained things in simple easy to understand pictures and experiences. They even put an empathy belly on a teenage boy. He got picked on a lot by his family it was pretty funny. Eventhough it was all in spanish I was amazed that I understood most of it. It is a guided tour, so the adults make sure the kids get the complete story. I guess it would be one way of showing your kids about reproduction from conception to birth. I wonder if parents take their kids there when they have the birds and bees talk?
They also had facinating exhibits on how Costa Rica generates its power, produces its crops, the human body, and many other exhibits. Anselmo and I had a quick lunch then he dropped me off at the airport. I will miss him, he has become a good friend.
The trip back was long and bittersweet but my old life awaited. I stayed in Georgia tonight with my friend from high school Sarrah. I was fun to see her and her new house.
Day 11 - 1/5/06
I arrived in Minneapolis around 9:00 and Mike's dad picked up at the airport. I drove home and took it easy for the rest of the day. Traveling really takes its tole.
In all we saw 97 different species of birds that we identified and several mammal, spider, and insect species.
posted by IOU... | 6:56 PM
