The Resplendent Quetzal

On this recent trip to Costa Rica, my 12th in 17 years, I was lucky enough to be able to stay with 2 different friends, each for part of my time there. And I was even luckier that one of my friends, Ernesto, was on vacation from his teaching job and agreed to travel with me somewhere in the country for a few days. I wanted to go somewhere I hadn’t been before, or at least not for a while, and that was a reasonable distance to travel to for 2 or 3 days for 2 people who don’t drive. Oh, and it had to be safe. There have been quite a few high-profile crimes committed against tourists in the past few years, and as I was searching for a destination, I felt my options getting fewer and fewer.

I launched into a search for a destination. Using a combination of an old Lonely Planet guide book, TripAdvisor forums, and simply by googling “off the beaten path Costa Rica,” I was led to San Gerardo de Dota. Never been there–check. Don’t need a car–check. 2 1/2 hour bus ride from San Jose–check. Seems to be safe–check. It appears I had found my destination!

Located in southern Costa Rica, San Gerardo de Dota is flanked by the Talamanca mountains and the crystal clear Savegre River runs through this picturesque town. It was founded in the 1950s by the Chacon brothers who came to the area and set up a dairy farm. Currently the only major industries in the region are trout fishing and tourism, and it remains relatively undiscovered except by birders.

From Ernesto’s home outside of San Jose, we took an Uber to the bus station, a bus to San Jose, a taxi between bus terminals, and then another bus to San Gerardo (MUSOC indirect bus from San Jose to San Isidro de General runs hourly–ask to be let off at Kilometer 80). At Kilometer 80 we departed the bus, and waited for our prearranged pickup from our hotel. Despite having bought a Costa Rican SIM card, I had no service in the mountains, and Ernesto had almost no battery left on his phone, so luckily our driver arrived promptly in a pickup truck to get us.

The hotel I had selected, Cabinas El Quetzal (http://www.cabinaselquetzal.com/), was lovely. Only 4 cabins, on lush grounds along the Savegre River, it seemed to be a perfect spot to relax for the 2 nights we had booked. (Be aware that the hotel required a bank transfer to secure the deposit–traveling with a Costa Rican, this wasn’t a problem because Ernesto did it easily, but it would have been more complicated if I had had to do that. However, the property is also available through booking.com, which is probably a simpler way to book from outside of Costa Rica.) The hotel staff was helpful and accommodating, and a delicious breakfast and dinner were included in the price.

Our 2 bedroom cabin.

Once we checked in and got settled, we went off to explore the area. The truth is, there isn’t a lot to do in San Gerardo but that is part of its charm. It was really a perfect place to relax and rejuvenate. The area is full of beautiful flowers and trees but it is really famous for birdwatching, and it is one of the few places to see the resplendent quetzal, an elusive bird found in these highlands. (It also happens to be the national bird of Guatemala and their unit of currency.) I learned that the quetzal doesn’t like the sun, therefore, the tour the next morning to (hopefully) see it would be at 5:30 AM. Gulp.

When I did research into the region, I learned that it would be cold at night and in the early morning in these high altitudes (40’s F). What I wasn’t prepared for was how cold it would be indoors, since there was no heating. Not in the dining room and not in the cabin. I’ve never been so happy to have a Uniqlo heattech shirt and a light down jacket! It started to cool off early in the day, around 6 PM and nightlife in the region seemed to be pretty non-existent, so after a delicious dinner of locally caught trout, Ernesto and I just returned to the cabin for an early evening.

At 5:30 AM the next morning, dressed in most of the clothing I had brought with me, I met our guide Carlos. The tour consisted of just Ernesto, me, and an American couple who were *serious* birders. Now, I respect that people have all kinds of interests, and birds are interesting and pretty to look at, but there’s nothing like experiencing a culture that you don’t know very well as an outsider. I’ll just say that people take their birds very seriously. Carlos was great, though. He helped the serious birders find the rare birds they were excited to see, and took pictures with my phone through the telescope of whatever I asked him to. When we got to the spot where the quetzals were hanging out, we converged with what appeared to be every tourist staying in the region.

Hoping to spot a glimpse of the quetzal.

 

Male quetzal.

Female quetzal.

Hummingbird.

While I haven’t gotten to the point of having a life list, I did get excited about seeing the beautiful quetzal, as well as other birds found in the region. Following the 2 hour birding tour, Ernesto and I returned to the hotel for breakfast and then went for a hike on our own. Luckily the weather completely changed by late morning, to the extent that it was comfortable to be in just a t-shirt and lightweight pants for the greater part of the day.

The hotel had some bird feeders and it was nice to just sit near them and see which birds came around.

Acorn woodpecker.

San Gerardo de Dota was a perfect destination for what I was looking for on this trip. Would I recommend it to someone visiting Costa Rica for the first time?  Maybe not, just because there are so many places where one can see a wider range of wildlife and participate in more varied activities. But if you are a serious birder, or you are planning an in-depth visit to Costa Rica, and want to get off the beaten path for a few days, this might be the place for you.

Where Am I?

I can’t believe that in my love letter to San Jose that I wrote recently, I didn’t address the very Costa Rican technique of describing addresses or determining where to meet up with friends. This is true of the whole country, but is more noteworthy in the capital city than in small towns. Basically, Costa Rican don’t use street addresses to describe where they are going or even know what street a restaurant or store is on. Everything is described in relation to famous (or no longer existing landmarks). Take my beloved hotel, Kaps Place, as an example. On the hotel’s website is the following:

Our address:

• #1142, Street 19, Between Avenues 11 & 13
  Barrio Aranjuez, San José
  Costa Rica

That is for gringos like me, who need a street address to navigate and know where we are in the world. Over the past few years, I have noticed an increasing amount of street signs around the center of San Jose, drastically improving my ability to navigate on foot.

Also on the hotel’s website is this:

Costa Rican directions:

Tell the taxi driver the address Costa Rican taxis and people in general will know:

• De la Iglesia Sta. Teresita en Barrio Aranjuez, 200 Norte, 200 Oeste y 50 Sur, #1142, contiguo al Centro Profesional Aranjuez

(From Santa Teresita Church in Aranjuez neighborhood, 200 meters north, 200 meters west and 50 meters south, #1142, next to the Aranjuez Professional Center). 100 meters corresponds to a city block, so the hotel is 2 blocks north, 2 blocks west and 50 meters south of the well known church. Seriously. This is how taxi drivers (and all other Costa Ricans) will know how to find the hotel.

When I studied in San Jose in 2002, I lived with a host family in a neighborhood called Vargas Araya, about a 20 minute bus ride from my Spanish school in San Jose. Luckily the house was on the same street as the bus that I took and was painted green, so I was always able to identify it. I learned how to follow the landmarks to know where to get off. The fun came when I would go out at night with friends and  then take a taxi back. If the driver took the one route that I knew (the bus route) I could direct the taxi fairly easily. The challenge was when I would come back a night out dancing and the driver would sometimes take a different route home. Then I would be completely lost and I would have to direct him to the closest familiar landmark (The Universidad Latina) and then I could navigate from there. To this day, I don’t know the name of the street that I lived on for 2 months, although I have been told that all Costa Rican streets do have names or numbers even if they aren’t marked.

When people go out in Costa Rica, they also decide where to meet differently than what I am used to. When I go out with my friends in New York, we generally have a plan of where we are going so we meet wherever we have decided on (at a restaurant, movie theater, etc.). In Costa Rica, I tend to meet my friends at landmarks and we decide from there where we are going. So we will meet, for example, in front of the National Theater, or in front of the church in San Pedro. It used to feel weird to me but now I am kind of used to it.

This system of directions and finding their way around the city might work reasonably well in a small town but it is inefficient to say the least in a fairly large city like San Jose. I talked to some of my tico friends about it and nobody seems to want it to change. It is clearly a part of their identity and culture. I have found it to be both charming and frustrating at different times but now I have just come to accept it for what it is. Pura vida!

In Defense of San José

I’ve sadly neglected this blog for way too long. I just came back from my 10th visit to Costa Rica in the past 13 years and spent a lot of time thinking about why people are all so negative about San José. Every time I read the TripAdvisor message boards or a guide book, or talk to other tourists, the first thing I hear is to avoid San José.  The following post is adapted almost verbatim from some thing I just posted on the Costa Rica message board on TripAdvisor. It will be interesting to see what kind of response I get.

The first time I went to Costa Rica in 2002, I stayed for 2 1/2 months, the majority of the time studying Spanish at the Costa Rica Language Academy in San Jose, living with a host family and traveling around the country on weekends and at the end of my trip. I became good friends with some of my Spanish teachers, as well as my host family and when I return it is to see them as well as to enjoy the natural beauty that Costa Rica has to offer. I always use San Jose as my base—I have stayed with my host family, with other friends, at the Hotel Aranjuez, and most recently at Kaps Place Hotel (http://www.kapsplace.com), which I can’t recommend highly enough. It is a lovely, calm oasis in the middle of the bustling city with the nicest staff imaginable and a wonderful breakfast at very affordable prices.

I often read and hear disparaging comments about San Jose and find myself wondering why I like it so much there. Clearly part of its appeal to me is that it is full of memories of wonderful experiences and times shared with friends. But on this recent trip, as I walked through the city I started to think about what the city has to offer on its own merits to a more typical traveler who might not have the same associations and memories that I do. And the conclusion that I’ve reached is that depending on your travel style and what you are looking for, it might be worth giving San Jose a chance.

First of all, for budget travelers (ie, anybody not renting a car, using private shuttles or taking internal flights) it definitely more convenient to base yourself in San Jose rather than Alajuela, which is often what is recommended. I agree that it could make more sense to spend a last night in Alajuela, especially if you have an early flight the next day, but the truth is that there isn’t much to do there. Anyone who is taking local buses around the country is much better situated being in San Jose. It will give you much easier access to all other parts of the country. And if you decide to stay a day or two there in between visiting beaches, rainforests, volcanoes, etc. you might just enjoy it. So here are some of my favorite San Jose activities:

Museums: The Gold Museum, the Jade Museum, and quite a few art museums. In addition, the National Musuem currently has a wonderful photography exhibit called “Somos Todos Costa Rica” (We Are All Costa Rica) highlighting the country’s racial and ethnic diversity. If you happen to stay at Kaps Place or Hotel Aranjuez you are just a few blocks away from the small (and free) Museo Calderon Guardia, which always has a small exhibit by a Costa Rican artist that I’ve never heard of (the permanent collection is less interesting, in my opinion).

Strolling: In the past few years I have noticed a dramatic increase in street art (graffiti), some political in nature, while other works seem to be simply decorative. I also love walking in Barrio Amon, which has some beautiful homes. Near Parque Morazon are the pretty Casa Amarilla and the Edificio Metalico. The Universiity of Costa Rica in nearby San Pedro has a nice urban campus.

Shopping: In addition to the Central Market, which is often recommended, there is also a wonderful organic green market on Saturday mornings in Barrio Aranjuez. Even if you don’t buy anything, most of the vendors give out samples. The craft market near the National Museum has the best prices for souvenirs that I have seen in the country. I also always make sure to hit some supermarkets to stock up on coffee. This time I bought a 250 gram bag of Leyenda Tueste Oscuro on sale for 1000 colones (less than $2.00). It is made by Cafe Britt and I saw the exact same coffee at the airport for $11.00.

Restaurants and bars: Everything from high end places like Tin Jo and Cafe Mundo to the many sodas and cafes and smoothie shops. I also like Jazz Cafe in San Pedro (there is also one in Escazu) for live music.

Hopefully I have succeeded in providing a different perspective on San Jose and will convince some of you to give it a chance. Yes it’s crowded and dirty and you have to be careful (as you do anywhere). But you might be pleasantly surprised.

Feeling Thankful

I guess the day before Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect and what I have been thinking about is how lucky I am to have so many wonderful friends I have all over the world and from all over the world. It also occurred to me how many of them I have met traveling. Being here in Costa Rica just made all of that so clear.

Arriving in San Jose on Tuesday I feel like I entered a different vacation from the one I had been on until then. After spending 5 days in a very calm, peaceful place, I arrived to the traffic and bustle of a capital city. But it was more than the change from rural to urban, from quiet to noisy. It was also from having days with nothing planned and nothing scheduled, to days full of appointments to meet up with friends. And that is the biggest change of all.

Even in Sarapiquí, I thought a lot about Nick and Karen, who I met there last year and who I visited in Ireland this year. Ernesto, who spent the weekend there with me, has been a good friend since he was my Spanish teacher in 2002. Today I am going to visit the family that I lived with for 2 months on that same trip in 2002. Then later in the afternoon, I am going to spend time with Jose Pablo who I met a few years ago when he was en route to China from Costa Rica at the same time as my friend Carolina, and they both stayed in my apartment in New York for a few days. Carolina is still living in China but her sister Maureen invited me to spend the day with her on Saturday. Tomorrow I will have lunch with another one of my former teachers, Anna Lucia. And on Friday, Ernesto and Alex offered to drive me to a nearby beach town for the day to visit with Nancy, a Canadian that I met last year in Nicaragua who is now living here in Jacó. Hopefully I will be able to squeeze in a few more visits with friends besides those already organized!

For me travel has always been about more than seeing pretty places or impressive sights or eating good food–although of course, all of those are part of the experience of traveling and can contribute to making a vacation special. But I believe that it is so much more about the connections that I have made and so on this day before Thanksgiving I am thankful for all of my wonderful friends, here in Costa Rica, back home in New York, and all over the world who continue to enrich my life.

Old Friends — Costa Rica part 3

On Saturday morning my Costa Rican friends Ernesto and Alex arrived to join me in Sarapiqui for the weekend. I thought they were going to drive here but they decided to take the bus instead, because they were worried about the possibility of heavy rains and the roads being flooded. So that left us in pretty much the same situation I had been in all week, which is without transportation and with limited options for activities. It seems like there is one car here which is shared between Alex Martinez, the B&B’s owner, and his son Kevin. Kevin is currently using it to drive some tourists around the country, leaving Alex with just a motorcycle, making it difficult for him to transport guests around the area.

No problem though, My friends seemed very content to just hang out on the porches of the cabins, We took turns in the hammock and had time to get caught up after not seeing each other for a year and a half. Ernesto and Alex were both very interested in the US presidential elections and I had the challenge of trying to explain the electoral college system in Spanish and things like how it is possible to lose the popular vote and still win an election. I could barely explain that in English. They were so excited and relieved to see President Obama reelected. They described how in an Afro-Caribbean community on the Caribbean coast, residents expressed their pride in Obama as one of their own. Beyond that, they felt that Obama’s victory was a victory for all marginalized and minority groups and it was impressive to me the impact that this election had on my friends so far away. We also talked quite a bit about what is happening now in Costa Rican politics. This country has the reputation for being “The Switzerland of Central America” because there is no army, however there has been an erosion of civil liberties and there is much opposition to the current president . Right now there is a gag law in effect that bars journalists from criticizing the government. A few weeks ago, what was meant to be a peaceful protest in support of maintaining the public health system got out of control when police violently attacked protesters  So then they organized another demonstration to renounce the violence of the first demonstration. What I find encouraging though, is that there is always a willingness here to fight for what people believe in and they don’t just blindly accept the actions of the government. There had also been protests earlier this year in support of gay rights, women’s rights and to in support of legalizing in-vitro fertilization. The Catholic church has a great deal of political power here so things are slow to change, but Costa Ricans will continue fighting for a secular county and to maintain basic human rights.

Besides talking about politics, we also found time to head into town on Saturday for both lunch and dinner, and snacked in between on fruit, chocolate, and some cheese and tomato that Alex from the B&B provided for us. I also listened to Ernesto, Alex and Alex talk at length about their country and I feel like I received a great lesson in modern Costa Rican sociopolitical history. But by far, the highlight of the day for me, aside from my overall happiness at spending time with my friends, was getting to see the iconic red eyed tree frog. The frogs just hang out at night in the trees at the hotel, chirping and posing for pictures.

Sunday morning after a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs, and homemade bread with homemade jam, Ernesto, Alex and I decided to take a boat tour on the Rio Sarapiquí. Alex (from the B&B) made a call and in a few minutes a driver appeared to take us to the dock. We were the only passengers on a huge boat, with a captain/guide who looked to be all of 16 years old, accompanied by the adorable 8 year old Rodolfo, who seemed to just along for the ride, but he turned out to be amazing at spotting animals and was able to tell us all about life on the river. A really smart kid with a big personality. We saw two sloths, many howler monkeys, a toucan, and several other birds. We also were able to get off the boat and walk around one of the banana plantations in the area. The captain explained that this plantation was privately owned by an American and doesn’t use pesticides on their bananas. The fruit is then sold to the big multinational companies like Dole and Chiquita. It is very easy to see banana plantations along the side of the road in Costa Rica but it was cool to actually walk around in one. It was a beautiful day to be on the water and the tour was a lot of fun, especially for this city girl. I think the guys had a good time too, even though it wasn’t quite as exotic for them.

We decided to walk back to the hotel, stopping for a coffee and snack along the way. Then there was a bit more time to hang out and chat before Ernesto and Alex had to head home. I am really glad that I will get to see them some more when I go to San Jose later in the week. Ernesto was my first Spanish teacher when I came here to study in 2002 and I met Alex a few years later. Every time I come here we spend time together and I have been waiting for years for them to come and visit me in New York. Hopefully in 2013!

The Joy of Doing Nothing–Costa Rica part 2

This title is maybe a bit tongue-in-cheek, maybe a bit sarcastic, or maybe just an attempt to convince myself of the truth in that statement. Because doing nothing really doesn’t come easy to me. As much as I know how valuable it can be to relax, slow down, and decompress, that just seems to go against all of my natural instincts. So in doing nothing (or very little) I kind of feel the same as if I were challenging myself to go outside of my comfort zone and try something new. A vacation without everything planned out and organized? Where there is a good possibility that things won’t go as I had envisioned? Where there will be quite a lot of downtime? All very stressful for me. But after being in Costa Rica for a little more than 48 hours, I am starting to get into a very slow rhythm and routine and am embracing this new experience.

Shortly after arriving as the Posada Andrea Cristina on Wednesday afternoon it began to rain. So I decided to stay put for a while, enjoying a much needed cup of coffee after my 12 hour journey from New York. Once the rain stopped, I took a 15 minute walk to the nearby town Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí. On the way, I noticed a woman at the side of the road selling a very interesting fruit that I had never seen before. She gave me one to try and told me it was called mamón chino (rambutan in English). Weird and delicious…so I bought a ¼ of a kilo for approximately $1. And I got a good photo of the vendor and her fruit to boot! I then stopped at the supermarket and a bakery for some snacks, and headed back to the posada where I tried to force myself to stay awake until a normal bed time before finally crashing around 7 PM.

Thursday morning I awoke feeling extremely well rested and full of energy. I had breakfast at the communal dining area and met some of the other guests at the hotel, who were all speaking French until I arrived. One of the things that made my visit here in 2011 so special were the fabulous people I met (Nick, Karen, Kevin, Mark–I am talking about you). Although this group was perfectly friendly, and 3 of them even invited me to go on a boat trip with them, I didn’t feel like we clicked. So I declined the invitation and embarked on what quickly became my primary activity of the past two days, lying in a hammock with a book, a magazine, a newspaper or my laptop. Sometime mid-morning, I took a look at a binder listing nearby tours and activities and decided to take advantage of what was a beautiful sunny day. With the help of Kevin, the owner’s son who was temporarily in charge, I booked a tour for later in the afternoon to a nearby rainforest/scientific research center, La Selva Biological Station (http://ots.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=162&Itemid=348). That left me time for a quick walk to town and a lunch (snack?) of a batido (fruit shake) and some cookies before coming back to the B&B to take a taxi to the start of the tour. I was pleasantly surprised to find that nobody else had signed up so I ended up having a private tour, which was awesome for a variety of reasons. First of all, I was able to ask the guide to speak Spanish instead of English. I will never miss an opportunity to practice if I can help it. Second, I was able spend as much time as I needed taking pictures without feeling rushed. Beyond that, the guide told me that we walked about 4 kilometers (in 2 ½ hours) instead of the normal distance covered of approximately 1 kilometer. I am pretty sure I would have been frustrated to only go 1 km in that amount of time. The pace felt pretty leisurely to me so it’s kind of hard to imagine covering that much less ground. We were able to see a toucan, as well as many other birds (don’t ask me what), a sloth, spider monkeys and thousands of leaf cutter ants (in my opinion, one of the most interesting sights of the rainforest). We also heard the amazing sounds of the jungle, including the roar of howler monkeys, birds chirping, and the beeping of the guide’s iPhone.

After the tour, I had the taxi driver drop me off at a nearby soda (traditional local restaurant) where I had a very early dinner (or a very late lunch, depending on how you would characterize the earlier batido). I was back at the B&B by around 5:30 PM, where I started round two of lying in the hammock before falling asleep at the slightly later hour of 9 PM.

Friday morning I woke up feeling a bit restless and thinking that if I wasn’t going to be able to volunteer at the animal sanctuary, I would need to rethink my plans, maybe cut short my time here and head to a different part of the country for a few days. But something happened in the past few hours and now I am feeling much more relaxed and content. I still don’t know if I will stick to my original plan or do something else. The other thing that isn’t easy for me is spontaneity. So I am trying to remember that it is OK to not have everything planned out to the last detail and just wait to see how things go…at least that is what I keep telling myself.

Friday morning at breakfast I met an interesting German botanist but unfortunately he was leaving later that day and a young French couple but were leaving as well. Alex, the owner of the posada as well as the founder and co-director of the wildlife sanctuary Tierra Hermosa (http://www.tierrahermosacenter.org/) was back after being away for a few days. He took me over to the sanctuary when he had to drop of some supplies there. The monkey that I remember from last year was still there, along with 3 green macaws and 1 red macaw. These are such majestic birds, totally awe-inspiring. One of the green macaws and the red one can now fly after having had their wings clipped by hunters or poachers. They are able to leave their cage and fly around freely, and will return to the wild whenever they are ready to go. There is now a beautiful cabin there for guests or volunteers and another option would be for me to stay there for a few days. That probably would make the most sense if I am actually going to volunteer but it is even more remote and isolated than where I am now, so I am just not sure if I want to do it. There is a caretaker who lives on the premises with his family so I wouldn’t be totally alone.

Aside from the visit to Tierra Hermosa, the rest of the day Friday was spent the same way I spent much of Thursday, A lot of time in the hammock, lunch in town, reading, writing and thinking. I know that a lot of people like to disconnect when they travel. I really like being able to connect with friends back home and all over the world, not to mention being able to leisurely read the New York Times online. That in itself is a treat!

Some Costa Rican friends are coming here on Saturday and staying until Sunday. I am super excited to see them and show them around this part of the country that I have quickly grown to love. After Sunday, who knows? Stay tuned to find out!

Return to a Tropical (and Rainy) Paradise — Costa Rica part 1

When I was last in Costa Rica, in March 2011, I found a lovely bed and breakfast, the Posada Andrea Cristina. One of the things that made it so special is that the owner Alex Martinez also runs an animal refuge sanctuary nearby, Tierra Hermosa, which I was able to visit during that trip. You can read about my time visiting the B&B and the sanctuary last year here: https://jilltravel.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/tropical-paradise/ When I said goodbye to Alex after that trip, he told me “You’re going to come back here to volunteer someday.” I kept that in the back of my mind, but didn’t make any specific plans to do so. This this past summer, I did have the idea of doing some volunteer work abroad, building houses for Habitat for Humanity, which didn’t end up working out. (That entire story is here: https://jilltravel.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/tropical-paradise/)

So when I found myself with a $400 credit on Taca Airlines that I had to use by this month, it was a pretty easy decision to return to Costa Rica with the plan of doing some type of volunteer work. Besides Tierra Hermosa, I looked into other options. There are quite a few turtle hatching programs that use volunteers but that work didn’t correspond with my dates, Others required a longer time commitment than I could give or were very expensive. I did find a few other possibilities working with animals, but once I got back in contact with Alex, it just made sense to go someplace that I really enjoyed and that I knew firsthand was doing really good work. I recognized that this, as a very small, grass roots project would probably be more flexible and less structured than other programs (which usually require you to start on set days of the week, with specific hours, etc.).

Over the past few weeks, I learned that this might not all work out as  I had hoped, despite my willingness to be as flexible as required. Tierra Hermosa is about a 20 minute drive from the posada,  mostly on an unpaved road. It also has a volunteer cabin on site, but since I don’t drive, I didn’t want to be isolated in a place that is so remote. My idea was to stay at the B&B (paying for my room, of course) and have somebody who works at the sanctuary or the B&B drive me back and forth. For reasons that still aren’t entirely clear to me, transporting me isn’t going to be so easy. When I found this out, I had to decide if I should try to find another volunteer project somewhere else or just keep my original plans, with the knowledge that things were most likely not going to go as I had envisioned. That is what I decided to do. I arrived in Costa Rica yesterday just of getting over an upper respiratory infection and with a very badly bruised knee, following a nasty fall almost 2 weeks ago. I started to think that a relaxing vacation might do me good and maybe it would also be an interesting experience for once in my life to not have everything planned out and every detail organized. So that is how I find myself back at the Posada Andrea Cristina for week without really knowing what I am going to do. I am still optimistic that I can get over to Tierra Hermosa for at least a few days and hopefully I can help out there as much as possible. Besides that, there are some tours I can take in this area, although I haven’t researched into anything yet. It has also been raining a lot, which makes lying on the hammock on my porch with a book sound like the most appealing activity of all.

Right now, I am just happy to be feeling awake after a long night and day of traveling, which started very early Wednesday morning with a 2:30 AM car service to the airport, a 5:15 flight, a taxi from the airport to the bus terminal in San Jose, an  11:30 AM bus ride to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui and a 20 minute walk to the Posada Andrea Cristina. I finally arrived here Wednesday at around 2 PM, feeling like a zombie. I think I crashed about 7 PM despite efforts to stay awake until a normal bed time. But now is a new day, I am feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and I’m excited to see what this trip has in store for me!

Adios, Costa Rica

I had to be at the airport around 6 AM on Tuesday for an 8 AM flight, so it seemed to make sense to spend my last night at a hotel in the city of Alajuela, which is just 5 minutes from the airport.  I figured I would sleep better having my own space and this way I wouldn’t have to get up quite as early (although still very early).  Furthermore, I didn’t want to disrupt Carolina’s entire household at 5:30 AM when I would have needed to leave there.  In all of my trips to Costa Rica, I had never been to Alajuela, so this also gave me an opportunity to visit somewhere new.

I left Carolina’s house in the morning, and decided to take a taxi to a place where I could catch a bus to Alajuela.  The taxi driver decided to take me somewhere along the route that was closer to her house, rather than the main terminal for the Alajuela buses.  There was a lot of traffic, and it seemed to be quite a distance, so I am not sure if he took advantage of me not having any idea where we were going, but eventually we arrived at our destination and he pointed me in the direction of the buses.  I was a bit nervous, because none of the signs said “Alajuela” but I asked someone who was waiting, and she confirmed that I was in the right place and let me know when the correct bus arrived.  Some nice man helped me lug my suitcase on the bus and I was on my way.  Eventually we got to what looked like the bus terminal in Alajuela and I stumbled to the front of the bus with my suitcase and knapsack to ask the driver if this is where I should get off.  He told me he would take me to my hotel (the address being only “From the old Social Security, 75 meters east”).  By doing some research online, I discovered that the hotel was on 2nd Avenue and 3rd Street, but that would do me no good because absolutely nobody in Alajuela uses street names.  There is a park at church in the center of town, and everything is pretty much oriented around that.
When I arrived at the Hotel Casa Tago around 11:30 AM I was pleasantly surprised to find that my room was already ready.  It is a small and simple hotel with very pleasant and helpful staff.  My first order of business was to find a supermarket to buy what in my opinion is Costa Rica’s best souvenir, coffee.  I think I ended up with 6 bags this time, which miraculously all fit into my suitcase. Once that very important task was out of the way, the next order of business was lunch.  Going by the recommendations of both Lonely Planet and the owner of the hotel, I chose a Mexican restaurant called Jalepeños Centro.  I decided that I wanted a change from the typical Costa Rican food that I had been eating, but I still couldn’t get away from rice and beans.  The nicest part of the meal was talking to the restaurant’s owner, originally from Colombia but raised in Flushing, New York.  I hadn’t realized how much I missed speaking English–since I got back from Sarapiquí, where there were other tourists, I pretty much only used Spanish here, which by the end of the trip left me feeling pretty exhausted.

I spent the afternoon exploring Alajuela.  Despite it being Costa Rica’s second largest, it had a feeling more of a small town.  A few churches, a few small parks, a central market, and that’s about it.  Luckily it was warm and sunny, so I enjoyed just strolling around and taking pictures.  Eventually I decided to have dinner despite not being terribly hungry, and ended up at a very pretty restaurant with outdoor seating called Café Gourmet where I had a delicious leisurely meal.After dinner, I just came back to the hotel to relax.  I had cable TV for the first time in the entire trip and was very happy to find some music videos in Spanish.  I attempted to go to sleep early in anticipation of my early departure on Tuesday, but unfortunately some very noisy people in the hotel made that impossible.  I would say that would be my only complaint about this hotel–it was unbelievably loud.  Although I supposed most people aren’t trying to go to sleep at 9:30 PM.  Although the hotel rate includes breakfast, I had to leave before 6 AM, and breakfast is not until 7 PM.  However, the woman working at the reception desk when I left was able to give me some fruit and a cup of coffee, which made all the difference in my mood and energy level.

The hotel had called a taxi for me for 5:45 AM.  It true Costa Rican fashion, it arrived 10 minutes late and I was shocked to see an enormous line at the American Airlines counter.  I think there were 2 flights leaving before mine, so all of the New York bound passengers were held back for over 30 minutes, and by the time I got through security and made it to the gate, the plane was practically boarding.

This trip was one of the most interesting and varied that I have taken in a long time.  It included time at the beach, in the rainforest, and in different 3 cities.  I stayed at 3 different hotels, 2 friends’ homes, and had meals (or coffee or a snack) at 7 people’s homes. Costa Ricans are so gracious that they thank you for coming to visit them.  I went to a short film festival, a flamenco performance, an ox-herder festival, and saw exotic birds and frogs.  It was both relaxing and exhausting with numerous memorable experiences and it was especially wonderful to be able to spend time con mis amigos Ticos!

Día de los Boyeros

On Sunday Carolina and I went to a festival  celebrating the “Día Nacional del Boyeros” in Escazú, a suburb of San José.  I honestly did not know what a boyero was until Carolina told me about this festival and we decided to check it out.  Boyero derives from the word buey, meaning ox.  Costa Rica is known for it’s elaborately painted oxcarts, which are used mainly to transport coffee on the farms.  Boyeros are the men and women who tend to the oxen and every year there is a day dedicated to them.  This festival seemed like a fun and not typically touristy thing to do.

We set off by bus on Sunday morning and arrived in Escazú just as the parade was starting.  Boyeros (and boyeras) steered oxen of all sizes and colors pulling beautifully painted carts, mostly carrying children. Photo opportunities abounded at every moment and  I could not stop taking pictures.  It was truly like entering another world.  Spectators lined the streets and old men played the marimba. We walked along the parade route and eventually found ourselves at a central plaza, where there were some vendors selling crafts and a much larger area with stands set up selling typical foods from the region.

At every souvenir shop in Costa Rica,  you can find small replicas of the oxcarts.  It is something that I have always seen and I have even bought a few as gifts over the years,  but never really thought about what they represent.  It was interesting to attend a festival celebrating the hard work of the boyeros and I suppose of the bueys as well.  I also was surprised to see this festival taking place in Escazú, which today is known as an affluent suburb where many rich expats live.  However, like much of Costa Rica, this area was originally farmlands and it is nice to see that legacy continue to be celebrated.

The Real Costa Rica

On Wednesday afternoon, I returned to Carolina’s house in San José after my 2 night getaway at the Posada Andrea Cristina in Sarapiquí.  The plan was to stay with her and possibly also with my friend Ernesto until Monday, when I would move to a hotel near the airport to spend my last night.  This gave me a few days to spend time with Carolina and visit with other  friends in San José and the surrounding area.

Carolina had arranged for us to meet up with David and Gaby, who were with us in Puerto Viejo, as well as Ernesto, who was not able to go away with us, for an outdoor screening of Costa Rican short films on Wednesday evening.  By this time, I was feeling more comfortable with the language, and was pleasantly surprised that I could understand enough of the movies to follow what was happening and enjoy them.  Following the films, we went to have a drink at a nearby restaurant, and again I felt much better able to keep up with the various conversations among my friends.  So that turned out to be a very enjoyable evening and a nice return to the urban environment of San José after being first at the beach then in the rainforest.

Thursday morning I set off to visit the family that I lived with when I studied Spanish here in 2002.  I completely lucked out back then by getting placed with the most wonderful family imaginable and had been looking forward to seeing them since I arrived in Costa Rica.  It was great to see Maruja,  my Costa Rican “mom” and her parents who are about to celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary this year.  I also got to see Maruja’s sister, Lilian, who lives in the house as well and her niece Andrea, who I remember as a shy and reserved 9 year old, and now is about to turn 19 and is studying cultural anthropology at the University of Costa Rica.  Everybody else looked pretty much the same as when I last saw then 2 years ago, but I didn’t even recognize Andrea when I saw her.  I arrived there around 10 AM, and by 11, we were eating lunch.  I could have stayed all day just chatting with Maruja and the other members of her family, but I had other friends to see, so after about a wonderful visit of about 3 hours there it was time to sayadios to my adopted Costa Rican family.

Next I set off to meet Ernesto, who had been my very first Spanish teacher here in 2002.  I was only in his class for a week before changing to Carolina‘s, but we became good friends and have been in touch ever since.  He is now a high school Spanish teacher, and had spent the morning at a federal employees’ strike. He had a few hours free before a course that he is taking, so I arranged to meet him and a friend of his for a snack near the University of Costa Rica in San Pedro.  Ernesto always chooses the best cafes and this time was no exception.  We ended up at a very chic creperie, but unfortunately I was too full from Maruja’s delicious 11 AM lunch for a crepe but did manage a frozen coffee drink.  Ernesto’s friend left shortly afterward, and he and I spent some time catching up and just strolling around the university area, as well as a nearby mall.  Eventually it was time for him to go to class and I headed back to Carolina’s.  It was a nice day, so I decided to walk from the mall all the way across San José where I needed to catch the bus to her house.  It was a long walk, but it was fun to reacquaint myself with the city and see familiar sights.  That evening, I went with Carolina and her mom to her sister’s house to celebrate her niece’s birthday.  I had not met any of her family prior to this trip, so it was nice to get to know them a little bit.

Carolina had some work to get done by Saturday, and since  Ernesto had also wanted me to visit him and meet his new puppy, we decided that Friday to Saturday would be a good time to stay him and Alex, who live in Cartago, which is anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour from San José, depending on traffic.  So on Friday morning, I took a bus from Carolina’s house to downtown San José and then another bus to Cartago, where Alex met me in front of a famous church, a well-known landmark.  Due to Costa Rica’s crazy system of addresses, it would have been impossible for me to find their apartment on my own.  When I arrived, Ernesto was still at work, so I hung out with Alex and their absolutely adorable 4 month old puppy, Lana.  Once Ernesto arrived, we all had a delicious lunch that Alex had prepared, and then went for a walk around Cartago with the dog, eventually arriving at the home of Alex’s parents’ for a mid-afternoon coffee.  In Costa Rica, coffee at someone’s house also includes bread and probably something sweet as well.  The next stop, after returning to Ernesto and Alex’s to drop off the dog, was a visit to Ernesto’s parents’ house for dinner.  Boy am I eating well on this trip. I am definitely getting spoiled by all of the home cooked meals.  Ernesto’s parents live in Coronado, which is north of San José and about 45 minutes by car from Cartago.  I think that the plan was for Ernesto, Alex and I go out for a drink after that, but we were all so tired that we just went back to their apartment and crashed.

Saturday morning Ernesto again had to work, so I spent some more time with Alex.  I really only knew Alex until now through Ernesto, and it was nice to have the opportunity to get to know him better.  He is a high school social studies teacher and knows a lot about Costa Rican politics and social issues, and very interesting to talk to.  After breakfast, we went to a huge outdoor fruit and vegetable market, then for another long walk with the puppy and Alex’s 3 year old niece.  We then drove to San Pedro, where Ernesto was teaching and met him for lunch.  From there, I was headed to meet Carolina at the home of Anna, another one of my former Spanish teachers. I was completely prepared to take a bus, but Ernesto and Alex insisted on driving me there, so we hung out for a while more around the university area and then had coffee and a funky little café until it was time for my next social engagement.  The two of them could not have been more gracious hosts and I really enjoyed the time I spent with them.

Anna had been my Spanish teacher  for just a week in 2005, during one of my return visits to Costa Rica.  She is very friendly, outgoing and chatty and can make you feel like you are best friends in a matter of minutes. I arrived at her house on Saturday before Carolina and we immediately began catching up on our lives.  Carolina arrived about a ½ hour later, and the three of us had a great time talking, laughing and gossiping.  Once again, “coffee” included a large quantity of bread and pastries, and I was fortified for our next activity in this whirlwind few days.

On Friday morning as I was on my way to Cartago, I had stopped at the Teatro Nacional to buy tickets for a flamenco show on Saturday evening for Carolina, Gaby and me.  After buying the tickets, Gaby told Carolina that she was sick and couldn’t make it.  Luckily Carolina’s mom, Ileana, was able to use the ticket and I was happy to have a small way to repay the incredible generosity that the two of then have demonstrated to me since I arrived.  I have been eating Ileana’s wonderful cooking all week and she even did some laundry for me.  Carolina has given up half of her room and has not once complained about the chaos that I am causing as stuff continuously spills out of my suitcase all over the place.  Anna, her husband, and son drove Carolina and me to the theater and we met Ileana there.  The show wasn’t great, but the dancers tried their best and the musicians were quite good.  The theater is beautiful and it was still a fun night out.

Costa Rica is well-known for it’s natural beauty–rainforests, beaches, volcanoes, etc.–and not for it’s cities. However, I really enjoyed my time in San José and Cartag0 in the company of good friends.  The beautiful weather, fun activities and home cooked meals are all added bonuses but its the people that I’m spending time with that have made this trip so special.