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globe-trotters.chDana & Mathias on Tour |
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globe-trotters.chDana & Mathias on Tour |
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With feelings of freedom and joy, we leave snow and rain behind.
We will see the old continent in a year's time!
We have a one way ticket
to Costa Rica. This does surprise the KLM check-in lady at the Unique Airport. We produce a
letter from the Costa Rican ambassador stating that we will leave Costa Rica
by car, waiving the requirement of an onward ticket. The KLM lady struggles
with the Spanish for a while, then wishes us a pleasent journey.
Pleasent journey it is, over Amsterdam and misty Atlantic Ocean,
with good food and friendly service. I try to pull my Spanish out
of the drawer again with Ken Follet while Mathias puts some links
on our web page. The newspapers go through record oil prices, Bush
against Kerry, fatal attacks in Baghdad, and the enigma of the biological age (how old is your body really?).
Slight annoyance Orlando: We need to go through the US immigration
while the plane refuels. We do the full program: the forms, the photoshop, the finger calligraphy,
and chatting with the immigration officer. The officer tells us we will love Costa Rica..
Landing at San José, the pilot tries to avoid the impressive cumuli nimbus hanging over
the jungle. What an artist! At the airport, we learn that one of our luggages got lost in Amsterdam, it will
be sent to our hotel by tomorrow if found..
The temperature is a pleasent 22 Celsius, the
humidity surprisingly low. The taxi driver takes
a shortcut through "barrios feos" of San José, reminding of the film Desperado. We take a welcome coctail at Don Carlos,
an elegant old hotel in the
downtown. Don Carlos Balser came to Costa Rica from Lichtenstein at the beginning of the century
as an internationally acknowledged authority on Pre-Colombian art. The 272 hand painted tile murals
in the lobby illustrating San José in 1900 is a nice work of art. Other masterpieces
stand or hang in the garden, patios, and in the Jacuzzi courtyard. After a light dinner, all we
can think about is sleep.
We wake up in the Hotel Don Carlos with the daylight and the flower bird song at about 4am.
It is lunchtime in Europe and we are fairly hungry.
By 7am, all the Europeans show up for breakfast under the big blue sky.
The taste of a mint cappucino is quite enjoyable.
San José city has a few nice colonial buildings
and parks but is otherwise uninspiring for a random visitor.
Approximately 1.2 million people, or about 40%
of the Costa Rican population live in the capital
in the highlands. While the population is cosmopolitan,
the quasi absence of higher buildings,
bad roads, and little rush give San Jose a provincial feel.
For visitors wishing to stay longer,
the city offers good museums, supposedly excellent
Spanish language schools,
or a prime address for study of human rights.
We stop at the
state insurance agency to buy the compulsory motor vehicle third party
liability insurance to be able to drive our car in Costa Rica.
We pass a metal detector to get into the building.
At some point, an official asks me if I would have
some foreign currency to exchange. When the answer is no,
he is sorry for his numismatics collection (;))
We eat a delicious soup and some tapas at
the "Soda Isabel". Tonight, we stay at the ecologically
orientated Hotel Aranjuez. We get some excellent pastry at breakfast.
We head for the South Carribean where we should collect our car at Puerto Limon. Christopher Columbus landed here
five centuries ago. He saw the native Indians wearing gold decorations, and called the place
The Rich Coast, Costa Rica. Ironically, after the gold was stolen, Costa Rica turned into one of the
poorest and most isolated colonies in the Spanish empire. The fortunes started to turn when the
province became independent and began exporting coffee. Today, Costa Rica enjoys the highest
standards of living in the Central American region.
In the Southern Carribean, the Indians and Spaniards were replaced predominantly
by Jamaican descent, who came here for fishing and farming.
The biggest treasures of the region
today are the friendliness of its people and the authenticity of its nature.
We decide to spend a while in Cahuita. Rasta people and Reggea music everywhere! Everyone greets
everyone with a big grin. For foreigners: "All right!" means "Hello!", baby. We see nobody really stoned but
apparently there are specialized bars in the village.. Legalize it, don't critize it, sings the song..
We stay at B&B Brigitte, created by a Swiss lady. The place is 50 meters from the sea (the Costa
Rican law imposes that 50 meters of the beach belong to all and everyone), but we appreciate the
shade, the suave odor of tropical flowers, the friendly colors of the buildings, and nice service.
In the morning, we wake up with the anthem of what we realize is the biggest roaster we have ever seen.
There is also a hen family, five dogs, a white rabbit, and two cats. Of course the cats would like
to sleep in our bed!
We go for a morning body boarding session in 28 Celsius warm gentle, shore breaking waves.
The breakfast includes the obligatory fruit platter, the absolutely delicious banana cakes, and coffee
worth the coffee-growing nation. In the evening, we try the Restaurant Edith recommended by the guide
books. However, big mamma Edith is in a bad mood today and serves an old fish. I stick with the Coke.
The following morning, we use the High Yield Team tool for the first time, (the Swiss knive offered by
the great team I worked with for close to four years), to open a coco nut. A slot
comes to visit in the night.
The following day, the lost luggage arrives. The driver tells us that 13 lost luggage
pieces a day are not unusual.. We also learn that, although the car arrives Saturday to Puerto Limon,
the customs are closed on the weekend. It looks like we will be enjoying the very relaxing Cahuita
until Monday..
We visit the National Park Cahuita. About a third of the Costa Rican
territory is protected, the highest rate in Central America. The NP Cahuita protects the coral,
the coastal wetlands, and exquisite white beaches.
We meet an American family. "Don't go there, the
monkey will attack you!!", the daughter is panicked. A white-faced monkey comes to see us too,
but does no harm. You would say she pauses for the pictures in a professional, Claudia Schiffer's way..
We also see crab-eating racoons and hear the weird, ghostly shouts of howler monkeys.
At breakfast, we meet Lars, the Danish botanical engineer supplying European zoos with
tropical plants. For a couple of days now, he is the owner of a finca, or farm in Aguas Zarcas,
where he has a tropical plants nursery. Lars takes us to Limon, to get our car out of the container. There we learn that Lloyds
in San Jose did not yet produce the Bill of Lading certifying that we are the owners of our Landcruiser,
although they received an authorization two weeks ago. That is called productivity! We will have to come back..
In the meantimne,
Lars suggests to take us to Aguas Zarcas. We visit the nursery first. I recognize some plants I've
encountered in European offices and homes, only here they look bigger and healthier.
We also meet the family working for Lars' enterprise: William, Laura, and Papa, the clever
granny. We take a second breakfast with them, gallo pinto, platanos, and a freshly squeezed
star fruit juice.
Then we are ready for a trip in the jungle. First, up a dry river bed under the burning sun. Then, through some big
spider nets. "This nephila spider nets contain an antiseptic and were used to sew wounds in the past",
explains Lars. The net is difficult to break. The spider frowns and starts repairing.
Next, we cross the poisonous frog's way.
The frog's skin is Ferrari red.
Laura takes the tiny creature in her hand. "You only have to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards",
she says. William takes Mathias off the trail. He spotted a wild, or organic, banana tree, and
Mathias has to pass the "bananero test". The two guys make serious noise with the extremely sharp
machete, then walk out with some 30 kilos banana. Test passed! "Banana trees actually aren't trees",
explains Lars. "They're the tallest grass on earth. They grow from nothing to mature and bear fruit in just one year".
We deposit the fruits on a crossing,
we will collect them on our way back and do banana cakes! We continue walking and spot toucans, humming birds,
and beautiful butterflies of all colors and sizes.
We see shining blue berries and nice flowers.
All of a sudden, William stops and points on the trail. At first, I cannot see anything.
Then the thing moves. The highly poisonous fer-de-lance snake.
Although fer-de-lance is one of those that do not hesitate to attack, after a while the snake clears the way. Maybe we are too many.
By now, the trail almost disappeared. Only William knows the way. We are in the middle of pristine, dark
tropical forest. The fresh air is loaded with oxygen. We are small under the huge ficus trees, cedro
trees, jicaro trees, and calyptrogenes palms. Lars points to a walking palm. Indeed, the palm has a dozen legs and grows others to move towards the light..
William finds the way out of the jungle, and we have a lunch with the family. Warm, spontaneous,
easy-laughing people with a nice sense of humor. William brings us some cacao fruits. We will dry
and roast the seeds, and make our own chocolate. If successful, we will brand it
"Urwald Spruengli" or "Urspruengli" (;))
The sun is still high and we go snorkling in the emerald green Rio Bananito.
Bananito has a strong current and
I am thinking of the Black Cobra toboggan in Alpa Mare water park back in Switzerland while sliding down.
When we finally get our Landcruiser, we come back to Aguas Zarcas and stay for a couple of days in the neighborhood. One night, we park the car in the jungle and open the roof tent. The forest around is full of subtle noises and sparkling with fireflies. Another day, we cross to the middle of a river and stay on an island, bathing and grilling, and reading.
We also make a nice off road trip with
Lars and William, testing the newest configuration of the Landcruiser and challenging the Kia
Sorento (;))
We say goodbye to the Limon Province and head to the mountains
leading to the Pacific. The scenery is dramatic. Steep slopes,
abundant vegetation, eagles navigating in the blue sky.
The red mud crawling is fairly challenging.
The GPS would say ’”Up, down, left, right, stay on the road, please..”
We pass tobacco and cattle farms and chat with friendly farmers.
A young bull jumps on the road and runs in front of us for
a couple of kilometers. An ocean view appears. We check a
couple of Central Pacific beaches and decide to stay for some time at the
Dominical.
It is the surfer's paradise, although beginners have a tough life.
The swell is a nice two to three
meters high but it closes out and the wave series just does not stop.
The bodyboarding is also great fun.
Mathias goes kiting and holds the kite nice up as there is no wind
between the big waves.. An American, Cole, goes sport fishing and brings
us back an important quantity of white tuna for sushi and coco-avocado salade.
A Swiss couple from the neighboring village comes by. Nice walks and jogging as
the sun sets.
Driving down the volcano Poas, we suddenly smell freshly ground coffee.
We are in the kingdom of the delicious, aromatic, mind-stimulating beans!
Costa Rica produces about 3 percent of the world’s coffee, and
some of the best beans on the planet. We pass a huge, red-painted
coffee plant built on a top of a hill like a self-sufficient fortress.
The factory overlooks hectars and hectars of hilly, shiny, dark-green
coffee plantations. It is the harvest season and everyone looks happy.
We go and visit La Doka, a smaller coffee plant of the same family
Branca.
The master roaster takes us on a private tour. He is of course an
"aficionado". His eyes grow wider as he talks about the ”grano d’oro”.
The most important factor deciding about the coffee quality is
a healthy plant. The coffee plant loves fertile highlands at 800 to
1’500 meters altitude, and a climate with distinct wet and dry season
and with low temperature variations. The coffee plant first fruits after
four years, and bears the best beans in the first fifteen years.
The red, hand-picked berries are washed and ferment for
three days. The outer layer gets scrubbed, and the beans dry on the sun. The beans are
sorted by quality by sorting machines,
mainly based on size and form.
Then the beans are roasted using natural gaz at 120 degrees Celsius. The roasting takes as
long as approximately 15 minutes for European, 17 minutes for French,
and 19 minutes for Espresso roasting so that the roasting is regular
from inside and outside.
The master roaster supervises the roasting
process and uses his eyes, ears, and nose to decide when the process
is complete. The master roaster tells us a French-speaking Swiss comes
over here to learn about the roasting. Some time ago we read that the good La Semeuse
uses natural gaz for roasting. Could it be they come here for inspiration?
The best thing about the coffee processing at La Doka is that all machines,
with the exception of the roasting ones use the energy produced by a 110 years
old water mill!
We go to the tasting room. The arabica plant beans contain
only two percent coffein, but we will still stand in bed tonight!
By the time we
feel turbo happy, we decide to load the boat with peaberry coffee, French roasting.
We also buy some dark chocolate pralinés with Espresso roasted coffee beans in the middle..
The art of coffee in Costa Rica has gone a long way since the first beans came over from
Jamaica in 1779…
A scenic drive takes us up the volcano Poas, one of the seven active volcanos in Costa Rica.
The 2700 meters high restless giant has vented its anger through
three craters over the past, with a approximate cycle of 40 years.
Last time it errupted moderately in 1950’s.
The main 1.5 km crater bubbles persistently,
and from time to time emits a geyser up to 200 meters high.
Often, the park is closed to visitors because of sulfur gas emissions.
It is early morning and the sun is shining.
From time to time, light mist floats like an apparition as we
walk through the dwarf cloud forest to the main crater. It is warmer at
the crater and the silence is interrupted by gas emissions.
The crater is covered in smoke. We wait.
At some point the wind blows the smoke away, and we peek
into the glacier green bowels of the volcano.
We walk to the second, inactive crater filled with rain water.
The lake looks like a perfect kite spot, except it is so acid that
only specific algues and microorganisms survive in it. We hike in the
elfin forest for a while and get out before the tourist crowds arrive.
We are in San José again. Our WAECO voltage converter that we intended to
use to charge our electronic devices from the cars’ third battery
is out of order. After trying with several repair shops we realize
it is impossible to obtain the necessary pieces for a repair in Costa Rica,
and send the device to
the States.
Driving out of the capital, in Barrio Bolivar,
the tire at the right back wheel loses all of the air in a couple of
seconds. Next, the mechanical jack we brought just would not lift the
weight of the car..
By miracle though, it happens in front of
a mechanic’s house!! He is a nice guy. Although his shop is already closed,
Mr Alvarez brings a massive hydraulic lift and we change the wheel.
He refuses a dime so at least we offer some Swiss chocolate for his lady and kids.
Mr Alvarez introduces us to the whole family,
including a rabbit, and invites us for an ice cream.
If that was not enough, he comes along to his friend’s shop to repair the flat tire
and to get a proper hydraulic lift for our future travels! Driving out of the city again,
everyone gives us directions before we ask. Ticos are a smiling folk
and the first flat tire turns out to be a nice experience..
Time to discover the Nicoya peninsula. Driving from the north to the south,
Samara is the last touristy place. After Samara, the driving becomes tricky.
"Many rivers to cross..", sings Jimmy Cliff... Often, the 4WD wheezes to first
gear as the dirty road climbs and drops. There are many
unmarked junctions. We look at the sun and guess.
The scenery is sublime.
We spend a couple of days in the waves at Punta
Islita. The sunsets are amazing. Local palms offer huge coconuts.
The
calm in this bay will not last forever. A paved road is planned to be built in
a couple of years. Enjoy while you can..
The miles-long
Playa Caletas, about 50 kilometers south of Punta Islita, is
probably the most secluded beach on the Pacific
side of Costa Rica. Rough terrain and river crossings make the drive from Punta
Islita a two and
a half hours trip.
The beach looks savage, the jungle to the back,
open sea to the front, deserted. It displays tons of dead wood
brought by the nearby river. Buzzards sit on the
wood or circle around in search of prey.
The wind is too sleepy for kiting, but we discover two turtle nurseries.
The nurseries harvest the eggs of mainly leatherbacks and ridleys
before anyone had a chance to boil them, and release the babies to
the ocean when they hatch out.
The organizations supporting the nurseries lobby for the
protection of the endangered turtles.
It looks like the most destructive factor
at Caletas are the big Japanese fishing ships which lay kilometers of nets
and catch everything from fish through shark to turtle. The Japanese
have a treaty with the Costa Rican government authorizing the
fishing, and compromises
are difficult to get.
A lot of turtle babies are born every day in the nurseries.
It seems to me that once you
had a baby turtle crawling in your hands, you are likely to ban
turtle soup from your menu..
In Tambor, the road ends. We are at the nose of the
peninsula Nicoya. The large, tranquil Bahia Ballena is surrounded by tropical forest.
We meet
Rick and Irena, an American and a Russian travelling together,
and opt for a barbeque tonight. The men drive to the colorful
fisher hamlet and bring dorada that would not fit into the platter.
A beach dog helps to make the fire.
We have a feast.
In the night, we wake up with a powerful earthquake. It is shaking hard for
about thirty seconds. The electricity blacks out.
I am asking myself, half awake, if a tsunami would form. Should we get out? I think
it should not be that bad in a bay, but we go and ask. After the main party come about five
after shakes. The sensation of feeling the whole bay shaking this hard is
hillarious. Next day, we learn that
the epicenter was in Quepos, some 60 kilometers air line from Tambor.
It was shaking at 7.2 points of the Richter scale. Un vrai tambour!
Arenal is regarded as one of the world's most active volcanos. Its lava
flows and eruptions are frequent. Some days, the volcano spews house size
rocks, sulfur dioxide and chloride gases, and red-hot lava. The volcano
was awakened from its long sleep in 1968 by a fateful earthquake that
wiped out two villages, and has been unpredictable since. Hiking too near
to the volcano is not advisable. From the observation points, Arenal is a
picture-perfect cone. Unfortunately, the mystical mount mostly hides in
clouds. Getting to see an eruption is a matter of luck.
An originally paved road along the Lake Arenal is certainly
the
worst in Costa Rica. Crater-big potholes are omnipresent,
the mud slides frequent. The people drive like drunkards, criss-crossing the road
to minimize car damage. Remember to drive very slowly into a curve..
As we arrive at an observation point, there is no volcano. All we
see are clouds. We wait. It is freezing cold, and the rain is not
far away. As we decide to come back on a friendlier day, the wind
blows the clouds away.
Here he stands, the dark giant sacred by the Pre-Colombian tribes. I am happy to have my camera
ready as the encounter only lasts for seconds. I wonder if it is
easier to snap pictures of volcanos or butterflies.
We visit the Arenal Botanical Garden that harbors 2'500 rare tropical
species, including a panoply of Costa Rican plants such as
orchides, bromelias, various ferns, palms, and bamboos, heliconias,
or different gingers.
It is a thrilling walk. The butterfly garden is
Alices' wonderland. The serpentarium sends shivers to the back.
Bahia Salinas, the northermost bay of the Costa Rican Pacific shore, has a beautiful setting.
To the right, the bay is bordered by a slow river supposedly full of crocodiles and a thick mangrove vegetation.
Opposite, a hilly landscape of different greens ends up
in steep cliffs. In the middle sit a reef and an island.
At Playa Copal, one of the long sandy beaches of Bahia Salinas, we find a kite center, run by a symphatetic Italian Nicholas. The kite spot has some nice features. First and foremost, between November and May, side shore wind blows most days. Second, people who miss the end of the beach have the option to land in one of the following beaches down wind. Also nice, the lost board takes care of itself and inevitably comes back to the shore. Finally, there is enough space for everyone.
We decide to stay for a couple of weeks.
We go kiting every day. Sometimes the wind is nice steady, other
days the sea reminds of a bumpy Costa Rican road.
Some kiters make a nice show. We see nice jumps
as well as fashionable wakeboard-style moves.
On Wednesday, we
hear a cold front brought a real bad weather all the way from Florida
to El Salvador. The wind in our bay also turns cold, and blows at
between 15 and 30 nods. At lunch, a heavy plate leaves the table,
flying. I decide to wait until 3pm when the wind usually
eases down. By 3.30pm, I start my 7.5 meters, fully de-powered Tacoon.
Going to the water, I feel it is getting darker. I turn my head
to Nicaragua and see huge clouds rashing towards me. Landing time.
It turns out to be a good decision.
Next moment, we find ourselves in a sand storm at over 50 nods..
Bahia Salinas is full of fish that support a large bird population, including the endangered brown pelican, and
a small fishermen population, including the local police.
Fishing is real easy and kiting with birds is a nice experience but mind the jelly fish and sting rays. And on the board the skunks that from time to time charm with their perfume presumably made of burned onion mixed with rubber..
We go for a full moon walk. The night is still, the sea
resembles a silver lake. From distance, we see tracs of a quad,
ending in the water. What a funky driver.. Wait a minute, these are
turtle tracks! As we come nearer, we hear her working hard on a nest,
throwing sand around with her strong legs. She is a 1.5 meters long,
some 400 kilos heavy
leatherback mom.
The leatherbacks are the world's largest reptiles, and the closest
friends of dinosaures still around (or what does Michael Crichton say on the subject?))). These relics from the Lost World travel great
distances, often crossing between continents, as far as the subartctic
waters. Leatherbacks have been shown to dive deeper than 1'300 meters
where their small lungs, flexible frames, squishy bodies, and other
specialist adaptations permit them to withstand the pressure.
They feed in the open ocean and prefer jelly fish on their menu,
which makes them real symphatetic..
The grown up females, by some incredible instinct, tend to
come back to the very beach they were born at to lay their eggs.
The leatherback mom is ignoring us as well as the intense moonlight and labors like in
a trance. She has to lay some 100 eggs tonight! As we return
to the beach in the morning, the nest is big and neat, covered with
grass. Seventy days to go for the eggs to hatch. The mom will come back
every ten nights, twelve times during the nesting season. We discover
other nests around. The following day, a curious turtle pops up at the reef to see Mathias kiting..
In the evening, the French cook delicious meals for the international kiting comunity. In the afternoon, we serve coffee at the beach. Then we go for yet another kite session. Mathias learned just another trick today. The happy man..
