Jan. 29-Feb. 1, 2004-Diversity
(photos:Where turtles come to nest,
Rainy rain forest gear,
Another flat)
Torteguero refers to the turtles (tortugo in Spanish) that nest on the beaches each year. We strolled over to the turf of the green turtles’ nesting ground. This wasn’t nesting time but our guide, Julio, painted a vivid picture of the drama. We've seen it on TV, but what I didn't know was that the location of the eggs in the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings. Those on top are males; those on the bottom in the cooler locations are females. Don't know about those in the middle.
Our first meal gave us hope for the food throughout our stay. They had asparagus soup full of garlic and deliciously rich pasta Bolognese. Other days the selections included various salads chicken, fish, & an array of fruit drinks. All meals were served buffet style.
We spent evenings at the bar listening to a Caribbean band with an affinity for Harry Belafonte oldies. We visited with other guests trying to converse in many languages. They all seemed to speak some English & we limped along in French & Spanish when necessary. One man was a professor of forestry from Spain, one was a geologist from Calgary, there were several in the computer field, & one from Italy spoke five languages. Ironically the people we talked with the first night at the bar were from Cleveland.
Blackouts weren’t uncommon & were dealt with quickly. There was only one while we were there. I don't know if they use generators or have power lines, but they surely fixed whatever it was fast. Since the doctor only visits the local clinic two days a week they have a paramedic on site at the lodge. What I originally thought was a surfboard in the gift shop was actually a body board equipped with gear to secure neck, head, & spine.
Another Rain Forest
We awakened a bit earlier than we wanted this morning to the roar of a howler monkey. It’s harder to ignore than a rooster. He sounded as if he was on our porch. We found out it’s as dangerous to stand under a tree full of monkeys as it is to stand under a flock of birds. On peed on a lady. They do it for fun & the reaction it gets. They're not intrusive in any other way because people never feed them. The rules are strict & it works to the advantage of both.
On our second day we had a morning walk through the densest rain forest yet then an afternoon boat ride in the canals. We were lucky once again in seeing toucans, poisonous red frogs, bats, & spider monkeys.
I tried a refreshing version of coconut milk after the trek on the rainforest trail. We’d slogged through mud so deep it threatened to suck our boots off our feet. We’d climbed over fallen trees & dodged raindrops falling through the foliage. My coco loco started out innocently enough. It was the usual green coconut hacked open with a machete. But to this one, at 10:30 AM, I added a generous shot of rum.
Leaving Torgeguero for San Jose, we repeated the bus-boat trip in reverse. What are the odds that we'd have another flat? We did. We killed time watching a sloth make its way ever so slowly up a tree and I took advantage of my second flat tire photo op. We had a good laugh, & I began to question our tire karma. I also began to question the durability of Costa Rican tires vs. Costa Rican rocky roads.
Our tour group of twenty-four started as strangers & ended up as friends. There was a family of five (three kids) who we were fond of & of whom we took photos. Tentative openers in an attempt to start conversations when we first met the group ended up with long good-byes. This very considerate on-time group coalesced & crossed language & cultural barriers. A French couple confided in us that they love the USA & feel safer there than in France. They fear terrorists in their country & feel more secure in L.A. Amazing. Maybe not everyone hates us?
Feb. 1, 2004-San Jose
We visited the gold museum, which is in a lower level of a bank building. The modern surroundings served as a dramatic backdrop for what archaeologists have pieced together of the early Indians. The Spanish invasion wiped out ancient artifacts and stole the majority of gold ceremonial & decorative pieces. Even the oral history was lost. Explanations of the displays were qualified and “best guess” narrations. A special exhibit detailed pre-Colombians from 300 AD. In 1500 metal work began in the region & reached Costa Rica by 500. Conquest by Europeans halted & destroyed art of working with gold & the Spanish pillaged the area. Much of the artifacts were destroyed & the history of the people is sketchy. The museum itself was done in concrete & the ever-present spectacular woods of the country. As we entered a modest cathedral, an infant was being carried out. I was amused to see the obviously Catholic family carrying the baby who wore a red ribbon tied around its wrist to ward off the devil. A definite blending of cultures.
We ate a not so grand lunch at the not so Grand Hotel & Casino. The ladies room smelled so strongly of disinfectant & camphor that my eyes teared. It may have been worth it if the smell meant that the facilities were clean, but they weren't.
Since lunch was skimpy we decided to have ice-cream from a stand. They wouldn’t take a 500 colone note saying that it had markings on it. It was pretty raggedy & did have an ink blotch. We decided they didn't need our business & had no trouble using the note at our hotel to pay for ice-cream & an iced mocha.
David tried to nap this afternoon & read in the courtyard of the hotel. When I went back to the room he was watching the Super Bowl game. I dozed for a couple of hours & hope I can sleep tonight.
This is not a great neighborhood at night. To get to the restaurants we have to skirt a park where prostitutes & "chicken hawks" hang out. There’s a visible police presence but we power walked our way through it. We had dinner once again at the News Cafe.
We haven’t gotten much exercise on this trip. The walks in the parks have been strolls & there haven't been cities to tour. We'll have to make it up when we get home only it will be in freezing weather.
Conclusions
I defined my discomfort in this country this morning. I couldn’t fully relax in our rooms outside of San Jose. I got to the point where I was longing for concrete. It isn't that San Jose is so wonderful, it’s far from that. It’s filthy, crime ridden, & has no architecture with redeeming style. But the critters in the city keep to their turf & don't invade mine. When we're outdoors I'm in their domain so I don't get out of sorts when they appear in open-air restaurants, etc. In the other locales I've had to zip & lock our luggage when we weren't using its contents. I didn't want any uninvited hitchhikers joining us in the U.S. I don't mind the occasional creepy crawly or flying insect. We get them at home. Here there was a sense that I had to be ever vigilant in the battle to keep them at bay & leave them behind in Costa Rica.
We had dinner at a complex called El Pueblo. It’s a pseudo Spanish village/shopping/dining center. It would appear that without the bar business it’s a dying place. The entrance is heavily patrolled with armed security guards frisking young men who are unaccompanied by women. David thinks that the way to smuggle arms or drugs in is to have a sexy young female carry it.
We ate at Lukas. It was a varied menu with local fare & Mexican food. The menu was bi-lingual & provided some amusement. They had "tacos elaborated with beef" & “exuberant beef steak." The food was good & the portions large as they all seem to be here.
I've noticed that there aren’t many black Africans in Costa Rica. I don't know if they've disappeared through intermarriage or if there never were that many. I would have thought the slave trade had brought them to this place.
Feb. 2, 2004-Going to Florida We met an Australian couple at breakfast this morning. It was their first day in Costa Rica and they were slightly jet-lagged but eager to learn the ropes from “pros” like us. We tried to hide our astonishment when they told us they planned to stay in the country 5-6 weeks. He was a surfer & they looked forward to a lot of beach time. I can’t imagine that surf here is better than in Oz. We figure that we stayed 3-4 days too long and we were only here sixteen days. I can’t fathom six weeks.
David & I agree that this hasn't been one of our best trips. There is little history & not a rich culture here. Most of the point of the country is that it's green & a non-military democracy in the midst of the chaos of Central America. I guess that’s achievement enough for one tiny spot on the map.
Toby
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