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November 21, 2009 |
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Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
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by Art and Gloria Netzer |
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Costa Rica Cloud Forest to the Pacific Ocean Costa Rica, which translates literally as 'Rich Coast', is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica is ranked 5th in the world, and 1st among the Americas, in terms of the 2008 Environmental Performance. In 2007 the government of Costa Rica stated that they want Costa Rica to be the first country to become carbon neutral by 2021. Costa Rica was the first country in the world to constitutionally abolish its army. The economy of Costa Rica is strong. Coffee is the principal Costa Rican export, however bananas, apples and other fruits are beginning to rival coffee as Costa Rican exports. The country relies totally on hydroelectricity for all of Costa Rica’s electrical consumption and during the rainy season it sells surplus electricity to its neighboring countries Nicaragua and Panama.
 The plantation belongs to the Costa Rican Vargas Ruiz family, pioneers of coffee production for more than 70 years. We had a very educational tour of the Doka Estate. Our picker took us step by step through the process of growing the bean trees, to the picking and sorting of the red beans through to the final packaged finished product. The tour ended with a tasting of the various blends their estate offers.
 Costa Rica has a large variety of microclimates and altitudes within short distances. Arenal volcano rivaling Japans Mt. Fuji has been active since 1968, and continues to loudly belch smoke, ash, lava and superheated rock. It is a remarkable sight unfortunately most of the time during our stay the clouds hung over the peak and were unable to see any eruptions. Lake Arenal is one of the beautiful lakes near the Eco-Lodge resort where we stayed . So early one morning we all tested our skills at kayaking. Our man of the day who made sure we were correctly geared up for the day was Poncho. He didn’t speak much English but he got us and our kayaks safely in the lake where we enjoyed a 5 mile paddle around the lake. When we returned I mentioned to him if he ever wore his outfit to New York City he would probably be shot. When translated to him he laughed and gave me a big hug.
  The next portion of our trip was to visit a local village school. I must first explain their school season is different than the US season. They have a 10 month schedule from March to December and off January and February. We were there in February but our guide arranged to have local children and families present a program for us even though the kids were on vacation. We arrived at the very small grade school in Alajuela where we were met by about 20 kids and several teachers. The first part of their program was for the kids to sing the Costa Rican national anthem in Spanish. Then join us to sing the US national anthem in English. It was very moving. They performed their traditional dances for us and explained the significance of the steps and gestures. It was extremely creative and colorful and the children appeared to be really enjoying themselves. The last dance involved the children choosing new partners from our audience.
 The next part of their program got very personal. Each of kids picked one of us to show us around their school. These kids spoke little English and it was obvious that they were given instructions to take everyone to the restrooms first. Then they earnestly gave us a tour of their small school. Then we were taken to several homes for a typical Costa Rican meal. We ate stewed chicken, fresh coleslaw, rice and pineapple juice. They had raised the chickens and grown all the produce. It was very delicious and served by the mother of the family. The father and his sons were very engrossed in a soccer game on TV. Even though their was very little verbal communication it was obvious we all understood each other about the important things that life has to offer.
 We made one additional stop heading back to our resort in a little town that had a hot spring called the Baldi Resort. It was designed to recreate a tropical rain forest situated around 3 natural hot springs with water temperatures ranging from 102 to 108 degrees. This resort was completely surrounded by beautiful flowers and plants of every color and a little mini mall. And what more could one ask for than to sit in the hot tub while eating lunch or just having a drink!
 During our days at the EcoLodge we had many opportunities to explore and discover the beauties of the Monterverde Cloud Forest. The birds were especially spectacular. Every morning was an early morning and breakfast was served around 7AM. One of the best things that we ate was the fresh fruit. Melons, mangos, and pineapple were all very sweet and delicious. Right outside the dining room’s picture window a stand had been built to feed a lot of birds. The leftover melon parts were put on this stand and would attract dozens of birds all in a feeding frenzy! What a sight!
 Our next adventure was rafting on the Rio Tenorio River. All one needed for this trip were a pair of binoculars, camera with a telephoto lens, a hat and plenty of sun screen! Our guides, one in each raft were very adept at spotting the indigenous creatures on either side of the river. We saw monkeys, iguanas, fresh water crocodiles and a variety of different birds, bats and snakes. Even when they pointed them out it was often hard for us to see due to excellent camouflaging techniques..
 Another discovery highlight of this location was hiking in the rain forests. Our guide was very well versed in the local flora and fauna. Every morning our guide would lead us on a 1 to 2 mile walk sometimes before and sometimes after breakfast, sometimes in the pouring rain. The forest where we were is about 6,000 feet above sea level is always covered with a clouds and supports an incredible variety of mammals, birds and plants. The walks before breakfast started before daylight and our guide always wore a tee shirt and shorts and carried a very high powered a telescope. These early morning hikes became easier and easier an the days went on.
 Our next destination was to head west down to the Pacific Ocean. We had been at 6,000 feet just 2,000 feet below the Continental Divide and the weather was very unpredictable as the Caribbean fronts meet up with the Pacific fronts. The trip was less than 100 miles but in Costa Rica it was a full days trip. Although the main roads were not bad many of the side roads are not paved and in several places our driver was going quite slow because of large holes, rocks and washouts. Often the road signs were confusing, but our driver had made this trip many times and we had full confidence we would get to our destinations. We planned on making several stops along the way. One stop was to visit a Quaker village, Monteverde, which was started in 1951 when 1 Quaker family arrived from the US because they heard of Costa Rica’s national devotion to peace. The daughter of this original settler gave us a talk about why her father came here and we learned more about the Quaker influence in Costa Rica. We also toured her family’s creamery, watched cheese being made and ate their delicious ice cream. As we drove the weather had gotten warmer and warmer. At one stop on a bridge we had the opportunity to see literally dozens of fresh water crocodiles sunning themselves on the river edges below, yes the same river we had been rafting on several days before. It is my understanding that this is the only place in the Americas where fresh water crocodiles exist. Growing up to 15 feet and tipping the scales at nearly a quarter ton, some scientists say these animals have undergone no morphological changes in 300 million years.
 Continually heading west to the Pacific Ocean we finally hit the beach. I must explain that Costa Rica is noted for it’s beautiful beaches and has lots of beach resorts. Our program was designed to explore tropical parks and rain forests. Here we would delight in the many wonders of Manuel Antonio National Park. The tropical forest extends right up to the beach and after another fairly strenuous yet educational hikes in the hot and steamy rainforest we had the opportunity to take a refreshing swim in the crystal clear Pacific Ocean.
 An amazing thing about the trees in Costa Rica. Many are never completely bare of leaves. There is a continuing process where leaves turn red and fall off while new ones continue to grow.
 The following day we stopped at an old dairy farm known as Finca de Don Tavo. The farm was founded in 1921 by the grandfather of the current owners. We were able to show our appreciation by pitching in on some of the chores and all of us had the opportunity of learning how to milk a cow.
 Our next stop was to head once again high up in the canopy for our final three days. We had individual cabins and each morning when you went for breakfast you would see a rainbow in the sky.
 Next morning our agenda included horseback riding and another very interesting forest excursion. But the high point of this place was the hummingbird sanctuary. The entire grounds were filled with colorful flowers, hummingbird feeders and the wonderful sounds of the hummingbirds in every color you could imagine. We had never seen so many hummers.
 We spent a couple of hours riding some docile horses through some of the most scenic areas in the rainforest. You can see the trail of horses just below the cloud cover and see the orchards ahead growing apple, oranges, pineapples and coffee to mane a few..
 We were told to look for fallen trees, which were fairly hard to find. No one in Costa Rica is allowed to cut down any trees, but a fallen tree can be used by craftsmen for furniture and decorative and useful items. We spent several hours at one of these factories and learned about the art of working with these different types of wood. Their show room was huge and their creations amazing.
 This story describes 12 fascinating days we had in this country of much diversity. We just had a little taste of what Costa Rica has to offer. We will go back.
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