May 10th - Rafiki Safari Lodge

While walking around the park at Manuel Antonio we stopped to rest and got to talking to a women who was an obvious non-local. During the course of conversation she told us about a place further south that I had a vague rembrance of reading about. Tourists stayed in tents built on stilts or something like that., She couldn't quite remember the name but after a review of her guide book she found it. It was Rafiki. She explained her being in Costa Rica was of a two fold purpose. She and her husband were teachers living with local families were students was trying to improve their command of English. So they taught and travelled on a budget.

She had tried to convince her husband to make a sidetrip to Rafiki but he said they couldn't afford the rates these folks charged. All meals were included as the place was out in nomans land where only nature prevailed. My kind of place. So we were off to find www.rafikisafari.com

As usual the ride starts out nicely  but sooner or later one has to get off the main highway and get on the dirt roads. It was only 30 kilometers from Quepos but 20 of these were over sticks and stones without street signs or many signs of life. Mostly we travelled through oil palm plantations were sacks of palm nuts were placed along the road for pickup at some point. We felt sorry for the people who picked these seeds and then carried them from deep within the palm forest to the road. It was hot and muggy out.

Rafiki was built by a couple from South Africa in the middle of the rain forest within the pristine Savegre River Valley. Whenever we thought we are surely lost, we found a sign that claimed we were still on track. Still, when we finally found a little village with a store (about 6 houses and called Santo Domingo), we stopped and

if they had ever heard of Rafiki. Hands and arms pointed us in the direction we were going and then we saw a sign 3KM to Rafiki. They always put the signs were you have no choice but to keep going, never on the intersection of roads. Anyway, we arrive and seemingly are the only guests. The hosts are the son and wife of the founding couple. They live there and employ most of the village up the road. For them a trip to the store for supplies is just about an all day affair. Being that we showed up out of the blue they had to go to town the next day. They did wonder though, how we found them and what made us come there. Most guests are group tourists who show up in taxis from the last hotel. All the hotels seem to have transfer packages and readily available vans for this purpose. So we are assigned our 'cabin'. 

As the evening approaches we are told that dinner will be at 7PM. A bit late for us but we use the time to look around the place. Noises, all kinds of noises reach us from the surrounding mountains. Howler monkeys make a racket and never seem to stop calling to each other. I guess it's some kind of langauge they understand. The sky takes on different colors every minute or so. I snap picture after picture knowing full well in the end they will all look alike.

May 9th - a walk through Manuel Antonio National Park

OK, it's probably time to learn a little bit of blogging as I'm home now with good computer and Internet access. How do I insert a picture here? I don't know. Ah, I have to go from edit html to compose. OK, here's a try. Let me see if the description wraps around the picture. What we see here is the walkway

around the park. They limit the number of visitors in the park at any one time to about 70 people so as not to disturb the existing wildlife too much. We negotiated a guide just for the two of us so we could walk at our speed and not rush with a group. The many pebbles and stones on the ground are always a problem for Marlies as she's afraid of either stumbling or stepping on something.

The park itself showed much wildlife oblivious to our presence. Monkeys were up in the trees either playing, eating or sleeping. Pretty much what we do during the day.  

We had a deer accompany as on the walk as if he were a dog. The poor thing simply had no instinct of fear as humans simply never harmed or threatened him.Our friend madam deer.

The walk in the park was interesting but I wonder if the guide fee was worth it. He showed us many animals using a telescope he was carrying but if you've seen one monkey or sloth, you've seen them all. Here are two tired senior citizens ready for a rest and we took it after the guide left us alone.

for more pictures of this walk see: http://rumpfamily1.phanfare.com/4657280_5161289#imageID=99373071

Manuel Antonio - May 8th

We arrive aat our destination and Marlies is cranky after a day long ride. The first reasonable hotel is the Hotel Coco Beach and we grab a room for the night at $45 and go see what the town has to offer. Our plan is to take a tour of the most visited park in CR in the morning. See the pics for the afternoon walk.

it´s finding access and time

I´m finally in a hotel where they have a computer but the problems with the keyboards and the overall lack of light remains. Electricity is at a premium in CR. All bulbs are kept at bare light and often fairly useless. With the funny keyboard I need to see the keys in order to type.

My own netbook computer has been a complete washout as the keys don´t react to their being pressed. At least not with some semblance of regularity.

I will mainly report on today´s travel from the OSA peninsula to Cartago near to San Jose. THe drive was awful as far as the road condition goes. I had assumed that once we reach the main highway in CR, the Inter-American highway, I´d be in San Jose in a flash. Aftre all CR is the size of WV and I can drive through that state in no time flat. NOt the case here. WE were under constant attack by mountains, clouds (fog) and switchbacks. Typically Marlies started screaming when I went over 35 mph. THe worst part of the trip are the abominable shocks in our car. We feel pebble on the road.

May 6th - Monteverde

After a short stop at the Austrian and German restaurants near the Swiss hotel we are off to the so-called real cloud forest of Monteverde. It's a scenic drive on good roads but soon we run into the ral Costa Rica road system. These seem to be old ox cart roads. They are made of boulders and rubble and when your car has no shocks it gives you the shivers after a while. My stomach actually started to hurt and Marlies took one Tamerol after another as her back was killing her. The thing is there is no real alternative except not to go there in the first place. Once you're ready to give up, you still have to get out of there.

The other problem was the lack of roadsigns. You just have no idea where you are in the mountains of a strange country. The GPS get lost and tells you to make U turns or gives other strange directions. Once we were in San Elenas I told the GPS to take us to a particular hotel. Well, it took us down the other side of the mountain on the type of road I just described. How do I know?

Down there we hit a beautiful highway and were ready to give up on our Monteverde idea. We stopped for lunch and debated the issue. I asked a tourist bus driver how they manage the roads. No problemo. For 60 bucks he'd have a taxi from Monteverde pick us up and take us there. I seriously considered that option but what was I to do with our car?

So, with some trepidation we entered Hotel Finca Valverde into our GPS once again aand drove back up the mountain to finally find the place right in the town of San Elena. One way streets are everywhere and we make circles to get anywhere but we now leave the car and walk around town for food and to see the place. The GPS had one gas station but it was closed ffor repairs. Great. I ask around and am told of a guy who sells gas by the bottle. He gets it from down the mountain and makes a profit in the deal. I buy 20 liters for 30 bucks just to keep Marlies happy with enough gas in the tank. He made $10 on the deal. All of this without speaking Spanish.

In town the stores are set up for tourists and we hit an orchid garden at $10 a head. Most of the orchids are locally collected in the wild and very tiny. Many are in bloom but I never did an orchid show with a magnifying glass before. Anyway, we have a nice room and good service in our hotel restaurant. The main thing was to be able to rest up from the trip but no matter where you went or what you did, everything was always up hill. I wanted to have a cup of java or lunch in a tree house restaurant and hotel but Marlies refused to climb yet another set of steps. She simply stood her ground down below.

We stay two nights in Monteverde. On May 7th we go to see what else we can do but no matter where we turn we run into the same damn rubble roads and we are sick of them. The prices are a bit outrageous too. Young people might enjoy zip lines, rock climbing or white water rafting but for us a 20 minute ride over the tree tops with yet another set of hanging bridges to cross was not worth $100. So we left the major tourist attraction and looked for the two nature parks in the area. No signs. We did run into the Monteverde Trainforest quite by accident and pulled in. A load of 50 tourists from a ship in Puntegeras had just taken the train ahead of us but they started another for us for a 2 hours ride through the rain forest. Again, at $50 they were desparate ffor business. Everything was new and they were still under construction but the ride with guide was actually well worth it. You simply can't see the forest unless you are a mountain climber and a lot younger then we are unless something takes you there. The slow train did this wonderfully. The trouble was that the clouds had come in and there were no views beyond 150 feet or so but we had seen the distance so it was OK but for the tourists it was a 3 hour ride each way to see clouds at $120 a person plus lunch. Such is the nature of guided tours from afar.

The highlight of this trip was seeing a rare and endangered Quetzal in the trees. These are the birds that provided feathers for the nobles of pre-Columbian culture across Central America and beyond. They were highly valued and almost driven to extinction.

But we had enough cloud forest and wanted back to civilization and better roads. I want to see the Southern Pacific and the next day we leave bright and early on a long trip to Manuel Antonio near the Osa Peninsula.

The wildlife was abundant and monkeys came out of the trees to look us over at the restaurant.
They seem to watch us us much as we watch them.

catch-up, May 5, 2010

a lot has happened since I last wrote on May 4th. Today is Saturday, May 15th.

Where do I start? Probably best by taking a look at my pictures on my laptop aand explaining why I haven't posted for all this time. The main reason is the insufferable keyboard on my little netbook. Random things happen and it would take me forever to get an intelligible post out the door. Second is the lack of time on the road and the fickleness of getting on line. Anyway, let me try to catch up today here in the hotel lobby of Hotel San Tomas in San Jose.

On May 5th we took off for the cloud forest of Monteverde. On the way we stopped at the Hanging Bridges of Arenal. The bridges were a self guided tour which took us most of the morning as there were many bridges to cross. Basically, it was a walk through the jungle of tree tops and ground growth of all types. Epiphytes grew everywhere. Lichens and moss was covering every available surface. Monkeys were in the trees and birds of all kinds flew about. It was a precursor of things to come in our journey. For Marlies it was a tough and long walk up and down the mountain sides. For me it was scary to walk across the high hanging bridges. I don't know where my fear of heights comes from but there it is. The views from the bridges across the landscape were extraordinary.

For lunch we stopped at a roadside lodge which gave us some more views of Vulcan Arsenal and the nature that abounds the area.

As we drove on we started our search for a hotel for the night when we saw this Swiss chalet on the roadside. I pulled in immediately to check it out. They showed me our room with balcony and I was sold for the night. It is probably best to view the pictures of this little Switzerland but suffice it to say that the owner invested his life in the endeavor and with some marketing and finishing touches could really have something there. He seems to have started things aand then never finished or neglected them. Still, we had an enjoyable stay there.

a peaceful day at Arenal Lodge - May 4th, 2000

We had decided to stay another day at this wonderful place where the birds never stop and the sound is a pleasure. It rains a bit here and there as we sit on our porch but we enjoy the athmosphere. Marlies likes to just sit and relax more then travel these bumpy roads but somehow you have to get to these places and that is the price to pay.

After a particularly heavy rain, the skys started to clear and the colcano came into full view for the first time. Normally the top third is shrouded in the clouds. I have various pictures on my phanfare library to see how this transformation took place. Since I write these notes on a rented computer, I don´t have pictures handy to include. It is mucky and warm now. I won´t be at this station too long.

Late in the day we went searching for the gas station that is supposed to be in town - that is according to the map. Couldn´t find it without directions. I guess I could have used the GPS but who remembers these things. Anyway we filled up to satisfy Marlies´ anxiety about always driving with a full tank in these hills. In town I found a bakery where I got my usual fill of bread and cake. It was a short brake in an otherwise uneventful day.

We have now checked out of this place and are off toward the cloud forest of Mont Verde about half a day´s drive away and most of it unpaved roads. Wish us luck.

On the way to Arsenal volcano

Leaving our appartment in Grecia and all the noise both from the road and the rooster rear, we went looking for Jardin de las Guardias somewhere outside of Palmares. No GPS help here except for the general location. The locals were often asked for help and we were sent in circles but finally found the place as we usually do. We were a surprise as the orchid season is over and they were not expecting anyone. No Anglo here either. So we talked with hands and feet and I took some pictures of non-flowering orchids. Apparently March is the last month for orchids to be seen here here. So we gave them 10 bucks to make their day and took off looking for our next destination - a B&B in Los Angeles du Sur. I had called the American owner earlier and he was not exactly hospitable. Neither did he respond to my online reservation. In any case we were going to check out the place and entered the name into the GPS. At least an hour later we saw that our direction was opposite of where we thought we were going. There are no street or directional signs except at very major intersections. We found one of these about 30km down the up and down road. Apparently my mistake is assuming that there are only one town of the same name in the area. Wrong - there are dozens of everything. I looked for a unique town name and entered that and off we went in the proper direction. Along the way we decided to skip the American´s place and go right to Fortuna. It was an all day drive with its own questionable roads leading who knows where. This time I had marlies look at the map though and give me a hint when we might not be right.

In Fortuna we stopped at a tourist info place which was really a bunch of tourist guides for hire and asked for a nice hotel. This is how we wound up here Arenal Paraiso. It really is paradise and this morning we decided to stay a bit.

Last night we went to the other side of the volcano where active lava flows which can be seen at night from below. The best place to go was Linda Vista del Norte Lodge high up on the mountain. We had dinner there but Marlies was afraid of travelling the rocky dirt road at night to stay and watch the lava. So off we went only to encounter mobs of people down below waiting for the spectacle to appear. I guess lava is lava and it can be imagined but maybe we´ll spend at night at theLinda Lodge and get another chance at what it looks like without having to fly to Hawaii.

So, I´m paying $2 per hour to be on line here and I had better sign off. To see what I really can´t describe look at the pictures. They are worth more words then I have.
 

the last few days in Costa Rica

It's so easy to fall behind and not report on the day's happenings. By now I've figured out the Spanish keyboard so things should go faster.

After Britt we decided on a trip up Volcano Poas which is not too far from where we are staying. We get there in good time but the crater was filled with fog or clouds - whatever hangs around up there 2500 meters high. On occasion the clouds faded away and I took a few pictures as can be seen on my phanfare site. In general though, it was a big bust and $35/head poorer. On the way back it started with the afternoon rains but we stopped at a roadside restaurant anyway and the server told us we shoud check out the La Paz waterfalls just around the corner. Yes, sure an hour later we finally arrive at a building which was the reception center for the Peace Lodge and Gardens. (www.waterfallgardens.com) By now it was pouring in buckets and we sat in the car for a while. I finally grabbed the umbrella and went inside. I asked about staying there as we needed a nicer place for our anniversary anyway. They showed me the pictures and I pulled out my Am X card no matter how much the cabins were. I wanted to stay and see the place. Again only pictures do these cabins justice. In the morning all was nice and sunny and we started on a private tour of everything they have including a climb on steps and stairs down to the five waterfalls they have on their property. It took us until lunch and we were thouroughly exhausted from the ups and downs during the tour. They gave us a ride in a service bus up to the lodge. The cabin itself was $345 but they forgot to bill us the $45 tour price so all was well.

We then drove back to our condo and picked up a few things to head toward the Hampton Inn and Lodge near the San Jose airport. Again we needed a decent shower and more comfortable lodging. The roosters here at the condo start doing their thing around 4 am and never get a sore throat in the process of waking everybody up. Again, it was raining cats and dogs and we negotiated a dinner date at Denny's across the road under one umbrella. Denny's is quite fashionable here in CR and not inexpensive. My steak was a bit rare but I made up for it with a banana split for desert. I hadn't had one of those in ages. Marlies had her favorite - apple pie a la mode. I was able to catch up on quite a bit of computer work with lots of uploads in the Hampton in the morning after a great breakfast. The place was really nice and cost $160 or so.  

The rest of the day we rested except for a walk around downtown Grecia where we bought some supplies and ate dinner at a local joint. Marlies also found a nice little backpack which doubles as a pocketbook. She didn't like carrying her stuff around in a pocketbook bought for the trip as her arms weren't free to hold onto things. Now our passport and whatever other precious things she carries around are safe on her back and her arms free.

Today, on Sunday moring our bones and muscles were sound again and we took off for a trip to the Pacific shore and the rain forest canopy tram. In the morning we'll be out of here and we wanted to hit the southern coast before travelling north towards Arenal volcano.

The trip was a surpise in that we actually came upon a sort of super highway or toll road where we could actually drive 50 mph or faster and not hit a pot hole or something. Rt 27 is new and designed to carry folks from San Jose to the shore. It's all about tourism here. So this new highway cut through the mountains like a knife through butter and we got there in no time flat. But finding the canopy tram was another matter. I could find no entry in the GPS for it. We drove past the signs leading to it several times always assuming it is so many more miles straight ahead not into the boondogs on a small dirt road. I even tried another canopy tour but it was not of the gondola type and at our age swinging along a zip line was not the thing to do. After several passes I finally stopped at a gas station where everybody tried to be helpful but they had simply never heard of the tram. Besides the English may have left something out in translation. But I showed them the guide book and asked them to call the given phone number - no answer. The boss finally found a local guide map for tourists where all the local attractions and businesses are listed including the tram. So now we found the sign pointing up the side road and the map started to make sense. The car bounced and bounced over the rocky road. Between needing shocks and having too much air in the tires - thanks to a worried wife - it was a bad ride indeed. Then we met a bus coming the other way. It somehow was able to get by. At last we knew, this must be it. And severtal kilometers further on we got there. I found a parking place among the busses and tried to by a ticket. Forget it. The only open slot was after 3PM. The clouds were already forming in the sky and we decided to forget it.

We stopped in a Peruvian Bar and Grill for a late lunch and found heavy duty locals (ie upper class) eating big lunches there. I guess it was the main meal on a Sunday. I just wanted something light and ordered Peruvian chicken soup for $10. Nothing is cheap around here. Marlies ordered sweet and sour chicken which she claimed was superb. My soup was a bit hot for my taste but certainly different.  Thern we hit the local super market again and went on our way home to ever darkening skys.

The GPS has been really good to us. This time it took me along a way to hell and over. Once I knew something was wrong, it was a bit too late but the thing did not take the nice new highway we came in on. It took me in a bird like direction more up and down then straight ahead. It was the longest 50 km I ever drove up and down every mountain down into the valley where a one lane bridge would cross a creek. And there was lots of traffic ahead and behind me. You couldn't really stop and Marlies was not interested in checking the map. We just simply had no idea where we were without signs we simply kept making switchback turn after turn hoping that some day we'll get out of there. This must have been the old road which they replaced. I imagine it started out as an old ox cart road to bring sugar cane and coffee out of the mountains. I thought my car would stall a few times but in the lowest gear it kept on going.

Eventually we did manage to hit the highway we live on. It knew all along where we wanted to go but forgot about a better way somewhere along the line.

cafebritt.com - a visit to a coffee brewer and exporter

Today we drove the far boonies above Heredia here in coffeeland to see how coffee is grown and prepared for sale. We found out that about 20% of the country is being used to grow coffee.

We arrived much too early as the first tour does not start until 11 AM. So we had ample time to mosey around the shop, the gardens and the coffee bushes. Everybody there spoke at least some English and was most eager to be pleasant and helpful. First order of the day was to visit the shop and coffee bar. A latte was good but not like a Starbucks. It was too weak with too much milk but what do I know about a proper latte. I like to taste the coffee. Marlies enjoyed her decaf but we were told that this would not be the real thing. Shop prices were quite steep so we didn't buy any souvenirs as we normally do.

So out we go to the gardens to take some pictures and there we met the manager of the place, Mario Porras P. who took us under his wings and gave us a preliminary private tour with detailed explanations of the operation. He wanted to treat us to a cup of coffee but I explained I already had a latte. He asked how I liked it. Well, I told him that I liked my Starbucks better. Oh my! I said the wrong thing because these folks think they are several levels above their competition selling the creme de la creme of coffees all over the world. He inquired as to how I like my coffee and then had the barista make me a special cup. Marlies got a latte too but like the one I had earlier. They explained that individual taste is paramount and that one needs to tell the barista how to prepare for one's taste. Gee! This time it came out better then a Starbucks and tempers were soothed. Apparently I needed a double hit and to stir the result.

Eventually it was time for the tour and two hours later we were experts in coffee making - not really. The entire process is extremely complicated and takes years to master. Coffee is a fruit and sweet. This sugar has to be removed and many other processes are involved in the prep and roasting phases. The beans have to be just right on the bush and are picked one by one as they are ready. This means a coffee bush is picked over many times to find the proper beans. The company contracts with approx. 1000 growers who use no fertilizer to get organic beans from their plots. They get $1.50 for a full basket of ripe beans which will result in maybe 1 pound of coffee at the end of the process. The tour itself costs $16 per person without lunch. Everybody stayed for lunch except us as we had already eaten an early lunch with our coffee.

I had intended to visit the Poas volcano after the tour but the skys looked too threatening and we decided to get back to our appartment instead. The afternoon rains are getting to be a problem as they pretty much kill the rest of the day. But we have time. I made reservations at a nice hotel near the airport for the 30th as we don't want the local rooster spectacle to ruin our anniversary night. I don't know what roosters hope to gain by making so much noise every 3 seconds. They don't believe in breaktime.

More in my phanfare pics.
        

Costa Rica

For our 50th wedding anniversary I planned something very different - much to the consternation of my wife. We are getting older by the minute and that process usually lends to keeping things the same. Surprises are not always welcome, but I like the challenge of it all.

So I arranged a trip to a new country as a followup of our 25th anniversary to St Martins. Time flies.

The flight had its usual delays and idiotic scanning of everything as we surely must be terrorists in disguise. If only the government could think. Arriving in this country had a rental car driver pick us up and take us to our lodging in a town called Grecia off the beaten track in the Central Highlands. I thought this would place us closer to the locals then some fancy hotel with pool and amenities we have at home already. Well, the place may be super for the locals but not quite up to the standards of the other half. We are right on the busy highway when we are used to absolute silence at home on our acreage. Besides, the roosters start crowing rather early in the morning. I will vacate these premises for our actual anniversary date and throw some deserved luxury into the pot.

On 4/21/10 we had a first full day here and used it to test driving somewhere using the GPS I had purchased and loaded with a local map. We went to a botanical garden of course. In this case the place was on the other side of the capital near the town of Paraiso. It was a long drive and we were concerned about gas as we only had a half tank from the agency and the drive from the airport revealed only one gas station. It is a mystery to us where all these millions of cars get their gas but gas stations certainly are rare here. We pulled into the one that we had seen and were told that the equipment had failed due to the rainstorm we had during the night. They sent us to another station which we could not find.

So off we went to Lankester Botanical Gardens assuming we could find a station closer to San Jose which was the case. The price for a fill-up was 25,000 thingees of the local currency or $50. How can these people afford to drive around here. The drive itself in the morning was horrifying. Busses and motorcycles jockying for a yard or so at breakneck speeds. It seemed that I was part of a race to get somewhere. I like to drive fast but this is ridiculous here. The driving really defies description. One needs to have experienced it.

The park was found with our trusty little guide posted on the windshield. The GPS is a real godsent as I have no idea how anybody ever found anything around here when no street has a street sign. On our way back we stopped at a Supermarket without customers. These things seem to be new to the people as there are thousands of little shops lining every street for miles and miles. Anyway, we needed to shop visually as asking for things doesn't work very well.

Here at the appartment I'm having computer problems first with the keyboard which seems to have no question mark anywhere and second the delete key is missing or hidden somewhere. Then the promised wireless doesn't work as no one seems to know the security code to use a wireless laptop. Somebody is supposed to visit here to figure this out but in the meantime I'm using this Spanish computer to do my chores. Then the cell phone I had rented to make reservations and for emergency is dead as a doornail. At least the Suzuki runs OK even though it has 98,000 plus miles on it.  The roads here must be hell on cars as they go through a permanent shaking process.

A general observation is the abject poverty here. Yet, people are very friendly and helpful. A couple times someone waved at me and I didn't respond as the wave must have been meant for someone behind me known to the waver. Then I figured out that this was normal to say hello to strangers. I like it. The poverty is reflected in the prices for everything. It seems that anything not made here is more expensive then in the US. A small box of Kellogs serial is over $5. A few odds and ends at the supermarket were $35 which is over 30,000 rojas. That's a wad of money. Speaking of money. I needed some local currency and stopped at a bank in San Jose. Outside are armed guards which machine guns. They direct you into a glass enclosed closet with sliding doors at each end. I presume there are metal detectors or x-ray machines at work. Once they've mustered you the other end opens up and another guard confronts you as to your purpose. They give you a number and you sit along with 30 or so other people with numbers. Cameras are everywhere and voice and sign boards announces numbers to go to certain window numbers. It's like 1984 with numbers running your life. In my lane the girl spoke fluent English and asked for my passport. Well gee, I don't normally carry that around with me. Out I go to see if Marlies had to foresight to take these along. She did and I started the process all over again. The teller examined my $100 bills with a fine tooth comb and fingernail scratches and recorded my passboard etc to give me some local doe. It goes fast around here and credit cards are not really in style except at the gas station. I guess the amounts there are too high to use cash.

I have pictures in my phanfare site to accompany these descriptions.