AN UNUSUAL HAT

Guess What it's Made of

While in Hungary we were visiting a little village on the way to the Danube Bend.

          Our guide stopped at a kiosk along a pedestrian shopping street to show us a hat. His question, “What do you think this is made of?”

            The hat was soft and smooth reminding me of a plush felt. All kinds of guesses were uttered but none of us guessed correctly and were stunned when he said, “Mushroom, it’s made from a mushroom.”

            He continued to tell us, “These hats are unique to this area, made in Romania, Hungary and Bohemia. It does look like doeskin, doesn’t it?  It is a special kind of mushroom that is quite hard to find and grows mostly in Bohemia. Therefore there are not a lot of hats like this on the market.

            “You start with the largest mushroom you can find, then strip the active core layer by cutting the woody top layer. Then the fibrous interior is soaked in a weak lye solution. made from ashes and water. After three days the soggy mass is mashed as flat as possible and placed on a mold to dry. Pieces can be glued together but it is best to have one solid piece.”

            In response to a question about durability he responded, “These hats can last for a long time. They do not shed, grow bugs,  harden or get brittle.”

            Later in the day I asked our guide to write down the name of the mushroom for me so I could get it correct in my journal. It is a Fomes fomentarius , often called a Fomes cork. 

            Unfortunately I live in a warm climate and in general do not like hats myself, but it was tempting to buy it anyway just because it was so unique.

SOME COSTA RICA TRIVIA

Fun Facts      

Costa Rica, about the size of New Mexico, with a population of a little over 3 ½ million people, lies on the Central American isthmus between Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south.  It is a peaceful Central American country with political stability and an oasis of unspoiled natural beauty and spectacular scenery.

The country abolished its army in 1948. San Jose,  founded in 1737, became the capital of the country in 1823. With nearly a third of the population living there, it is the political, social, historical, and cultural center of the country. Avenues run east and west, and streets run north and south. However, the streets run in odd number numerical order on one side of the city and even numbers on the other side of the city making it difficult to get to find the address you want.

In 1983 Pope John Paul used San Jose as his headquarters while visiting around in Latin and South America.

After President Oscar Arias won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 the world began to notice Costa Rica, and that event put the country on the map.

Intel and tourism are the top income producers followed by coffee, bananas, pineapple, fish, especially tuna, meat, and textiles. The country believes in quality coffee rather than  quantity. The country grows 150 tropical fruits! Banana paper is a new and fascinating product—I was quite taken with it.

Oil comes from Venezuela and Mexico. Kapok is the national tree of Guatemala and was worshiped by Indians.

The country has a high auto accident rate with DWI being a big factor. A yellow heart is painted in a street where a fatal accident occurred.

Hotels were super five star. The wildlife was incredible, the scenery awesome, and flowers and foliage gorgeous. The food was good with rice and beans served at every meal. Pastas  were added for tourists. The fresh fruits and fresh juices were delicious!

Tortuguero National park was a unique experience, especially watching the turtles lay their eggs at night.

             Costa Ricans are extremely friendly.

Punt Arenas means point of sand.

Ecotourism is getting to be a popular way to travel, and Costa Rica is a wonderful choice and place to begin.