COSTA RICAN TRIVIA

A typical Costa Rican breakfast includes rice, black beans, scrambled eggs, and toast or tortillas as well as wonderful fresh squeezed fruit juices.

The national drink is Guaro, a rum made from sugar cane. It is marketed as Guaro Cacique. It was available at lunch one day for us to try. It was a little sweeter than the sugarcane drink I had in Cuba a few years later.

Cassava is a root, I suspect related to the potato family, and is a starchy vegetable. The top foliage grows about five feet tall. We had it during our stay diced in a salad, and also cut in 2-inch chunks mixed with other vegetables. At first I thought it was cooked celery when served that way.  It is a staple of the local diet.

The national tree of Costa Rica is the Guanacaste. Guanacaste means elephant ear and the seeds of the tree are big and look like an elephant’s ear.

Twice I’ve seen and stopped to see the tree where typically iguanas sleep and sun themselves           . They ignore the tourists who stop to look at them. We’re talking about pretty big animals here not little lizards. It is quite a surprise to see but I do not recall exactly where it is, although I have a great vision in my head of the tree and its unassuming surroundings.  

Leaf cutter ants are a lot of fun to watch. I’ve seen them several times in rain forests and am always mesmerized by them. The leaf pieces are much bigger than the little ants.  There was always a long trail of them. They carry the leaves to the nest, chew them up, but do not eat them. The chewed mess is medium for fungus to grow and they do eat the fungus.

It is not easy to remove dried mud after a mud bath. It takes some pretty hard scrubbing and one definitely needs help with the back. But your skin sure feels good when you are once again clean!

I spotted the following on a tee shirt in Costa Rica

            Only after the last tree has been cut         

            Only after the last river has been poisoned

            Only after the last fish has been caught         

            Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.

                                                                 Cree Indians, Canada

How often do you get a chance to drive through the country’s only tunnel and a bit later cross over the Continental Divide?  Can do it in Costa Rica. 

OR: take a hike in the rain forest after lunch? A pleasant respite at mid day! We were cautioned to stay on the path and offered walking sticks for the nice walk. We spotted an animal about the size of a small dog and were told it was an agouti.

The only mishap on my second visit to Costa Rica was the loss of an ear ring I had taken off and placed on a towel when I went in the pool at one of the hotels. Getting out of the pool without my glasses on I unthinking grabbed the towel and one ear ring tumbled to the ground through the deck planking. Lost forever but it was only a piece of travel costume jewelry so no need for tears. All good jewelry always stays home!

Costa Rican Historial Nature Sites

                                              COSTA RICA

        Every trip brings new adventures and even though it might be a second to trip to an area I can always learn and see something new, as was the case when I took my grandchildren to Costa Rica.

      The city of San Jose, established in 1737, is the capital of Costa Rica. Little of the colonial period survives today. Located in the fertile Central Valley, at 3-4000 feet above sea level, the climate is mild and spring-like all year. The city developed and grew around the coffee bean.  Avenues run east to west, and streets (calle) run north to south.          The large crowded city has all the problems that large cities with dense populations bring.  The city infrastructure is in disrepair in many places. Holes in sidewalks can be deep and are uncovered. One really must watch where he steps. Gutters are very deep and wide. It would be a tough city for anyone handicapped.    

      Costa Rica has seven provinces. One percent of the population is Indian. The culture on the Caribbean coast is quite different from the rest of the country as it has a greater African and Jamaican influence. There is no welfare system, nor nursing homes as families take care of their own. Only six of the 150 volcanoes are active.  Guanacaste is a large shade tree as well as an area/state in the country.

 We  walked across a 300-foot long swinging bridge spanning a flowing jungle river. The hiking trails were on the opposite side, however, we found the gate locked.

      On the way to the Carara Biological Reserve we crossed a river known for its crocodiles, and we saw several. The area is a nesting area for the scarlet macaw. We saw two flying. During the drive  we viewed the pretty Pacific coastline and the many African palm plantations. Our destination was Manuel Antonio National Park.

      There seemed to be several beaches that ran together. We hiked over a rocky dirt road for about twenty minutes to get to the beach. The sand was fine, light in color with specs of black. The clear warm water was turquoise blue and calm.  After a couple of hours suddenly a group of monkeys appeared at beach level. Several were carrying a baby on her back. They were playful and entertained us for some time. One woman sunning on the beach was surprised when a monkey approached her towel and stole a cracker from her package before scampering off to eat it. I think they were squirrel monkeys that are found in the lower tree areas and travel in groups, where the capuchins prefer the higher parts of the trees.

     The park and beach area, covering 1700 acres, is a critical habitat for many migratory birds from the UC and Canada. The area includes four beaches, which seemed to run all together, rainforest, islands, and bird sanctuaries

     On the walk from the beach, we took a smooth sandy path where we saw several different iguanas, a couple sloths, a pig, a deer, a new fawn and a raccoon.

     We had a wonderful few days in Tortoguero National Park which is accessible only by boat. There are no roads to or in the area. Tortoguero means region of turtles and it home to and the most important sponning and nesting grounds in the western hemisphere  for the endangered green turtle. The area is home to 111 species of reptiles, 60 species mammals, 309 birds and 57 amphibians.

     Our quarters were rustic and comfortable. The village has no roads, cars, sidewalks or shopping areas. For the nature lover it is well worth a visit for  at least a couple of days.

A little white water rating. At the Sarapiqui River a young gal instructed us on safety precautions in case anyone fell out of the raft. Then she fitted us to life jackets and helmets

After navigating several class II and III rapids, we stopped at a small beach pull out area where we climbed a small cliff and jumped off into the water to float back down river to the rafts. This was extremely hard for this old water safety and swim instructor, but after considerable self talk I held my helmet and glasses and jumped. Once was enough tho and I left repeat antics to the younger crowd.

After another seven miles down river we pulled off onto a sandy beach for lunch. The friendly guides flipped one of the rafts over and then set out a nice sandwich buffet lunch for us.

After a leisurely lunch and much animated conversation we took the van back to the hotel to change clothes for the afternoon visit to a rain forest preserve.