We returned safe and happy after a memorable and
absolutely fabulous excursion to Costa Rica!
Our naturalist on the tour was Patrick McMillan, I recommend watching
his show “Expeditions” on Public TV (PBS); this trip was like being inside one
of his shows for nine days. His
knowledge and passion for the natural world which he willingly shares is part
of what made the journey such a joy.
Betty Lou and I flew from Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica; that flight
was, well see below for details. The next
day on our way out of town the tour stopped at the town of Sarchi’, which has
what is billed as the world’s largest oxcart and it also has many talented
artisans. We spent three nights at Las
Lagos Hotel and Spa where we soaked in the hot springs one evening. Our rooms were at the base of the Arenal
Volcano, which was covered in clouds until the last day. While there we floated on a raft down the
river and hiked in a rainy rain forest.
That is about all we will have space for this posting. Stay tuned for the next installment.
The theme for the quotations in this posting is
naturally: travel. Especially meeting
with and observing other cultures during our travels. The people we met in Costa Rica were
certainly friendly, cheerful and hard working.
Our bus driver was especially expert in maneuvering our rather large and
snazzy red bus around tight curves and up the mountainside. We also had an excellent local guide, Pablo,
who gave the history of the regions we visited.
While it is true that many men and
women must assiduously apply themselves to some definite pursuit as a
livelihood vocation, it is nevertheless wholly desirable that human beings
should cultivate a wide range of cultural familiarity with life as it is lived
on earth. Truly educated persons are not satisfied with remaining in ignorance
of the lives and doings of their fellows. The Urantia Book (1674.2) (149:4.6)
Exotic
flowers on Hotel grounds
When I checked in at the counter before boarding our
flight from Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica I was told that they did not have two
seats together so they had to put us in first class, row number one no
less. That meant comfortable seats,
Champagne treatment and an excellent meal.
What a start!
Our Hotel in San Jose was the Wyndham, a nice enough place but nothing like the other hotels we stayed at later in the trip. Our first day we rode northwest toward the Arenal Volcano; the main stop along the way was at the small village of Sarchi’. Furniture making started here about 1890; our tour included a look at the water powered equipment used in those days and which is still in working order. There are skilled artisans painting various brightly colored items that have designs similar to the wheel below. The oxcart design was based on traditional carts used historically to get produce to market and it was built in 2006 to get the town listed in the Guinness Book of World Records; the wheel of the oxcart shown below must be over six feet in diameter. That cart would need some really big oxen to pull it.
Wheel
of World’s Largest Oxcart
We stayed three nights at Los Lagos Hotel, Spa and
Resort in La Fortuna. As I said above,
it is located at the base of the Arenal Volcano, which erupted in 1968. The town was formerly called El Borio but
when the volcano erupted the blast went the other way and destroyed two
villages on the other side of the volcano.
Because this village was spared it was renamed La Fortuna, or the Fortunate. After our travels we soaked in the outdoor
hot tub, fed by natural hot springs.
This hotel had everything you could want; after we returned one day the
bath towels were folded into the shape of an elephant, fancy indeed! The dining area was open on the sides and
colorful tanagers and other birds would appear for handouts as well as a few
friendly lizards. The hotel also had a
butterfly garden; there were lots of things to see and do.
Cocoa
pods outside Don Pedro’s house
The next day we went on a raft adventure down the Peña
Blancas River; each raft held six people plus the local guide. Four passengers in each raft were asked to
help with the paddling; since I had my camera they did not give me a paddle. Betty Lou and Patrick, our naturalist each
had a paddle but I did not; to make up for it I took lots of pictures, but they
could not capture the feeling of being out in this marvelous place enjoying
that corner of our world. It was a joy
to see the unfamiliar trees and look for critters. We stopped along the way for light snacks at
a 76 acre farm started by Don Pedro.
When he was a young man he bought the land for about two dollars (100
Colones) but it took him a full year working the land to pay for it, that being
a lot of money for him in those days. The
farm is isolated and there are still no roads leading to it, only a river on
two sides. He is now 101 years old (with
another birthday soon) and was present for our gathering. He worked the farm until he fell at age 94. A grandson now runs the farm and there were
four generations of his descendants present.
Don Pedro looked frail but was very much present, he even said with
vigor one of the two English words he knows: “Whiskey.” He and Betty Lou had a short conversation
with a grandson as interpreter.
Just imagine: one of our most important foods comes
from pods such as shown above: Chocolate!
Floating
Down the River
After that interlude we resumed our downriver excursion. Along the way we saw a small Crocodile in the
water, monkeys in the trees, lizards (called Jesus Christ Lizards because they
move so fast they are able to walk on water, however the ones we saw were not
moving at all) leaf cutter ants, and familiar birds such as the Snowy Egret and
Little Blue Heron. At one point, shown
above, there were stumps in the river with roots sticking out that were a
challenge to get around. One raft got
stuck and our guide tied our raft down and waded back to help free it.
Our guides were knowledgeable and hard working. Only occasionally did they call for
assistance from the paddlers. It was an
excellent day floating down the river; even more enjoyable because I was
manning a camera instead of a paddle. Eventually
the drifting came to an end and we were reunited with our red bus.
The next day we drove to the Tenorio Volcano National
Park for a hike into the Rio Celeste region.
The day was overcast and rainy; one of the best investments I made was
to pay three dollars to rent a pair of well-fitting rubber boots and leave my
new white walking shoes behind. The path
was a challenge with lots of mud and running water but this walk in a rain
forest was a special experience. There
was a lovely waterfall that we climbed down a flight of stairs to see. Nearby several types of wild Begonias were growing
on the hillside. Everyone enjoyed this
hike through the rainy forest; even one lady who fell down a couple of times
said she liked it. The variety of trees
was remarkable; even though they were packed tightly together rarely could you
see two of the same kind of tree from any one spot. The trunks were covered with moss and at one
point Patrick pointed out a variety of moss that grew only one cell thick, we
could see through it clearly. Again,
this is one of the joys of these tours, you are with people who enjoy being
outside exploring the natural world and a few raindrops could not dampen our
spirits.
Crested
Guans outside Hotel
I took the photo of these birds while standing on the
balcony of the room back at the hotel.
They were quite happy in their tree; at one point they touched beaks as
if one were giving the other something.
The hotel had a small lake where they grew tilapia, which we had for
dinner one evening. I guess we should
pause here for now; see you next time when we will move to the pacific coast
and then into a cloud forest.
The greatest twentieth-century
influences contributing to the furtherance of civilization and the advancement
of culture are the marked increase in world travel and the unparalleled
improvements in methods of communication. But the improvement in education has
not kept pace with the expanding social structure; neither has the modern
appreciation of ethics developed in correspondence with growth along more
purely intellectual and scientific lines. And modern civilization is at a
standstill in spiritual development and the safeguarding of the home
institution. The
Urantia Book (909.6) (81:6.25)
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