Wandering

Welcome! Bienvenido! Sa wat dee! I'm glad you're here to accompany me as I wander around the world =)

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Cuentos de Costa Rica- Puro Paseo AGAIN! ♬ the Ballad of los Come-Huevos ♬


Pri, Mary, Luis y yo!
It seems I am always on vacation in Costa Rica (well of course I am, because I’m sure as hell not working!)  I’ve been actively traveling since I arrived, and that is due to the intrepid spirit of my compañeros aventureros. I was invited to go with Pri, Luis, and their friends to a place they spoke of with great excitement- La Fortuna in the region of San Carlos.  We would be staying for a few nights in a cabin outside of a town in a rural province, a base from which to set out for the incredible natural formation there…

Volcan Arenal
The car journey took a few hours, and my friends noticed that I was exceptionally quiet the entire time. I had to explain with some embarrassment that, although I did know Spanish, I had NO IDEA what they had been saying! It then dawned on them that they had been speaking in almost pure Costa Rican slang… they could not stop laughing! We arrived at our cabin and unloaded our belongings, but we were eager to go see what we came there for. So we packed some snacks and drove to find a spot for come-huevos- literally: “egg-eaters,” it means experiencing for free what you would otherwise have to pay for (they finally started teaching me the slang!) We used this phrase a LOT during the trip, as by the end of it we had fully converted into come-huevos. My initiation began in a spot along the road where we could see the dominating feature of the landscape: a 5,358 ft high cindercone volcano rising sharply and dramatically from the otherwise flat terrain, the impressive Volcán Arenal. We then drove to the national park to do some hiking. At the entrance, I passed for Costa Rican and thus got in to the park for free! (come-huevos strike again!) We spent awhile there and took some amazing photos of the volcano and then went back to the cabin to eat and prepare for what we had planned that night.

We drank some birras (Costa Rican for “cervezas,” don’tcha know) and made our way back to the volcano to try to see an eruption. We were extremely lucky that the summit wasn’t obscured by clouds, as that is the case on almost every other day of the year. From our viewpoint in the national park, we could see the crater ringed in fiery shades of red, orange, and yellow. However, there wasn’t much activity. Mariana decided that we couldn’t just sit around and hope something would happen; she took matters into her own hands. She began a very entertaining lava chant. We all laughingly joined in and, surprisingly enough, the gods of geothermal energy answered! Hot lava burst diagonally out of the top and bounced thousands of feat down the peak, explosive splashes of color igniting the side of the mountain. We squealed in delight and celebrated our success with dancing and of course more drinks!

The next day we headed to the hot springs! A magma-heated river flows away from the base of Arenal, and as a result several resorts have set up shop, purchasing this land and charging for access to the heated water. Again, the come-huevos foiled capitalist intentions. We drove along and looked out for more of our kind… cars parked on the side of the road indicated their location. We pulled up and found a whole bunch of come-huevos! We all went down to the stream, which didn’t have paved walkways or railings to hold onto while getting in the water, but this didn’t deter us because we were happy to be in untouched (and free) nature!

la poza
Later on we did give in and buy a day-pass to one of the resorts. We had previewed another one and weren’t impressed- we explained this to the proprietors in a conversation made quite awkward by the fact that we had a farting machine in the car (funny in any language!) We decided on the most famous resort, reluctantly legitimizing its claim to this natural resource, but wow was it cool! It had dozens of pools of varying temperatures and we thoroughly enjoyed soaking in them. But we could not deny for long our come-huevos customs. We had seen another place along a bridge where several cars were parked, although we had no idea why. Our curiosity overcame us and we stopped to investigate. There, 30 feet or so under the bridge, was a waterfall! The rushing water had also created a poza (swimming spot) a deep pool perfect for swimming. The other people there were locals, who explained that they came almost every day, and showed us all the secrets to enjoying our time there- a rope swing you could throw yourself off of into the water, a place on the waterfall you could stand and jump from, even a way to get under the waterfall by alternately swimming and pulling yourself along the sheer rock wall against the strong current. We spent hours there amusing ourselves, and even went back again the next day!

The entire trip was great- the sights and activities themselves were amazing- but it was made all the more fun by the fun-loving company I kept … and also I am now a professional “egg-eater” =)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Cuentos de Costa Rica- Puro Paseo

I'd like to offer some "snapshots" into what I've been up to, because every day here has been amazing =)

puesta del sol
-Went on my first solo "paseo" (literally: "pass-time"… in English, think "excursion"). As per the suggestion of my adopted family here, I took a bus to Manuel Antonio, a tourist beach next to a National Park of the same name. Set back in the trees, my second-floor wooden hotel room was scorching. The only relief could be found right by the water's edge. I found a stretch of beach that was somewhat calm, away from the chaos of the expensive restaurants and bars and the package-vacation crowds that frequent them (my "Mami" had sent me with enough fruit and sandwiches to last the days I would be there so that I could avoid having to pay steep prices for my meals). I laid down in the shade of the palm trees and held a staring contest with an arm-length iguana perched near me while listening to the waves crashing against the shore. I stayed until sunset, which was of course gorgeous (I am seriously spoiled for how many sunsets-on-the-beach I have experienced in my life). 

playa del Parque Manuel Antonio
-The next day I woke up early to get to the park before it was hot. I was shocked that I appeared to be the only person who was not in a tour-group. Guides carried their telescopes and set them up for sloth viewings. I never saw a sloth while I was there, but the other wildlife wouldn't disappoint me. I made my way down the trail and suddenly a small bejeweled beach appeared out of the palms, its sparkling aquamarine water calmly brushing the sand. The water was surprisingly warm and I floated in the waves for awhile until I noticed activity on the shore. A band of white-faced capuchin monkeys had come to entertain the beach-goers with their antics! They played and lazed around in the trees, some of the bolder ones even coming down to the ground to have a look at the people. But it wasn't the people they were interested in; it was their food. My lunchtime picnic was punctuated by pairs of eyes intently watching me eat. I spent the entire day on that beach, alternately reading and taking dips in the crystal water, later taking a long walk back to my cabin along the beach, trying to remain in the shadow of the trees to prevent sunburn. I enjoyed my short time in that gorgeous place, and then it was back to mi familia and Chepe (San Jose’s affectionate nickname).


capuchin cansado (tal vez perezoso)

Tito, Mary y yo en la Volcan Poas

-Tito knocked on my door at 7am. "You want to go to a volcano?" My excitement was only partially dulled by my grogginess. I showered quickly and got into the car and we were off: me, Tito, Mariana, her mom, and her mom's boyfriend. On the drive we stopped to buy some beautiful fresh strawberries that were grown on the mountain. They were demolished by the time we reached the summit. Volcán Poás is one of the only volcanoes in the world where you can drive almost all the way to the crater. It has earned the nickname as the "World's Biggest Geyser" because it nearly constantly spews a smoke of sulfuric acid. The rancid smell did not have the chance to detract much from the sight though. Wildflowers in hues of purple and pink grew around the rim and acrobatic swallows twirled and dove from invisible trapeze to catch unseen insects. The combination of smoke and clouds finally cleared for several moments to reveal a cyan colored lake in the crater below.

el bosque nuboso
-From that crater we hiked to its inactive brother on a trail through a very unique mossy forest. Trees twisted around each other like gnarled fingers intertwined, not aggressive or overbearing but in perfect harmony. Silence was strung between the branches like a spider's web, catching conversation and stopping it dead. We emerged at the edge of the crater overlooking a lake, this time filled with actual water. The forest crept down over the side to stand mesmerized by its own reflection at the water's edge. A group of nuns were gathered at the overlook and we decided to go talk to them and ask them where they were from. The women were of the order of the Missionaries of Charity, established by Mother Theresa of Calcutta, and the group represented all of the countries in Central America and many from further abroad as well. The woman we spoke to was from India and had spent much time with Mother Theresa towards the end of her life. We spent more time talking with her about Costa Rica and traveling before we headed back to our car.

el lago volcánico
-On the way back home, we decided to make a detour to a waterfall garden. While we were driving it soon became apparent that the landscape had gone through a change recently. My companions informed me that only one year ago a major earthquake had devastated the area, including a landslide that had wiped out a small town. The family I stayed with had worked in their community to collect relief items (food, blankets, etc.) and brought them to the area for the people who had been affected by the quake. They told a story of a factory which had to shut down its production as a result of the disaster, which would have meant the loss of hundreds of jobs for the local people. However, instead of packing up and relocating, the company saved the jobs for the workers and the whole community worked to speedily re-start production. I was very inspired by this story. Although it was evident that there was a lot of work to be done, I had no doubt that this community, along with wider support from their country, would be able to get back on its feet before too long. We arrived at our destination, a torrent of white water, loud and fast, falling hundreds of feet from its origin, against a backdrop of a dark cliff face covered with brilliant green plants that spilled over the rocks like runny oil-paints. We posed for funny pictures and avoided sliding in the muddy trail. Then, lamenting the end of our "paseo", we got back in the car and drove home to the city.