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Rancho Naturalista (Part I)
More about the group
Costa Rica bird list (3 trips)
Previous CR trip ... 2001Click thumbnails for larger photos |
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Wednesday,
May 14, 2003
Hotel
Xandari Eventually we made it to
our destination, Plaza
Esmeralda. Typically on
our trips with Charlie we only spend a couple hours shopping.
Two years ago we went to Sarchi so the decision was made (by
Marco and me) to try this new place that had only opened five months
ago. Rain was falling when we arrived and several employees came
out to the bus with large umbrellas to walk us in so that we wouldn’t
get wet. A very nice
gesture. The facility is bright
and airy with different areas devoted to different crafts. There was a coffee bar as well as coffee for sale.
They brewed fresh coffee for us demonstrating the old fashioned
Costa Rican way using a
Chorreador
de Café. About 20
years ago almost every home, restaurant and office kitchen in Costa Rica
was equipped with one. It consisted of an unvarnished wooden frame about
33 cm. (13"). tall with a round hole at the top where a wire rimmed
cloth filter or strainer was placed. Fine ground coffee was placed in
the filter and boiling water was poured in, filtering down to the
coffeepot below. This humble device is losing ground fast to modern
coffee makers. The reason usually given is that the new devices are
faster and more convenient. However, many aficionados still have one of
these in their kitchen for the simple reason, they say, that the coffee
tastes better. We asked
Charlie if he still made coffee that way at home, but he said there was
a regular coffee maker on the kitchen counter at his house.
Upstairs was a small café which served lunch, so the decision
was to do our shopping and have lunch there before going on to Xandari. In the early afternoon we arrived at Xandari and noticed a few differences. One big change is a locked gate with a security guard sporting a pistol on his hip and another armed security guard who walks the trails on the property. That is a sad sign of the times. The owners have also added a spa but the prices are very high so they will probably not have any business from us.
We
wanted to do a walk during the afternoon but it began to rain so we
opted for a rest before dinner. The
eight of us gathered at the terrace restaurant for dinner together.
It was quite chilly because of the rain but we continued to enjoy
each other’s company. We
had invited Janet Blakeley, who lives in Grecia and who owns Tesoros del
Sol organic coffee company, for dinner but she was unable to join us due
to her daughter being ill. Both
Mary and I buy coffee by mail order from Tesoros
del Sol and were hoping to finally meet Janet. I
first became acquainted with Janet when, soon after returning from our
2001 trip, I joined a Yahoo group called Costa Rica Living (CRL).
This group is made up of ex-pats who actually live in Costa Rica,
people who are planning to move there and others like me who just love
the country, go down to visit but will probably never be able to
actually live there. Some
are folks who have retired there, but others have viable jobs and
businesses in Costa Rica. Janet
is the owner/moderator of the list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CostaRicaLiving)
and a great lady!
Tomorrow is our last full day together and I am going
to be sad to say good by to these wonderful friends and traveling
companions. However we do
have a great day planned and our Farewell Dinner to cap it off tomorrow
evening. Thursday,
May 15, 2003 Hotel Xandari Our destinations today are Poas
Volcano and the La Paz
Waterfall Garden. Charlie’s
first thought was to get to Poas this morning before the clouds moved
in; however, as we climbed higher, the cloud cover thickened, and he and
Nino decided it would be best from the standpoint of the weather to go
to the Waterfall Gardens first. What a fantastic place! I hardly know where to begin to describe all the sights at the La Paz Waterfall Garden. Entering the area through the reception center the first thing one sees is an area where there are numerous hummingbird feeders. The hummers are there in great numbers and I could have just stayed right there for an extended length of time watching them. But the next thing along the walkway is a huge butterfly
enclosure planted with every tropical plant one could imagine!
There were butterflies flitting everywhere and small tags
attached to leaves and fronds marked places where there were eggs
deposited, caterpillars munching and chrysalis attached so we could see
them in their natural habitat. Also
in this huge enclosure was a small laboratory where many chrysalis were
waiting to hatch. Standing there gaping at all the different
butterflies, I did not notice that an emerging morpho had fluttered over
and attached itself to the back of my slacks leg.
After Jim had videoed it, Charlie gently removed it and placed it
on a branch so that it could continue to pump its wings full of fluid.
This was an amazing experience!
Leaving the butterfly enclosure and continuing to follow the
pathway, we came to a much larger garden area where hummingbird feeders
were located. There must
have been at least 100 hummers buzzing around, eating and defending
their territory. Again, I could have just stayed right there it was so
mesmerizing. And we
hadn’t even seen a waterfall yet!
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 This waterfall was just one of the spectacular sights on the trail.
All
the signage was done in both Spanish and English. Because it was relatively early there were very few visitors
so we took our time, birding along the trails.
We totally agree with Charlie’s “get on the trail early”
philosophy.
If the trail was awesome, the waterfalls were
spectacular, all five of them. By
the time we came to the last one we had climbed down a great distance.
There was a minivan waiting to take us back up the road to the
visitors’ center where we had started our trek.
Lunchtime was approaching so we headed into the dining area for a
nice buffet meal. There was
also a small gift shop and very nice restrooms.
We could see construction of a lodge taking place and were told
there would be 12 rooms available by the end of the year.
Although it’s touristic, we enjoyed our visit there, especially
since the crowds were coming as we were departing. Getting back on the bus, we ascended to Poas Volcano.
Amazingly, the clouds only dropped a bit of rain on us and then
as we gained elevation the sky changed to broken clouds with a tiny bit
of blue. Nino parked the bus and we began the final climb on
foot up a wide asphalt road toward the crater.
Our group was strung out as each person set their own pace.
Even though the elevation is approximately 8,800 feet, I was
managing to keep pace with Charlie as we quietly pushed our way up
through clouds. Right
before we gained the summit a faint hint of sulfur drifted by and then
we were at the rim! As if
by magic, the clouds cleared as we approached.
Looking down we could see the huge crater and steam vents.
It was absolutely overwhelming!
I was silently giving thanks for this climax to our wonderful
trip.
According to Charlie, it is not often that the crater
of Poas is clear of clouds in the afternoon.
When I remarked that it must have been his magic that parted the
clouds, he replied, “No, it is the good karma of your group!
I have never had a group that bonded and blended as this one has!”
That just melted my heart because we had done a very good job on
the give and take of traveling in each other’s back pockets for two
weeks.
It pleased me greatly that this was noticeable.
The other thing that made the opening of the clouds so fantastic
was the fact that none of the British contingency had ever seen a
volcanic crater before, so this was a real “first” for them! While we were away, the staff at Xandari had come to
our villa to set up the tables on the veranda for our Farewell Dinner. By the time we got back rain was falling so we moved a few
chairs indoors to keep the rain from hitting them.
Charlie and Nino brought their packs to our villa and went out to
bird in the mist while Jim and I grabbed quick showers.
Marco called and said that Vicki would be picking him up from
work and they would arrive about 7 p.m.
That was good because we had asked that the staff begin to bring
the food about that time. We gathered at 6 p.m. to do our final bird list.
Poured wine for everyone and we began with a toast from Charlie
thanking us for being such an easy group to lead.
I responded with words of praise for him and Nino, and Jack added
a bit to what I said. It
was a bittersweet time for all of us as we marked our lists for the very
last time. Thankfully the rain had stopped. Actually the clouds parted and we could see the moon as well as the lights of the Central Valley. The moon is full and there was to be a total eclipse tonight! As we were finishing the main course the eclipse began.
Waiting for dessert and coffee, we got up to move around and
mingle as well as to do a bit of stargazing with Charlie’s scope.
How fortunate that the clouds stayed away.
Charlie explained each phase of the eclipse and showed us other
constellations - even the Southern Cross as puffs of clouds moved across
the sky. All along this has
been a magical trip. What a
superb ending! By the time the moon was totally covered it was late
and time to say our goodbyes. There
were hugs all around and we gave Charlie and Nino their tip envelopes. How rapidly these two weeks have passed.
Tomorrow our British contingency will depart in the late
afternoon. The Dodges are
staying one more day to relax at Xandari, and Jim and I will move to San
Jose to experience the Hotel Grano de Oro for two nights before we
complete our trip.
Friday,
May 16, 2003 Hotel Grano de
Oro I awoke at 2 a.m., pulled up the blanket and managed to sleep till 4 a.m., but then I was awake for good. Quietly I went out to the terrace and stared at the mountains totally engrossed in re-living our wonderful two weeks. And wondering what the next week would bring as we go out on our own. We
had agreed to meet at 8 for breakfast for final goodbyes.
Granola, fruit and yogurt was just the perfect thing for
breakfast along with some more good Costa Rican coffee.
Hugs all around and then Mary and Jack left for a hike.
We went to the villa to finish packing and then came back to the
reception to wait for the CRE transport that will take us into the city.
magine our surprise when our transfer guide
turned out to be Javier who had picked us up at the airport two weeks
earlier.
He and Mario the driver took us through midday traffic to the
Grano de Oro, waited for us to check in and get our bags into our room,
and then transported us to the CRE offices in downtown San Jose.
The offices are located in a historic building right in the midst
of things so I can see why Marco enjoys the hustle and bustle of the
city. First we got a tour
of each floor and saw where our itineraries were done and where certain
people worked.
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 The eclipse begins (No larger image).
I Although
Natalie Ewing and I had corresponded off and on via email, this was the
first time we had met. What
a delightful lady! During
our chat, talk turned to the exit visa that is being required when
leaving Costa Rica. The new
system had just recently been put into place and I’d read horror
stories about people having to stand in lines for hours and missing
their flights. When I mentioned this to her, she immediately said that they
could help. Apparently one
bank in the city is being allowed to issue these ahead of time. She asked if we were carrying our passports (we were) so she
copied them, took the $26 per person that it costs (which I was also
carrying) and left to give them to someone to expedite.
Since she was picking us up to go to Charlie and Vicki’s for
dinner tomorrow night, she said that she would bring our exit papers at
that time. This will save
us a lot of heartburn on the day we depart. We
left about mid afternoon with Javier and Mario taking us back to the
hotel. Made up of several
old homes that have been joined together, the Grano de Oro is a lovely
small hotel with a very good restaurant, which has the reputation of being one of
the best in San Jose. We
took a little exploratory stroll through the halls, found several
fountains in areas where the houses were joined.
There are niches with stunning fresh floral arrangements all over
the place and even a Jacuzzi on the rooftop!
By the way, the name means grain
of gold, which is a Spanish term for coffee.
Several
months ago we had invited Marco and his Mother, Rosina, to join us for
dinner at the hotel. Marco
had mentioned that this was one of his Mother’s favorite places to
eat. They arrived at 7 and
we were so happy to meet Rosina. She
is a delightful lady and very proud of Marco.
We
exchanged small gifts and went in to dinner that was truly delicious.
The evening flew by. Saturday,
May 17, 2003 Hotel Grano de
Oro We began planning a walk for the morning when the phone rang. It was Charlie letting us know that Natalie would be picking us up about 6:15 p.m. this evening to come to his house for dinner. When I told him we were heading out to walk, he adamantly told us to leave the camera, purse and any other valuables in the room safe and just take copies of our passports and a bit of currency with us in a secure pocket. We took his advice and headed out to the central part of the city, which was a couple of miles away. This
is the area where the National Theater and Gold Museum are located.
We had an enjoyable time stretching our legs, people watching and
window shopping. Many of
the stores had “barkers” outside with microphones advertising
specials. This was an
interesting concept to us as well as the fact that most of these
employees were dressed in various types of clown costumes.
We spent some time in a department store called “Universal”
which was very large. It
was multi leveled and one entire floor was devoted to toys!
The remainder of the store had CDs, books, perfumes, makeup,
dishes and household items. To
us this was an unusual mélange of items.
There were no clothes on display.
By the time we decided to head back it was early afternoon.
After a quick stop at McDonald’s for a Coke and fries, we just
beat the rain back to the hotel. Natalie and her two children, Shamielle and Shawn, picked us up in the pouring rain. Passing through the outskirts of San Jose we headed into the suburbs to the area where Vicki and Charlie live. As soon as we arrived, Charlie came out to help Natalie maneuver her car into the security enclosure behind the iron gates at the front of the house. We dodged raindrops and ran inside where Vicki was waiting for us. Also waiting were Nino and his girlfriend. An unexpected treat to see him again and meet her.
Two of
the three Gomez children were there - Sergio and Silvia, both
of whom are charming, attractive young people.
Sergio is fully a head taller than Charlie so I asked where his
height came from. Vicki
replied that her parents were tall, and it was evident when Vicki’s
Mother, Dona Virginia, came down from her apartment that is upstairs.
On the other hand, Dona Marta, Charlie’s Mother, who also lives
with them, is quite petite. She measures just at Charlie’s shoulder. Their
home is comfortable and you can feel love emanating from every surface.
It is as though when you walk in the front door you are
immediately embraced and welcomed.
Never have I felt these vibrations so strongly when entering a
home. And the feelings
intensified throughout the evening.
Watching the interactions of Charlie and Vicki with their
children and their mothers, it was evident that love, respect,
understanding and total acceptance were the by-words of this family. Vicki
had prepared delicious white lasagna and salad with ice cream cake for dessert.
The entire evening was delightful.
Three languages, Spanish, English and French, were being bantered
around and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Charlie even took us to see his little office at the back of the
house near the garden. He shared a
photo of himself with Dr. Skutch from many years ago as well as photos
of other famous people he has guided. It was while we were in his office
that he mentioned doing a trip to Ecuador together.
Both Jim and I would welcome the opportunity! The evening drew to a close as the rain was ending. Charlie and Vicki drove us back to the hotel and we stood in the street trying to say goodbye. It was difficult – Vicki kept hugging Jim and then me; then it was Charlie’s turn and then we started around again. How privileged we were to be able to visit them in their home and be a part of their family for an evening. It was truly a magical evening!
On to another volcano and other adventures The only bird book you'll need for Costa Rica. |
