St. Christopher's visits Costa Rica: April 2008

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Day 4 - April 15, Rainforest Adventure, Drive to San Jose to Meet Bishop Monterroso

I got up at 5 am to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful - and all around were gentle sounds of the forest. There were no creepy-crawlies anywhere in my room or the bathroom next door. I had a very quick cold shower and by now the others were waking up as well. We had breakfast of rice and beans mixed together, scrambled eggs with lots of vegetables (so very good!), toast, fruit, fried plantain, juice and coffee. Lots of toucans in the tall trees nearby and a small lizard on the path back up to the lodge from the dining room. I opted not to do the 2 hour hike through the rainforest as I had a pain in one of my arches and I did not know how rough and slippery the path might be. So Wendy and Anthony went off with William and Matias took me into the nearby town of La Virgen to observe small town life in Costa Rica. First stop - the bank. The original plan was for me to go into the bank with Matias, but once we got there he realized I needed to stay in the vehicle with all our luggage. The big difference with banks in Costa Rica is that you cannot just walk in and out - there is a guard at the door who lets customers in and out. So, I got to spend time "people watching". This was a typical town as we all know it - young moms doing errands with their preschoolers while the older ones are in school, senior ladies meeting each other and catching up on news, young men acting as cool as can be - and slightly older ones with flashy, noisy cars, men greeting each other and doing some business negotiations - this could have been a scene playing out anywhere! After a drive around the town and Matias providing a running commentary about the people, society, and the environment, we stopped at the house of one of his friends - unfortunately no one was home, but I did photograph the beautiful cart on the patio - a signature item of Costa Rica. A short drive brings us back to the main building at Tirimbina and Matias introduces me to Carlos, the director of the Rainforest Center. I have a very interesting conversation with Carlos as he explains the history of the center, the current projects, and the goals for the future. The 3 rainforest walkers arrive and Wendy and Anthony are just thrilled with their experience. William found lots of interesting animal life to observe during the walk and since it was a private group they got to take their time. Another delicious lunch was served in the cafeteria style dining room. Unfortunately William had other work to do but Carlos joined us for lunch. Carlos is very eloquent and committed to the awareness and preservation of the rainforest. We were surprised to learn that Costa Rican children are not taught very much about the environment unless they also participate in extra learning adventures as we were doing. We now have a good 2 hour journey into San Jose for our 2:30 appointment with Bishop Monterroso. Once again we are on a barely 2 lane wide highway, that is always twisting and turning - but the scenery is beautiful! We make it just on time - there was an emergency purchase of candy by Matias from a street vendor - so we now all have a form of taffy stuck in our mouths as we pull up in front of the bishop's office.
We are greeted warmly by Bishop Monterroso and his assistant Roger who acts as his translator (although the bishop does know a lot of English). To summarize our visit of 90 minutes: the bishop gave a brief history of the Anglican Church in Costa Rica and there are now 20 churches that he would like to strengthen and then expand into new areas; there is 1 female priest and 5 female deacons; they have had groups come from the US to work with Vacation Bible School programs (what we call Fun-in-the-Sun) and other projects; his top priority is women and children and they are hoping to build a day care facility which will benefit single and/or teen age moms so they can increase their education and skills and have access to psychologists; he is very pleased at the prospect of developing an ongoing mutual relationship with Canadian Anglicans - and would like to have visitors do workshops on Anglican traditions such as Altar Guild and Servers, as well as innovative expressions of ministry and spirituality such as music and liturgical dance; he thinks it is very important for Costa Rican Anglicans to see people from another part of the world emphasizing the life-changing service aspect of our faith. The time flew by and soon we needed to say our good-byes - after having coffee and cookies of course! - and the bishop expressed his joy at meeeting us and we replied with the same genuine feeling. Matias then took us to our hotel to shower, rest, do laundry, before he returned and we had fabulous dinner together at the hotel restaurant - where it was so cool outside we needed sweaters! When I went back to my room I encouraged a wayward gecko that he would really rather be some place else, thank you very much!

Sunrise from my room at 5 am

Morning at Tirimbina

Don Antonio resting after breakfast at Tirimbina

Inside the main building at Tirimbina

A Costa Rican cart

The dining room at Tirimbina

Anthony, Carlos and Wendy

Anthony, Bishop M, Wendy, Me, Roger

Another cart - this one at the hotel

Day 3 - April 14, Drive to Sarapiqui and the Tirimbina Rainforest Center

I used the hotel computer for my one and only blog entry while away! My apologies to anyone who checked this site hoping for updates.
Matias picked us up around 8:30 am after a wonderful hotel breakfast, and we drove to Lake Arenal. Beautiful scenery on the drive there and all around the man-made lake. Back into La Fortuna for capuccino and shopping at the Down to Earth store. Matias brought me taste testers of his 2 coffee liqueurs and a macadamia one. I think I may have shared with Anthony...but not very much! The coffee ones were soooo smooth. Next time some of that is coming back in my suitcase for sure! Then we had a 2 hour drive to Sarapiqui - through the Braulio Carillo National Park. As always the view was breathtaking - and so was the highway driving. The highway is neither straight, flat, nor wider than 2 vehicles - anywhere! We arrived at the Tirimbina Rainforest Center for a late lunch and as always the food was superb - rice and black beans and fried plantains of course! - but also a selection of cold salads, hot vegetables, and meat. I had chicken which was seasoned so nicely - better than our thick, overly sweet version of BBQ. Also tried yuca - which appeared at every meal for the next few days. Crispy on the outside and fibrous on the inside - bland but good. And we had a dessert of frozen sour cream with fruit - like a popsicle. Matias then took us on a walk into the rainforest - over a very long bridge - and yes it can sway quite a bit! The plant growth around us was enormous! It was hot, humid, and mostly sunny - and everything looked, smelled and sounded fantastic. Our Tirimbina guide, William, arrived shortly after we returned to the main building, and around 4:30 we loaded his gear into the vehicle and drove around to the other side of Tirimbina. A quick, hot walk as darkness was descending, to see the outdoor learning center areas. Then while supper was being prepared we watched a 30 minute powerpoint presentation on bats. Extremely informative and very well done. William is also an excellent teacher. Supper was at 7 - and a most welcome feast of fish, hot vegetables, rice, black beans, and salad. Only one bat was collected in the fabric traps that night, and William gave us a full lesson on bat biology. He was very gentle in his handling of the bat and we did not take any photos as that would have caused stress in the poor beast, (the bat I mean - not William!), amd then he set him free. The evening air was cooler and very refreshing with a nice breeze. Every now and then it would rain for a few minutes. Tirimbina is solar powered so we had lights in our room - but we used them judiciously. I decided to have a shower....it was very brisk and refreshing, (aka COLD!!!). I finally got brave enough in the night to open my screenless window. William had told us the drill - turn on the light in your room, close the door, close the windows, check your room for critters - and keep the door and windows closed as long as you have a light on. Once you turn the light off you can open the door and windows again. I was reading by flashlight until about 9:30, but was not brave enough to open my windows yet. Around 10:30 I heard a heavy rainstorm so I got out of bed and stayed on the tile porch (another rule at night) and watched and listened to the storm move past and see the stars come out again. It was very beautiful. At some point I decided my room was too stuffy and I wanted fresh air more than I was worried about little creatures that might come in to visit me.

One of innumerable pineapple plants we saw on the drive.

The long bridge over the Sarapiqui River

The Sarapiqui River

Looking off the bridge into the river

Walking into the rainforest...

And coming back from the bridge...

Looking off the bridge into an enormous plant!

Part of the lodgings and the driveway

Sunset over the forest canopy from the lodge

Friday, April 25, 2008

Day 2 - April 13, Adventure Around La Fortuna

Oh my - what an action packed day we had! Breakfast buffet at the hotel - watching a beautiful parrot at the bird feeder as well as other smaller birds. Matias arrived around 7:30 am and introduced us to our tour guides for the day - Suresh and Christine, owners of the Desafio Adventure Company. Matias went to work at his store for the day and we went off with our new friends, and our driver Adonay. First we went to the Desafio office where Christine explained the agenda for the day as well as the vision and programs offered by their company. Several tour guides were waiting to start their day and in typical Costa Rican fashion, we were greeted warmly by all of them. First stop once we get the van loaded is to see their horses. Our original itinerary had been to take a horseback ride to the waterfall and then hike. Wendy is allergic to horses but we were going to work around that. A few days before we arrived - as a SURPRISE - Matias changed the horseback ride to white water rafting. This is when I realized I should have mentioned my FEAR OF WATER! But he told me 9 year olds and 80 year old church ladies can do it - so what was the problem? After admiring the horses we then drove to a view point to see the La Fortuna waterfall. The day was clear so we could see Arenal in all its' magnificence. We then drove to the little town of San Isidro to meet with the mayor. The electric company dammed the river and caused a huge impact on the area, so in compensation they donated a piece of land. Dona Elibet explained her vision of a playground and municipal building on the property. At some point Anthony impresses the mayor so much that she names him "Don Antonio", and so for the rest of the trip (in fact, no doubt FOREVER) he is Don Antonio! Suresh and Christine want to help the community with this project. We then went to the mayor's office and council chambers where we learned more about this very wise and caring woman's plans for her town. And imagine my delight when in her office I see very large flowers made out of FUN FOAM! (some of you may know of my weakness for fun foam kits and how much this really bugs Mike!) Then as a lovely treat she invites us all to her home for some refreshing snacks. How could we refuse? A short drive brings us to her lovely home where her daughter has prepared fruits, juice, coffee, and bread. We are welcomed warmly by her family and encouraged to help ourselves. Finally we must leave and Dona Elibet gives Anthony, Wendy and me gifts to remember our visit. We are a bit behind schedule, but it was definitely worth it. On the road again and suddenly Adonay pulls over as he has seen a sloth in the top of a tree. So out we get for a chance to take photos - and a tour bus stops as well and they had a telescope so we got a really good look! Finally we get to the river. The electric company opens the dam for certain hours each day and this is when the rafting can occur. Suresh gives us all a lesson in safety and technique and then he and Anthony get into an inflatable kayak. A young American couple are in a raft and we will join them later. Wendy and I stay with Christine and Adonay drives us farther along the river where the rapids are only Class 2. We have a lovely drive and a fantastic time chatting with Christine about her company and what we do at St. Christopher's. Eventually the water party arrives and Wendy and I get into the raft. Much to my surprise - I am not the least bit nervous and the twisting and turning is quite a lot of fun! It is cool and refreshing to be on the water. A couple of times we did almost flip over but due to our skill (?) we managed to stay upright. Our guide Brayan was a delight - very professional, but also had a great sense of humour. Our journey took us past many groups swimming in the river - usually men and boys only - as well as family groups enjoying a picnic and a swim. The children love to shout greetings and wave as we go by. When we reach the end of our river journey, Christine has fresh pineapple waiting for us on the shore so we can refresh ourselves. Then it is back into the van and we head to an animal refuge where we can change out of our wet bathing suits. This is the Proyecto Asís Animal Rescue Shelter and we spend time with the director Alvaro, who introduces us to several animals under their protection as well as explains the Spanish and volunteer programs they have in place. After seeing (and in some cases touching) lizards, ducks, parrots, cayman, toucans, "Pearl" the wild pig, "Hercules" and 2 other spider monkeys, "Benjamin" the kinkajou, we head off to Suresh and Christine's home for a very late lunch. Another absolutely fantastic meal of Costa Rican cooking. After we are full and have enjoyed more conversation, it is time for them to return us to our hotel. We shower and rest and this gives us time to reflect on the past 24 hours. The friendliness of the Desafio guides and the emphasis on security while having a great experience is beyond excellence. We have been in this country for about 30 hours and my head is spinning from all we have seen and learned. Costa Rican hospitality - the people, the food, the attitude - is overwhelming. After 7 pm Matias picked us up and we drove to the volcano. It was very cloudy so it was doubtful that we would see a lava flow. However, I cold see a narrow red line and kept telling the others but NO! - they did not believe me! After I mentioned it at least 4 times, finally they saw it too. Then back into town and another perfect dinner at Matias' restaurant.