Our Visit to Costa Rica January 2007

We spent two weeks in Costa Rica sharing a wonderful time with good friends from Duluth, Minnesota. . Quite a bit of our time was in the Tamarindo area but we also travelled elsewhere.

Tamarindo

We rented a condo up a hill and overlooking the beach. It was about a 15 minute walk to get down the hill and to the beach. The view was great and the walk provided exercise. There is a wide, white-sand beach with large estuary. Good area for surfing and many surf schools. Lots of construction is going on. The roads are not not well maintained, are not wide, carry lots of traffic, and there are few sidewalks. There are some open sewers along the sides of some streets. People were friendly, restaurants were good, prices were reasonable but not cheap.

In Tamarindo we went on the Blue Dolphin, a catamarn sailboat. This was quite pleasant with a caring crew. Our favorite restaurant was the Dragonfly. For informal dining and good food at reasonable prices we liked the Monkey Bar at the Best Western. Of course, the TCBY was nice.

The condo we rented from an owner on Monte Perle. Very comfortable, private pool, good view and wonderful staff.	A view of the sunset from the deck of the condo. A great place to sip a drink, chat with friends, and relax.	But the view is dwindling as construction blooms in Tamarindo. This view from the living room shows where three towers of condos five stories high will be built.	This is a view of the beach from the deck of the condo. Nearly every day was a sunny and warm/hot day.

Geography and Volcanoes

Costa Rica measures only 185 miles across at her widest point, but 4 mountain ranges divide her like a backbone. Mount Chirripo (12,000ft) is highest point in S. Central America. The Central Volcanic Range is made up of four volcanoes. More than half of Costa Rica’s almost 4 million inhabitants live in the Central Valley. The fertile soil was created by the activity of these volcanoes over the last 2 million years. The NW range is the Tilaran-it reaches 5500 feet at Monteverde—includes Arenal. The Guanacaste range is N toward Nicaragua and boasts five active volcanoes, including Rincon de la Miravalles.

Volcan Arenal and we did see the top which emerged from clouds for a moment. But we didn't see fire and brimstone.	Lake Arenal s a large reservoir at the foot of Arenal. Dams built for hydroelectric energy enlarged the lake and diverted the water that had previously flowed east to the Atlantic.	Our housing in Arenal. Comfortable with a good view. This is a very touristy area and there are a lot of facilities.

Monteverde

The road from the Interamerican Highway to Monteverde is graded but unpaved and very rocky. Monteverde residents, in an attempt to protect the simple, friendly lifestyle that has made this a special place have fought against paving the road-want to keep the peacefulness of their area. Despite bad roads they receive over 200,000 visitors a year. Quakers from Alabama have a community here. Their houses are often hidden in the forest and there are still no streetlights. Quakers from Alabama started dairy farming in early 1950’s. They had the foresight to make much of this is a reserve

Peggy visited the Selvatura Skywalk with our companions. It is a two and a half kilometer walk through a series of well maintained trails that lead to eight narrow bridges with cyclone fencing on the sides, suspended more than 120 feet above the ground, surrounded by gorgeous forest. Sometimes you walk amidst the trees, other times you look down upon their treetops. A beautiful, leisurely, awe-inspiring trek. We chose not to do the zip line! Gene joined our guide in visiting the building of his beautiful future home and meeting one of his woodworking friends where some pretty wood was purchased.

Beautiful valley rainbows in Monteverde. But the drive up there is terrible. Many residents prefer it that way to keep the population in check.	Damp clouds at the higher elevations provide moisture for abundant plants	We stayed in El Sapo Dorad in Santa. Elena. A wonderful place with a dining room and places to hike.	We used Mauricio Ramirez as a guide. He was a friendly, warm, and knowledgeable person. Ask for him or phone in Costa Rica at 506 645 5901

Rincon de la Vieja National Park

Guanacaste Conservation Area N of Liberia has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Rincon De La Viejo is one of Costa Rica’s richest and most varied parks. We entered via Las Pailas (The Caldrons) 124 acres of pits of boiling hot water vapor geysers. Great hiking in the park-a transitional area between dry forest and cloud forest.

Our trek was over boulders, rooted pathways, over a wire bridge, and later included fording a stream via shoes or rocks. It was a 2 ½ hour rustic trek. We heard Howler Monkeys but did not see them up close.

A view in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park	A local artist in Guaittil making Chortega-style pottery. With little use of a wheel they recreate every known design from native clay and natural paints and colors.	Another view in the Rincon de la Vieja National Park.	Beautiful trees. But we didn't see a lot of birds or other animals. Some though.

Early History of Costa Rica

Pre Columbian----Chorotegas, their ancestors migrated from S. Mexico to the Nicoya Peninsula in 13th Century. They were running away from enemies who wanted to enslave them. Their name translates as “fleeing people” They were good farmers-cotton, beans, fruits, cacao ( used seeds as currency) land was community owned and harvest divided according to need. They lived in cities of as many as 20,000 people , with central plazas with church and marketplace. Only women could enter the market. Women wore skirts, the length of which depended on social level. Men could go naked but often wore a large cloth. Women worked in ceramics Later the Chicha people from Colombia migrated to S. Pacific region and lived in permanent towns. They possessed gold which they fashioned into human and animal figures They worshiped the sun, moon and bones of their ancestors and believed that all things had souls.

Various Spanish explorers Colombus, Diego de Nicuesa, Balboa, Coronado visited there.

Independence-- Spain granted independence to its American colonies in 1821. The first presidents built roads and schools and gave land grants to anyone who would plant coffee. Small farmers would grow coffee beans, sell them to wealthier farmers, who then prepared them for export. Coffee became profitable. By mid century European money was entering pockets of coffee growers. A university was started in 1844

In mid 1800’s Costa Rica needed an Atlantic port for coffee export to Europe. A railroad was built and thousands of Jamaicans, Italian, Chinese workers were recruited. The Jamacans settled on Atlantic coast and worked in banana plantations. In 1899 United Fruit Company was formed. Costa Rica became the world’s leading banana producer

To return click below Home   Library-Genealogy  Music Room Garage-wheels  Attic-Misc. Neighborhood-St. Paul