Tag Archives: Costa Rica

Food, Travel

Coffee, from Seedling to Roasted

Leave a comment

Alajuela, Costa Rica –

Coffee.

It’s my drug of choice.

Every morning.

And I’m very glad that I already have it in my cabinet, ready to dump into the coffee maker every morning.

Especially now that I know just exactly what goes into getting it there…

Its not like I didn’t know, but I hadn’t seen the whole process myself.

From the tiniest of seedlings to fully grown, bean-producing plants.

From the harvesting to the roasting.

I mean, yeah, I had an idea of how it all goes, but there’s nothing like seeing it for myself.

Continue reading Coffee, from Seedling to Roasted →

Food, Libations, Travel

Nectar of the Gods

Leave a comment

Guanacaste, Costa Rica –

As I sat down at the table, the waiter came over to get my drink order.

“Dos cafes, por favor.”

He looked at me like I had grown a third head. Or at least a second.

I decided to switch to English.

“Two coffees, please.”

This he understood.

Maybe it was because my Spanish was bad, so bad he didn’t have a clue what I was saying.

Maybe it was because Dore had made a beeline for the buffet, before I had secured us a table, and thus was nowhere to be seen.

He thought I was alone.

I’ll never know the reason he gave me that look, all I can do is guess, because once he understood what I was asking for, he was the epitome of excellent service.

Continue reading Nectar of the Gods →

Travel

Snakes, Bees, and Sloths

Leave a comment

Tirimbina, Costa Rica –

The room was Spartan.

I’m talking monastery Spartan.

It had a couple of twin beds, and the type of metal shelving that you normally find in a restaurant pantry.

Plus a small, student-sized desk.

That was it.

And it did have an air conditioner, above the back door, with a remote control.

And instructions to turn it off whenever we left the room.

I felt lucky that we had a bathroom, in the room, and not some outhouse that we would need to find in the dark.

And the bathroom did have a shower.

Oooo, talk about luxury!

Continue reading Snakes, Bees, and Sloths →

Travel

Sunset from the Boat – Taking a Sunset Cruise from Tamarindo

Leave a comment

Tamarindo, Costa Rica –

“You’re welcome to swim to the beach, but don’t go past the tree line. The Saudi Billionaire who owns the house there doesn’t like it.”

Not that I was planning on swimming all the way to the beach, it’s at least fifty meters, and I’m not that strong a swimmer.

Plus the ocean has a very strong current today.

Not a good combination.

But there are others that make the attempt.

Several are successful.

Including a Father and very young daughter.

And she’s not willing to try to swim back.

I don’t blame her, she can’t be more than six or seven, if even that.

Already, two of the passengers have gotten into trouble in the strong currents.

One grandmother, here with her spouse, children, and grandchildren, exhausted herself near the reef.

Luckily, she was wearing a life-vest.

Continue reading Sunset from the Boat – Taking a Sunset Cruise from Tamarindo →

Travel

Zipping Through the Jungle – Zip Lining in Costa Rica

Leave a comment

Miramar, Costa Rica –

“Don’t step on the wood. It’s slick.”

Now you tell me.

We were about three quarters of the way through the series of zip lines. Twenty-five of them to be exact. And we had about a half-dozen still to go.

But to get to the next line, we had to hike down a series of steps carved into the mountain side.

These steps consisted of mostly dirt, with a wooden board acting as a retaining wall, at the edge of each step.

I had just put too much of my weight on the wood retainer at the edge of one of those steps.

And I had just gone flying down the mountain side, but not on any of the zip lines.

I went flying, on my butt, down several of the steps…

Ouch!

Actually, it was more of a whoops than an ouch.

It didn’t hurt.

As long as I didn’t move.

Continue reading Zipping Through the Jungle – Zip Lining in Costa Rica →

Food, Travel

Cocoa, From Pod to Chocolate

Leave a comment

Tirimbina, Costa Rica –

“This is a ripe Cocoa pod, ready for opening.

“The traditional method the Incas used was to use their heads.

“Do I have any volunteers?”

The group taking the tour consisted mostly of College students, and they immediately had their preferred candidate.

“Jose, Jose,” they cheered.

Reluctantly, Jose rose from where he was sitting and approached our guide.

The guide smiled and then added some additional information that Jose might find helpful.

“The Incas observed the monkeys, which would open the pods by banging them on logs.”

Continue reading Cocoa, From Pod to Chocolate →

Travel

Crocs, Monkeys, and Iguanas

Leave a comment

Liberia, Costa Rica –

There on the log, at the edge of the river, sat the crocodile, mouth open, baring his teeth.

I watched him from mid-stream, staying still, trying not to make any sudden moves.

One thought ran briefly through my mind, would I be croc-food?

The Howler Monkey draped over the tree limb above didn’t seem to care, but seemed more than a willing spectator if things didn’t go my way.

Nonplussed, I slowly began to raise my camera to my eye, take focus, and snap the shutter.

In an instant, the croc was off the log, and up into the brush on the riverbank, not to be seen again.

He blinked first.

Continue reading Crocs, Monkeys, and Iguanas →

Food, Travel

An Educational Bus Ride

Leave a comment

Liberia, Costa Rica –

Did you know that there is no disease in Costa Rica?

Well, it’s not that there’s no disease, but that whatever you have, it can be easily cured.

Of course, part of the cure requires you to have a Costa Rican mother.

There’s always a catch…

Continue reading An Educational Bus Ride →