Pacuare chilling

The second week of classes started with a trip to the Jazz Café, a local bar and concert venue close to ULatina in the San Pedro neighborhood. San José is the over arching metropolitan area, but San José locally refers to the downtown/center of the city. Surrounding the center are zones, regions, I don’t know what they’re called, more by the names of the place. For instance, I live in the Vargas Araya neighborhood of San Pedro and some other students live in the Sabanilla neighborhood. Then the rest of the group lives in another area of metro San José. It is not too confusing once you become familiar with the various parts of the city. So back in San Pedro, Jazz Café has concerts a few times week, mostly local or Costa Rican groups – reggae, flamenco, rock, jazz, salsa, etc – and is always around $6-8. This time we saw Cocofunka, a Costa Rican reggae/rock/pop group – sounds like a Spanish version of Dispatch, e.g. music that was pretty popular among college white kids 10 years ago. The place was packed, there are tables, but this night it was nearly all standing room only. It was good to see a bunch of young people, not the best music, but everyone had fun!

Classes went by the rest of the week, celebrated the final birthday from the early February stretch, and got ready for a trip with ICDS to the Pacuare National Reserve. We left San José early Friday morning and headed east to the Caribbean coast. The Pacuare Reserve is situated between Tortugero to the north and Limon to the south. For the weekend, we were accompanied by Julio, a freelance biologist, photographer, guide, etc. Julio works with National Geographic and various research institutions and a few years ago worked on the filming of Planet Earth by the BBC for the segments of rainforest filmed in Costa Rica. So, we had an expert with us to provide the most specific, accurate, and current information throughout the adventure. To get to the reserve, we drove 4 hours out of the capital until we reached the coast, along the way we stopped at a church in Cartago to purify ourselves in miracle holy water (people were filling up jugs of this water to take home and use)... From here it was an hour or so by boat through canals connecting various rivers in the region. Immediately as we crowded into the riverboat, howler monkeys greeted us to their relatively pristine jungles with low hoo-hoo-hoos. As we cruised slowly down the canals, lizards, iguanas, and basilisks (including the Jesus Christ Basilisk, which is able to run on hind legs straight across the water’s surface) climbed, scurried, and froze sitting and suspending themselves on the branches of the over hanging trees. Different types of herons (little blue, great blue, tiger, yellow crowned night) and egrets (snowy and great) birds stood, fished, and flew around us as we crossed marshes to get to the campsite. Overhead as we disembarked was a two-toed sloth sliding slowing up branches for a midday meal.

The ecotourism campsite - one small open aired house, a small cabin, and a few groups of tents – was carved right out of the forest to provide an alternative from common beach or urban tourism and an income for local community members. After leaving our things, we crossed the canal in smaller boats and began our couple mile hike/walk to the beach. Through the jungle, toucans, parrots, and white-faced capuchin monkeys scurried and rustled above. On the ground, the eee-eee-eee-eee of poison dart frogs played through our ears as the tiny blue-bodied, red-legged frogs hopped across the leaf litter scouting out their territory for mates and competition. The whole time, Julio is pointing out the various medicinal uses of the surrounding plants – leaves, flowers, bark – and the corresponding recipes that have persisted for generations.

Eventually we reached the beach. Not quite what we were expecting to see in the reserve – plastic bottles washed up from the Caribbean and rivers to create a mat on the sand. It was a terrible sight with a terrific view of the sea.

We returned for dinner and were luckily our tents had a tarp covering to shield us from the pouring rain though the night. We were awoken early the next morning to the calls of the birds and howler monkeys above. We spent the morning walking through the reserve to visit the local school. The one room schoolhouse provides all the local children, up til high school, an education. The younger children use the room in the morning and then the older students arrive. Children in the region are so spread out that some may travel by boat/canoe 2 hours just to get to school. It’s not the greatest situation, but at least a basic education provides more opportunities for local residents.

Following a relaxed lunch, we set out again on the boat for a few hours. Tropical and migratory birds swooping in and out of the marshes, monkeys, bats, and reptiles in the trees all around, and caimans, small crocodiles more or less, swimming in the water. Sometimes it is possible to see manatees in certain areas; unfortunately the water was a little too cloudy for us. After a wonderful couple days immersed in some of the dense forest Costa Rica contains, we made our way back to the banks were we had embarked for the Pacuare Reserve.
From the reserve we drove through a region of Costa Rica’s agribusiness – bananas, plantains, pineapple, and timber. Today pineapple is the most grown, with many of the plantations owned by multinationals – Dole, Del Monte, etc. Costa Rica is one of the top producers of pineapple worldwide, so there is year round demand for quality mass produce. Hundreds of shipping containers full of tens of thousands pineapples and bananas are exported everyday from this region of Costa Rica and the fields can be chemically manipulated to flower and produce year round. Del Monte has developed genetically engineered pineapple, which grow bigger and sweeter in much less time. Beside industrial use of fertilizer and pesticide, these huge plantations are eroding tracts of soil and contamination local water supplies. On the way back, we spotted a pair of two-toed sloth hanging out in a secropia tree enjoying an early dinner. Another adventure complete, we returned to San José to rest a day and prepare for the week ahead.

Jacó + Playa Hermosa

The introductory week of classes went well! Three different birthdays throughout the week to celebrate in San José. Classes on - Human Development and Society, Current Environmental Issues in Latin America, Human Development froma Gender Perspective, Sustainable and Eco Tourism, Latin America through Film (we get an entire independent movie theater for about seven students to watch Latin American films), and Spanish Language. All the professors have impressive and well-respected backgrounds and really seem to know their fields and all have scheduled out-of-the-classroom days where we will be able to see the practical application of the studies. What makes the classes even better is the interest and involvement from the students. Nearly all of us are studying International Studies, Economics, and Environmental Sciences or Studies in varying combinations and concentration at each of our home universities. Often classroom discussions extend well beyond the university and are common on bus rides, lunch tables, the beach, etc. as we share experiences, ideas, news, and visions. Conversations go from security in the Pakistan to urban farming to water rights and so on to the endless challenges facing our generation and those to come. While views and opinions may differ on certain issues, everyone gets along great and for our first full weekend (classes run Mon. through Thurs. with a 3 day weekend each week) we decided to travel as a group to the Central Pacific Coast.

Before departing, we all had to go to the Ministry of Tourism office in San José to be fingerprinted as part of the visa process. The task was easy and quick enough (the woman who conducted mine told me I have – “nice Gringo eyes”). In general, Ticos (Costa Ricans) are pretty mixed – a lot of the initial Spanish colonial influence, some Afro, some Indigenous (even when the Conquistadors arrived there weren’t nearly as many Indigenous as Nicaragua, Guatemala, etc.), and more recently a bunch of European. So a lot of darker features (hair, skin, eyes, etc.), but esp. for men – wearing shorts or sandals in the city are what really makes you stand out. Pants and closed toed shoes are not really worn by Ticos except at the beach.

After the fingerprinting we made our way to the bus (approx. $4 each way) to the beach town of Jacó, about an hour drive by car, but at least 1.5-2 by bus. Throughout the week, we had heard nothing but bad about the tourist overrun, oft sewage contaminated water (esp. during the rainy season), and thievery, so expectations were relatively low. The beach is not the nices, but has good surfing waves. There is also a somewhat busy nightlife. Really no reason to take a family to Jacó. There are however lots of old white men and only after leaving did I learn one of the town’s main exports is prostitution, a legal service in Costa Rica – does not mean it is any more respectable. We at the hostel/house (the group was split between two hostels ~ $10 per night) in Jacó around four to be greeted by the owner, a Hungarian who has lived in the town surfing, running the hostel, and essentially relaxing (now, he says, he’s going through “reverse burnout” and needs to actually do something to feel some sort of accomplishment. However, he’s taking it day by day, e.g “today I am going to do laundry, then go to the beach”) for the past four years. As we arrived, he told us he was about to go with some friends to an overlook to watch the sunset and invited us to join.

 We packed into a couple SUV taxis, with the house (street) dog, Puzzle McNuggs, and drove out of the town and headed up into the hills/little mountains overlooking the beach/town. We went about 2km up the steep dusty dirt road to get to the overlook. During the hotel/development boom, a restaurant up in the mountains above the town was under construction. Funds ran out and developers were forced to abandon the project, leaving behind two floors of stair-cased balconies. With an absolutely gorgeous view on the expansive balcony
and surrounded by lush forest with the hum of insects, white-faced capuchins climbing over head, and bats flying low right past us, we sat and watched the sun set over the Pacific.

After sitting and hanging around there for a while, we headed down the slopes – Puzzle McNuggs leading the way in the dark – and found a little local restaurant for dinner. I ordered the sopa de mariscos and it was just that - a big bowl of the freshest fish and seafood caught locally. After a delicious dinner we headed back into town and hung out at the hostel for the night – there were a bunch of Costa Ricans, Americans, and Europeans staying there as well.

For the next two days, we lounged on the black volcanic sands (so hot you feel as if you’ve burned the soles of your feet) under palm trees. Unlike, Jacó, Playa Hermosa is a beautiful beach and a nice, comparably less developed beach town only 5km from our hostel. The beaches get rocked throughout the day by enormous waves, esp. at 

high tide, making it a favorite for surfers from around the world, but people are always disappearing in the area as the undercurrent is so powerful. Great fun to play in as long as you’re aware you should not go any deeper than waist or so high. Saturday night was more relaxing by the pool at the hostel and back to the Playa Hermosa for a full day on the beach before heading back to San José Sunday night. I arrived home just in time to catch the last play of the Super Bowl – well worth missing the game to spend a wonderful day at Playa Hermosa. 

For the first weekend, a group of us took a bus to Puntarenas, a small, dirty beach town on the central Pacific only about 1.5 hrs from the capital – very reminiscent of Ocean City, NJ. Only when we returned to San Jose did we learn there had been a major drug bust in the town that day along – not too surprising considering the people we met and observed during the day trip (esp. the deranged drunk man with blood dripping from his mouth while he proceeded to lick his arms and mumble nothings to us). Regardless it was a nice day at the beach. 

Sunday we head out of the city again to Poás Volcano National Park. In general, whenever we are going anywhere, we meet in front of the National Theater. The Teatro Nacional is one of the grandest, ornate, and most beautiful opera houses/theatres/ ballrooms/ classical buildings in all of Latin America and the world. The theatre was built in the 1890s when only 19,000 people lived in San José (today there are 1.7 million in the metropolitan area) and was constructed entirely on the funds of the coffee oligarchy - the wealth of a few Europeans exploiting Costa Rica's multitude and high quality coffee plantations. The theater is heavily subsidized by the government to make sure all citizens have an opportunity to experience world class art and culture in the capital - e.g. a few times a week there are hour long lunch performances for only about a dollar. The National Theater is adorned with marble staircases, gold leaf everywhere, gorgeous marble and gold statues, and beautiful murals on the walls and ceilings - including the only elliptical painting in all of Latin America (so the eyes and images follow you throughout the room). In addition, the entire lower seating section has the ability to be raised to stage level, via giant screw,  and the seats can be remove. So many nights throughout the year foreign dignitaries and important leaders hold soirees and such (the previous night the Japanese Royal Family held an event in the theatre. So we eventually made it to Poás...

The active volcano stands about ~2500 m and stands shrouded in a beautiful mist which can turn to light rain. It’s a typical spot to go and picnic for a day and relax at the caldera of the volcano and take a more relaxed hike (there were def. women in sandals, possibly heels, so that’s about the pace of the trails) through the park. All in all a real nice first week and weekend to get a feel for Costa Rica!

¡Hola!

Greetings from San José! Let’s backtrack about three weeks… I arrived in San José from snow and ice engulfed Philadelphia. The first week was spent getting situated in the city I’ll be living in til mid-May and introduced to the academic program through the International Center for Development Studies (ICDS) and Universidad Latina (ULatina) with the other 18 or so students, all from around the country, but together in Costa Rica to study development and the associated environmental, social, economic, and political issues and innovations, with Latin America as a focus.

 Much of this week was spent being familiar/lost in San José and esp. my neighborhood, Vargas Araya. The food here is pretty great! A lot of beans, chicken, fish, and always the freshest fruit. In general everything is relatively fresher and comes from much closer than in the US. Every Saturday morning there’s a farmer’s market down the street that all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. and even most of the produce in the local supermarket is organically and locally grown. Luckily my host mother, Mary, is a wonderful cook and it seems like everyday I eat something different for dinner, except gallo pinto(rice and beans) which is served with essentially every meal in the house.

During the first week, ICDS took the entire group to Tres Rios, a town in the mountains overlooking San José. There we spent a day getting more acquainted with everyone and learning about Costa Rica and the academics for the semester. Upon leaving Tres Rios, We stopped in Escazú, a town just west of San José. First we visted a local man who has been trying preserve the traditions of his ancestors in the region. He has been molding, shaping, and constructing full body masks in the same process his grandfather used and passed down. He refuses to sell any of the masks, but he loves to display them for anyone interested in the local culture. The masks are brought out for any public celebration – holidays, weddings, school openings, etc. His grandson, son, and him demonstrated the traditional dances and then let us attempt to the customary dances.

After leaving the mask man, we visited a small sugar cane farmer. At one time there were over 50 small farmers in the area, now only 2 exist. He displayed the whole process – harvesting, pressing using ox to power the press, and the final sugar cane production and packaging. In addition we were able to taste the cane through the process from raw cane to pressed product for consumption. The whole time, our tour guide, a cousin of the farmer, was taking drinks from a water bottle of homemade chicha – liquor made from corn or yuca.

The last stop of the day was to an artisan woodworking shop. The artist harvests all the wood himself from his garden and does so in a way to ensure he will have enough for many years to come. He crafts beautiful boxes, bowls, humidors, and anything from a variety of woods. Before leaving he gave me a block of some sort of finished wood (I think Guayacán) just laying around and simply said – enjoy. So now I have a nice piece of Guayacán!