adventure

Fun at the Feria del Agricultor (Farmer’s Fair)

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On Saturdays, the town of Aserri hosts a Feria del Agricultor https://feria-del-agricultor-de-aserri.wheree.com/. We were very excited to shop there not only for the prices, but also for the experience (Debra LOVES a farmer’s market)!  It requires an additional walk down a hill (and then up a hill) but it is worth it.  The selection of fruits and vegetables is always a surprise, and there are several items we have yet to identify to try. Prior to entering the fair, we are required to wash our hands at the stations located at the entrance. But the washing station overlooks some of the most beautiful irises I have ever seen. I have tried to identify it and have settled on the “Sunset Glory.” What do you think?

Our “haul” has been excellent thus far. Everything is not always available on each Saturday, and we made the mistake of attending too late one day and found “slim pickins.” But it is always interesting and after attending several times, we are starting to identify some preferred vendors. We also get a delicious fruit drink called “frescos” when we leave as a grand reward for our efforts. These marvelous beverages are made from natural fruit juices and it is almost impossible to choose just one flavor, so you don’t! Here is a picture of our initial farmer’s fair selections—all for $11.

Careful! Those red round peppers to the right of the platano (plantain) are Rocoto peppers and are not for the faint of heart! Only one vendor carried them and we only found them after asking several other vendors if anyone at the fair sold “pimientos picantes” (hot peppers). Rocoto peppers tolerate cooler climates and have a unique black seed. Since I had wanted the “hot” pepper, I was to first to slice off a bit. It was not very spicy and I was disappointed. So I sliced off a bit for Andrew. Much to our chagrin, the piece I had must have been tasting was playing a trick on us because Andrew’s bit was rudely hot. I then tried another piece and was rewarded with the heat of a Scotch Bonnets!! I sliced it up and put it in an off brand of Lizano (Salsa Ingles) so that the heat would infuse into the salsa.  It is delicious and provides a nice kick (for DEBRA).

A more refreshing fruit is one of Andrew’s favorite–the papaya–and is ridiculously inexpensive. Below, Andrew demonstrates the easy process of preparing the papaya.

Notice the smooth technique Andrew uses to maximize the clearing out of the seeds and fibrous material.

But wait, there is more! After snagging a fabulous price on 2 cacao pods, we decided to not only try the flesh and the bean, but also to try to ferment and dry the beans. Here are a few pictures and videos of our process!

Andrew proudly displays the cacao pods. Ordinarily, cacao pods are really pricey, but we got these beauties for 1500 colones or $3.45 US.

Andrew carefully cuts open the cacao to display all its glory! Debra is not a fan of the sliminess of the white cacao pulp. However, this pulp is essential for fermenting the beans, which develops the chocolate’s flavor.
Andrew provides his opinion about the pulp!
And now he tries the bean!

Not chocolatey enough yet!  But we put the beans in a dish and loosely followed some directions to promote fermentation of the beans. Afterwhich we will dry them, roast them, and peel them to get a tiny bit of chocolate. We will keep you posted as to our success!

In the meantime, Andrew conducted research and trekked to several stores to find real Costa Rican chocolate and we consoled ourselves with some local iterations of the cacao bean! The package in pink contains “guayabita,” a small, aromatic fruit from the guava family. It lends an interesting flavor to the chocolate, which Andrew really enjoys. The chocolate itself is so rich and delicious due to a higher percentage of pure chocolate than mass-market bars in the U.S. It is difficult (if not impossible) to resist eating our entire supply in one sitting.

Walking, Flora and Fauna from atop our Mountain in Aserri

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Since we are trying to keep our travel limited to walking and public transportation, and minimal taxis, it is sometimes quite an undertaking just to go to the grocery store. Due to the pronounced inclines here, Andrew provides much encouragement to me as we take many rests along the way for my benefit! He has even written a song for the “road” to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know it!”

🎶La colina es empinada; la colina es empanada!  La colina! La colina! La colina es empinada!

🎶El camino es empinado; necessitamos descansar! El camino! El camino! El camino es empinado!

🎶Las escaleras son empinada; necessitamos descansar! Las escaleras! Las escaleras! Las escaleras son empinadas!

For a translation, go to Google Translate!

The birds we have seen in such a short time here have been amazing! Needless to say, my camera is not equipped to capture these beauties before they escape my lens so I have shamelessly borrowed some pics and included the links where I collected them. I will continue to keep my eyes peeled for some of the other common/not-so-common birds in our area.  

For those of you who like your fauna on a smaller scale, we discovered some interesting insect and arachnid neighbors.

Our first introduction to an intriguing ant was by way of the kitchen floor. We discovered that these ants are attracted to light and therefore, in the evening while are cooking, we noticed them coming in from under the door. We shooed them out and then put up a barrier under the door and that has, for the most part, taken care of those nightly visitors.

However, one day when Andrew was out in the orchard, he discovered the amazing live of these ants. They are Leaf-Cutting ants, the likes of which have walked the earth for millions of years. The ants cut and carry leaves, sometimes three times their own weight, back to their nest, which may be hundreds of feet away.

The trails they make are distinctive and I followed it down the hill as far as I could and then back up toward the house and around the yard as far as I could.

The ants take these leaf (and some flower) clippings to cultivate their own fungal garden. This fungal garden serves as the source of their food!  If you would like to know more, go to The Secret Life of leaf-Cutting Ants in Costa Rica.

Tucked into the branches of the orange trees is a bromeliad in the Tillandsia family making its home. These are epiphytes (air plants) which capture their waste and nutrition from the air! If you were to ask my daughters, they would assure you that bromeliads are some of my favorite plants!

And now for something which appears a little more formidable: the Golden Silk Orb Weaver or Banana Spider. Very scary to look at but are considered docile. They can bite but their venom is considered low toxicity (although I don’t plan to find out!). Their webs are huge and they seem to tolerate multiple members hanging out on the same web. The females are large (up to 6 inches with leg span), while the males are tiny. They are, indeed, beautiful – from a distance!

Aserri Welcomes Us!

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Just south of San José is Aserri, a town near the Talamanca mountain range, with a mountainous terrain, and views overlooking greater San José. Our AirBnB is situated atop a very steep road and will make for some very “invigorating” treks to downtown Aserri. Our host Marco was so gracious and the 2-story house was everything we imaged. I called it the Lime House, when we were deciding where to stay, and the colors throughout the house live up to its name in shades of green, mango, and yellow. It is the largest we have selected so far with two porches, 3 bedrooms and 3 bathes. The kitchen is well-appointed and we have a washer and a dryer. Oh dear! I am going to be spoiled again.

We were greeted with a perfect double rainbow!

The views from the house are amazing. Looking out the kitchen window, back porch, or my bedroom, I have a bird’s eye view with an amazing panorama.

Bananas in the sideyard. If only I could reach them!!

A view of the side yard leading to the orchard! I was excited about the oranges there but, alas, either I am not selecting ripe ones, or it is too early for ripeness, but I haven’t found them sweet enough. However, I boiled some to make a additive to my vinegar for cleaning.

Here is a spectacular view of San José from the back porch. You can’t see Aserri from this angle, but you definitely come to realize just how large the capital is.

Behind us are magnificent hills up the mountain. The greenery is just breathtaking!

And what can appear more magical that the lights of the city which twinkle and sparkle through my bedroom window.

And then in the morning, San José disappears…

…but reappears again as the rain cherry picks it way across San José…

…until it reaches my bedroom porch.

Final notes in Cartago!

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One day which preparing our daily Gallo Pinto, I noticed several sheep wandering the intersecting street. I was concerned that they had escaped and would be hit by traffic. My worries were for not. A moment later, a man, accompanied by another sheep, came strolling down the street, grocery bag in hand, and the sheep approached him and began to follow. He walked slowly and the sheep had a great time bounding back and forth across the street, even blocking the progression of a car whose driver waited patiently for the man to round up his herd. The activity occurred on several days, so I imagine both the sheep and the drivers have come to an agreement.

The weather has been exemplary. While we are still on the tail end of the rainy season, there is usually at significant bit of sunlight each day. The nights have been cool, though not unbearable, and with the sun rising around 5:30 am and setting around 5:30pm, I am usually pretty snuggled up reading or writing by the time it starts to cool down.

The places we stayed in within the cities Alajuela and Cartago were typical “tico” apartment, small, made of cinder block, coated with plaster, with tin roofs and barred entryways and windows. Each apartment was distinct but are situated next to each other, sometimes sharing a wall. The front gate often opens onto a covered driveway where the car was parked, with a patio adjacent. Below is a pic of one apartment ready for the Christmas holiday! Casa Mariposa was particularly small, one bedroom with two beds, and the minimal kitchen layout. A tiny gated porch faced the street. However, due to the proximity of inexpensive food at the sodas, there was little need for cooking anyway. In Cartago, the layout included 2 bedrooms, and a larger kitchen. Here is where I was able to starting experimenting with local dish preparations. The kitchen in both locations consisted of a countertop double burner, a microwave, a small fridge, a rice cooker, some misc. dishes, pots, and pans, some kitchen tools. Apartment’s Maria “J” also hosted a bullet blender. It was interesting to rethink how to prepare foods without the usual array of kitchen gadgets but we managed delightfully with a minor purchase of complementary tools.

The most challenging was figuring out the washer arrangement. The machine is not a push-a-button-and-walk-away variety but rather a multi-step operation consisting of turning the dial to wash or drain, and a lever to select the washer side or the rinse/spin side. The water must be added by turning on the hose, and you must adjust the amount of water according to the load size by turning the water off. Load laundry soap, let it dissolve, and then add the laundry. Set the agitation speed and timer. When the timer goes off, turn the dial to drain. When the tub has drained, transfer the laundry to the rinse/spin side. Flip the lever to the rinse/spin side and turn the dial back to wash. Set the timer. Allow the water to fill and rinse the laundry while spinning. After the laundry has rinsed (and it could take a few times), turn off the water and set the timer. This is the spin cycle. Hang the laundry on the clothes-line (our was indoors). Let air-dry for about 24 hours. And behold, clean laundry!

While our spanish is not nearly sufficient (though Andrew’s is MUCH better than mine), we have met some marvelous people helping us muddle through. We met a wonderful young man at a grocery store, Tian, who was very excited to practice his English with us and told us of his dreams to move to Canada to work for Amazon. He was particularly interested in French and we directed him to the area of Quebec. We had come in looking for snacks and left with 6 eggs carefully placed in a plastic bag and a great conversation.  We left Cartago with some great memories as move forward to Aserri!

Adventure to Finca Cristina (CAFÉ CRISTINA)

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Our second reason for selecting Cartago was to vist a Coffee Farm, a “finca.” The day we we were to, we realized that we had missed the information regarding the tour times on the website, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that at least we might enjoy a walk around and a cup of coffee. We arrived to find that we had, indeed, missed the tour. To our delight, the co-owner of Finca Cristina, Ernie Carman, generously offered to show us around anyway, and we had a wonderful and informative time moving through the process, from coffee plants to the roaster. We even took a turn at raking the coffee cherries set out to dry. It is important to note that Finca Cristina is small, family-owned farm, mill, and roasting establishment producing coffee which is organically grown in a traditional, natural biodiverse polyculture vs the monoculture (growing crop species over a large area) environment. The practice of polyculture, growing multiple species of plants together in the same place at the same time, benefits the soil and utilizes natural pest and weed control. I was amazed to find huge green bean plants growing beside the coffee beans! And, yes, there were cacti, too! I was especially interested in the various tools used for each step and how Ernie had crafted many of the machines from parts he had thrifted and modified to engineer his process. Andrew was excited to try a coffee cherry as he had read about some of the benefits of the fruit. We highly recommend taking an official tour as you will never take another sip of coffee for granted when you realize all of the “magic” that goes into producing that cupful. We also recommend spending some time with Ernie, whose wonderful stories about the process and decisions made for the farm really brought the process to life. Thank you, Ernie! We, of course, came away with bags of coffee (Medium and Light Roasts) and coffee cherry tea to try.

More About Architecture and Culture in Cartago

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  • Andrew in the lead!
  • The Ruins of Cartago
  • Enjoying the serene environment
  • The Ruins near sunset
  • Ivan takes our photo!
  • Silly Debra.
  • Virgen de los Angeles Monument
  • Selfies are best!

With Andrew leading the way, we walked a few streets over to the Ruins of Cartago, another church, Santiago Apóstol Parish, built in the mid 16th century and destroyed by an earthquake, for the first time, in 1630. Each rebuild, over the decades, were subsequently destroyed by earthquakes expecially the plans for the last rebuild when the 1910 Santa Monica earthquake leveled much of Cartago. Located in the absolute center of town, with serene gardens and a walking path, the ruins project a relaxing, comptemplative vibe.

The most prominent nearby statue of the Virgen de los Angeles Monument watches over the ruins. While we were taking pictures, Ivan, a tourist guide on holiday with his friends, came over and engaged us in a lively discussion about the cultural differences between San Jose, the capital, and Cartago. He indicated that the ruins served as a good meeting place frequented by the locals. We discussed the cultural differences between San José (the capital) and Cartago (former capital). According to Ivan, San José often appeals to more tourists, and has more avenues for nighttime entertainment such as dancing (which is what we were looking for). Cartago seems to focus more on local culture and history. It was interesting, though, that in Alajuela, the local folks were more inclined to wish us “Buen dia” as we walked past whereas in Cartago, people appeared to be a little more reserved. However, Ivan was very chatty and we thoroughly enjoyed the conversation.

To the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles

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At last, we venture to one of two primary destinations when visiting Cartago. The Basilica de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles- Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels- hosts “La Negrita,” one of the Black Madonnas. Inside, the Basilica is lovely, as expected, a mixture of colonial architecture  and 19th century Byzantine style. Originally built in 1639, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake and the current building dates back to 1939. The fine stained-glass windows (32), hand-painted interiors and ornate side chapels featuring carved-wood altars were replendant. The stations of the cross and other biblical stories are beautifully represented, and a string quartet playing softly in the background while worshippers knelt within the pews or at the altars.

Represented in paintings and statues ( the latter made of wood or stone, painted and unpainted) and found throughout the world, Black Madonnas are those religious icons depicted with dark skin.  My interest in these madonnas lies in the similarities with the black skin represented in earlier “mother,” “goddess,” and fertility figures such as Osiris (eqyptian), Andromeda (Ethopian), Artemis (Ephesus), and the proliferation of  Sumarian Goddesses (among the oldest in the world), and tracing back to “Venus” figures from the Upper Paleolithic period. Here you find the a Black Madonna affectionately known as “La Negrita.” There is a delightful story about the discovery of the “la Negrita” statue (volcanic stone, jade and graphite) in 1635 by a peasant girl of humble origin who was puzzled by the statue’s mystical return to the hillside each time she moved it to her house. The discovery led to the construction of the basilica on tht spot. The “La Negrita” is venerated on Día de la Virgen de los Ángeles (Day of the Virgin of the Angels), Costa Rica’s most important religious festival and a national holiday held annually on August 2nd. The event is marked by a massive national pilgrimage, known as the Romería, to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in Cartago.  It is estimated that half of the country’s population—around 2.5 million people—walk from all parts of the nation to the basilica in Cartago. The most popular route is the approximately 25 km (15.5 miles) walk from San José to Cartago. The Negrita, a mere 20 cm tall, has become the symbol of unity for all social groups in Costa Rica and promotes the emancipation of women and recognition of their role as a vital and sacred part of the community. So I sat in the Basilica and thought about the rise and fall of women throughout history in light of reverence, respect, and power.

Arriving in Alajuela, Costa Rica

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Leaving Gig Harbor in the wee hours of the morning to catch the shuttle to SeaTac.

Just a plane ride away!

After a teary goodbye to family, friends, and beloved pets, we flew from Seatac to Chicago and then, following a brief lay-over, continued on to the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica in Alajuela Province (outside of San Jose). This airport serves the Central Valley region, which is the area we have elected to focus our first series of stays, and is named after a local hero from the province. The flight was uneventful and both we and our baggage arrived tired, but timely, without incident. We took a taxi to our first AirBnB destination, Casa Mariposa (Butterfly House) and after a few false starts, identified the correct lock box.

Casa Mariposa (Butterfly House), Alajuela, Costa Rica

The facilities were what we had expected, functional for the short three-day stay we had planned for acclimation purposes. A minimal walk down the street took us to a variety of the “sodas,” the small, local, mom-and-pop Costa Rican open-air restaurants generally serving traditional foods. For our first lunch, we ordered a Costa Rican staple at the Soda y Café Estríoral, Casado con pescado, white fish served with spices and vegetables, with rice and beans and a side salad. The pesto topped off the salad to complete our introduction to one of the best fish preparations I have had in my life! With an equally delectable plantain, the meal was so fresh, so light, and served by the delightful shop owner, Jorge. Casado literally means “married,” referencing the origins as a meal packed by wives and sent with their husbands who worked the fields. It was so good, I returned the next day for another helping!

Sitting at the cafe gave us a view of the neigborhood. The Universidad Ténica Nacional sat directly across the street from the café, adding to the growing number of people lunching at our Soda and the other nearby eateries. Despite the traffic, the street was heavily traversed by pedestrians, motorcycles, scooters, even a few bicycles. Navigating the sidewalks and roads has its challenges as the infrastructure has not kept pace with economic growth. But the narrow roads, crumbling sidewalks, and potholes doesn’t seem to deter travelers, and with a little extra mindfulness, we enjoyed walking around the neighborhood.  The pictures below does not do justice to the green mountains rising in the distance.

Of course, my interest in the wildlife was rewarded almost immediately. I was alerted by an interesting bird-call, tock-tock-whee, which I have still been unable to identify despite my best armchair research. However, two native birds greeted me in the morning; the Clay-colored Thrush, the national bird, and the Great-tailed Grackle danced on the street in front of the tiny porch attached to our accommodation. I tried to snap a few shots before they flew away. However, by the time I had retrieved my phone and swung open the gated entry, they had flown to safety. Here are some pics captured by others.

New foliage is always a favorite of mine and I delighted to spy a fushia Cordyline fruticosa. Also known as the ti plant, palm lily, and cabbage palm, it is an ornamental tropical which grows in shades of green, red, purple and pink.

Eating occupied our first few days as we swept past the sodas and cafés. The “pastelillos” are a local traditional and famous pastry, similar to a savory empanada, filled with chicken and potato, most common, or beef. Though not something my gluten intolerance would normally allow me to have, I did eat one with potato and it was reminiscent of the Natchitoches meat pie (Louisiana).

Pastelillos Alajuela
Natchitoches Meat Pie

We were delightfully surprised when we ventured to a local pizza shop, El Break: Urban Food. While waiting for a vegetarian pizza, our AirBnB host, Jors, recognized me from my picture on our reservation application. His brother owns the pizzeria and Jors was there assisting. Jors ambled over and we exchanged a delightful conversation about our stay. And, of course, this required a photo of us. We thanked him for our accomodations and we enjoyed the pizza afterwards.

After 3 nights in Alajuela, we felt more grounded and ready to travel to our next destination, Cartago.