Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/1
We are on our way to Costa Rica! As we travel, notice that two branches of myrtle enclose the coat of arms
(that little blob on the flag), representing
Costa Rican peace. The two ships remind us that CR has Pacific and Caribbean coasts; the seven stars above the
volcanoes represent the seven provinces. The three volcanoes are called Larry, Curly and Moe.
OK, maybe not. We'll find out and send more cards ... but, expect a quiz!
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/2
Today at the Museum of Gold we toured a huge exhibit of pre-Columbian Costa Rican gold
archeological artifacts, mostly 300 BC-500 AD.
Frogs were popular, typified by the paddle-like back feet. Frogs eating snakes(?) were also
big. We liked the beautiful ceramic works shown:
two
ocarinas and other beautiful
animals (1 MB) from the period.
Warriors wore gold into battle but the
purpose of the ring bolt wasn't explained.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/3
As in many primitive societies where livin' was easy, pre-Columbian
Costa Rican tribes fought each other a lot. Warriors kept the heads of victims as trophies.
Famous fighters were memorialized ready to
whack a
loser. Heros kept
mementos of their victims; sometimes as
jewelry . "Hey, Mum, I made this
bracelet for you!"
In 1948 Costa Rica dissolved its military, closed its fort & barracks, making it
the National Museum of Costa Rica, where, ironically, we learned this today.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/4
Today's profound point relative to Spain’s invasion: Columbus said, CR is "very rich in gold." It has no gold sources,
only gold from trade. Spain’s view of CR gold, “At this point over one
hundred natives fell upon us with swords, shields and crossbows taken from us, dancing and jumping
and some saying in Spanish ‘Take the gold Christian, take the gold Christian’” – Girolamo Benzoni, Seville
1544. In fact, in CR native culture, gold told rank and status; after it was taken no one knew who’s
who; society collapsed.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/6
On today’s bird walk we saw a dozen gorgeous species, but three
captivated us. Stopping at some bright red Canas, our guide pointed
to a female Talamanca Hummingbird
(Wiki), and her long beak allowing her to reach
nectar in
deep-throated Canas. Next, we saw this Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, pretty
but too small to reach. Why's it here? The
Slaty Flowerpiercer reaches the juice
by poking a hole in the flower’s base. And that also gives access the Stripe-tail
can use, too.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/8
Today we grabbed the boat to Corcovado National Park for a guided nature hike. The ride
would have knocked our socks off, but we opted to take them off. All landings and departures were
on the beach. The boat
backs in. Two guys try to hold the craft in
place against the surf. Passengers
scramble aboard, getting an
assist to step across the transom,
and away we go. It's lots more fun than the #5 bus.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/9
We stayed at Las Cruces Biological Station, housing with
the researchers. Rudolfo, chief botanist, gave a tour. A fave theme, plants
living on plants:
Monstera deliciosa germinates in darkness (implying a
nearby tree), radiates till it finds it, grows up
tight to the trunk; when high enough it
spreads out into the
split-leaf philodendron you know. So
jungle trees look like
a mess. Reversing, monkeys poop
Strangler Fig seeds high up; sprouts
drop air roots for nutrients; as it thrives, roots encase host, killing it.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/10
This morning's vanilla plantation tour covered a dozen spices. Vanilla may be a future
topic, but here's news you can use. Black pepper is interesting
beyond motivating the Age of Exploration. We tasted these Piper nigrum berries
off the vine; they've got a delicious kick. Black peppercorns are this berry,
picked green, dried and roasted. White peppercorns are this berry, picked ripe, soaked
and shelled; milder. Red, green lack flavor; pink is a gimmick.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/12
We pause for a moment to recall that today is Charles Darwin's birthday. We
celebrated fifty years ago today on this beach on Tower Island (Genovesa Island,
today) in the Galapagos Archipelago. The party was a picnic dinner (lobster, potato
salad, pine- apple, cake) and a bonfire. We looked at birds all day; he'd already analyzed them.
Here's to Darwin and the wonders of Nature and Natural History.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/13
We've seen sloths, both two-toed and three-toed. Mostly we can't see them up in the trees, but guides can.
Looking through the spotting scope they're often balled up to the point of
unrecognizability. When we first saw this
mom with her baby,
the little guy was peeking out from under her arm. We couldn't see much, but it was exciting. Later we came
back and got lucky! Sloth fur is its own eco-system
with insects, algae, and fungus.
Through the miracle of e-postcards, we present
"Baby Sloth Has An Itch To Be Cute".
Patience, the large file may take a few moments to load.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/14
Our tour of the Rain Forest Spices plantation introduced the life story of a dozen spices
/ flavorings including vanilla, cacao, clove, allspice, black pepper, turmeric, hibiscus, ginger,
cardamom, ... .
We got botany, horticulture,
processing, flavor of the raw plant, plus
tastings (with
recipes). Bottom line: Those
microscopic black flecks in vanilla ice cream are
extremely challenging to produce, making vanilla the 2nd most expensive spice.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/15
The Amazing Cecropia Tree! A "pioneer species" (first canopy on open land) and myrmecophytic
(hosts ant colonies)! It "grows fast and breaks things," namely rules for
trees. Germinates in
sun, can grow up to 10' per year, has little foliage, limited branching, begins seeding in
3-4 years, produces up to 1 M a year. It thrives using symbiosis: in its hollow trunk live
Azteca ants. The tree makes 'pearl bodies' on leaves as ant food; ants
repel foliage eaters by swarming and biting. This
gig is 8 M years old.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/16
We opted not to surf, zip line, bungy jump, ATV tour or raft. We walked. In the
cloud forest at Mistico Hanging Bridges in the rain / mist. Wonderful! The 'trail'
winds through 2-3 narrow
canyons covered with rainforest. Bridges and
trail design give many
perspectives. Large
scenes are gorgeous, small
scenes
are fascinating.
Diversity is everywhere.
Competition is everywhere: New plants
pop up; old plants get their leaves
eaten to the vein. It's a jungle!
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/17
El Toledo Coffee is a family run organic coffee plantation. Their
tasting showed light, medium and
dark roasts of freshly
roasted, freshly ground pour over coffee varied
by acidity, bitterness and floral features. Tough to pick a fave. And avoid gulping.
Introducing first
salt, then
sweet, changed the flavor for each experience. Unexpected. Their
equipment keeps both the coffee fruit's pulp
and its bean, motivating unique infusions, teas, jam and wine. All tasty. Disappointment: They have no donkey.
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/18
The Monteverde Orchid Garden is a terrific place to spend an hour or two.
Here we see a pollinator's eye view of its orchid, implying it might also
pollinate a panda. Of the 28K species, native
tiny
varieties
are a
specialty.
The native
Spider Orchid's shape tricks predators, so its
pollinator is also a tarantula's predator.
The Crispy
Bacon orchid is also native. Predators avoid Lantana, so one orchid
adopts its color palette. OK. Only 27,992 to go ...
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/19
Today at Playa Cangrejal in Samara, we were relaxing in the shade of the palms
back from the sand. A CR family - dad, mom, daughter, granddaughter - had laid
their blanket under neighboring palms. At midday, as they unpacked their
picnic, the granddaughter offered us
each an orange, semi-pealed in a spiral with a 'hat'. In her generosity she exemplified
the Costa Rican hospitality we've experienced for three weeks. It is a great pleasure
to visit this society!
Correos de Costa Rica 2023
2/21
It's a wrap! Time to return home. We found out the three volcanoes on CR's
Great Seal are actually Arenal, Irazú, Poás, all active. We also found an endearing
pleasantness to Costa Rica. The oft-stated national slogan - Pura Vida, pure life - reflects
their easy-going lifestyle, openness and happiness. CR regularly ranks among the happiest
nations in the world ... is Pura Vida the reason or the result? We'll need another visit.
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