This picture was taken from a walk we took up behind the lodge. I love the high, rolling hills, farms, small-town Tico culture, the smells, warm light in the afternoon and the rainbows that magically appear in all their brilliance on days when there are low-lyng clouds.
I woke up early yesterday morning to go for a walk sneaking out of the room just as Matt and Lucas were starting to stir. Early really isn't all that early...maybe 6:00ish. Certainly not early by Costa Rica standards. This is the country for me - early to bed and early to rise. (Unlike Barcelona where Matt and I were at a loss given that folks there don't eat dinner until 10:00 or 11:00pm!) I turned right out to the lodge driveway and headed up valley on the dirt road. The road got progressively steeper and the trees progressively denser as I passed small, beautiful properties along the river and bigger gates that lead to bigger farms high up on the ridge. I followed a farmer and his 3 small dogs for a while until he turned off on a narrow foot trail to switchback up to his farm plot on the ridge waving as he rounded the switchback.
I walked until I can to a fish hatchery for trout. The owner was busy feeding the fish. It's not for re-stocking the rivers but simply aquaculture to sell fish to restaurants and individuals. Just beyond that was a sign for Finca Vinicola a winery in its nascent stage. Gary, the owner of El Toucanet, explained that it is the experimental project of a wealthy American man. No one has ever grown grapes here. It's an expensive experiment - UC Santa Cruz created a strain of grapes for him to try and he has shipped down 40,000 plants. No one knows if it will work.
Our days here have been slow-paced, unplanned and naturally unfolding. Hang time in and around the room. chatting with the other Costa Rican guests and staff at the lodge. Lucas has developed a fondness for Dona Paula, the chef at the lodge. She is a grandma with a deep, husky voice who thinks Lucas is very sweet (que lindo! que dulce!) He has found a job for himself helping to bring things from the kitchen to set the tables for the meals and then clearing dishes. He loves it, and they find it endearing. I wish we could stay longer...it's this sort of relationship that builds on a trip like this that is so precious. I love watching Lucas step out and just be himself even with people who speak a different language. He finds his way.
We are moving to Las Cabinas Cecelia down valley a bit in the central Tico town of Santa Maria, the heart of coffee country here. We have just one night until we move to a VRBO house in the neighboring valley for our last 3 nights in the mountains. So, back to our days here....Sunday was wonderful. A day off for Ticos. There was soccer all day in Copey. It was the regional championships. We got lollipops and found a spot on the grass and watched along with all of the locals. This is beautiful soccer to watch plus the rainbow in the background made for the perfect setting!
Before the soccer game, we spent a few hours at the river and la catarata (waterfall) that run next to a restaurant of the same name. It is an oasis there! There were so many families and young couple enjoying the scene and the cool water. Lucas found a rock with a big bamboo frond and was off in pretend land. It was a lovely afternoon.
I wrote a little about Valentine's Day Saturday here and briefly mentioned the Guayi people. I have learned more about them since then. Guaymi is actually an outdated name for the tribe. They are the Ngabe (with two dots over the "a" sounding something close to Nagawbay). There are about 200,000-250,000 Ngabe people living across northern Panama and on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. Saturday was pay day, so families were in town buying groceries and other supplies. I watched a lot of families for a while hanging outside of one of the big grocery stores in town. At nee point, a jeep pulled up, and we watched as 9 or 10 people with all of their groceries crammed into the jeep - the farm owner had come to pick up the workers to bring them back to the farm. Admittedly, as we have seen more and more vehicles crammed with the farm workers, some standing up in open pick up trucks, it's hard to not make the correlation between them and cattle. It's disturbing as all exploitation of human beings is.
Yesterday (Monday) found us back at the coffee cooperative cafe for more of their delicious, decadent drinks. Seriously, you've never seen so many whipped cream topped bebidas! We first came here on Valentine's Day, and Matt has been waiting patiently to get back for another heavenly espresso mocha. Lucas loves the italian sodas piled high with whipped cream. Then it was back to the playground at the park. Fun to watch the school kids coming and going home for lunch and the little little kids on the first day of kindergarten...all of them in their specific school uniforms - the little kids in light blue dresses for girls and dark blue pants and light blue tunics for boys; dark blue pants and skirts and white shirts for elementary school, and dark pants and short sleeved polo shirts for high school girls and boys. It is so wonderful getting to witness normal, everyday life in a small, rural Costa Rican town. Something I have wanted on this trip but didn't have until now. It will be hard to leave here.
No comments:
Post a Comment