Playa Hermosa

We spent this past weekend at Playa Hermosa in the Guanacaste region, which is famous for its great beaches. For the most part this weekend we focused on relaxation and spent most of our time enjoying the sun and the water right out in front of our beautiful hotel. The hotel we stayed at was the nicest one we have been to so far, and was a great place to simply relax. Saturday we were able to go snorkeling and on Sunday we took a ride on a banana boat around the gulf. The hotel had 20 dollar per hour massages right on the beach. Moreover, every day before sunset a family of Howler Monkeys would descend upon our hotel. The receptionists let me go up to the third floor which was under construction, so that I may be right in the level of the tree tops to take photos. I'm not much of one to advertise for places we visit, but I definitely hope to return to Hotel Playa Hermosa Bosque del Mar (despite the convoluted name). Mostly because of the swan-shaped towels but also because of its great location in a none to commercialized town on a great beach that offers a lot of little adventures.

Miravalles

Even though Monteverde would have been enough travel and fun for the weekend, Don Jorge thought we should do some more, so we headed to nearby volcano Miravalles (seen above).

Upon arrival at our hotel we were able to bathe in their over sized hot tubs filled with natural hot spring water. The pools varied in heat so it was easy to find the most comfortable place. They also had a sweet water slide for us to use even thought I bet it was for smaller children then us.

The following morning we made our way to the base of the volcano. There we went horseback riding, went on a short hike, bathed in a waterfall, and then soaked ourselves in hot mud. We took hot mud baths at series of hot springs and fumaroles that were sort of like a miniature Yellowstone. The hot mud was supposed to refresh our skin. It just sort of left my skin sort of dry and made me smell a little bit like sulfur. However, afterward we were able to once again bathe in some more natural hot springs, which removed most of the smell.

Only one other group in the Aquinas program's history has had this experience, so I'm glad Don Jorge was feeling ambitious this weekend so that we didn't miss out on all Miravalles had to offer.

Monteverde

Monteverde is a refuge located in Costa Rica's famous cloud forest, which is named justly seeing as how is almost constantly immersed in fog and rain. This constant abundance of moisture makes it one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. As we hiked to the highest points of the refuge we watched the clouds role over the tops of the mountains as thought they were waves on the beach. Nearly every surface of the forest is covered in a green coat of moss, ferns, or leaves. Monteverde also lies along the continental divide that runs from northern Canada down to the tip of South America.

As part of our weekend stay in Monteverde we did a Canopy Tour in an area apart from the reserve. This unique form of ecotourism lets you take zip lines through and over to of the cloud forest. It was pioneered in Costa Rica and has understandably become an important and extremely popular activity for adventurers who make their way to Monteverde.

Within the same park as the canopy tour we visited a butterfly vivarium as well as a hummingbird garden. Within the butterfly vivarium we were able to take photos of a a few of Costa Rica's thousands of species of butterflies. The newly hatched ones from their cocoons would even climb write onto your hands. Other more lively butterflies would sporadically land on our clothes or let us sneak up close and take photos as they sucked nectar from fruit plates strewn about the greenhouse.

In the hummingbird garden we hung around different sets of feeders as the birds zipped between our heads and perched themselves within a few feet of our cameras. Monteverde is home to more than 20 species of hummingbirds most of which we were able to see at within the garden as they dipped their slim beaks into the feeders. Then just as we were about to leave one of the birds perched itself atop the feeder well with in reach of my hand, so I slowly reached out and touched it for a moment then ran away quickly out of fear that it might pluck my eyes out with its slender yet sharp beak.

Monteverde is truly one of Costa Rica's greatest treasures with an abundance of flora and fauna and a variety of creative ways to experience it all.

Hanging out on the Continental Divide.

Brighter Side of San Jose

Although San Jose is not one of the worlds greatest metropolises, the National Theater, Museum, as well as some of its parks show that is very much worthy of at least a day's worth of exploring. We headed there as part of our History of Culture class yesterday, and I found the experience enlightening and extremely enjoyable.

As demonstrated by the National Museum, Costa Rica has a rich cultural history. The collection of Indigenous artifacts and artwork show how the lesser known indigenous peoples of Central America were equally as developed as their Mayan, Aztec, and Incan counterparts. Their detailed ceramics and sculpture reveal a complex culture with deep ties to their natural surroundings. The museum is also home to some of the strange spheres that were first found in the Diquis Delta in the 1930's by a banana company. Theories on their origins range from Atlantis to aliens, though they are probably just another example of incredible ingenuity on the part of Native Americans. In addition to the rich indigenous culture, the museum presented the entirety of Costa Rican history from the colonial period onward. Through the brief captions, maps, and bountiful items of historical importance we furthered our understanding of how Costa Rica has come to be what it is today.

Our next stop consisted of the Paque Nacional, which is home to Costa Rica's most important monument. The sculpture in the center of the park depicts the 5 nations of Central America pushing forward as the notorious William Walker cowers away in defeat. Men like William Walker were known as "filibusters" or "freebooters." Filibusters were Americans who engaged in unauthorized military expeditiosn in a foreign nation for financial gain, adventure, or a belief in manifest destiny. Walker attempted to conquer Central America after successfully conquering Nicaragua. He was defeated by Costa Rica in a series of battles in 1856; hence, in the sculpture you see Costa Rica holding her sword forth ward as she aids Nicaragua who is being carried under her arm.

We then made our way into the old National Factory of Liquors which currently houses a dance school as well as some art displays. We checked out a contemporary art display dealing with immigration within and outside of Latin America and how it has become a part of life. Unfortunately there were no photos allowed, so I will spare you any lengthy descriptions of the pieces on display.
We then strolled through Parque España and Morazán before making our way to El Teatro Nacional. The theater was constructed in 1897 and pays homage to Costa Rica's European roots by embracing the Neoclassical architecture of the Renaissance. Sculptures found atop and within the theater are reminiscent of those of Hellenistic Greece and ancient Rome. The most Costa Rican aspect of the theater was the multicolored wood floor of the foyer which is made from the countless types of tropical hardwood found in the many different types of forest here. The theater is an important piece of cultural heritage for Costa Ricans. It was bought and paid for by coffee farmers working together with the government, so that they may have a cultural center for the many traveling operas, orchestras, symphonies, and theater troupes of Europe, the U.S., and their fellow Latin Americans.

Finally, we finished our day with lunch at the Grand Hotel of Costa Rica located across from the theater. San Jose proved to have a lot to offer travelers today. As long as you are willing to learn a little history and do a little walking San Jose is great one day stop for any Costa Rica vacation.

2010 Elections + Superbowl Sunday = Pura Vida

The past week was fairly relaxed, aside from our two rafting trips on Monday and Saturday (pictures of which we are still waiting for) we have had lots of free time. Yesterday as well as today we are left with nothing to do but homework. Sunday, however, was a very important day. Not because of the Superbowl, but because of Costa Rica's 2010 presidential elections. We have been following the four main candidates during our first month here and we finally were able to witness the culmination of the campaigning yesterday. Unlike the U.S. a majority of people vote here and they take the concept of democracy very seriously. This year was particularly interesting for the Ticos with two fairly new parties emerging, each with strong candidates, so it was great to talk to our families and professors about who they would be voting for and why.

On Sunday the street outside the voting station at the local elementary school was lined with different party's stands attempting last minute persuasion or simply hollering in support of their candidates. Other stands sold fresh fruit, snow cones and ice cream, or refreshments. Overall, the atmosphere is one of jubilation and tolerance. You don't see any animosity between people in support of different candidates. In fact, Don Jorge told me a story of how he witnessed a couple of younger kids attempting to snap in half a party flag atop someones car. The two young men were quickly stopped by Jorge as well as others in the name of democracy and respect. A scene I could hardly imagine going down in the same way in the United States. Costa Rica is truly the pinnacle of Latin American democracy, despite the grappling with corruption voter's stay enthused and enjoy participating in their government.

Sunday night we split TV time between the Superbowl and the Elections. We set up some lawn chairs outside and wheeled a TV onto the porch so we could enjoy the cool night air as we sipped on Imperial and guaro. By 8:30 the first count of a mere 11 percent of the total votes was in. Nevertheless, it was enough to reveal the profound lead that PLN candidate Laura Chinchilla would hang onto as the counting continued. Costa Rica had elected it first woman president (that's her in the green and white striped shirt on the left). We headed outside after the Superbowl's end and shouted, "Gringos para Laura" to passing cars who were waving the green and white PLN flags. The bouncer at Bar Amigos let us in on the basis of our cheers and we celebrated with the last few Ticos until the bar closed around one in the morning. It was refreshing to see people so enthused about their government, and it didn't even matter which party they supported come Sunday night as everyone flooded the streets in celebration.

Cathedrals Old and New

After a cup of coffee atop Irazú, we made our way back down the mountain into the city of Cartago. First we visited the ruins of an old cathedral that had been destroyed by an earthquake in the nineteenth century. The ruins are also home to a creepy legend that states every foggy night in Cartago a priest can be seen wandering around the cathedral. He has been condemned to do so for eternity as punishment for having an affair with a local woman and then murdering her thereby defiling the church itself.

Afterwords we headed a few blocks down the a Byzantine style church known as Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles. This basilica is the site of the patron saint of Costa Rica known as La Negrita. As the story a goes a young girl found the a doll one day as she was collecting wood outside the city. She brought it back to her room and stored it away. The next day she was back out in the woods and found the another doll upon the exact same rock, so she took that back to her room to store it away with the other only to find the other had disappeared and that she was holding the exact same doll. She informed the local priest who also put aside the doll to look at it later, but when he went to do so it had disappeared and reappeared on the same rock once again. The priest took those to be a sign of divinity and a desire by the virgin to have a cathedral built on that location. However, the cathedral was not built on the site where the doll was first found until many years later after the destruction of the original cathderal. Many beleive that the destruction was a sign from the virgin to build the new cathedral at the current site. The doll as well as the rock upon which she was found remain with in the cathedral to this day. Year round Costa Ricans as well many other Catholics make pilgrimages to the sight to pray to La Negrita and receive her blessing and healing. Visitors walk along the central nave on their knees praying until they reach the alter where the doll is currently housed. The cathedral is home to countless charms that are supposed to represent individual miracles related to the healing of individuals. Witnessing the old and young as they demonstrated their faith in god, the church, and their patron saint by making their way down the aisle along their knees paired with the stories of healing and showings of gratitude via the charms made our visit to Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles a profound experience.

Afterwords we visited yet another cathedral this time in the river valley of Orosi. Also in ruins, the cathedral of Ujarrás is actually Costa Rica's oldest. We made this a short visit however in order to make it to lunch more quickly. We ate at buffet down by the beautiful lake located in the center of the valley. At this restaurant they made coffee using a sort of old style coffee maker. Where they poured hot water through a canvas sack filled with freshly ground beans, it was easily the best cup of coffee I have had here yet.

Finally, after lunch we came to our last stop of the day, which turned out to be another cathedral. This colonial cathedral, however, is still standing. Inside were paintings from Mexico, sculptures from Guatemala, and woodwork from Ecuador. The cathedral truly was representative of Hispanoamerican art as well as the age of Spanish imperialism and colonialism that brought Catholicism to the Americas. This past Saturday while busy, tiresome, and full of education proved to be an extremely rewarding experience.