Veinte y dos

We headed out this morning hoping to visit a new waterfall. It’s on the property of guy who does horseback tours to the beach, the mountains, and to the waterfall. He also will allow you to walk to the waterfall (for a small fee), which we thought was a better idea with los ninos. Navigating muddy and steep trails with Samuel on a horse is not our idea of “fun”.

We got to the office about 9:30, but the owner and all his guides were already out on tours. We waited a while and checked the place out, but it was obvious there would be no one there soon to get us on the right trail or take our money. We stopped by later in the day and found the owner there. We arranged to return on Monday to make the hike.

So we returned to the waterfall we had visited yesterday. Today was a bright sunny day, unlike yesterday when it was somewhat overcast, so the place took on a whole different look.

Sunlight filtered through the high trees, making a pattern on the pool in the grotto.

    

The thing about lakes and streams in Costa Rica is that even a mountain stream like this one is not cold. The water temperature is about the same as the air, maybe 80 degrees. For Norteamericanos used to biting cold water in the mountains, its amazingly pleasant to jump in and enjoy the warm temperature. Another thing that is (oddly) not a concern are pests in the water. I have swum in streams by waterfalls and found leeches, snakes, and other unpleasantries in the water, but this place, and the other waterfalls we’ve seen here are full of clear water and nothing else (We did see a few tiny fish coming down the falls and into the stream, but that was all.).



While Amy fed the kids a picnic lunch on the rocks I hiked a little further up the road, hoping to find the trail leading to the top of the falls. What I found instead was a home site constructed right up to the stream from the road. A contractor was arguing with an inspector of some kind. It seems the site had been bought, leveled, filled and fenced, but because it is so close to the stream, it could not be used for a house. Leach fields are used for sewer water runoff everywhere here, and any sewage would eventually find its way into this pristine stream The Costa Ricans are very particular about their environment and keeping it unspoiled.



I collected Amy and the kids and we drove further up the mountain road, which is surprisingly wide and flat for this area. We didn’t go all the way, but partway up we found a path (Go Terios!) that led to a beautiful view of the ocean (from even higher than our house). The sky and the water often blend together here, until you can’t tell which is which. We could also see an excursion boat, and some mountainside villas to the north, near Dominical.

We finally got off the mountain, went back across the stream (video of this is on You Tube now), and drove to our favorite beach. Hermosa Beach changes each time we visit, depending on the strength of the ides and the volume of rain that has fallen. Today the kids “stream” was gone, but the beach had lots of new sand. The tide was going out, so the water was perfect for swimming and playing in the safer waves.

Ceviche



This local specialty is found in just about every retail establishment, even gas stations, in this part of the country. It is a staple food, and everyone from truck drivers to beachgoers enjoy it as a meal or a snack. There is a ceviche cart set up near the entrance to the beach we usually use. The seller is there from early morning to sunset, and seems to do a great business. Today all he had was the plain fish variety, but on other trips he has had shrimp, scallop and mixed versions to sell.

The raw seafood is cut in bite size pieces, and marinated for six hours or more in a combination of lime juice and white vinegar. This cooks the fish, firms it, and turns it bright white. Then water, oil, sugar, diced onion, garlic, and cilantro leaves are added (each seller has a particular recipe) and the mixture is chilled. It’s sold in 8 oz styrofoam cups, with a plastic spoon, for 1000 colones (or a little more sometimes).



Money



The unit of currency in Costa Rica is the colone. Currently 514 colones equal one dollar. This fluctuates. We got 542 colones/ dollar when we first changed money, but last time it was down to 510.

There are no other units of money, so everything costs multiple thousands of colones

So 500 colones is about a buck. Bank notes start at 1000 and go up to 10,000 ($20) for most uses.

It’s fun to get your bank balance here and find that you are a millionaire!



Because we are in a remote part of the country, stuff costs more that in either the US or in San Jose. Sometimes commodities are not available at all. Tuesday night the gasolinera was out of gas and did not expect any until the next morning. Often the Uvita supermercado is out of something we want, although there always seem to be piles and piles of rice and beans available.



There are a few new videos (as of 7/22 5pm EDT) on you tube the povies. Let me know if you can’t find them.

Omigod a giant spider!!!

Comment!!!