March 7, 2008

Astronomy Cruise to Punta coral - Jimmy and Lisa arrive – Buena Vista Lodge

Dear Dad,

The Astronomy Tour to Punta Coral was a big success.  The company Cientec, a company dedicated to the teachings of math, science and technology and lots of other stuff, took a group to Punta Coral to watch the full lunar eclipse.  They are the company who likes to do an astronomy cruise when there is a special event happening in the heavens.  This year, they had planned since November last year to do an Astronomy Cruise for the full eclipse of the moon on the 20th of February 2008.  We get a lunar calendar they print every year with the fazes of the moon.

David and I stayed an extra day in Miami and I although we both wanted to do the cruise there was just too much going on in the office.

Manta Raya is busy every day with full groups and it just isn’t fair to ask the crew to pull a double shift that will last until midnight or later, and then get up and do another tour to Tortuga Island that morning.

We chartered another catamaran, the Loilani; that has capacity for 30 passengers to do the tour.  Inti, one of our best guides and a biologist was excited to do the tour and he reported that it was wonderful and that standing on the beach in front of Punta Coral was the perfect spot to set up the powerful telescopes and watch the eclipse.  I am sorry we missed it; but I have seen not only a full lunar eclipse before but a full solar eclipse as well.

The sky was clear and everyone enjoyed the tour.  Even Delfina and Leonal, who were there to do the meal, got to look in the telescopes and see the eclipse.

On Thursday, I was on the phone talking to Celiece when I thought I better get into the shower because David and gone to the airport an hour earlier to pick up Jimmy and Lisa.  They live in New London, Conn. and visit us every year.

I was surprised when I heard their voices in the kitchen; the plane must have been early.

Lisa, who owns her own bakery, brought all kinds of goodies to eat.  There were giant chocolate chip cookies and a whole box of scones filled with apricot bits that she had made the day before. 

Soon we had hot cups of coffee and with mouthfuls full of the buttery scones we warmed in the oven,we caught up on news.  I didn’t worry about the calories because one of Lisa’s scones is too delicious to pass up. ( I ate the last one this morning, yum.)

On Friday the four of watched the news about a big snow storm that hit the north east- the biggest of the season and saw pictures of mountains of snow that had fallen during the night.  Jimmy and Lisa were in shorts and sleeveless tops watching the news and when Fred, Jimmy’s brother, called a few minutes later to let us know that the cars were not allowed to be parked on the streets so that the snow plows could run, Lisa and Jimmy exclaimed together ;¨We are so glad to be here instead.¨  Business and schools were closed too.

Saturday Celiece came over to see Jimmy and Lisa before she left on another gira leaving the next day.  We had a nice BBQ and visit. 

Sunday was the Oscars.  Since there was the writer’s strike it was the first real red carpet parade of Hollywood movies stars.  I love watching the beautiful women in dripping in beautiful and now not politically correct diamonds ever since the movie Blood diamond came out last year, but dripping in them just the same.

It was surprising to watch the movie clips for best picture and best director and best of everything because the movies were so violent.  I am so tired of watching killing and bloody movies and much prefer more art films with real entertainment.  Yes, we should be conscious of the perils on the planet but we are now too desensitized to violence and the ill treatment of fellow human beings and to sit like dummies and be entertained while others suffer just doesn’t sit right with me.

Monday morning we were up early and headed out of town to go to Buena Vista Lodge near the volcano Rincon de a Vieja in the north.  It was nice to be in David’s big Nissan

Patrol car with air-conditioning for all three rows of leather seats and a good stereo system now updated with all the music David bought when we were in Miami the week before.

When making reservations for the lodge, Mauricio – our head of reservations, told them that we were a group of four and parents of Celiece.  We got complimentary rooms because the lodge knows well who Celiece and Marlon are since one of them is there every week.,

It was a long drive, almost 6 hours in the car. The mountains were covered with the amazing yellow flowers on the Cortez Trees, my favorite tree.  We could tell that the tree was in full bloom because there were no petals on the ground yet.  The brilliant yellow color was almost electric looking and the contrast of the brown grasses made the yellow even more astounding.  Also in bloom are the Roble (oak) trees with a soft colored pink flower.  These too had just begun to bloom because there were no flowers on the ground either.  It was the best day of the year to be traveling on the Pan American Highway heading north. 

We made a stop in Cañas at a restaurant that sits along the Corobici River for a quick lunch.  It has been there for years and is also the place where the rafting tours start.  While waiting for our food we watched as boat loads of tourists from a cruise ship in Puntarenas for the day, put o life jackets, helmets and listen to the guide’s explanation then climb into the rubber rafts and paddle away.  The current on this river is slow but hot as there is little protection from the sun. 

David and I have rafted down this river years ago.  It is a nice trip.  We saw white bats sleeping under a giant leaf, lots of birds and once at the other end of the river, we saw a small island that is home to shore birds- Rosiette Spoonbills, Storks and many more species

The water in the river  looked clean and we asked the waiter if there are fish in the river.  The waiter replied that there used to be except that when cleaning out part of the dam in Lake Arenal a few weeks earlier, the soot and stuff that floated down the river on its way to the ocean killed the fish and the langostinos or fresh water shrimp.  I am not sure what could have been done to prevent the damage, but it saddened me.  Slowly, man seems to be wiping out the animals in the wild. Every time we turn on the news or watch Discovery or National Geographic the evidence of the damage and losses is more apparent. 

After lunch we continued north looking for the turnoff that would take us to the lodge. David wanted to get there before sunset 

Once off the highway the road was dirt and rough. Inside then car we were comfortable and cool and free from the dust clouds if another car or truck passed us going the other way.  Out the window we saw numerous birds: Annies, a Caracara, Hawk, and a few we couldn’t identify.  David and I knew that if Soo and Flip or Celiece and Marlon were with us they could have told us the names of the birds.

We arrived at the lodge just as the sun was going down. As soon as I got out of the car I was covered in black pepper, well it is what it looked but actually I was covered in purujas or no- see- ums the name we have for little insects that bite and bite hard.  I had remembered to buy and pack Off bug repellent, but I didn’t remember to put it on.  Instantly I had quarter sized raised bumps on my arms and ankles and did they ever itch.

I remembered that when the Overseas Adventure groups came to Punta coral after spending two nights at the lodge, many of them came with welts- some bleeding- after being bitten and the dinner of one of these nasty bugs.

The property of Buena Vista is beautiful with double cabins scattered on pasture land.

They have horses who are free to roam about and we could tell this by the tell tale piles of dung on the grass. 

We watched a small caiman, about 6 feet long, swimming in the tiny lake below our cabin.  What was a caiman doing at 4500 feet?  The owner of the lodge has property near the Rio Tarcoles and brought baby caiman to the lodge.  He brought 6 of them but the rest had walked out to a larger lake down the mountain.  Imagine if you were riding a

horse or walking in the mountains and you saw a five big caiman walking in the jungle?

After being shown our rooms and putting the suitcases inside David shut the door; then he realized he left the keys inside.  We sent Lisa and Jimmy up to the Sunset Bar while I waited while David went to reception to get a spare key.

Opening the door to our room with the spare key didn’t work.  After trying all the keys on the ring of the keys used by housekeeping and not finding the correct key the man left to get the manager.  The manager tried all the keys as well and finally took a ruler sized thin bar (just like the robbers who break into cars) and shoved it into the door jam and forced the door open.  That is how things are done here.  I guess they will never forget our visit.

It was almost dark when David and I walked to the Sunset Bar to meet with Jimmy and Lisa and also Marlon who was there with his OAT group.  When it was too dark so see any more colors of the sunset we all walked to the dining area for a buffet typical dinner.

Early the following morning we got ready to leave.  After breakfast we put our bags in the car and grabbed our swim suits and headed for the spa.  After discovering it was an hour walk and knowing we only had a few hours before we had to leave because we were due to pick up Flip and Soo at the International Airport in Liberia, about an hours drive from the lodge, we opted to take the Tropical Limo.

The Tropical Limo is a metal cart with benches and seating for about 20 people that has been painted with tropical plants, birds and flowers on the outside.  It has a tarp for shade and is pulled with a tractor up and down the dirt road to and from the spa in about 20 minutes.

The four of us were the only people in the cart.  The driver stopped at one tree and we saw four beautiful Toucans. We looked for a sloth in the Guarumo Trees, but didn’t see anything.

This is the same area we saw Water Buffalo a few years earlier; but they are no longer at the farm. Water Buffalo have a high content of fat in their milk and the neighboring farm imported them for that reason.  We heard that there were buffalo and went in search for the herd; but kept looking for Bison or what we call buffalo. 

Water buffalo are very dangerous.  We came quickly upon the herd expecting to see  American buffalo and all of us were shocked to see animals from Asia in the hills of Costa Rica wallowing in the mud. The curious animals came to our car to sniff and look at us.  Luckily the big male didn’t come near the truck.  The length of the horns is alarming and all four of us were thankful that we had not spooked the herd.  It may be that we were safe because we were in a truck, the same type of car that drops feed to them each day.

The Tropical Limo driver expertly drove the tractor slowly up and down hills heading towards the spa and volcanic mud baths.  We stopped when we saw an older couple (older than us) walking, the driver offered them a ride; but they refused and we left them in our dust and continued on.  It was hot even at this altitude and all of were glad to be in the Tropical Limo and in the shade.

Once at the top of a hill overlooking the spa the tractor stopped and we got out, David tipped the driver and the four of us walked down stairs to the waiting spa and mud baths. A nice young woman appeared and gave a small introduction and orientation to the area. 

The spa is built above a river. The river water is cold and shallow and there are no fish or langostinos (freshwater shrimp or crayfish) either and it is not the thermal waters used to fill the pools in the spa area.

There are numerous buildings and the area looked that it could comfortably handle a group of 40 to 50 people.  There is a small snack bar, changing rooms with showers, a building that holds lots of lockers, the steam room, mud room and about four different pools. After changing into swim suits, we were given keys and walked to the building where the lockers are and put our clothes and bags inside. 

Our next stop was the steam room.  At one end there are two round tanks built out of cement with red brick on the outside.  The tanks are about waist high and a half meter in diameter.  The structures hold the steamy volcanic water.  On top are slats of wood keeping curious hands and fingers away from the thermal waters. The water didn’t look hot but none of us dared touch the surface to check out the temperature. The room wasn’t very hot either and we didn’t know if it was because we were the first ones in there that morning or if the temperature inside never got any hotter. The steam bath was to open our pores.

After 10 minutes, barely breaking into a sweat, we left for the next station.  Here there was a tall wooden hollowed log filled with boiling mud. Volcanic mud is used all over the world for cleansing and as an exfoliate and has a lot of minerals too. The young attendant had scooped some into a smaller wooden log and with our hands we scooped up the cooler mud and rubbed it all over us.  The same woman had cut a palm and split it into two and then cut and tied head pieces- like a crown but made with a palm branch- and placed it on our heads. Covered in mud with a crown on our heads we laughed at each other.  The nice attendant offered to take our pictures so we would remember our day at the Buena Vista Spa.

The mud dried in about 10 minutes.  After a shower in cold river water we headed for the

pools.  The water in one pool was 106 degrees and felt great.  We sat on an underwater bench and the water was up to our chins. As soon as we couldn’t stand the hot water any longer we climbed out and then went into another pool with really cold water.  The cold water closes the pores. A flock of four giant Toucans flew overhead and sat in a nearby tree watching us. 

Not wanting to leave the serenity of the spa, it was time to change into our street clothes and head for the airport.

David left a nice tip and the four of us climbed the stairs to the waiting Tropical Limo.

On the return trip to the main part of the lodge, we passed Marlon and his group on horse back on their way to the spa.  Each person was wearing what looked to be an uncomfortable metal helmet, probably a requirement from a lawyer or insurance man.

They all looked hot and uncomfortable.  We waved and told them that they were going to love the spa.

Jimmy and Lisa commented how wonderful it was glad to have had the spa to ourselves.

David and I agreed and felt very special since we were guests of the lodge.

David left another big tip for the staff and then it was time to go.

The ride down the mountain seemed a lot faster than the ride up.  We saw lots of goats grazing and a small herd of cattle with lots of white Egrets busy eating bugs.  Here we saw a Caracara in the top of a tree.  It is a bird of prey.

There was time for a quick lunch before heading to the airport.  David stopped in Liberia at a small restaurant that was in front of a big shopping center.  I wanted to eat healthy and was glad I had seen the sign out of the corner of my eye.  I didn’t want to eat at a fast food restaurant and convinced our group to stop there.  David was having a problem with his stomach and didn’t need to fill up on grease and sugar at a McDonalds, Pizza Hut or Burger King.

The food at the restaurant was delicious and satisfying and best of all practically fat and sugar free. David ordered a Gazpacho, and I had a toasted pita bread filled with spinach and palmito, Jimmy had a steak sandwich and Lisa grilled chicken.  There was wonderful watermelon juice to drink as well.

The fat and sugar were there in the front part of the restaurant because it is a TCYB store and also sells ice cream cakes, yogurts. We were in Guancaste province and this time of the year it is really hot. All of us wanted a cup of frozen yogurt but it was time to head for the airport.   I was sure that Flip and Soo would be arriving from Miami hungry and we could return with them and while they had a nutritious lunch we could indulge in a fat free yogurt treat. J

David pulled into the airport parking lot just as the plane was landing.  Parking was at a minimal and the sun was blazing and it was hot.  I had my parasol -  instant shade, so I got out and went in search of our friends.  I stood and watched a young woman greet her husband.  She brought a giant grey poodle with her that seemed to be dancing on the hot pavement and she was oblivious to his discomfort.  Another woman walked out looking for her ride probably heading for the Four Seasons, and she was dripping in jewels.  It was fun to people watch. 

I heard Flip call my name and soon was hugged and given a big kiss.  I directed him to the parking lot area where the car was and waited for Soo who was in the bathroom.  She recognized me instantly because I carried my parasol. I was cool and comfortable with my own shade and probably the envy of the arriving passengers who had dribbles of sweat running down their faces.

It was a tight squeeze in the car with six adults and a bag or two each.  Jimmy sat in the third row with luggage packed tight all around him.  He assured us he had his stuff close by (Jimmy likes his stuff) and was comfortable, especially since he had his own air conditioner vent keeping him cool.

Once we all got in the car it was back to the restaurant.  Flip was feeling poorly and had not slept all night.  We didn’t know then, but he was going to have unusual symptoms and feel badly our whole time together.

After Flip and Soo ate lunch and the rest of us finished our yogurt, we piled into David’s ¨limo¨ and with the air conditioner keeping us cool and new music playing on the stereo, the six of us headed for the border or Nicaragua and the all inclusive hotel – Morgan’s Rock, located on the pacific side of Nicaragua.

My next letter I will write all about our adventures crossing the border and Morgan’s Rock.

I hope you are well and happy.  I love and miss you.

Besitos,  Cecs