San Jose to La Fortuna

Day 3 - Sunday, June 1

Sooner or later all this rain has to have consequences and today it did.

Unfortunately, there was a mud slide on a road headed east and we had to cancel our plans for the drive through San Jose, the tram tour of Barillo National Park, and the butterfly garden. (We're just grateful we weren't on the road when it happened.)

Instead we went to several small villages where we saw local handcrafts, churches, and parks with beautiful flowers.

First stop was Fabrica de Carretas Joaquin Chaverri in the village of Sarchi where they make decorative oxcarts in various sizes - from miniatures to full size. The craftsmen paint the designs free-hand with no outline and each one is unique. We visited the workshop, but, unfortunately, since it was Sunday, no one was working, but there were some fine examples of their work.

The cart (also known as carreta) is the quintessential symbol of Costa Rica and was a fixture on farms to transport coffee beans. (See yesterday's blog). The wheels, about 4 ft to 5 ft in diameter, are spokeless to keep them from getting stuck in the mud.

The setting for the workshop had some beautiful tropical plants, which we enjoyed photographing. We even saw our first Toucan, albeit in a cage, but later we saw two in a tree along the road.

Then we went to the main square where we saw the largest oxcart in the world (designated by Guiness) and the Iglesia de Sarchi.

Afterwards, our bus wound through coffee plantations, sugar cane plantations, and cattle farms. We stopped in the mountain town of Zarcero, at an elevation of 5,600 ft. There we visited the Parque Francisco Alvardo, a spacious park with well-tended gardens and topiary features. Since 1960, gardener Don Evangelisto Blanco has been transforming the park's cypress bushes into fanciful forms. A series of joined cypress topiaries form an archway leading to the main church.

We stopped for lunch not far from this village where we had another great meal.

Back on the bus for about an hour and a half, we journeyed a little higher, then crossed the continental divide and began our descent. We ended our day's travel at Arenal Springs Resort in La Fortuna. We were awed by the lush tropical grounds and our individual cabins with 5-star amenities. The bathroom shower has a stone wall that is partially exposed to the outside with plants on a ledge. When it rains, it creates a kind of waterfall and waters the plants.

But the real treat was the Arenal hot springs pool right on the grounds. We donned our bathing suits and headed for the pool bar for Margueritas and Mojitos. What a great way to end the day, and the warm water really was refreshing. Shortly before dinner the rains returned but this seems to be a frequent afternoon occurrence. Hopefully, by tomorrow morning, the fog and clouds will clear and we will be able to see Arenal Volcano, which is directly in line with our view.

San Jose - Poas Volcano

I have come to realize that everyone's trip to Costa Rica is different -- primarily because there are so many different things to see, even though the distance between them is not that far. Add to that incredible traffic, which I had not expected, and one is grateful to see as much as one does in a short time. 

We awakened to gorgeous sunshine at 5:30 am, a stark contrast to yesterday's rain. I shot another photo of the stadium because it is much clearer today. The facility, which seats 35,000, was a "gift" from the Peoples' Republic of China, in exchange for signing a free trade agreement with them 6 years ago.

The highlight this morning was a trip to Poas Volcano National Park, the most visited one, which was designated in 1971. The volcano is 895 ft. deep and a mile wide, making it one of the largest volcano spanses in the world. Still active, it is the type which has a geyser-like eruption resulting from the rainwater that collects in its basin. When it is blue, it is clear and reflects the sky, but if it is grayish, it means there is some activity going on and tourist beware. There were signs throughout the park with info about what to do in an emergency. Basically, it was stay calm and head for the nearest exit.

We were incredibly lucky today. We were warned that, at nearly 9,000 ft. above sea level, the volcano is often in the clouds. However, we were blessed with changing views of the caldera while the fog and clouds floated in, out of and over the opening. We also learned that the lines around the interior represent individual eruptions, much like a tree with its trunk rings representing years.

Some of us chose to hike part of the Botos Trail, which led to Botos Lake. Although the trail was paved, we got a close-up look at the dense foliage common in the area, which includes stunted myrtle, ferns, mosses, bromeliads and a leggy but wiry tree called "Azar del Monte", which is resistant to the products of volcanic activity. A photo of me with a giant plant was most unusual. The Lake  is actually a dormant crater, and from the air, sits side by side to Poas.

Then we headed to lunch at a restaurant in the hills with a seating area overlooking the Central Valley. We could even see the stadium in the distance. Lunch was mahi mahi and was awesome. Can't keep eating like this. While there we toured their little garden where they grew  some coffee plants that were shaded by Mango trees and banana plants. They also had a replica of a hand painted ox cart that was used in the early days by the coffee farmers. 

From there we went to Cafe Brit, one of the country's most visited tourist attractions. It is basically a processing mill where numerous coffee and chocolate products are sold. We were treated to an informative presentation about coffee. Basically, coffee was first discovered in Ethiopa and made its way through Europe, arriving in Costa Rica around 1750. After the country gained its independence from Spain in 1821, it was considered a good product for economic development. The Central Valley has an ideal climate, soil and topography for growing, which makes it produce some of the best coffee in the world. Drinking it for 2 days, I would agree.

Coffee plants spend a year developing in a green house before they are transplanted to the fields, and then another 2 years before they produce beans. But after that, they produce yearly for 25 years. Unfortunately, the beans on an individual plant do not mature (turn red) at the same time and have to be hand picked several times during the harvest season, which is Dec- March. Pickers make $3 a basket and can fill 20/day. Over 100,000 acres of land in Costa Rica is dedicated to growing coffee and it is the 5th major industry in the country. The others are 1) tourism, 2) computer chips (who knew, but it soon is leaving), 3) bananas, and 4) pineapple.

While at Brit, the afternoon storms came in again and we headed back to the hotel for rest, dinner, etc. I hear there is salsa dancing in the bar after 9 but I will never make it, not with a 5 am awake time tomorrow. On to another city then.

San Jose, Costa Rica

Friday, May 30

Ever since I went to Guatemala in 1974, I have wanted to go to Costa Rica. For someone who loves nature and being outdoors, this seems like a natural destination. So finally I signed up for a trip with Caravan tours, an idea that had been on the back burner for years, and now was a good time to go. Never mind that it is the rainy season. I have come to learn that it is always the rainy season somewhere in CR -- in a country that measures rainfall by feet not inches.

Getting here was pretty easy - first to Atlanta and then to San Juan, flying over Cuba on the way - 3 hours on that flight. Coming into San Jose, one is struck by how green it is. (Photo 1)

Caravan met me and many others at the airport and escorted us to the Barcelo San Jose Palacio, our home for the next two nights. Sitting on a small knoll, the hotel has a view of the city and soccer stadium (photo 2) and a lovely garden, even in the rain (photo 3).

We were settled in by 2, with nothing planned until dinner. Not wanting to miss a thing, I found a delightful cab driver named Juan at the hotel who chauffeured me round trip to the nearby Museum of Costa Rican Art. Inaugurated in 1978, it is situated in beautiful La Sabana Metropolitan Park, in the building of the former control tower of the old San Jose Airport. The exhibits included work from the 19th century to some very intriguing modern pieces. One highlight was a garden of sculptures designed by Jorge Jimenez de Heredia (photo 4) Another was the Salon Dorado (Gold Room), exhibiting a mural by French sculptor Louis Feron, which depicts the history of CR up to 1940 when the building was dedicated. The room was the Diplomat's lounge for the airport. (Photo 5)

Back to the hotel for a much needed nap and then to dinner. I sat with a lovely couple from Sacramento, CA, whom I had met earlier and we exchanged travel stories. The buffet was extensive and delicious, with multiple choices of salads, vegetables and meats and fish. Much better than expected and it might be hard to keep from gaining weight. 

At 8 we had a group meeting and met our fellow travelers. Then our tour director, Aaron Salazar gave an informative presentation about Costa Rica. 

About the size of West Virginia, it has one of the richest diversity of plant and animal life in the world. It is considered the #1 country in conservation and nearly 30% of the country is designated as wildlife parks and refuges. It has 12 different life zones, from coastal wetlands to subalpine grassland.  It also has multiple micro climates -- I hope one of them is dry or it could be a soggy week.

Although CR represents only 0.03% of the land mass on earth, it has 5% of the total biodiversity in the world. It has 12,000 species of plants -- but only 8,000 have names, which means they are still studying the other 4,000 to see where they fit in. There are 239 different mammals and 900 species of birds.

From 1973-1989 CR had one of the worst deforestation rates in the world and they worked to correct it. By 2005 the rate was 0 and today it is illegal to cut down a tree unless you plant it. In 2012 they also banned hunting of any species.

What a lovely decision. But what do you expect of a country that abolished its army in 1949, making it the first and one of the few without a standing army. And they put the money into saving the land. This tiny country has much to teach us. A nice note on which to end.

Epilogue

It's been more than a month since I returned from the Camino, and I am still trying to process everything that happened. I have been sifting through nearly 3,000 photos, trying to edit them and put them in some kind of order.

I find that the experience is somewhat surreal. Many of my friends followed my blog and have been interested in the details of the trip. Others who did not often can't imagine the idea of walking across a country the size of Spain. One of the blessings after I arrived home was a beautiful book designed by my daughter Michelle using my blog and photos. Looking at it in printed form has helped me visualize the walk and meditate on the journey.

I can't say that it has been a life changer, nor did I expect it to be. It was at best a wonderful lifetime experience to be added to many other fabulous adventures. It was a physically taxing journey, and a long time to be away from family and friends. That needs to be considered by anyone who might undertake this trip. However, the Camino is unique for its infrastructure, its camaraderie among strangers and its changing scenic beauty through woodlands and fields and quaint villages. For that it is well worth the investment of time and energy.

I found some interesting statistics on the Camino, as reported by the credentialing office. In 2012 there were 192,488 people who completed 100K or more of the Camino. Of those, 56% were men and 44% were women.

Their ages were as follows:

30 - 60  -  57%

Younger than 30 - 28%

Older than 60 - 15%

70% of the pilgrims took the Camino Frances, which we did.

85% of the pilgrims walked, 15% biked, and .15% rode a horse. 22 people did it in a wheelchair.

About 50% of the pilgrims are from Spain. The next largest groups are from Germany, Italy, Portugal and France.  Only 3% are from the United States and 1.5% are from Canada, Michele and I are in a somewhat exclusive group. 

20% start in Sarria, the closest location for receiving a credential. 

12% start in St. Jean, the beginning of the Camino Frances. After that there are 2-5% starting in the different cities along the way. Only 2% begin in Pamplona like us.

41% walk it for religious reasons, and 52% do it for both religious and other reasons. The other 6% are just doing it.

Santiago to Finisterre

(May 25) While we are in this corner of the world, we decided to visit what was considered the "end of the earth" during medieval times, Finisterre.
We tried to find a tour company, with no luck, so we opted to do it our way, with great success.
We boarded a public bus at 9 am (for 24€ RT), which was like a Grayline, and arrived in 2 hours and 20 minutes. The ride itself was quite enjoyable because, an hour into it, we were driving along inlets from the coast with quaint little villages nestled at the base of the rocky cliffs. The water was clear and calm and we were blessed with a gorgeous, sunny day.
Since it was lunchtime when we arrived, we stopped at one of the restaurants overlooking the harbor and had Sopa de Galega, which is a hot soup, usually made of potatoes, spinach, cabbage, and sometimes beans, flavored with meat such as pork or sausage.
Then we walked the 3.5 K (about 2.5 miles) to the lighthouse, which is km 0 on the way to Santiago. (Photo 1) Built in 1853, it is high on the westernmost tip of a rocky, hilly coastline, (photo 2) and provides a panoramic view of the ocean. (Photo 3)
Part of the ritual of going to Finisterre is burning your clothes. As worn as mine are now, that still didn't seem like a good idea. However, I did have a pair of bad sock liners that gave me some blisters early on that I never want to see again. They were perfect fuel for the ongoing pyre.(Photo 4)
While we were up there, we ran into friends Tony and Geraldine from Ireland and Chris and Peter from the US. Chris had been sick much of the trip but was now well and had completed the Camino.
Later we ran into another friend Christine who had connected with her boyfriend in Sarria and walked from there to Finisterre. So far all of our Camino friends seem to have happy endings.
Then we walked the other direction to the beach of A Langosteira. It was very quiet except for a bar, a few bathers, and a couple of abandoned boats. (Photos 5-8) We collected some shells and then returned to the city center to catch the return bus.
We got back at 7 after a 2 hr, 15 minute ride. Then we did some shopping and had dinner at the Derby Bar. It did have a jockey hat and whip on its logo. Afterwards we discovered a luscious park near our hotel and plan to explore that tomorrow along with several other sights we've yet to see.

Santiago

We haven't done the final calculations, but even taking into account some "leap frogging" due to weather or injuries, we walked more than 400 miles in 5 weeks, essentially across northern Spain.
This morning we tried to sleep in but couldn't. So we looked for a coffee shop that had interested us last night, and we were 15 minutes early. We decided to wait out the time in the Cathedral, and who did we spy there but Emily, a 20-something woman from Pittsburgh whom we have been with off and on for much of the trip. We thought we would miss her so this was a wonderful surprise. She was on her way, walking to Finisterre, and we convinced her to have coffee with us. (Photo 1) We chose a delightful cafe that has been in existence since 1897.
Then we ran some errands and went back to the Cathedral to attend the noon mass for pilgrims. On our way, Michele shot this photo of me (2) with one of the many mimes that work the large plaza in front of the church. The mass was well attended, with many people standing, but they didn't have any of the pomp and circumstance (or incense) from last night. I'm so glad we had not missed that.
After mass we finally snagged a photo of the two of us in front of the Cathedral. (3) We had been so busy hugging everyone yesterday that we had not done it. This shows how massive the Cathedral is and how weathered. No sand blasting here.
After mass we continued to see people we had walked with off and on during the last few weeks.
Then we went to lunch in the garden courtyard of a hotel with friends Brent from Barcelona (formerly California), Mike from Florida, Mike from Tahoe, Rene from Reno, and another woman from Nashville. Turns out the woman from Nashville and I knew a lot of the same people since I had lived there 4 years. Continues to be a small world.
This evening we went to dinner again with our Dutch friends Perry, Gerrie, and Sabina at the same place we had breakfast. Dinner was equally delightful and I had the paella as did others. We walked them back to their hotel and said some tearful goodbyes. On the way we ran into some other friends and had our photo taken with the girls.(4, L to R: Sabina, Gerrie, me, Angelica, Michele) Our friends told us about their trip to Finisterre today, our destination for tomorrow -- the place that was once the "end of the known world" before Christopher Columbus and others.

Arca to Santiago

(May 23) Our last day of walking! Our anticipation got us up early and we met Perry for a quick breakfast before we started the last 14 miles of our journey.
We were surprised to find we were still on a beautiful wooded trail (photo 1) even though we were headed for an area around the Santiago airport. We stopped only once for coffee where I had an incredible apple tart.
Perry started with a count-down similar to New Year's Eve as we crossed off the kilometers on the stone markers along the way.
Just about 4 miles from the city, we reached Monte del Gozo, which is a 1200 ft. high peak overlooking the city. There is a monument commemorating the visit of Pope John Paul II. (Photo 2,3)
For about two-thirds of the walk, we were on paths and small roads until we reached the outskirts of the city. Then we had to maneuver ourselves through the suburbs and modern city streets on pavement and sidewalks until we reached the historic section of town. Then the excitement began to build. We passed several old historic buildings and mistook the tower of one of them as a first sighting of the Cathedral.
But we continued on, ultimately going through the Arch of the Pazo do Xelmirez, holding on to one another with Perry in the middle, and there it was in all its splendor: the Cathedral of Santiago, our final destination. After all this time, the feeling of euphoria was overwhelming and actually brought tears to my eyes. We saw other pilgrims we knew and started to hug and congratulate one another. Others whose names we did not know, but whom we had seen on the trail over the past several weeks, joined in the celebration. (Photo 4 is me in front of the Cathedral, looking quite bedraggled in the wind.)
Afterwards, we went to the Pilgrim Credential office where we showed our passport stamps and were given an official Compostela, certifying that we had walked the Camino.
Exhausted, we checked into our lodging, Hostal Mapoula, a few blocks from the Cathedral and only 50€ for a spacious room and bath. This will be our home for the next 4 days.
Later Michele, Perry and I met our Dutch friends Sabina and Gerrie for a light dinner. The 5 of us have become good friends and have been together off and on for 3-4 weeks. The two women told us we have a special place in their hearts and wanted to give us something but only had two left for the three of us so Michele and I would have to share. It was a tiny pair of blue and white ceramic Dutch clogs tied with a red, white and blue ribbon, their flag's colors. They said we would each get one shoe. Actually, I rather like that because it also joins me and Michele -- I'll always know the mate to that shoe is with her. Then Gerrie reminded me that I had given her an extra pair of gloves I had when we were going into the mountains and she had not brought any. They said they were each going to keep one glove as a remembrance of our friendship.
Now it was 7 pm and we went to a high mass at the Cathedral in honor of a special feast day. (Photo 5-interior) It was like a theatrical performance, starting with a processional around the interior, complete with musical instruments. Then they filled a giant incense burner, a botafumeiro, and began swinging it from an elaborated pulley system high up in the ceiling. It took 4 men to pull on the ropes and control its movement. We sat on the side so it swung right over us. (Photo 6,7)
Next we were treated to lovely organ music and an awesome choir. Even the priest had a great voice. The service was all in Spanish but was so beautifully done that it was totally enjoyable. Afterwards, more drinks with friends and off to bed, our journey at an end.