Paddling through Caño Negro

Alex and Adri decided to coordinate a canoe trip through the Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge. We were very excited to go along, especially to bring the boys on a long canoe trip through yet another distinct region of Costa Rica.

Alex, Adri, and Nando picked us up in Puntarenas on Friday morning. Their Toyota Land Cruiser had been turned into an amazing canoe carrier! With a special trailer, they were carrying 5 canoes and gear for 6 people. The drive from Puntarenas to the point where we were going to stay for the evening took several hours. Along the way Alex & Adri taught us about Costa Rica, making the drive seem short.

We stopped a little past mid way at a restaurant for lunch. The food was delicious (We finally got to try patacones!), and the wildlife surrounding the restaurant exceptional! Alex pointed out some small mammals called guatusa that are indigenous to Costa Rica. I think they look like a giant rat without a tail. Nicholas and Kelly even managed to creep close enough for a photograph! There were also many, many deer... deer literally everywhere.

After lunch, we were back on the road, headed for the Caño Negro Lodge. Our plan was to stay at the lodge during the evenings and nights and paddle during the day. We arrived at the lodge and were soon settled into our room. Before we had dinner, Alex & Adri took one of the canoes down to the river for some training with the boys. We all took turns in the canoe and learned the verbal commands and what they mean. There was a cute little kitten by the riverbank to keep the people ashore busy.

We finished up day one with a wonderful dinner at the lodge. We all ate way too much... I don't know what happened, but soon we were ordering 2 or 3 entrees a piece to go with our wine. Maybe we were pre-stocking our bodies with calories for the next days paddling?

Early the next morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the lodge while the last of the canoes arrived on a truck. Two professional guides also arrived to accompany us down the river (and to make sure we didn't end up in Nicaragua). We walked a short distance to our launch point, enjoying the relative cool of the morning. Once we arrived at the launch point and all of the canoes were in the water, a safety briefing was given. Finally, we donned our PFDs and hopped into our canoes. Alexander paddled with Kelly, and I had Nicholas sitting up front. Both of the boys received new carbon fiber paddles, to reduce their fatigue on the journey.

Paddling down the river was an awe inspiring experience. Moving silently through the water, while you are surrounded by amazing wildlife. There are no signs of people to spoil the experience, just raw nature on display. As we progressed downstream, small showers would cool us for a few moments, then disappear. Portions of the river are narrow and (relatively) fast, while the majority is like a slowly moving conveyor.

We stopped for lunch at a riverside restaurant. Since both of the boys were getting tired of paddling, we decided to change the canoe assignments. Alexander and Nicholas we each allowed to ride with a professional guide in their canoe. This meant that we (Kelly & Phillip) got to try out the carbon fiber paddles. You wouldn't believe how much difference a few ounces makes when you have to lift it every few seconds!

Soon after lunch we reached out pull out position, and brought our wonderful day on the water to an end. We spent the evening around the pool at the lodge sharing stories of the day with our new friends. A truly amazing experience!

Weekend at Isla Jesusita

After chatting on Thursday night, we decided we need to have a rematch of last weekend's regatta. This time the course would be from the point to Caldera to Las Islas Negritos to Isla Jesusita. Heidi was planning to use Caprichio, but Batsú (with Alex, Adri, John, & Evelyn) and Estancia (Gabi & Max) were ready for the challenge. Luckily for us, we were able to recruit Wayne and Ruby from Learnativity to help us crew.

We left Saturday morning to a crystal blue sky and a light breeze. At the point Max decided that he didn't want to sail Estancia after all, so he made straight for the anchorage at Jesusita. We sailed happily along towards Caldera. It was great to have Wayne along to help with trim, and Ruby kept us all entertained -- when she wasn't napping on the pile of sail cover.

After about half an hour, the wind abated and clocked around, so Batsú suggested we make for the outside of the Negritos to see if we could find some sea kittens. We'd been looking forward to Alex showing us his favorite macarela (sierra) patch so we eagerly agreed. Soon we were sailing southeast towards the spot where the two currents collide.

About halfway there, we heard the clicker take off. Sure enough, there was a very nice sierra. When we got her to the boat, she had a friend along with her! Unfortunately, we didn't have another rod setup for such an occasion, so we couldn't land them both. Still, it was quite a sight. Phil soon had her hanging off the rail, waiting to be made into sashimi and steaks. Alex didn't believe us when we told him, so I obligingly held up our catch for his benefit. He immediately recognized her as the fish he'd thrown into the water for us to catch. Such a nice guy!

After circling around the fishing spot a couple of times, we called it a day and headed for the anchorage. The wind had given up the ghost, so we motorsailed. Once we anchored, Batsú and Estancia rafted alongside. It was our first time rafting up in Samadhi, and as expected, it was a complete non-event. Most of the evening was spent in the cockpit of Batsú enjoying Alex and Adri's hospitality.

In the morning, we had a delicious breakfast of gallo pinto before heading back on the tide for Puerto Azul. It was such a delight to be able to spend the weekend with Wayne and our Tico friends. Now to get the boat ready for the boys' arrival on the 25th!

Touring Poás and Sarchí

Adri and Alex invited us to come and stay with them in Curridabat when we came to town to pick up our reupholstered salon cushions. Since we had Thursday morning to kick around, we decided to head west to see a different volcano and check out some of the mountain handicrafts. Once again, we headed out in the cute blue Peugeot with the trusty Garmin to guide us.

Our first stop was Poás Volcano, but naturally that was easier said than done. Getting to Irazu (our destination a couple of weeks ago) at a reasonable hour was easy, but Poás is on the opposite side of the city and north. For this, we had to leave before morning traffic started. We resolved to get up in time to leave by six, when our hosts would be up to head to the gym anyhow. After a fortifying espresso or five, we were on the road and heading for the volcano. As expected, getting to Alajuela at that hour was a breeze. San Jose can be a tricky city to transit, but the GPS had no problem at all. It was only once we got into the foothills that it started to stumble. First, it didn't know that the road was paved. Well, "progress!" we thought. Unfortunately, we should have taken that as a sign. Soon the road wasn't paved... then we started to lament our lack of ground clearance and four wheel drive! Long story short, when we decided to go back and follow the bulk of traffic. After that, our going became much easier.

On the way up the mountains, I saw a blue-crowned motmot (which Ticos call "bobo" because they're so dumb). We stopped to get a better look, but as soon as we were in pocket-camera-range, he flew off. Shortly thereafter we passed a pair of men loading an ox cart with grass by the side of the road. We couldn't figure out why he was doing it, but he looked very authentic.

After a few more wrong turns, we wound up at the park. We were greeted by a very nice ranger who told us it would be about $20 to get in, and that there was little point since it was so foggy that we'd hardly be able to see anything. Oops! With that recommendation, we said, "Thanks, but no thanks!" and headed back down the way we came. We had to stop to get some photos with the giant-leaved, spiky plants growing by the side of the road. Each leaf was bigger than I was! It must be a cloud forest thing.

You may have heard about the devastating earthquake that Costa Rica suffered in January. Poás is right in the heart of the region. We got out to check out a couple of the places where the evidence lingered. There were many homes that were completely isolated after the roads serving them were washed out. Phil almost fell through the cracks in the road! Still, the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. It reminded me a lot of the mountains around Santa Cruz (only with different trees). Unfortunately, further troubles await this region when the rainy season comes.

Also, on the way down the hill, we finally figured out what the guys with the ox cart were doing. We saw them happily posing for photos with several gringos. Nice work if you can get it!

After Poás, Alex and Adri were most insistent that we visit Sarchí, near Grecia. This meant going back toward the main road and continuing a bit further west, past Grecia. We were amazed at how each city seemed to have an industry that it specialized in. For instance, Grecia must have had at least two dozen used car dealerships, each looking exactly like the one before. It makes you wonder how anyone chooses between them, not to mention why everyone decided that Grecia would be the place to go for a car.

Sarchí is famed for their wooden handicrafts, especially furniture and hand-painted carretas or ox carts. They also seem to have a special penchant for fleecing tourists, but then, we weren't in the market to buy anything anyhow. We did spend an hour or so wandering around. There was a man painting chairs that mom would have loved, all orange and red and green and yellow. Some of furniture was quite remarkable in its craftsmanship. The world's largest ox cart was really big!

Somehow, we made it back to Curridabat in time for lunch. After recovering from the most delicious yuca fries we'd ever tasted, we headed out with the GPS to help us find all of our favorite places for provisioning. This proved especially amusing when our navigator suggested we take a little road that ended in a flight of cement stairs. Oops! (another opportunity for four wheel drive and high ground clearance?)

We got done in time for a quick nap before the Regatta Round-up at Hooters in Escazú. It was hard to keep my eyes open by the end, but we had a great time chatting with all of our fellow sailors. It was a fabulous end to a very full day. Now we get to look forward to our "Revenge Regatta" with Batsú and Estancia this weekend. Wayne even said he and Ruby would help crew for us!

Valentine's Day Regatta at Costa Rica Yacht Club

Although we have raced boats before, we have never entered Samadhi V in a regatta. At the urging of our Tico friends we decided to participate in a regatta here in Costa Rica. We would be racing Samadhi with a crew of two, and no practice... what fun!

12 boats showed up to race yesterday. The course was an upwind-downwind course between two buoys set about 3 miles apart just off the beach. Winds at the start of the race were about 8 knots.

We were starting downwind, so we hoisted the spinnaker in the sock and broad reached towards the starboard side of the line to stay in clean air. With one minute to go Kelly unsocked the chute, and I trimmed the sheet. We crossed the line a few seconds late but we were moving! Within the first 10 minutes we had opened a substantial lead over the entire field. We were surprised to see this as there were several lightweight, high-performance boats that should have killed Samadhi in the light air!

We maintained our lead to the first mark, through a flat calm period of about 30 minutes. Then we blew it. We haven't practiced racing Samadhi before so we we weren't very fast in getting the chute down and the genoa unfurled and driving. After we had everything done another boat Caprichio had managed to pass us. Once the genoa was out and trimmed, we got the staysail out and trimmed then we started reeling in our competition. By the time we made it back to the upwind mark we had a comfortable 1 mile lead on them.

Another mark rounding taught us that sailing with a crew of 2 and a spinnaker in a 55' boat keeps you very busy! Genoa in, staysail in, spinnaker rigged and launched... The boat that was following us almost caught up (they had a full racing crew) until we unsocked the chute once more. With the spinnaker out, we bid our farewell to them, and they never got close again. We opened a very large lead and our rounding of the downwind mark went fairly smoothly, if not quickly. We enjoyed our final tack back sailing at a very comfortable 8.5 knots in the 12 knots of breeze. We crossed the line about 10 minutes before our nearest competitor (according to their crew). We anchored and tidied up the sails in time to watch them cross.

Although we were first to finish (by a very large margin!), we ended up placing second on corrected time. Since we were the ONLY boat sailing without a full racing crew we can certainly live with that!

Perhaps best of all, once Batsú was anchored, Adri & Alex invited us all aboard to celebrate the successful finish. Before long, there were at least a couple of dozen happy sailors joining in the fun, waiting for the tide. One little girl of three became the de facto hostess, presenting each of us with peanuts one at a time and screaming, "Chamo!" if we didn't accept fast enough.

We were all a little sad when it was time to pull up anchors and head back to the marina. Maybe if we're lucky there'll be another regatta before we leave.

Whales in "Whale Bay"

The tides were getting a bit extreme for comfort, especially with the shallow depths at Puerto Azul. Instead of spending 12 hours a day biting our nails, we decided to head out into the Gulf of Nicoya. Besides, we needed to get the hull cleaned, and there's no way either of us were going to dive in the waters of the estero.

We made our way to our favorite anchorage out here, Bahía Ballena (also known as Playa Tambor). The locals are friendly, there's usually a gentle breeze to keep us cool, and even better, there's more reliable 'Net access than at the marina!

The cruise over was beyond uneventful, and we spent a peaceful night at anchor. Imagine our surprise the next morning when we looked out and saw splashing all the way across the bay! Looking through the binocs, it was clear they were not wayward dolphins either.





We jumped in the dinghy and headed out. Shortly, we were yards away from a couple of whales. Mother and calf were frolicking in the calm waters of the bay. We watched in awe for about fifteen minutes before they decided to head back out to sea.

Not wanting to say goodbye so soon, we followed them to the mouth of the bay. Once in deeper waters, they spent more time below. Before long, the pair were out of sight.

Touring through Cartago

After a late night yesterday (and a wonderful party!), we hit the road early to visit the neighboring province of Cartago. Cartago is famous for its churches (some quite old), its alpine beauty (including volcanoes), and its hydroelectric plant. With Adri and Ruth's help and the guidance of Adri and Alex's trusty hay-pay-essay, we'd set up a route that would take us through the region's highlights and have us back before traffic picked up.

We set out right after breakfast, hoping to catch a peak at the volcano before the fog moved in. Unfortunately, the unseasonably wet and blustery weather continued, and Irazu kept her secrets. We kept on driving.

Our first stop was the eponymous capital of the region and the first capital of Costa Rica (until 1823). It is famed for the ruins of its church, Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol, and the subsequently erected cathedral, Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. The ruins were amazing both for their (relative) antiquity as well as for their myth. According to local legend, the Blessed Virgin didn't like the location of the church. After the first time it was destoryed, catastrophes befell it each time repairs were undertaken. Only when the location of the more modern cathedral was chosen did she quiet down. The rain and wind were picking up, so we didn't linger in Cartago.

For lunch our guides recommended the little village of Orosí in the Paraíso Canton. Truth be told, we had a hard time finding a place! There is a little grass jardín in the middle of town leading up to the famous church (which unfortunately was undergoing major restoration and therefore closed). Alongside there were a couple of over-priced restaurants, but nothing that really compelled us. We decided to take a little more time to look around town, and boy are we glad we did!

Set a bit back from the main road was a little building with a sign out front: "Soda Rancho San Ramon Cabecar". Even though there wasn't a soul in the place, there was something about it that we liked the looks of, and we decided to give it a go. We were met by a cute little girl of about nine or ten. She cheerfully brought us menus and did her best to seem professional while trying not to giggle at our attempts to ask about what juices they had. After a survey of the cooler facing us, she said that they had pineapple and papaya--those being the only fruits in the box on the bottom shelf. We asked for one of each to go with our usual casados.

The little girl cheerfully collected our menus and the fruit and scampered off to the kitchen. Shortly thereafter, we heard the whirring of a blender. It's going to be a drag to go back to a culture of pre-made syrups and canned sodas. While we waited for our orders, we got to watch a Latin soap opera on the TV. Our waitress and her little brother sat at a nearby table engrossed. I must admit that our versions are tame in comparison.

A little while later our orders arrived. Whether from quality or hunger, they were some of the best we had ever tasted! Each casado came with white rice, black beans, cooked vegetables, a prepared salad, and cabbage salad in addition to the requested meat. We'd also ordered a plate of fries. What a delicious mistake! It was almost more food that our stomachs could bear, but they were absolutely delectable.

While we were eating, the rest of the family made their way to the dining area to watch the TV. Three generations sat together munching on their own plate of fries. The little girl's mother, under the watchful eye of her abuela, inquired how we liked the meal and if everything had been to our liking. It's hard to be effusive with our pidgin Spanish, but we did our best!

When we'd demolished everything, we asked for la cuenta. The lady of the house insisted that we try her housemade dessert, a kind of pudding made from orange zest, juice, and gelatin--no sugar added! We tried to demure, but she wouldn't hear of it. Darned if it wasn't delicious too! It was all we could do to keep from licking the bowls in spite of our full bellies. Sated, we waddled to the car and headed towards the hydroelectric dam. The sky was starting to clear, and the countryside looked beautiful in the sparkling sunshine.

After following for some time along the shores of the Cachi Reservoir, swollen with the recent rains, we reached the presa erected in the '70s. It was really a marvel! The dam is one of Costa Rica's largest hydrelectric generating plants. The lago takes up a large part of the Ujarras Valley and uses water from the Rio Macho and the Reventazon rivers. One of the spillways was open and the water rushing out was almost deafening. Looking back at the body of the dam, you could see aging catwalks in various states of decay. I can't imagine using one, but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they did. On our way back to the Peugeot, we noticed a little path leading up the hill to our right, opposite the reservoir. We couldn't resist, so we put on our jackets and decided to check out the view.

The stairs were steep, scaling the hill directly. Along the route we saw legions of leaf-cutter ants, each colony with its own little boulevard. Given the altitude and the incline, we were happy to take a couple of breaks to watch them scurry on their way. At the top, we were rewarded with a commanding view of the valley. There was also a small cement post with some full beer bottles on it--some kind of altar maybe? We paused long enough to admire the view and snap a few photos before heading back down the hill to shelter.

It was starting to get late, so we took a brisk drive through the winding mountain roads, their sides lined with gates to the fincas. Barbed wire fences were stretched between although occasionally, due to landslides, some of the fence posts merely hovered in the air above us. The hillsides were dotted with cattle and covered with coffee alternately. It's hard to imagine a more tranquil scene.

About halfway back to the metropolis, the sun came out again and we were treated to an amazing quadruple rainbow. It stayed with us all the way home.

Touring Café Rey

Our friends Alex & Adri invited us to visit them in San Jose and join them for a surprise birthday party (with karaoke!) at their home. This was an invitation we wouldn't pass up!

We decided to try out the bus service to San José, instead of renting a car from Thrifty. We took the non-stop bus from Puntarenas (Directo). The buses are modern and certainly the equal of buses in the 'States. The only thing I wasn't pleased with was the 11" spacing between the seats. Being a little on the tall side, my legs spent the journey in the center aisle of the bus! I was amazed to see the bus driver passing long lines of semi trucks uphill on a twisty mountain road in a bus. It might have been better had I not seen... Not surprisingly, we arrived in San Jose ahead of schedule.

We were greeted at the bus terminal by Eduardo and taken to Alex's office at Café Rey. Café Rey is one of the largest coffee roasters in Costa Rica. Established by Alex's father, Café Rey continues the family tradition, roasting Costa Rican coffee only.

Café Rey translates to "King Coffee" in English, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the factory looks like castle. Arriving at the factory, when we stepped from the car, we were greeted by the delicious aroma of roasting coffee. Alex showed us into his office, and after a brief discussion, we were off for a tour of the extensive facility.

Coffee is roasted in giant roasting machines, processing 1000 pounds of coffee in each batch! Specialty and single origin coffees are roasted in small batches in special machines.

Café Rey produces a style of coffee only found in Costa Rica and in Spain. In this style of coffee, beans are roasted and then covered with caramelized sugar. The sugar is added after the beans are already roasted and cooked just until the moment it is completely turned to caramel. The caramel-coated beans are then upended into a special (giant) cooling drum to arrest the cooking process. To clean the drum, the workers band on it with rubber mallets! Sugar-coated coffee, called tradicional here, isn't sweet at all. It's smoky and rich and a little bitter. Ticos like the sugar coated coffee, and this is the "local brew".

Alex told us stories of when the roasting machines were all wood fired, and they used to explode like bombs when something went wrong. This was a far cry from the precisely controlled operation we saw! One thing that is still the same is that every batch is controlled by a master roaster. When the coffee is nearing completion of the roasting process, the master roaster is sampling the coffee every few seconds. At just the right moment, the coffee is sent to cool. Every batch of coffee is slightly different!

Amazing boat spotted in Puntarenas!

I was on the aft deck tending to Samadhi's never ending maintenance, when I happened to look up and see a new boat nearby. At first I thought it was a traditional chinese junk, but after fetching the binoculars I was at a loss as to how to describe it. So Kelly and I hopped in the dinghy and headed over to take a closer look..

The boat is a handbuilt and home-designed trimaran called the "Aurora Delfin II". Aboard were the two men (Tomas and his partner Ian) who designed and built her over more than 10 years. All of the construction took place in Costa Rica, with most of the materials being locally sourced! The boat was largely built as strip planked with epoxy & glass over.

We were invited aboard, and promptly given glasses of wine prior to our grand tour of the boat. The boat's designers and builders refer to it as a "floating art" instead of a "boat" and I agree with them wholeheartedly.

After admiring their work, Tom visited Samadhi V and we discussed the differences in vessels, the sea and life.

Check out the video and the website! Even more videos are here.