Costa Rica Day 2 - San Jose, Doka Estate (coffee finca), La Virgen Sarapiquí

Thursday February 7

We didn't have a very good nights sleep. It sometimes happens in strange rooms. Suitcases have to be outsides the rooms at 6:30 am and then breakfast.

 A little sunrise from our room window.

After breakfast our trip leader Nestor gives his welcome briefing and we meet our fellow travelers. We are 15 and Nestor. Our bus driver Zorro is loading our suitcases.
The bus is very small. Nestor has put labels with our names above the windows over each seat so there is no question where to sit. He will rotate these every day. It's kind of good ... except that mine is over a wheel and my knees are up to my chin.

It doesn't start very well. As soon as Zorro starts driving the bus backwards away from the hotel entrance a car drives in and they "make contact". The car has a dent and it takes a little while to sort it out but finally we are on our way.
We have a tour of the city. San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica founded 1737. We learn that there are lots of earthquakes (about 2 daily) which means there have to be building codes. 

We stop at the Teatro National which was built 1897 by the coffee moguls. 7 families had become very rich and powerful owning coffee finca (plantations). And this was one way to show it.

The entry.

The hall way and stairs to the balconies. Very difficult to photograph but I tried with the panorama feature on my iphone sideways.  At least it gives an impression.

Again the panorama feature. The famous painting on the ceiling of course is a rectangle. No curves.

 Even the lamps are symbols of the coffee beans

The stage.

The president's loge. 

Nestor explains the life back then and that the seats on the main floor could be taken out and the floor be raised to the stage level for debutant balls.

 Picture above: Imagine socializing during intermission in this place. On the left and right were little rooms for smokers. One for the men and one for the ladies. Ladies were only allowed to smoke one cigarette though. Smoking two would label them as prostitutes.

Even the bathrooms had mahogany doors and crown molding around the painted ceiling.

Interesting flowers left and right at the entrance ... with millions of thorns.

We were back in the bus at 10:35 am but excitement again. One of our fellow travelers was missing a bag she thought she had left on the seat. A search began but it wasn't found. Don't know when we hear the rest of the story or whether there will be one.

We drive a while ... a little while even on the Pan American Highway which goes from Alaska to Patagonia. Road constructions and accidents makes Zorro find alternative routes. It is quite hilly.
Next stop: At a leather factory. This is a single lady's private home with a couple of sewing machines (behind the lady) and 2 little sales rooms. She doesn't speak much English but Nestor translates. She tells us her life story and the story of her business and it is very interesting. She is very nice and so enthusiastic and energetic. I was very happy that somebody bought something.
One of her phrases: The best day to learn is every day!
The view from the back room into the valley and the mountains.

Boarding the bus again.

After some driving we reach the Doka Estate. This is a national heritage site and one of the oldest wet mills. This one is important because they are doing it very environmentally correctly ... no polluting of the rivers. 

But first we had lunch ... buffet of course. James is buying a local beer (Imperial) to go with it.

So lovely to have meals "al fresco" in February.

 Oh yes, rice and beans at every meal.

Afterwards we had a tour of the finca. I will never drink coffee the same way again. And this young man (Isaac) was very knowledgeable and funny.
 
This is a basket the pickers use. In Costa Rica the pickers get about $3 for each basket. In Nicaragua only 50c that's why there are many migrant workers here from there. It takes a experienced picker about 20 minutes per basket.

You squash the coffee berry and out come the beans, usually two but sometimes three. If there is only one, it is round and called pea berry and the most expensive coffee you can buy. 

Here are the babies.

The seeds fall on the ground and are pushed up from the bottom. So unusual.

Forgot the age when the plant looks like a butterfly.

And after a while it looks more like it's parent.

These are about ready to plant. A coffee tree starts bearing fruit when it is about four until it is 20 years old. So when they are 16 (or 17) babies will be planted between the old which will be cut down when they are 20 and the new ones start having fruits. One tree bares about 25 to 50 lbs per year.

Now the process. The government regulates that only Arabica beans are planted. Costa Rica produces 3 % of the worlds coffee but is one of the three top producers in quality in the world and they don't want to lose that spot.

About the environment: at this finca (plantation) they use the skin as fertilizer, the sugar being washed out between the skin and the beans can be turned into liquor and the water is used for irrigation. No waste.

Three grades of the beans. On the left first grade, in the middle second and on the right third. The third grade is for instant coffee. 
Quality is dependent on density, weight, size and color.

James is helping out. This is called "flipping the golden beads". The best grade is dried this way which takes 5 days, flipping them every 30 minutes. Others are being dried inside by machine which takes 12 hours.

The coffee shop!

We were asked to guess how long roasting (always at 250F) takes. Light roast = 15 minutes
medium = 17 minutes
dark roast = 20 minutes
what a science!

This is how Costa Ricans brew their coffee. A piece of wood only $34.

When we leave the finca I can't help notice the walkway.

And did you know that the leaves have caffeine in them too?

And off we go to continue our trip. This time I sit in front in the empty spare seat (reserved for sick people) since nobody feels sick and am really not comfortable over the wheel.

Very nice country side. Nestor talks and explains a lot.
Costa Rica boys are called = Tico
girls = Tica
and there is something like "tico time" which means "whenever"

A brief photo-stop. This is such a pretty waterfall right next to the road.

And then a little further we stop again. Wild white-nosed coati (sometimes called coati mundy).

 They eat fruit. Since we don't have any, they move on to the stopped car behind us.

We are almost at our destination. The sun is going down.

Our Hotel: La Quinta Sarapiqui

We have a visitor in our room. Good. Love him eating all the bugs ... if there are any. But he is very shy and I have to zoom.










* * * * *
The official OAT itinerary of today:

Day 2

After breakfast and a welcome briefing with our Trip Leader, we set off to discover San José—Costa Rica’s capital city—founded in 1737 and rich in culture and history. We begin with a walk through the National Park, which is well-shaded by tropical trees and contains the National Monument, a bronze statue symbolizing the bravery of the Costa Rican people.

From there, we continue through downtown San José to the ornately decorated National Theater (Teatro Nacional), passing the National Library and Morazan Park along the way. One of the country’s most impressive architectural accomplishments, the National Theater is proudly regarded as the "jewel of the nation," and we'll explore it today on a guided tour, before departing San José on the famous Pan-American Highway.

From the city, we drive through the beautiful Central Valley to Alajuela, the coffee capital of Costa Rica, where we stop at Doka Estate, a 100-year-old coffee finca (plantation). At this Costa Rican National Heritage site, we’ll learn why locals call the coffee bean the grano d’oro, or golden seed, and find out how this valuable crop is produced. We enjoy lunch at the plantation, and then continue on to Sarapiquí.

We arrive at our comfortable lodge outside the town of La Virgen later this afternoon. Our eco-friendly lodgings here are situated alongside the Tirimbina Biological Reserve. A lush tropical rain forest teeming with native fauna, this habitat is also a seasonal home to migratory birds from the northern U.S. and Canada. After getting settled, we take a leisurely walk around the lodge’s grounds. This evening, we enjoy dinner at our lodge's open-air restaurant before settling into our thatched-roof rooms, where we’ll be lulled to sleep by the soothing sounds of the jungle, and awaken to a symphony of birdsongs.

Costa Rica Day 1 - arrived (via Miami)

Wednesday February 6

The alarm clock rung early today. Helen is at the townhouse at 8 am and William is shuffled from his car seat in her car to our car seat. Suit cases are already in our car and she brings us to the airport. Our trip to Costa Rica starts. Check in and security goes very fast and we even have a little time for a cuppa-tea in the lounge.



Reports come from Helen that William is very upset that we (mainly grandpa) are gone. He doesn't want to be transferred back into his car seat. I almost can't look at the picture.

After crying for more then an hour Helen finds the solution and treats him to an ice cream.
We had mixed feelings about all that ... about William missing us ... that we can be replaced by an ice cream? 













We are boarding the plane in Nashville. James sees the mail box at the end of the jet way. Is the postal service really delivering there?

Ready for take off.

Yup, I am ready. Starting my "travel tatting".

Take off is quite interesting. There is the road we drive often from the townhouse along Percy Priest Lake.










Percy Priest Lake and somewhere there is the townhouse.

It was a good flight and I actually almost finished one tatted ornament.

 Miami, we are closer to warmer weather.

The pieces of art were interesting but (in my opinion) not very well displayed.

Take off in Miami was nice too. The weather was perfect. I watched for quite a while the keys going past underneath us. So interesting.

And off in the next plane. We were lucky and were upgraded to business class. While we listened to the announcement that you could buy a sandwich for $10 and beer for $6 etc etc we enjoyed things like a delicious salad with a choice of bread and wine or whatever.








A good start of our vacation.

Costa Rica in sight. Lovely mountains.

HERE some information about Costa Rica if you would like it.












Everything went very satisfactorily. Immigration, Customs, met by the hotel bus, checking in. Here the first view out of our hotel window.
Our hotel is the TRYP Sabana

We settled in and then went for a short walk around the hotel. We were not hungry so just had bocas (tapas) and beer at the hotel bar.

The server called it chips. We thought that we detected three kinds: potato, plantain and corn.

And the view before going to bed.











The major announcement of the day ... (drum roll!!!) ... James is now a blogger too.  He is practicing for his coming up big adventure (more about that later) and you can read his impressions here:
http://www.james-ontheway.blogspot.com

* * ** *

Official OAT Itinerary: 
Day 1

Upon our arrival in Costa Rica today, our local OAT representative meets us at the airport and accompanies us to our hotel, where we meet our Trip Leader and fellow travelers. The evening is free to relax or explore on our own.

Nashville Time

Every day is packed full with things to do. Luckily most days it involves Helen and William too. We want Helen to take advantage of us when we are there.

William likes oats with blueberries. The high chair doesn't work very well any more. Now he sits on a kitchen counter stool which works much better. Such a big boy now.

Well, it is winter but the weather is really not very nice. William loves play grounds. He likes to be active (thank goodness) and we wanted to do him a favor. So we ventured out. Not a success. We found that the slides (his favorite) had ice on them. Wet! He was so bitterly disappointed that Omi remembered the little blanket in the car which could serve as towel and Grandpa went back to get it. And he even found paper towels too.

But it was sooooo cold ... even with the hat borrowed from Omi. So after a few slides down we had to think what else we could offer as consolation.

Helen and I like to work on projects when I am there. William now likes to help. He had just been introduced to scissors at his school ... so here we go.

After a night of rain we were surprised when we saw in the morning the huge bird from the back glass door. A blue heron? So gorgeous! Can you see it smack in the middle of the picture in the creek?

Can you guess one of my projects? Working on a Chrismon. Have to write the directions how to make this one. Our friend, who makes all the Chrismons for the Children of Grace Church in Paducah, comes every January for the lesson of the new one. It is always a fun morning, working, visiting, talking. Papa Murphy's pizza for lunch.

Helen dressed William in a Christmas present. Isn't he cute?

William loves his Grandpa. He even says his name. No "Omi" yet.

Oh, that weather. It changes from from 70 to 27 up or down over night and often. Woke up to snow. Sigh.

William doesn't care. If Mommy drives, he will visit. Potato pancakes with homemade fresh applesauce.

When William takes his nap, Mommy can go into the guest/sewing room. Helen surprised me by sorting out her things before we arrived. Perfect timing since James and I decided after arrival that all the carpet in the house needed a major cleaning. We had to get things off the floors for Chem-Dry to do the job, so we piled everything up on the beds. It was fun afterwards to think how to set up the sewing room to make it more efficient. Helen and I both think it is a great improvement and well worth the time spent to do it.

William helped Helen to place the snake heads in the best direction. Helen had found the pattern on the internet and is doing a great job.

Look at those heads. Three with ssss-tounges.

The sewing room upstairs is also the diaper-changing room. William likes to go up and down the stairs and of course there are toys too. His favorite is Noah's Ark. A few days ago he discovered the window sill. All the animals have to go in pairs. Well, he had encouragement.

And look at this "designing wall". Helen is working on a sampler quilt making 4 blocks of every monthly BLOCK LOTTO pattern of 2012. She is almost done. I like her idea and it will be very interesting and colorful when finished.

These are 6 of 12 blocks which came in 12 big brown envelopes to Helen at Christmas and birthday time. I found a free BOM quilt pattern on the internet which I really liked and made "kits" as surprises. It was fun for me and I hope it is fun for Helen too. She kept telling me that we need quilts in the townhouse.

 Grandpa and William are reading a book on the ipad. 

And yes, we had a Super Bowl Party too. Helen, Ben, William, James and I had a good time. Lots of snack stuff. I forgot to take pictures though. Only remembered when William played peek-a-boo behind the curtains. But there is a video  here, proof that William likes spicy salsa.

William was not so interested in the football, so he had a nice long bath and went home in his PJs.

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