These past few days have been extremely eventful! We've been doing day trips from our cozy abode in San Jose and we want to share some highlights and fill you in on our haps! Having a car allows us to find spots that are not so easily accessible by bus and this part of our trip is taking us to some really unique places.
Feeling a little confident with driving after our trip to the botanical gardens and the hot springs, we decided to have our next day trip be our longest journey we planned to do. We woke up early and set off for Carerra National Park which supposedly was over two hours away. Our search for scarlet macaws inspired us to go to this park which is frequently visited by the magestic birds. About half an hour of smooth sailing in the right direction, we decided to stop and fill up with gas. Used to being able to take any exit and finding a gas station, we pulled off the freeway and found ourselves in a little cow town...no gas station in sight. Luckily, we found a kind man who told us that the nearest gas station was 15-20 minutes away, up the road by the airport (we were imagining a small airfield in the middle of the farm towns). He drew us a basic map and we took off. It sounded like the gas station was a little bit out of the way, but we were making such good time that it really didn't matter.
We drove along, passing through small towns bustling with energy and soon started feeling like we might be getting seriously off track. We were already too far on this wild goose chase to turn around and head back to the freeway, though. (Besides, we didn't have enough gas for that). We kept following signs for the airport and we suddenly turned a corned and found ourselves at San Jose International Airport. Shit. Not only were we shocked to be that far off course, but there were so many turns and freeways and fast cars that our sense of direction (if we even had one to start out with) was now in a blender. UGH.
After, again, asking directions from some locals, and getting even more lost, we pulled over to the side of the frreeway and changed our plans completely. In order to see scarlet macaws at Parque Carerra, it is recommended to get to there early, and after such an extended detour, that was definitely no longer going to happen. Still trying to get the most out of the driving we've done (because while we were off track, SJO is still somewhat of a drive from our home) we decided to go to an animal rescue center that we had read about in our guide book. A woman and her sons rescue animals from zoos, illegal pet trades and domestic settings, help them recooperate and eventually (when possible) assimilate them back into the wild. Its kind of like a halfway house for wild animals. Now, with a tank full of gas, we began our journey, again.
The drive took us through fog filled mountains and intensely narrow roads but we eventually found the place (after 2 1/2 hours!). We got out of the car and immediately heard the sound of scarlet macaws!! We looked up and there were...not one...not two..but five scarlet macaws perched in a tree above us. NO WAY!! What a good sign! How curiously amazing that we had set off for Parque Carerra in hopes of seeing this bird, changed our plans and still ended up seeing them? We were able to see the two kinds of macaws over and over again, sometimes having them be just a few feet away. It was really an incredible place. The park turned out to be one of our best experiences here in Costa Rica. Small paths lead you through the park where there are hundreds of exotic birds freely flying around you, deer crossing your paths and other strange, Costa Rican jungle animals suprising you in all directions. They had jaguars, tapirs (crazy pig-bear animal), monkeys, alligators and lionesses (a gift from BBC England) in slightly more restraining habitats. We left there feeling satisfied about our crazy day and realized that although things don't always work out the way you expected, most things happen for a reason.
Grant, buying some roadside coconuts.
Tawsh, the monkey.
THE INFAMOUS SCARLET MACAW!!!
Once again. Look at those beautiful colors.
They even had ostriches!!
The next main event on our list was a down day...or so we thought. After jetting around all over town, we realized that we were pushing our car and ourselves to the limit. Not wanting to stress out over too much driving, windy scary roads, and getting lost, we thought we would just take it easy and stay close to home. Taking our time to get ready in the morning (that's when we posted our last blog) and just doing what you do when you're relaxing, we decided to check out the Centro Mercado in downtown San Jose. As the crow flies, this market is only a couple of miles from our apartment, but in reality, there is the typical traffic that haunts any metropolis and it was no straight shot getting there. By now comfortable(ish) with the lack of any painted lines separating the lanes on the streets, we honked and squeezed through narrow spaces (aka drove like Ticos) and eventually made it to our downtown destination.
Talk about sensory overload. The market and downtown in general are completely on the other side of the spectrum from the many of the picturesque, serene landscapes that we've been enjoying. After getting out of our car, we became part of the pedestrian hordes that make it challenging for drivers to get where they were going. These people are fearless! Drivers and walkers alike. Orientating ourselves a bit, we made our way to the huge indoor market where you can find anything from bulk spices to live animals. The narrow walkways and constant commotion made it really difficult to navigate through. After about an hour of this downtown hustle, we took a break at a bakery and discussed our next plan of action. We decided to head home, exhausted, and with a whole new view of this energetic city. Little did we know, our energy levels would shoot through the roof on the next day when our travels took us to a Costa Rican coffee company.
As you can imagine, a trip to a coffee factory, for two consistently over-caffeinated individuals is like when a stray sock finally makes it to that place in the drier where all the other solitary socks disappear off to. After our routine driving pattern of making several U turns and asking directions of different people, we finally make it to the spot. A greeter slaps a couple of stylish stickers on us and we walk into caffeine heaven. There are eight different roasts all brewed and ready for sampling, with descriptions of the tastes and aromas of each, egging on your snobbery. "Oh yes, I'm getting a sense of the plum after taste....Do you smell the burnt cedar wood?" The funny part about the descriptions is that each also gave a suggestion for when it would be best enjoyed. Apparently, they all function as good morning eye-openers. (What a shocker!) To top it all off, Cafe Britt, which makes chocolates as well as coffee, offered us samples of their huge range of chocolate candies! After, in between, during, or before tasting all the great coffees on tap, one could munch on chocolate covered coconut, peanute brittle, or white chocolate covered coffee beans. So much to try and so little stomach!
After sampling all the coffees, but before enduldging in the chocolates, we decided to calm our excitement and sit down to enjoy a french press coffee at their cafe. Selecting our favorite roast (Tres Rios), and enjoying a nice game of cards, we continued to zazz on this beuautiful liquid while jubilant music echoed in the background. The sound of the scene matched our emotions perfectly. Up-beat salsa and jazz consistently beat on our eardrums, in time with our quickening heart beats. We loved it. When we'd had our fill of the French press, and before letting loose on the chocolate samples, we went for stroll around the grounds. Though we weren't on the official tour, we still learned plenty about the coffee we'd been drinking. For example, like cocoa, coffee beans are fermented before being dried and roasted. The garden path we walked upon snaked through an ideal example of what "shade-grown" coffee plantations look like, and we discussed the ways in which labeling doesn't always reflect reality. By the time we left, we were excited about coffee and chocolate like never before, and hoped that we would someday make it back to this caffeine wonderland.
Our delicious coffee
Coffee beans before being roasted
Now, if you're asking yourself what else could two young kids with a car in San Jose, Costa Rica get up to, with only a few days left before they return to the States, the answer is PLENTY! The clock might be counting down, but the adventure continues. The best part of our next day was a trip to the Butterfly Farm.
When we first arrived in San Jose, one of our first day excursions was a visit to the National Museum, where we first spotted some of Costa Rica's amazingly beautiful butterflies. This time around, we went to the place where the national museum probably got their butterflies from. As we were driving, we knew we were getting close because many of the buildings had butterflies painted on them. We arrived and signed up for the next tour which was in half an hour. We were allowed to sit in the garden while we waited, and we entered not knowing what to expect. What we walked into was a butterfly's paradise. Little trails led you through an enclosed garden filled with all different types of flowering plants and native Costa Rican trees. Hundreds of butterflies flew around enjoying the warm morning sunlight that shone through. Some butterflies were the size of your hand, others were the size of a quarter and all were painted with beautiful irridescent colors.
Tawsh with a butterfly hanging out on her backpack.
Our tour was small, just us two and another woman, which added to the calm, peaceful feel of the place. In two hours we learned all about the butterfly lifecycle and even witnessed a caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis! Given that this transformation happens in just a two minute window during a caterpillar/butterfly's life cycle, we knew we were lucky to see it occur. Even our tour guide was taken back by the spectacular event. To make it even better, we also watched butterflies hatch from their chrysalis! (Although, this process takes much longer, so we only watched part of the action unfold.) Along with the scientific jargon, we also discussed how people have used butterflies in art and related human life to the transformative life cycle of the butterfly. The farm itself actually exports butterflies around the world to museums, botanical gardens and other exhibits (they transport them while they are still in their chrysalis phase). So, we even got an explanation of how they go about this business side of it. Similar to how the Monteverde cheese factory buys milk from local farmers, the Butterfly Farm employs nearby families as butterfly breeders.
The guide was showing us the "owl face" on the wings which acts to ward off predators.
The chrysalis phase (these ones look like dead leaves)
Leaving the mariposa metropolis at midday, we scurried off home to shower and get ready for dinner. As luck would have it, the father of Tawsh'z best friend Jeff, lives right outside San Jose. Manolo, whom we dined with on Wednesday, invited us to his family's Shabbat dinner, and we wanted to look at least somewhat presentable. We had a wonderful home cooked meal with his family (over 25 people!) and we left feeling not so far away from home.
Our bellies were full and we were exhausted by the end of the night. What another wonderful string of days. We have had a few more since then but we know that this is a lot of reading for one sitting. We miss you all and are looking forward to seeing you soon!
<3 T&G
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