Things - and places - change!

While the beach at Samara is as special as ever, and our villa at Samara Paraiso was a real treat, the town of Samara has changed over the last 6 years.
Partly because of the growth of tourism in the town - probably inevitable - the place has become almost a stereotypical resort town - it is hard to differentiate between the product being offered by any of the restaurants, bars, tour operators or hotels
On our last visit we regularly saw large numbers of Brown Pelicans and flocks of a variety of Terns flying overhead and fishing in the bay, However over-fishing on an industrial scale - which has since been stopped - has resulted in a shortage of food for the Pelicans and other sea birds, so that this year we saw only one or two Pelicans over the whole week.
Having said that, we enjoyed our stay in Samara - although it may be a few years before we are back again - there are so many other places still to visit.

Reading Material

While we are travelling, we usually manage to devour a considerable collection of books. I am still very grateful for my first Kindle - still going strong after 6 years - and while I enjoy holding a real book, I appreciate the freedom that the Kindle gives me when we are on the road for 6 or 7 weeks.

As usual I chose a work of history to underpin my reading for the trip - The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan is probably one of the best I have read for some time. Last year it was Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples which contributed to his Nobel Prize citation but I think Frankopan's book was more readable and covered a much wider scope. While it's a pity that events of the last year or so in Syria and Iraq were too late to be included, I thought that his focus on the effect that events in this region have had on the rest of the world over the ages were particularly apposite.

Of course there had to be some 'lighter' material and William McIlvanney's 'Laidlaw' trilogy provided some rather dark relief. It was hard not to recognise the progenitor of so much 'noir' writing - whether in Scotland or Scandinavia. It also taught me some Glaswegian phrases that I'm unlikely to hear from my wife and my mother-in law.

In contrast, I started reading Kate Atkinson and enjoyed 'God in Ruins' so much that I went on to read 'Life after Life' and have already downloaded 'Behind the Scenes at the Museum' for the flight home.
Of course I also managed a couple of Camilleri's 'Inspector Montalbano' novels as light relief along the way.

Linda has enjoyed  both the McIlvanney and Atkinson books but is saving 'The Silk Roads' for the journey home.

God knows what I will read when I get home - but at least I will have the Daily Telegraph crossword.

Just like the Howlers

Since arriving at our villa at Samara Paraiso we seem to have adopted some elements of the life style of the Howler Monkeys.

We are up at dawn and busy for a couple of hours walking along the beach before returning for breakfast and a leisurely day in the shade by the pool. Just before dusk we stir ourselves into action and head into  town for a cocktail and dinner. Then it is home for a nightcap and bed in time to meet the dawn the following day and start all over again.

To break the routine, we went on a kayaking trip this afternoon along the Rio Ora - quite leisurely floating down stream with the tide so that we reached the beach as the tide turned and were carried back upstream again.

Saw a good selection of birds and other wildlife - although by this time we could probably have taken the place of the guides.

No more rain??

As we left Rancho Margot the sun was shining in a blue sky with hardly a cloud; our first leg was 45 minutes to cover the unmade road and connect with the Interbus shuttle.

For the next leg, there were 10 of us in a 12-seater - the other 8 being from north of the Mexican border. Despite my headphones and Ipod, I could not ignore the young solo traveller next to me who looked like a cross between a Rasta and a Goth and spent the entire journey rapping aloud to his ipod. Meanwhile 4 of the others were swapping life histories; talking in detail about their homes and their pets - thankfully we had reached our changeover by the time they got on to their recent surgical procedures.

The final leg was completed in relative comfort - only 3 of us in a 20-seat coach - arriving at our destination slightly ahead of schedule to find that our home for the next week is a two-bedroom villa with a private  pool less than 10 minutes from the beach.

Not sure how we will survive a week here but we will persevere as always.

Rancho Margot

The other reason for our return to La Fortuna was a visit to Rancho Margot a self-sufficient 400 acre organic farm which generates its own electricity from a small hydro electric plant, heats the outdoor pool with a biodigester - converting animal waste to energy - and supplies most of the food for the restaurant from their own produce. Since they can accommodate up to 70 guests and 20 volunteers along with numerous day visitors this is a substantial - and impressive - undertaking. An inspiring example of ecotourism at work.

The accommodation in separate bungalows

is very comfortable - if a little damp during our visit due to heavy rain - and there are a wide range of activities to take part in - along with yoga twice a day and of course the aforementioned heated pool.

The guided tour of the farm on our first morning was more than a little damp - we were again thankful for the umbrellas we bought in Mindo - $5 each well spent.
The property which was purchased in 2004, was originally a cattle farm of which about 60% has been reforested, while the remainder has been given over to the farm and the lodge.

In addition to the hydroelectric plant and the biodigester which also supplies cooking gas for the kitchen, they have a flock of dairy cows producing milk, from which they make their own butter, cheese, yoghurt etc , about a dozen sows and probably 60 -70 piglets ranging from a few days

to 6months, and of course a flock of laying hens and table birds too.
They also have a wormery to produce some of  their compost, and farm micro-organisms harvested from the forest floor to produce deterrents for many of the diseases that would otherwise affect their crops.

All the buildings have 'growing' roofs - an unintentional result from having clay tiles in this environment upon which all the usual colonising plants settled and developed. The result is that the buildings are exceptionally well insulated.

All-in-all an impressive operation which includes a carpentry shop to produce all the furniture for the lodge and a pottery and kiln producing some unique ceramics. The kitchen produced some excellent food - a surprising array of salads and of course roast pork, chicken and even some beef - while the bar was well stocked - if a little pricey.

Unfortunately the rain showers continued for most of our stay  which was a little limiting although we did manage the hike to the Mirador looking over Lake Arenal and a volcano still wreathed in cloud. Linda made it to all 5 yoga classes during our stay and even managed to drag me along to 4 of them - think that's more than I have done ever before. Linda also learned a new skill

Despite the rainfall - their annual average is 2.8m which is more than twice that of  County Clare - it has been a great visit and well worth the journey despite the  20km of unmade road - which we will travel again in the morning as we start a 6 hour journey to Playa Samara - back to the beach where it is reported to be around 35C and definitely not raining.

La Fortuna

In addition to the Arenal Volcano, the town is a substantial centre for activity tourism and probably of limited attraction if you are not interested in zip-lining, canyoning, tubing, rafting etc.
Most of the tours end up with 8-20 people, many of whom are  there as part of a tour package. The businesses in the town support this industry but there is little of any interest otherwise. Unfortunately our visit coincided with the start of Spring Break for some US schools so we had to work hard to avoid the busloads of exuberant teenagers.
We did  find one amazing restaurant - Chifa La Familia Feliz - run by a Cordon Bleu trained chef from Lima in Peru. The food was in the Chifa tradition  which celebrates the influence of the Chinese immigrant workers who were imported to Peru in the 19th Century on 9 year indentures.The food was an amazing fusion of Peruvian and Asian influences and was without doubt my best meal of this trip and perhaps the best since La Petit Mort or the Wild Honey.
Although there were only 7 tables in a room which looked like a garage with strip lighting, it was an excellent meal and surprisingly affordable. The Chef - Jose Martin Gonzalez - who worked both the kitchen and front of house would have been just at home in Edinburgh or London and is perhaps the only reason that I would go back to La Fortuna - I think I've given up trying to see the bloody volcano!

Two more flights

Although we had originally only booked 4 nights at Agua Dulce at Puerto Jimenez, we enjoyed it so much that we stayed for a full week. As mentioned before, the pool, the beach, the wildlife and the food and drink were all wonderful and we could probably have stayed even longer if we had not made plans for a visit to La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano.
We were here on our last trip but never managed to see the volcano because it was always wreathed in cloud or hidden from view by the torrential rain.
After two more flights with Sansa in a Cessna Caravan we landed at La Fortuna on a bright sunny afternoon to find that Arenal was still wreathed in cloud and hidden from view. My research tells me that it is hidden for about 90% of the time so I am not holding my breath!
For the first part of our stay we are in a small hotel just outside the town - it is hard to believe how difficult it was to find accommodation here - because everything else was busy. Hotel Las Flores is a fairly basic place with a comfortable bed, AC, a good shower, WiFi and a sofa outside the room which looks straight at the cloud surrounding Arenal.  However the owners are amongst the most friendly, helpful Ticans we have met  - which is saying something when you consider that this is one of the friendliest countries in the world.
We managed a hike in the National Park to see - and climb - the 1992 lava flow and to see how the forest is regenerating since the Volcano became dormant 6 years ago. We also tried canoeing on the Penas Blanca river which was a bit harder than it looked - almost lost Linda over the side when I couldn't steer around a large log in one of the rapids - luckily she managed to hold on!
Finished up with a couple of hours in the hot springs - sitting in a 40C pool at the swim-up bar drinking Imperial while watching Chelsea play PSG in the Champions League was very relaxing - particularly when PSG won!

Monkey business

So we managed to see all four monkey species in Costa Rica, from the Howlers who wake us up in the morning and then spend most of the day sleeping in the shade in the top of the canopy

to the Squirrel monkeys who are so used to people in some places that they come down to take food from the hand

to the Spider monkeys who use their tails like an extra limb -and also like to throw shit if they are disturbed

to the Capucins who look quite cute but have scars to prove the opposite

Travelling Companions

Over the years I have tried to represent - as fairly as I can - some of the quirks of the travelling companions of different nationalities which have struck us as odd or amusing, whether it is North Americans who have a compulsion to tip everything that moves - including leaving cash in the minibar for the guy who refills it every day - or the mainland Chinese who travel in hordes and appear to have absolutely no regard for other people.

However while we have been at Agua Dulce, one group - who arrived on the same day as us - has stood out. It consists of 4 Russian guys - one of whom is built like Arnie's son, speaks fluent Spanish and appears to act as a tour rep for the others - and a young Russian babe who was not unpleasant to behold as she lay by the pool in something which approximated for a bikini.

They very much kept to themselves and were busy each day with activities - whether visiting the National Park or fishing for Marlin and the other Game fish which abound in these waters. Equally, they kept to themselves in the bar and restaurant - drinking copious amounts and continuing to smoke even when told that it was not allowed while ignoring everyone else around them - no response to the cheery 'Buenas Dias' that I and others offered each time we met.

Remembering the experience of my ex-client Bruce - after whom we have named a number of our pigs - who was engaged to a similar Russian babe until his money ran out, it seemed to me that the blonde babe was neither partner nor daughter to any of them.

Then I noticed - as I passed her chalet on the way to the beach in the morning - that she appeared to have a different room mate every night.

I guess it takes all sorts and at least they weren't bothering us as long as we were upwind of their table in the restaurant.

Keeping busy

Each morning we have to make a choice between pool:

and beach:

However we have also managed a kayaking trip through the mangroves, a 6 hour birdwatching trip around the edges of the Corcovado National Park and a day's hiking trip to Cape Matapalo.

We found a great local guide - Randy - who was very knowledgeable and exceedingly personable - which may account for his somewhat complicated personal life. A wife and an 8 yr old daughter, girlfriend and 5 yr old son, and a new girlfriend who he has just started going out with. In addition he has an elder daughter who lives a few hours away and two other girls who live with his wife and daughter but are not his! No wonder he seemed a little distracted at times - guess he is aptly named.

In addition to the Scarlet Macaws, we have already recorded more than 70 different bird species including at least a dozen which we had not seen on our last visit. On our Matapalo trip today we also managed to see all 4 native monkey species - Howler, Squirrel, Spider and Capucin - within the space of on hour.

The spider monkeys didn't seem too pleased to see us but luckily when they started throwing shit, they only hit the spotting scope - which was easily cleaned. I made sure I had my hat on for the rest of the trek.

More Neighbours

Not all the neighbors will be satisfied with a cup of sugar!

This fellow was waiting for us at the creek while the guys next door found a big group of Stingrays in the surf. Meanwhile the iguanas are around all the time.

We also see Scarlet Macaws every day although they have not always been happy to pose for their photos

Can you spare a cup of sugar???

Isn't it always the same - you've just got comfortable in the rocking chair on the deck when the neighbours call around looking to borrow something!

Someone's got to do it 😊

Playa Platanares faces east, so we were up early to see the sunrise.

A little cloudy at first but bright sun and clear skies meant that it was about 25C by 7.30 and more than 30C by 10.30.

After an early walk along the beach watching the Scarlet Macaws having their breakfast, we headed back to have ours.

Decided to have an easy day today because we are off early tomorrow to the national park, so after a morning by the pool, there was time for a light lunch and siesta before a trip through the mangroves by kayak.

Superbowl Sunday

Three nights in the city was more than enough. We managed to visit the gold museum and the jade museum which were both fascinating and ate Tico and Peruvian food - and a little dim sum but we have both developed a limited tolerance for crowded streets.
So we headed back to the airport on Sunday morning for a Sansa flight to Puerto Jimenez.

The Cessna Caravan has 12 seats but there were only 7 of us for the flight so we both got a window seat to view the amazing scenery along the way. Bit of a queue at the end of the runway as we left but thankfully our pilot avoided the jetwash of the 737 that took off before us.
It was a little bumpy as we climbed over the mountains but then settled back to a very comfortable cruise for the 50 min flight.
The strip at Puerto Jimenez is surrounded by rain forest and, comfortingly, right next to the cemetery in case of any mishaps.
Arrived at Agua Dulce in time to have a swim in the pool and a walk on the beach before heading for the bar where we found that all three tv screens were showing the Superbowl to the delight of the Panthers and Broncos fans who had taken all the best seats.
Nobody seemed interest in my request to see the Ireland / Wales game or even Arsenal / Bournemouth so we settled for a table as far from the noise as possible and enjoyed some excellent fish.

So many people!

While only about a third of the population of Costa Rica live in the metropolitan area of San Jose it seemed as if all 1.5 million of them were waking along Central Avenue when we ventured out on Friday morning - it was a bit of a shock to the system.

After dealing with a few essentials, we signed up for a walking tour of the city for a couple of hours. Our guide Steven was a very personable chap who claimed to speak 7 languages fluently and led us on an interesting walk around a number of different parts of the city- thankfully away from the crowds for most of the time.

Along the way we stopped outside the Legislative Assembly and were amused by some of the protest murals painted on the walls facing the building. The first one depicts the president and his apparent interest in drugs, crime and all sorts of other unpleasant things

 While the second appears to be an indictment of the members of the assembly 

Back in the city

After a long day travelling - one flight with Avianca and two with Copa - we landed in San Jose before 4 pm but by the time we cleared immigration and picked up our bags it was almost 4.30 and we got stuck in the evening rush hour - 2 hours to cover 15km on the main 6-lane highway into town.

Since we have spent quite a lot of time in remote locations over the last few weeks, we decided to have a weekend in the city and are staying at Hotel Presidente which is right on Central Avenue - San Jose's main pedestrian thoroughfare. The hotel is a little old and tired - although it has a brand new industrial/loft style lobby - but comfortable enough and everything works - although the WiFi can be frustratingly slow at times.

One advantage of being downtown is the availability of good places to eat and we treated ourselves to a meal at Tin Jo - an upmarket Chinese/Asian restaurant which has been around for about 40 years. Great food, with a choice of Chinese, Thai, Indian and south east Asian - good service and a very friendly atmosphere. Definitely one to come back to - and less than 10 minutes from the hotel.


 

A good time to be away

Taoiseach Enda Kenny announces Irish election date

Since we are not eligible to vote in the general election, it seems that our timing will be perfect. We will miss all the campaigning and politicking and will arrive home to see either the outright victors take office or the negotiations for a new coalition.

Good luck to all the independent candidates standing in Clare.

Time for the second Sundowner

Where did you get that hat?

On our way from Bahia to Manta today we took a short detour to Montecristi which is essentially the home of the Panama hat.

As I am sure you all know, the only connection between the Panama Hat and Panama is that the hats which were always made in Ecuador were shipped like most products via the Isthmus of Panama and as a result were worn by many of the people working on the Canal to protect them from the sun. The hat was popularised - in the US at least - by President Theodore Roosevelt who was pictured wearing one when he visited the Canal works in 1904.

They are made from the straw of the Toquilla palm which is woven into hats in villages in the surrounding area and then taken to Montecristi to be finished. The highest grades - superfinos - can take up to 3-4 months to weave and cost more than $2000.

 Since my last genuine Panama was destroyed by a sudden heavy rain shower last spring, this was definitely on my shopping list although I settled for a slightly lesser grade - and a substantially lower cost - but was assured that it had still taken 4-6 weeks to weave and finish.

On the move again

After three days relaxing by the pool at La Piedra and what seems like an inordinate amount of time on the WiFi connection, we are on the move again.
We got a lift today to Manta - the capital of Tuna - where we are spending the night before an early flight to Quito and a connection to San Jose, Costa Rica via Panama. We should be there in time for cocktails on Thursday evening with a couple of days to see the sights - again - and to check out any events for Carnival.
Then we are heading down to the Osa Peninsula and the Corcovado National Park - we missed this on our last visit but really looking forward to some more wildlife and birds along with some great beaches.
Have really enjoyed our time in Ecuador but it feels like it is time to move on.

Just for Jimmy C

Don't know if there is a sister organisation in Hua Hin but saw this sign and thought of you.

Benidorm or Bahia

Was it really Johnny Vegas or just his body double?

As international travellers we are used to bumping into the occasional celebrity- I seem to remember that we saw Elvis in Don Khong in Laos a few years ago.

However last night as we sat in the Arena bar sipping a Caipirinha or two we noticed that the guy at the table next to us bore more than a passing resemblance to Johnny Vegas. The fact that he had almost fallen out of the taxi - clutching an empty cocktail glass - had more than a bit of a swerve as he made his way to the table and then spent the entire evening wearing a pair of Pink Beats headphones while drinking Margaritas gave us the impression that he was trying to remain anonymous.

As he left, bouncing off the wall on his way home, he passed a bit closer and we could see that it was just a passing likeness rather than the man himself

      

Cold Beer, Hot Shower

Arrived in Bahia de Caraquez this morning with Elvis - the Rio Muchacho taxi driver - after 4 days at the farm. While we enjoyed most of the experience, the uncomfortable bed and the shower with little or no water - and definitely no hint of hot water despite the solar panels - were a bit of a challenge, probably even more than the lack of any alcohol.

I think we are probably past the back-packing stage and very glad that our 'suite ejecutivo' at La Piedra hotel on the Malecon at Bahia has AC, a good shower with lots of hot water and a big comfortable bed. The sea view and sound of the waves breaking on the rocks below is a bonus - we even got to see our first Pacific sunset this evening.

While we were at the farm, we managed a bit more bird watching and a variety of other activities - decided not to help with mucking out and feeding the pigs and poultry - we can do that at home and I am sure it is character-building for the young volunteers!.

While we didn't manage to identify all the birds we saw, we did see the Blue-Crowned Mot Mot which is the emblem of the farm.

In between meals and relaxing in the hammock on the deck of our cabin, we also tried our hand at some of the  local handicrafts - making rings and jewelry from Palm nuts and other materials, fishing for shrimp in the river - with limited results, making cheese and a yucca cake and roasting and grinding our own coffee beans. We then finished up with a rejuvenating face mask made from the local clay - which felt very refreshing when followed with an application of fresh Aloe Vera.

Rio Muchacho was a lovely place and we enjoyed most of the experience but...

Lunch today at D'Camaraon - on fresh local shrimp washed down with cold beer was the perfect way to wipe away the few discomforts of the last few days and an afternoon laying in the sun by the pool was just what we needed while we start to plan for the next stage of our trip.