The Road to La Fortuna

We met Leonardo, our tour guide for the next ten days, as we exited the elevator upon returning to San Jose.  We recognized him not so much because he wore a Gate 1 name tag but because he carried the worried expression of a shepherd missing a few stray lambs.  He was happy to give us our name tags and a printed schedule for the next day.

Most of our group had arrived on flights arranged by the tour company to arrive and been met by Leo at the airport.  As tends to be the norm on this type of tour, our bags were to be outside our doors before breakfast the next morning at 6:15 AM.  As our guide for Machu Picchu said long ago, "More of the world for less...sleep."

 

The rest of the night was ours.

We ordered drinks as we had the prior evening at the lobby lounge and brought them out on the veranda with panoramic city views from our perch 12 floors above the ground.

After our "happy hour," we returned to the same fine cafe where we had dined the prior evening.  Julie ordered her own meal this time, with our appetites boosted by our long day river rafting.

We enjoyed another good night's sleep in our 18th floor room.  The room had firm mattresses.  

In the morning, we enjoyed the delicious buffet breakfast that included an omelet station with a skilled chef filling tasty dishes efficiently.

At the intro meeting, Leo pointed out a few rules, making note of the new Gate 1 policy where all tips except those for him and our driver Luis being now covered with the purchase price.

We had enough time for me to take the elevator down to the 14th floor to wander out to the rooftop pool that we could see from our room.  

At 8:30 AM, we boarded our blue bus that would be our chariot for the next ten days.  Unlike older buses that have been the norm on Gate 1, this was surprisingly a new bus, an unexpected treat for a discount tour company.  On the down side, this bus did not have WiFi.

Our driver Luis drove expertly through city traffic and out over highways and byways.

Leo provided commentary as we went along.  He said that most of the people in his tourism college had specialized in flora, but he had studied birds as his optional specialty.  He nonetheless had also learned all about plants during his decades as a guide.

He spoke about the major industries of Costa Rica, including tourism, high tech and agriculture as we rode along.  He attributed the lack of a military as one of the key reasons high tech companies from around the world including Intel set up shop in Costa Rica.  He said that meant they could specialize in non-military high tech, and especially medical devices.

Costa Rica is very proud of having no military since 1948, which of course is made possible because of the United States' Monroe Doctrine, which basically states that we will protect Latin America from encroachment by enemies.  Certainly, it is an advantage economically to not require a standing army.

Soon, we arrived at our first stop, Sarchi, where one of the first sites pointed out as we drove through town was a giant ox cart.  Perhaps my mind was elsewhere, but I don't recall being told why this was significant, other than being an interesting work of art Leo highly recommended.

Colorful ox carts, now built exclusively in Sarchi, are considered a vital part of Costa Rica's history. Used extensively for carrying coffee beans, the brightly colored geometric designs identify different regions.

In 2005, UNESCO labeled ox carts as "Intangible Cultural Heritage." I've always thought "intangible" as something without a physical presence, but whatever.

Most of our group stopped for coffee or shopped for souvenirs at the drop-off point, which was a well-stocked gift store with lovely wood handicrafts and had large, clean bathrooms.  Strolling along the road that Leo had pointed down, we found Sarchi to be a mid-20th Century town similar to many in Mexico and Central Ameria rather than a quaint artisan village.  Then again, Julie and I were not looking for hidden enclaves that might have been charming.

We walked directly to the large ox cart. We were more impressed by Templo Católico de Sarchí Norte.

Gorgeous wooden ceiling.

Always interesting to note how Biblical figures are presented
in different cultures.

This travel day for us could have been called "Churches on the Road to La Fortuna," because we went to cathedrals at every stop.

Back on the bus, our next stop was Zarcero, a town of 5,000 renowned for its topiary garden in front of another lovely church.

We were blessed with bright sunshine for walking around the garden where bushes have been shaped to be arches and animal figures.

The rides through the countryside of Costa Rica allowed us to enjoy viewing the farms and ranchlands between towns, though trying to get photos can be frustrating at high speeds.

Best to just take in the views.

Our third stop was Ciudad Quesada, which is also known as San Carlos.  It is a small city best known for being in the heart of fertile farmlands.

It had the least impressive church of the three stops.  Most interesting were representations of Jesus as a strong man with solid legs.

When we arrived at Ciudad Quesada, our bus had taken a lap around the city park, with Leo pointing out restaurants that he said would be safe choices for our two-hour lunch stop.

Julie and I had big breakfasts and weren't all that hungry.  We decided to get chips and a soda, then go to the lovely park on what was again a sunny day.  This being Costa Rica, there were scattered showers throughout the day, but it happened to be sunny every time we stopped this day.  

It bordered on being hot, so we sought a bench in the shade, which took a while to track down during what for Costa Rica is summer vacation from school.  Lots of families were enjoying this sunny day in the park.

We may best remember Ciudad Quesada as the place where we went to the bank to break a 5,000 Colones note we received in change when buying a bag of tortilla chips and Diet Coke with a $20 bill and receiving Colones in change.  We simply wanted 1,000 Colones notes (about $2 each).

Two guards stopped everyone entering the building before granting admission through the inner bank doors.  I was told to remove my hat and sunglasses, then sent to a chair next to a local lady, in one of three lines for tellers.  The person at my window was having some kind of problem that dragged on maybe five minutes.  The lady next to me went to the window to take her turn.

As to exactly what her problem was, I have no clue, but it took fifteen minutes to sort out.  Julie had initially waited in the lobby rather than submitting to a full search to enter, but curiosity got the better of her, so she entered.  A couple of minutes later, I was called to the window.  I received change in a few seconds, which is how long I expected the entire bank visit to take.

Cervantes long ago wrote that "The road is always better than the inn."  We had a pleasant enough bus trip that day and enjoyed the churches, but would say in this case, Cervantes was wrong.

We went to Costa Rica not to see towns but to appreciate nature.

Arenal Volcano Inn where we would spend the next two evenings was awesome.  This little eco-lodge in La Fortuna was excellent for quietly appreciating nature.

We loved our little cabana with a wooden ceiling with lots of exotic birds in the trees and occasional wild animals, including an anteater, strolling through our yard.

 I wish I was quicker with my camera.

An odd rule at this eco-lodge is that guests are not supposed to flush any paper in the toilet.  We've experienced this rule at other eco-lodges.  It certainly is not ideal for average American travelers accustomed to first world plumbing, and I dare say many ignore it at least sometimes.

We enjoyed our afternoon coffee on chairs in front of our door.

After appreciating our lodgings for a couple of hours, our group attended the welcome meeting, where we all introduced ourselves.

About a fourth of our group was from Pennsylvania.  Another quarter came from New York.  More surprising was not so much that a fourth of the group came from California, but that the California contingent had all been born in China and moved there over the last few years.  However, they were not connected other than to their own spouses, it seemed.  They usually sat together as a group and spoke Chinese among themselves.

Gate 1 hosted dinner that night at the inn's restaurant. I had their featured seafood dish, while Julie went with steak.  Both were fantastic.  It was so good, we decided to come back for dinner the next evening.

A family from Buck's County, Pennsylvania, sat next to Julie and me at a long table that was better acoustically suited to speaking with the person next to you rather than a table conversation.  I was sitting next to a retired college administrator, Maureen, who turned out to have a lot in common with us.  We would see her and her husband Steve several other times, including sharing a table later in the trip.  They were traveling with two kids and two grandchildren.  

After dinner, we walked over to the hot tub for a soak before bed.  A half dozen folks from our group had already gathered, so we engaged in more pleasant conversation as we luxuriated in the warm bubbles.  We become quickly accustomed to the people with whom we travel, but after a few days, we will likely never see them again.