First week: Guanacaste

I spent my first week in Costa Rica traveling in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste. From there, I visited different towns. In my experience, doing research with travelling books can result in a more affordable trip than booking online. Another approach is to just go to places and take things as they come for a more adventurous experience, while also having on the side plans B and C.


Here is a thought: we might have an idea of where we come from, but it is very difficult to know where we are going to and when. Why not take advantage of this by coming and going from and to all directions and at all times.


Festival of Lights, San Jose

The Festival of Lights in San Jose celebrated its 15^th anniversary, and this was the first time I went to see it live. Each year there are more complex decorations and themes, and the idea is now extending to other provinces.

The event attracts around 1 million people each year and features “carrozas”, bands, celebrities, fireworks and a large variety of entertainment activities. It officially starts at 6:00 and goes on for four or five hours. The parade presents a good mix of themes that includes ecology, advertising for several businesses, typical images of Costa Rica and some not so typical, and the level of detail gets better each year.

The next day I woke up at 9:00, had sweet and salty tamales for breakfast, and by 11:00 I was getting on the bus to San Jose on my way to Nicoya, in the province of Guanacaste. No plan, only a general idea of what I was gonna do.


Town Festivities in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is a very small and charming town close to the mountains. There is a lot of commerce there, both chain stores and local businesses. Many people ride bikes, the main streets are wide, and there are old houses in many of the corners. The ambient is very tranquil, even at the busiest of the intersections. Later in the afternoon, close to 5:00, the birds get noisy, and there is that feeling of serenity, almost as if nothing had happened during the day.

There are a few hotels in the area at various rates. One of the nicest ones is Alcala for $60 the night, including breakfast, Wi-Fi, swimming pool and very comfortable installations, and close to the Tralapa Co. bus terminal. I needed something more affordable, so I went to Pension Amadita, for $10 the night, about five blocks away from the bus terminal. It included a private room, and a shared bathroom. The installations are very rustic and there is no breakfast included, but was good for a tight budget.

The festivities in Santa Cruz are typical of small towns, taking place in a small plaza in the middle of the town. The main attraction is the bull fighting Costa Rican style, where a bunch of guys tease the bull without killing it. There are a few food stands, improvised dance halls and bars, traditional marimba presentations and dances, some gambling and rides for children.  Many of the improvised establishments play their own music in addition to the bull fighting announcements and the music from the dance halls, making the noise a bit confusing, but fun anyway.

Santa Cruz has two festivities that go with the end and beginning of the year, one in December and a bigger one in January when more people from other provinces come. Each one goes for about four days and can last till early in the morning.

All over Guanacaste, events like this last about four or five days and move from one town to the next. This goes on from November to June, making Guanacaste the province where people like to party the hardest in the traditional Tico way. In terms of music to dance, cumbia and merengue are preferred, which is also true for most of the country with the exception of Limon, where reggae is big.


Tamarindo and Playa Grande

After Santa Cruz I went to Tamarindo, a small beach town next to Las Baulas National Marine Park. There are three beaches nearby: Playa Grande, Tamarindo and Langosta. Playa Grande is popular during the day for surfing, and at night there are guided tours sponsored by the national park to see the Leatherback Turtles lay their eggs.

There are private tour guide operators that go to the park all over Tamarindo and Playa Grande that cost in average $35-$30, in addition to the $15 that the park charges to foreigners. This is a good price if one comes from Tamarindo and doesn't have a car. There are no buses in the evening from the park to Tamarindo and the average rate to come back by taxi is $30. Tickets to the park can be purchased directly at the park's office in Playa Grande and Tamarindo.

Tamarindo is one of the best spots for surfing in Costa Rica. Near the estuary, the waves are considered to be more consistent and give enough time to ride before they break. The surfing areas closer to town have lower waves that break faster, and are good for beginners. Lessons cost in average $45 for two hours, and instructors take one or two people at a time.

The beach is also very nice, surrounded by mountains and tall trees. The water is very clear and from far looks dark blue. It is very clean, there are lots of shells and the sunset is immaculate.  The best times to visit are between December and April, both for surfing and to see the turtles.

A must do here is taking a good 30-minute hike to the top of the mountain for a panoramic view of the bay. The dirt road up to the top is really steep and hard to walk, but once there the sweat is well worth. There is a complete view of the entire bay, including all three beaches, the national reserve, and the mountains of the “Cordillera Central” in the back. Aside from the breathtaking view, it is very peaceful up there, and it makes it easy to clear one’s mind and have appreciation for Mother Nature.

I stayed at Bahia Paraiso Hostel for $15 a night. Prices around here for hostels range from $10 to $15 in average. Other places are much more expensive, but there seems to be a good variety for all budgets.

Something that calls the attention when entering Tamarindo is how little by little the signs change from Spanish to English, and eventually all the signs are virtually in English only. For the last decade, Tamarindo has been experiencing a large scale of development, as in most of the northern pacific coast in Guanacaste. Real estate is a big business and prices of properties have been sky rocketing.

In New York I learned that gentrification is the process of changing the composition of a neighborhood from relatively affordable housing and commerce to more expensive ones. It is my impression that in Costa Rica this is commonly known as “Americanization”.  Personally, I’m ok with open market policies and business development for tourism to a certain extent. I just hope that in most areas it is the locals who take advantage of their resources and try to keep development at a pace that is not harmful to nature.


Chorotega Pottery and Tortillas in Guatil

The Chorotegas were one of the most influential indigenous tribes in Costa Rica before the Spaniards arrived. Very few of their traditions seem to be left, including cooking recipes and pottery techniques.

Guatil is one of the few towns where Chorotega pottery is still put in practice. Here, I was adopted by a family at the Oven Store Shop who taught me the basics of pottery and how to make Chorotega tortillas from scratch. It takes about 30 minutes to get here by bus from Santa Cruz. The roads are in good condition and the scenery of the Guanacastecan savanna with its cows, horses, small hills and short trees is impressive. There are no Chorotega villages in Guatil now, but some people who live here are direct descendants of this tribe, although very few.

The town is small, consisting of small chops around the soccer field. Each chop makes its own crafts by hand and sell them to tourist and to other businesses including hotels in the area. The locals tell me that before the recent global economic crises many tourists would come and buy from them, but now the business is very slow.

On the southeast corner of the soccer field there is Oven Store, a small family-owned shop. All their work is made by hand and with natural materials. The soil used to make the clay can be found only in this region; it has to be purchased as it is in private property. Unfortunately, the owner of the land has plans to develop it and if that happens, then there won’t be soil to create more Chorotega art crafts, which could mean the end of this beautiful tradition.

After three days, I was able to make two small pots (picture above). I also learned how to make tortillas from scratch and the results were good. The tortillas are made by first boiling the corn with wood ashes, which helps to break the grain faster. Then, the corn is washed, ground and mixed with water. The dough is then cooked on a clay plate over the wood oven. The tortillas came out better than the pots, but I was happy with my work either way.

While I was in Guatil, I also went to the festivities in Santa Barbara and to an elementary school and kinder garden graduation ceremony. The event also included a program for adults who had just learned to write and read. They had music and a dance show, which reminded me of the days when I was a school kid.

Right now Oven Store doesn’t have a website, but I will be trying to help them out. If I can find someone who knows about web development, that would help a lot (hint, hint!).

Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Ostional is one of the world’s most important nesting beaches for the Lora Turtle. The “arrivada” is the time when the turtles come to lay their eggs, which could be by the hundreds at a time between July and December. I was able to only see the little turtles making their way into the ocean. The experience is incredible, and I think it is worth seeing at least once.

Here, there is far less development than in Tamarindo. The beaches didn’t seem to be what most people would expect for bathing or surfing, but they are great to see the turtles laying their eggs and also when they are born. For the little turtles, it is best to come out at night when there are fewer predators on the beach. In the morning, there are lots of vultures and other animals that eat them. Good thing is that the locals care for the turtles and many of them come early in the morning to try to make sure the turtles make it to the ocean.

The town is very small, with a few places to eat and drink near the beach, but with more establishments up the hills where the view is good. Getting here is not easy as the conditions of the roads are very harsh. After the rainy season each year, the bridges are often damaged making the trip even harder. Finding a place to stay is not difficult, but it is definitely best to plan ahead of time to come see the turtles and take guided tours inside the park.

I met Marcia from South Carolina and her tour guide Carlos who took me to Santa Cruz. Along the way, we stopped in Playa Lagarto, and met Don Luis, a fisherman who is also a leader of a community association for tourism and town development. His association tries to protect the natural settings of the area, and to promote local economic development and be able to compete with foreign investments.

Community Associations for tourism and local development are common in many areas of the country and extend to different business sectors. The idea is to allow the local community to have access to credit, assistance for development ideas, and a share profit plan that benefits the locals. The central government seems to have some “difficulties” giving support to these small associations when big business owners, especially foreign, put pressure to develop coastal areas and are willing to pay big money.

Chorotega Corn Tortillas Recipe

Ingredients

Yellow corn

Wood ashes

Water


Process


1. Dry the corn outside

2. Pick the grains

3. Boil wood ashes in water, then add the grains and cook

4. Wash the grains and then grind

5. Add water and prepared dough

6. Cook on a clay plate over fire


Special Thanks

Jesus, Susan, Carlos, Marjorie and your children, thanks for adopting me and giving me a place to stay and food. My experience in Guatil was very special thanks to your hospitality and generosity. Also, thanks for teaching me how to work with clay and to make tortillas in the Chorotegan tradition. You work very hard to make Oven Store one of the best pottery shops and I learned a lot from you.

Brian, body, thanks for the beer and for showing me around Playa Grande and telling me about the town. Your business idea for an eco-friendly sports-bar is really cool and I can't wait to try the ceviche man! I am not sure if I will be traveling as much as you did (and your dog Bear), but will try and let you know where I go next.

Don Francisco, thank you for telling me about the way Guanacastecans party and a little bit of the history in Tamarindo and the towns nearby. You are very knowledgeable and I hope to talk more with you soon.

Marcia and Carlos, thank you for taking me to see the turtles when I first arrived to Ostional late at night and then gave me a ride to Santa Cruz. I had never seen turtles coming out of the sand and then run into the ocean, and it was nice to have shared the experience with you. And to Don Luis, for showing us Lagarto Beach and sharing with us his plans for a Community Association.