Eating and Hiking: Calories In, Calories Out

Carmen patiently teaches the Gringos

What a busy week it's been with Thanksgiving, a festive dinner party for the Santa Eulalia gang here at home (yes, another one!) and the 1era Caminata y Paseo Recreativo La Zopilota (1st Walk and Recreational Outing of La Zopilota - at least I think that's more or less the translation) held this past Sunday the 25th. Now I'm rushing to get a blog posted before I have to stop and do my Spanish homework. Layne and I have been hosting a Spanish class on Thursday mornings in our home with friends Stephen, Bonnie and Eroca. Carmen, a delightful Guatemalan friend who has helped us with organic gardening questions in the past, is our teacher. We've all learned a lot although I must admit that I started out somewhat ahead of others in the class by virtue of two years of Spanish in college and then some dedicated effort through Rosetta Stone; more recently I expanded my knowledge on LiveMocha.com, a free online language tool. Even though my vocabulary is pretty good, the problem I face is in understanding Tico friends and neighbors. Most of them speak so fast - as do all native speakers, of course - that as soon as I grasp one word in a sentence, they are on to the next paragraph. It's one of the few frustrating things about living here. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be able to carry on a real conversation.

Thanksgiving Dinner is served!

But I get plenty of opportunities to work on my language skills, such as at the Thanksgiving dinner party I enjoyed last Thursday evening.  Held at the spectacular hilltop home of Dennis and Gerardo, the charming proprietors of Pure Life Development real estate company, the thirty-five or so guests included many members of Gerardo's large Tico family, friendly folk who are always ready to engage in sociable banter. Dennis is an excellent cook and the juicy turkey and all the trimmings was fabulous. Although Layne stayed home because of a bit of an upset stomach, I certainly enjoyed the evening and met a few new friends as well.

Almost in the clouds

The 1era Caminata y Paseo Recreativo La Zopilota mentioned above was a challenging hike through the extensive coffee finca of El Toledo Coffee, the excellent organic brand we buy most weeks at the feria. Gabriel, whose family owns the farm, is usually staffing the booth at the feria, ready with a pleasant smile and some new Spanish phrase for me to learn. For some weeks he has been promoting the Caminata, a benefit for the San Isidro neighborhood where the farm is located. We Santa Eulalia weekend hikers were eager to put our walking skills to the test and signed on for the event. During the long and exceedingly hilly taxi ride up to the farm, I began to have trepidations. Just what had we gotten ourselves into?

Had we known exactly what "La Zopilota" referred to, we might have been better prepared for the steep inclines we faced as we confidently marched off through the quaint streets of San Isidro. 

Off we go! 

Onward!

La Zopilota is a huge rock perched at the very top of the Aquacate mountain range that separates the community of Palmares from Atenas. That peak was our destination! Getting there took us through the beautiful hillsides of El Toledo farm, covered with lush deep green coffee plants, each dripping red berries ready for harvest. 

Coffee plants and magnificent views

The incredible vistas from each turn in the trail made the day well worth the effort but it was a challenge. So much so that at the rest stop about 2 miles in, Layne and I opted for a ride the rest of the way up the mountain. Even that ride was a test for the four-wheeler we were riding in: dirt tracks deeply carved by rainfall into a jagged ruts studded with big rocks, climbing up incredible slopes and skiing down steep precipices, all the while passing the more stalwart hikers and bikers still on the trail. With my foot pressing an imaginary brake and my hands gripping the seat, I was mentally exhausted by the time we made it to the finish line at the top.

But what a view and what a rock! Rejuvenated by fresh watermelon and pineapple along with cool water, we enjoyed the Mariachi band and chatted with Stephen and Bonnie who had also taken advantage of a ride up. 

Yours Truly, leaning on La Zopilota

Stephen greets Seidy as she approaches the Finish Line

Marcial and Seidy, of course, along with their sons Daniel and Gabriel and Gabriel's wife Alou, made the whole trip on foot. Seidy looked like she hardly broke a sweat! In fact, they were still so energetic they all walked the long way back down the mountain to the partying taking place at the starting point, food and drink, beer and tequila, music, craft sales and a raffle.

Daniel and Gabriel on top of La Zopilota

One delightful surprise I enjoyed was meeting one of my blog readers at the finish line, as we were all relaxing after our strenuous walk. A vivacious redhead whose name escapes me, she had a lovely smile and some nice comments on my efforts in chronicling our lives here in Atenas. Of course, I've often come across newcomers to Atenas at the weekly feria who have discovered the blog in their research before traveling to Costa Rica, and customers of Marcial's Italian Sausage are sure to be given one of my cards with the blog address on it. (Marcial is my one-man public relations firm here.) But it was an unexpected pleasure to meet one of my fans on top of a mountain! Muchas gracias, señora!

  

Through a Costa Rica Shot Glass, Darkly

Seidy, Marcial, Eroca and Bonnie

Sprawled out on the grass halfway through another splendid Sunday outing with the Santa Eulalia gang, our friend Eroca, newly returned to Costa Rica from Canada where it was minus four degrees, asked me: "How can you possibly describe a day like this in a blog?"

"You really can't," I replied. "Pictures help," I added, while shooting this photo, "but mere words can't really capture the magic of a day like today."

We were relaxing on the lawn after an extravagant Tico lunch of tamales, some kind of rich soup, picadillo, rice, beef loin and tortillas, now awaiting our mini-van to pick us up and haul us to our next stop in this wild tequila-fueled day. Behind us were hundreds of Ticos on the plaza in front of the Catholic Church in downtown Zarcero, a charming mountain town about forty minutes up the slope from Atenas and a few thousand feet higher elevation. They were gathered there for the Patronales Fiesta, another religious celebration in this oh-so-Catholic country, in which Ticos from local barrios parade through town carrying their community's own saint statuette into the big church, there to pay tribute to the higher level saint, in this case San(to) Rafael, patron saint of Zarcero, and by the way, of Atenas as well. Although religious in nature, for some Ticos it's a good excuse to party, with live music, food and craft vendors, caballeros on horseback, kids dressed up as angels, buxom young women in fancy clothes and high heels, carnival rides and a cattle auction. 

Little fellow awaiting his Fate

This excursion was a variation on the regular Sunday hike and after-party that we've been enjoying in recent weeks. Our fearless leader Marcial had come up with the idea to hire a mini-bus for the day and take a drive up the mountain visiting several of the surrounding cities, fitting in our mandatory trek along the way. Our first stop was Zarcero, where we arrived earlier in the day just as the parade was starting up, marchers and saints blocking our way. So we all hopped out of the van and joined the sidewalk crowd as they watched parade participants stroll by.

Besides the beautiful surrounding mountain landscapes, Zarcero's main attraction is the incredible topiary gardens of Francisco Alvarado Park. Carved continuously since the 1960's by artist Evangilisto Blanco from conifer cypress that thrive in the crisp high altitude with its foggy mornings and frequent rains, the trees have been transformed into all sorts of fantasy creatures, from dinosaurs, elephants and birds to monkey faces, turtles and two enormous Alice-in-Wonderland archways leading toward the huge church. It is quite a stunning display of landscape artistry.

Sir Layne against the Dragon

Monkey faces all in a row

Yours Truly in Wonderland

A Green Bird in the gardens

Looking back at Zarcero

We gathered for a picnic breakfast provided by Marcial and Seidy of coffee, French roll and local natilla or sour cream, at a table in the park then wandered off to take photographs, peek into the big church or shop at vendor booths. 

A hillside of farmland

But Marcial's plan for our hike was to take us further up the mountain so we soon headed up the road passing some spectacular scenery along the way: pastoral views of the bulky black-and-white dairy cattle for which the area is famous, patchwork hillsides with agricultural produce in every possible shade of green and small red-roofed Tico houses with horses, goats and chickens running around.

At my request for a bathroom, we stopped at a bar which at first glance appeared to be closed but Marcial worked his magic and we were soon inside where the barista was just setting up for business. Now since it was my need for the baño that had landed us there, I got the blame (or the credit?) for all the craziness that followed but I swear I was hardly the instigator. When I exited the bathroom, I found the whole gang bellying up to the bar for shots of whiskey or  tequila!

The 10:27 a.m. toast!

Laughing at the spontaneous display of decadence, Sue said, "I can't believe it's only 10:30 in the morning and I'm having tequila!" Her husband Chris quickly corrected her: "Oh, my dear, it's only 10:27!"

Unable to resist the mass insanity, I joined in and was soon enjoying a salt-rimmed shot of tequila followed by a pucker-inducing suck on a limón. And since one was so good, most of us had another! Soon Eroca, rather cheery on her second tequila, had dragged our tolerant (and sober) driver onto the dance floor for a little salsa and Layne and I were quick to follow.

The friendly black stallion

As you can imagine, we were all by now laughing hysterically at ourselves but the day's exercise still lay ahead so thanking our hosts for their kindness, we headed out for a leisurely hike down the mountainside through a lightly misting rain. Along the way we petted this beautiful stallion who seemed to want to join us happy humans in our freedom and indeed could have almost stepped over the low wire fence. Looking at the roadside fields in cultivation, we consulted with Seidy on the crops there: broccoli, cabbage, radishes, carrots, all abundant and lush. The operative word, we decided, was fecund -- a bountiful land producing lots of healthy foods.

After a mile or so of walking, someone said they were thirsty and within minutes we had conveniently come upon another bar where we were again welcomed by a friendly bar staff. Without delay we proceeded to add to our tequila quotient with a couple more shots, followed by a beer chaser. Does the word "festive" come to mind? Oh yeah, we were feeling mighty festive.

Boarding the bus after our visit to the cantina, we next stopped at a dairy farm where Marcial talked our way into an up-close-and-personal tour of the place, including the milking room, where poor Marcial got an unplanned spray of cow urine from one of the cows who chose that moment to relieve herself.

Chris (l) and Marcial in harm's way

Off we went once again, this time heading back to Zarcero for lunch but our first stop in town was at an unusual helado (ice cream) shop -- basically just the front step of a home -- for an unlikely but delicious appetizer before our upcoming meal. 

Yours Truly enjoying helado

The Zarcero area is known for its excellent dairy products, especially natilla, the ubiquitous sour cream served with gallo pinto, the national dish of seasoned rice and beans. The lady proprietor of the ice cream shop makes her own natilla and uses it in some of her ice cream specialties, including the fabulous strawberry version I had. Then, as if Fate had planned out our debauched day, she brought out a tray of shots of an utterly decadent homemade liqueur for all of us to try. After indulging in one more jigger of booze, Eroca and Layne demonstrated their inebriated state with this classic pose, which got an enormous laugh from everyone.

Eroca and Layne after one too many!

Following lunch at the Salon Parroquial , we headed back towards Santa Eulalia but not before one more stopover at still another bar, this time with some food to accompany our tequila or beer. Although the ceviche and nachos were less than spectacular, the joy of being in the company of our friends was wonderful. We all recognized what an amazing day it had been and none of us wanted it to end.

Unwilling to part company just yet, everyone except Eroca (who wanted to return to her sweetie Marc) got off the van at Sue and Chris' house for one last hour together. It was a very special day, one we will never forget. Fun and fellowship, laughter and happiness with good friends along with a little -- or a lot! -- of tequila thrown in for good measure sure make for a magical Pura Vida memory.
(And remember, dear readers, you can click on any photo to enlarge it and sort of join the fun!)

Perils in Costa Rican Paradise

Most of the time Layne and I are singing the praises of Costa Rica but today I am compelled to point out a couple of negatives, since I was almost knocked down by one of them on our walk this morning and the other issue may be causing me a health problem.

Not much of a shoulder

Getting back into our routine of taking leisurely walks in our Santa Eulalia neighborhood, today we headed down the main road on the route we sometimes take toward the next town up the mountain from us. We laughingly say, as we head out, "let's go to Palmares," knowing that in fact the pueblo is some ten miles away, far too distant for a hike. The first part of our walk of necessity is along the main road to Grecia, a reasonably busy asphalt thoroughfare that runs through Santa Eulalia. The street is wide enough for two cars or trucks but with little leeway beyond that. Some parts of the roadway have sidewalk but most of the way we must stay to the edge of the road, often just a sloping concrete gutter, and watch out for traffic.

Now let's talk traffic. In Costa Rica, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way; cars do. And Ticos in general are horrendous drivers, weaving through traffic, passing on blind curves and speeding as a way of life. Reckless is the only way to describe most drivers here, sad to say. So it definitely pays to keep your eyes open when strolling along a roadway. Layne and I wisely walk facing the traffic so that some crazy driver does not overtake us from behind.

Today as we took a breather under the shade of a tree just off the road in a driveway, we looked back to see a truck and with two cars behind heading our way but on the other side of the road, of course, so no problem, right? Just as they were almost alongside us, I chose that moment to step out from the driveway and start walking again, not realizing that one of the cars had chosen that same moment to pass the truck. Suddenly I was aware of a white metal monster only a foot or two away from me, whizzing by at probably fifty miles an hour as he sped around the truck. Holy Moly! To say I was shocked is an understatement. It all happened too quickly for me to be scared but we certainly considered it still another cautionary note in staying safe on the streets of Costa Rica.

The other issue we are dealing with is pesticide use here in this beautiful country that prides itself on being "green." Last summer after living about a year in Costa Rica, I developed a very persistent case of eczema. The itchy red rash covers most of my arms and is in patches on my hands, legs and shoulders. I've seen dermatologists here and in the U.S., had a biopsy and numerous other tests done including allergy blood work, used different creams and have taken several rounds of steroids, which do cure the symptoms but not the disease. Plus, steroids have some very negative side effects with long-term use.

Giving up on Western medicine's reliance on pills, I began to do my own research and learned that, although no one knows what triggers it, eczema is the body's way of ridding itself of contaminants that are too much for the normal mode of dispersing toxins, namely, the liver, kidneys and other parts of the digestive system. When those organs become overloaded, excess pollutants will exit the body through the skin.

Toxins, eh? Well, with further research we have learned that unfortunately Costa Rica has the highest use of pesticides per hectare IN THE WORLD. That's a lot of pesticides. Take a look at the graph below (sorry it's so small) and you can see that Costa Rica stands head and shoulders above everyone else -- not a place you really want to be in this case! Not only that, but Costa Rica uses pesticides that have been banned in many other countries.

For instance, when we first encountered leafcutter ants, we were advised to buy Mirex insecticide to deal with them. After making the purchase but before opening the package, we decided to research the product and found that it had been banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency way back in 1976. Without delay we returned the package to the store and just left the leafcutters to do their thing.

Our concerns are not just for our own health but also for that of farm workers here, who typically use no protective gear when spraying. 

According to one report, Costa Rican pesticide use has led to the poisoning of some 400,000 people, or about 2% of the population. Effects can include sterility, hormone dependency and liver and skin cancers. Costa Rican crops using the most dangerous chemicals are pineapple, bananas and coffee, most of which are grown on large plantations. Some people assert that smaller farms, which sell their wares at the local ferias, do not use chemical pesticides and indeed we have one vendor at the Atenas feria that claims to grow his crops organically.

We don't really know, of course, whether my eczema is related to exposure to these poisons but it is cause for concern. Our solution is buy almost exclusively organic fruits and vegetables and I've given up alcohol, coffee, dairy (other than goat's milk) and most meat in an effort to reduce the toxins I'm taking into my system.

Despite these problems, we still enjoy our life here in the land of Pura Vida. Our walk this morning reaffirmed one thing about Costa Rica that we love: the friendliness of Ticos. As we hiked by a construction site, the workers called out a loud "Hola!" to us and waved when we turned to respond. And as I snapped a shot of cars going by, the driver of a rather antique tractor stopped and smiled for my camera, happily posing for the picture. Now if the country will just go more organic, Pura Vida will mean "pure life" indeed. 

Don't forget Layne's book "Moral Turpitude" is available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570

          

Country Roads and Sugarcane

First it was the cornfield next door and now it's the sugarcane. Harvest time in Costa Rica! All over our barrio are sugarcane fields with ripe stalks ready for the cutting. With machete in hand, the workers are steadily hacking them down, loading them on open wagons and hauling them off for processing. The slope next to our house, previously covered in agricultural bounty, is now a bare field covered only in the dry leaves from the cane. Even that will be used, it seems, as we have also noticed cattle in a nearby pasture munching on the brown foliage. It's full employment time for ag workers here as they move from finca to finca doing the hard manual labor of harvesting crops. Layne fantasizes "skiing" or "surfing" down the hillside but with trees and a rocky creek at the bottom, it seems ill advised. Besides, he sold his skis years ago and he doesn't know how to surf!

Cutting....

Carrying....

And hauling....

Right past our front gate!

Our almost-daily long walks take us along many of the cane fields and in our explorations we have discovered some beautiful countryside and charming pueblos. On a recent hike we determined to follow Calle Vanilla (imagine! a street with a name!) to see if it hooked up with the road to Palmares, which connects to our main road along the route into Atenas, in the opposite direction. Heading east, we climbed the long hill toward the distant cell tower and school, then took the left turn onto Calle Vanilla. Then it was downhill for a ways, past a very tiny settlement, and on into a shaded dirt road, the kind you read about in Costa Rica with a rocky surface and knee-deep potholes. Only one car passed us so clearly it's not a common route. At the bottom of the long hill, we passed two boys riding bikes and a small group of people on the side of the road. After the mandatory "Buenos dias!" greetings, I asked if we were heading toward San Jose Norte, a barrio on the road to Palmares. "Si, señora," they said. "¿Mucha distancia?" I asked. "Un poco mas." A little more. Hummm.

Pueblo Vanilla

And quite a "little more" it was. We walked and walked, and as the road headed uphill, we began to wonder if we should turn back or continue on. We trudged onward, confident that if our feet held out eventually we'd come to civilization again. As we emerged from the shady jungles, we came to a gated driveway advertising "Cabinas" for rent. But no one was in sight, so on we went. As the hill leveled out, we emerged into the Pueblo Vanilla, a quiet village of neat Tico homes and the occasional pulperia with bread, sodas, tortillas and eggs.

Stopping at a pulperia for water, we asked directions and again were told it was just ahead, about 800 meters, the woman said. Each 100 meters is supposedly one city block but the measurements are quite loose. Still, we hiked on and at the pinnacle of the next hill, we spied a bus stop on a main road -- the road to Palmares! Turning left we headed toward San Jose Sur (we hoped), walking through a quiet residential area with some spectacular trees along the street. At the next curve we found a restaurant and decided to stop for breakfast or lunch, as it was already past 11:00 a.m. Lucky for us, they had just opened and we scored a delicious meal to break our fast and renew our energies. It was the beautiful Mirador El Pueblo, a popular eatery well known for its excellent seafood and panoramic views of the countryside.

View from Mirador El Pueblo Restaurant

But after our two-hour hike, we had had enough walking for one day so when we finished our meal, we asked the waiter to call a taxi for the ride home. Tired but satisfied with our adventure, we returned to the comforts of a shower and a nap!