Wikipedia defines a Pilgrimage as such, "In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim."
We are pilgrims. Gramma, Silo, and I.
Gramma began in about 1991 when she first went to Costa Rica and came back with her crazy stories of the roads and cows and food and people and coffee. Her orbital return to the country continued until the momentum picked up and swept us along, too. What a gift....
Now, it is our pilgrimage, although we don't need to wait a year. We can make the journey as often as our labors allow. We are planning our next trip before we even return home from the last. It is an exhausting cycle with a lovely reward. We work to vacation.
Unlike the parts of Costa Rica that tourism has drastically changed, my mom picked nothing less than our own personal Eden.
The last trip, I brought the laptop along and had way more opportunities to document the details of our travel. This time, I brought a journal, but only wrote fragments of the first part of the trip. By the last week, I was too relaxed to hold a pen.
So this trip's blog will be more liken to a jagged poem. The only thing keeping order to the events is the order of the pictures on my camera and some spare, jotted down notes. On our journey, we always comment on how the picture does not do justice to the real thing. You can see Casa Tigre, but you can't smell the air, hear the sounds, or see the dense jungle all around. So this really is just a web I have woven, in hopes that what I did not capture will be alluded to in the empty spaces between threads. Enjoy.
When we left LAX, Ted Danson (Cheers!) was seated in first class. Jon had pointed him out in line at Starbucks. He was reading a book, demurely dressed, carrying a Fred Segal suit bag (where was TMZ?). When we passed him on our way to economy, I told him he got more handsome with time. He smiled and said I'd made his day. We took it as a good omen.
There was a fatal twist that the plane we were boarding in DFW was "irreparable". This made for a long, grouchy layover. We were lucky for a few things. Pocket-sized board games, Jon complaining to the airline until they gave him $40 in food vouchers, and this maze which was an activity-based art installation. As you ran through the chambers, your footsteps would set off lights and chimes.
All technical difficulties aside, the flight into Costa Rica was accompanied by an exceptional display of the lunar eclipse to the east. Flying over Mexico in darkness, the towns looked like dim ripples across the water from skipping stones. As we landed, Jon said the lights of San Jose looked like an inverted volcano spilling out lava. (The city is in a bowl-like valley.) We taxied in at about 1 a.m. with all this.....
In the morning, not only was I at the portal to heaven, but there was cheese plate.
There is a huge gap in my photos here. The travel part of the trip is exhausting. Its one thing to get from the United States to another country, but then, once we get to Costa, we have a whole other leg of the journey. Jon's first day was a process. We got the car. When I tied the luggage on the roof, I left my flip flops on the sidewalk and didn't realize it til we were 45 minutes away and I went to get out of the car. We always stop at this one store before we head up the Mountain of Death. Its a full sized grocery store with some other random items (like cheap shoes). We usually get coffee for Gramma, road brews for me, and Kinder Sopresos for Silo (an egg shaped chocolate with a toy inside). Plus Costa Rica has some epic yogurt drinks. We're getting to know the national brands pretty well now. The Monte Verde cheese that we fell in love with last trip, this trip we found out is made by Amish people who came here as Conscientious Objectors during Vietnam. How crazy! Thank goodness they went to Costa Rica and started making cheese not war. After grabbing a few items at the store, its a long journey up and down the mountain to the other side in San Ysidro Gral. Its a cloud forest, so your vision is limited. Plus we got the car late, so it was already darkening up for the day. Then, of course, it rained. We didnt make the ferry, so we had to drive in the back way. I'm so grateful for having a good memory of direction. I didn't want to be lost for hours again in the palm plantations. I knew the way though. I know it by heart now. As we were leaving San Jose to head to Casa Tigre, we saw a roadside brawl. Two girls and two guys. We passed a lot of semis and buses on burly roads without guard rails. That was day one. We pulled up to Casa Tigre and let ourselves in. There was a frog in the bathroom. Just a tree frog, but if he'd been big enough to have a big croak, he would have said cccrrrrrrrellllllllooooo.
The next day, we showed Jon what Golfo Dulce REALLY looks like.
And scavenged the beaches for all manner of detritus.
I wanted to include these photos of La Escuela de Punto Banco because it is a work in progress. I will show you the finished work in a later trip.
I can not explain to you the beauty of this place. I could take the picture. I could speak the word. But until your feet are in the warm sand at sunset and you are smiling across the beach at your loved ones and there is no one else around. It is a simple, earthen thing.
Pavones is an L-shaped town. The long part of the L runs along the beach. Along this road is La Manta, a restaurant w/a projection screen always showing surf films & an offshoot where there is a small grocer and a ferreteria (hardware store), also, the "high road". Along the shore are fishing boats. One is set up with two small tables & is supposed to serve excellent food, but we have not eaten there yet. At the corner, is the Cantina. Its across from a giant Mango tree. There is often someone selling something under the tree. Just one vendor. Its not a market. It might be a family cooking up a daily special. We saw simple people (caucasian, apron wearing people) selling bread. Maybe beach wraps, paraisos. A little inland down the L, which literally is a stones throw, is Cafe La Suerte. They serve vegetarian food and really HUGE (like 2 people) smoothies. We like to eat on their patio. Theres a mural of Ganesh. The owner is always there and each time we return, he makes it a point to welcome us back. After the veg restaurant is Willie Willy's, at least thats what we call it, a walk-in closet sized 7-11. Then, there's Dona Dora's. We eat here a lot. They have a big patio that overlooks the soccer field which is the true epicenter of town. Silo has a little friend there, Alanis. This little girl is a riot and its very cool Silo has someone she can laugh with. Last trip, Dona Dora's had a parrot in the kitchen. This time, they were caring for a baby squirrel who had fallen out of the nest (does that happen?).
Right by Dona D's is La Policia. If you look behind the horse, you can see the building that is the police station.
If there happens to be a soccer game on, you can bet that every police station you drive by will have it on and they'll all be watching. I guess soccer is to Costa Rica cops what donuts are to Americans.
Pavo means turkey. There really are wild turkeys in Pavones.
And a crazy, indescribable depth of green.
We took Jon to Zancudo. This trip was so different for me than the last. Both times I have gone before, it has been June/July. It rained every day about noon and I got eaten alive. This trip (Feb/Mar).... very mild. The worst bite I had was an ant that bit me twice between my toe. Do not underestimate an ant bite. However, this trip, we did Zancudo twice. First time, we floated like buoyant little vessels, happily frolicking. The second time, something stung Jon. An invisible jelly? Then, stung me. And I don't risk my little person being gotten. Zancudo is rad though. It is vast, to say the least.
Do you see the nests in the tree?
I am a lizard catcher with like 25+ years of experience. We were very impressed by this Copper-Backed Skink. Note his truly COPPER back. If I might say so myself, skink skin is some of the smoothest skin on earth.
At home, the whole family watches Survivorman & Man vs. Wild. We saw Les eat sprouted coconut on Suvivorman. We just had to try it ourselves. It was surprisingly.... weird. Coco-floam?
This is my lovely daughter on an average afternoon. Please note, that apple probably had to travel farther than us to get there.
Okay, look away now if you're squeemish. No, don't! We're just chilling in the main house and Gramma is like: Carey? What is that on the wall? And I'm like, "It's the hugest cockroach I've EVER seen!!!!" With our big reptiles at home, we buy Hissing Cockroaches for treats, plus, I was born in Florida: Land of the Palmetto Bug. A couple-inch-long-cockroach does not impress me. But what about a five inch long cockroach? Jon has monster hands. We have the handprint of a famous Sumo wrestler and Jon's hands are bigger than his hands. This cockroach was MASSIVE. Just its wings though. His body was strangely delicate. His legs fully spiked. One wing even had a nip out of it like you might see on a dog ear.
Here is a great way to waste water......
Jon returns after a laborious day of doing his favorite thing. A cross between Hunter S. Thompson and a primitive Hunter.
Plus, this bony, little beast we pan-fried later that night and picked clean.
Right down the road from Casa Tigre is the beach. You just walk down a small hill, over the dirt road, and down a car-wide path that takes you right there. When you first get on the path, you cross through a river outlet that is a few inches deep in the dry season. I haven't walked down it in the rainy season yet. On one of our walks, Silo shrieked, "Leeches!!!" We were hysterical. It was the first time she'd ever seen a tadpole. She held one of their slimy, black, squiggly bodies in her palm. No legs yet. Such a phenomenal transformation. Maybe they will become these.
This is the beach down the drive closest to the bridge by the Sawmill.
So many of my little crabbie friends.
From Pavones, it is about one hour (with ferry) to either Golfito or Rio Claro.
We can also go via the Panamanian border to Ciudad Neilly which takes closer to an hour and a half. Thats where the hospital is. There is a restaurant connected to a hotel right in the vicinity of the grocer where we shop. There is a lot of Cream of Asparagus soup in Costa Rica, something that I find really warming and nourishing. The food at this restaurant (Hotel Andrea's, I believe) is really good. Jon had a Chicken Chili Relleno which is nothing like that of Mexico. It came out in this epic, rich cream sauce. Better to go shopping with a full belly. We always bring a cooler for our refrigerated foods since the drive home is so long. For all of our "Leche Milk Leche" and tocineta (the bacon down there is so meaty).
This day, we were on a journey with Marcos to pick tiles for the patio. Marcos oversees Gramma's property and knows everyone. Its very cool to go places with him. He's always pointing out this and that. The trustworthy mechanic. A great restaurant. Strange fruit. Animals. Marcos is so tolerant. We are seeing his country with the eyes of children. Its all so new and we have so many questions. What is this? How do you say that? Our Spanish is not very good, but he will patiently wait for us to sift through our limited vocabulary. Where would we be without this fabulous docent? Here is Marcos in the "Army of One" shirt, chatting it up with the armed guard at the bank. There is another guard inside the door who opens and closes it for you. They will ask that you remove your hat and sunglasses, too.
We ate on this patio. I love that you are almost always eating outdoors. This, also, is connected to a hotel. Note the hotel's amazing, antique chandeliers.
When we were in the ferreteria picking out the tiles, I saw this display of machetes. There are a variety of blades here. Some long. Some short. Some blunt-nosed. Some sharp-tipped.
This is the view on the road to Pavones. We pause every time.
And sometimes, you just have to wait for the cows to pass.
When you get to Casa Tigre, your sleep goes through a transformation. The first couple of nights, you have to get used to all of the sounds. Once you fall into jungle rhythm, you aren't surprised in the night by the throatiness of the Howlers or the high pitch drone of the Cicadas. They are huge here, and squeal in an otherworldly tone.
If it isn't the monkeys or the bugs, it will be the roosters. In truth, they have no idea how to tell time. We give them stale crumbs anyhow.
You really have to be on watch. When we're driving, we will roll right by something until it registers. In Punto Banco, we saw a mother and baby sloth in the tree right overhead. On the road, we saw a tarantula hawk (which is a giant flying insect) dragging away a tarantula it had captured. It took a long time before I noticed all of the air plants hanging from the power lines. (We pay good money for these in the states.)
On two occasions, we saw this pod of monkeys in the same vicinity. They are way high up in the tree, but they totally know you're down there looking at them. They are equally as interested in you, especially the juveniles. The small ones seem to get spryly active when people are watching.
This is the most impressive orchid plant I have ever seen. It is possibly about 5 and a half feet tall. I caught sight of it out of the corner of my eye. The homeowner confirmed it was, in fact, an orchid. I was blown away.
How is this for a house boat? At home on Golfo Dulce. Sweet water.
A postcard? Wish you were here. XO
The cemetary on the way to Zancudo. I know I've photographed this before, but the colors are just so saturated. The hill it is situated on is somehow very pleasant.
Silo and I drew some Xeros on the flat shore there. This was the day we got stung in the water. We made palapas and drew ephemeral cartoons in the sand instead. A lady came up to talk to me while I was drawing. I didn't understand a word of what she said. I did, however, lay my hand on her shoulder while I was laughing and felt she understood me quite well. I've been drawing Xero since before Silo was born. It is just so rad to me when Silo draws her own Xeroes.
There is a restaurant/villa that opened in Pavones last year. It is the first moderately upscale establishment in the area. Castillo (castle). A couple about the same age as Jon and I opened it. The guy did an incredible job with all of the woodwork, tiles, and lighting. He says that you can get whatever you desire in Panama because of the Panama Canal. There was an older, South African couple staying in one of the (maybe 4) rooms. While the fellow was talking with Jon, the wife took me to see her shower. There was a big separate bathtub. The shower was entirely open with river rock half walls built around it in the most organic from. The bed, itself, was laid upon massive, richly varnished chunks of tree trunk. The food they served was presented in a communal, all-you-can-eat delight of breads and spreads, an organic 15 ingredient salad, vegetable lasagne, huge shrimp cocktails, and skewered filet mignon. We liked it, to say the least. The couple was cool. They had lights and curtains of shells everywhere.
Jon found us a seven legged spider.
And a strange, armored cocoon.
Golfito Karaoke bar.
Every trip along the common road is a brand new adventure. Every common thing there is something new to us. The people seem to marvel at our fascination. Their dirty farm animals are our best "furriends".
And of course, old one eye.
This is where we spent our last afternoon in Pavones, Dona Dora's patio. Drinking Pilsen & Guanabana. What you can't tell is that from this view, we are sitting side by side in rocking chairs. Just over the soccer field, past those trees, is the water. Rich Coast.
Plus, we get to visit with Alanis. Alanis posed Silo and I for this picture and took it herself. She insisted I held the toothpick dispenser. As you can tell, she's got a great sense of humor.
We are like closet entomologists. Jon was not expecting this katydid to bite. We flipped him over and messed with his mandible. I was holding a steak knife up and he was clamping it super powerfully. Pretty much everything CAN bite down there. Delicate lace wings, no-see-ums, leaf cutters. I wonder what the bug to human ratio is.
The morning we left, Marcos' eggs hatched. Silo had been hoping for this the whole trip. She held a baby chick that was moments from the egg.
Again, there is a gap in my photos. We packed up. We won't be back for half a year. Wow. Its a sad feeling. We'll be back though. This is no hotel. It has our things. Its my mom's house. The first one she's had that is all her own. Goodbye Eden. Wait for us, okay? The forest hums along, the palms rustle their leaves in the breeze, a coconut falls on the beach. No, problem, Eden says.
In Costa Rica you can get 5 pineapples for $4. In California, you might be able to get one.
Right when you leave San Ysidro Gral to head up the highway of death, there is this statue. He's hard to catch from the winding road, but Jon did it while I drove, steering wheel tightly gripped. I would really like to go up to see him. He overlooks a great valley with a wide river and other mountains of green ad infinitum.
Gold Love.
In San Jose, we took Jon to the Argentinian steak house. As always, it was such an epic, culinary delight. Crepes, salad, steak, bird, cocktails, mousse, ice cream. A tongue's heaven. When Jon and I left to walk home, the kitchen was closing up. Out in the alley, they were cooling the coals from their grill.
This is the door to their ladies room.
Some of the nightlife....
And of course, my love of signs, graffiti, and posters...
This is very unique and utilizes the sheet music of Chopin.
There are more pictures from this and other trips. If I don't find and gather them, I fear I will misplace the amazing memories. Luckily I share those times with my beautiful family. Silo, my mother, and I are quite a team. I love us. I love these journeys. I am so glad to share them with you, dear reader. Go.... find your magic places on earth.
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