unusual mosses

I saw this on the ground, while visiting Bill's property - I have been admiring this hanging from trees, but had not seen it change color before

coffee drying

Next, the coffee gets cleaned one final time, and put out to dry, in partial shade. In order to prevent mold from starting (remember, there is high humidity here!) the beans are turned every hour or so until fully dry, and then get finished off in a heated tumbler that is gas fired. From there, they get to rest for a while, and eventually they will get roasted into dark medium or light ground (the "light" is the most flavorful, the dark is the most full bodied) and sometimes ground before being bagged. I have tasted this coffee, and while I am no expert, I can tell you it is among the best of the coffees I have ever had.

The coffee farm of Cafe Cristina

There is a local coffee grower here who does very high quality organic coffee from start to finish on their own farm outside of the next town, Paraiso (Paradise). I met with Linda for a tour of the place she and her husband Ernest have built up over the last 17 years. She took me into the campo (field) showing me the organic products on the ground, the insect and spore damage, and some nasty plants that strangle off the coffee if you are not careful. I DID say I was interested in learning what some of the difficulties in organic coffee cultivation are...They do all of their own processing in a very ingenious and sustainable production facility that was partially designed by Ernie. The coffee comes from the field and is placed into the first machine which separates the seed from the pulp and skin. Pulp and skin go into a large composting section, where a bit of bio digester is added to get it started. The finished compost is used for planting new coffee plants, in the garden, and for landscaping and fertilizer on existing plants. I felt and smelled the almost finished compost, its perfect. Then, the beans go into this machine that Ernie inveneted to remove the slimy sweet gelatinous stuff covering the beans (called miel or honey), getting the coffee beans clean and ready for drying. The part that was most interesting to me is that in a hto confined space, this miel sludge is somehow producing methane gas. Ernie and Linda have been cooking with this for many years!

Bill's finca in Cachi

A guy I recently met from California and Colorado, Bill, has recently purchased a large finca on the outskirts of Cachi. The place is remote, gorgeous, and I spent a few very pleasant hours seeing the place and getting a little tour. Bill hasa similar idea to start up a retreat center on the property eventually. Here is a waterfall on his property, and one of the views.

street scene in Orosi

Outside the internet place is a public phone. I was out there talking with friend Zully when I saw this action, and had to go over and get the photo!

iglesia amarilla

RIght next to the yellow church, (so there would only be other people around on Sunday mornings and evening masses) this property had fruit trees and coffee, and the fields were not steep, but gently sloped. The asking price was $30K US. I am tempted, but want to try driving the impossibly steep road up the hill myself first, because it is rough and dangerous, and would be really challenging when wet. I will wait until I have a vehicle (looking for a 4X4 diesel) or a very trusting friend who lets me use theirs.

Alto de Araya

I went to look at a property that was across the river from Orosi, in a little pueblita called Alto de Araya (which means "Above Araya") WAY up a curvy twisty road right next to the yellow church, which is a local landmark. This 3 acre property had a house and the amazing views that come with being way up there.

for the love of guanabana

This is a fruit I have recently become aquiainted with, and have been enjoying very much since our first meeting. The thin skin contains a fleshy and slimy white pulp which, (after popping out the seeds) when placed in a blender with water and a scant bit of sugar, becomes this frothy and yummy thing that is like drinking a cloud.

5 or 50? it's Rosanne's birthday too!

Rosanne is this little darling from Holland who turns 5 on the 20th, one day after my birthday. We decorated the common space at the hostel with balloons, paper chains, a sign and flowers and will be having a party for her in the afternoon on Tuesday. Here she is playing with Fiona, a very professional gardener from Australia.

more Navarro property

I liked this place - the lower part was accessible, had phone, spring water, electric, and two houses already there. For the type of retreat B&B place I would like to create, this has a lot of potential.

Navarro property

This past Sunday, I went out for a taxi ride with another American, Joe from Maine, with the idea of looking at properties together. It seemed that we had similar ideas about what we wanted, and discussed the possiblity of purchasing something together. I don't think that will happen, but it was a nice day, and we saw a couple of interesting things. This was 2 adjacent properties, about 20 minutes from Orosi, is private, in a small town, with some river and road frontage (a flat road and a steep driveway), and has about 2 to 3 manzanas (something like 4 acres) going up the hill. Here are the views from the top. I need to call about the asking price.

feliz cumpleanos

Here is the cake, which was made by a lovely local woman, Zoila. Not usually into cake, this one was good enough that I ate three pieces. It had lemon icing, chocolate and vanilla inside, and caramel (dulce de leche) between the layers. It says ""how old" above and "pity" below the image of "over the hill". Then, everyone sang to me, and I blew out the one candle. I contemplated buying 50 candles, but thought I'd never be able to blow them all out!

more party pics

Here is Adrian, dancing salsa with Margoth, and then mugging for the camera with me. Adrian, the life of the party type, took the guaro, and mixed it with the fruit juice cas (a little round green fruit with the texture of pear and a mild citrus flavor) to give all the newbies their first experience with guaro. Personally, I was baptized with it on my first trip, and won't touch the stuff again

the birthday party

OK, I admit it! I am now 50 years old! Its something I honestly throught I would never get to see! To celebrate the occasion, I decided to throw a party. Margoth (on the right) my former and unofficially continuing Spanish profesora and friend graciously hosted it in her house. I made some food, like guacamole and mango salsa, and bought a bunch of beers and the local firewater, guaro. Mostly attended by the guests at the hostel, there were also a few local Tico friends present. On my left is computer goddess Zully with her son Youssef, and the some of the group from the hostel, spanning at least 4 countries in this photo.

property and view

This farm was way up a hill, through coffee and trees, and had this little house, and the lovely view, The house would need complete re-working, and it had no electric and no phone. The road would have cost (estimating) about $25K to become someting useable with a NORMAL 4X4.

the wild goose chase

Luis, a guy the Eric knows in Grecia, wanted to take us to a property he knew about. He answered some questions, but maybe we didn't ask all the right ones. A few minutes outside of Grecia, up a hill, we turned off on a hellacious road, and that is using the word lightly. It was basically a farm track for coffee trucks. JoAnne admirably drove the vintage Land Rover through 4 wheel hell, and we all stayed upright. THis drive far surpassed anything I ever did in the spring mudville of West VIrginia years ago! This waterfall was at one lower corner of the property

the artisanias

Upstairs from the woodshop, there were a few woodwork artists working mostly by hand. One man was carving landscape designs on a chest, and this man was cutting and gluing small pieces into geometric designs for tables, chessboards, and trays. The work was well executed, and the smaller pieces were very affordable.

the woodshop

Adjacent to the oxcart section was a full woodshop that has been in existence since before Sarchi was incorporated as a town. This amazing mix of primitive and modern is run completely by its own water wheel from a small river by a complex overhead network of connecting belts and pulleys that power all the equipment, including an industrial drill press, bandsaws and lathes.

oxcarts

Traditionally used for hauling coffee and sugar cane out of the fincas (farms), decorated oxcarts are a Costa Rican tradition and something Ticos are nationalistic about. Sarchi, the town just north east of Grecia is the oxcart and woodworking capital of the country. We went to a factory where they manufacture and paint the oxcarts.

genetic engineering, sort of

One of the things they are doing in this facility is to breed heartier plants, more resistant to diseases, and more tolerant of different conditions. Talking with the with the manager, who also served as our guide, was a learning experience for me.
I got tp try to see things from the perspective of exporting plants overseas, and noticed where I had some judgement around non-native species, spraying and splicing. The upper photo is a seed pod from a tree which is not a native Central American plant.

these are the last plants for now

Probably only very few people I know are as enamored of plants and gardening as I am.

Probably only very few people I know are as enamored of plants and gardening as I am.

Maybe this is getting a little redundant and boring, but I just can't get over the variety and profusion of stuff that grows here!

fun in the garden

I keep thinking about how many different things there are here that grow that I have never seen before, and some things that we only know as houseplants do so much more here, for instance, I've never seen one of these flower before!

I saw this spiral pool, and instantly thought of a friend who loves spirals - Myan if you see this, and want the photo, let me know!

more strange plants

Bromeliads, passiflora (passionflower) and something related to haliconia..

exploring Sarchi's botanical garden

The Elsie Kientzer Botanical Garden is 7 hectares of over 2000 species of plants, collected by people that raise tropical plants for export in huge shaded greenhouses. A tour with the manager of the place that was supposed to take one hour took 2.

my Grecia family

Johanne and Eric are proprietors of the Grecia B&B, with another guest in the foreground, Caroline from England, and their son Cedric. Centrally located in Grecia, these folks offer tours, as well as their comfortable and generous home. I couldn't have asked for a better way to "plug in" to what's going on in this area.

the vagaries of real estate

There is an attitude about that the gringos will pay anything for the land, and while the rumors fly about the latest sale in an area, the Ticos are trying to test their luck by selling off the family holdings. I wonder how much of the country is owned by extranjeros (foreigners) at this point? Another of the killer views from up there in Berlin.

up in the boonies of Berlin

I went out again to look at some properties in a remote and high area outside of San Pedro, a small town called Berlin. Reminding me of places in W. Virginia and El Carmin, this small place had roads that would be a foot of mud in the wet season, and killer views of Puntarenas and the peninsula. Over two hours from the airport, and over an hour from a doctor or a hospital, I decided that it was not what I really wanted. Been there, done that.

the door to the dentist

I found a dentist to do a bridge. Less than a third of what it would cost in the states.
This is the door to her office. In Grecia. She has been recommended by an American here who has been seeing her.

cast your vote - should I get this one?

I am trying to find out what the downsides are on this...this is the view of the preserved land on the other side of the river, and another part of the property that was once pasture land and is suitable for building.

and then theres the river

The Poas RIver is the border for the property. You hear it all the time. At this time of year, right after wet season, it has some mini rapids that would be a major adrenaline rush in a kayak. It is located on paved road, with a bus that runs by 4 times/day, and is about 20 minutes from town. I don't know if it gets any better than this!