Costa Rica Travels, Part 2, Alajuela to Cahuita

We had been told by  people at Chez Pierre Ville, the hostel across the street from where we stayed,   that the wet season was about to start soon along the Caribbean Coast (which we later found not to be true).  So we decided to go there right away before the weather deteriorated.  We were also told that it was wise to make reservations as it was the busy season on the Caribbean Coast.  We decided against making reservations.

To see map showing travel in this portion of the trip, click here.  The route followed in this portion of the trip is followed with a green line and yellow balloons at significant junctions.  Previously traveled route is indicated by a black line.


The stay in Alejuala was a rest stop for us after the tiring flight and time zone change.  The side trip to Volcan Poas gave us a chance to walk a little and start to get a feel for the new surroundings.  Before leaving for our next destination, Cahuita on the Caribbean coast, we had breakfast at our Hotel Mi Tierra.  It was a typical Costa Rican breakfast:  Gallo Pinto, omelet and bread plus good Costa Rican coffee.  Gallo Pinto (literally Spotted Rooster) is cooked small red beans mixed with rice.  Usually the mixture is gently stir fried and can be very good, or greasy, or too salty depending on preparer.  Nearly all Costa Ricans have this for breakfast and sometimes for lunch.  The red beans are excellent and sometimes Bob would order some as a separate dish.  Venezuelans prefer black beans in their diet and are buying a lot of Costa Rica land and are converting  red bean culture to black bean culture for export. The Costa Rican people are afraid of losing their traditional red beans.

A taxi took us from Alajuela to San Jose's Gran Terminal del Caribe  where a bus from Mepe company was to take us to Cahuita.  However, Lonely Planet (LP) guide book was wrong as the Mepe buses had changed terminals and it was necessary to take another taxi to the North terminal.  The next bus was full and we had to wait until 12 pm  to take the following  bus.  Lots of people were milling around this terminal.  A small restaurant at the end of the station looked clean and the food was good.  We got back to our routine while in the tropics of having fresh tropical fruit drinks at this restaurant.

The bus arrived and we were glad we had gotten tickets in advance as several people were turned away and were not happy as the next bus departed 4 hours later.  The cost was about 4000 Colons/person.  The Costa Rican Colon exchange rate hovered about 500 Colons to the dollar.  Most hotels and restaurants quote in American dollars.  Apparently many of the tourists are American and bring dollars with them.

The route was pretty for quite a distance traveling through rolling hills with many fincas (ranches) along the route.  Then the road quickly lost elevation and it got hotter as we started to enter the low lands.  Black volcanic boulders were strewn in fields.  Soon small oil pipe lines could be seen on the north side of the road.  By the time we approached the Caribbean coast, 5 pipelines bordered the route  - attached were signs warning of fire and/or explosion danger.  The route crossed numerous rivers usually lined with black volcanic boulders but a few rivers contained granite boulders.  The route takes an out of the way northern loop to avoid mountainous country.   The low lands are covered with tropical vegetation with small villages along the route and passes through Guapiles and then Squirreres before arriving at Limon on the Caribbean coast.  From Limon the bus continued on to Cahuita.  We were starting to worry a little about not having reservations as it was getting late.  One must keep in mind that, in the tropics,the sun rises about 6 am and sets about 6 pm.  The sun does not linger near the horizon like in northern latitudes and it gets dark very fast.  We never relish looking for guest houses in the dark.  Several Americans on the bus heard us talking and offered some suggestions.  They were retired and living permanently in Costa Rica.  They were very nice and helpful and called a friend who knew some hotel operators in Cahuita.  One was not full and they reserved a room for us and told us how to find the place.

The bus turned into a small bus stop without ticket office.  A very small shopping center was located at the terminal.  Like the bus lot, most of the streets in Cahuita were unpaved composed of dirt, rocks and mud puddles.  It had rained there recently.  This is a very wet part of Costa Rica and Cahuita averages 3.3 meters of rain a year.  Some nearby mountainous areas can get up to 6 meters of rain a year.

We found the landmark the Americans had told us to look for and found the man they had contacted.  He too was American and had visited the area once and never left.  He was sitting in a rocking chair watching 4 black friends playing an animated game of dominoes and drinking beer.  He told us how to find Cabinas Smith where we signed up for a room.  The room was clean and comfortable with bathroom and out side a porch running alongside other rooms.  Cost about 12,000 Colons/night for a double.

Cahuita seemed touristy but with a isolated pleasant quietness.  That night we went to Restaurant  Caribbean Flavor and had excellent meals of local fish and camerones (prawns) with Reggae music in background.  The black lady who served us was very pleasant and worked with a woman cook in back and helped the cook prepare meals.  They chattered in English and Creole.

 Next morning we headed to Parque Nacional Cahuita a short walking distance from the cabinas.  This park is the only National Park in Costa Rica that is free.  The people of the local area had protested that they had used the Park area for fishing and swimming for centuries and did not want a fee system in place.

We had not walked very long when we saw a greenish-looking snake curled up under a leaf.  A group of people came by and their guide identified the snake as an eyelash

Eyelash Pit Viper

pit  viper.  This venomous snake can attain up to 1.5 m in length.  A couple of tourists came by and started to tease it with a stick.  I suggested they might not want to do this as it was a pit viper which can sense heat, infrared, and is likely to strike warm objects - like their hand or a balloon full of warm water.

A bit further along we saw Iguanas and monkeys in the trees.  The male Iguana is characterized by having a row of long spikes on its back. This ferocious looking creature is usually seen in the forest canopy where it browses on leaves and fruit.  Occasionally Iguanas will be seen on 

Male Green Iguana

quiet, isolated roads  basking in the sun.  They can run for safety with amazing bursts of speed.   They range in sizes up to 2 meters long and can weigh as much as 8 kilos.  A docile creature, they often are kept as pets and also are sought for their meat by local populations.  The trail followed along the Caribbean sea and the surf was running quite strong.  As we continued along, the trail approached a jungle river.  It was possible to cross there but we went no further.  Romaine swam in a quieter section of beach that had green flags in place.  Many other areas had red flags and you could see undertows cutting the surf.

Jungle River Cutting Across Trail;

Returning back to the town we stopped at a hotel-bar that just bordering the Parque.  We sat there sipping a cold beer and watched life flowing by.  There was a river entering the sea  which was only about 30 cm deep.  Village children of all ages played there with older children keeping an eye on tiny toddlers.  They chased each other and would run back and forth under the foot bridge placed there for the coastal trail.  It was a very pleasant scene and it was understandable why the people did not want a fee system in place.  It was their park and their river.

Heavy Surf with Undertow

We wandered around town and took in the area watching people live their lives, playing, talking and taking children for a stroll on a sunny  afternoon.

 We certainly appreciated the more isolated feel of the area compared to those overrun with tourists seeking thrills and bars over nature. 

As mentioned above, this time of the year is far from being the "rainy season" as we had been told in Alejuala although one must expect to see rain if they spend much time there.  Data shows that February and March are relatively dry with average rainfall of about 200 mm each month.  However, from where we come from that is a lot of water, about 1/3 of our normal annual rainfall.  This is a tropical rain forest area and some months the average rainfall can be up to one half

Sunny Afternoon Stroll

meter.

That afternoon we spent time talking with a few others who were staying at the cabanas.  One man, an American liked the area so much he comes back every year.  He probably is on limited budget as he used the kitchen facilities provided clients to prepare his meals.  People seem to fall in love with the area rather easily.  Probably the slow pace of live is part of the attraction.

That evening we wanted to try a meal at Miss Edith's restaurant.  The restaurant is well known for Caribbean specialties.  Miss Edith, her sister and one helper run the restaurant.  The term Miss does not necessarily mean she is single, rather it is often used as a title of respect and is indigenous to the culture of the region.  In this area, the people speak English and Creole.  Most are black like Miss Edith having descended from Jamaican immigrants brought in to work on banana plantations. 

Gecko Looking for a Meal at Miss Edith's

Romaine ordered Red Snapper and Bob had Camarones, toujours.  While we waited, we watched a Gecko working around the light fixtures waiting for its meal of flying things. The Geckos here are smaller than those in SE Asia and they do not seem to make a sound that sounds like the word Gecko as the SE Asian ones do. Then it started to rain hard.  We had brought rain parkas as a precaution.

Red Snapper at Miss Edith's

It started to rain even harder and leaks started to appear in the recently installed ceiling and near the open windows.  Several people arrived in 4-wheel drives and then a pair of backpackers who leaned their pack against a wall to get it out of peoples way.  Miss Edith was not pleased and had them move it.  Dinner arrived, and it was beautifully served.  Romaine was very happy with the Red Snapper and the camarones were good but in small quantity.  We had arrived just early enough because others had to wait for some time for their dinners.

The rain let up somewhat just as we left.  Of course it was warm even though it was dark, it is the tropics after all.  Wandering around rain puddles, we made our way home.  There were some street lights and a hand torch filled in when there were not.

Now it was time to think about moving on.  Parque National Tortuguero was our next destination.  It is an area renowned for its nesting marine turtles.  It was not the season for nesting turtles but the area is abundant with other wildlife that we wished to see.