Doug with His Pet Toucan Dinner

Where did the month of January go?

Time is just flying by. This week our crew consisted of The Bowers from The Airport Yacht Club in Vancouver. We started our journeys by meeting up at a B&B owned by former AYC members; Lyle and Debbie. They own the B&B and a construction related company in San Jose.
We headed towards Volcan Poas following the snake like roads.
I had read up on the Volcano and was quite looking forward to seeing this active volcano.
Botos Lagoon is a filled-up crater in the Parque Nacional Volcan Poas. Its deep blue waters contrast with the dense tropical forest that surround it, making it the perfect spot for the stereotypical Indian sacrifice- throwing a young maiden into the mouth of a crater or a lagoon. Volcan Poas is one of the most visited volcanoes in Costa Rica, because of its proximity to San Jose and because of the luxuriant forest that surrounds the two craters. The park measures 5600 hectares, and this basaltic volcano stands at an altitude of 2708 meters (8,200 feet) above sea level.
We arrived with approximately 200 other tourists from around the world. What did we see? FOG The cloud had just rolled in and we could not see a thing. Not wanting to make this a wasted trip we opted for another tourist attraction in the vicinity. La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This facility is wonderful. The resort rests within the rainforest jungle.
An on-site laboratory is a breeding ground for the countless fluttering species of butterflies. It offers an interesting perspective into the stages of development of the most colorful species in Costa Rica. With over 4,000 of the flighty creatures in the observatory at any one time; one must be careful not to step on the butterflies taking their first steps.
The Hummingbird Garden attracts 24 different species of the birds, more species than any other in Costa Rica and quite possibly the world. Approximately 57 different hummingbirds have been reportedly seen in Costa Rica and it is possible to see over 40% of them here.
I found the snake and frog exhibits to be quite interesting. There are 30 exhibits of the most beautiful and deadly snakes of Costa Rica. The exhibition puts you face to face with such famous snakes as the Bushmaster, Terciopelo, Green Vinesnake, and Golden Eyelash Viper to name just a few. They also have one of the few Serpentariums in the world to host the colorful but venomous sea snake found off the Pacific Coast of Central America. (Yes Gerry the one you were up and personal to).

There are 137 Species of Snakes in Costa Rica. There are 22 Venomous Species in Costa Rica, mostly from the Viper family with a few Coral Snakes and the Sea Snake from the Elapid family. 92% of the Snakes in Costa Rica exist between sea level and 4,900 feet (1,500 meters) in altitude, primarily in the Tropical and Subtropical Forests. There are 15Species of Venomous Snakes on the Pacific side of the country.
This research is done for Gerry. (After the visit of course). Sea Snakes live in the waters off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica (not along the beaches). Although feared for their extremely potent neurotoxic venom, the Sea Snake has very limited ability to bite a human because of its small mouth and rear fangs. Even if one did manage to bite you, there is an 80% chance that this would be a “Dry” bite with no venom introduced.
The frog exhibit had an interpreter giving us information about the frogs. My Spanish is improving because I understood. There are about 190 species of frogs comprising the family Dendrobatidae and living in the rain forests of tropical Central and South America. These amphibians are distinctive owing to their small size (being no larger than 2 inches or 5cm), the majority for their brilliant and beautiful colors, and because some species possess specialized glands in the skin that produce some of the most toxic substances known in the animal kingdom. The function of the poison on their skin is strictly defensive in nature to discourage predators, and these frogs do not possess any type of organ or structure that allows them to inject or transmit the venom. However, this defensive venom would not be effective if it were not immediately recognizable to predators. Therefore, to display their venomous nature to predators these frogs have evolved brilliant color patterns.
We came close to the Toucans on our previous excursion, but not this close! I fed a Toucan while sitting on my arm. They were tame. The scarlet Macaws were quite beautiful.
We followed the hiking trails to the 3 sets of waterfalls. Breathe taking. It was several hours well spent.
The next few days we motored out into the sea again experiencing the Papagallos. We anchored in Bahia Tamarindo for 2 nights. Tamarindo caters to foreign tastes so one can find many different types of restaurants. People come here to surf. The swell and chop can make a dinghy landing exciting so Ken and Doug paid a local to take them into town.
Carlos explained that if we traveled early in the morning, close to shore for 20 miles we would be out of the Papagallo waves and so it was. We had a beautiful cruise to our next port Bahia Carillo.
Bahia Carrillo had long white sandy beaches. The water was a sparkling blue colour. You could see all the way to the bottom. It took Doug about 2 minutes to be in the water. The anchorage was a little rolly so our Mexican Train game was substituted with cards. The girls ruled!
Bahia Ballena was our next destination. This was one of the most tranquil bays we have been in since the Sea of Cortes. It is well protected. We were able to get the sea kayaks wet, something not done since Alanna was with us.
Our week with Doug and Brenda was drawing to an end and we had to get them to a shore that they could catch a bus back to San Jose to get to their flight. Puntarenas would be that shore.
Puntarenas was once a busy commercial port, but now the large pier is used by cruise ships. The locals are trying to get the tourist dollars here. The area is still a fishing community. We were told that this year being an El Nino year, the fishing is not so good.
We arrived here at low tide and had to wait two hours before we could venture up the estuary. This estuary has several rivers dumping into it. It resembles the Fraser River in many ways; muddy and a working river being 2 of the main comparisons.
We said farewell to Brenda and Doug. They added to the memories we will have of this trip and we hope they enjoyed themselves!
We will be here for a couple of days reprovisioning, continuing our National Zarpe and doing much needed boat chores.
We will be heading south towards Golfito where we will pick up our next guests. The Looks.

Toucan Wild Boars

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world; Costa Rica boasts only 0.03% of the earth's total land mass. It is home to more than 500,000 animal species, which represent an incredible 4% of the world's total.
In comparison to their neighbours, they are not poor, illiterate or beleaguered by political instability. They enjoy the highest standard of living of the Central American countries. Primary education is free and compulsory, and a nationwide system provides free health care. Like all free healthcare systems, it is overburdened.
Costa Rica’s National Park system began in the 1960’s and today there are 35 parks covering 15% of the country.
Costa Rica used to be known principally as a producer of bananas and coffee. Even though coffee, bananas, pineapples, sugar, wood products and beef are still important exports, in recent times electronics, pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development, and ecotourism have become the prime industries in Costa Rica's economy.
We left Playa del Coco and steered Genesis to Marina Papagayo so we could begin a tour inland.
We rented a car and off we went to see waterfalls, fumaroles, tepid springs, steaming mud pits, and volcanoes in Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja.
The park is reached by poor roads and we managed to take the backside road. This however proved to be an education opportunity. The road looked like we were traveling through a natural limestone area. We later found out that this area was actually the result of a volcano explosion in Nicaragua 1000’s of years ago and we were actually traveling on volcanic ash. The area around was not fertile and looked like a bomb had hit.
We arrived at the east end of the park which was not where we wanted to be and the road that cut through the park has now been closed by the owner, changing our plans drastically. We decided to have lunch at the Rinconcito Lodge. www.rinconcitolodge.com
Rinconcito Lodge is set in the middle of beautifully landscapes grounds, close to rainforests and mountainous terrain. Rinconcito Lodge, once lush farm land, is now an ecotourism site. The cabins are attractive and rustic. The scenery awesome. Some farm activities still take place at

the Lodge and the animals are part of the adventure

at this venue. The staff bent over backwards to make our stay memorable.
After lunch we were off on a 6 km. hike to the hot springs which was very refreshing. We wandered along to see a waterfall but chose not to climb down under it as it could be an accident waiting to happen with me sometimes being a klutz. The hike overall was quite enjoyable as we had not done any hiking in quite sometime. It was not a difficult hike, fairly flat. What became the biggest thrill was a herd of Wild Boars that had come to the river to drink. We managed to get a few pictures before they were scared off. Luckily they ran away not towards us. The guide said that it was the first time he had seen the boars.
Our next thrill was to see a Toucan. He is living in the wild but at a home. He had been injured and fixed up by this family and when released decided he wanted to stay. He stays his distance but does not fly away when you want to take his picture.
The following day we headed towards Parque Nacional Volcan Poas. This took us through the central valley and highlands. The country is trying to go green with its energy wind farms appearing in the very windy mountains. We went higher and higher into the mountain range. Costa Rica has six active volcanoes and over 100 volcanic craters scattered throughout the country. Volcan Poas is one of the active volcanoes and it is reached by travelling 37km on a very winding road. The views were remarkable. Unfortunately it was late in the afternoon when we finally reached our destination and the cloud coverage would not allow us to see anything, so down the hill we went to get a hotel room close to the airport. This adventure will have to be made on a different day.
The following morning before we took Janet and Gerry to the airport we visited The Butterfly Farm.
This one hour informative tour was extremely interesting. Costa Rica has over 13,000 species of butterflies and moths. We were informed that each species has its own host tree and vegetation that it uses to provide it with the necessities of its life.
We went through the stages of a butterfly. Witnessing butterflies taking their first steps. I would recommend that if you are ever near a butterfly farm go and see what happens at these farms. Costa Rica exports its butterflies all over the world.
Well we said goodbye to Janet and Gerry, and today will pick up our next guests The Bowers from Vancouver.

The Hot Springs

Unofficially in Costa Rica
We have now been in Costa Rica for 9 days and yet to have full tourist status.
Since beginning this journey, we have followed the wisdom of those that have gone before us. We have found that guide books are just GUIDES. It is the opinion of the authors at the time they visited the area, if they even visited the area. Boaters also have their opinions based on their own experiences. Sometimes you are told to skip a bay because our fellow boater found it too bumpy; too buggy etc, only to find when you get there it is one of the best bays you have visited. Ken and I have decided along time ago that we will make our own evaluations, and keep an open mind.
The first week was spent in Bahia Santa Elena. In the guide books this bay is described as the most beautiful bay in Costa Rica. The bay is well protected from the winds. The natural scenery and wildlife are the reasons people visit here. You can hear the Howler monkeys, see whales, scarlet macaws etc, etc. Well we heard the HOWLING winds. For 7 days we were boat bound. We sustained winds of 20 – 35 knots with gusts 50 and occasionally 60 knots. Luckily there was no fetch so the waves were just wavelets. It did sound like a freight train running through the boat at times. It was a weird sensation, you first heard the winds coming through the jungle hitting the water then reaching the boat. It came in gusts, not a constant wind. The only damage was some stitching on the bimini zippers that will have to be fixed when we find a canvas guy in our travels.
Time was passed by the crew sleeping and playing Mexican Train. The boat became cramped with the time having to be spent inside due to the strong winds. We all came out of it unscaved. Still talking to each other.
We anticipated the weather to be bad as we went around Cape Santa Elena however I think someone above maybe thought we had enough wind for awhile. The seas were tranquil and wonderful.
We are now anchored in Playa del Coco (Coconut Beach) which is the bay on the outside of Bahia Culebra (Bay of Snakes). This bay is rightfully named. Sea snakes there are and I am not going swimming off the boat here. Watching them from the boat is as close as I want to get to them.
We are being ferried by panga into the beach by a family that has managed to keep their home on the beach not giving in to tourism.
We arrived on Friday at 1400 hrs. We quickly changed into our Sunday best so we could make our mandatory visit to the Port Captain; only to find out that we could not get the Customs out the same day and as it was a weekend they would be closed. This would change our check in procedures slightly. We went to immigration and checked in receiving the much needed paper to ensure we won’t get arrested. On Monday a trip by bus into Liberia to report to customs, then return to the Port Captains office with the paper work from customs and immigration will have to be made. We are allowed to go into the land but we are not to take the boat out of the bay.
Playa del Coco is a beautiful horseshoe shaped beach with steep hills and impressive cliffs dotted with upscale resorts. We have met many Canadian here. We find it rather ironic that people of Central America think all Canadians speak French because of the strong Quebec presence here. We are doing our best to set things straight. The fact is that there are more Chinese. East Indians, etc. than French in our country.
We will be moving to the marina on Tuesday so that we can travel inland to visit the jungle and see how the people of this country live, not how the tourists recreate.

ERROR of Judgement

We spent a wonderful month in Nicaragua and KNOW we will be back. The people again make this country. They are a proud people and have to work very hard just for survival. A very large portion of the population is not educated thanks to the wars from the 70's until the 90's. There is now free education for the country and hopefully this will help them realize their full potential. Let's hope other countries STAY OUT of their politics and let them do what is best for them, if they want to help let it be through programs with no political strings attached. We actually went to look at some property while here and who knows the potential to help teach English, fire department work and orphanages are all possibilities in the future. We had the privilege to meet one of the sons, whose family owns most things in Nicaragua. He is a very down to earth person. We talk to him about things within the country that are in need of volunteers, it would be an honour to help. Who knows, we still have much travelling to do.
We would like to thank Robert and his wonderful staff at Puesta del Sol for a month we will never forget.
We checked our sources for weather and determined Fri was the day to leave as the Papagayo winds were picking up Saturday and Sunday.
Papagayo winds are unusually gusty and they can turn on and off in an instant. In the sailing directions they are referred to as the dangerous north winds known locally as Norteros. They are gap winds. Predicting the Papagayos usually isn't difficult, although they can start up earlier than expected. The winds are generated by the high pressure system sitting in the Caribbean. At the same time the Tehuantepec is usually also blowing hard.
As we traveled south the winds began to pick up, we moved closer inland to within 1 - 1 ½ miles. We decided with a short weather window we would go straight to Bahia Santa Elena, Costa Rica in 24 hrs with no stopping.
Closer to the land the winds were still there but the waves were almost non existent. Gerry had caught a bug and was not feeling great so we sedated him. He slept pretty much the whole day and night.
The winds were now picking up with gusts from 15 - 25 knots. We changed our cruising plans to follow the shore. As night came on we got into our three hour shifts and started to have 30 - 45 knot winds. The papagayo winds are very strange. There will be 5 minutes with no wind then all of a sudden a 30 -60 sec gust of wind. Close to shore I am still surprised at how little wave action there was, making for a comfortable ride just noisy and cool.
There was no moon again so spotting the hundreds of fishermen was quite a challenge. During one of Ken's shifts he went over a net but it did not get caught in the props. However, the biggest challenge was travelling outside the 2 mile range to be out of the fishermen's way. Waves were much larger as you ventured out; needless to say we tried very hard to stay within the close range of shore, only venturing out for rocks, reefs and the odd fishing net. The gusts were happening more frequently and at higher knots; as we approached San Jan del Sur the waves now where a bit choppy. 0500 hr both Ken and I were navigating the water and analyzing the waves. At 0600 hr they started to calm down and that is when I made the decision that the seas were now flat and it was only 2 hrs until we would be in Santa Elena crossing Bahia de Salinas. ERROR, ERROR, ERROR
All the books and guides say if there is a Papagayo blowing hug the shore and follow into Bahia de Salinas DO NOT cross the bay. Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We scared the crew! Baptism by fire; Gerry will have something to talk about for some time.
The waves started out benign increasing instantly (no return point) to Easterly 45 knots 10 foot on 5 seconds. The swell was Southerly 6 - 8 feet on 10 seconds. You boaters know what that means. CRAP. Those non boaters, not a place you want to be.
We arrived to Bahia Santa Elena in Costa Rica. It is a beautiful bay inside a National Park. It is protected from most directions of wind. You receive the gusts but there is no swell or waves making it a very safe and comfortable anchorage to wait out the storm. It is a bit windy but that just cools things down somewhat. It is looking like we will be here for almost a week. Time to relax.
This is being sent over the SSB radio. I will change the format when I have internet.

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Cathedral in Leon

What One Can Do in a Week

We had to take Alanna back to Managua to catch her flight but we had not finished exploring yet. How much can you fit into 10 days including having a family Christmas?
When we visited Granada we had been told that Leon was a must see; as it was the opposite in pretty much everything. Granada has the conservative, Leon the liberal.
These two cities have been opposed to each other since the beginning, sharing the title of Country Capital until it was moved to the present day Managua.
The city of León is located about 100 km from Managua and can be easily reached by the new highway. The City of Leon was originally founded by the Spanish in 1524. This city however, was threatened by the erupting Momotombo volcano in 1610 and its citizens decided to leave, to the location where it is today.
León was already a well-established city when it was attacked by pirates in 1685. The cathedral, a school, a hospital, and several churches and colonial houses were burned to ashes. The pirates left a ruined city behind them.
The Sandinista-movement was started in the area; which emerged mostly from the students who studied at the University of León. It is one of the first universities in Central America. There are still many related museums and monuments to be found in the city.
We stayed at a beautiful hotel on the main highway. Unfortunately our view of Leon was not favourable. We found the city to be very dirty and run down compared to most places we have visited. It is still worth checking out. There are many activities to pursue involving the volcano area like snowboarding, hot springs and much more but we didn’t have the time as we had to carry on to Managua.
We returned to the same hotel in Managua New Year’s Eve. Alanna wanted to do a little shopping for art or something for her new apartment from Nicaragua. We read that Masaya had a very large Artisan Market so off we went by taxi.
Masaya and its historical neighborhood Monimbó were the center of the most important indigenous tribe, the Dirianes. During the colonization, the Spanish founded a small village on these fertile lands. This village became more and more important as time went by and in 1839 it received the status of City of Masaya. The differences between the two cultures resulted in a colored and friendly city, where there are still strong expressions of traditions.
One of the most interesting attractions in the city of Masaya itself is the old cultural market. This market houses a variety of little shops where artisans, furniture, shoes, hammocks, clothes, musical instruments, and many other types of products are sold. This is a perfect place to get some Nicaraguan souvenirs. The market is housed in the original Mercado building from the 1500’s.
I now have a couple more pieces for the boat as well.
We wanted to take Alanna to a restaurant we had found within walking distance for New Years Eve. NOTHING was open. We hailed a taxi and drove all around Managua. We finally found an open restaurant which proved to be beautiful and very expensive. I would imagine the clientele would be the politicians or the very influential.
The saying “New Years Came in With a Bang” must have been invented here in Nicaragua as at precisely midnight for one hour I thought we were in the middle of a civil war. The whole city was celebrating with a bang. Fireworks everywhere.
The following morning we took Alanna to the airport and bid her farewell and welcomed our next guests. Janet and Gerry, our sister and brother in law from Pitt Meadows (Vancouver) will be staying with us for 3 weeks traveling inland and cruising to Costa Rica.
Our first destination would be to take them to Masaya as we had been quite impressed. It would be a good way to introduce them into the Central American lifestyle without to much of a shock. That evening we decided to give the government a bit of our money in the form of gambling. We found a clean casino and played the typical American slot machines. The difference however was that the quarter slots cost more like a penny. We played for hours only spending about $20.00.
We returned to the boat but for only a night and to ditch the suitcases and to repack lighter to head up North into the mountainous region just south of Honduras. This area is much cooler than the Coastal lowlands.
We started the ride by catching the chicken bus. I think a record of how many on one bus could have been broken. We then took a collective van made for 17 with 21 to the town of Leon where we were to catch another express bus only to find out there wasn’t one, so we rented a taxi.
Matagalpa is the coffee capital of Nicaragua. It is 682m above sea level. It is surrounded by mountains and is a bustling prospering town. The Germans came here many years ago and its influences are still apparent. It is not uncommon to see Nicaraguans with blonde like hair.
Matagalpa makes a good destination to go explore the coffee fincas (farms) and cocao farms.
Most local plantation owners on Nicaragua run cooperatives that pay them for their yield. The village we visited had a population of 285 persons with 25 homes.
Coffee season runs from October to January sometimes until February. The other months the cooperatives plant corn, beans, and other sustainable crops.
The coffee is usually wet-milled at the farm and dried on patios down to 12-13% moisture content and deliver it to the mill wet. The further drying takes place at a central mill. These mills were in the city of Matagalpa and the surrounding area. Farmers on Nicaragua property have learnt that care and attention to detail will produce better coffee. Since 2000, the quality of coffee produced on Nicaragua property and farms is judged at the annual Cup of Excellence contest held in partnership with Asociacion Cafes Especiales de Nicaragua.
The coffees in Nicaragua have a sweet flavor and rich aroma and the contest helps to identify the best coffee produced in the country and make these available to top specialty roasters worldwide. The unique top quality coffee beans selected as the top ten winners are auctioned to the highest bidder at significant premiums. Buyers from the United States, Europe and Japan bid on the top coffees.

Inside of a Cocao Bean

Another cash crop that this particular cooperative yields is the cocoa plants. Chocolate is now demanding $3800/ton for the beans. I was quite surprise to see how cocoa grows.
To the Aztec people cocoa was a spiritual product that brought them wisdom and strength. To the people now living in the area it is a new crop that could help in a better lifestyle.
We visited a chocolate factory in Matagalpa called the El Castillo del Cocao. It makes the best chocolate in Nicaragua using organic cacao harvested just two hours away from the small factory. Roasted and processed in a traditional manner, they mix the fine cacao with sugar, a variety of nuts and dried fruits to make an excellent selection of Bonbons and Chocolate Bars. As an environmentally conscious business they aim for 100% organic ingredients and international certification of authenticity for all their products. This was a very interesting and informative tour.
The trip back to the boat started at 0515 in the morning. First was a taxi to the bus station, then a chicken bus to Leon (not crowded), a bicycle taxi, another chicken bus (complete with flat tire) then another taxi. We arrived at the boat at 1230. Not bad for the distance we travelled.
We are busy getting the boat and ourselves ready for the next phase. Moving on to Costa Rica. The Papagallo winds are still blowing, but tomorrow seems like the best time to leave. The next blog will be through sailmail as we hope to be anchored in a nice quiet bay.
Toto fortify them on military campaigns.