Chris' Blog: April 2006

Cerro Chirripo

It had been a goal of mine to hike Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica's tallest mountain, before I'd even gotten here. Last week the four of us, Jon, Tiffany, Sam, and myself, living in "Dona del Mar" (the name of our house) decided that we would begin on Monday, the 24th of April.

The first leg of the journey was just getting to the city of San Gerardo de Rivas. This is where the treailhead was. It took us nearly an entire day to get here by bus and get all of the park registration and reservations for the mountain-top hostel taken care of.

We awoke at 4am on the morning of the 25th and had breakfast before starting out on a grueling 14Km hike to the hostel at 11,000ft. We actually hit the trail at 5AM at an elevation of 4,987ft. We hiked through the morning, taking only a few breaks and finally reached the hostel at 11:30AM. We started the hike in tropical forest, hiking through beautiful and lush primary cloud-forest. We eventually hiked through secondary forest that had been growing since a forest-fire in 1992.

We rested for the rest of the day on the 25th, which worked out well since the mountains became socked-in with clouds and it rained for the remainder of the day.

We awoke again at 4AM on the 26th and began the summit hike at around 5AM. We summited by 6:30AM at 12,532 ft (3,820M) with perfect temperatures and clear skies. An awesome 360-degree vista was the reward.

After spending a little time at the summit, we began a 20km hike back to San Gerardo. We stopped at the hostel for brunch and eventually made it down the mountain by 2pm. We stopped at a local restaurant and had a celebratory beer and some lunch.

All in all, it was an awesome trip. We did more that 40Km of mountainous terrain with about 7,500 ft of elevation gain in two days. I've got tons of great pictures that I don't have time or space to post, but I'm sure I'll show them to everyone when I get home in May.

At 0km. We've got a long two days ahead of us.

We hiked through lush cloud-forest.

"The Last Step..." to the hostel. It's actually the last step before the real last step.

Hiking through some of the forest that had been burned in a fire in 1992.

This is the view of the summit of Cerro Chirripo on the way up. The very last leg of the journey up (although there is still another 20Km down).

12,500 ft. and great views! The temp. was in the 60's (perfect), and the skies were relatively clear.

Still Having Fun In the Sun

Indeed! Sometimes fun in the dark as well... last night we went to a fire-walking ceremony. Myself and my new roomates walked not once, but at least twice each, across about 20 feet of hot coals. After the hot walk, we were treated to a local dance club's demonstration of their wonderful moves. There was also a Capoeira exhibition, which is a Brazilian martial-art. I wish that I would´ve had my camera for all of this, but I didn´t this time.

These are my new roomates. Sam, on the left, and Tiffany and Jonathan.

There are a few things that I enjoy a great deal in this world. One of them is a good hard-shelled taco, and the other is of course a cute monkey. This squirrel monkey lives down the street from me. We play together sometimes.

I've been surfing every day, running nearly every day, and generally active. However, some days you just need to kick back with a good book.

Where Are You Living, Chris?

Right here! Below are some photos of the house that I've been living in. I've been there for a few weeks and will be for a few more. Nothing too fancy, but I love living on the beach. I wake up to the sound of the waves and go to bed to the sound of the waves. Also, the sunsets are spectacular!

The exterior.

The view from the back porch.

The interior.

Vacation Within a Vacation

Last week I decided that it might be a good idea to take a trip across the country. I'd read about a music festival in the town of Puerto Viejo, so I picked up and took off for the weekend.

It was quite the experience navigating the bus stations and different towns that I had to travel through. I had to use quite a bit of the spanish that I had learned in the previous three weeks. It was also very cool to see a big swath of the country, albeit in passing.

When I got to Puerto Viejo I checked-in at a travelor's lodge/hostel called "Rocking J's." I'd brought my hammock with, so they let me set it up for $4 a night. That included the use of showers and bathrooms, a kitchen, and the use of a place to lock my things up.

The band that was playing on the night that I went to the festival was "Sons de Tequicia." They were an excellent calypso band. However, they made me realize just how terrible most Americans really are at dancing. It made me decide that in the future I would learn how to merrengue or salsa dance.

Aside from the music, probably the best thing about the trip was the food. There is a very unique blend of tastes on the Carribean side of Cost Rica. There is of course the typical Costa Rican fare, with a heavy influence from the local Creole-speaking population. The best dish that I had was a whole red snapper smothered in what was called a "tropical salsa." I doubt that I will ever taste anything like it again. Especially not for $5 (that was also the most expensive meal that I had there).

That's about it for now. Check back again later this week for some postings on my new beach habitat.

The place that I stayed, called "Rocking J's."

Having a nice afternoon study session/siesta.

The calypso band that I saw in at Playa Chiquita, called "Son de Tequicia."

What else but a Carribean beach.

Hola mi familia y amigos!

Today I took a stroll along a white-sand Carribean beach and waded in some Carribean tidepools.

"But Chris, I thought you were on the Pacific. What's the deal?"

Well, yesterday I was on the Pacific. Today I'm not. I'll explain when I get back to Dominical. Right now I'm in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca enjoying the vibe. Tonight I'll be going to a local music festival.

Spanish Classes

I've been at the Adventure Education Center (AEC) now for two weeks. I feel that I've learned a lot of spanish so far. I signed up for classes again next week, although I won't be staying at the school any longer. This weekend I'll be moving into a house called "Dona del Mar," and will be staying there for April.

Besides spanish classes, AEC also offers tours and different activities aruond the area. One activity per week is included in the tuition. The first week I was at the school the activity was "Cowboy for a Day." On this tour I got to ride a horse through the jungle to a pristine beach and then ride along the beach. After that we milked a cow (and drank the milk) and roped a calf.

This past week, the activity was visiting a butterfly garden. It was one of the nicest butterfly gardens I've ever seen. It was very well kept and had a great variety of butterflies, or "mariposas" in spanish. After the garden, we drove to a nearby beach to go for a swim, eat fresh fruit, and watch the sun set. When we got back we went to "El Coco" for some traditional Costa Rican liquer called "Guaro" and some karaoke.

I've been having a great time so far. The surf has also been terrific and I'm catching more and more waves every day.

This is Guapo. Everyone in town knows this dog. He has no owner that I know of. He just meanders from place to place. "Guapo" is spanish for "handsome." Its not tough to see how he got the name.

This is my room. You can see my new (used) surfboard. It goes well with the "under the sea" theme of the room.

Last Tuesday we went to a butterfly garden. It was probably the best butterfly garden I've ever seen. It was south of Dominical near Uvita.

My current abode.

This is the kitchen and general hang-out area. There are also some classrooms on the second level.

These are the "classrooms." Its awesome to be able to see the birds and iguanas while learning spanish. Last week we had a toucan land in a tree right behind our cabina.