Day 17. Thursday April 28. Finding Your Tribe

Distance = 30 km (18 miles)

I didn’t learn my lesson and so I had to put on wet clothes again. It was a long day, but after a walk in our last Costa Rican jungle, the rest of the day was along the marshy flatland that follows the Naranjo River.  We had to cross the river in a few places but we are old hands at that now. The rest of the afternoon was a long walk-through miles and miles of date palm plantations with their symmetric rows.

Walking

And walking (Credit Urritrek)

We clean out the ice cream at a local store (Credit Angie S.)

Journey’s end. Arrival at Quepos on the Pacific Ocean (Credit Urritrek)

Toward the end of the plantations, we all put on a UrriTrek T-shirt commemorating the completion of the Camino de Costa Rica and we walked out onto the road into Quepos. Right away, from the traffic and signs in English, you could tell that you were in a tourist area. We said goodbye to Geovanni, and walked the final few km into Quepos where we did the obligatory photo in front of the town sign and ate lunch. After lunch we signed the Camino register for official walkers who complete the walk. We are all feeling pretty good. Got a ride to a fancy tourist hotel with hot water and air conditioning!

The farewell dinner was at El Avion restaurant whose bar is made from the fuselage of the downed plane that ignited the Iran-Contra affair in the 80’s. At dinner I said a few heartfelt words to everyone in our walking group. Angie, Brenda, Debra, Kevin, Kit, Patricia, Peggy, Sharron, Sue, and Tony, and our guides Geovanni and Juancho. I am going to miss everyone. Thank you for letting me come on this grand adventure with you.

¡Pura Vida!

The End. Feet in the Pacific Ocean

The finish of El Camino de Costa Rica. 280 km

Day 16. Wednesday April 27. Naranjillo to Esquipulas

Distance = 16 km (9.6 miles)

Nothing dries overnight in this climate, so I put on my wet clothes and started walking. We made it to the Esquipulas Rainforest where we selected our tents, cleaned up and washed some clothes. We shared the place with a group from the World Bank, who are section hiking the Camino. Birding is popular, and we saw many yellow and black macaws while sitting in the dining area. Several of us walked over to the nearby Naranjillo waterfall.

Unconventional clothes washing at the Naranjillo waterfall (Credit Kit Parks)

Our third and final tent city

After dinner, when it had gotten dark, we all put on our headlamps and went froggin’. We’ve been seeing and hearing frogs all through Costa Rica but this was something else. Here is a collection of frog photos taken that night and other days by Juancho’s superior camera. Among others there is a Blue Jean dart frog, a poisonous Black and Green Dart frog and some Red-Eyed frogs (with their eyes closed).

Day 15. Tuesday April 26th. Black holes (Esperanza to Naranjillo)

Distance = 19 km (11.4 miles)

While driving to the trailhead, I gave everyone a short lecture on black holes…because, why not? Lots of downhill walking today as we take winding dirt roads and start to leave the coffee plantations. We got our first view of the Pacific Ocean this morning!

For lunch we stopped in at Rancho Turistico Mirador Buena Vista Tarrazú a nearly inaccessible no-frills restaurant that serves great food and has a tree house-like view of the town of Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park. Imagine that you are walking in France in the middle of nowhere and you come across a one-star Michelin restaurant. That is what it felt like.

Entrance to Rancho Turistico Mirador Buena Vista Tarrazú

An adventure podcaster in her element, consuming her favorite beverage

After lunch we took a detour along a narrow jungle path back to the road that took us down into the small town of Naranjillo. This small community runs a sheltered tent area where the women of the village cook meals on a wood stove for tired hikers. I had to pinch myself. I felt really privileged to be taken in and looked after by these people. There was no internet so we had our cold showers, washed some clothes, played cards and drank wine and agua dulce until dinner. Sleep comes with the now familiar sound of rain tapping rhythmically on a tin roof.

Taking a shortcut through the jungle (Credit=UrriTrek)

The small town of Naranjillo

Day 14. Monday April 25. Uno Dos Tres… (San Pablo to La Esperanza)

Distance = 16 km (9.6 miles)

It was a long, hard day yesterday so some of the group elected to take today off. Juancho says this is his least favorite day: too many coffee plantations. I liked it. I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee on this trip. I’m no expert, but it is darn good coffee. Drinking coffee is not something I do at home, but I promised myself (and my friends John and Jan) that I would and so I am. I think we are walking today within the Los Santos Zone where some of the best coffee in Costa Rica is grown. Walking along the ridges looking down and through the fields, you get a sense of how important coffee must be for the local economy. The coffee is picked by immigrant labor. Low pay and harsh conditions. Families from Nicaragua live adjacent to the fields in small huts housing 15-20 people.

Coffee plant (left) and hiker

The picked coffee is sorted and stored for later shipping

On-site housing for pickers and their families

Coffee plantations as far as the eye can see

Before lunch we had a brutal uphill to the small town of La Esperanza. A bit further on, and without warning, Juancho turned and started walking along a narrow path into the jungle. We followed him up a hill through gorgeous scenery for about 10 minutes where we arrived at Finca Lirios, a family-run eco lodge set up for hikers. I could never discover this place on my own in 100 years. We had a great lunch and a good rest before trudging to our pickup spot in hard rain.

The others were waiting for us back at the hotel with beer and wine. I had more than usual, ostensibly to prepare for the dance lessons that evening. It didn’t help. My feet didn’t want to keep beat for the salsa. Uno Dos Tres…Cinco Seis Siete. What about Cuatro? Why is there no Cuatro? I was marginally better at the Scottish dance, thanks only to my partner.  Oh well. Stay open to new things and try again.

Day 13. Sunday April 24. The Gas Station at the Top of the World

Distance=24 km (14.4 miles)

We crossed the continental divide today – a gas station at 2035 m (6680 ft).  From here it is all downhill to the Pacific! The first half of the day was road walking and there were lots of Sunday drivers out. Not fun. After a bit we found ourselves walking on dirt roads along a high ridge looking down into coffee plantations that descended into our first coniferous forest. Really lovely.

The people we meet in person or driving have been really nice. There are not that many hikers walking around these rural communities and so we are a bit of a curiosity. Many don’t seem to realize that the Camino exists. We talked to an expat American who had a Camino section marker outside the driveway to his house and he was not aware of what it was. People who recognize us as Camino hikers seem really happy to see us in their communities. They honk their horn, wave and say hello, or offer encouragement as they pass by us. The proprietors of the local restaurants all seem to want a group photo of us.  It is nice to think that our walk may be having a positive impact on these rural communities.

Lunch was at a bar and restaurant outside of San Pablo where we had a few beers and delayed finishing as long as possible to avoid the rain. We trudged downhill in the rain to Hotel Palenque Tarrazu, where we dried off, cleaned up and played cards before dinner and an early bedtime.

To mark the return of the rain, here are some photos of mushrooms and lichen. The best ones were taken by Juancho, the rest by me.

Day 12. Saturday April 23. Dancing Queen (Palo Verde to Empalme)

Distance = 16 km (9.6 miles)

At breakfast we had two special visitors. Andres of UrriTrek and Conchita of Asociacion Mar a Mar. It was a real honor to meet and talk to two people so dedicated to promoting El Camino de Costa Rica. We sang happy birthday to one our hikers who turned 60 today.

Even birthday girls have to do breakfast-and-a-hill

We are up high in the clouds today

We climbed into the clouds today. Hills, hills and more hills. All shrouded in fog. We walked on mostly dirt roads through cultivated fields of coffee, raspberries and passion fruit. Near the top, we stopped at Mi Refugio, a farm that specializes in hydrangea flowers and eucalyptus leaves for the wedding market. They played Abba’s Dancing Queen as we walked through the greenhouse to our coffee and fruit snack. Let me just say that there are some impressive dancers in our group!

From there we walked to the Pan-American highway, where we had lunch at a coffee shop, and then walked downhill in the light rain along the busy road to Cabinas Turisticas Cerro Alto, where we spent the night. The meals were delivered directly to our cabins as the restaurant had recently burned down. Looking back at the cabins, perched on the hill, through the fog and light rain was kind of spooky. Adding to this Hitchcock-like atmosphere, a tiny bird with a crown of feathers on the top of its head kept throwing itself at my window trying to get in.

Hydrangea flower. Sunhat for scale

Arriving at our place for the night

Day 11. Friday April 22. An ache in the hips (Navarro Muneco to Palo Verde)

Distance = 13 km (7.8 miles)

This day had a little bit of everything. We had a superb breakfast at Orosi Lodge. Travel and Leisure magazine had called it one of the best breakfasts in Costa Rica and I agree. After returning to the trailhead, we walked into a private reserve called the Palo Verde Cloud Forest.  This narrow trail through deciduous forest at around 1750 m (5740 ft) overflows with plants and animals and was a joy to walk through. I think this may have been my favorite walk in the entire Camino as it captures wild Costa Rica better than anyplace else.

We’ve seen a lot of birds, insects and mammals on this trip – thanks in large part to our guides. All four species of Costa Rican monkeys (Squirrel, Howler, Spider and White-throated Capuchin), sloths, all varieties of birds, lizards, spiders, etc. Today we even saw the track of an ocelot or Yaguarundí. However, I don’t have many good photos. My camera was not up to the job, and on a long walk, the idea of carrying anything larger than an iPhone did not appeal. So instead, just close your eyes and imagine the sights and sounds of the jungle.

We arrived at Verdesana Forest Lodge and after a great lunch, we retreated to our cabins to clean up and rest. The clear and sunny good weather for the last several days, looks to have come to an end. I watched the downpour safely from my balcony. Before dinner we all did an hour-long yoga session. It was painful but at the end I could feel some of the stiffness in my muscles lessen, especially those tight hips.

Relaxing on my cabin balcony safe from the rain

Hip-stretching yoga at Verdesana Forest Lodge

Day 10. Thursday April 21. Arriba, Abajo, al Centro, Pa’ Dentro

Distance = 18 km (10.8 miles)

Leaving Rio Macho, we walked uphill in the shade for a while, past aqueducts that transport water to the city of San Jose. Some really steep hills today with impossible looking grades of 20% slopes or more. These hills are perfect for coffee growing, and we walked through some coffee plantations for a bit, before joining the road that wound its way to the small community of Navarro Muneco where we ate lunch in a tiny cafe by a stream. We were taken back to Orosi and after we cleaned up, we all gathered for a social hour to swap stories, drink wine/beer and learn a new toast in Spanish. To toast “Arriba, Abajo, al Centro, Pa’ Dentro” you take your glass of beer lift it Up, drop it Down, bring it to the Center, and then drink it.

The rest of the gang went out for gourmet pizza, while I stayed home to talk to family.

Orosi Lodge

My room for the night

At the start of the day, when we were all together, Juancho shared his font of knowledge about the flora and fauna, history, customs and people of Costa Rica. As the day went on, our group tended to get stretched out into small clusters. We had lots of time, so we had great one-on-one conversations on all sorts of topics: past and future adventure travel, modern cosmology and black holes, jalapeño wine, CrossFit and the correct form for squats and pushups, families and children, the housing market, how to correctly castrate a lamb, COVID, women and STEM, how best to donate to charity, picking the right toenail polish, and how two people who disagree can have a respectful discussion.

Have a few pictures of flowers taken by Juancho and me. Flowers grow everywhere in Costa Rica, wild and in people’s front yards.

Day 9. Wednesday April 20. Let’s Talk Food on Spa Day

Distance = 0 km (Zero Day)

We went to the Hacienda Orosi Hot Springs and Farm today. It was a pleasant day, sitting in 100 F hot springs looking out over the Orosi Valley, rubbing ourselves with mud, napping and getting caught up on internet stuff.  Lunch was a raspberry drink with rice and shrimp, fries and a dessert. The food overall on this trip has been excellent.

One of the benefits to walking distances is that you get to eat back those extra calories. When traveling, I try to only eat local foods. Costa Rican food, while simple and not spicy, has Afro-Caribbean, Mexican and South American influences with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, rice and beans and (mostly) chicken and pork. A traditional breakfast would be rice and black beans (Gallo Pinto), a fried or scrambled egg, fried plantains, and palmito cheese (a fresh cheese that looks like tofu and has a mild mozzarella-like flavor). Bread was not common, at least on the Caribbean side of the Camino, until we moved into more touristed areas. The table always had a bottle of Salsa Lizano, a sort of blend of the British HP and Worcestershire sauces.

A simple traditional breakfast

A casado lunch

I tried to keep a list of all the fruit that we were served but I lost track. There is nothing like a fresh banana picked off the vine. In addition to the usual watermelons, pineapples, and mangos we had blackberry, breadfruit, guava, papaya, passion fruit, and sour orange to name a few – sometimes served as juice instead. Sit-down lunch and dinner were served “casado” style, meaning a plate with rice and beans, a salad, vegetables like palm hearts or yucca, some chicken or a pork chop and a drink. Our bag lunches typically were a tortilla wrapped in banana leaf.

Needless to say, no one in our group went hungry. Walking with 8 women, some of whom were light eaters, meant that I was fed a lot of extra food.

Rice and shrimp with Imperial beer

Olla de Carne (Beef and Vegetable Stew)

Day 8. Tuesday April 19. Lunch at the Halfway House (Pejibaye to Rio Macho)

Distance=20 km (12 miles)

We started the day with a 7-8 km (5 mile) uphill walk! There must have been some downhill bits, but it all felt up to me. We were skirting the edge of the Tapantí-Cerro de la Muerte Massif National Park, walking on a jeep trail with several small river crossings and great views of the jungle below.  We arrived at the top a few hours later, pretty exhausted. We are crossing the Talamanka range, and when the weather is good like it was today, you can see the Turrialba and Irazu volcanoes.

Jack and Jill went up the hill …

… to get to the other side.

The ferns and other plants in the last few days have been really interesting. The helecho macho (Dryopteris) that looks like a house plant but whose leaves are 6 feet long. The leaves of the poor Man’s Umbrella (Gunnera insignis) seem way too large for evolution to have favored them, and the symmetric Tree Fern (Cyatheaceae family) is so ancient that it existed before the dinosaurs!

Poor Man’s Unbrella

Ancient Tree Fern

From the top we walked down into the Orosi river valley. We had lunch at the Albergue Camino Costa Rica, a family-run guest house and restaurant that marks the official half-way point of the Camino de Costa Rica. After a bit more walking along paved roads, we the checked into the Rio Macho Lodge.

The signpost at the halfway point (Credit Urritrek)

Lunch at the halfway point