Day 11

Off to the jungle

Looking at a flower

Liana roots reaching all the way down to the water

The roots of a 200 year old tree.

The spring fed falls

At 4:15AM the alarm on kukuclock.com crowed like a rooster to wake me.  I was already up.  I had been worried that the alarm wouldn't work, so I woke up 2 minutes before the alarm just in case!  We had been invited to go on an early morning walk with a new friend Francisco and his wife Carmen, a Tico couple whom we met at the Communal Dinner. We were supposed to be there 5AM.  I needed to wake the kids and get them dressed in long pants, long sleeved-shirt, socks and closed toed shoes, and pack some water and snacks. Then we needed to walk to his house.   I looked outside and decided to go back to sleep.  I would have to get the kids to walk outside up a long steep driveway, along a steep road where cars come screaming around the bend with no sidewalk up to a house I had never visited in the PITCH BLACK.  Never mind.  So at 6:30 Rose woke me up, "Did you forget?" "No, it was too dark.  You should sleep more."   We had a leisurely breakfast of eggs, tortillas and fruit and a little later we walked over to explain our earlier absence.  We were met with quintessential Tico hospitality.  We were offered fresh pineapple and invited to take the walk now even though they had already gone earlier.  Having arrived in shorts and flip flops, we graciously accepted the invitation, and then Rose and I walked back to the farm to get everyone the right clothes and shoes, snacks and water.  Once we were properly outfitted we took off on a real jungle tour.

Swimming in the spring fed waterfall

 We felt so incredibly lucky that Francisco was doing this for us.  Such a kind gentle man, and so knowledgeable about the plants, birds and insects here.  He gave us the royal tour in English and Spanish.  Jacob decided to be our videographer and took a 7 minute video of the 2 hour hike.  I am unable to upload it onto this blog, but if you REALLY want to see it, ask us to play it for you next time you come to visit us in New Hampshire.  It was hot and sunny and steep and slippery in places, but everyone did a great job at uncomplainingly trudging along.  Samuel and Jacob got bee stings, and I got bitten on the arm by ants.  They were tiny ants but packed a powerful bite which left me red painful welts for hours.  We were also shown a red flower called French Kiss, saw and heard a flycatcher, a coati run away from us (a South American version of a raccoon), visited a rain fed waterfall, a spring fed waterfall (photo above), and a very very old tree (photo above).  At the end of the hike, he took us onto his land and gathered guava and green mangoes for us.

Water sprites?

 Did I mention previously that guava is a long, large brown pod shaped fruit with fleshy white seeds inside with a wonderful sweet taste?  I had no idea of this until we got here.  I think in the states guavas are often confused with guayavas which, when ripe, are round yellow fruits on the outside and fleshy yellow or pink on the inside.  The mushy seed-filled center is not for eating.  The seeds are very small and VERY hard, and there are usually one or two white worms in that portion, probably from having been laid there during the blossom stage of the tree.  If you eat them accidentally and don't chew on them, they pass undigested right back out of you.  They are not considered a human parasite.

Upon returning to his home, Francisco served us mango juice, and we spent some time touring his gift shop where he sells handmade carvings of local animals and birds.  As we said thank you and adios,  I promised to return to his gift shop once more.

 A Katy-did in our bathroom on the top of our door.

Take a look at the antennae on the Katy-did in the picture to the left.  They are about 9 inches long.  Its body is about 4 inches.  It arrived last night and has remained 24 hours.  Its cousin is in the kitchen.