Flashback Series: If You Were a Tico or Tica

Spending a month in Sarapiqui and living with a host family taught me a great deal about Costa Rica and its culture. I was pretty isolated in Chilamate, without doing much sightseeing, but that gave me a chance to really experience the life of a Tico. The name Tico, a general term for a Costa Rican (I thought this might just be a term foreigners call Costa Ricans, but I was actually corrected by my host mom to just say 'Ticos'), comes from the diminutive in the Spanish language that Ticos tend to add to most words. For example, the word gato means cat in Spanish, but gatito means little cat, or kitten. Ticos tend to add the diminutive to words like ahora, which means now. 

"Hola, when is the bus coming?" 

"Ahorita." 

"What? Ohh, you're speaking Tico Spanish."

Costa Rica means 'Rich Coast' in Spanish, named by Christopher Colombus himself after he had a brief stopover in 1502. Of course, Costa Rica had native inhabitants long before Colombus arrived, (clad in gold jewelry, which was why he called it 'rich') but once it was put on Spain's map it wasn't left alone for much longer. Conquistadors arrived in pursuit of the gold that drove them in hordes across the Atlantic, but despite its promising name, Costa Rica yielded very little gold, and instead turned into a killing ground for the natives. Most of those that the Spaniards did not murder died of smallpox, leaving only 1 percent of today's population of indigenous heritage. The rest of the population is of Spanish descent, with another small percentage of Africans, after the Spanish brought them over as plantation slaves. 

After the initial bloodshed, Costa Rica has had a pretty turbulent-free history, due to its lack of gold and silver. There was a brief civil war between the four main emerging republics in the Central Valley, with two of them wanting to be a part of Mexico and two wanting to be independent, which resulted in a republican victory and a sovereign state in 1823. Since then, aside from a few skirmishes, it has become one of the more prosperous Central American countries, financed in the late nineteenth century as one of the original 'Banana Republics', under the United Fruit Company. This monopoly led to the building of railways to transport primarily bananas to the coasts, which led to increased trade and prosper. Today bananas remain one of Costa Rica's top exports, along with pineapple and coffee beans.  

Their national dish is gallo pinto, which is black beans, rice, and onion fried together. My host mom made this for breakfast every morning, along with freshly filtered coffee, and sometimes half an avocado or a fried egg. Other typical foods include arroz con pollo, or rice with chicken (along with other vegetables), empanadas (fried deliciousness stuffed with more deliciousness), and various dishes made with potatoes, yucca (cassava) or plantains, which are a larger, more starchy version of bananas. Cilantro and lime aren't unusual flavors to find in most Tico dishes. And of course, there is always an abundance of fresh tropical fruits such as papaya, pineapple, mango, and bananas available. Needless to say, I ate well in Costa Rica. 

Today Costa Rica is very Westernized, and a mecca for tourists seeking mostly nature-oriented vacations, thanks to its status as "one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world." (Wikipedia) I just learned that the new Will Smith movie "After Earth" was filmed primarily in Costa Rica, some of it in Sarapiqui. To the Ticos who live in 'la selva,' or 'jungle' climates, tropical animals, insects, birds, and bugs are just another part of their everyday life. Machetes are not uncommon for whacking down persistent weeds, plants, or just to have on hand for a random snake encounter. I remember my first weekend in Sarapiqui I went for a walk and encountered a bright green and black poison arrow dart frog. I was immediately taken back to my childhood when my brother and I had an 'I Spy' rainforest book, where we had to look for the very same dart frog that was jumping right in front of me. I most definitely was not in Minnesota anymore.

To give you more of an idea of living in Chilamate, here are some pictures to help illustrate your life if you were a Tico living in 'la selva.' 

For starters, you might see this view on a hike in a nearby nature reserve...

Or you might run into one of these poison arrow dart frogs on the same hike.

You might eat afternoon snacks like this fresh off the tree...

Or you might be eating patacones, or fried plantain chips, with fresh guacamole.

You might have this as your weekend swimming pool...

You might see this when the sun sets over your back yard...

Or you might have this as your front yard. 

You might see an iguana hanging out on a nearby tree...

Or one of these guys when you look out of your window at work...

Or a Golden Orb spider making one of its elaborate webs.

 And this might be on the side of the road.

You might cook your food in a wood-fired oven like this...

Or you might see one of these on your walk home.

But most importantly, you might make friends with wonderful, warm, loving, and caring Ticos like these...and then you would be a very, very lucky person. 

Pura Vida. 

Flashback Series: La Pura Vida

A saying as ubiquitous as 'Hakuna Matata', 'Pura Vida' (pure life) is a common phrase that Costa Ricans, or Ticos, use as a greeting, a goodbye, or just when they feel like saying it. My time in Chilamate, Costa Rica, was about as close to living 'la pura vida' as I could get. I had a simple room surrounded by nature and wildlife, I had a place to be everyday with people I enjoyed working with, I went to bed early and woke up with the sun (the roosters gave me no choice on that one), I ate fresh local food, and in my free time I was Internet-free, which meant I could read, write, and relax at my leisure. I even had access to a hammock.

The Sarapiqui Conservation and Learning Center, where I chose to spend my time for a month, was a fantastic experience, and everything I could have ever wanted from a volunteer trip. I  knew I’d end up in Costa Rica for the family trip at the time I wanted to volunteer, so I began looking for opportunities in Costa Rica. I ended up finding the SCLC on a website resource, and contacted the volunteer coordinator almost a year in advance. Everything went through, I booked my plane ticket, and I was set for a month of working in rural Costa Rica, while living with a host family. Originally my intention was to work as an assistant English teacher, since the Center offers community English classes, but as the time grew closer the coordinator contacted me and said I would be needed more in the tourism department, as March was a busy month for the Center. I had no idea what that meant, but figured I should be up for anything, and either way I’d be learning something.

The Sarapiqui River

Sarapiqui is the area surrounding the Sarapiqui River, and Chilamate is the very small little community area where my house and the Center were actually located within Sarapiqui. The area falls under what is called the MesoAmerican Biological Corridor, an area that extends from Mexico throughout Central America, which has been designated to protect certain endangered species.The Center’s Mission Statement is as follows: “The SCLC focuses its efforts in four areas — environmental education, community development, conservation, and tourism — in order to help form future environmental leaders, raise the organizational capacity of local communities, promote sustainable land use, and connect tourists to the local community.” 

Rosy's house - my cabina is directly to the left . 

I didn’t really know what that meant in terms of how I would be put to work, but I found out on my very first weekend in Chilamate. After saying goodbye to my family in San Jose, I took a very overpriced taxi to the Caribbean Bus Terminal, where buses travel east towards the Caribbean Coast, and I caught my bus for Puerto Viejo, about two hours from the capital. I was greeted at the terminal by Yazmin, the volunteer coordinator whom I’d been corresponding with, and Jasmin, another long term volunteer. The short term volunteers (like me) paid for their own accommodation with a host family, while the long term volunteers received room and board for free, provided they stay for a minimum of six months. Yazmin had purposely wanted me to arrive on a Friday so that I’d have the weekend to settle in, so that evening I was taken to my ‘cabina,’ which was just one room with a bathroom attached (luxury compared to sharing hostel dorm rooms!) and introduced to my host mom Rosy, and her three sons – for more pictures see the Welcome to Chilamate post. After dinner, some chatting (I put my rusty Spanish to use and apologized profusely for all of my mistakes), and some organizing in my cabina I was ready for bed, and glad for the alone time I’d be getting in the mornings and evenings after six weeks of traveling with people and staying in hostels.  

The next morning I was taken to the Center, just a ten minute walk down the road, by Cena and Sarah, two other long term Canadian volunteers who lived just a few feet away from my cabina. Cena was in charge of the Saturday morning English classes for kids, so she brought me along so that I could observe and help out if needed. This is the Center: the lower level had a large classroom and the library, while the upstairs had three offices and another classroom. The volunteers could do their work in the volunteer office upstairs or the library, but most of us preferred to work here: 

"Welcome to The Office"

The classes were fun, I was thrilled with the selection of English books in the library, and the Center was perfectly situated along the beautiful Sarapiqui River, with sounds of tropical bugs, birds, and even the occasional howler monkey in the air. I knew I was going to like it there. That night we had a bit of a get together, and I was able to meet the rest of the volunteers and some of the community members. That Sunday I was taken to a local peppercorn farm, where I learned about the ‘tourism’ aspect of the Center. Basically, the SCLC is on the property of the Selva Verde Lodge, a popular destination for nature and birdwatching buffs. Through the Lodge the guests can book tours (or they stop at Selva Verde within their tours of Costa Rica) to learn more about the local community, such as taking cooking classes, taking Latin dance classes, visiting the peppercorn farm, or listening to a 'charla' (chat) about life in the community. Sarapiqui is one of the poorest counties in Costa Rica, and the way of life is still very rural and agrarian based in some of the nearby communities.

This is where your pepper comes from! 

That's where the SCLC volunteers come in. We act as facilitators between the tourists and the community members, which usually involves some form of translating, some group leadership, and keeping the tour running smoothly. Here is a picture of Justine, a French SCLC

volunteer, acting as a translator for the tourists and Mazarella, the owner of the peppercorn farm. She not only translates what Mazarella explains, but she translates questions between the tourists and Mazarella. The tour was very interesting, but a little worrying for me, because I knew that was what I would have to be doing once Justine left shortly after I arrived. I ended up not having to do the peppercorn farm tour, but I did take over as the 'community talk' translator - it was an excellent challenge for me in terms of putting my Spanish to use, and the tourists were so appreciative and eager to learn more about life in Costa Rica. For the following week or so I observed the tours and chats while taking notes, so that once Justine left I'd be ready.

The volunteers were generally expected at the Center from 9-5, and we all rotated reception duty and kitchen duty throughout the week. The Center bought their local fruits and vegetables from a vendor on Monday mornings, which would last us the week, and then whoever was on cooking duty for lunch was just encouraged to ‘be creative’ and whip something up with what we had. If we needed basic ingredients, we'd phone the little convenient store down the road to deliver to us. Unfortunately there was no local take out to rely on if we screwed up. Luckily we were all up to the challenge and produced masterful, elaborate dishes that should have been featured on a TV show.

My lovely little library. 

Aside from becoming the next Master Chefs, if there wasn’t a tour group or activity booked,  we usually had a lot of down time during which we were responsible for keeping ourselves busy with work or helping out with random odd jobs at the Center. If you were on reception duty, you sat at the desk and answered phone calls (a little scary if you encountered a rapid-fire Spanish speaker), and kept an eye on the kids who signed themselves in to use the Center's computers. We also had weekly staff meetings once a week, where we all updated each other on the progress of our current projects.

Sometimes in the evenings I either subbed or just stopped in for observation and for fun at some of the adult evening English classes. I was permitted to teach a lesson or two, and enjoyed being an extra English teacher to circulate and help students with questions. It was great to be a teacher again, even for a short while. With the rest of my time, I worked on making a tree guide for a reforestation activity (I’ll explain that in a minute), brushing up on my Spanish, and organizing the library. The library was a really fun project for me to work on, and I was able to see it most of it through to the end. 

Here is a little more about the library's history, posted on the Center's website: 

"The Sarapiqui Conservation and Learning Center was originally founded in 1993 as a local community library, with the vision to offer educational opportunities to the neighboring area youth. Twenty years later, the library is still a thriving center that boasts a variety of fiction and nonfiction genres and titles in Spanish and English for all ages, from children and young adult readers to adults. Computers are also available for homework help and other resources."

After our seed collecting reconnaissance for the tour.
L-R Me, Caitlin, Jasmin, Yazmin, and Max.

So now that I’ve covered a little about the community development (English classes and community tours), the tourism (peppercorm farm tour, community chat, etc), let’s move onto the environmental education and conservation. One of my main projects, along with Max, another short term volunteer, and Yazmin, was to organize and implement a new reforestation tour, using actual seeds and seedlings found on the grounds near the Center and the Selva Verde Lodge. With the help of one the Lodge’s nature guys, Ivan, we identified four main types of trees and seeds throughout the property, and made a plan to split the students (from the tour group who had booked the project) into four groups to actually collect the seeds, bring them back to the Center,  and get them ready for planting. In the afternoon the same students helped plant other seedlings at a local farm, to help reforest the area. It was a pretty fun project to work on from start to finish, and I’m glad I had a hand in helping out with it.

School painting.

River cleanup trip.

Two other activities I had fun helping with were a school painting activity with a group of high schoolers from the East Coast and a river rafting cleanup tour, when some of the local rafting guides took us down the river with the intention to stop and pick up trash on the bank along the way. There actually wasn’t that much trash, so we just had a fun morning on the river together. Most of the school tour groups (why March was such a busy month for the Center, due to all of the school groups who traveled to Costa Rica on their spring breaks for a volunteer trip) who participated in some of the community projects usually ended up doing a river rafting trip.

And last, to round out the summary of my experience in Chilamate, I have to talk about my time outside of the Center. Usually in the evenings I’d stay to use the Internet or Skype, then by 6 I’d head back to Rosy’s for dinner, as the sun was setting. After dinner and hanging out with the family for a little bit, I’d head to my cabina to read, maybe watch a TV episode or two on my computer, and sleep early. On the weekends, if there wasn’t a tour or activity booked, I’d have my own free time. If it was sunny, I’d lay out by the pool at the Selva Verde Lodge, read in Yazmin or Cena/Sarah’s hammock, or head to the Center to use the Internet or read. I remember feeling a little guilty for sitting in the sun and reading my book with Cena and Sarah instead of doing something active outside on some of the beautifully sunny weekend days we had, but as Cena put it: "lots of people from our countries pay hundreds of dollars to come to a place like this and do exactly what we're doing. We get to do it for free!" I felt less guilty after that. 

We ended up having a party every other weekend: the first on the weekend I arrived at the Center, the next a birthday party, and the last a multi-occasion goodbye/birthday/engagement celebration/vacation party. They all consisted of hanging out together, having some adult beverages, and ending up at the local karaoke bar across the street. It was good, old-fashioned fun with the volunteers and some of our local friends, which involved a fun mix of Spanish and English, North American and Costa Rican food, and Spanish and English dance music. The multi-celebration party was thrown by one of the volunteer’s host moms, which started out as a dinner party, turned into a clear-the-tables-and-dance party. It was one of my last days in Chilamate, and it was the best way to spend it before having to say goodbye. We had a fun group of volunteers who all worked well together, and we were surrounded by so many welcoming community members. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and hope someday I can return to say hello and revisit some of my favorite places. 

I once tried to work out in my head just how many people in the local community are affected and helped by the Center and its efforts. Allow me to share my thoughts with you. For starters, there are all of the host families who receive an income from the short term volunteers who pay them for room and board. Then there are all of the little local establishments such as the convenient store, the grocery store, the buses, and the karaoke bar that benefited from the volunteers living in the area and spending a little money here and there. Next, the fruit and vegetable vendor, the maintenance man, the convenient store, the delivery boy, the Internet cable company, the electric and gas company, and I’m sure a few others received an income from the Center staying open and running smoothly. All of the English students learned a skill that could potentially help them find a tourism job, the Lodge was busier because of the tourists who booked tours that the Center put on, the whitewater rafting company received more tours from the school group tours who came to the Center, there was a local women’s group who sold their handicrafts at the Center, the children who came to the Saturday classes learned English, some of the kids who came to use the computer received homework help or had fun with the computer games.  Last, the community members who did the talks, hosted tours at their farms, led the dance lessons, led the cooking lessons, and helped with the community service projects received an income from the tourist money. I’m so proud to have been a small part of these incredible efforts to help improve and sustain the community members of Chilamate and the surrounding area. I learned so much, improved my Spanish, had fun, helped others, made new friends, and, most importantly, embraced ‘la pura vida.’ 

Flashback Series: Journey From the Center of the Earth

In the time between leaving Rio and starting to volunteer in Costa Rica, I had three little mini trips to get from A to B. First, I flew back to Ecuador with Cecilia and we spent one last day together at the Equator, then I flew to Costa Rica and spent a few days on my own in Heredia, and last, I was spoiled with my family on vacation in Dominical. I went from friend travel to solo travel to family travel – quite the transitioning, but each experience just added to the variety of ways I was learning to enjoy exploring new places. 

QUITO

First, I had to say goodbye to my beloved travel companion Cecilia. After having one last airport sleepover (thank you cheap flights), we had a flight back to Quito, and got ourselves into the city center without a problem. We had booked an excellent hostel recommended to us by a girl in Rio, which was coincidentally right by the street where Kate’s iPhone had been stolen just a month earlier. But instead of revisiting our favorite places in Quito for our last day together, we had one final destination in mind: the center of the Earth.

High five for a trip well done, from both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. 

Well, at least we can say we've been there,
even if it's not real.

I guess it was technically only the center of the Earth’s surface, but it’s still kind of true. Ecuador, which means Equator in Spanish, is situated directly on top of the Equator, but because of the high altitude of the Andes Mountains the air isn't boiling hot like most equatorial climates. The trip was only 40 minutes north of Quito by bus (we paid about 45 cents total) to reach the monument. There is a large monument with direction markers each way at the “Mitad del Mundo” (Half the World) complex, which includes tons of tourist shops, cafes, and a little central square. But of course the most important reason to visit the monument was to get a picture with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and one foot on the Southern Hemisphere.

Hopefully none of the tourists who have that picture on their mantle read this, because the irony is that the Mitad del Mundo monument was built before GPS and modern technology…and it’s not on the true Equator. It’s close, but not quite exact. Luckily we were clued into this fact long before we started our trip, so as soon as we arrived at the monument, we followed the directions and walked around the park. After about ten minutes, we found the sign we were looking for then turned up a small little dirt road to the exact GPS positioned Equator, with a small, pretty little outdoor museum surrounding it. 

The Equator Museum was really interesting, with an admission ticket that included a guide through the museum about the native Ecuadorians (before the Inca, then Spanish conquerors) and their way of life. After the tour the guides demonstrated a series of tricks (some dispute whether they’re real or not but I believed it) that can only be performed on the equator, due to the center of gravity. What sort of ‘tricks?’ I was able to balance a raw egg on the head of a nail, with one foot on either side of the Equator, when a tub of water is drained the water doesn’t swirl one way or the other, it just falls straight down on the Equator, and when you walk in a straight line on the Equator, heel to toe, with your arms straight out to the side, it’s extremely difficult to do when you close your eyes and throw off your center of balance. It was really neat to experience and a great way to end our last day together in South America. 

That evening Ceci and I had a nice dinner and talked about how much we would miss each other. It’s really lucky to find not only a good friend in life, but a good friend who you can travel with: a true test of friendship. We had met on a very random encounter in Vietnam last October, and then five months later there we were, traveling together for over a month. We had done everything we wanted to do and more, and had tons of fun doing it together.  Luckily, we knew we weren’t saying goodbye forever. She was returning to Denver the day after I left, and we're hoping to see each other there before I take off for Russia this fall. 

The next morning I woke up early, said goodbye to Ceci (I prefer to use the Band Aid technique when it comes to goodbyes – fast and painful for just a short time), and started my two hour journey to the airport via three different buses. I was on my own again, for the first time in weeks. I said goodbye to Quito, the “long, skinny city,” and hoped I would be back someday. But now I had a new country to look forward to, a place that I would be able to see a lot of and spend about six weeks in.

HEREDIA

Heredia in Costa Rica's Central Valley. 

I landed in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, later that afternoon, and waited for my hostel pickup. San Jose doesn’t have the best reputation as far as things to see or do, so based on advice from a few different people I chose to spend three days in Heredia, a very cute little town just north of San Jose. It was also close to the place my uncle was working, so I was hoping to meet up with him if he was free in the evening after work, until the rest of the family arrived to join us at the end of the week. 

My first impression of Costa Rica was that it had become completely Americanized. I had just spent time in some of South America’s major cities and in none of them did I see the amount of American fast food chains in one concentration that I did in Heredia. On one street I counted a McDonald’s, a Quiznos, Burger King, Papa Johns, Taco Bell – the list actually goes on, all within a block of each other. And there were even more within the town center. However, beyond fast food the rest of the town was pretty typical for Costa Rica, with small little shops for clothing, groceries, stationary, and local restaurants, all along the streets.

Central Heredia.

Heredia was a lovely little town and a great introduction to Costa Rica. It was a very gridlined, square patterned area, with low rolling volcanic hills surrounding the Central Valley (you can kind of see the hills beyond the town in the above picture.) The central park had a beautiful cathedral with benches and a children’s park. I was lucky enough to be in the plaza during a school band performance, which I watched as the sun was setting in the perfect, mild yet tropical temperature. It was fun to watch the parents with their children, the families, and the teachers with their students – I realized how much I missed teaching and being around kids. That night I was treated to a wonderful Japanese dinner by my uncle and some of his work friends. It was great to see him again and learn a little more about what his company does in Costa Rica, a place he travels to frequently for work.  

The next day I spoiled myself since I had permission to check into the DoubleTree hotel early - I gave myself the full treatment and ate my free chocolate chip cookie, laid out by the pool, had a swim, showered (hot shower - even bigger bonus), and had coffee in the lobby while waiting for my family to arrive. I even made friends with the coffee shop guy, who decided to educate me on the weather patterns of Costa Rica. I learned that the Central Valley (San Jose area) was one of the best places in the world for coffee cultivating, due to the rich soil and cool conditions. He also gave me a map and taught me about all of Costa Rica's volcanos. It was a very educational waiting time, which was good because I was so anxious to see my grandparents for the first time in almost three years. And then - there they were. My aunt, uncle, and cousins showed up shortly after, and we all settled ourselves in and did some catching up that afternoon and evening at a nice dinner close to the hotel. Us girls even had a chance to test out the hot tub that evening before getting ourselves ready for the next day. 

Cousins reunion - ready for a week of fun.

DOMINICAL

Our sunset view from the house

New home for the week!

The next morning we were up bright and early to pack up the SUV and head to the coast. We had a house rented in Dominical, a little beach town in the south, along the Pacific Coast. The house, though high up in the hills and at the end of a long, windy, and bumpy road (we decided we would only leave the house once a day to minimize the time spent driving on this crazy road), was stunning, with a beautiful view of the tropics and the Pacific Ocean below.  We all settled ourselves in and planned out our week a little bit, which worked out to about one activity a day. However, we made sure to include time to relax at the house, because how could you not enjoy your time with an infinity pool and a view like that?

We tested out three or four different beaches along the coast throughout the week, each about a 10-15 minute drive once we reached the main highway. All of them were great, but we found some favorites and had fun playing in the waves, taking pictures, and exploring the area at each one. To me, Costa Rica’s coast was a lot more rugged and untouched – not as pristine as some of the beaches I’d seen, but more natural and less built up. It was a nice change from the packed beaches in Rio, and nice that the beaches weren’t completely full of tourists. Some of our other activities included hiking in a nature reserve park, ziplining (special shout-out to both of my grandparents for zipling for the first time in their lives), swimming in a waterfall pool, and horseback riding (I didn’t partake, but the girls had fun.)

The ziplining champs!

With new friends Ricky and Mickey.

After starting our mornings with fresh tropical fruit and coffee, we were spoiled every day with fantastic lunches and dinners – I had really missed my grandmother’s cooking. We used the grill nearly every night and even had a nice dinner out at a restaurant on the sea. We were joined here and there by a couple who had vacationed with my aunt and uncle in Costa Rica a couple of times in the past. They were a wonderful addition to our little group, and joined us on a few of our activities. They even braved the drive up to the house to come visit us when their plans for the day fell through.  

Road to our house. 

When we weren't out adventuring, we took advantage of our time at the house by visiting the local horses who lived down the road, swimming in the pool, entertaining the neighbor's dogs who often came to visit us, encountering giant bugs and frogs, and just relaxing and admiring the view. On the day I stayed back with my grandparents I did nothing but suntan and read. In other words, it was the perfect vacation.

Lunch with the family.

But aside from all of the activities, the fantastic weather, and the wonderful food, my absolute favorite part of our time in Dominical was spending time with my family. My choice to spend so much time away from Minnesota meant that I had missed out on trips to the lake and family holidays, so the week we had together was so important to me. I was able to spend time with my grandparents, both still in excellent health (something I realized I had taken for granted until I learned that not everyone’s grandparents were like mine), I was able to catch up with my uncle and aunt, whose liveliness and enthusiasm kept us all energized, and I was able to have fun with my cousins and admire what lovely girls they were growing into. That was what I came to Dominical for, and everything else we did was a bonus - the most important part was that we were all together. 

Goodnight Pacific Ocean.

But of course, good things always have to come to an end, but at least we had made some great memories to hold onto. We all said goodbye at the end of our fabulous week together, and were already looking forward to the next time we'd see each other, hopefully this summer up at my grandparents' cabin. But before I could start thinking about the summer, I had a new adventure waiting for me about six hours from Dominical. Next up was my month of volunteering in Sarapiqui - it was finally time to put my Spanish to the test and embrace a new learning experience. 

Flashback Series: At the Copa...cabana.

Can you guess where I’ll be talking about now? No, I didn’t make friends with Barry Manilow, and no, I didn’t go to the club in New York City, so that leaves Copacabana Island in Bolivia (where the name originally came from) or Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Yes, you guessed it. My last stop on my whirlwind South American tour with Ceci was Rio, known as “The Marvelous City.” 

We reached Rio after perhaps the quickest stop at Iguazu Falls in history. It wasn’t intended to be the quickest stop in history, nor will it ever be done again - we have no desire to beat our record. It’s actually quite shameful, but we did what had to be done. Iguazu Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world, bordering both Argentina and Brazil. This makes it an excellent destination for travelers like us, who wanted to reach Brazil overland from Argentina. I've wanted to do the overland trip ever since I started planning itineraries in South America. However, first we had to get a Brazilian visa. And let me tell you, visa people are not to be messed with. They know they have the power to make or break your itinerary, and if they don’t want to speed up their process (really, how long does it take to slap a sticker in a passport?) they will have no problem telling you no. This is what we were terrified of, yet it was a risk we knowingly took when we stayed in Buenos Aires another day. 

We couldn’t get the visa in BA, so we decided to take our chances and get them at the Brazilian Embassy in the Argentinian border town, a process which we had read extensively about on travel websites. They said it can be done, and the Internet is always reliable, right? To make it even more fun, our entire weekend was at stake, as we were hoping to get it all processed Friday morning, before the consulate closed in the afternoon. If we were too late, if something went wrong, or if we didn’t make it back in time to pick up our passports after visiting the Falls in between, we’d be stuck there until Monday morning.

Our next mistake was that we ended up miscalculating how long the trip to the Falls would actually take from the border town (“No you Americans, you can’t just waltz down the street and admire the falls. You have to take a bus, then you have to buy a ticket, then you have to take a train.”) Oops.  This resulted in us dropping off our passports and paperwork at the consulate, running (yes, running) to catch the first bus to the Falls, then getting to the park and realizing we didn’t know exactly what time the consulate closed because we had forgotten to look. Head smack. Then, we had to wait in line for the train, and once we rode the train we stopped too early, had to get out, wait in another line for another train, then once we got off that train we had to walk (run) over some walkways (runways) that spanned the river to get to the actual falls. I actually broke one of my shoes trying to keep up with Ceci who was dodging people left and right. Short people are generally pretty forgivable for dodging, tall people not so much.

Shoeless but Satisfied.

But once we got there, it was very much worth it. Here is what we got to see just before the clouds rolled in: 

Needless to say, we didn’t spend too much time at the Falls because we knew how much time it would take to do it all over again and get back, and we had to make it to the consulate before close…even though we didn’t exactly know when that was. We actually had the number and tried to use the pay phone at one of the Falls offices, but of course it was broken. Then we ran around asking people, very sweetly, of course, to use their cell phone...but pretty much everyone we asked were also tourists, therefore they didn't have working local phones. Then - can you guess? - by the time a worker selling coffee took pity on us and let us use his cell phone, the number didn't work. Our situation was actually pretty comical at this point once I look back at the entire morning in retrospect. 

By this time we figured a bus or train or something would most definitely break down, with our luck, so we really had no time to lose. Our one justification for cutting our trip short is that it was pretty cloudy and rainy, so we weren’t able to see much of the Falls as it was. But, we did take some time to admire, drop our jaws, get sprayed, and take pictures. It really is an incredible natural wonder that we hope we can return to again to really do it justice. Then, after our moments of tranquility it was run, line, train, run, bus, run…and success! The consulate was just about to close, but our visas were ready, and then after zipping down to the bus terminal, we were on our way to Brazil. Almost.

We still had to cross to the Brazilian border and catch our final bus to Rio, but to make a long story short let’s just say the the next three hours involved impatiently waiting, heavy rain, some police bribing and maniac driving, getting out of the vehicle and crossing the border in the pouring rain, more running, and finally a collapse of relief into our seats. We were on our way to Rio. You can choose to believe as much of the above story as you wish. 

So, what is Rio all about? I’ll start by saying that when Ceci and I first arrived – we weren’t huge fans. We called ourselves travel snobs. Not that it wasn’t nice and the beach wasn’t pretty, but it just wasn’t as impressive to us as Buenos Aires had been, and we felt we had built our expectations up too high. Our hostel was in the Copacabana district, a name which I’m sure most of you are familiar with. Formerly the playground of the rich and famous, Copacabana has kind of lost its glory days and fallen into more of a seedy area – we were warned up and down about walking around alone at night and never having any valuables on us. Some of the streets were a little dingy, it wasn’t that flashy, and the beachfront wasn’t the most impressive – that was our first impression. Gone were the Parisian streets and chic dressers, replaced with people walking around in flip flops and beach attire. And it was such a strange contrast to hear people speaking Portuguese instead of Spanish - I liked to describe it as "trying to speak Spanish but not quite succeeding, while throwing in a bunch of aggression and exaggerations." Kind of like German compared to English. 

Welcome to Brazil.

But as we all know, you can’t judge a book by its cover. And of course, we were in Rio. It didn't mattered whether we liked it or not, it mattered that we were there to experience it. Our first evening we met up with two friends of Ceci’s, who had been there the week before for Carnival. It was fun to hear their stories and learn more about the city, and the next day they took us to Ipanema Beach. Ipanema has now taken over the glitz and glamour of Copacabana, and it is very well deserving of the title. I thought it was one of the most stunning beaches I’d ever seen, just behind the Philippines, Thailand, and maybe Hawaii. The water was the perfect temperature and a piercing blue, the air was warm and breezy, and the people watching was fantastic. Yes, everything you’ve ever heard about Brazilian bodies is true. Toned, tanned, ripped, and all out for show in their barely there swimsuits. You almost can’t believe it until you see it. And the best part is that if you keep your sunglasses on no one really knows if you’re staring at them. 

Ipanema Beach

Sunrise over Copacabana

Copacabana Beach

We spent the next three days lying on the beach, eating new and delicious foods, having coffee, and chilling. We were staying an entire week in Rio, so we didn’t want to rush things. I went running in the mornings, we feasted on our hostel’s impressive breakfast (meat, cheese, rolls, freshly baked sweets, fruit, juice, and coffee – then we made an extra sandwich to take along for lunch), we went walking from Copacabana to Ipanema to join the hardcore beachbummers, we discovered Brazilian cheesy bread (little puffs of chewy, flavorful bread, unlike anything we’d ever tasted), and we properly and thoroughly introduced ourselves to the Caipirinha, Brazil’s national drink. It was a great vacation to end our vacation. And slowly but surely, we started to fall in love with Rio. It was a combination of the relaxed way of life, the enjoyment of the sun and the sea, the chilled atmosphere, the exuberance of the Portuguese language, and the way everybody struts their stuff, designer clothes or not. The Brazilians are said to be one of the best examples of a society that works to live, not lives to work.

Christ Redeemer 

But of course, we weren’t there forever, so we had to get our tourist on and get out to do some sightseeing by the end of the week. By then our friend Peadar from the Machu Picchu trek AND Buenos Aires (what are the chances?) had arrived in Rio, so he joined us, along with some of his hostelmates, for beach time and one of our excursions.  The must see in Rio is of course, the Christ Redeemer statue, or as we liked to say, the “Big Jesus.” To get there, we took a bus across town (we knew when to get off because that's when all the touristy looking people did), and then bought our tickets for the tram. Riding the tram uphill was really cool – very green and verdant - it reminded us of just how lush and tropical the climate and environment in Rio actually is. It was also neat to think of how many other people had ridden the same tram to see the same sight we were about to – a fun aspect of traveling to well known places. 

View from Corcovado

Stunning city.

But, a caveat of traveling to a well known destination is having to deal with all the crowds of camera toting (or iPad tapping, these days) tourists, all scrambling for the best photo opportunities. Of course, the worst part is that you want a great photo just as much as the rest of them, but you don’t want to be as obnoxious about it. So we tried to get in and get out of the main line of fire quickly so that we could enjoy the views of the city from Corcovado, the name of the peak. The Christ statue was completed in 1931 as a symbol of peace, financed mostly by Brazilian Catholics. Today it is considered one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World and a national symbol of Brazil. We enjoyed the picture perfect day atop Corcovado, and tried to take in the 360 degree view of the city as best we could. 

Along with Christ Redeemer, we visited the Botanic Gardens, checked out some districts in the city such as Santa Teresa, Lapa, and explored more of Copacabana and Ipanema. Rio is a little difficult to navigate due to its many hills and peaks - some of our city bus rides felt more like roller coasters. It's not as easily walkable as other cities, but again, that's part of it's charm because you have beautiful views from every high point you come across. By the end of the week it was time to visit one last destination: Sugarloaf Peak. It was famous for its views of the city, and we were told it was best seen at sunset. 

So, we set out in the mid afternoon to get to the base, then we took the two cable cars up to the top of Sugarloaf. The views were incredible, and we felt like we snapped about a million pictures of the same view, though the scene seemed to change drastically with each passing minute of the setting sun. It was a good opportunity to reflect on the beauty of the city, and realize how much we had grown to love it, more and more with each passing day. Once again, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and need to take time in each new place to really appreciate it and learn more about it. 

Sunset at Sugarloaf - can you see Christ Redeemer at the top left? 

Saying goodbye.

But we weren’t quite done yet. If there’s one thing Rio is famous for, besides Christ Redeemer, it’s the nightlife. And we couldn’t leave Rio without experiencing it. The party district in Rio is Lapa, a place we had visited in the daytime and hadn’t been too impressed with. But, it wouldn’t be so famous if there wasn’t a reason, so we decided to give it a shot, with a fun group that we had gathered throughout our week there.  Once we arrived in Lapa, we couldn’t believe it was the same place. It was lit up, full of people, and lined with food and drink stalls, on the way to the bars and clubs. It was a ton of fun, and we ended at one of the coolest nightclubs I’ve ever been in, with three levels of dance rooms, complete with a live samba band and dance. The samba is the soul dance of Brazil, said to have developed from the Afro-Caribbean sugar plantation slaves who were trying to express their emotions. I thought it encompassed the spirit of Rio perfectly –alive, sensual, and vibrant. It was the perfect end to a perfect week in the Marvelous City. 

Team Ceci and Gina

We had experienced the best of everything in Rio - the best views, food, beach, relaxation, sightseeing, and fun. And last, as we prepared to say goodbye, I must mention that we stayed at the best little hostel in Copacabana. Why was our hostel the best? Because it was so good that we cried when we left. Yes, that good. Definitely not because of the rooms, or the beds, or the lack of AC (it was pretty funny to be the first one in the room to wake up in the morning and see everyone in their underwear) but absolutely because of the wonderful staff that made it great for us. They were so genuinely friendly and helpful, and we really enjoyed getting to know them. When we left the two main staff members said “we wish we had more Ceci and Ginas staying with us – you’ll have to come back soon!” They probably say that to everyone, but we were touched. A Walk on the Beach Hostel was another great example of how appearances can be deceiving – the longer we stayed there, the more we loved it. Much like Rio itself.

We managed to have one last hour on Ipanema Beach before we said our goodbyes to our new friends and headed out. After our tears in the cab ride to the airport, we had our last cheesy bread (definitely for the best, or we would probably be 500 pounds) at the airport café, and said our goodbyes to Brazil. We were well fed, bronzed, and happy. Ad once again, as with Buenos Aires, we knew we'd be back.  

Goodnight Rio