|
Tropical Costa RicaAn Environmental PilgrimageBy John SticklerImagine a country so peaceful that it disbanded its army in 1948. Imagine a country where 100 percent of the electric power is generated with renewable resources: hydro, geothermal and wind turbines. Imagine a place where respect for nature is such that fully 25 percent of the country is set aside for national parks and wildlife preserves. Imagine a country where the citizens vetoed oil drilling (much to the disappointment of some Texans) because it would damage the environment. Imagine my delight when my wife Soma and I were invited to visit. Our destination was the northwestern edge of the country in the driest province, Guanacaste, named after the national tree, a towering hardwood. The Pacific Coast here boasts one pristine beach after another and some of the finest surfing in the world. The little town of Tamarindo, in fact, was “discovered” when the movie “Endless Summer II,” now a surfers’ cult film, came out in 1994. One of the gringos who came seeking the perfect wave was a California chiropractor, Alejandro Berkowitz. After injuring his back in a surfing accident he decided to stay in Tamarindo and establish a hotel with all the comforts other gringos would expect. Today it is the festive Tamarindo Vista Villas, with 17 rooms and 16 apartments or villas, a Best Western property. Piloting an electric cart, Marketing Manager Alex Orias zipped my wife and me up the tree-lined drive beneath a canopy of palms and bougainvilleas. From our room overlooking the bay we watched the endless parade of waves rolling in to the white-sand Playa Tamarindo. Costa Rica links Panama and Nicaragua at the southern end of Central America, just a three-hour flight from Houston. At 19,700 square miles the country is almost the size of West Virginia. There are two seasons: Dry, from December to April, and Green (read wet) from May to November. Temperatures along the coast range from70 to 90; cooler inland. The range of mountains that forms the country’s backbone, the Cordillera Central, is home to rainforests and volcanoes, the primary attractions of this popular ecotourist destination. But my interest is beaches and we explored several of Guanacaste’s finest. The beaches of Playa Tamarindo and Playa Langosta (lobster) are urbanized, fronted with walk-in cafes, surf rentals and private homes. Away from town, north and south, they are not much different than when the Spaniards arrived in 1502 (OK, so they landed on the other coast) and the name Costa Rica (rich coast) was applied. A parking lot had been cleared at Playa Avellanes where the dirt road meets the sea. Museum-quality seashells glistened in the clean sand, hermit crabs scuttled, stray mangroves ventured to the water’s edge. After strolling the unspoiled strand we enjoyed pizza and cold beer at an open-air establishment under a high canopy of strange trees. The seating was carved-out hardwood logs and the polished cement counter with barstools could serve as a breakwater, I thought, if the tide came in too far. After surfing, fishing is very big here: from marlin and sailfish to tuna and wahoo, some available almost year-round. A retired American doctor and his wife we met at breakfast one morning had been out the day before. “We caught a 45-pound snapper,” the wife told us, “and we brought it back to the hotel. The chef fixed it for our dinner.” A charter boat will run $200 to $500 per day, including captain & crew, bait, beer and lunch. Further along the same hill, also overlooking the seascape and the sunsets, is the private compound of El Jardin de Eden. Proprietor and founder Marcello Marongui is a former high-tech PR man from Milan. He and his wife Aurora Terzano have created a tropical hideaway with 18 rooms, 2 apartments, two pools and an open-air, thatch-roofed dining room. The gate at the bottom of the lush garden is only three minutes from the beach. Our first meal there was interrupted by a two-foot gray iguana that emerged from a hedge nearby, eyed us casually and began munching on the flowers. The food was great; Soma devoured a 2.5-pound lobster, fresh from the sea that morning. The lovely, attentive waitresses were patient and tolerant as I practiced my very rusty Spanish. Buenos dias, senoritas. In Costa Rica, unless one is too busy surfing, one must explore the wild. Our naturalist guide Larry Ulate, PhD, drove us about 90 minutes to the Palo Verde National Park where we boarded a long, roofed tour boat for a cruise on the Bebedero River. Lazily we drifted downstream as Larry spotted and identified the many birds: the Boat-Billed Herons, the Roseate Spoonbills (pink like flamingos) and a Tropical Kingbird. I mentioned to Larry that the American couple we’d met were birdwatchers and had over 400 species in their logbook. He scoffed. “I can get that in an afternoon on the mountain,” he gestured toward the Cordillera. Respectfully I asked how many he had. “Over 1,200,” he acknowledged. Costa Rica claims 600 resident species of birds, 850 including the migratory visitors. After the family of monkeys, who swung quickly out of sight into the jungle, the highlight of the trip was the crocodiles. When they saw us coming they slipped into the murky water -- except one gnarly reptile about four feet long who was sunbathing on a bank about three feet above the water. The boatman maneuvered closer and closer, until the croc was face-to-face with us and seemingly had no choice left but to dive into the boat! We gave him a perfect ten as he dove in next to the bow without a splash. That evening, back in Tamarindo, we found a clue that this little town is morphing from a sleepy village to a sophisticated tropical retreat. Alex took us to dinner in a former bar, an open-front hooch with only seven tables on a quiet, unpaved street. Pachanga’s unassuming façade was deceiving. The Canadian proprietor/chef, Eddie Vargas, previously cooked at the Four Seasons and his gourmet menu was unexpected to say the least. After a delicious dinner we leaned over the serving counter and spoke to Vargas in his tiny kitchen.. “I work alone,” he stated, still cooking for a late table. He whirled and stirred while he told us his menu changes every night, depending upon what he finds at the market that day. He doesn’t want more than seven tables, he said, because then he would have to work too hard or hire help. In season, Alex told us, the tables fill quickly and customers line up at the entrance. Another clue was a white, concrete mansion under construction on the beach at Playa Langosta, the “Beverly Hills” of Tamarindo. The buzz among the locals is that it belongs to Harrison Ford. If so, I’d look for him at Vargas’ place come dinnertime. If You Plan to GoAirlines serving San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, include: American from Dallas and Miami; Continental from Houston, Newark and LAX; Delta from Atlanta; and United from LAX. From December, 2002, Delta will fly directly into Liberia International Airport, only 45 minutes drive from Tamarindo. Best Western has nine hotels throughout the country, including the Irazú Hotel & Casino in San Juan. Our room there was under $93 including a full breakfast at Denny’s. Call 800/937-8376 (WESTERN) or see the website www.bestwestern.com Best Western Tamarindo Vista Villas Hotel & Resort; ocean view rooms from $104, suites from $124, including continental breakfast. The resort has its own sportfishing boat. Call 800/292-3786, e-mail tamvv@racsa.co.cr or visit www.bestofcostaricahotels.com Hotel “El Jardin del Eden;” rooms from $70 including full American breakfast, call 011-506-653-0137; fax 011-506-653-0111, e-mail frontdesk@jardindeleden.com or visit the website www.jardindeleden.com TAM Tours, P.O. Box 1864-1000, 6.7 Km. Oeste del Aeropuerto Daniel Oduber, Liberia, Costa Rica. Tel: 011-506-668-1120; fax 011-506-668-1028; e-mail Guanacaste@tamtravel.co; website www.tamtravel.com Costa Rica Tourist Board: US phone 800/343-6332, fax 011-506-223-5452, e-mail info@tourism-costarica.com, and the website is www.tourism-costarica.com |
|
TM