When we were preparing to go Costa Rica, we read that the Costa Ricans put bars on their windows, which is not uncommon in the rest of Latin America. What we found, however, was that they fenced their houses in, erecting walls of steel bars, as if they were canaries ready to fly away whenever you turned your back.
On Friday, our last full day in Cartago, we decided to embrace the rain, as it was impossible to avoid it. We went to Tapanti National Reserve, which bills itself as the wettest place in Costa Rica and the third wettest place in the world. It receives 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) of rain each year. This rainforest supports species of mammals (jaguars, tapirs, mountain lions, etc.) and 260 birds, including the magical quetzal. Naturally, we didn’t see any animals or birds, other than the vultures that were circling above us. We did manage to see more rain and swirling black flies, one of which stung Toni and caused her ankle to swell up the size of a small ham. I told her the swelling was due to the eggs that the fly had implanted under her skin.
Yesterday, we ventured into the wilds of San Jose, the capital of the country, as most of the residents had fled for the countryside and the traffic was more manageable. We went to the National Museum of Science and Technology to see a show of contemporary Costa Rican photography, some of which was very good. It gave Toni hope that she would be able to practice her photography and show here.
Today we visited a friend of a friend, who is a midwife here. Originally German, she has traveled extensively throughout Africa and Asia before coming to Costa Rica. She gives us hope that there are other equally interesting people here.
Well, I need to close this now, as we are leaving in the morning and still need to finish up a few things. Toni is still working on the last batch of photos and will not finish until we get home.
