7 th April Tarrazú

A bracing cool shower woke me up for our final day. Showers have been variable wherever we have been. The best was in Playa del Carmen. We had cold, almost cold, scalding, drippy, rain showers. It is always a challenge. Add to that the need to place toilet paper in a basket and not in the toilet. We were curious about how they dealt with it. Apparently it is recycled. Not a pleasant job but essential. Burning off is not an option.

When we went to breakfast we discovered a beautiful garden full of flowering plants, bees and hummingbirds! We still think it is out of the way but it is a secret garden hidden deep in the valley.

Shona was disappointed that we didn’t know the quetzal was here but the hummingbirds made up for it. I had the best fried egg today with my rice and beans. We are a bit sick of that combo but I have really grown to enjoy it as a breakfast. I have to say all the food has been great for my nails! They are long and strong. (perhaps no washing up and house chores has helped too!).

Johnny our driver drove the bus down to pick up our luggage and soon we were climbing back out of the valley. It was just as torturous but the views were great. At the top was a cycling race. We passed many cyclists plugging away up the hill. Steep and long though it was.

Our next stop the coffee growers in Taranzu. We arrived early and the poor woman told her husband to keep talking till she finished preparing the lunch! As he spoke no English it was a challenge for us all and Ronny as translator.

They are a young couple who have lived their lives as farmers but he began to question the use of artificial fertiliser and began to study organic farming. She had been to Canada to study English and tourism but loves being a farmer. On her return she decided to make the farm a coffee experience. Their four year old daughter Ruth,was very amusing and reminded me of Marlo. Full of beans and wanting to be part of everything. We learned about their organic processes and also the desire to encourage more locals to use their methods.

We had a delicious lunch of home grown produce then a walk around the farm. It is a small concern but so lush and healthy. Lucianda showed us how she picked coffee beans for hours without straining her body. She was very focused on the techniques to reduce possible damage to the body. She picked a record of 130 kgs one day. The normal tin carries 12.9 kg of coffee beans. Her enthusiasm was infectious and you could see she loved her life. She carried a machete on her hip and when I asked if the pickers were mainly men or women she said it was 75 % men and many were from Nicaragua. They didn’t always like a woman boss but she said she was a fair boss and she had the machete!

We learned how to grind the coffee beans the old way and how to shake off the skins then grind them in an old grinder attached to the bench. We made our own coffee with the local filter system which was a wooden stand and a sock like filter called a Chorreador. She told us dark roast coffee is a way to camouflage uneven bean ripening. She recommended mid roast and just add more coffee if you want it stronger. We tasted the coffee with fresh cooked bread rolls and hot bananas. Delicious. The rolls were baked in the outdoor pizza oven.

She also makes Kambucha. The mother plant was quite gross looking but her three kambuchas were amazing. So delicious!

Finally we left for San Jose. We arrived late but the shops were open and Peter bought a new pair of smart leather sandals. True to form the ones he brought with him had lost their soles! He really wears everything out! He and Anne were on the hunt for money again. Anne has struggled to get US Dollars out and her card was running out of funds. Tipping requires small denominations but getting them is really hard. Colones, the Costa Rican currency is quite interchangeable with Dollars and often you pay with dollars and get Colones as change. Money and tips have been a challenge to manage. I am glad I brought lots of Pesos and Dollars. It has been much easier.

Our final dinner was at an Italian restaurant which was extremely busy and short of staff. It took a while to get served but the food was good when it arrived. We are all tired and leaving at 3 and 4 am in the morning we wanted to get to bed. It will be sad saying goodbye again to new friends. We have been so lucky to have such enthusiastic and pleasant groups in both trips.