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Showing posts with the label Costa Rica

Intro to San Jose, Costa Rica

Golden Room The old international airport of Costa Rica is now the new home of the Museum of Costa Rican Art. The Golden Room used to be the diplomatic lounge. Murals of the history of Costa Rica from pre-Columbian period to the 1940s adorn the walls. Luis Féron Parizot, a French artist, carved the bas reliefs in stucco and painted them in bronze. A section of the murals in the Golden Room shows Christopher Columbus among the indigenous  people of Costa Rica. Que Clavo! Luis Tenorio Rosales, 2010, acrylic on canvas One of the most evocative works of art at the museum is this painting of the crucifixion.  Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica This elegant theater in the Neo-Classical style was built courtesy of the tax levied on coffee. Thanks to the farmers who toiled in the fields this venue for the performance arts was completed in 1897.  The Flutist, Jorge Jimenez de Heredia In front of the National Theater is this beautiful marble statue of a flutist which was originally created for the Ba

All that glitters

Semi circular chest plate, gold, 700 A.D., South Pacific The Pre-Colombian Gold Museum is one of three museums created in the 1950s by the Central Bank of Costa Rica from the original History and Numismatic Museum to promote “meaningful and relevant connections with the material and human dimensions” of Costa Rican cultural heritage. The Gold Museum is in an underground vault in the center of San Jose. How gold jewelry was worn by the indigenous people of Costa Rica Various chest plates and pendants 1. Semi circular convex chest plate 2. Round zoomorphic and geometrical chest plate from 700 - 1500A.D., hammered     gold with  four cones protruding from the plate, worn by high ranking  individuals,        South Pacific 3. Pendants  4. Plain round chest plate Collar and buckle with embossed decoration Crab rattle, 700 A.D. to 1559 A.D., South Pacific Anthropo-zoomorphic pendant The use of animal or avimorphic pendants has a symbolic meaning to the wearer. These pendants may represent the

A Pilgrim in Cartago

   Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels) Every year on August 2nd, it is estimated that a million to two million pilgrims converge on Cartago to celebrate the fiesta of La Negrita (Black Madonna). On the eve of the feast day, pilgrims walk from other parts of the country to the Basilica (in what is called a romería) to give thanks or petition for favors . La Negrita is the patron saint of Costa Rica and adored by devotees for her healing power. Main Altar It is said that a peasant girl found a statue in the woods of a female figure with a dark complexion and carrying a child. She took it home with her but when she woke up the next day, it was gone. She found it on the rock where she had first discovered it. She brought it back home only for the statue to return to the rock. She told the priest about her experience with the statue and he took it from her and locked it up but the next day it was back on the rock. When several earthquakes destroyed the constru

Iguanas, Palm Trees and Sunsets in Jaco

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean This is why people congregate to watch a sunset.  Jaco Beach Tuning in the blue mind. Waking up to this, palm trees, blue skies, and vitamin sea.    ⬇️⬇️⬇️ Iguana One of the staff members at the hotel told me that there are bigger iguanas in the garden. This is the biggest one I saw. Needless to say, I didn’t stroll in the garden after sunset. At the town plaza, the iconic “I ❤️ Jaco” and Pura Vida signs welcome visitors. The tourism slogan of Costa Rica Jaco’s restaurants and shops are clustered along the main highway. You can easily walk from the hotels on the beach to the commercial center of Jaco where you can rent a surfboard, buy souvenirs, arrange sightseeing tours or grab a bite to eat. Where to stay: Best Western Jaco Beach bestwestern.com This was the first time I stayed at an all inclusive resort. I liked the fact that I could get three meals a day, enjoy free drinks (yes, cocktails are included) and have a snack at the beachside bar. I was so f

Crocodile Spotting in Tarcoles

  Tarcoles River  On my way to Jaco, we passed by the small town of Tarcoles where crocodiles bask lazily on the banks of the river. There were quite a few of them that I lost count. Tarcoles River is surrounded by a lush forest and borders Carara National Park. A hurricane left a lot of fallen trees in the river.  If you like crocodile teeth, you can buy one for $12.00. A vendor was trying to sell me a corded necklace with a crocodile tooth for $10.00. Watermelon is grown in the manicured field in the background. I wonder if the crocodiles find their way there sometimes. Before leaving the town of Tarcoles, we watched monkeys hanging out in the surrounding trees. Talk about monkeying around! How to get there: I took Tico Shuttle from Escazu to Jaco and we stopped at Tarcoles to see the crocodiles from Crocodile Bridge. Tarcoles is on the way to Jaco. My driver was careful and drove safely at all times. He wore a mask as I did. I had the van to myself as a solo passenger. I highly reco

My Amazing Ride - 2021

Pismo Beach Pier, California Traveling during the pandemic was  quite different from my previous last minute trips with no hotel reservations and lots of taken for granted expectations. There are health disclosures to fill, vaccination cards to show immigration, covid tests to take, and in some cases, travel insurance and confirmed paid hotel reservations to show the border police. Thankfully the airports were quiet at the beginning of my European trip in June but by the time I got home in July from Paris, travelers were back in droves that it took me close to three hours to get to my gate. The same was true in December when I returned from Costa Rica. LAX was full of Christmas travelers, it was hard to find any seat at the gates let alone, breathing space. Enough whining! After all, I visited 7 countries in 2021 plus the Arctic Circle, Interior Alaska and Las Vegas and had reunions with my close friends in Michigan, Amsterdam and Vienna. It was an amazing year of travel! April. After