and we added a new covered 10’x 12’ patio to the bungalow so now both have a 10’x20’ outdoor patio with covered seating in addition to the 10’x7’ inside living areas making it cozy in any weather. 

We also added some large shelving units to both, but they are not exciting enough for pictures and we still have a couple room remodeling plans for the “summer” sostay tuned or come visit. Those were the last construction plans we had so we are excited to be out of the structural planning and building phases and can get to more of the fun detail remodeling that’s been on the list for awhile.

 Hope everyone is having a great summer!!

 Bill and Cathy

ReciCaribe Recycling Center

  I finally succumbed to Alaine’s (from ATEC see below) pleas for volunteers to help out at the recycling center and although my legs and back were a bit sore, it was a very rewarding experience learning about the whole process, helping out, and meeting some of the great people in the area who are working to make this corner at least or the world a better place.  There are many people interested in helping the community and protecting the environment in this area and because there is not really a local paper or news program, you really will not hear about them.  However, in the last few months I have met and talked with people who are helping and teaching kids and adults, heading up efforts to find and stop the people cutting and using illegal wood from the surrounding mountains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2cOSVaoUuI ), teaching people about sustainable eating (See info below about Finca la Isla Botanical Gardens), providing affordable pet spy/neuter services, and beach clean-up projects just to name a few. And of course you can never overlook the good works of Barry and Nancy Stevens at the Bridge ()helping the BriBri through loans, school assistance, soup kitchen, social/legal support and more..It is all very encouraging in an area mostly known for jungle and beach fun (I hear there is some night life too).

Anyway, we all arrived at the recycling center and quickly were oriented by those who had been before and the full time employees and got to work taking huge bags, emptying them out and sorting plastic, aluminum, glass and of course the trash that sneaks in.  The folks Mis sam’s brought sandwiches, Bread and Chocolate brought in some great chocolate (go try it).The output of the center is sold to some businesses in the province that make recycled building materials and to the main recycling centers.

Recyclabes - Plenty to do ;0)

So, next time you visit Puerto Viejo, or the surrounding area, or anywhere else for that matter, make sure to ask about recycling and other positive things going on and find a way to support them.  It feel good mon..

Info about the good people at ATEC

ATEC is Puerto Viejo’s original ecotourism provider! Local Tours. Very Busy Local Staff. Unrelenting and enthusiastic commitment to our community and our environment.

Tel: 2750.0191 and www.ateccr.org     www.greencoast.com/news

From the Finca de Isla Newsletter

Botanical Garden: The garden is open Friday through Monday 10am to 4pm. Admission is $5 per person, a self guided tour booklet is $1 and available in Spanish, English, French, German and Dutch. Guided tours ($10/person or minimum $30) available, please book in advance. Telephone: 2750-0046. The garden experience includes a delicious sampling where you can taste seasonal fruits and chocolate, and learn about spices like cinnamon, black pepper and vanilla.  It is also great for seeing poison dart frogs and wildlife.

Farm: We are busy with the major harvest of the year: Durian, Mangosteen, Rambutan, Langsat, Sapote Columbiano, Mabolo, and Black Pepper. The kitchen is busy preserving and drying, making jams, jellies, chutney and pickles, drying fruit and baking cookies. We are winding up the first stage of our Reforestation Project on the Pacific coast and getting the nursery ready for upcoming landscape projects here in town.

Info from Barry and Nancy at the Bridge

http://www.elpuente-thebridge.org/

From Sept newsletter>>Our current total level of monthly spending for the Education, Food, and Administrative Programs is $2,750. This will increase to $3.250 when we hire a full-time Microloan Manager and restart that program. Nanci and I use our Social Security payments to completely cover Administrative/Overhead expenses, with what’s left going into the other programs.

You’ve seen what, with your help, we’ve been able to do here. This year, we’re supporting and assisting 39 children in school, and more than 50 people a week come to The Bridge for food.  We’re about $1,000 a month in expenses to be covered by unpledged donations. From time to time, we get individual donations that help make up the difference. We also have suppliers who know what we do and who are willing to wait for payment.

 We’ve mentioned Timoteo Jackson in many of the previous issues. He’s a tribal elder that we’ve been working with on several projects, and he visits us to help celebrate special occasions. I thought you’d enjoy getting to hear him speak on one of his favorite topics – protecting the indigenous reserve against development. You can find him on YouTube by clicking here www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2cOSVaoUuI

 Yes, it’s in Spanish… some of you know Spanish, and all can get an idea of his environment, and his body language needs no translation.

Early this year we opened up our final addition to Pachamama, our new Casita. In typical Caribe fashion we have had a hard time getting good pictures of it to put on the website because our camera is not very good, or it has been occupied when someone is here with a good one, so we decided to at least announce it on our blog. People have been enjoying the Casita because it is its own comfy little house, is right in the middle of  a set of trees and gardens where birds and butterlys cruise by and monkeys often cross right over the roof, it has a good sized patio with a couple hammocks and comfortable chairs, and a fully equipped kitchen. 

This is an old picture before we brought in the super plush queen mattress and enclosed the ceiling fan inside the netting over the bed for supercooling, but it helps see the room better.

The Casita is a free standing 30 sq meter (6mx5m foundation) one bedroom one bathroom house with fully equipped kitchenette (sink, 2 burner stove, fridge, utensils). It is similar to a studio apartment.

The covered patio is 2 mtr x 5mtr with seating and hammocks, and an uncovered garden patio for enjoying the garden setting and forest views. The Casita is in a shady garden setting, the floors and shower are in ceramic tile, and it furnished with a queen sized bed enclosed in netting with its own ceiling fan, quality mattress and bedding, vanity/closet, safe, and is fully secure and has ceiling fan and full screening to block bug entry and allow airflow even when all windows and door are closed.

We did not have to cut any trees to make room for the Casita so the monkeys are often seen swining right over the roof, all of the wood came from Costa Rican reforestation farms, and the construction was done by local craftsman. We call the Casita our final addition because we would have to cut old forest trees to build more, and just having four units keeps a nice cozy feel for our guests. The rate for the Casita is $65 a night/$350 a week which includes taxes and of course breakfasts and other meals served on the patio are available, as are bikes, snorkeling equip, kayaks, and boogie boards.

We’ll work on pulling together better pictures and hope you’ll come check it out in person

erson.

  There is never a dull moment if you like birds in the Caribbean of Costa Rica as it seems there are always some interesting ones in view…I have seen parrots in the central market of Limon .  However, we often get serious birders staying here and they almost always say they see more birds here while sitting on the patio than they do walking with a guide..This is mainly because we are in the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, have so many old growth trees they like, live beneath a mountain range, and alongside a river, which makes for kind of a natural wildlife amphitheatre..A nice young couple from BC Canada left me this list below when they left the other day so I thought I would post it here, partially so I know I will always have a copy and mainly so any birders or aspiring birders like me can check it out.They told me 10×42 or something like that is a good binocular…I have a 7×42 that works well since they are usually not too far away.. I could probably add another 10 or 20 including the Great Potoo (booah), the horned owls that wait and attack the bats pretty much every morning at sunrise, and the other raptors and hummingbirds that come by pretty much every day..  We of course know the best bird guides and many of them just pick people up here and walk to Manzanillo along the road because there are so many too see, but others go up to observe raptors or into various parts of the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge.

Seen at Pachamama Between April 8 and 12^th, 2009 (sorry for any spelling errors I made)

Grey necked Wood Rail

Keel Billed Toucan

Wedge billed wood creeper

Piratic fly catcher

Bay Wren

Mangrove Blackhawk

Collared Aracari

Montezuma Orpendola

Chestnut Mandibuled Toucan

Bronze Tailed Plumleteer

Blue Grey Tanager

Scarlett Tanager

Black Throated Trogon

Variable Seedeater

Masked Tityra

Black Cowled Oriole

Band Backed Wren

Green Honey Creeper

Whitebreasted Wood Wren

Crested Guan (looks like a turkey)

Slaty Tailed trogon

Mealy Parrot

Red Lored Parrot

Chestnut Headed Orpendola

Buff Rumped Warbler

Pale Billed Woodpecker

Red Headed Woodpecker

Whitenecked Jacobin

Purple Crowned Fairy

Longbilled Hemit Hummingbird

Ringed Kingfisher

Passerinis Tanager

Yellow Billed Elania

Acadian Flycatcher

 Happy Birding

Our guide picked us up at 7 am and drove us out to Gandoca where we met up with our local guides who have a beautiful finca (farm) loaded with fruit trees and many sustainable living features ..You can also do this trip via boat out of Manzanillo and then kayak into the lagoons and we know several expert guides who will take care of all the details and guide the trip in the lagoons as well, but not everyone in our group wanted to paddle in kayaks ;0) We loaded into a small boat and our guides rowed us through the lagoons pointing our birds and different species of trees, but no one had to point out the Herons, Toucans, and Kingfishers  gliding by, the large troop of Spider Monkeys (Colorados) playing along the shore, or the other troop of Howler’s (Congos), but they did show us a Racoon (Mapache) we would not have seen and what we all thought was a Caiman or Mantee, but it was too quick…

Maybe it was just us hoping, but they did say perhaps…and both species are known to frequent the area…You can read more about the refuge below, but we rowed through the lagoons and then the mangroves to where they meet the Ocean a couple miles past Punta Mona and were treated to tour of the Turtle nesting area

where they have a nursery to hatch all the eggs they have saved from poachers and other unfortunate endings. It was nice to get out of the boat and see the beautiful coastline stretching from Punta Mona to the Sixaola River at the Panama border

…this coast is very wild and the main nesting site for the endangered turtles in the area. Especially during the nesting season, I would say that this trip is very comparable to what people experience in Tortuguero (canals, mangroves, turtles, birding, wildlife) at a fraction of the cost and effort and in fact I prefer it because it is more isolated and wild and there is tons of wildlife. Plus where else will you see a whole community cooking with gas collected from their pigs ;0) 

The other great thing is that you will rarely see another person out there because it is just so remote (i.e. no other boats screaming by etc)….this trip lasted about 5 hours and was very affordable…We’ve had several guests take the trip and said it was the favorite part of their Costa Rica trip (even better than the ziplines ;0)…Make sure to check out this hidden jewel on your trip to the South Caribbean of Costa Rica.

More on the Refuge 

The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 

The Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge is a much overlooked treasure, and is not to be missed by any visitor to the area. Although it begins protecting the beach near Cocles beach, the Refuge begins about 100 meters to the North of Pachamama on both sides of the road and extends some 30 km down to the Rio Sixaola which forms the Panamanian border, protecting along the way gorgeous beaches, coral reefs, lowland tropical forests (some primary), and several of Costa Rica’s most endangered habitats including the only jolillo palm swamp in Costa Rica. Created in 1985, the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge is one of the only humid tropical forests in Costa Rica and provides a wide range of lowland habitats with rare and unique plants, and it protects major freshwater and marine habitats, including one of the least-spoiled coral reefs on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. The refuge is classified as mixed use with regulations to protect land and water wildlife and their habitat because special provisions were made to allow residents of Manzanillo and Punta Uva to continue living in their community, which are within Refuge’s boundaries.The coral reefs that begin offshore from Punta Uva extend south to Manzanillo’s Punta Mona are part of the refuge’s protected zone.  The living reef supports more than thirty five types of coral, 11 species of sponge, 27 species of algae and 34 species of mollusk.  Beyond Punta Mona (Monkey Point) a couple mile hike or boat trip from Manzanillo are beaches that serve as important nesting grounds for the four species of endangered sea turtles that nest from March through July (green, hawksbill, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles).  This is a major attraction for visitors because you can see the turtles lay their eggs and then learn about the viveros or nurseries where the eggs are brought to protect them from poachers and the elements in order to maximize bith rates.The refuge is also well-known for its rarely visited red and white mangrove swamp. It is the only red mangrove swamp remaining in Costa Rica. The swamp serves as a spawning site for Atlantic tarpon, oysters, and many other marine organisms. A true hidden gem in refuge is the Gandoca lagoon, where crocodiles, caimans, shrimps, manatees, snook and tarpon all contribute to the cycle of life. However, the beauty of the flora lining the lagoons and the abundance of Sloths, Spider monkeys, White Faced Capuuchins, and Congo (Howler) monkeys and of course Toucans, Trogons and the rest is unrivaled anywhere on the Caribbean coast. Parrots, toucans, red-capped manakins, collared aracaris (small toucans), and more than 360 other species of bird may also be found in the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge at various times of the year. 358 species of birds have been spotted, of which 102 are migratory, mainly coming from North America. This makes the Refuge and particularly the lagoons and mangroves a must-visit for birdwatching. 

So how do you get there and what can you do?  There are a few main ways to enjoy the refuge.  One is to lay in your hammock at Pachamama and soak in it, or head down to Punta Uva beach or Manzanillo and relax, swim, snorkel, and even surf small reef breaks out at Punta Uva a couple months out of the year. Some of the best snorkeling along the coast is right in Punta Uva and all the dive boats come to Punta Uva to a huge beautiful reef with drop offs about ¼ mile offshore. The other ways include self-guided or guided jungle hikes with guides that know all the species of birds, animals, plants and can spot them for you when otherwise you would see nothing. In fact, many of the guided birdwatching and nature tours in the Refuge begin near Pachamama and just walk down the road to Manzanillo.  You’d be amazed how much you can see just on that couple mile hike (and then take the bus back ;0)…Hikes into the refuge can be a short as a ½ mile to see wildlife and some beautiful beach coves and sea stacks, to ½ day hikes into the primary forest and/or to Punta Mona, to full on adventures hiking out to Gandoca , watching the turtles lay eggs and then returning that night. 

The other way to enjoy the refuge is by boat.  You can head out of Punta Uva on a scuba trip to the reefs, or take a spin out to Punta Mona to see dolphins, turtles and the beautiful coast.  Of course there are also a number of fishng opportunities, with the most spectacular being the Tarpon fishing, but the boats always come back with catches or stories of red snapper, kingfish, jack, grouper, barracuda, mackerel and many more. 

To get to the Gandoca mangroves and lagoon there are two options.  You can take a boat out of Manzanillo and then transfer to kayaks to enter and explore the lagoon, or you can take a bus or taxi to Gandoca and hook up with local guides there who will row/guide you through the lagoons and mangroves on one of their boats. We have guides that take care of this from Pachamama pickup and drop off and can even arrange locally prepared meals at the destination or along the way.  The turtle watching works about the same way.  They pick up here at about 5:30 and head out to the beaches of Gandoca with approved local guides where you wait for turtles to come in and lay their eggs.  They usually come in about 7-10 p.m. and then you get dropped back off here at Pachamama with visions of magnificent turtles in your dreams ;-0)  So, don’t miss the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, El Rufigio during your vist to the So Caribbean of Costa Rica.

The So Caribbean of Costa Rica has many natural wonders and although many are all around you wherever you are, some are designated areas…I’ll get to my favorite the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge a little later, but the Cahuita National Park is a great day trip from our area. I had a few hours to burn before parent teacher conferences (kids are doing great in the Cahuita Complementaria Escuela and Colegio by the way so I decided to hike out to Cahuita Point and Punta Vargas. All you need to do coming from the new bus station in Cahuita (which is what I did) is to walk towards the center of town (go right on the street after passing through their gauntlet of new shopping malls) along the brick paved street and at the end of that take a right and it takes you right to the park entrance. Also at the end of that brick road (on your left corner) is Roberto’s Tours which is the only one I recommend for snorkeling in Cahuita. He will take you out on a boat to the point for snorkeling and then you can get dropped off and hike back to town saving the round trip. There are also guides out there who will walk back with you for a fee and tlk about the trees, ecosystems, animals etc.. There you need to sign in at the park entrance and leave a donation…mine is usually 500 colones. There are showers and bathrooms at the park entrance so you can even bring a change of clothes and be set for the day.. The trail is very nice, wide and clean, especially in the first mile because they rake it etc, but more importantly probably, it withstands rain and does not get muddy so it is nice in or after any weather.

The trail follows the beach for the first mile with beautiful white sandy spots to feel all alone and then it weaves into the jungle a bit on the way to Punta Cahuita….It’s about 4 km to the point which took me about 45 minutes walking briskly. Along the way there are many little beach coves and some bridges you cross (walk on the nailed parts to ensure strongest part of the bridge or it gives a bit …

This trip I mostly say lizards and crabs, but also a troop of howler monkeys and a Trogon, some Herrons, many ant/fly birds, and one vulture (lucky me)…Oftentimes at the point you will run into white faced monkeys, White Capucchin, or Cariblancas as they are known here. Near the point is the mangroves/river on your right and there are also some trals that head up that a bit, which can be much more natural and no people so I suggest taking a right there if you have time (right after the Perezoso River “sign”, or keep heading along…

The trail gets much wilder toward the point because not as many people (including the people with rakes), make it that far and you feel all alone in the jungle with the animals covered by a nice cool canopy…Cahuita Point has a covered little picnic area…I always blow right by it because the real treasure to me is Punta Vargas…At Punta Cahuita you can see back to Cahuita, but you can not see all along the Playa Negra to Puerto Viejo…About 1km past unta Cahuita you arrive at Punta Vargas…This is about an hour from the park entrance for me, but count on 1.5-2 hours for a leisurely walk.. There is a sign, but you can also tell because there is a big sandy/coral point and you can hang out there and feel like you are on a deserted island because you can see both ways along tree-lined beaches and out to the coral reefs….it is a nice place for a rest or picnic. You can also access the point more easily from the Ranger station in Puerto Vargas…What you do is catch the bus at Pachamama at 8:40, get off the bus from at the entrance to Puerto Vargas (you have to pull the cord or tell them..it is a mile or two before the turn into Cahuita) and then hike 1 km to the park entrance…there they do charge a couple thousand colones and then head towards Punta vargas and Cahuita…Then you can hike to Cahuita, eat lunch hang out at the park, check out cahuuta and catch the 3 p,m bus to Manzanillo and it will drop you off back at Pachamama…Variations to this trip might be to catch a ride to the Sloth refuge (avarias del Caribe) a bit past Cahuita,

or to get off the bus in Puerto Viejo on the way back and hang out there for awhile, grab dinner and catch the 7 pm bus back or dance the night away and taxis it back to Pachamama for a well deserved rest

Anyway, community-based tourism is not much different except that it specifically offers the “..opportunity to access without barriers the essence of rural life, and to explore natural landscapes and the least visited natural areas, hand in hand with excellent campesino hosts..” (ACTUAR http://www.actuarcostarica.com). I recently went out with the ACTUAR group (The Costa Rican Community-based Rural Tourism Association) to visit the Casa de Las Mujeres to get a first hand glimpse of Bribri life. The trip starts off with a drive from Puerto Viejo to the Yorkin river where you take a trip in a dug out canoe through spectacular scenery and then you arrive in Yorkin, which is a small town within the Bribri indigenous reserve.  There you meet up with a Bribri guide and take a hike through organic banana and cacao plantations, swim in the refreshing pools of the Yorkin river and learn how chocolate is made and enjoy a traditional Bribri meal. At the Casa, you will hear inspiring stories of the Bribri lifestyle and experiences.  I came back very excited to share this experience with our guests and other people. These types of tours, and there are many more, allow the Bribri and other indigenous cultures, to preserve their way of life. 

However, our friends Barry and Nancy at the Bridge http://www.elpuente-thebridge.org are also providing a wonderful service. Our guests have enjoyed going over there on Thursdays to help prepare for the soup kitchen and meet some of the families (and Barry and Nancy of course). Here is a quick summary of their efforts from their 2007 annual report:El Puente – The Bridge is a human services organization operating in the Puerto Viejo de Talamanca area, on the Caribbean shore near Panama.  We provide educational assistance, food assistance, and microloans mainly to indigenous people in the southeastern part of Costa Rica.  Our goal is to help people help themselves to self-sufficiency.  In four years of operation, we:

• assisted 82 children in attending 7 schools in the cantons of Limón and Talamanca;   
• made 28 microloans (and are now looking for a full-time manager for this program);   
• provide supplemental meals to about 150 people through a Community Kitchen operating three days a week;
• provide seven families with a weekly bag of food in a work-for-food program;
• developed a public Job Board to help young people find work.

 As of this report,  we are also:

• conducting a Job Survey with over 180 employers from Manzanillo to Cahuita with the assistance of long-term volunteers;
• continuing to develop a “green fund”, in the USA, intending to provide graduates of our microloan program with guaranteed loans administered through a Costa Rican bank for larger projects, such as: water systems for small groups of families, building a schoolhouse, building a medical clinic;
• continuing the Education, Microloan, and Food programs, and performing other community service activities as they arise.

 We are a non-profit organization in the USA.  See us at http://www.elpuente-thebridge.org 

We love to support efforts like this because they help retain the natural and cultural environments that make the So Caribe of Costa Rica so special. So, on your next trip to the region, make sure to check some of these community-based efforts out and we’ll guarantee you’ll have a good time and be exposed to some of the wonderful places and people of our area while helping out at the same time.

Cathy Carroll.

The Tarpon reference is one I thought was worthy of bringing up because we have had several guests now who have had some unforgettable tarpon experiences.  It started when a guest who happened to be a professional fisherman really wanted to land a Tarpon, but did not want to pay the crazy prices they charge for the dedicated fishing lodges and companies  up North and even here so  we found a local guide in Manzanillo who knows Tarpon, and most recently a young couple on their honeymoon went out and hooked several, including one two hour battle on a fly-rod with a monster (80 lbs/40kgs)…Oh yeah, the flyrod and then the reel finally broke and the big one got away..the memories will live on larger than life I am sure as it was all captured on video.  Some other activity highlights have been the usual canopy tours, but the BriBri reserve/waterfall tour has also been popular.  The Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife refuge is always a reliable good time.  Most people of late have just been going with a few tips and directions and forgoing a guide in favor of privacy in the immense jungle and isolated postcard beach coves…Que romantico!

Feel free to shoot us an e-mail asking us any and all questions about the area as we love to help people enjoy it to its fullest.

Navidad is upon us and can be seen in the obvious scenery of lights and adornos, but also in the season’s greetings among friends in the streets and supers.  One thing that is missing from the So Caribe is the hustle and bustle of last minute shopping (except for picking up tamale fixins or a walk through Limon Centro) because there just is not too much retail around here.  Highlights of the season include the return of the Colorado monkeys (or Spiders) from a couple month hiatus.  First we found out they were around from guests out on the kayaks because they were up the river…with babies (the Monkeys that is),,and then they have started coming around, but the white-faced Capuchins (Cari-blancas) have been the dominating force as they swoop through to snack on the leaves and bananas. 

We had this one banana tree (the kind with seedy bananas) that the toucans just loved and when it finally died off we missed them being so close to the house so we hung up some old plantains and the next morning 20 cari-blancas showed up and came down fearfully one by one and grabbed one.   Fortunately they saved some for the toucans, but we don’t really want to start feeding the animals intentionally or they might turn out like the ones in Cahuita and Manuel Antonio that start to steal your belongings

A couple other highlights include Monday Jazz nights at Magic Ginger, Costa Papito starting up jazz nights and a couple other places putting together some regular nights of reggae and calypso music.  This gives guests some nice options around dinner time for some entertainment.  Not sure if it is just because it is nearing high season, but it is welcomed.

Another Pachamama highlight was the arrival of a couple Canadian families to end up 2007 with us in the bungalows.  We remodeled the bungalows so we could offer a kitchen, have a bigger patio, and welcome larger groups, and it all worked out well because 9 people took over the 2 bedroom house and seemed to be have a great time.  The kids spent plenty of time together at the beach , around the property, and doing crafts etc…We’ll miss them, but glad they had fun and are off to other adventures across the country.  We had some great weather to welcome the end of the year with one all day all night rain and hope the sun holds up for the Navidad.  However you celebrate this time of year, the Pachamama family of Bill, Cathy, Cassidy, Liam, Linda & Lucy, and Maria & Alberto wish you the best!  As they often say here in Costa Rica “Nuevo Ano, Nueva Vida”, or New Year and New Life….