Good Ole Home-Cooking & Visiting with Friends

What a wonderful weekend here in Costa Rica! This weekend was a real treat as we had a chance to change things up and leave the farm for a couple of days. Our Saturday morning started off a little rocky, though. We got about 2 bites of breakfast down when we were informed that the bus would arrive at 7:20 am (not 7:30 am like we thought) and it was currently 7:18 am. We had to throw out our breakfast, grab our bags, and rush out the gates and up the hill to catch the bus. As we approached the top of the hill at 7:23 am and out of breathe, we noticed several people waiting at the bus stop which was a good sign. Fortunately, the bus to Cartago did not come till 7:30 am. Yea – we were on our way to meet up with Ryan Huett (a fellow native to my hometown of Comanche) and his family. After a 45 minute bus ride and about 45 minutes of walking through Cartago, we made our way to the Shell gas station, where we planned to meet up with Ryan. Us gringos in the touristy clothes were quite easy for Ryan to spot.

Ryan, his wife Tammy, and their kids Johnny (14) and Luke (11) live in San Isidro, and have a lodge in the mountains about an hour north of San Isidro and an hour south of Cartago in San Gerardo de Dato. They spend many weekends at their mountain lodge, and invited us to chill with them for the weekend. The first part of the day, we got to act like average Joe Costa Ricans (Ticos) by going to the grocery store, and shopping at the EPA, which is like a home depot, and Allis, which is trendy department store. We also ate breakfast at a Bagelmans (I highly recommend the bagel with salmon and cream cheese). Tammy enjoyed the traditional Tico breakfast of Gallo Pinto, rice and beans mixed with spices. And we all shared in a massive, mountainous cinnamon roll. Ryan and his family needed to pick up some things for the home they are remodeling in San Isidro and some supplies for the lodge. Before heading back, we stopped into a sushi restaurant for a small bite.

We arrived at their lodge, The Unicorn Lodge, late afternoon and were blown away by the beauty of the area and their lodge – which Ryan built. They are down in the valley amidst an Oak Cloud Forest with a beautiful rushing spring behind their house, and even Quetzel (legendary Costa Rican bird which was revered by the Mayans) viewing right outside their place. Unfortunately, the Quetzel did not choose to make an appearance while we were there. During our stay, Tammy and Ryan spoiled us with some tasty chips and homemade salsa, a delicious dinner of pork chops, sausages, salad, potatoes, Ghiradelli brownies, and wine. They also spoiled us for breakfast with a home-cooked breakfast complete with egg, sausage & pork breakfast tacos, and blueberry muffins. At the farm, we only eat vegetarian meals, so eating some meat was a nice change of pace.

Just a short hike from their lodge is a lovely hidden waterfall. Ryan served as an excellent tour guide and led the way to the waterfall which included a tad bit of rock climbing to get to the base of the waterfall.

Right outside the lodge, we also saw numerous hummingbirds, woodpeckers, butterflies, and interesting flowers we have never seen before. To wrap up our stay, we enjoyed a trout lunch at a restaurant owned by a friend of theirs just a few minutes walk from their place. Thanks Huett Family for our wonderful stay!