We met some new friends in Uvita, a couple from Munich named Andy and Diana, who were traveling a similar path, so we caught a taxi with them on our way to Osa. First the taxi took us to Sierpe, where we rode a boat through the mangroves and out to the ocean to the coastal town of Drake Bay, and then finally got off in the water on the coast and rode in the back of a truck to our final destination, Manola Lodge.
Osa Peninsula is a southern region on the Pacific side that is the wildest and roughest part of Costa Rica. To give you an idea of how remote this place is, they just got electricity in 2004. The main attraction is the Corcovado Park, an untouched wildlife refuge with all four Costa Rican monkeys, tapirs, pumas, hundreds of birds, crocodiles and more. But I was also drawn to this area for a highly rated cacao farm which makes its own organic chocolate.
Corcovado was quite amazing. We started the day with breakfast at 5:30am in our lodge and then took an hour boat ride along the coast to the center of the park. We were dropped off at the beach, changed into our hiking gear, and then trekked up to the Serena ranger station – spotting some large cat prints (puma) in the sand. Shortly after entering the park from the ranger station, we were greeted by a very angry and aggressive spider monkey that did not appreciate our entering his territory. At first we thought he was just excited, pulling at tree limbs and making a ruckus. But we quickly learned that his actions were to show his displeasure with our visit when he grabbed a dead tree limb and threw it down at us, striking one of our tour companions in the shoulder – this was from about 40 feet above our heads. He then proceeded to attempt to drop feces on us before scurrying off in another direction.
The Corcovado tour also included additional sitings of the much lazier howling monkeys, some crocodiles taking a dip in a nearby river, meandering butterflies, three sloths just hanging around, brilliantly colored toucans, scarlet macaws (parrots) that sound like pterodactyls, a walk-on-water Jesus Christ Lizard, flying wild turkeys and many other interesting animals native to Costa Rica.
Some new friends from Dusseldorf, Dennis and Kerstin, offered to take us part of the way to our new destination, so we rode in their car across some rickety bridges that looked like they would collapse at any moment and across some flowing creeks. They dropped us off in Rincon on their way north, and we took a taxi east to La Palma to the Kobo Farm, a cacao plantation focusing on organic farming and cacao/chocolate education. The two hour tour – which was just the two of us and our guide – was rich in knowledge and flavor. Our guide, Flor, was very kind in offering us a little refreshment since we arrived without lunch, and then took us on an extensive tour.
The cacao tour led through an herb garden here we learned about the medicinal properties of ginger, citronella, lemongrass, wild cilantro, basil and others – as well as their use in organic farming by making a tea from the spicier herbs and then spraying the tea on plants to repel insects. For example, did you know that ginger is used as a contraception or to treat diabetes, or that wild cilantro can help with anemia? Then we were led into a forest where cacao trees were farmed in the traditional form with a thick canopy to protect them from the sun and without pruning. They also had cacao trees in a more modern farming form with less canopy shade, but pruned back to better manage the heat effect on the trees. Flor showed us a cacao pod and how it is full of white gelatinous goo surrounding purple cacao seeds. They ferment the seeds with the gelatin in wood boxes for several days to convert the seeds into beans. Then they are dried and roasted, and then ground into chocolate powder, which when pressed some more becomes more of the consistency of chocolate as you know it. We tasted the white gelatin around the seeds, which is like any other fresh fruit, the dried and roasted beans which taste like dark chocolate but with the texture of a coffee bean, and then the final form which is smoother with only minor granular textures left.
At the end of the chocolate tour, we were greeted with an assortment of fruit and some chocolate fondue, along with a delicious piece of chocolate cake, all made from the raw chocolate made on the farm. It was exquisite – any chocoholic should put this tour on their list of places to visit.
Our guide, Flor, was even so kind as to find a place for us to stay while in La Palma. Palamar Lodge was a true Tico find at the end of a long empty road with little cabins and a kitchen under a large thatched roof, all along the gulf. We were the only guests during our stay. One morning we rented some kayaks from the lodge and paddled out into the gulf and up into some mangroves. Three interesting events from that kayak trip: 1) We were greeted by three dogs swimming through the mangroves far from land; 2) We spotted a dolphin jumping out of the water distant in the gulf; 3) We learned you should not go without sunscreen when kayaking in Costa Rica, even if it is early in the morning – we were burnt to a red crisp!
Our stay in La Palma was a real treat, but all good things must come to end. We caught a bus to San Isidro, where our good friends, Ryan and Tammy, greeted us over dinner and then with some drinks back at their beautiful home overlooking the city. Unfortunately, our stay in San Isidro was short, but we can't thank Ryan and Tammy enough for the hospitality.
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