Tropical Christmas in Costa Rica

Visiting Costa Rica during the holiday season is a unique experience that will set the scene for long lasting memories. The festive mood, sunshine and warm temperatures will bring the Christmas Spirit to your Heart. When we think about Christmas, more often than not, the first thing that comes to mind is “A White Christmas” with the romantic scenery of the snowflakes on the Christmas trees and the Christmas carols and hot apple cider.  Maybe a “Tropical Christmas” is another great way to experience the holidays.

In Costa Rica, Christmas is Tropical and Green, surrounded by Nature, sunny days, exotic birds like my favorite friends the red macaws flying over the back yard, or the Toucans calling to each other every morning.  Imagine going for a walk on the beach, or maybe swimming or surfing, and enjoying the beautiful sunsets every evening while having dinner.  It certainly is a different kind of Christmas, but, it is a wonderful experience, and for many a cherished memory.

 

Since Costa Rica is primarily a catholic nation, the celebration of the season is all about lights, music, and family togetherness.  The Christmas trees in Costa Rica are often fragrant cypress trees decorated with ornaments and lights. Sometimes Ticos show their creativity by decorating dried branches of coffee plants, they also like to decorate their houses with lights and poinsettias.  

Like many other catholic nations, nativity scenes with figurines of Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men are a traditional Christmas decoration.  The focus of this tradition is the coming of the baby Jesus, whose figurine is placed in the nativity scene the night before Christmas, the children of the household sing carols while placing the figurine in the manger, they remind baby Jesus to bring the presents they have been wishing for, after all, they have been good kids.  I would say that it is the equivalent of leaving milk and cookies for Santa.  Of course, for the devoted adults the meaning of this celebration goes a little further, it is the rebirth of the Christ-love in their hearts.

The Christmas tradition in Costa Rica started around 1601, when the governor at that time declared it a national holiday.  Costa Ricans, celebrate with Posadas involving the reenactment of Mary and Joseph “looking for room at the Inn”, the 9 days before Christmas.  The Costa Rican Christmas season does not end until January 6, when the three wise men have greeted baby Jesus and presented him with the gifts of Gold, Myrrh, and Frankincense.

Ticos love these festivities, therefore, they start the Christmas season on the weekend closest to December 13 with the Festival of Lights, when the city of San José show their best Christmas decorations becoming a true garland of lights.  This is a tradition that started only in 1996 when the municipality of San José organized the first parade with decorated carriages, concerts, and fireworks.  There are other traditional festivities involving bullfights, religious processions, costumed dancing through the streets, and stands of traditional food wherever the festivity takes place.

Christmas Eve is the main celebration in the country, as opposed to Christmas day in many other cultures.  Traditional families observe midnight mass called “Misa de Gallo” (which literally means, Mass of the Rooster).  Some other less traditional families take the whole week or part of it to go to the beach.  Most families gather for Christmas Eve dinner, before, after or instead midnight mass.  This important dinner is just as elaborate as any other one we might know, of course with the Costa Rican spin of flavors and presentation

Some of the dishes included on the traditional menu are:

Tamales: Large dumplings made with corn flour, seasoned with small pieces of pork, olives, cooked rice, and other various stuffing’s.  They are often steamed and served wrapped in banana leaves.

Picadillo: A uniquely Costa Rican way to prepare vegetables like water squash, green papaya, potatoes, carrots or other veggies; they are chopped into small cubes and combined with onions, garlic and a small bit of ground beef for seasoning.

Empanadas:  a version of a deep fried turn over filled with seasoned chicken, pork, meat, or cheese.

Chicharrones: Deep-fried Pork Belly.

"Tres Leches Cake": This is the most traditional of desserts in Costa Rica and it owes the name to the mix of the three milks used to soak the cake.  (Leche means milk in Spanish.)  The three milks in the soaking sauce are sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream, whipped cream is often the preferred topping.  Many Tico Families have included the traditional turkey in their Christmas menu.

               

Costa Rica has become the country of choice for many with many different ethnic groups that enjoy the Costa Rican culture and cuisine and at the same time, they enjoy preserving their individual cultural flavor, traditions and “Holiday Recipes”.  Therefore, if you come to Costa Rica for the Holidays, you will have a wide variety of choices for your Christmas Dinner. 

The Holidays in Costa Rica are very traditional in their own right and filled with warm weather, warm feelings, great outdoor activities, and unforgettable experiences.

Happy Holidays to you and everybody who lifts your Christmas Spirit.

Did you know the Resplendent Quetzal has been treasured by ancient civilizations?

Let’s start with some physical and geographic facts:

The resplendent Quetzal (pronounced “ket-sál”) is one of the most beautiful birds in the world, mainly because of the amazing combination of colors of his outfit; when we look at the iridescent green body, fluffy looking crown, cherry-red breast and a shimmering two-foot long green tail, it creates a vision of tropical beauty never seen before and that vision will always stay with us.  The mature males have four upper tail covert feathers that grow from above their real tail, which is only about eight inches long and it is white when seeing from below.

The male Quetzal is also adorned with elongated green satin like wing covert feathers that drape over the sides. Under those beautiful and plentiful feathers resides a very delicate and thin skin.

The female Quetzal searches for an old tree trunk, where with the help of her partner will build a nest. Once the nest is ready, between the months of February and April, she lays one or two eggs. Both the hen and cock take turns during the 18-day period of incubation. The male Quetzal enters the nest, always leaving his beautiful tail plumes outside so as not to injure them. The female doesn't have this problem, because her tail feathers are very short, although, still pretty.  Young Quetzals can start flying at about three weeks of age, but males do not begin to grow their long tail plumes for three years.

The Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala and their currency is also called Quetzal.

In Costa Rica, the resplendent Quetzal lives primarily in the Mountains.  It is a bird of the cloud forest in the Monteverde area.

A Quetzal looks for his food by standing still on a horizontal branch watching for blackberries, figs, wild avocados or small lizards; once he has found his lunch, the tendency is to return to its perch.

The iridescent green or blue of this bird is a structural color caused by reflection of light on the feathers, so, when he is on the shade, the plumage looks kind of dull; however, when he is under the sunlight is when the display of majesty comes to life.

Now, let’s talk about some Myths and Legends

The name Quetzal means, according with some Aztec translations: "large brilliant tail feather".  The Resplendent Quetzal was considered divine by the Pre-Colombian civilizations because of the association with the “snake God” Quetzalcoatl.

The Aztecs and Mayans viewed the Quetzal as the “God of the air” and as symbol of goodness and light. The Quetzal also symbolizes freedom because it will kill itself if kept in captivity.

In general, Mesoamerican rulers and some nobility of other ranks wore headdresses made from Quetzal feathers; this was a symbolic connection to Quetzalcoatl. 

The Quetzal bird and the rattle snake (coatl in the náhuatl language) shared the position of most venerated creatures by ancient Mayans.  The Quetzal symbolized the movement of creation and the will of the creator to come to earth, on the other hand, the serpent represent the grounding power.  Because the serpent moves side by side, and the Quetzal moves up and down, in the Mayan mind, it was the perfect representation of the progression between day and night as well as the alpha and the omega.

So, the logical outcome was to unite these two creatures into ONE, calling it “Quetzalcoatl” (Feathered Serpent), who represents light, love, happiness and all which is good in life.  Their God “Quetzalcoatl” is known as the god of the wind and Venus, the Morning Star.

He was also the god of transition, since the serpents were seen as living on the boundary between the worlds of water and earth.  He was one of the four gods who created the world from the primordial chaos; he created the current generation of people.

In Mayan culture it was a crime to kill a Quetzal; hence the birds had to be captured in order to retrieve their feathers; however, they were always placed back in nature.

The Quetzal is legally protected in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama, although enforcement in remote areas where birds are found is nearly impossible. In Costa Rica, national parks have been set up to protect the endangered Quetzal. Braulio Carrillo, Poas, Chirripo, La Amistad, Monteverde and the Los Angeles cloud reserves all cooperate in the preservation of the Resplendent Quetzal.

The population of Quetzals has greatly decreased due to factors such as cloud forest destruction, hunting, and capture of these birds for trade. The Quetzal however, is still somewhat common in very remote areas of Central America.

When you come to Costa Rica, make sure you take a couple of extra days to visit the cloud forest and experience the amazing presence of this magnificent bird.

Try these sites for bird watching tours:

http://www.crsuntours.com/nature-calendar/

http://www.avianjourneys.com/Tours/toursataglance.htm

Fishing is better when the Papagayo winds are around Costa Rica.

Last week I was reading the Tico Times, www.ticotimes.net/weekend/fishing and I found it very interesting to learn that during the months of November and December, the fishing for Marlin is excellent all along the Pacific Coast, from the south of Mexico to the north of Panama. It is expected to see plentiful schools of Dorado, football Tuna, and bigger Tuna moving along with the spinner and bottlenose dolphins. Since Tuna and Dorado (mahi-mahi) are the Marlin’s favorite food, it is expected a great Marlin Season maybe just around the corner.

Todd Staley from the Tico Times explains, “As the rain subsides, the water clarity near shore will begin to improve, and the inshore fishing will return to normal. All the water rushing down from the mountains these past weeks has been carrying tons of silt with it, making inshore fishing a washout for the most part. Some time around the beginning of December, the Papagayo winds will begin to blow from the east, across Lake Nicaragua into the Pacific Ocean. This event lasts about four months. What happens is this wind pushes the surface water offshore and the upwelling water does not have enough oxygen to support sailfish, forcing them to move south. You can catch a sailfish or a marlin any day of the year in Costa Rica, but when the Papagayo wind is blowing, the population is more concentrated in central and southern Costa Rica.”

 

This fascinating article got my curiosity about the Papagayo wind, a term that I had never heard before, despite the fact that Bill and I have been living in Costa Rica for the last 6 years and we love going fishing; I guess we haven’t been fishing as much as we would like lately.                                                                

NASA explains that the weather behind the Papagayo wind is a very simple meteorological mechanism. “During the winter, cold high-pressure weather systems move southward from North America over the Gulf of Mexico. These high-pressure systems create strong pressure gradients between the atmosphere over the Gulf of Mexico and the warmer, moister atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Just as a river flows from high elevations to lower elevations, the air in the high-pressure system will flow downhill toward lower pressure, but the Cordillera mountains block the flow of air, channeling it through Chivela Pass in Mexico, the lake district of Nicaragua, and also Gaillard Cut in Panama (which also holds the Panama Canal)."

Every year in the far west of the  tropical Pacific Ocean, between 5° N and 17° N, an important event takes place, it is the rising of deep cold water to the surface as a result of the winds pushing from 3 strategic points which are: The Tehuantepec Gulf in Mexico, The Papagayo Gulf in Costa Rica and the Panama Gulf.

So, what does that have to do with having a good fishing 

season? 

Well, imagine what a sight it must have been a million or so years ago when the volcanoes blasted out of the ocean floor piling rocks and lava for hundreds of miles creating what is now known as Central America.
This also created an underwater maze of formations that many species of sport fish call home and  frequently  visit to feed during their migratory routes.
The entire western shore of Costa Rica is made up of these spectacular coastline works of nature. They are home to an untold number of varieties of snappers and groupers. The finicky and celebrated "sport fish”, the rooster fish hangs out in this area along with several varieties of jacks, rainbow runners and sharks.

Offshore the volcanic activity has formed pinnacles that rise hundreds of feet out of the ocean floor, attracting bait fishes that start the "bigger fish eats littler fish" chain of life. Marlin, sails, tuna, and dolphin fish take advantage of the feeding opportunities here. One of the exciting things about Costa Rica is that these popular species can be taken year round.

The fish move up and down the coast and one time of year a certain area will be excellent during several months but slow during the others. Generally speaking, from December through April the major bite of migratory species will be in the center of the country and south. The rest of the year the best bite will be to the north. There are exceptions to every rule, of course.

 

It seems like the predictions for this coming Costa Rican Summer (December to April) are very bright for the fishing enthusiast, so if you are one of them, this is the time to start making plans and traveling arrangements, you might be going back home with priceless experiences and memories about fishing in Costa Rica.

 

 

www.hookedoncostarica.com/costa-rica-fishing-vacation-packages 

http://www.cunadelangel.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=39&Itemid=132&lang=en

http://www.crtourism.com/southpacific01.htm

November in Costa Rica… How to avoid Mosquito Madness

It is a beautiful time of the year because we have sunny mornings and cool-rainy evenings, and the occasional 24 hr. overcast day. This November 2011, has started on a very sunny note and the local meteorologist is predicting the beginning of the dry season in central Costa Rica by mid November.

The southern pacific always experiences a longer rainy season and is predicted to end on the first week of December.

Since November is the last month of rain,  the soil is already well saturated, grass has grown in all those neglected areas, foliage is abundant, everything is gorgeous green and wet and, of course, the perfect environment for mosquitoes and al their flying-biting relatives. Yeah! They are everywhere,

Many of us know that the most common way to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors is to use citronella candles, but… if you are in Costa Rica, you may not be able find them as easy as you do in other countries, besides, if you ask about citronella based products, you will get a very funny look, something like “what are you talking about?”

I have been on the receiving end of that look, so, I decided that I needed to do a little more research and find out why nobody seems to know much about citronella.

To my surprise, I found out that I had been living under a rock for the last 6 years since we came to Costa Rica.  If I had known that the other name of Citronella is Lemon Grass, I had been able to buy as many plants as I needed to plant around my house by the beach, creating a “NOT WELCOME” wall for the undesirable but very numerous mosquitoes and their relatives.

Citronella or Lemon Grass, which in Costa Rica is called Zacate Limon, is actually a tropic plant that grows to be around six feet tall, so it might not be practical in the average suburban backyard, but the average house in the Costa Rican Pacific Coast has enough room to grow it and a green natural wall blends perfectly with the tropical setting. As you can see in the picture, it is not the most handsome or exotic plant in Costa Rica, but it provides you with an incredible value allowing you to enjoy more your outdoor space.

A little bit of history:

Lemongrass is originally from Sri Lanka and it became popular all over the world in the 19^th century. The lemongrass oil was known as Oleum Siree when it was exported for the first time to Europe. Sri Lanka was the main center of lemongrass oil production until 1890 when Java started production of this oil of better quality. In 1900s, lemongrass oil started to be exported to other countries, becoming very widely used.

In Costa Rica, unless you are in Central San Jose, it may not be so easy for you to find oil or any other lemon grass/citronella based products; for that reason you might want to bring it with you if you are coming for a short vacation, or if you are staying for an extended period of time or actually living in this tropical country, you might want to consider planting Lemon Grass (Zacate Limon) , Rosemary (Romero) and Mint (Menta) around your house, this combination will discourage mosquitoes from hanging around.

There are different schools of thought around the use of these plants.  Some say they do nothing to repel mosquitoes, while other swear by them; in my opinion, since those three plants are very easy to find and grow in Costa Rica, why not try them?”

Planting these plants that repel mosquitoes is a great choice for your yard.  They are not only an earth-friendly way of dealing with these pests, but they will add beauty to your garden, and more importantly, they will not jeopardize your health the way common insecticides might.

You can also prepare your own home made lemon grass (citronella) repellent buy following these simple steps:

Pack a glass jar with finely chopped lemon grass (Zacate Limón), then top it off with vodka or alcohol.
Make sure to seal it tightly.

Shake it one a day and store it in a dark place for a full week.

Then you are ready to use it as repellent.

Couple more natural tricks against the mosquitoes:

If you don’t mind smelling like a cookie, pure vanilla extract, believe it or not, actually repels mosquitoes. If you use imitation vanilla it won't work.  Mosquitoes are not the only bugs that don't like vanilla, so it's good to keep around. You can put vanilla on your pulse points to keep away the bugs.

Lavender is another great mosquito repellent and who does not like the smell of lavender, well, mosquitoes don’t, and that is why lavender is a natural insect repellent.  You can use the flower to rub on your skin or use the oil on your pulse points just as you would for perfume. This is proof that you don't have to smell like a chemical to keep away the bugs.

Finding lavender plants in Costa Rica may not be so easy, but if you are lucky enough to find them take good care of them and they will keep the mosquitoes away from you.

If the mosquitoes have succeeded and you are already carrying their bites, well, I know the feeling, so it is time to try Aloe Vera gel, it will help to calm the itch and will heal the affected area.  If you happen to have access to an Aloe Vera Plant (which in Costa Rica is called SABILA, or ZABILA), it will be even better, just cut the tip of a branch, open its skin like if it was a banana and use the jelly type pulp on the affected area, you will feel an instant relief.

So, as much as the mosquitoes might try to scare you away from this wonderful Tropical County, you can outsmart them and keep them away from you, in a very natural way.

Did you know that Costa Rica is one of the Happiest Countries on Earth?

Costa Rica is a country with less than 5 million people between Panama and Nicaragua, in recent study performed by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), this tropical country obtained the top overall ranking of the combination of long and happy life with limited environmental degradation.

The country has a beautiful mixture inside a large diversity of species, and there are countrywide efforts to reverse the process of deforestation in order to help the country to produce a higher percentage of its energy from renewable sources.  

Costa Rica is the greenest and happiest country in the world, according to a new list that ranks nations by combining measures of their ecological footprint with the happiness of their citizens.

Britain for example is only halfway up the Happy Plane Index (HPI) calculated by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), in 74th place of 143 nations surveyed.  http://www.happyplanetindex.org/

The top 10 happiest countries are located in Latin America, while African countries bulk out the bottom of the table.

The HPI measures how much of the Earth's resources a nation is using and how long and happy kind of life their citizens are able to enjoy.  This index was introduced for the first time in 2006; the second edition adds data on almost all the world's countries and now covers 99% of the world's population.

The NEF says the Happy Plane Index is a better way of evaluating the success of countries instead of doing it through standard measures of economic growth.  The HPI shows, for example, that fast-growing economies such as the US, China and India were all greener and happier 20 years ago than they are today.

"The HPI suggests that the path human beings have been following is, without exception, unable to deliver all three goals: high life satisfaction, high life expectancy, and equitable resource consumption."

 Costa Ricans top the list because they report the highest life satisfaction in the world; they live slightly longer than Americans live, yet have an ecological footprint that is less than a quarter the size.

Maybe Costa Ricans contentment has something to do with having lesser expectations, or maybe the realization that they do not need to need more if they can fully enjoy what they already have.  

Perhaps what makes them happy is the chance to explore dazzling beaches on both sides of the country, while they are not admiring the sloths in the jungle.  

The truth is that Latin countries generally do well in happiness surveys and one of the main reasons is the cultural emphasis on family and friends, on social capital over financial capital.

One of the aspects that set Costa Rica apart from other countries is its remarkable decision in 1949 to dissolve its armed forces and invest instead in education and other social programs.  Less belligerent approach and more education that is basic have created a more stable society, less prone to the conflicts that enveloped other countries in Central America.  I am not antimilitary; however, it seems like in Costa Rica education, social programs and health care have been a better investment than artillery. 

It is fair to say that Costa Rica has done an unusually good job preserving nature, and it’s surely easier to be happy while living under sunshine and greenery than while shivering up north and suffering “nature deficit disorder.”  Most recently it has been putting great emphasis on the environment and the Ecotourism and somehow this focus has helped to maintain its economy while other countries are  already suffering a deep recession.  It seems like in the near future we will see larger numbers of English, French and German-speaking retirement communities along the Costa Rican coast, it appears to be a happy choice for Retirement.  

I encourage you to conduct your own research in Costa Rica, exploring those magnificent beaches or admiring those slothful sloths eating the tropical super fruits and admiring the majestic birds.  It will surely make you happy.

Why COSTA RICA has amazing sunsets every day at the same time?

Well, the reason why is because Costa Rica is a tropical country situated between 8 and 12 degrees above the equator.

Being close to the equator, Costa Rica does not experience the variation in day length that more northern or southern countries do.  It experiences about 12 daylight hours each day, every day.  The sun rises and sets at the same time all year round, so there are no short winter days or long summer ones. 

Enjoy the gorgeous sunsets every day at the same time, and whether you choose to do it by the beach or by the mountains, the experience will be equally captivating.

The best thing about tropical climates is predictability.

For any given month of the year, the weather in a particular Costa Rican town will be quite stable.  When you book your vacation, you will be sure what weather you are going to get. As a point of comparison, if you choose to visit the  European Alps for example, your vacation could be ruined by a rainy spell or it could be sunny and clear- there is no way to know in advance, so the only thing to do is book your flights and hope for the best.

Come to Costa Rica and you will be certain of what the weather will do.

The average yearly rainfall over Costa Rica is about 100 inches, but some areas get much more than that. It does have a positive side though.  High rainfall feeds lush rainforest and supports an incredible diversity of plant and animal life.  Do not be put off by a little rain- without it, the forests would not exist, and there would be nothing to see between the volcanoes and the beaches.  Without the generous rainfall, you would miss the spectacular parrots and toucans, green tree frogs and enormous butterflies.

Because Costa Rica is located between eight and 12 degrees north of the Equator, the climate is tropical all year round.  However, the country has many microclimates depending on elevation, rainfall, topography, and by the geography of each particular region.

Costa Rica's seasons are defined by how much rain falls during a particular period and not by the four seasons in the Northern Hemisphere.  The year can be split into two periods, the dry season known to the residents as summer, and the rainy season, known locally as winter.  The "summer" or dry season goes from December to April, and "winter" or rainy season goes from May to November, which almost coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season and during this time, it rains constantly in some regions.

The location receiving the most rain is the Caribbean slopes of the Central Cordillera Mountains, with an annual rainfall of over 5,000 mm (196.9 in).  Humidity is also higher on the Caribbean side than on the Pacific side.  The annual temperature on the coastal lowlands is around 27 °C (81 °F), 20 °C (68 °F) in the main populated areas of the Central Cordillera, and below 10 °C (50 °F) on the summits of the highest mountains.

Near the Equator, there is little distinction between summer, winter, autumn, or spring.  The temperatures there are usually high year-round—with the distinct exception of parts of the Equator that cross high mountains in South America and in Africa.  (For example the Andes Mountains and Mt.  Kilimanjaro.)  The temperature at the Equator can also plummet during the extensive rainstorms in many locations, but not in Costa Rica.  However, many places close to the Equator receive rain throughout the year.  The seasons can vary depending on a variety of factors including elevation and proximity to an ocean.  

Why is twilight short near the equator?

I have now read in several different books that relate the adventures of world travelers the same observation about the sunset at the equator.  They state that at the equator "darkness falls almost instantly after sunset, there is no twilight".  I ignored it the first few times I saw it, but after reading it again, and again, I began to wonder if it is true, and if so why?  I cannot figure out why twilight should shorter or longer anywhere in particular.  Is it true?  Why?

This is a very good question.  The reason is a little complicated to understand, though.  The simple answer is that at low latitudes, the sun sets perpendicular to the horizon, while at higher latitudes, the sun can set at a more oblique angle, allowing it to remain close to the horizon after sunset for a longer period.

Weather in the tropics is essentially a phenomenon of solar radiation and air circulation.  Intense heat at the equator puts air in motion, and a worldwide pattern of winds is established.  The most famous of these, for Costa Rica, are the northeasterly trade winds, known locally as "alisios".  These winds blow with considerable force from December to March and April.  These winds, for example, are responsible for carrying moisture in the form of mists to the slopes of the Tilarán mountain range.  These mists are what sustain the magnificent cloud forest ecosystem.

On the Pacific slope, the rainy season begins in May and runs its course until November.  

Here again, days often begin sunny and pleasant, with rains coming later in the day.  This is a period of time in which the trade winds coming from the northeast are much reduced in intensity, and as a result, storms often come in from the Pacific Ocean in September and October; however, the time you spend in Costa Rica will be quit enjoyable.