The Shamans of Costa Rica...

Costa Rica has many amazing National Parks. Today I want to talk about a very special and mystical National Park located in the south pacific area.

 

The Chirripó National Park.  This is one of the wildest parks, it protects a large number of important ecosystems.  The National Park takes its name from the mountain by the name of Chirripó, which is the highest mountain in Costa Rica; it reaches 3820 m (12,533 ft). 

In the Talamanca Indian dialect, Chiripó means “Place of Enchanted Waters.”

The park is located approximately 30 km northeast from the city of San Isidro Del General; it is quite large, covering about 50150 ha (123,918 acres).

Chirripó was considered a sacred mountain by the pre-Colombian Indians. 

According to the stories, only the tribal leaders and shamans were allowed to the summit.  In fact, some interesting looking rock formation, known as “The Crestones” were considered as a shrine. 

Some people say that, 25000 years ago, the summit was covered with glacial ice. Today, the highest levels are marked by bare rock with glacial features such as U-shaped valleys, ribbon lakes, and moraine deposits.  

Chirripó means “Land of the Eternal Waters.” 

Tribal leaders and shamans performed rituals atop the lofty shrine; lesser mortal who adventured up to the mountain were killed.  Some say that there are magnetic fields swinging wildly at the top, particularly near the "Crestones."  This is a very powerful reason that keeps drawing visitors to this place and its surrounding areas.  

http://www.costaricaweb.cr/en/category/by-province/page/59/

The indigenous groups that lived in the shadow of Chirripó, allegedly referred to the peak as “the Magic Mountain.”  On clear days at the summit, it is said that you can see both the Caribbean and the Pacific coastlines; you might even feel as if you were floating above Costa Rica, admiring the many layers of mountains descending to the ocean.

The clouds surrounding the mountain peaks, create a mystical visual experience. 

At night, the stars glow just beyond the mountains, and if you observe the sky during the earlier morning, you might see stars cascading across the sky.

The Bribri Indigenous Tribe of the “Cordillera of Talamanca” is one of the few remaining indigenous group in Costa Rica.  The Cordillera of Talamanca is the most rugged and unpopulated area of the country.  The centerpiece of this mountain is the great mountain of Chirripó.

The Bribri social structure is organized in Clans. 

Each clan is composed of an extended family.  The clan system is matrilineal, which means; the child’s clan is determined by the clan his or her mother belongs to.  This gives women a very important status within the tribe.  For example, they are the only ones who can inherit the land and prepare the holy cacao drink, which is a sacred part of their rituals. 

The legend says that the cocoa tree used to be a woman, and Sibu (God) at some point turned her into a tree, ever since, they consider it divine and for instance, they never use the branches of that tree for firewood, and just women are allowed to prepare and serve the sacred drink.  

Men’s roles are defined by their clan. 
Some roles are exclusive for men, for example,
* the roll of “usekor” or supreme shaman, the one connection between sibu-sura (god-goddess) and the tribe
* the role of an “awa” or the healer shaman
*the “oko” or person allowed touching the remains of the dead, singing funeral songs, and preparing the food eaten at funerals.

There is a very specific hierarchy among the Bribri tribe, and it is highly respected.

http://www.monografias.com/trabajos914/estructura-politico-religiosa/estructura-politico-religiosa2.shtml

The Shaman or “awa” holds a very important place within the Bribri society. 

The Awa, are trained from the time they are 8 years old, that training lasts between 10 and 15 years.  Only certain clans are allowed to become awa.  Interesting enough, since the clan comes from the mother’s side of the family, an awa cannot teach his own sons, but rather the sons of his female relatives.

To this day, all the knowledge is transmitted orally from an older awa to the apprentice.  Some of those valuable pieces of knowledge are the healing practices; they combine herbal medicine and spiritual healing.  In order to heal, the shaman must learn a special song that allows him to connect to the trinity represented by the spirit of the plant being used, the disease, and the person.  The shaman establishes the perfect connection with the three spirits, initiates the conversation, and with the aid of the plant spirit, convinces the illness to leave the person.

The Bribri spiritual center is a conical house.  These Conical houses can also be found in many Amazonian groups.  The conical house is a symbolic representation of the Universe; it is supported by pillars, symbolizing the animals that help Sibu (God) in the building of the Universe.

The Bribri believed the universe is shaped like a diamond, “as above so below."  Therefore, the conical house has the physical part above ground, built with local materials.  The invisible part of that diamond is beneth the ground and mirrors the material one.    

On the physical part, Sibu has his realm; the top three layers belong to him; his helper is his faithful King Vulture; the one that can fly high enough to reach the top of the universe and serve as a link between Sibu and other worlds.  The fourth layer represents the forest and sky.  The fifth layer in the middle of the diamond represents the earth. Interestingly enough, the most maligned spirits known to them lives in the same, place.  Sibu says that is the only way to keep them under control, locked up.

On the mirrored part, below the earth, lives Sura, the one who receives the souls of the Bribri after death, because she was their creator.

It is truly fascinating, that even in current times; Costa Rica has indigenous groups that have managed to preserve their traditions, and beliefs.  This, of course, has come at the price of being isolated; additionally, they have seen their number diminishing over time.

Fortunately, there are some non-profit organizations working in the area for the benefit of this exceptional tribe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bribri_people#Culture_and_Spirituality

Next time you come to Costa Rica, make sure to spend several days in the southern zone.  That will allow you the opportunity to visit the Chirripo Mountain, and experience the magic of the shamans living in the area. 

If you want to obtain more information, and make arrangements for a tour to this fabulous place, contact http://www.uvita.info/tours,  they will take care of all the arrangement needed during your vacation.

Who doesn't love Toucans?

     Once you have seen a toucan in person, it is very difficult to avoid falling in love with it.  It seems like many of us have some kind of cartoon–like image of a toucan from our childhood, like Toucan Sam, or the most recent lovely toucan in the movie Rio, Rafael. 

     The truth is, the human mind has the tendency to remember a toucan, because it a very colorful, carries an enormous beak, which looks like it is bigger than its body length, it has the sweetest most vivid eyes, and looks like a stuffed toy.

     When I saw my first toucan in Ojochal, happily perching on a tree by my house, I kept waiting for it to move, since it looked so cute, I could not believe it was a real toucan, and then to show me, he started flying.  

     Costa Rica is home for six of the 40 species currently living around the world.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toucan

     Toucans live only in the tropics.  The keel-billed and the chestnut-mandible are the largest spiciest of toucan in Costa Rica. 

     Toucans are most famous for their large and colorful beaks.  The size and color differ from specie to specie and from male to female; however, in general, the beak alone represents one-third of the body length, and it is surprisingly light, because it is hollow. It is also their nature given protection against intruders.  When it comes to defending against large predators like the harpy eagle, toucans prefer to hide in a hollow tree cavity until the predator leaves.  

     Toucans have very few predators in the rainforest, as I mentioned the harpy eagle will actually eat a toucan if it can catch it; other predators are the snake, but more often than not what they eat is the toucan eggs.  Toucans are able to hide from predators because they have excellent eyesight that allows them to distinguish friends from enemies.

     
     Toucans eat mostly fruits, nuts, and seeds; however, they eat some insects and small reptiles like lizards, spiders, frogs, snakes, and sometimes they eat the eggs of other little birds that seem to give them a crucial addition of protein to their diet. 

     I remember one of my friends telling me “you don’t even want to know what toucans eat,” then she said with great disgust, “They eat other bird’s eggs.”  I can see why she felt so uneasy about it; even so, if we think about it; it is the natural process of life, part of the food chain.  It does not change how much I like them; they are only doing what they supposed to do.  Some people say that toucans have such enormous beaks to be able to eat a wide variety of foods.

     Toucans live high in the treetops around lowland forest or mangroves close to the beach.  During the hottest part of the day, they seek the shade in the deep foliage.

     They have short feet; each one has four claws, two that go backward, and the other two forward.  That configuration allows them to have a better grip on the branches, and hold the food without dropping it.  Their short feet help them to move from one tree to another by jumping with a brief opening of the wings.

 

     Toucans are usually seen in pairs, or in small groups; they have unique ways of reproduction.  The males attract their mate with a very loud matting call, which can be heard from long distances.  After they get together and mate, the female starts the pregnancy period, which goes from three to 10 days.  Once she laid the eggs, it takes about a month for them to hatch.  The female lays from one to four eggs on the nest, usually all of them survive unless a snake gets them.  The period of incubation could last up to 18 days.  The male and the female share the task of incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks.  The baby chicks look just like the adult toucan, but have brighter feathers and smaller beaks in proportion to its little bodies, which are around 10 cm, and their color is dark yellow.  It takes about nine weeks for the new born to become self-feeding, and ready to move on.

     Toucans live up to 20 years.  They are very vocal some people call them noisy.  They love to congregate in large groups, perching on the mangrove trees between our house and the beach.  It is like being in the front seat at a concert.
Listen to the Toucan call

     Toucans have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, and they had been considered sacred by the Incas and revered by the Maya civilization.  These two indigenous tribes considered the Toucan as a mystic symbol and a tribal totem.  In their belief, this bird could teach people to speak up and express themselves.  The Shamans considered the toucan as the connection between the worlds of the living and the spirits.

     It is interesting to see how toucans have been appreciated throughout the centuries for many different reasons.  Personally, toucans are part of my everyday life, and even though I see them often, I find them more fascinating.  

Every time I see them; I take a photo, or record their call in my cell phone; I feel joyful.

     When you visit Costa Rica, make sure you ask the locals, where you can see the toucans in their natural habitat, you will love the experience.

Have you ever wondered where your coffee comes from?

Every morning I enjoy the beginning of a new day in this beautiful Costa Rica, invariably with a cup of coffee in my hand.  For the most part, I am simply content with having my coffee, not thinking about where it came from.

I have always been a coffee lover, and Costa Rican coffee is one of my favorites; it is actually very common to hear that it is one of the best in the world.  When a friend of mine mentioned she liked the flavor of the coffee fruit, I became very curious, since I never thought of coffee as a fruit.  Therefore, I decided to look into what is behind that aromatic cup of coffee I enjoy so much.

If you are not visiting or living in Costa Rica, your coffee probably has undertaken an amazing journey from far en exotic places, and gone through the incredible process of harvesting, sorting, drying, roasting, shipping, and brewing into your cup.

Without being a connoisseur, it is hard to know what the coffee tastes like, based on its name or the region of origin; however, the experts say that the specific region where the coffee was harvested has a lot to do with its taste.

According to the experts, there are four highly productive regions in the world, where each type of coffee grown has  very distinctive characteristics of aroma, flavor, acidity, and body.
 

1     Latin America

2     Africa/Arabia

3     Asia-Indo-Pacific

4     Hawaii~Jamaica

http://www.universityofcoffee.co.ukIn Latin American Region, there are six countries with outstanding quality product, and each one of them has different characteristics.

Region/Name	Acidity	Body	Aroma	Flavor	Roast
Brazilian	Mild	Medium	Complex	Dry, Spicy,  Sweet	Medium-Dark
Colombian	Medium-Strong	Medium-Full	Fully	Rich, Sweet,  Caramel-like	Medium
Costa Rican	Subtle	Full	Fragrant	Rich, Smooth,  Sweet, Smokey	Medium-Dark
Guatemalan	Medium-High	Heavy	Pleasant,  Invigorating	Rich, Chocolaty,  Mild, Subtle	Medium-Dark
Mexican	Low-Medium	Medium-Light, Smooth	Faint	Dry, Sweet,  Hints of Hazelnut	Medium- Light
Nicaraguan	Low-Medium	Light	Faint	Mild, Pleasant	Medium- Light

 

The coffee production in Costa Rica started in 1779 in the Meseta Central.  This area had the perfect type of soil and climate conditions to promote the cultivation of the Arabica blend.

 Arabs were the first ones cultivating coffee, and trading it.  As the story goes, the knowledge of coffee spread to the Arabian Peninsula from Ethiopia during the 9^th century.  A monk by the name of Kaldi, observed a group of goats eating berries from a certain tree in the Ethiopian field close to his monastery.  His curiosity led him to notice that after eating the berries; the goats would become energized, not wanting to sleep at night.  Kaldi reported his finding to the head of the monastery.  He decided to make a drink with the berries.  To his delight, the drink turned out to be a great energy booster, allowing him to be alert during the long hours of evening meditation.  The discovery immediately started to spread through Arabia, where the deliberate cultivation started.

How do we get from the coffee berries to the Aromatic cup of coffee?

Well, it all begins with the coffee plant; it produces a berry that turns red when it is ripe.  That is the best time to harvest it.  That same day of the harvest, the pulp must be removed to avoid fermentation; it is done using the wet process because it allows the coffee to be washed easily.  After removing the pulp, the beans are classified to assure quality, they are cleaned to avoid any fermentation of any pulp remnants.   Costa Rica uses the sundry method, which is the next step; in it, the beans rest under the sun during seven days.  At the end of the seven days, the bean is dry but “green,” and it needs to be roasted. 

Roasting is the last step of the process, and it is the most essential.  It requires impeccable timing and setting of temperature to provide the perfect product.  While the beans are roasting, they will split and their coating will be released.  The strength of the coffee flavor depends greatly on the bean roasting formula.  For example, the longer the bean is roasted, the more intense the flavor will be.  Ironically, it is assumed the stronger the flavor the more caffeine is in it; however, it is actually the opposite.  The longer the bean is roasted; the more caffeine is removed.  During the roasting process, the natural sugars in the bean brake down, they emerge and caramelized when exposed to high temperatures.  There are several roasting methods and each one helps to enhance specific features of the coffee beans.

Here is another interesting question I had for years.  If the bean is the seed, and it is being roasted, becoming a cup of coffee, how do you grow the plant from a seed? 

Well, here is a picture of the berries, when they are red; they are ready to process into the roasted coffee beans; however, when they are overripe, the color read turns into almost purple, and that seed can be used to grow a new plant. 

It takes around 60 days from germination to sprout.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/growingcoffee/Growing_Coffee_at_Home.html

Between 3 and four months, you will have a funny-looking sprout with a bean as a helmet.  After the 4^th month, the sprout grows into a plant, it is only around the 9^th month that the plant starts looking like a coffee plant; they grow as tall as 4.5 feet.

          The coffee plant starts producing the berries as early as the 3^rd year, and as late as the fifth.  It will be productive for a period between 15 and 20 years.

Costa Rican coffee is high in quality and caffeine content.  In some cases, the pure-high quality coffee is blended with inferior varieties with the purpose of providing a local product at an affordable price.

Coffee has been vital to the Costa Rican economy.  Most of the coffee growers were prominent members of society.  Most recently, since the price of coffee dropped in the global markets, Costa Rica has been feeling the impact; nevertheless, the “Coffee Institute in Costa Rica” http://www.icafe.go.cr/ingles/ is working with other organizations to promote it around the world.

In fact, an International coffee symposium will take place on November 11, 2012, at the Ramada Plaza Herradura, Costa Rica.  This event is being organized by the Association for Science and Information on Coffee.  This event is particularly important because it is the first time the coffee specialist will meet in Central America and only the third time in Latin America since 1966.  http://www.ticotimes.net/Business/Coffee-symposium-to-give-growers-a-boost_Friday-September-28-2012

 

  Whenever you visit Costa Rica, make sure    

 

you have the “Coffee Experience”

Passion Fruit or Maracuyá is a delicious tropical fruit, plentiful in Costa Rica. It is also a great aid for anxiety and Insomnia.

Passion fruit it is also called Maracuyá.  It is the fruit of a tropical plant, well known for its vines, and its flowers.  I know; it is a bit confusing when people talk about the fruit, the vine, and the flower as if they were interchangeable.  To a certain extent, they are… each one of the parts can be consumed by humans, and each one of them provides some kind of medicinal benefits.

Many people recognize this plant by its scientific name “Passiflora.”

It is a hardy wood vine.  It can grow up to 10 meters long and puts off tendrils, enabling to climb up and over other plants in the rainforest canopy.  It bears striking large white flowers with pink or purple centers.  The flowers are actually the ones giving the name to this plant, mainly because the Spanish missionaries thought they represented some of the objects associated with the passion and crucifixion of Christ.  

The vine produces a delicious fruit, which is the size of a large lemon; its smooth skin starts to wrinkle when it is ripe, and that is the best time to eat it.  The name given to this fruit in the Amazon is maracuyá, and it grows from South to North America.  There are hundreds of species of this vine, but the most known are the incarnata and the edulis.

In 1569, Passionflower was discovered in Peru by a Spanish doctor by the name of Monardes.  He documented the indigenous uses, and shared the information with the old world; it quickly became a popular calming and sedative herbal tea.  The Spanish conquerors also introduced the plant to Europe, where it became widely cultivated, and is currently a part of the herb medicine systems.   

Chemical analysis indicates Passionflower contains three main groups of active substances:  alkaloids, glycosides, and flavonoids.  It also contains maltol, which has been documented with sedative properties.  A group of harmane alkaloids demonstrated, antispasmodic- activity as well as the ability to lower blood pressure.  In addition, a flavonoid by the name of chrysin has proven significant anti-anxiety action.

Passionflowers are edible; they are used in tropical cuisine as an addition for salads or a garnish for food or beverages.

Benefits.   

·         Passionflower is used to relax hyperactive children.

·         It has disinfectant properties.  

·         It provides the same benefits than the herb, in a mild version.

                

The use of the Passion vine (Passiflora incarnata) has a depressing effect on the central nervous system.  In other words, it slows the action on the nerves.  That is why the herb is very helpful in cases of insomnia and muscular spasms.  It seems to be the best natural drug to slow down over-activity of the nervous system as well as any condition resulting from it, including severe spasms, epilepsy, tetanus, hysteria, and even obsessive thinking can be reduced using this herb.

The herb, (vine, and leaves) may be made into tea, dried and into capsules, or distilled into a tincture for higher potency.

The leaves are typically prepared in standard infusions; the traditional dosage is 1 cup 2-3 times daily; however, it can be substituted with 2-3 grams in tablets or capsules, also 2-3 times every day.

Benefits.     

·         It is known to calm nervousness and anxiety. 

·         It acts as a mild sleep aid.                 

·         It can help to relax the digestive system.

·         It is anti-hypertensive.

·         It may be helpful for asthma.

There are two types of Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis), purple and yellow, they look very different in appearance, but they actually taste the same.  The purple is the smaller of both, being the size of a large egg, also has an oval shape.  The yellow one, is round in shape, and can be as big as an orange. 

                   

Both contain a jelly-like pulp inside with hundreds of small black seeds.

It is important to eat them only when they are ripe because the unripe fruit may contain toxins.  The way to know if the fruit is ripened is by the extent of wrinkles in the skin.  The fruit with more wrinkles is better and sweeter. 

Passion fruit is a healthy fruit, due to it high content of potassium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, lycopene and dietary fiber.

Benefits. 

·         The juice is delicious and may be helpful for those with high blood pressure. 

·         The juice contains the same alkaloids, glycosides, and flavonoids than the flower, but in a milder amount. 

·         Therefore, if you drink a glass of cold passion fruit juice, you may experience a relaxation of your mind as well as a sense of calmness and happiness.

    Since we are living a fast-paced life with increasing uncertainty, it is very common to find ourselves experiencing some level of anxiety and irritation towards the daily events that seem out of our control.  Sometimes, our nervous system gets so unbalanced we cannot fall asleep, even though the nervous system desperately needs sleep.  The use of passiflora, simply gives the nerves a break when they need it.  It will gently slow the system down so we can drift off to sleep without fear of a hangover the next day, and much healthier than sleeping pills.

 

Of course, when you visit Costa Rica, you might find yourself in an environment that helps you to forget about the daily troubles, and makes you feel you are in the physical and mental vacation you have been dreaming of for a while. If that is the case, then you do not need passiflora, but you can still enjoy a delightful Maracuyá mimosa.  Cheers! 

Costa Rica is waiting for you with open arms and its many gifts of nature.