Lantana.
From El Trapiche, we visited the Women’s Collective and browsed the handmade crafts, then moved on to the cheese factory and the attached ice cream shop. We all sampled the wares there!
The final walk of the day was to a lookout point overlooking San Luis in the valley below the highlands. We walked along a dirt road looking at birds and flowers as we went. There was a toucanet (emerald toucanet) nest spotted in a dead snag adjacent to the road. There were a pair of birds at the nest initially, although one flew away into the forest. Leo suggested that I try to take a snap with my little camera through his bird scope that was trained on the remaining bird. Judging from the view on the LED screen on the back of the camera, it appears to have worked reasonably well. We’ll have to see what Photoshop can do about the lighting.
The walk continued down the road past a profusion of roadside orchids. So I could’ve gotten my photo of them without consorting with tarantulas. We reached the overlook with an expansive view towards the Pacific over the rolling hills and pastures to the Gulf of Nicoya and the Nicoyan peninsula. While we watched the sun set, a sheet of mist was cascading over us falling into the valley below (alas, no camera could capture the effect!). Leo and Sergio had brought out the wine glasses, and the dark chocolate covered nuts (macadamia and cashews). We insisted on waiting for sun down before we boarded the bus back up the hill to the hotel.
Lantana.
The Women's Collective.
Heliconia.
Jonathan mugging inside the huge fig.
Lin and Sean peering out from the fig.
Sunflower relative - the branches holding the spent blooms looks like antlers or a candelabra.
Santa Lucia (Ageratum sp.).
The emerald toucanet at the nest.
Waiting to identify this.
Jonathan 'poking' along the road.
A view off the road and to the southwest.
Heading down the road at twilight.
Another view - from the lookout.
Sean and Lin take in the sunset and a glass of wine.
Judy contemplating the view.
Sergio drove the bus further down the road to find a spot to turn around.
The Gulf of Nicoya in the distance.
The sun drops below the clouds over the Costa Rican highlands.
Leo and Lin catching the last rays of the day.
The sun bisected by a cloud.
And set.
The latest version of bathmat origami at the hotel.
Neal getting a laugh during the dancing lessons.
Lin and Sean picked the steps up right away.
Evelyn showing Jonathan a few steps.
Hanníbal leading Judy through some moves.
The deck outside the restaurant - I added a paragraph or so to the journal here.
Evidence - the fish in the white sauce with walnuts was scrumptious!
After washing up, we headed out to the restaurant, thinking it was going to take an hour or so to get there. The early departure turned out to be a ruse as Leo had arranged for some dance lessons in marengue, salsa, and other latin steps, with instructors Evelyn and Hanníbal. I threatened to feed Leo to the crocodiles if we didn’t enjoy the experience, but we did, and it was great entertainment prior to dinner. The restaurant, Carburé Restaurant and Chocolateria, specialized in Argentine cuisine, and Susanna the proprietor made sure everything was perfect. After a starter salad, I had a sea bass covered in a white sauce with walnuts that was exquisite. For dessert, Jonathan and I split a panna cotta (which was indistinguishable from flan) with a dulce de leche topping. And then to top it off, we got to sample some of the chocolates – those heavenly dark chocolates . . .