NEWEST RESIDENT – A THREE-TOED SLOTH

Monte Azul is very pleased to announce the arrival of another three-toed sloth to the property. Our friends at Cloud Bridge Reserve were called upon to rescue a sloth from a house in Rivas last week. The sloth appeared in a residential area with no forest in the immediate vicinity for the sloth to call home.

Cloud Bridge Reserve is located up the Chirripo Valley (http://cloudbridgereserve.wordpress.com/) at a much higher elevation than Monte Azul. Since three-toed sloths do not thrive in these higher elevations, the folks at Cloud Bridge brought him/her to Monte Azul. He /she was released into the primary rain forest just above Café Blue. We are very pleased to have another sloth on our property.

This new sloth will join the previous three-toed sloth rescued by Carlos in June 2010. This sloth was found near San Isidro. The neighbors had noticed that the sloth was crossing a very busy road once per week. Because a sloth’s metabolism is so slow, they only defecate once per week. They climb down to the ground, “do their business” and then climb back into the tree tops. This particular sloth had recently decided that the best place to defecate was on the other side of this dangerous road. The neighbors were very worried that this sloth would be hit by a car and were looking for a safe home for him/her. So Carlos brought him home and we released him/her in the primary rain forest near the studio.

I know that ther is also one other sloth on the property. In May 2008, our gardener spotted a sloth in the trees on the southern edge of the property. This was the first such sighting in the area in 10 years. Everyone at Monte Azul and the area was very excited. The forest regeneration work that the area was doing was bringing back and supporting the native sloths.

I have attached a few photos of these welcomed residents. If we spot them again, I will be sure and let you know.

RACE TO CHIRRIPO

On February 26, 2011, the 23^rd International Cross Country Race to Chirripo was held. Chirripo is the highest peak in Costa Rica and it is a once in a life time event for most people who climb this mountain. From the park entrance, at approximately 4,400 feet above sea level, it is an 8-9 hour hike to the base camp at 11,000+ feet followed by another 3-4 hour hike to reach the summit at 12,350 feet above sea level. Most hikers spend the night at base camp and reach the summit the following morning.

For the competitors in the Carerra Chirripo it is a bit different. These runners come from all over the world to challenge themselves and other competitors in this grueling race, and grueling it is. It is a total of 34 km (23 miles). The 17 km uphill is all about your lung capacity and conditioning as the air gets thinner and thinner. The 17 km downhill is all about the punishment on your knees and ankles. The winner of the race makes this brutal journey in approximately 3 hours, 15 minutes. Incredible! Even more incredible is that there has never been winner of this event from outside of Costa Rica.

This year there were 225 participants. This included Monte Azul’s Andy Cardenas. Andy is the head cook at Café Blue. In his spare time, he is also a porter for hikers to Chirripo. Andy will run the visitor’s possessions to the base camp in the morning and then return to Café Blue to cook lunch and dinner for hotel guests that same day.

Monte Azul is very proud to have sponsored Andy this year and are pleased to announce that Andy finished 33^rd with a time of 4 hours, 15 minutes.

For more information about this race go to www.carrerachirripo.com. Or if you want to attempt the climb on your own, Monte Azul can arrange a luxury package for you including porter service.

AN UNUSUAL DELAY

This week Carlos and I were fortunate enough to make a trip to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica for a little time away from the day-to-day business of Monte Azul. We headed to Tortuga Lodge in Tortuguero. Even though Costa Rica is a small country, traveling from one location to another can be time consuming. The driving time from Monte Azul to Tortuguero on the northern Caribbean coast would be around 9 hours.

To significantly reduce this travel time, we decided to do what many travelers in Costa Rica do and take a puddle jumper. Our plan consisted of driving to the Quepos airport which is approximately 1 ½ hours away and flying to San Jose and then onto Tortuguero. There are 2 small airlines in Costa Rica that fly to the many small regional airports. These airlines are Nature Air and Sansa. The flights are very short in duration ranging from 20-30 minutes.

On our way back home, we flew from Tortuguero to San Jose which took 22 minutes. The Tortuguero Airport is little more than a landing strip that runs parallel between the Tortuguero River and the Atlantic Ocean, literally steps from either and lined with palm trees. We took a 2 minute boat ride from Tortuga Lodge to get to the plane. We stood with 6 or 7 other people on the tarmac watching the plane arrive. Then quickly boarded and took off within minutes. It was like something out of a movie.

We arrived in San Jose and had a short layover before heading onto Quepos. After they announce that they were ready to board and started out to the plane we were stopped by an official. Our flight would be delayed for a few minutes. It seemed that a large iguana had made his way out onto the tarmac and was being rescued. The large fire truck made its way out into the tropical sun and 2 firemen emerged to capture the wayward iguana.

The iguana was quickly in the hands of the firemen. The rescuer walked over to the group of us so that we could get a closer look and the iguana, pet him and take a few photos. The iguana didn’t seem to mind the attention. As we boarded the plane and took off, we could see the iguana being taken to the park across the street and released.

As we flew away there was a sense of amazement that it wasn’t about meeting a flight schedule but more about the safety and well being of the iguana. I am sure that everyone on that plane will remember him for a long time. I know that I will. I have attached a photo of this iguana and the fire truck used to remove him from danger.

SANTA LUCIA SPRINGS ETERNAL

Summer has arrived in Costa Rica as it does every year. It begins at the end of November and runs through end April. With the dry season come the tourists from all over the world. Many come from Europe and North America seeking a respite from the cold winter. Not only do the visitors get to bask in the warm sunshine and blue skies but they also get to experience the bounty of summer flowers that emerge as the rains come to an end.

It is amazing how many flowers bloom in the dry part of the year. They are everywhere you look. One of the most conspicuous and plentiful is Santa Lucia. It is one of the first summer flowers to emerge and signals to the country that the heavy rains of October and early November have come to an end.

Santa Lucia seems to bloom great numbers overnight. One day it is nowhere to be seen and the next day it is everywhere. It grows n fields, hillsides, along the roads, anywhere that there is plenty of sunshine. Alone it is a pretty little periwinkle colored flower atop a weed-like plant. But in numbers it becomes spectacular. It turns entire pastures into beautiful blue ocean meadows.

Santa Lucia also has a secret. Costa Rica tradition says that if you pick a flower and place it in your wallet, you will always have money. Some say that it only works with the white Sana Lucia flowers which are in smaller numbers. Either way, there are plenty of both colors at Monte Azul so why take a chance. Pick a flower of each color put it in your wallet. This way you will be assured of having enough money for your return visit to Costa Rica.

ANOTHER GIFT FROM HENRY

Once again we have had the opportunity to host San Francisco artist Henry Jackson as an Artist in Residence at Monte Azul. Henry was at Monte Azul from January 6 to 18, 2011. This is Henry’s 3^rd time to Monte Azul and we were very happy to see him again. From his previous stays, Henry has produced some fantastic works that were inspired by the sights and sounds of our tropical rain forest.

In January 2009, Henry produced his now famous monkey monotypes. One of these monotypes is featured on the front label of Monte Azul’s Quick Monkey brand organic coffee. The February 2011 Edition of Food & Wine Magazine has an article about Monte Azul and features one of Henry´s monkey monotypes. http://www.monteazulcr.com/media/winefeb2011.pdf

He also produced a monotype of our goat, Heidi, which was a gift to me. This monotype is now framed and hanging in the studio as part of the Monte Azul Collection. Heidi has been immortalized and is admired by all of our visitors (see attached photo).

During his latest stay, Henry produced a extraordinary body of work titled the Selva Series (Jungle Series). Each print is a combination of oil paint, ink, stabilo, cold wax and graphite on paper. At the end of his residency, we were fortunate to have a gallery exhibition introducing these works. This exhibition was attended by several Trustees of the San Francisco Zoo. Attached is a preview photo of one of these works. To see these works, visit the www.monteazulcr.com

For me personally, the highlight of Henry’s trip was the gift that he made for me. This is a mixed media print of a cupcake and Twizzlers licorice. Henry knows me and my sweet tooth all too well. I have attached a photo of this wonderful gift. I am looking forward to getting it framed and adding it to our collection. Thanks again, Henry!

NEW GREENHOUSE RISES FROM THE RUINS

For the last few years Monte Azul has been tending an organic greenhouse. This greenhouse was erected about 2.5 years ago on the hill high above Cafe Blue. It was very rustic. The support posts were simply tree trunks and the roof was thick plastic. It had raised beds made out of lumber mill scraps and tree trunks with black plastic liners. It is the typical construction for a back yard greenhouse in Costa Rica.

This rustic greenhouse has served its purpose for our experiments on growing fruits and vegetables in this location. There are many micro climates and some things do really well and others just wither and die. No matter what we tried we cannot get big tomatoes to grow. The cherry tomatoes do extremely well but their larger beefy cousins do nothing.

Lettuce, herbs, peppers, beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers are some of the other things that have done very well. So well in fact that we are in a race to harvest the vegetables before the armadillos, pizotes, squirrels and rabbits get to it. Many guests at Cafe Blue have enjoyed the organic bounty that has come from his ramshackle structure.

Like most things in Costa Rica, this greenhouse has taken a beating from the weather. The rain and sun have slowly eaten away at the wooden structure. A large tree fell and destroyed a corner of the structure. Then the planting beds starting collapsing one by one. It was time to do something drastic.

Now that it the dry season, we are removing the old greenhouse and building a new permanent greenhouse made from PVC pipe, metal and a special greenhouse fabric. This new greenhouse will be built to last. It will have planting beds that are on the ground, an earthworm composting area and a coffee drying area. We are very excited. I will post an update with photos when it the structure has been completed and when we expect to serve these fresh organic vegetables at Cafe Blue..

ESCUELA CHIMIROL GRADUATION

As a follow up to the graduation ceremony at the Canaan High School, Carlo and I attended the graduation ceremony at the Chimirol Grade School on Saturday, December 18th. Asdrubel, our animal wrangler, invited us because his son, Anthony, was graduating.

In Costa Rica, students attend grade school, escuela, through 6^th grade. Since there is no middle school in Costa Rica, the next step is high school, colegio. To commemorate this big step, there is a graduation ceremony. It is just as well attended as that for high school. Although unlike the high school event, this one started on time.

The event was very festive with music, songs, dancing and lots of applause and even more photos being taken. In addition to graduating from 6^th grade, you also graduate from kindergarten. These little kids are so cute in their uniforms and sashes – see photo.

It was great to see everyone and to see the neighbor’s kids graduating. In addition to Anthony, there was Leandro our hotel manager’s nephew. Leandro has helped me with my Spanish and I have helped him with his English. There was also Jimmy and Helen, our 2^nd cook Gilberto’s kids that graduated. In total, there were 17 graduates from Escuela Chimirol for 2010.

Good luck to all of them in high school in February 2011.