August, in this La Niña year, is turning out to be a month that alternates between sunshine-filled hours and rain-drenching hours. I’ve observed a variety of styles of rain: light mists, slight drizzles, horizontal driving rains, thundery lightening spatters, vertical downpours with raindrops hammering the roof so hard that we can’t hear each other speak. The moods of the precipitation are as shifting as the clouds overhead. The time segments between sun and rain is sometimes just a matter of 1 to 2 hours. I can look across the Golfo Dulce and see clear skies, then look back to the southwest to see dark, glowering clouds racing towards us. This morning, we awoke to the last drops of a soaked dawn with the clouds revealing cracks of blue behind. Always in the hope of a sunny break, I set off with Pinta on our morning walk up to the top of our road.
During this bi-polar weather season, the rich warmth of the sun balanced with the nourishing showers of rain provides the perfect conditions for wild flowers. Most times of the year, the roadside is edge with dense layers of green. Plants display a variety of leaves in shapes and sizes ranging from the delicacy of frilly lace to pre-historic looking ferns. I am delighted when I catch a splash of color.
Our neighborhood road, like 70% of roads in Costa Rica, is unpaved. It consists of rocky gravel and in the rainy season mud. Our neighborhood road shoots off the main road which is designated a federal highway. This “federal highway” is gravel interspersed by potholes so deep that locals place banana trees in the ruts to warn oncoming traffic. This “federal highway” is the main artery from everywhere in the country to here. Literally, the end of the main road which continues on for another 16 kms or 10 miles is the furthest point south, Punta Banco, that you can drive in Costa Rica. Now driving 16 kms doesn’t seem too far, however we went to visit friends who live near Punta Banco and it took us over an hour. All visitors (I hesitate to call them tourists since there is practically no tourism infrastructure here) drive along the “federal highway” road to reach the beach, the surf breaks and the smattering of cabinas available to rent. On weekends, many campers roll up to the local beaches as they are all public and overnight stays are permitted. Though we are at the “end of the road,” there is more traffic than the primitive road conditions can support.
Our neighborhood road or as Google map states, “Unnamed Road” runs about 2 kms and ends at the top of the hill at a Tico style gate constructed of barbwire and skinny poles made from tree branches. After this gate, there is a lane that passes through a beautiful forest of tall tropical hardwood trees and into Don Amado’s palm plantation. If you were to search on Google Maps in the rural areas of Costa Rica, you will find hundreds of “unnamed roads.” Our neighbors, the Mora family who came to homestead here in the 1980s have no name for our road. Costa Rica doesn’t have street addresses like 123 Main St, not even in the capital city of San José. A house or business address is determined by the distance of its location from a an established landmark. As an example, our property address is 1 km sur escuela de Cuervito. That translates to 1 km south of the Cuervito public school. Well that description is close enough for a Tico. In geographic terms from the Cuervito public school, you travel about 100 meters to the east until you come to our neighborhood road, then travel about 1.25 kms until you come to our lane that runs behind our neighbor’s house. Surprisingly, we have received a package here through the postal service. The mailman comes on a motorbike and he was hesitant to drive it down our steep lane. He had M’s cell number listed on the package and called him to say that he would leave the package stuffed between the bars of our neighbor’s gate. This imprecision doesn’t concern Ticos since they are very friendly society. A Tico in search of their destination will stop to talk on the road to ask directions.
I’m happy that our “Unnamed Road” isn’t so developed because it offers a natural environment for these wild flowers to bloom.
What is the secret to growing gorgeous tropical ginger? Yours looks amazing!