Category: Costa Rica

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National Park in San Jose

Yes, it is a city park called “National Park” partly because of the Battle of Rivas statue, I guess.

Statue honoring women who fought in Battle of Rivas, Nicaragua
 which kept American William Walker from making us a slave state.
 National Park
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

Tour guide Michael Miller explaining the statue.
National Park
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

National Park
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

National Park
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

Great-tailed Grackle male 
 National Park
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

Zoom on statue on a cloudy day.
National Park
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica
Trip Gallery:  2017 Nov 14 – San Jose Tour

Or my San Jose Gallery  with photos from several trips to the capital.

And a separate gallery for Costa Rica Churches, most in San Jose

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San Jose’s Anne Frank and Historic Buildings

It would take a huge gallery to show all the statues and old historic building – here’s a sample:

Anne Frank
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

And if you think it is unusual to find a statue of Anne Frank in Costa Rica next to a Catholic Cathedral, in another park of downtown, maybe 8-10 blocks away, in front of a Catholic Church and near the entrance to Chinatown, is a life-size statue of John Lennon sitting on a park bench beside whom you can sit and have your photo made.  🙂

Historic Building 
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

“The Yellow House” 
 A government building where foreign representatives are met.
President Obama met with CR president here.
 Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

The Mexican Embassy (through a moving bus window)
So much more inviting than the razor-wired concrete bunker for USA.
 Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

A bunch of old expats listening to a San Jose Guide.
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

Our Tour Bus for the Day 
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

Graffiti Wall like many
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

The old historic building our guide lived in
Downtown San Jose, Costa Rica

Trip Gallery:  2017 Nov 14 – San Jose Tour

Or my San Jose Gallery  with photos from several trips to the capital.

And a separate gallery for Costa Rica Churches, most in San Jose

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Chapel at Villa Blanca

Mariana Chapel  
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Chapel    
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve 
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Chapel   
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve 
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Chapel   
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve 
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Chapel   
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve 
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Flowers in front of Chapel   
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve 
 San Ramon, Costa Rica
Oxcart in front of Chapel  
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve 
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Villa Blanca’s Mariana Wedding Chapel was the 50th anniversary-wedding gift from former President Rodrigo Carazo Odio to First Lady Estrella Carazo Zeledon. Its unique hand painted ceramic ceiling depicts the history of the Virgin Mary when first introduced into Latin America by Christian missionaries. It is located on a grassy knoll overlooking the farm village and hacienda of Villa Blanca. The Chapel’s backdrop is the 840 Ha (2000 acre) Los Angeles Cloud Forest, with over 300 listed bird species included within a variety of flora and fauna in this protected habitat and serene mountain setting. The chapel, a replica of a 17th century chapel in Rome, features a high beam ceiling composed of 840 individual ceramic plates, all of them hand drawn and painted with high temperature enamel paints. Each side of the ceiling has 15 panels of 28 plates divided in two vertical rows of 14 plates. Each one of the columns formed by the 14 plates conveys a theme allusive to a Latin-American virgin and her country of origin.

My trip gallery: 2017 Villa Blanca
My reviews of other Costa Rica Lodges & Hotels  if exploring this fun country. Note that at Drake Bay I stayed at the sister hotel of Villa Blanca, Aguila de Osa – both are Greentique Hotels.
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Metropolitan Cathedral in San Jose

Our first stop on an Atenas Expats tour of San Jose today was
The Metropolitan Cathedral of San Jose
My favorite art work there is this statue of the Pope’s visit
 to San Jose in 1983 by a Costa Rican sculpture. 

We visited two more places which I will share over the next two days along with finishing up my report on Villa Blanca. Though I have done my own tour of San Jose earlier, this was different and led by the author of the book on San Jose for visitors, so always something new. 

Or my San Jose Gallery  with photos from several trips to the capital.

And a separate gallery for Costa Rica Churches, most in San Jose

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Hotel Lobby, Restaurant & Activities – Villa Blanca

On top of the hill, the center of everything that happens at Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My trip gallery: 2017 Villa Blanca
My reviews of other Costa Rica Lodges & Hotels  if exploring this fun country. Note that at Drake Bay I stayed at the sister hotel of Villa Blanca, Aguila de Osa – both are Greentique Hotels.
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Earthquake Here Last Night

Image result for Nov 11, 2017 Earthquake Costa Rica maps, photos
The epicenter of a 6.5 Earthquake was about 40-50 miles southwest of where I live in Atenas.
The house shook violently for about 30 seconds around 8:30 pm and then an aftershock a minute or so later.
Only damage for me was pictures hanging on wall are crooked now.  🙂
In Jaco grocery store shelves were emptied.

READ ABOUT IT IN:

EarthquakeTrack.com

Costa Rica Star English Online News

Earthquake Facebook Page

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My Cabin at Villa Blanca

All rooms here are cabins – 36 of them!
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel
20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica

 

Morning Fog is Common in the Cloud Forest!

Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel
20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica

 

Fireplace felt good some nights!
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel
20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica

 

Comfortable Bed
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel
20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica

 

View out my front door
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel
20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica

 

View out my back door
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel
20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica

 

Stained Glass Window in my Cabin
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Hotel
20 km North of San Ramon, Costa Rica
 
My trip gallery: 2017 Villa Blanca
My reviews of other Costa Rica Lodges & Hotels  if exploring this fun country. Note that at Drake Bay I stayed at the sister hotel of Villa Blanca, Aguila de Osa – both are Greentique Hotels.
And oh yeah, I’m home now, writing this Friday night to post Saturday and it will be emailed out Sunday morning around 2 am. I still have several more posts I want to make before I’m finished telling about Villa Blanca, the facilities, the grounds & vistas, a chapel, and a research center.
100,000 Views is what the counter says this blog passed yesterday with 83 views that day. Thank you for keeping up with “Retired in Costa Rica” and all my adventures and photos! I love it here!
¡Pura vida!
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Flora & Forest at Villa Blanca

I know! It’s just a dead leaf! But I think it is beautiful art!  🙂
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve
San Ramon, Costa Rica

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My trip gallery: 2017 Villa Blanca
 
See also all of my Flora & Forest photo galleries or just this Villa Blanca Flora & Forest
 
 
 
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Daytime Nature Hike

Our guide told us a lot about plants as well as animals.
 I’ll do a separate post about plants & flowers in the forest.
The 2 young men behind the guide are from Chicago. 3 of us on hike.
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Parsa or Synchlora gerularia Moth 
 I’ll research more when I get home.
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Unknown Insect, a little beetle
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Unknown Insect, a little beetle
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica
Stink Bug
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica
Unknown Caterpillar  
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica 

Unknown Caterpillar 
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica
Unknown Butterfly  
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Glasswing Butterfly
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Red-tailed Dragonfly
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Walking Stick Insect
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Paw Print of Ocelot 
At least our guide thought so. See three toe prints right of beige leaf.
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

And the next morning this guy was in hotel garden – he fits with day hike varmits:

Hooded Mantis
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

Hooded Mantis
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort & Nature Reserve 
 San Ramon, Costa Rica

We saw a lot more stuff and he told us about plants used for medicines, not only by natives, but also by modern pharmaceutical companies. Interesting but I will never remember most of that!  🙂

My Trip Photo Gallery:  2017 Nov 6-11 Villa Blanca

Or go through my general Costa Rica Gallery for subsets on insects, butterflies, plants, etc. 
Or see the Villa Blanca Website  And several more blog posts with more photos!

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Arrival at Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort

Stained Glass Window in my Cabin
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort
Near San Ramon, Costa Rica

The One Traffic Jam Enroute to 
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort
Near San Ramon, Costa Rica

The View in All Directions fromVilla Blanca Cloud Forest Resort
Near San Ramon, Costa Rica

Me at the entrance gate
Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort
Near San Ramon, Costa Rica

Rufous-collared Sparrow 
 Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort
Near San Ramon, Costa Rica

I have loads of photos I would like to show, but will settle for these “just arriving” shots now. Left Atenas about 10:15 and arrive around 11:30-11:45, had lunch, explored grounds, made many photos yet to show, 6:00 to 8:00 Night Hike and late dinner with two other guys. The hike was great with more species of frogs than I’ve ever seen, a flock of parrots sleeping, 2 snakes, gobs of strange insects, and I’m sure something else. That will be one whole post! So this quick post and off to bed for an early morning birding hike before breakfast. This place is wonderful!

My Trip Gallery on this visit   and   the Hotel Website