Category: Culture

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Online Publicity of Christmas Feria & Parade

This is on CATUCA’s website and they hope shared by other like this.
 Fliers are just not done much here with word-of-mouth the main publicity.
Everyone just knows when it is happening except some segregated gringos. 

See my photo gallery People & Fiestas.

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Advertising the Small Town Christmas Fair & Parade

Friday-Sunday, Art & Music Festival in Central Park
 Sunday Night Conclusion with Light Parade
Not advertised this well the last 2 years

There is a good chance you will see some photos of the feria and festival on this blog!   🙂
The 3-day feria is a Christmas Arts & Crafts Fair with a stage for live music.

I missed it last year (2016) and don’t know why except for Angel Tree and preparation for my trip to Sarapiqui over Christmas Week and more Christmas parties.

My excuse for missing it in 2015:  “TOO MANY CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES!”  🙂  blog post
Or more specifically I was at a Christmas Dinner that night which I won’t do this year!

So I’m bound and determined to see both this year! Some here say “Festival de la Luz” is the best parade of the year. I’ll give my opinion after the 16th.  🙂

Other culture photos in my gallery PEOPLE & FIESTAS

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Tamale-Making Class en Español

The meat and some vegetables were cooked ahead of time
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

First, some of our Su Espacio class member ground fresh corn
to prepare fresh tortillas for our coffee break
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica
Felix, one of the twin boys from Germany hand-grinding yellow corn 
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica
Cecelia’s family members made these scrumptious corn tortillas 
which we ate with coffee grown on their farm. Delicioso!
The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

All morning people worked on cutting
 and cleaning banana leaves to later
 wrap our tamales in.
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

As with families preparing for Navidad,
everyone including kids had a job to do.
The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia,
 Atenas, Costa Rica

Washing cilantro & other spices 
from the garden outside
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

Cutting up vegetables 
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

Cutting up freshly cooked pork
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

Cutting up freshly cooked pork
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia,
 Atenas, Costa Rica

Using a grater and sieve to make
fresh tomato juice for the recipe
The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia,
 Atenas, Costa Rica

Listening to instructions from Corinna
The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia,
 Atenas, Costa Rica

Felix & Jon take turns stirring the white cornmeal batter for tamale base
The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

We all worked and visited all morning – A great together time! 
The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

Finally we start putting them together!
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

A family member shows us how to wrap the final tamale.
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

Soon the tables were filled with tamales!
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia,
 Atenas, Costa Rica

And we looked like a tamale factory!  🙂
 The kitchen of Sra. Cecelia, Atenas, Costa Rica

This was an activity sponsored by David & Corinna of Su Espacio as a total immersion Spanish activity. It was totally in Spanish, a lot of fun, cultural learning, tasty, and good use of the Spanish language!  I loved it even though my leg was hurting.

AN ASIDE: On my way walking to Su Espacio to carpool to the farm my right leg that’s been giving me trouble had a spasm as a made a big step up from street to high sidewalk and caused me to fall. I finished my trip in taxi, even though I had a B-12 shot just yesterday! I planned to go back to Dra. Candy’s office after the class where I mainly stayed in a chair. Well, near the end of class, the enthusiastic young German Felix opened the can of Garbanzos (each Christmas tamale has 2 garbanzos representing mama & papa.). Unfortunately he sliced his finger open pretty bad on the tin can. Kindly George took the boys and me with Mama Corinna to Dra. Candy’s office where Felix was treated first by the paramedic on duty this Saturday and Felix’s Papa came and picked him and his brother up to go home (their 6 week home) which is in Roca Verde not too far from me. Small world! They also got medications and/or prescriptions to avoid infections.
Then I was examined by the paramedic who called and consulted with Dra. Candy. I was given a pain shot this time and Rx’s for muscle relaxant and a gel to rub on the hurting areas of my leg. It periodically hurts very bad, especially when I get up from a long sit at desk or walk downhill! I go back Wednesday and we discuss if I need a specialist or maybe a physical therapist which they have many of here. It is a problem that has gotten worse, but I’m confident we will find a solution!  ¡Pura Vida!

And for my permanent display of these same photos see my “People and Fiestas” Gallery titled:
Tamale Making Class.  And for those who would like the recipe, here it is, just for you to make Christmas Tamales in Tennessee!  🙂  ¡Feliz Navidad!  (And good luck finding all the ingredients there!)

TAMALES NAVIDEÑOS
Related image

Ingredientes
1   paquete de MASA blanca de maíz (´´Doña Juana´´ o ´´Doña Arepa´´),
1,5Kg   de posta de cerdo,
1Kg   de papas,
2Kg   hojas de banano o plátano específicos para hacer  tamales,
0,5Kg de tocino,
0,5Kg de zanahorias,
2 chiles rojos,
1 tomate,
Achote para dar color,
1 lata grande de garbanzos,
1 lata pequeña de guisantes o petit pois,
1 rollo de culantro Castilla,
1 rollo de culantro Coyote,
1 rollo de pabilo (cuerda especial),
1 salsa Lizano,
2 cabezas de ajo,
1 rama de orégano,
2 paquetes de consomé de pollo,
2 ramas de apio,  sal y aceite.


TAMALES NAVIDEÑOS
Preparación
1)    COCINAR LA CARNE DE POSTA DE CERDO. (Doña Cecilia la prepara en la mañana temprano antes de que nosotros lleguemos).
Picamos finamente y cuidadosamente media cabeza de ajos.
Ponemos la carne en una olla con agua suficiente para tapar la carne (la carne la ponemos entera), ponemos también una rama entera de apio, la rama de orégano, y la media cabeza de ajos picados finamente.
Ponemos sal al gusto.
Cocinamos hasta que la carne esté suave.
Después quitamos la carne del caldo, la dejamos enfriar y quitamos la rama de orégano para botarla.
Mientras la carne enfría continuamos con la preparación de las verduras.
2)   (por razones de falta de tiempo, también el paso número 2 lo prepara doña Cecilia en la mañana temprano)
Picamos finamente 3 dientes de ajo.
Pelamos las papas y las picamos en cuadritos pequeños, después las ponemos (las papas) a cocinar con un poquito de agua.
Agregamos los 3 dientes de ajo picados finamente, una cucharita de achote para dar color y sal al gusto. Se cocinan al dente.
3)   Pelamos las zanahorias y las cortamos en rodajas finitas.
Lavamos los chiles y los cortamos en tiritas.
Escurrimos los guisantes y los garbanzos.
Sacar las hojitas de culantro Castilla de la ramita y NO se botan los palitos de culantro.
Conservar estas verduras crudas para el final.
4)   Partimos la carne ya fría en trocitos del tamaño a gusto propio.
Rayamos el tomate sin piel.
Picamos finamente 2 dientes de ajo y los ponemos a dorar con media cucharita de achote.
Después agregamos la carne picada, el tomate rayado sin piel y salsa Lizano al gusto.
Mezclamos bien y doramos por 10 minutos.
5)   Ponemos la masa blanca de maíz en una olla grande.
Pelamos una cabeza de ajos y la licuamos con la rama de apio que quedó, el culantro Coyote y los palitos de culantro Castilla que conservamos del paso número 3.
Colamos o filtramos el líquido y lo agregamos a la masa de maíz que está en la olla.
6)   También agregamos a la masa del paso número 5 el caldo de la carne de posta de cerdo del paso número 1.
Mezclamos y revolvemos bien, agregamos el consomé de pollo y la sal al gusto.
Cocinamos moviendo constantemente hasta que hierva. Si vemos que la masa se seca rápido antes de hervir le agregamos agua.
7)   ¡ ¡ ¡LA MASA SE TRABAJA CALIENTE PORQUE FRIA NO SE PUEDE MOLDEAR ! ! !
Posicionamos las hojas de banano en la mesa: una grande y arriba en el centro una pequeña.
En el centro de la hoja ponemos un cucharón de masa y luego agregamos una cucharada de papas del paso número 2, después una tirita de chile con una rodaja de zanahoria, 2 garbanzos, 3 guisantes y una hoja de culantro del paso número 3.
Por último ponemos un trozo de carne, envolvemos las hojas y amarramos con el pabilo.
8)   Una vez que estén armadas las ´´las piñas’’ las ponemos a cocinar sumergidas en agua hirviendo por 30 minutos desde el momento que el agua hierve.
9)   Sacamos las piñas, las escurrimos o filtramos y las comemos.
¡BUEN PROVECHO!
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Hotel Don Carlos, San Jose

A boutique hotel in an old house featuring the owner’s grand art collection:

Front Entrance to
 Hotel Don Carlos
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

Tile Paintings of Farm Life on outside walls
 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

A tile painting depicting farm life on outside walls
 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

Don Quixote Tiles Next Door
 Hotel Don Carlos 
 San Jose, Costa Rica 

Private House Next Door to
 Hotel Don Carlos 
 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

AND A FUN EXTRA:
10 Great Reasons for Living Abroad an article on internations.org

LO SIENTO
I did not intend to post 3 articles on one day! But here they are and now I’m finished with all my posts on two trips, Villa Blanca and San Jose. Back to the boring daily stuff!  🙂

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Central Park, the Center of Atenas

Everyone hangs out at Central Park some of the time!
 Like these 3 men and boy who just road to town, stopping for 3 bottles of beer & a mug of root beer.
Central Park, Atenas, Costa Rica

They chose the one bar at the park instead of POPS Ice Cream Shop. It’s the cowboy way!   🙂
 Bar Punga – In Spanish “punga” means “very familiar, nicking, thieving, or pickpocket”
 Central Park, Atenas, Costa Rica

It’s an island of green in the center of town with trees, flowers, benches, playground, fiestas, celebrations, & people!
Central Park, Atenas, Costa Rica

The playground is always busy!
Central Park, Atenas, Costa Rica

A water fountain for a drink or spigot to fill your water bottle as this lady is doing.
 Central Park, Atenas, Costa Rica

The center circle radiates 8 sidewalks to all sides of the park.
All are lined with park benches full of gossip, romancing, reading…
and one leads directly to front door of the main Catholic Church.
Central Park, Atenas, Costa Rica

And this one leads directly to my bank!  🙂
 I try to walk through the park every day on my walks.
It is a simple blessing that I thank God for!
Central Park, Atenas, Costa Rica

Directly across from the full square block park you will find in addition to the above bar and ice cream shop, the courthouse, the municipal office building, one of our banks, several restaurants or places to get something to eat and drink, several clothing stores, one discount grocery store, an office building, a pharmacy, photography shop, bedding shop, the church, and I’m sure I left out at least one something!   🙂

And the interesting thing is that every Costa Rican town of any size has a Central Park in front of their central catholic church. The only layout difference I’ve seen so far is at Playa Coco (Coconut Beach) where their Central Park is the long boardwalk along their beach with the church facing it instead of a square block.

Multiple sub-galleries of photos are about Atenas in Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA gallery.

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Zarcero – The TOWN/AREA

Farming Hills Surround Zarcero
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

Farming Hills Surround Zarcero 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

Farming Hills Surround Zarcero 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica
Church & Central Park Topiaries are in Center of Town
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

They were setting up for a carnival/fiesta this day
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

Repaving Main Street
 Zarcero, Costa Rica
Cogwheel or Assassin Bug (Arilus carinatus)  
 on Steps of the Church 
 If I had a side view, the dotted line on his back 
 would be the top of a half-cogwheel. Cool!
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

This trip was made by public bus for about USD $4 
with some cellphone photos made through bus window.

 “Trip Gallery” now on my gallery site: 12 October – Zarcero
Or if you like the unusual bug above, see my:  Other Insects
And for a sneak preview of tomorrow’s post, see my trip gallery: 
Cuban Dancers doing “Swan Lake” in Costa Rica
Coming soon: Visit to Naranjo by next week  
  & in November Villa Blanca Cloud Forest.
From the traveling retiree in Costa Rica!
¡Pura Vida!

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. 
I travel for travel’s sake. 
The great affair is to move.” 


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Zarcero – The CHURCH

Iglesia de San Rafael 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

Iglesia de San Rafael 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

Iglesia de San Rafael 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica
Iglesia de San Rafael 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica
Iglesia de San Rafael 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

Iglesia de San Rafael 
 Zarcero, Costa Rica
Iglesia de San Rafael Carnival Setup
 Zarcero, Costa Rica

 “Trip Gallery” now on my gallery site: 12 October – Zarcero

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Palmares

Basilica of Our Lady of the Mercedes 
 The primary Catholic Church in
 Palmares, Costa Rica
One of very few in Costa Rica of stone, built 1894-1914

Basilica of Our Lady of the Mercedes
 Palmares, Costa Rica 
Palmares Central Park is Partly a Tropical Garden
 Palmares, Costa Rica

Unlike a lot of towns’ central parks
 Palmares, Costa Rica 

But also has the traditional sidewalks, benches & band shelter
 Palmares, Costa Rica 

Some high school kids came dressed for a church festival
 Palmares, Costa Rica 

Including their band!
 Palmares, Costa Rica  

Palmares is a 50 minute bus ride north from Atenas over one of the most winding mountain roads near us and a beautiful drive through something like the Appalachian or Ozark Mountains to this cowboy town where the biggest Tope (horse parade) happens once a year. It is much bigger than Atenas with 31,000+ plus people.

This was my “practice” bus ride here and then on another bus for the shorter ride to San Ramon where I am going by bus in November to be picked up by the staff of Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort which is north of San Ramon. 
I’m getting better at bus travel and even made a last minute change today. Aeropost sent me an email saying my CPAP supplies were ready to be picked up in Alajuela. So instead of returning to Atenas from San Ramon (through Palmares), I got the direct bus to Alajuela for my package, ate lunch at Jalapeno Central Restaurant and then my regular Atenas bus back home. 
I was particularly impressed by the bus station for one bus company in Palmares. See photo below. 
Terminal Buses Carbachez 
 Palmares, Costa Rica 

This reminded me of the nice one I used in Turrialba. There are many competing bus companies in Costa Rica and they build their own terminals, not shared with other companies. Think of the old competition between Greyhound and Trailways in the states. This station is for Carbachez buses. Had I come here on one of our CoopeAtenas Buses, I would have gone to a different terminal that is not as nice. And I left from a third terminal to go to Alajuela. It was clean, but smaller and not as nice as the one above. 

And a few buses between towns just stop at a bus stop on a main street, no terminal. For example: when I went to Tarcoles with Ed we caught our bus at a main stop on Ruta 3 highway going through town. You have to learn how to ride buses and there is a great website with schedules, though going through Palmares to San Ramon did not come from them! Got that locally! The site routed me through Alajuela which is longer. But then I came back that way anyway!  🙂
As a Senior Adult (Adulto Mayor). I rode 3 of my 4 buses free and the San Ramon to Alajuela longest trip was just 75¢ or half price! Buses are the economical way to travel here even if you pay full price!

Google Map of Atenas to Palmares  We went the shorter route, Hwy 135, but bus takes longer than car with many stops along the way!   🙂 

I did a Trip Gallery with these photos and two are also in my Costa Rica Churches gallery

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Independence Day 2017

Lots of Bands!
See more in the Photo Gallery

Lots of Traditional Dancing! 
 See more in the Photo Gallery

Lots of Children! 
 See more in the Photo Gallery

It is my new approach to the blog, not putting 12 or more photos for one event, but rather linking to those many cool photos in my online gallery. You will especially enjoy some of the faces in this new photo gallery: