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Costa Rica is an extraordinarily ecologically aware country. Signs of environmental awareness and conservation efforts are everywhere. However, I was there primarily to see cacao growing in the wild. (If you’ve read my book, Eat Chocolate – Lose Weight: The Chocoholic’s Survival Guide and Practical Handbook, you know that chocolate comes from the Theobroma Cacao tree and the bean is referred to as cacao until it is processed, at which time the spelling changes cocoa.)
On a recent visit, we took the Chocolate Tour at Tirimbina Rainforest Center in Sarapiqui, an internationally recognized, non-profit organization created to conserve the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica. TRC provides environmental education to the local community, students and ecotourists; and accommodates scientific research. It is a Private Wildlife Refuge consisting of 852.5 acres of protected, mid-elevation forest through which there are over 5 miles of trails.
Tirimbina, being a conservation minded facility, doesn’t farm and harvest cacao. The cacao used for demonstrations is harvested from the cacao trees naturally growing in the forest. Included in the tour is a demonstration of the methods of primitive, small-scale production that has been practiced in Central America for hundreds of years. Our tour guide, Wendy, a cheerful, knowledgeable ecologist was also very well informed about the history and development of chocolate, as well as the rainforest flora and fauna.
The most interesting aspect of the tour, for me, is getting to taste the cacao at every step of harvesting and production. So we tasted fresh cacao beans, roasted cacao beans and beans freshly ground into a paste on a stone metate, as well as a hot, liquid cacao drink and the finished chocolate blended with sugar. It is fascinating to see how quickly the roasted cacao beans turn to a glossy paste as they are ground by hand on the metate.
The most pleasant tasting part of the freshly harvested cacao pod is the white viscous matrix in which the beans are suspended. It is sweet and refreshingly citrus tasting, but is not suitable for shipping as it is necessary for fermenting the cacao beans prior to roasting. The only way to get a taste of this part of the cacao pod is to go where it is grown.
While in Costa Rica, we availed ourselves of the opportunity of rafting the Pacuare River. Our guides, Maximiliano and Cholo are both members of the Costa Rica Rafting Team, which ranked third in the 2007 international competition. These guys know what they’re doing in white water. The Pacuare, rated one of the top five rafting rivers in the world, is No. 1 for scenery. From San Jose, we traveled for several hours in a tourist van, over bumpy mountain roads, then put into the river for an easy four or five mile run to Pacuare Lodge, where there is no electricity. Power arrives by raft in a 100-gallon tank of propane every five days. In spite of the obvious challenges, the meals at Pacuari Lodge were some of the best we’ve ever had. The charmingly designed bungalows, constructed of teakwood and heavy screening are spaced to afford the sense of being alone in the remote tropical rainforest and provide the most serene setting for a nap on a rainy afternoon. Howler Monkeys begin their howling early in the rainforest, usually just at dawn, which renders that afternoon nap almost mandatory. The howlers don’t keep it up for long. After 30 minutes, or so, when they’re sure everyone is awake, they give it up and go on with the day’s routine.
The bathrooms in the Pacuare bungalows are also screened and surrounded by exotic tropical plants, so you can watch the hummingbirds darting from bloom to bloom as you brush your teeth and shower.
First morning at Pacuare Lodge, we gathered a little before 7 a.m. for a zip-line canopy tour of the rainforest, which is every bit as exhilarating as one would expect, and probably not as risky as driving in the U.S. Pretty soon all of us were zipping along 200 or 300 yards at a time and landing like spider monkeys on the platforms high up in the trees.
After the last zip-line run, we rappelled down the tree to breakfast al fresco of eggs, sausage, fruitjuice and, of course the wonderful, ubiquitous Costa Rican gallo pinto (rice & black beans).
Departure from Pacuare Lodge is also by raft. It had rained heavily the day before we were to leave, so there was some question as to whether we would be allowed on the river. The rains increased the flow of the river and could have bumped the level 3-4 rapids to level 5-6, which is not considered navigable, even for experts like our guides Cholo and Maximiliano. Fortunately, the rains ended in the early evening, leaving the velocity of the river a whisper below the 5-6 rating, so we were able to raft out the next day.
The key to successful rafting, apart from having an expert rafting guide, is to paddle hard when you are told to. In fact, doing as your guide instructs you to do is always the safest option. It is especially important to keep paddling in those wild rapids when the raft is tilted up on one side. Those on the upside need to lean out, which seems counter intuitive, at the time. Contrary to what you might think, this is not to help power the raft through the rapids. The raft will follow the water, no matter what you do and the guides are perfectly capable of steering the raft without the help of city slickers. That order to “Paddle hard!” is to keep you from scuttling his efforts by cowering in the bottom of the vessel. So, the first level 4 rapid we came to flipped our raft and we all did that run on the outside of the raft, at the mercy of white water and black rocks. Cholo got us all back in the raft without loss of humans or equipment and with only a few bruises and gashes between us. Then he pulled over and spoke to us sternly about the need to paddle hard when the rapids are fierce. Not to brag, but I was twice swept under the upturned raft in the churning rapids, and never let go of my paddle, which may account for some of the bruises on my arms and legs. We were properly chastened and impressed with the importance of keeping our heads in the game. A few rapids down the river, Cholo, unaccountably went flying from the raft while the rest of us, six river amateurs, stayed on board. He quickly swam back to the raft and as he started to climb in, another female crewmember and I tried to help him. He thanked us by frantically shouting, “Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me.” Apparently, the only thing more humiliating for a professional rafter than getting thrown from the raft is being helped back in by his clueless paddlers. When we beached for lunch, Cholo was roundly ridiculed by his rafting buddies, who found it particularly hilarious that his foot had come out of its stirrup. He had previously admonished each of us to keep one foot anchored in our designated stirrup. Cholo took the kidding like a champ, with amiable good nature.
The excitement of our rafting experience was almost secondary to the thrill of seeing a pyroclastic eruption of Arenal volcano with incendiary rock, ash and gases blasting into the night sky from the top and red-glowing lava streaming down the sides. We watched from the safety of our room at Arenal Observatory Lodge.
Official literature for viewing the volcano cautions the visitor, among other things, in case of “a major eruption…DO NOT go to these active areas and marvel at what is happening...” Well I should think not.
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