El Salto + Hospedaje el Ceibo

Let’s see. Where did I leave off in my Tales from Costa Rica? I started off with our adventures in Tárcoles and then moved on to Dos Brazos del Río Tigre. That leaves us on day three, July 10. We woke up early that morning at the Los Mineros Lodge in Dos Brazos. The plan for the day was to take a hike/horseback ride to a waterfall before leaving for our next destination. Our horses arrived at the lodge, and Gustavo and Jonathan helped some of the students mount. There were only enough horses for a third of the group. The rest of us would walk until it was our turn.

Dos Brazos is a really small town. Besides Los Mineros Lodge, there is a school with a soccer field, a church and a few small houses. Electricity is new to this little hamlet.

I had to take a picture of this rooster. He was just too pretty. Also he made me think of the typical Costa Rican food which is gallo pinto. Gallo pinto is a combination of rice and beans that the Ticos eat at almost every meal, but it literally translates to “painted rooster.” I also took a picture of a hen with her chicks later in the day.

The town is situated right on the border of the Corcovado National Park, but very few tourists go there. Guides do not use the town as an entrance for the park because of the gold miners there. We passed a couple on our way to El Salto.

Our hike was beautiful and much shorter than the one that we took on our last visit to El Salto in 2013.

I really enjoyed riding the horse. It is something that I love and yet rarely do. My last time on horseback was in Montana in 2013.

The waterfall was as pretty as I remembered it being. When we arrived there was a tiger crane there to greet us. He did not stay long, but I took his appearance as a sign of good luck.

The students had a blast climbing up the rocks and jumping into the river. Ok, I might as well admit that I was as excited as they were. I have been cliff jumping since my high school days in the gorges of Ithaca, New York. We started out on the smaller rocks before jumping off the larger cliff.

We also got waterfall massages. This was accomplished by bracing ourselves on the rocks on either side and letting the water pound on your back. Jonathan was there to make sure that no one drowned. There is not a good picture of me, but here is one of Sara in the waterfall and another of Sara and I in the cave on the side. I was so glad that I purchased a water-proof camera before leaving.

While we were at El Salto, which means The Jump or The Falls in Spanish, water leaked into Sara’s waterproof watch. She asked Gustavo if he had a tool small enough to take out the microscopic screws in the back. It turned out that he had the perfect tool, but it was not very small. Machetes are great for almost any task at hand. After that Sara’s watch was the butt of a lot of jokes; Gustavo says that water resistant up to 50 meters means that she must keep it 50 meters away from any water.

Another attraction of the day was Jonathan’s demonstration of how the indigenous people, Guaymí, used to close wounds. They would use this beetle that when placed on the skin would insert its pincers and draw them together effectively joining the two sides of the cut. They would then remove the head, so that the beetle would stay there until the wound had healed. Jonathan left the insect in his arm for two days to prove how effective it was. Who needs Steri-strips when there are bugs around?

 

Our time on the river ended all too soon, but at least the return trip was as pleasant as the one there. On the way back, I even got an extra turn on the horse because Margaret did not want to ride very long.

It is amazing to consider that this little bridge is the one that we crossed the day before in the enormous bus that we arrived in. It is miraculous that we were able to pass.

By the time we arrived at the lodge, the kids were exhausted, but our day was not even half over. We had time for a shower and lunch before getting in taxis to our next destination.

After lunch we headed to Hospedaje El Ceibo or El Ceibo Lodge. I did not take that many pictures on this trip, but here are a few from our visit in 2013.

Sara took these ones this year. This is the owners house, the kitchen where they prepare the food and the outdoor dining rooms. I cannot even look at these pictures without laughter ringing in my ears. We spent a couple of wonderful evenings at those tables laughing abundantly.

For our first afternoon at El Ceibo we went right next door to a botanical garden. On the way there, Jonathan demonstrated how the leaves of this plant were used by the Guaymí to paint themselves. When the leaves are crushed they give off a red liquid that stains the skin for a couple of days. He painted my hand red and gave me a bindi.

At the garden we received a delightful tour from the owner. His family grows everything organically and many of his plants are used medicinally as well as for food.

I took so many pictures while we were there, but I would probably bore you if I included them all. Can you identify all of the plants?

One of my favorite plants was the natural shampoo. When squeezed this flower releases a good-smelling liquid that the Guaymí used to wash their hair.

Jonathan found a little lizard with a colorful throat among the plants. Yorens impressed the ladies by tearing a coconut open with his hands.

We also saw a toucan that was not very cooperative in letting his picture be taken. Do you see him up there?

It was drizzling the entire time that we were at the garden, but thankfully, it never started to rain hard. However, once we got to the house, we took shelter for a while before returning to the lodge. The family had a circular shelter, and we all sat around the perimeter and looked out into the garden for fifteen minutes to reflect on the day and all that we had seen. It was a beautiful moment.

On the way back to El Ceibo, Jonathan picked a bouquet from the bushes for Sara, Margaret and I.

Back at the lodge, we ate a great meal and had a lot of laughs before heading to bed much earlier that we would in the States. As Costa Rica is very near the equator, the sun rises and sets at very near six o’clock every morning and evening. That means that it feels later much earlier. Top that off with the fact that we were packing so many activities into each day, and it was no wonder that we were ready to sleep at about nine.

Next Monday, I will tell you about our zip-lining adventure and visit to a mangrove.

Happy Travels!