Tues Aug 22
Today we left Santa Elena, Monteverde to go to our next destination: San Isidro de Grecia, a small town near the Poas volcano area, just an hour outside of the capitol, San Jose. We gassed up the car on our way out- it’s always smart to have a full tank on a road trip in Costa Rica. You never know which roads will take hours more because of potholes. Whenever you go to a gas station in Costa Rica, there is always an attendant who fills up the tank for you. At this station he even checked our tire pressure and looked for any leaks and punctures. I think this is a great example of how caring the locals are here. There is a strong sense of community and looking out for one another in the Tico culture.
After getting gas, we were off on our 3 hour drive. But not for long! A few minutes later we stopped at a mirador (scenic overlook)- there was a baby cow there!
We drove on and for the most part it was a really enjoyable drive. The roads were winding, but not terribly so. We drove through low clouds and mist, past cows and horses, with rolling hills and mountains in the distance. A few times we got stuck behind a slow truck but never for too long. After driving through this country, I’m quite used to and comfortable with overtaking on two-lane roads. I’m also no longer fazed by puente angostos, common narrow bridges that are always just one lane. Sometimes there is a sign warning you ahead of time, but not always. Sometimes you turn the corner and there it is, hopefully you weren’t going too fast!
Halfway there, we stopped at a fruit stand and bought some pipas frias (cold coconuts) and a kilo of marmones (rambutan). Two coconuts and the rambutans only cost 2000 colones, less than 4 dollars.
In total, our trip actually took about 3 hours. This time, we didn’t encounter many potholes at all. For the most part, the roads were in excellent shape. Just before San Isidro de Grecia, we passed through a cute little town called Sarchí.
Sarchí is an artisan town known for handicrafts and quality woodwork. Historically, the people of Sarchí first began focusing on decorative woodwork with the rise of the coffee growing industry in the surrounding area. Wooden oxcarts were used to transport coffee beans, and so Sarchí artists began the tradition of painting vibrantly colored oxcarts. Nowadays, you can see the world’s largest oxcart, but most people come to Sarchí to purchase one of a kind, handmade furniture pieces ands other decorative household goods.
We decided to take a grab a bite to eat in Sarchí at Pollolandia. All over Costa Rica, we’ve seen this fried chicken chain, sometimes two to a street. So of course we had to try Costa Rica’s most popular fast food joint. I have to admit, I had pretty low expectations. It’s basically their version of KFC. I hate to waste a meal on fast food, but as we were on a road trip and just needed a little snack, it seemed like the best moment for Pollolandia.
It. Was. AMAZING. Yes, definitely still in the category of fast food fried chicken, but at the top! The chicken was hot, fresh and juicy. The breading was light and not too salty. The meat didn’t have any fatty bits or oversized veins like most low-quality chicken has. And it was cheap! I can see why it is so popular and loved by locals.
After our chicken pitstop, we only had about 15 minutes left to go. We did have to go down a slightly steep, bumpy, gravel road to reach our Airbnb, but our little Geely GX3 made it. About 10 minutes after we checked in, it started raining cats and dogs. Around 5:30 the rain lightened up so we went into town, about a 20 minute walk. The town of San Isidro de Grecia is really small, but charming. It has a little church, football pitch and a couple restaurants and shops. We bought some things for dinner and walked back in the steadily drizzling rain with darkness setting in.
The rain was picking up again, creating a deliciously cozy mood. We put on some Tracy Chapman live in concert and started preparing dinner.
Today’s dinner was pan fried tilapia, broccoli, mashed yellow sweet potato sweetened with coconut milk, and fried yuca. It was all delicious. Later, as I was looking up nutritional info for yuca, I learned all about its high level of naturally occurring cyanide. To take out the cyanide, you have to remove the thick layer of fibrous outer skin and boil the yuca for at least 15 minutes in addition to whatever cooking method you were going to use. Depending on the type of yuca, some people also soak it in water for at least a day to remove even more of the cyanide. While cooking it, I had quickly Googled a yuca recipe to see how to prepare it. The recipe mentioned nothing of the cyanide, though it did note to remove the skin and to boil it before frying it (I was making yuca fries). I had removed the skin completely and boiled it per the instructions. But I had no idea the boiling was essential to removing the toxic poison, I thought it was just to process the yuca to make it softer and edible. So, being the minimal waste cook I am, I used the leftover cyanide-heavy water to boil the sweet potato and to blanch the broccoli. Hopefully I didn’t give us cyanide poisoning!
After dinner, I took a shower. The water was hot for 10 seconds then suddenly there was a loud popping and sparking outside by the shower window. The water turned freezing cold. Freaked out, I got out quickly, not wanting to get electrocuted by Costa Rica’s notorious suicide showers. After briefly investigating (James smelled some smoke outside!) we messaged our Airbnb host.
He came and had a look. Yes, something exploded.. not sure exactly what though. He told us that he would call a repairman tomorrow and in the meantime we could use the cabin downstairs for hot showers.