Poland 2016

We decided to take a short trip before the summer came to an end exploring some of the historical ‘highlights’ of Poland. A week in this lovely country merely gave us a taster of what it had to offer and we had only enough time to visit Warsaw, Wroclaw and Krakow, but we would like to visit again sometime and would heartily recommend anyone thinking of doing so to do it.

What was different about this trip was that we travelled between the cities by train but otherwise it was a similar small group responsible travel/adventure tour as is the norm. Unusually also all the participants (there were 17 of us) were from the UK; a very good group who all got on really well.

The trip started in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Dinner on the first night was at the ‘Red Hog Inn’ which was named after the type of people who used to frequent the inn (‘Red’ Communist Leaders). It has also hosted some well-known people including Bruce Willis. It has traditional Polish cuisine with a backdrop painting of the ‘Communist Last Supper’.

Day 2 started with a tour of the Old Town (which had to be largely rebuilt after WII) with an extremely informative and passionate local guide. Morning coffee was in the market square, rebuilt in traditional style, with a statue of the Mermaid of Warsaw in the centre. The tour of the Old Town was followed by a visit to Lazienka Park and Palace (the latter also known as the Palace on the Water; the building began as a bathhouse, was converted it into private quarters and then during World War II, the Germans drilled holes into the walls for explosives but never got around to blowing up the palace so afterwards it served as a barracks). In the park there was a free concert with a pianist playing a Chopin recital. It was nice to sit for a while and enjoy both the weather and atmosphere. Finally we were left to explore on our own. We discovered the large and beautiful roof garden of the University of Warsaw Library; an upper garden (2,000 m2) interconnected with paths, bridges, and pergolas and connected to the lower garden (15,000 m2) by a stream and a water-cascade. This offered a nice way to see the sunset with views over Warsaw. Dinner provided the opportunity to sample Bigos (a Polish hunter’s stew so called because hunters used to come back from a hunt and would put the meat they brought back in the stew) served in a bread bowl.

Day 3 was an Intercity Express Premium Service train ride to Wroclaw with an afternoon walking tour of the Old Town (which again had to have large parts rebuilt following the war). The capital of Lower Silesia (Dolny Slask) has a huge Old Town built on several islands connected by over 100 bridges. Dumplings were on the menu for dinner that evening; made of unleavened dough and shaped into a semi-circle with or without a filling which was potato and cheese with bacon bits in mine.

Day 4 was a free day to explore the city on our own. This included a visit to the Raclawice Panorama (a 360’ panoramic painting depicting the Battle of Raclawice, seen by the Polish as their last successful battle for independence), a traditional bar mleczny (milk bar, in the communist era, the government subsidized the food at milk bars. Today this is still a cheap local cafeteria), sampling a Lody (ice cream), Cathedral Island and St. John's Cathedral, The Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia, constructed when the city was part of the German Empire), Japanese Garden and the Pergola with its Multimedia Fountain.

The following day we travelled to Krakow on a ‘regular’ train which took around 3 hours but was a pleasant journey. The afternoon we had an interesting tour of the Old Town learning about the history; most of the town survived WWII intact as it was used as a German headquarters and this included its medieval market square.

The morning of Day 6 started with a visit to the Cathedral and Royal Castle on Wawel Hill; this is a fortified architectural complex erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop and as both the residence of the kings of Poland for many centuries (the cathedral is where they were both crowned and buried) it is considered to be the most historically and culturally important site in Poland. The afternoon was a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mines; it is preserved in pristine condition and is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. A section of the mine, some 22 chambers connected by galleries, from 64m to 135m below ground, is open to the public by guided tour, although the mine itself. There are salt-hewn formations that include the Chapel of St Kinga measuring 54m by 18m, and 12m high. Everything in it from reliefs in the rock walls to chandeliers to altarpieces is carved from salt. Back in Krakow we visited the Underground Museum that came into being following an archaeological study on the Main Market Square 2005 to 2010. The exhibition shows Krakow’s history and the connections between the city and mediaeval Europe’s chief centres of trade and culture. It is possible to see old cobbled streets, remnants of market stalls and their cellars, some skeletons and other objects from daily life in Krakow a few centuries ago. The latter (seeing the excavated remains) was the more interesting part of the museum.

On our last full day, we visited the emotive and haunting Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum where chilling and horrendous atrocities were committed by the Nazis while it was a Concentration and Extermination Camp during World War II. KL Auschwitz was the largest of a network of German Nazi concentration and extermination camps that were built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany. Over 1.1 million men, women and children lost their lives here. Birkenau was the largest of over 40 camps and sub-camps that made up the Auschwitz complex and plans were discovered that would have made it several times larger. I would recommend a visit to anyone as it is a real eye opener to the events that took place; expect to learn something but don’t expect to enjoy it. We finished our trip with a Jewish-style meal in the old Jewish Quarter of Krakow.

Pura Vida on the Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica

Tortuguero on the Caribbean Coast is only accessible by air or boat. So after an early start and long drive we caught a taxi-boat up the Rio Suerte to Torteguero. While the ride is technically a taxi service, the trip through banana plantations and wild jungle served as a wildlife spotting trip too. The crew stopped the boat on a few occasions when they spotted fauna.

Our accommodation was a small place, with a series of fairly unobtrusive ‘huts’ between Lagunas Del Tortuguero and the airstrip, adjacent to the Caribbean Sea. The other side of the airstrip from the accommodation is a volcanic black soft sandy beach which more often than not we had entirely to ourselves.

Tortuguero (means place of turtles) is a national park of 26653 ha land area and 50284 ha of marine sanctuary and has been part of the RAMSAR ‘Northeast Caribbean Wetland’ since 1996. It is one of the main global turtle nesting locations. In theory turtle nesting season is March to October with the Leatherback nesting March to May (peak April) and the Green Turtle nesting June to October (peak July-August) with the first hatchlings emerging in May. In theory then we’d picked a good time to see both nesting turtles and hatchlings. However, in reality, turtle nesting season coincides with the rainy season (it is cooler for the turtles) and the rains were two months late so unfortunately there were no night guided beach walks to watch turtle nesting or no sunset beach walks to watch baby hatchlings  However, we did visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy, a long-term organisation with a research station and visitor centre who monitor the turtles and provide education programmes. More about this centre is available on their website: www.conserveturtles.org.

A wildlife spotting boat ride provided good sightings of lots of different types of birds, mammals and reptiles including caiman, river turtles, egrets, herons and terns. In total the National Park has 442 bird, 118 reptile and 138 mammal species. Green Macaws, Paca, Crocodiles, Baird’s Tapir, Spider Monkeys, Manatees, Jaguars, Green Turtles and Snook (fish) are classed as ‘umbrella’ species i.e. they have large ranges and/or are dependent on a complex array of food resource; by protecting these and their habitats it will also protect other species and habitats incorporated within this.

The journey to Cahuita (pronounced Ca-Wheat-a) was via the Canales de Tortuguero (Tortuguero Canal). Created in 1974, this connected a series of lagoons and rivers to create a waterway to coastal villages. It was just over three hours but the journey through the jungle canals offered the opportunity for more wildlife spotting – caimans, crocodiles, bats, various birds and monkeys.

Cahuita is a laid back Caribbean village (it reminded us of the village where the TV series ‘Death in Paradise’ is located) with a small (10sq km) national park that was created in 1978. Jaguar (pronounced Jag-wahr) Centro de Rescate is a wildlife rescue centre named in honour of its first resident. There are no jaguars here at the moment but there are other wild cats; margay (like a very leopard type cat) and ocelot. Other current residents include snakes, baby sloths, baby howler monkeys, a capuchin monkey, pelicans, agouti, Spectacled owls, striped owls, parrots, white tailed deer and a Montezuma Oropendola (type of bird). See www.jaguarrescue.com for more info about their work.

Punta Cahuita is one of the last living coral reefs in Costa Rica and part of Parque Nacional Cahuita. Unfortunately it has incurred damage as a result of earthquakes and tourism related activities so snorkelling is with a licensed guide only. As it is low season, we were the only boat on the reef; if the rains had started we wouldn’t have been able to snorkel due to swell and lack of visibility. In addition to lots of varieties of fish, we saw a shark, 2 stingrays, a puffer fish and spiny rock lobster.

To finish the day we had a guided hike in the National Park where we once again saw lots of wildlife including sloths, woodpecker, vulture and monkeys.

Having managed to swim in the Pacific Ocean in Manuel Antonio, we got to swim in the Caribbean Sea in Cahuita; we did go for a paddle in Tortuguero but the bull sharks make swimming dangerous!

Before leaving Cahuita, we took a tour of an organic chocolate factory that processes cacao in the traditional way. This meant having to have a taster of chocolate at the end too. Such a hardship! Website at www.cacaotrails.com

For a final day in Costa Rica, we visited the Jade Museum which not only exhibits one of the most important pre-Columbian jade collections in America; it also shows Pre-Columbian life, activities (such as hunting fishing and agriculture) and rituals (such as funerals and shamanic ceremonies).

So another trip almost over; it’s gone far too fast as always.

Until the next time, Pura Vida!

Kath & Andy

Pura Vida! From Costa Rica

Pura Vida! Means literally ‘Pure Life’, but can also be used as a greeting, expression of approval or acknowledgement.

Food - The staple diet is rice and beans; you can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even if you don’t order rice and beans, they often appear as part of the meal. The breakfast version is known as gallo pinto (pronounced gar-yo pin-to) meaning ‘spotted rooster’ – when the rice is mixed with the beans it takes on a speckled appearance. There are variations on the theme such as Arroz (con) Camarones (rice with shrimps). Rice and beans are key ingredients in a casado (inexpensive standard set meal) that in addition usually consists of meat, salad and plantains (related to banana, very versatile). Meat can be chicken, beef, pork, seafood or fish. Other foods include soups (e.g. sopa de mariscos), and pasta/pizzas/hamburgers. You can guess what I won’t be eating when I get home!

Now, back to the adventure…

La Fortuna in the northern lowlands was a small fertile agricultural settlement before the eruption of Volcan Arenal (Arenal Volcano, pronounced Arran-El). Hordes of tourists came to see the lava flows so some of the local farms developed into tourist accommodation/hot springs etc. After killing 87 people in 1968 and a second eruption that created the second (now active) peak it has been increasingly less active and just puffs smoke as it were.

We had a (private for just us two as it turned out) guided trek in Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal with a local guide, Julio, to the base of the volcano. Although it was not billed as a wildlife tour, we still managed to see some wildlife including an Eyelash Pit Viper (venomous snake), White-nosed Coati (small mammal) and Common Potoo (nocturnal bird related to Nightjars and Frogmouths). The latter is usually difficult to find as it is so well camouflaged that it looks like the end of a branch!

Julio also told us about the history of the volcano and its recent eruptions. It was dormant for 500 years until 1968 and overgrown with forest at the time of the eruption that no one living in the area realised that it was a volcano. Pyroclastic flow (large rocks, ash, gas etc.) flew out of the volcano at speeds of 120km hour and created xxx craters. Later eruptions created a build-up of pyroclastic flows which in turn created another cone. So Volcan Arenal now has a dormant (the original) and an active (the newly formed) cone. Three local villages were destroyed in 1968; the remains of two of them are now submerged beneath Laguna de Arenal (Lake Arenal) which is used to create hydroelectric power. Julio went on to explain that 100% of Costa Rica’s energy is from renewable sources – 45% is from Laguna de Arenal, 40% from other hydroelectric sources, 10% from geothermal and the remaining 5% from solar and wind.

Thanks to the volcano and lava still bubbling underground heat countless springs. It was to one of these hot springs that we visited; there were several different sized pools of differing temperatures, the hottest also having a wet bar. Same as any other bar but the water came above the height of the bar stools and felt like bath water! Three of the pools also had incredibly fast slides. It included a buffet-style meal in the restaurant after wards.

Cano Negro on the Rio Frio was recommended as a good wildlife spotting boat trip. We were not disappointed: Green Iguanas, Spectacled Caiman, Howler Monkeys (including the rare auburn form), Emerald Basilisk (Jesus Christ Lizard) walking on water, Black River Turtle, numerous species of Herons, Egrets and Kingfishers, Anhinga (Piano Bird), Northern Jacana and Swallows to mention a few.

At this point, our group split; 2/3rds of the group were returning to San Jose, with the majority then going onto Panama. The remaining four of us got a new guide and two new people to head to the Caribbean Coast.

Kath & Andy 

Hola! from Costa Rica

Hola everyone! It’s that time of year again… 

I have received a lot of blank looks this time about where Costa Rica is situated within world geography. So let me start with a short introduction to the country before getting into the actual trip update.

Costa Rica is located in the southern part of Central America, the narrow isthmus that joins North and South America. To the north is Nicaragua; to the south Panama (if you’ve heard of the Panama Canal, this is just north of that). The east coast collides with the Caribbean Sea whereas the west coast encounters the Pacific Ocean.

Even at around 635 miles long, 135 miles across and just 51,000sq km this small country has a lot to offer; dozens of habitats are squeezed into this tiny area: from rainforest and cloud forest to tropical dry forest, mangroves to mountains and volcanos, Costa Rica is packed with biodiversity. It has 615 species per 10,000 sq. km, the world’s largest number, greater than Rwanda’s wildlife rich 596 and the USAs poor 104. Due to its location, species from different continents have been comingling here for millennia. However, numerous species are declining or in danger of extinction due to habitat destruction, hunting and harvesting of eggs.

In 2009, the then President set a goal that Costa Rica would become carbon neutral by 2021, the first in the world. For its overall environmental performance, Costa Rica was ranked in the top five nations in a 2012 study produced by Yale and Columbia Universities. Costa Rica so we were informed, now uses 100% renewable energy – 85% hydroelectric, 10% geothermal and 5% solar/wind.

Costa Rica is also a neutral country with no standing army; it was abolished in 1949. At the same time the country was desegregated and women and blacks were given the right to vote. With no money to spend on military, the money is ploughed back into the country and today 50% of Costa Rica is protected. ‘Protected’ is a bit ambiguous as there is still corruption and if someone offers enough money, the protected areas can be unprotected; deforestation is a continuing problem as a result. Large areas are also swallowed up by Palm plantations.

Another of Costa Rica’s main danger comes from tourists and maintaining the delicate balance of bringing in tourist dollars to help maintain and protect more without the numbers of tourists being so great that it destroys the very thing they’ve come to see! The ethos of the company we’ve chosen to travel with is to tread lightly on the country with as much of an ethical and sustainable trip as is possible; such as using a variety of (local) transport, hiring local guides and staying in small locally/family owned accommodation (with sustainability credentials hopefully such as recycling, energy saving, use of natural light in rooms as a minimum).

San Jose was quiet; we’d picked a Sunday and a public holiday to visit. All the museums, central market and other public buildings were closed. We did get to wander around the town which was fairly easy to navigate, watch a parade, enjoy some of the plazas (squares), see Parroquia Nuestra Senora de la Soledad (ornate church) and visit the Artisan market which was open. Then in the evening we met our group: 5 other Brits, 2 Canadians, 1 Aussie and 1 Swiss. Introductions and trip preparation over, we went out for dinner together. Our first hotel was exceptionally good on sustainability by also using rainwater for flushing toilets and a solar system for heating water as well as those other things mentioned above.

Manuel Antonio National Park on the central Pacific coast is a dry tropical forest (still a rainforest but with slightly less rain, around 3.9m annually – yes that’s metres) consisting of both primary and secondary forest, mangroves and marine resources. Created in 1972 it is the country’s smallest national park even after it was enlarged to 1983 land hectares in 2000 and also comprises a 55,100 hectare marine area protecting islets of nesting seabirds. On a guided trek we saw lots of wildlife including White-faced Capuchin monkeys, Mantled Howler Monkeys, endangered Squirrel Monkeys (known locally as Mono Titi), Two-toed Sloths, Three-toed Sloths, Raccoons, Agoutis (like giant guinea pigs), lizards, birds, butterflies and a fleeting glimpse of an Ocelot (type of medium sized wild cat, bearing a resemblance to a leopard).

On another tour to seek out Scarlet Macaws (reduced pockets of distribution due to trapping, poaching, habitat destruction and increased use of pesticides), we saw more Squirrel Monkeys, Toucans, Crested Caracaras, Sloths and other birds as well as several Scarlet Macaws on the trip.

The weather was 34’c and an energy zapping 80% humidity, with torrential rainstorms including a spectacular thunder and lightning storm.

Santa Elena and Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde in north-western Costa Rica are areas of virginal tropical cloud forest. These are very rich ecosystems; reputedly having 20% of the world plant diversity and 16% of the world vertebrate diversity. Established in 1972, the 4000 hectare Monteverde Cloud Forest apparently has 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, 120 species of amphibians and reptiles and 3000 species of plants including 878 species of epiphytes (live on trees but do not harm them; merely using them as a means to get nutrients from the floating mist through exposed roots) of which there are over 500 species of orchids. The climate was cooler (28’C / 65% humidity despite the cloud/mist so still warm by British standards) as we were at an elevation of 860-1840m above sea level at the pinnacle of Costa Rica’s continental divide where warm trade winds from the Caribbean in the east meet those from the Pacific in the West cooling and condensing into clouds. The most famous resident is the Resplendent Quetzal, a bird considered divine by pre-Columbian cultures of Central America and sought after for its long iridescent-green tail feathers which adorned their royal headdresses, and rare to spot even today. But on our guided tour, spot a few we did; males in nests, their long tail feathers sticking out and one in the cloud. Also their ‘cousin’, an Orange-bellied Trogon along with hummingbirds, Costa Rican Robins and Wrens, Toucans, Toucanets and the young of the interestingly named Tawny-throated Leaftosser.

A lot of life in the cloud forest is at canopy level – some 30-60m up – difficult to see from ground level. Several companies offer canopy tours which is a series of zip lines through the trees with the lines getting increasingly longer, faster and higher up through the canopy with the final lines coming out above canopy level and the last two offering you the opportunity to fly like Superman over the canopy; a great way to see above the trees.

Another way to see the reserve is on a night walk where all sorts of creatures can be seen including frogs, sleeping birds, snakes, armadillos, honey bears (aka kinkajou, a small arboreal mammal related to the raccoon but looks more like a cross between a cat and a monkey), spiders, moths, beetles, fireflies, glow worms etc.

Our final encounter with Monteverde was a 3km Treetops walk on a trail linked by 8 bridges which went through and over the canopy. It demonstrated quite nicely why the Cloud Forest gets its name as we spent the entire walk engulfed in cloud and fog!!! However, it proved to be incredibly atmospheric, also bringing to mind images of the film Jurassic Park at times!

So from there we continued onto the northern lowlands that will be continued in the next instalment.

Adios,

Kath & Andy