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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The weekend is fast approaching, and the question alway is: What to do?
There are a lot of options for tourists and residents that can break
the routine that sometimes threatens to overwhelm life here in the
rainy season. Here are some suggestions:
Chicharronera Cacique Asseri is the multi-storied, 46-year-old
restaurant on the main street in, of
A.M. Costa Rica file photo
Orosi church
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course,
Asserí, just south of Desamparados and San José. The
staff
cooks chicharrones in
caldrons. By the hundredweight. Locals parade
through the restaurant in traditional masks. There is one or more cimarronas
or small
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bands. And there is always at least one or more
marimba players.
This place is not for the Weight Watchers. No one leaves hungry. This
is the spot where top government officials go for bachelor parties,
despedidas and guaranteed great times. Bring a note from your
cardiologist.
The chicharronía also
boasts a terrific view of the Central Valley. That is something that is
shared by dozens of so-called miradoras
around the rim of the valley. If chicharrones are not on the diet, any
number of restaurants will fill the bill, including the Le
Monastère Restaurant & Cave in San Rafael de Escazú
if money is not the prime concern. The view from the former monastery
is worth the drive, not to mention the dark beer.
With the Caldera highway in service, the Pacific beckons for a day or
weekend visit. CocoMar Residences & Beach Resort in Isla Palo Seco,
Parrita, is offering anyone a free night in the facility. A lot of
other hotel and condo facilities are open to the public over the
weekends, and Jacó has turned from a sleepy village to a
bustling community with all kinds of services for visitors. Walking on
the beach is worth the trip. It is the closest beach to the Central
Valley.
And anyone going west from the Central Valley who happens to find him
or
herself in La Garita needs to consider a quick stop at the La Fiesta
del
Maíz on the main highway for traditional and unique corn-based
treats.
Just a few miles to the north of San José is the Instituto
Nacional de Biodiversidad, called INBio, in Santo Domingo de Heredia.
The private eco-reserve is conducting what is called Bioblitz this weekend, a 24-hour
marathon counting of plants and creatures at the 5.5 hectare site.
INBio is great not just for the snakes in glass boxes but for a hedge
maze and duck pond, adds a reporter.
Those going east can drop in on the Monumento Nacional Guayabo, some 11
miles northeast of Turrialba. This is one of the great Latin American
pre-Columbian sites but is not high on the list of the average visitor.
The site was occupied for thousands of years, but not much is known
about the people. They were experts in constructing draining systems
and pools to control the heavy rainfall of the area. Much of the area
has not been excavated. It ranks along with the stone spheres in the
south Pacific, although that region is a bit far for a weekend jaunt
from the Central Valley.
Those who wish to stay overnight could consider the Hacienda Tayutic,
which boasts that the Turrialba area with the Tayutic Valley is a great
alternative to other tourism locations, like Arenal, being more
authentic, with fewer tourists and now with the misbehaving
Turrialba volcano.
Nearby is the Costa Rica's Craft Brewing Co. in Tejar de El Guarco,
Cartago. The firm offers tours with prior appointments Friday and
Saturday afternoons. Dark beer can be found here with the owners who
are challenging the Costa Rican beer monopoly.
In Paraíso de Cartago is found the Lankester Gardens, an orchid
garden run by the Universidad de Costa Rica. There are more than 800
orchid species on display.
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Further
southwest is the community of Orosi and then the Parque
Nacional Tapanti with plenty of wildlife and easy walking
trails. Orosi is known for the 18th century Catholic church that
recently underwent a major restoration.
One cannot talk about Cartago and churches without mentioning the
Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles in the center
of that city.
This manifestation of the Virgin Mary is the patroness of the nation.
She is represented by a rough rock statute that is finely dressed at
the top of the main altar. The faithful enter the main aisle on their
knees. Others have sent elaborate clothing and other items for the
statue. These are displayed in an adjacent room. There also is a line
of persons seeking to fill containers with water from the spring near
which the statue was found in 1635.
To the west is the ruinas de Cartago,
the remains of a Catholic church in construction that was wrecked by
the 1910 earthquake.
Arenal, of course, is a great place for a weekend visit. The warm water
relaxes even though the volcano is not putting on as much of a show
these days. The Hotel Arenal Paraíso Resort & Spa
Instituto Costariccense
de Turismo
photo
Guayabo overview
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correctly says it
is just two and a half hours from San José, but the drive is
sometimes
rough when the weather is bad. A good bet is to take a commercial
vehicle that many hotels can provide even to residents.
Sunday is the time for religious services. One would not have to be
Catholic to appreciate the restoration work at the more than
100-year-old
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Iglesia La Merced near the park by the same name in
downtown San José. Fabulous is an understatement of the $1
million
effort done by church officials, the municipality and
Cervercería Costa
Rica.
Those seeking a service in English can visit the International
Baptist
Church in Guachipelín, Escazú, either at 9 a.m. or
11:30 a.m. Sunday.
A special program this week features Rick Muchow, former
music and
worship pastor at Southern California's Saddleback Church for 24 years.
He has recorded 24 CDs.
Those attending the 9 a.m. service will have time to drop by Parque la
Sabana to watch one or more Sunday baseball games, if the weather
cooperates.
A.M. Costa Rica file photo
Basilica in Cartago
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This is real
hardball, and some of the players are U.S.
Major League quality. Many are Nicaraguan.
La Sabana is the place
many
Costa Ricans visit Sundays for picnics and family gatherings. The park
is the former airport, and the former terminal and control tower is now
the Museo de Arte Costarricense,
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which is
open from 9 to 4 Tuesday through Sundays.
If the hours are too early after the chicharrones or dark beer, the
Escazú Christian Fellowship meets in the same place at 5 p.m..
That is
at the Ferretería Construplaza turnoff on the Caldera highway.
The bulk of Costa Rica's population is in the Central Valley, but
editors would welcome suggestions on weekend trips elsewhere in the
country. There is fishing, of course in salt water and in the lakes and
streams. A.M. Costa Rica's companion fishing title
has reported on some of these. There also is rafting, zip lining, bird
watching, whale watching and hundreds of other avocations. There is
even a new adventure sports location north of San José on the
highway
to Limón.
Editors would like to hear about favorite places for readers to compile
a similar, future news story. Write
the editor. Please include links, although they will not show up in
the story. All these locations are easily searchable on the Web. |
