Surprises!

Things are never as they seem.  That's a given.  And because changes are inevitable, Jeff and I try to be nimble - but there are surprises.

Surprise #1: 
The survey process is taking LOTS longer than we planned.  We hired a topographer and scheduled the survey, then one full workday was spent in clearing brush from the entire property boundary -  by 3 men with machetes in the height of the summer heat.  When the topographer made a second property visit to "mark the points", he found numerous small discrepancies.  So which is correct:  what the topographer measures or what all the neighbors have agreed upon for many years?

 

Surprise #2:
While doing the survey, a 40+ foot tall waterfall was discovered in the lower corner of the property.  Really?!!  And no one knew about it?  I managed to make it down the steep ravine slopes to the top of the fall - but neither Jeff nor I have actually seen the waterfall.  


Surprise #3:

Someone has stolen our water.  Honestly, that's a bit melodramatic but the end result is that there is no water coming out of our pipe.  It's the dry season now and a farmer leasing a plot of land next to us for a coffee plant nursery needed some water.  He simply put a "tee" in the hose that runs from the spring on the mountain to the cabina, complete with an on and off switch.  Did he think no one would notice - or what?

When we showed up with the story of buying the finca, he pleaded with us to let him continue using it for the next month until the rains start again. What would you do?

Moreover, the water line from the new "tee" above the property is partially collapsed - literally - and has to be replaced before it'll work again (nearly 1000 feet of line). 

Somehow our banana trees put out larger, better tasting bananas. 

Surprise #4:
This week our helpers harvested the current table banana crop, cutting down 35-40 racks of bananas, each of which was so huge that it required two men to carry it.  Each rack measures at least 40 inches in length.  These extra large table banana trees are located in a grove on a hill.

Plantains fried in coconut oil -- simply the best!

The plantain banana trees are much smaller and hundreds of trees are scattered all over the finca as shade trees for the coffee.  These are the type that people steam, boil or fry - and I have to add that ours are the tastiest we've ever tasted.  Plantain racks are much smaller and easier to manage than bananas, as are the plantain trees, and we have been able to give away or eat all that's produced so far.


Surprise #5:
There's an Indian grave site amidst the banana trees on the hill that was raided long ago.  Could there be more?  If there are, should we leave them alone?

I'm so confused . . .

  
Surprise #6:

This is an Internet foto - we didn't actually see them

.

When walking the water hose line yesterday, we heard the unmistakable, repeated yowls of howler monkeys - in the proximity of the trees by the cabina.  Have you ever heard howler monkeys?  Oh my God, they're 
dramatic! 



 
 
Surprise #7:
There's a hive of honey bees housed in a large yucca tree trunk.  Jeff figured this out when clearing the brush next to it and hit the trunk with the machete.  That white boy can sure RUN!!  He says he's not buying any more bright orange shirts.

Travis shared his ideas of "Natura Cultura", plants, and
spiritual balance as we begin to enjoy our life on the finca.

Gotta get Starr some new pants.
These doggone weed seeds really jump on her.  
She looks and feels like a porcupine.

What amazing and helpful friends we have in Costa Rica.

The place is surprisingly big - and it seems to be growing.
It's also quite overgrown - and growing more every day.

Honestly, it feels a trifle overwhelming. 
But we remind ourselves that we wanted this experience, and we got what we asked for, dreamed of, and searched for.  

Every day brings more surprises.

What is it?  Maybe the chickens will eat it.  
Oh, what chickens . . .?!

Gandering at local livestock.  Is this for us?

Wild Castor bean?

A male bonding ritual with our neighbor Franklin.  
He's an angel in human form.

This young man hopes to make this iguana into a pet.  
Notice the home made harness.

Workers building a home with MgO SIP panels 
(magnesium oxide structural insulated panels) 
- like we want for our home.

Trevor and his crew will probably build our new home 
within the next year or so. 

Hanging out with the Nicaraguan construction crew.

Expats are a stylish sort.   
You too could dress like this and stand around talking in the sweltering heat 
near the Costa Rican beach - if you wanted to.

So where are we going to live while waiting for the home to be built?
And what do we have to do to fix the water?
What about all those sad coffee plants?  
      Cut them down so they can regrow?  
      Forget about them and let them die naturally? 
      Forget about them long enough to figure out some other things?
How will we get the weeds cut down on 19 acres?  
      Or do we need to?
Where will we put the bamboo and fruit trees?
What can we get done before the rains begin?
Should we just live in a tent or yurt on the property?
And that old cabina . . . ?

Hooray ! ! Finally Full Speed Ahead ! !

It's happening!  We're moving ahead on buying the finca property that we fell in love with back in December.

 

 

Looking at 20 acre Finca NoName from above.  
From the tall trees in the background, almost to the silver roof mid-foto.

This train WAS completely stalled - we had not been able to budge forward, but now the tables have turned 180 degrees.

In the midst of trying to contact the owner of the finca (instead of dealing with his son as we did in December), we found out that it had just gone into foreclosure. Yikes! 

So we called the mortgage holder, offered him a reasonable and fair amount of money (before he could think about tripling the price).  Negotiations continued and now we have reached a price that we're quite comfortable with.

You see, foreign real estate investment has driven land prices in Central America higher than US land prices.  After the real estate crash in the US, the flow of land money to Latin America has slowed to a drip. But even still, the prices have not adjusted to the crash in demand, so consequently very few parcels actually sell.  The REAL value of any piece of land is merely a concept in someone's mind.  You cannot find reliable comp information anywhere in the country.

At this point we're moving ahead full steam on buying this place. 

This afternoon we drove up there with our neighbors who have helped us so much in this search:  Frankie and Neidy.  After tromping all over the property, eating wild berries and coffee cherries, chopping down plantain racemes, discovering the sweet lemon and the mango trees - and finding wild red passion flowers - we came to rest by the old cabina overlooking the entire Valle General.

Frankie, Starr, and Neidy with a gleaned harvest of sweet lemons, 
platanos, edible flowers and tacoca (Frankie says they're delicious).

We opened a bottle of champagne up on the hill today. We sat in the grass, toasted to a job well done, and enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze. Our friends presented us with our first authentic Costa Rican machete, and we sincerely thanked them for all of their kind assistance.

Of course, we still have to pay for the place and jump through some other hoops. But our decision has been made, and we now have some land to call our own. Not only that, we now have a piece of land that feels powerfully enchanting to us.

Here's a description of our "paradise to be":

• 20 acre coffee farm we will transition towards a more diverse plantation
• 26,000 coffee bushes half-way to organic status, but needing some TLC and thinning
• hundreds of banana and plantain trees, a few citrus trees, a water apple tree, a mango tree
• 4,000 - 4,200 ft. elevation (that means cool evenings)
• excellent neighbors
• at the end of the public gravel road
• panoramic view of Valle de El General
• 1 or 2 springs, and one creek offering year-round pristine water
• drinking water from a hard rock spring
• several good locations for fish and river shrimp ponds
• a 90 year old cabin still standing and due for a rehab
• a gentle and variable slope that's easy to walk
• an internal road
• armadillos, tepisquintles, a variety of birds, lots of evening fire flies, and an occasional troop of monkeys
• a road/trail going up to the top of the ridge (from the neighbor's property)
• an extensive jungle trail at the top of the ridge
• LOTS of space for medicinal plants, timber trees and tropical fruit trees, maybe even a couple of chickens
• IMPORTANT: Our land is below the cloud line.  The continuously damp, incredibly bio-diverse cloud forest is above us, not around us.
• One more essential point: We have not seen any sugar cane in the area which means no sugar cane burning, no sinus infections, no more smoke-related headaches (but the January thru March haze across the valley remains)

Now our finca needs a name.  We like "Finca Dinka Doo", though that might be too whimsical.

Overlooking our place (slightly to the left) from our neighbor's upper section.

The new 'hood.

The new neighbors.

There may be more bananas and plantains than coffee.  
I'm thinking a solar dehydrator is in order.

Our new neighbor Guillermo showing us the view from the upper level of his place.  
He's a Tico heavy equipment operator that lived in the US for 20 years.  
His wife Juraci is a Brazilian that also lived in the US many years.

No strong late afternoon sun here.  The sun goes over the hill at 4:15 pm.  
Sweet.  Let the birds sing!

Still on Guillermo's upper level, sometimes the clouds seep slowly over.  
Our finca is a good 500 feet lower than this.
Low enough so that we don't suffer from the cloud forest blues.

A tiny, framed structure was partially built to house coffee pickers.  
Neidy and I are trying to figure out what to do with it.

Little cabina on the hill . . .

The front entrance of the 90 year old wood homesteader's cabin. 
 We'll build our own house, so what can we do with this fixer-upper? 

A new roof is mandatory.  

The old paint buckets hung from the side are actually planters.  
Do the best you can with that you've got.

Gonna get me some 'nanners.

Exploring.  Which way should we go first?

Neidy's an interior decorator.  
Maybe she can think of some exterior decorating too.

Right now there are 4 of these banana racemes ripening just in the first row.  
There are maybe 4 rows of them.  How many bananas do we really need?  Frankie says they will be ready to harvest in 3 weeks.  So much to learn . . . so much to eat.

Yes, some of the coffee trees look fairly good.  A coffee expert will examine the finca and let us know the prognosis:  Keep it - or cut it - or simply remove part or most of it.
 

In contrast to the neighbor's healthy (but not organic), flowering coffee.

The boundary of the property is marked by the tall spikey plants
- - that Frankie is climbing.

Neidy with 2 stalks of edible flowers that Frankie just managed to pick.

A moss bird's nest with two tiny eggs on a coffee tree.

WE SEE: Open spaces, trails, tropical fruit trees, ponds,
 hard wood timber trees, bamboo, and ... YOU.

No need for a gym anymore.  
Obviously we need to hire some men to help clean up two years of undergrowth.  
In four more years we could call it a jungle again - or sculpt it into a wonderland.

We have toured 65 properties in Costa Rica and we have learned a few things.
Moving slowly is the best speed.  
Learn as you go.  
Learn the ground rules before making decisions.  
Don't jump quickly.  
The rewards are magnanimous.

One step at a time we're working toward having all of you visit us.  We want a home worthy of you making the trip.  This looks perfect.

The Pickle Ladies' House

When our friend recently bought his home in Platanillo he inherited the previous owner's car and FIVE dogs.  So he's now cohabitating with 5 indoor/outdoor dogs: Cleo, Heidi, Grizz, Muffy, and Bambi.

The previous owners were two Canadian women who lived there for years and years, making and selling pickles.  Since pickles aren't part of the Costa Rican diet, they had no competition and became quite well known to local expats as "The Pickle Ladies". While they have now returned to their native homeland, their car and their dogs remain here in Costa Rica. Actually this is a typical arrangement. When expats return to their home country, as they often do, they find it easier just to leave their entire Costa Rican life behind.

Recently, when our friend needed to make a business trip, we promised to dog-sit for a few days. His home is located about halfway down the two-lane, windy highway to the beach, in drop-dead gorgeous, out of the way, hot and humid Plantanillo. The property overlooks the expansive Diamante Valley and Diamante Falls, the highest falls in this country. What a glorious view!

But except for morning and evening feeding time, there was not a whole lot for us to do there. Newsflash: we do not enjoy inactivity, but luckily we had been told of some property for sale nearby in the Valley of the Horses. Ample reason for a hike down the road that meanders through it.

This was the Costa Rica we had fantasized about. Jungle rivers, miniature frogs, coral snakes, jaguars, otters, all manner of birds and bugs.  Toucans chattered to one another in the trees, and flew across the sky like strange airplanes that time had forgotten. This was Paradise. Plain and simple.

Chachalaca flocks, like huge grouse or wild chickens, drifted from tree to tree through the jungle, talking to each other the whole time.  Strange bright colored birds and butterflies flitted in and out of view.  We wandered down past horse pastures, through the jungle to a little watercress-bordered lake surrounded by trees.

A white horse was grazing on the far grassy shore. At that point I wouldn't have been surprised to see one large horn emerging from the head of that horse - for truly this must be a fantasy.

Yet even though the place was fantastic, we aren't tempted to look for our land here. Beauty is always only one part of the equation. Sorta like that old high school flame that you're glad you didn't marry. Lovely to look at but too hot to handle.

In the tropics your elevation defines your climate. At an elevation of only about 600 feet, the Valley of the Horses will have uncomfortably high humidity and temperature year-round. Definitely not for us, but now that we know it's here we'll surely return for visits.

Here begins the road into the Valle de Caballos - Horse Valley.

Starr wanders down Wonderland Lane.

Such a blue! Such a gold!

A striking moth, so easy to hold.

Spiky orange flowers.

Spiky red leaves.

Starr's path heads into some very big trees.

Where pure water flows over primeval rock.

Where this fellow invites with his eyes, not needing to talk.

Down to the lake full of cress, toads, and herons.

The white horse appears and comes right over.

Friends are made with a gift of clover.

Is that a unicorn-bump that I see?

Or a fine hectare of land for one million three?

A few folks have settled, we'd not be the first.

There's a real jungle river, for your real jungle thirst.

With rapids and pools for paddling around.

Gold trees ...

... in the distance, up on the hill.

An industrial-strength bug, black on black.

Orchids in bottles hung on a small orchid rack.

A mid-morning coffee with both pinkies out.

A jungle of plants and an ex-eagle scout.

This orchid fruits a vanilla bean. No bunk!

Notice how papaya fruits from the trunk.

 The goal of this gear is a stovetop well-lit.

An actual book (not a Kindle), best let him sit. 

Golly Jeffer, them's mighty big tree leaves.

Believe it or not, pepincillo treats diabetes.

Dendrocalamus bamboo - as thick as my leg.

While this tiny guy just hatched from an egg.

A walking stick can hide in plain sight.

... and the sound of a river is always just right.

Back home from the 5 dogs in Platanillo so we can rest up for the trip to San Jose.  It's time to move forward on buying an automobile: a 4 x 4 truck so we can more freely run around this wonderland.