Costa Rica is one of the most Biodiverse countries on planet earth. While we were there we were able to enjoy a rich variety of flora in vivid living color. I share some of that experience with you in the following pictures.
My partner and I recently went on a long awaited much anticipated trip to Costa Rica. In the time of the corona-virus we have all had to curtail our travelling out of a necessity to stay safe and simply because many places were unavailable to travel to. Costa Rica has just recently opened its borders and welcomed tourist traffic back to this Central American paradise.
In order to enter the country, one had to fill out a form asking many health-related questions and based on the answers you were issued a Health Pass. This was needed before you could even get on the airplane stateside and was checked many times along the way and when you got to the airport in San Jose when we were going through Customs and Immigration.
Also required for entry was a health insurance policy to cover medical expenses and lodging in case you tested positive for Covid on the way out of the country and had to quarantine. A negative covid test was required before leaving.
On the way down the airline (Delta) blocked off the middle row for social distancing and required all passengers and crew to wear masks. Once we got in country most workers and local people also wore masks and of course we continued to wear ours as well. We were able to relax the mask rule sometimes while riding in the transport vehicles or when we stopped to eat and were sitting at our table. Whenever we went to a restaurant the first thing the greeter did at every place we visited was to point to a sink and hand sanitizer station to clean our hands before we were seated.
Everyone we met was very friendly and enthusiastic. They have a saying in Costa Rica that is good for any occasion: “Pura Vida!”
We left our apartment in Louisville, Kentucky about 5:30 in the morning and caught an Uber to the airport for our 7:00 flight. We changed planes in Atlanta and arrived in Costa Rica by 1:30 pm. There is a two-hour difference between Costa Rica and Louisville and pretty much for the whole nine days I was living on Louisville time.
We made our travel arrangements with a travel agency in the States before leaving. When we arrived in San Jose, the country’s capitol, an in-country travel team took over and a representative met us at the airport when we landed. He escorted us through immigration, scanned out health passes and led us to our driver for our first destination.
Our first destination was the Volcano Lodge near the Arenal Volcano. It was about a three-hour journey. As we hadn’t eaten yet we asked Fernando, our stalwart driver, if we could stop along the way. He said yes, there was a place he knew about half way. Fernando was very friendly and talkative and gave us a guided tour of the countryside as we traveled along.
As promised about halfway we stopped at a restaurant called Mi Rancho. The food was delicious. I had what was called a typical Costa Rican Dinner, a Chicken Casado, consisting of black beans, plantains, salad, a tortilla, and chicken. I had an Imperial Beer which is the beer of choice in Costa Rica.
We got back on the road and shortly reached our destination at the Volcano Lodge and Thermal Springs. On the way we drove through the little town of La Fortuna which was near the lodge. It looked to have a variety of shops and restaurants and we made a mental note to come back for a visit while we were still in the area.
Day 2
In the morning we had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, Sura Bar and Bistro. I did a nature walk first. After breakfast we immersed ourselves first in the hot springs, then in the hot mineral water pool, then the cold pool. Afterwards we had Bloody Mary’s out by the pool. Then we returned to the room for some afternoon delight. Afterwards we went out on the patio to read until it was time to meet our driver for our next adventure, the hanging bridges tour.
Greivin, our guide and driver for the day, picked us up a little before 2:00 and drove us to Mistico Park for the hanging bridges tour. There are ten static bridges, six hanging bridges, and one waterfall. We stopped along the way to take pictures in front of the magnificent Arenal Volcano. There are over 200 volcanic formations in Costa Rica with five of them considered active. Arenal is one that is considered active and is one of the most popular sites to visit in Costa Rica
When we arrived at Mistico Park, located in the middle of a rain forest, we stopped to take more pictures. Then we began our hike. We walked over the many hanging bridges observing the flora and the fauna. It was a four-mile hike and a three-hour tour. Greivin proved to be an excellent guide.
When we got back to the hotel, we had a couple of drinks out on the patio before dinner. We showered and changed clothes, then walked down to the Sura for dinner. I had the typical Costa Rican dinner with chicken beans, rice, salad, and plantains. Maureen had the eggplant. The food was delicious! I had a shot of 30-year-old Centenario rum on the rocks and Maureen had a gin and tonic.
Tomorrow is a new day, and we will be on our own.
Day 3
On our own today. We did the hot springs again, had breakfast, came back to the room and read out on the patio for a while. I am reading Under Kilimanjaro, by Ernest Hemingway. I always bring Hemingway with me when I travel. I find him to be a source of great inspiration. I found it quite ironic that I was reading a book about a fellow traveler who was camped under the great volcano of Africa, Kilimanjaro, while I was camped under another volcano, Arenal, thousands of miles away. We both loved the country so, he in Africa, me in Costa Rica. And we were both with women we loved who played a significant role in each of the stories; he with miss Mary and I with miss Maureen.
Later in the day we decide to go into La Fortuna which was about nine miles away. We walked up to the front desk and had the concierge hail us a taxi. In a few minutes a red car pulled up with a familiar yellow triangular sign on top., Our taxi had arrived. Our driver was named Johnny Miranda and he said to call him when we were ready to go back and he would pick us up again. He dropped up off in center of town near the restaurant we planned to eat at later that evening.
Johnny says, “Habla Espanola?”
I say, “Un poquito. Habla Ingles?”
Johnny says, “Un poquito.”
We both laughed, but we didn’t have any problem communicating after that. As a matter of fact, most people we encountered spoke some English and we never had any problem communicating with anyone.
Every town in Costa Rica has four elements: A church, a school, a soccer field and a bar. La Fortuna was no exception. I might add one other element, a central park. We had fun exploring the town, going into some of the shops, taking pictures, and we stopped at a place called, La Prada, to have a drink and a snack before dinner.
Dinner was at Don Rufino’s, a high-end establishment that was recommend by Fernando. I had the sautéed fish which was excellent. To drink I had the Centenario Rum, this time the 15-year-old variety. Maureen asked me if I liked it as much as the 30-year-old and said I enjoyed it exactly half as much.
After dinner I called Senor Johnny on my cell phone and he appeared Johnny on the spot and drove us home to the Volcano Lodge. We changed clothes for a late-night dip in the hot springs. We sat at the bar on stools submerged in the hot water and ordered drinks. I had a Jack Daniels on the rocks and Maureen had her mainstay, gin and tonic.
Home to bed, reading Sirens of Titan, until the words danced on the pages and I drifted off to sleep.
Day 4
Last day at Volcano Lodge. Had breakfast with Miss Maureen. Back at the room reading Hemingway. We have a little time before we have to pack up and leave. I will miss this place and certainly I would come back.
We drove all day through the fog on narrow twisty roads through the mountains. We stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs and relieve ourselves. We also stopped for lunch at another roadside attraction. I had the typical Cost Rican lunch which I never tire of. We finally reached our destination in Manuel Antonio about 5:00 in a driving rain. We checked into the hotel, Si Como No, and went to our room. We were given umbrellas and a staff person brought our luggage. The rooms were little cottages perched on the cliffs in the jungle overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
After we got settled in, we went out for dinner at the hotel restaurant, Claro Que Si and had an excellent meal. I had the Sauteed shrimp. To drink I had rum again. One straight on the rocks and then I switched up and tried another drink called Red Eyed Gin and Tonic. It was pretty good, but one was enough. Maureen had her customary Hendrick’s Gin and Tonic. Two in fact. We retired after that. Long day.
Day 5
Breakfast at the Rico Tico Jungle Grill with a magnificent view of the Jungle and the ocean. Later we took a taxi to Manuel Antonio Park. Senor Luis was our driver. We had to pay an entry fee to get into the park but it was worth it. We walked two miles to the beach through the jungle. What a lovely secluded cove with very few people. Spent a couple of hours in the sun having fun in the ocean and on the beach. We walked back out and had lunch at one of the many restaurants just outside the park entrance. Once again, I had the typical Casado, this time with pork. Had two Imperial Beers to drink. Maureen had the nachos.
Called our driver to pick us up and we went back to the hotel. I was exhausted and took a two-hour nap. The sun really takes it out of me. Later we went down to the Claro Que Si for dinner. We had standing reservation for 7:00 and we got out usual table at the edge of the dining room overlooking the jungle. That is where we saw our first sloth. He was just hanging around in a tree just outside the restaurant in plain view. He caused quite a sensation and everyone crowded around against the railing to catch a glimpse of this awesome creature. I took pictures. “No flash!” The wait person admonished, “They don’t like flashes.” Everyone was very protective of the wild life.
We went back to the room and sat out on the patio and watched the lightning flashes light up the night sky. It went on all night long.
Day 6
Waterfall day.
I was picked up in the morning by my guide Corry and our driver. Miss Maureen stayed home as her knee was bothering her and I knew we would be going over some rough trails and walking on slippery rocks and such so she decided to stay back and hang out by the pool. Turns out it was a wise decision. At our first waterfall Corry climbed a tree and jumped into the natural pool at the base of the waterfall.
The next waterfall was at Uvita. It features a 30-foot natural water slide, which I tried. We had to climb to the top of the falls. I sat in the saddle and crossed my arms, tucked my chin and lay back, and Corry gave me a little nudge and the next thing I knew I was in the water swimming out. Very exhilarating!
By this time, it was lunchtime. We drove to a little restaurant at the top of a hill overlooking the ocean. The view was breathtaking. And the food was delicious.
After lunch, we went to anther waterfall, called Cascada Del Pavon. We had to hike a way into the jungle to get to it. This waterfall featured a boulder that had rolled down the mountain millions of years ago and lodged between two larger boulders at the top of the waterfall dividing the stream. We took some pictures and hiked back out. Our next stop was the ocean!
This is was a public beach used by the locals and it was fairly crowded. It featured some caves, but it was high tide and the caves were full of water so we couldn’t go in. Corry let me wander about on my own for a while and invited me to jump in the ocean, but I demurred. I did take a lot of pictures and it was a beautiful beach. While I was gone Corry made some origami figures from some reeds he found in the area. Very clever of Corry to make these figures which he presented to me as a gift.
On the way back we made two stops for photo ops. One was of a Trex sculpture and one was for a sculpture of a Blue Whale in Uvita. Oh yes, we actually made a third stop to photograph one of the mysterious stone spheres that have been discovered in Costa Rica. No one knows where they come from, how they got there, or how they were made.
Day 7
Sat out by the pool in the morning. Had breakfast at the Rico Tico Jungle Grill. At 1:00 we were picked up by our bus driver who transported us down to the docks for our catamaran sunset tour. We boarded The Tom Cat about 2:00 along with the other passengers and “set sail” off into the sunset. Only the sun didn’t set for another few hours so we cruised up and down Costa Rican Coast. We stopped at one point in a little cove to let people dive into the ocean and snorkel if they wanted or slide into the ocean from one of the two water slides mounted on the back of the boat. It was a double decker and people were above board and below deck. There was music and plenty to drink and they even served a late lunch of shish kabob. I was drinking rum. Maureen demurred as they didn’t have anything she liked. It was quite a party and everyone had a lot of fun. The sunset was spectacular and was definitely the highlight of the cruise. I took pictures of course and the other passengers danced a conga line all around the boat. After the sun set, we headed back for the docks. On the way back we observed dolphins jumping out of the water in pairs to the delight of everyone on board.
Once back at the docks we caught our bus back to the hotel. When we got back, we rested up a bit then got dressed for dinner and headed down to the Claro Que Si. We were greeted warmly by the host and escorted to our usual table in the corner.
Another long, but quite satisfying day.
Day 8
Time to head back to San Jose. We checked out of the hotel and waited for our driver to pick us up. He arrived right on time at 9:30. It was about a three-hour drive to San Jose. We had to be at our hotel by 1:00 for our scheduled covid test, which we needed to leave the country. A doctor was supposed to meet us in our room to administer the test.
We arrived at 12:30 in plenty of time to check in and get to our room in anticipation the doctor’s visit. The Grano de Oro was a beautiful old Spanish hotel that had at one time been a mansion. The rooms were well appointed, there were huge exotic plants in the atrium and original art hung on the walls. Absolutely beautiful old-world charm.
The doctor showed up a little after 1:00 and administered the test. We paid her the required amount and were informed that we would receive the results on our cell phone within three hours.
Maureen and I decided to take a walk and explore downtown San Jose. We were on 30th street about two blocks off Central Boulevard, which is the main drag. It was beautiful afternoon but it looked like rain so we borrowed an umbrella from the hotel. We walked the two blocks over to Central, turned right and proceeded into the heart of the city. We walked about twenty block and then decided to turn back. By that time, it had stared to rain so I deployed the umbrella. Maureen remembered spotting an interesting looking restaurant on the way so we decided we would stop by there for a drink and maybe a bite to eat.
We reached the restaurant and went inside. Turns out it was a French Bistro. Who would have thought we would find a French side walk café in downtown San Jose, Costa Rica? But yet, there we were. The name of the bistro was Le Bistot De Paris. We were seated at a table before an open patio leading to the street and were able to see the moveable feast that was San Jose all the while protected from the rain. We ordered a cheese plate and escargot and a bottle of wine. It was a lovely way to pass a couple hours before we walked back to the hotel.
When we got back, we settled in and got organized and took a little nap. Then it was time for dinner. The hotel had a fine restaurant in a well-appointed dining room. The waiters were skilled, polite, professional, and dressed formally. The food was absolutely delicious, fine dining at its best.
We went back to our room, read a little bit, then turned in for the night. We knew it was going to be a long day tomorrow, for tomorrow we headed for home.
Day 9
At 8:30 our ride arrived promptly to take us to the airport. All our documents were in order and we had done everything we needed to get back home. Our flight was at 1:16 on Delta. Maureen had to check a bag. Everything went smoothly and we were at the gate in plenty of time to board. We were flying to Atlanta then switching planes and flying on in to Louisville after a short layover. We got home about midnight and a good friend picked us up and drove us home. Thus ended our nine-day adventure to Costa Rica.
The next day we started our drive back to Kentucky….
Greetings from Galveston! Each morning I rose just before dawn and headed for the beach to catch the stellar event unfolding on the horizon. I was not disappointed. Most mornings Buddha stayed in bed, but this glorious morning he accompanied me out to the beach.
Today I wanted to ride around Galveston to look at some of the buildings. Galveston is home to some interesting old historic buildings and to some newer more modern ones.
This building is being converted into condos.
The Rosenberg Library is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas. I visited this beautiful library with the hopes of finding a clean well lighted place to study in. But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Due to covid the study rooms were closed. I was free to roam the stacks but not to study. I did come away with a book however, so all was not lost.
The Strand Historic District, also known as the Strand District, in downtown Galveston, Texas, is a National Historic Landmark District of mainly Victorian era buildings that now house restaurants, antique stores, and curio shops.
Later in the day we headed back to the motel for a dip in the pool. We were staying at Gaido’s Seaside Inn, which according to their own testimony boasts of having the best pool on the island. Who am I to argue?
We ended the evening at a Mexican Restaurant. Buddha’s friends hadn’t heard from him in a while so I posted this picure to prove he was still alive.
Stay tuned for day 7 of the exciting adventures of Ghost Dog and the Buddha.
Thursday October 1
I drove to Owensboro (117 miles) and arrived at Buddha’s in the early afternoon. We watched TV until about 5:30 pm when his daughter arrived to fetch a key. After she left, we went out to get a bite to eat at Owensboro’s one and only Sushi place. I knew it was going to be a problem when I noticed the chefs behind the sushi bar were Mexican. I had the Hibachi Chicken. It was terrible.
We went back to Buddha’s place for drinks and more TV. Lucked into a Harold Pinter play on YouTube I’ve been wanting to see: “The Birthday Party”, starring Harold Pinter himself and Joan Plowright, in a BBC production. It was pretty good, but you have to be into Pinter to enjoy it. Buddha wasn’t so he went to bed to read while I watched the rest of the play.
Friday October 2
Owensboro. Woke to the news that Donald Trump and Melania Trump both have contracted the corona virus. Is that karma or what?
Got packed and loaded the car. Had to make a pit stop in Evansville so Buddha could see his psychiatrist and check up on his meds. Apparently, I am traveling with a madman. That’s OK. We’re all as mad as hatters here. All the best people are.
We finally got on the road and headed west. I figured to push as far into Arkansas as I possibly could before stopping for the night. We made it to Hope.
We checked in to the Best Western Motel. The maskless clerk kept asking us if we wanted one bed or two.
“Two beds, dammit!” Buddha muttered shaking his shaggy head.
“Do we get a discount?” I asked. “AAA? AARP?”
“Yeah, I’ll give you a discount alright,” the clerk snapped.
“Well, what’s the rate?”
“$75.00 including tax. Do you want one bed or two?”
“Two beds, dammit!”
“OK! Can I see your credit card?”
“Any restaurants in the area?”
“You can Google them and they will deliver.”
“OK. What room?”
“105. Right around the corner.”
Buddha was already heading out the door on his way to the room on foot. I drove around. We unlocked the door and unloaded the car, then took a moment to get settled. Buddha went to get ice.
I Googled the restaurants in the area and found a Pizza Hut and a Dominos. I called both but got put on hold at both places. Well, what could you expect in a little town called Hope, deep in the Arkansas interior? Bill Clinton territory as it were. The town sucked just like Monica Lewinski. Finally, Dominos answered.
“I’ll have a medium Supreme delivered to room 105 at the Best Western Motel, please. When will you deliver it? One hour? Wow! Well go ahead. We will just have to wait.”
While waiting for the pizza to arrive we made the drinks. We had picked up some liquor a few exits back. We got separate liquors because Buddha always buys cheap booze and I can’t stand the whiskey he usually gets, so I get something a little better. Turns out he got Ezra Brooks and I got Jack Daniels.
“Well, hell, if I’d a known you were getting Ezra Brooks, I would have drunk your booze. Ezra Brooks aint bad!”
“No, you wouldn’t! You’re not drinking my booze! You just drink your Jack Daniels!”
“What the hell Buddha? You don’t think I would have replaced your whiskey? You mean to tell me you wouldn’t have shared?”
“I don’t want to have this conversation right now!”
“Why not?”
“Just don’t.”
“OK.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence.
Meanwhile, back in the motel room, we decided to watch a little TV while waiting for the pizza. It was 9pm EST and 8pm Central. Buddha grabbed the remote and engaged the “on” button. TV said, “No Signal.”
“Call the front desk and tell them the TV doesn’t work,” I said.
Buddha grabbed the phone, listened intently, punched the dial hooks repeatedly, looked up wild eyed.
“No dial-tone! Motherfucker don’t work!”
“Call him on your cell phone.”
Buddha stared at the black desk set and started stabbing the numbers into his cell phone.
“Hello? Yeah, this is Buddha in room 105. The phone don’t work…. I’m calling you on my cell phone….OK…OK…Ok. That’s not why I’m calling you. The TV don’t work either…OK….OK…Ok.”
He hung up.
“What’d he say?”
“He said he would come down and try to reboot it himself.”
“Well OK then.”
So, we waited a few minutes, freshened our drinks and munched on some smoked almonds. Pretty soon there was a knock at the front door.
Buddha let in the night clerk, who again was maskless, but he was at least pretty friendly. He took the remote and began trying to reboot the TV.
About that time, we got another knock at the door. It was Dominos. Buddha answered the door. He paid for the pizza, $20.00 including tip.
The smell of the pizza filled the room.
“Wow, if you are getting pizza, I’m getting hungry.” This from the maskless night clerk.
“You want a slice?” I asked.
“No. No.”
The clerk didn’t have any luck getting the TV to work either.
“Let’s see, the TV don’t work, and the phone don’t work. Don’t you think we should get another discount?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’ll give you another discount. I’ll give it to you right now.”
And with that he left.
Buddha and I just looked at each other and shrugged. Then we devoured the pizza.
A little later on that night the night clerk showed up with our receipt which included our discounts. All in all, an $85.00 room ended up costing us $65.00. Not bad.
We got up early the next morning and hit the road again right after breakfast. It was around Texarkana when the drugs started kicking in.
Next Stop: Galveston
New Harmony, Indiana is a great place for a weekend getaway. It is an easy two-hour drive from my home base of Louisville, Kentucky (135 miles).
Maureen and I set out about eleven am figuring to get there in time for lunch. Only made one wrong turn but, discovered my mistake quickly enough that it didn’t really result in any loss of time. Yes, I have GPS but I usually only consult it as a last resort. I like the challenge of finding places on my own after an initial consultation with the map. I seldom get lost but sometimes I am surprised by my destination. And Maureen was no help as she would be the first to admit she has no sense of direction and seemed to be proud of it.
So, there I was on my own with no navigator. Well, I always say, Id’ rather have a navigator than an alligator. But lucky for me, Maureen was neither of these things. She was a fine traveling companion and lover as well. I had prepared a mix tape to listen to on our drive and we sang up every song we both knew and were in New Harmony before we knew it.
New Harmony is a small town, a village really, with a population of 850, situated on a stretch of the Wabash River. It was originally settled by a communal German religious group known as the Harmonists in 1814 wo attempted to create a Utopia. This worked for a while and then their leader, George Rapp, took them back to Pennsylvania, where they originated, in 1824. They sold the land to a socialist visionary named Robert Owen who believed in workers’ rights, an eight-hour work day, and communal living. Owen believed in a secular utopian socialism. He rechristened the community New Harmony in 1825. The Owenite community failed in the late 1820s.
The third utopia can be attributed to Jane Blaffer Owen (1915-2010). During her time in New Harmony she brought modern architecture to the town, such as the Roofless Church, the Atheneum and many public art pieces. She created serenity with Tillich Park, Church Park and the Cathedral Labyrinth and has left behind a legacy all her own.
While this is not a true Utopia, New Harmony truly is a unique experience. The village is very aware of its history and has done a good job in retaining its historical character and charm, and maintaining a state of genuine peace and tranquility. It features, public art and architecture, gardens, shopping, fine dining, a wonderful inn, live music, museums, a brewery, coffee shops, nature places, and an abundance of history.
So, like I said, we arrived right at noon, with the time change, just in time for lunch. I parked my car in front of the Bread and Breakfast where we were staying (The AC Thomas House) and we walked into to town. The first place we went was jammed packed so we made our way across the street to Sara’s Place. It is a coffee shop on one side and a pub on the other. We got into the long line to place our food order to the overworked barista and finally made our order. I had a panni and Maureen had a grilled cheese sandwich which is her “go to” choice in such situations. We carried our food out of doors to the patio, that’s when I noticed the pub. Say, I said, would you like something to drink? Sure, I’ll have a Hendrick’s gin and tonic, she said. So, I marched back inside to place our drink orders only to discover they didn’t serve hard liquor, only beer and wine. So, I, ordered a Stella and beat feet out to Maureen to see if she wanted a wine. She declined. We had a pleasant lunch out there on the patio under the warmth of a golden sun. A few minutes later her friend shows up with his daughter in tow and we make our acquaintances and exchange pleasantries. We are going to meet up with him and his partner later on that evening at the Red Geranium for dinner. Until then we were on our own.
We walked around the town a bit and visited a couple of the unique shops along the way. Maureen bought something to wear for later on that night at dinner. We moseyed on back to the AC Thomas house to unload the car and get unpacked. Her friend was going to pick us up on his golf cart a little later and take us back to his house for drinks before dinner.
Dan and John own an art gallery in town with many pieces of lovey art. We would visit their store tomorrow. Meanwhile it was drinks at their stately mansion on Main. Then we all piled onto their golf cart for the short ride to the Red Geranium for dinner.
The Red Geranium is known for its fine dining and congenial atmosphere. We ate out on the terrace. Food was delicious and the company was solid. We had a lot of laughs as Maureen caught up with her friends. David and John were from Louisville and thy had just moved to New Harmony a few year ago to open their art gallery and to lead a more tranquil life with their daughter. They had started coming to the village as a weekend getaway and fell in love with the place and decided to move there permanently.
After dinner we walked around the town a bit more. It was surprising how different everything looked after dark. Things took on a more sinister aspect and even the religious art had a pagan look to it. When we got back to the B&B we were exhausted. We quickly disrobed and climbed between the sheets and fell to sleep listening to the strains the mixtape I had prepared which I was able to play on my cell phone. The last thing I remember was Toni Braxton singing Unbreak My Heart before drifting off to La La Land holding Maureen tightly in my arms.
Next morning, we were up bright and early as our hostess prepared our breakfast of coffee and quiche. It wasn’t bad but not as good as expected. Today we would explore the village a little more before heading back to Louisville. We walked out to the labyrinth and wandered around there for a while then we came back to town to visit John in the art gallery. Of course, I took copious amounts of pictures which I will now share with you, dear gentle reader.
Dinner at the Red Geranium
Natural Bridge State Resort Park is in Kentucky along the Middle Fork of the Red River, next to the Red River Gorge in the middle of the Daniel Boone National Forest. The Natural bridge is the centerpiece of the park.
I had occasion recently to hike the original trail from the Hemlock Lodge to the summit of the bridge. I made two ascents. One on the afternoon I arrived and one early the next morning. What a difference a day makes.
Here are some of the pictures I took:
Chapala, Jalisco is eleven kilometers (7 miles) from Ajijic, an easy taxi ride or bus trip. To take a taxi it was 50 pesos, to take the bus it was 10. I usually took whatever came first. But the bus rides could be quite an adventure. They were always crowded and some times if you got a local they got off into the neighborhoods and the traversed the narrow cobblestone streets.
Chapala is a pretty little town a little larger than Ajijic and is a bit nicer. A lot of of tourists come down to visit from Guadalajara which is about 50 KM away. It is nestled between the mountains on one side and Lake Chapala on the other.
The Fishermen of Chapala
On the Malecon
Parish of San Francisco
Parish of San Francisco Interior
The Fisherman of Chapala
I am the way and the light
Meat Market
The last full day I was in Ajijic I climbed this mountain
Jan. 4, 2020. Last full day in Ajijic. My plan was to tackle the mountain and climb up to the shrine. But first breakfast at Scallions with Buddha and the boys.
As I made my way up Calle J. Encarnacion Rosas on the way to the trail head I stopped at a little shop to pick up a liter of water. It was chilly that morning so I wore a jacket and a sweat shirt. But soon as the day wore on it got warmer and I had to peel some of those layers off. Of course I wore a hat to protect myself from the glare of the sun.
I found the trail head and headed up the mountain to the Shrine of La Crucita. On the way there are many smaller shrines bearing crosses which represent the 14 stations of the cross symbolizing Christ’s journey on the way to his crucifixion.
There it is. The trail head.
I had to sit and rest several times on the way up. Coming down was much faster but not any easier. I had to pick my way in order not to fall and there was a lot of stress on my knees and hips. And hips don’t lie!
I took a lot of pictures on the way up to the the shrine and once there there was quite a good view of the town and the lake from my vantage point.
Once I got back down off the mountain I stopped at Min Wah’s for lunch. I had the Moo Goo Gai Pan, hot and sour soup, and a Kirin beer. Very refreshing.
Once I got back to my place, I was one tired unit, but better off for the experience.
All photos by me.
Comments welcome:
Ghost Dog 