Folinazzo

Date: January 22, 2008
Geographically speaking, Costa Rica is a small country. But within its boundaries are myriad activities and fascinating sights. When beginning to plan our ten-day trip, we had some difficulty narrowing down which parts of the country we wanted to see the most. Traveling to Puerto Jimenez was a given, though, once Mark learned that we could go panning for gold there. It’s something he has always wanted to do. There are a few tour operators in town that offer gold panning tours. We booked ours with Osa Discoveries. The cost usually is $45 per person and that includes a guide and transportation. Since we had our own vehicle, our cost was $35 per person. We just had to pick up our guide and drive to the site on our own. Besides the discounted price, another advantage of doing it this way is that we had the guide all to ourselves.

Our guide for this trip was Wilbur, a young Costa Rican who is also on the Puerto Jimenez soccer team (we caught one of their games last Sunday morning). We picked him up at the Osa Discoveries office at 8:00 and away we went. We drove to the town of Dos Brazos, through which runs a branch of Rio Tigre, the site of our gold panning adventure. Mark and I were under the impression that it would be just the two of us and Wilbur panning out on the river. But Osa Discoveries has a professional relationship with a local, real-life gold digger named Luis. The tour started at Luis’ home where we got to see how the gold digging tools are made. The four of us – Mark, Wilbur, Luis and I – then walked up the road a bit and hiked up the river for about twenty minutes to a spot where Luis had other supplies hidden away in the dense forest. Luis does not speak English so we just had to watch and learn. Wilbur acted as the color commentator, explaining how and why certain things are done, certain techniques implemented. It wasn’t long before Mark and I were knee-deep in the running river, sifting through rocks and dirt for the elusive specks of gold. There is also a lot of digging and shoveling that has to be done and it is not easy work. Mark has never been afraid of hard work so he jumped right in. Luis was impressed by Mark’s strength and stamina, so much so that he called him “El Tractor” (The Tractor). We all got a chuckle out of that and I added it to the list of Mark’s nicknames, right after MacGyver and Caballero.

The actual amount of time spent out on the river was approximately 2 ½ hours and Mark was rewarded with about $16 worth of gold (they weighed it for us in the office when we returned). We also learned a great deal about the history of the gold mining business in the area. It was all very interesting and we had a fabulous time. Wilbur is a great guide and we like how a local, Luis, is able to make a direct profit from the tours. This gold panning tour and Osa Discoveries are recommended. Even if you don’t find any gold, it’s still a blast.

Posted by Francesca

Date: January 21, 2008
I’d read in two different guidebooks about Finca Köbö, an organic farm near Puerto Jimenez. (Finca means plantation; Köbö is the name of this plantation.) It is a privately-owned farm that offers accommodations, dining, and tours. One of the tours is a chocolate tour, as cacao is one of the crops at the farm and the owners make their own chocolate. Mark and I signed up for an afternoon chocolate tour on Monday after our hike at Matapalo.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the tour and after having such a negative experience with Escondido Trex, I, admittedly, was a bit hesitant. The drive to Finca Köbö from Puerto Jimenez is between thirty and forty minutes. We pulled up in the drive and were greeted by our guide, Giovanni. We were led to a covered pavilion in which stretched long, wooden tables surrounded by wooden chairs. Giovanni advised that there were two others who would be joining us on the tour. We were offered glasses of cold water as we waited.

When the others arrived, Giovanni launched into a detailed description of what we could expect during our time at Finca Köbö. The tour started with a walk around the farm to see and learn about all that is grown there, not just cacao. Giovanni allowed us to smell, touch, and taste just about everything. Some items were familiar; many were not. We then were guided through secondary and primary rainforest areas. Giovanni explained everything in extraordinary detail. He is actually a herpetologist but his passion for nature and everything it entails is obvious. We asked as many questions as we could come up with and Giovanni patiently answered all of them. He and Mark even ate some live termites from a termite nest growing on a tree. Apparently the termites taste like cilantro. I wouldn’t know; I chose not to partake. The last part of the tour focused primarily on the cacao fruit, and the history and process of making chocolate. The story behind one of my four major good groups (that would be chocolate) is fascinating! Giovanni then cut open a cacao fruit and I was surprised at what we saw and tasted. The inside of the fruit is a milky white color. It is separated in pieces that look like garlic cloves but just a little bigger and slimier. Giovanni explained that people in ancient times would suck on the pieces from the cacao plant because they are so sweet, and then spit them out. You don’t want to chew the seed or bite down on it because it is so bitter on the inside. We were allowed to taste for ourselves. It is so good! It tastes somewhat like mango and it is addicting. Giovanni then showed us the steps in the chocolate-making process. First, the seeds are fermented; then dried, roasted, and ground before being formed into chunks of chocolate. It was all so fascinating. The tour ended with a spread back in the covered pavilion. We were treated to a variety of fresh fruits; homemade banana bread by Giovanni; and a bowl of the farm’s very own organic chocolate spread. Seriously, we all thought we’d died and gone to heaven. Mark even ate bananas!!

Mark and I cannot say enough good things about Finca Köbö and about Giovanni. We had such an awesome time; so did Giovanni. He told us before we left that he seriously was not looking forward to having a tour that afternoon; we understood because we know what it’s like to not feel like going into work some days. He said he’s glad it was he who was our tour guide because he had such a good time with us. It was just a pleasant afternoon. We were never rushed, we were able to walk leisurely through the farm, and we got to eat a lot of yummy stuff. Of course we left with plenty of chocolate and cacao beans to take home for ourselves. It is worth a return trip to Costa Rica just to visit Finca Köbö to get some more of their chocolate. A visit here is highly recommended.

Posted by Francesca

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