Travel Virgins in Costa Rica

[Asher Kelman]

In front of the indoor central market, this strapping fellow hoisted heavy bags of flour on to his shoulder and delivered them to the vendors in side:

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I like the slow but powerful effort being made here. The rising flour dust against the black b.g. helps. I'd consider darkening and even blur the truck to make him stand out more

Did you get more of this.

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

A fantastic opportunity for me today, being I am a people photographer and far enjoy including humans and their personalities in my shots - to just shooting scenery or static subjects.

I was informed by one of the local merchants, that a school in the area would be having a Snakes of Costa Rica and the Americas - presentation today - - - and I was asked if I wanted to go for some photo opportunities. I accepted even though I had no idea whether there be any real opportunities for great animal pictures or not.

Well it turns out that the snake part was of minimal value to me, but the "kid opportunity" was of much value. Many of the small children were making comments (reported to me through an interpreter) about how they knew me from the bus. One young 6 or 7 year old student came up me and shook my hand firmly as he has done previously - at a bus stop a mile down the mountainside when he came biking up to me from his home - and one evening at a soccer game after I noticed a few young boys huddled up and looking at me and egging or daring the young fellow to approach me and shake my hand.

I love it - - - that is one of the interactions that I regret that I do not have the same freedom to enjoy in Canada and the US. I'm always concerned that parents will have a major problem with my approaching, talking to and taking a picture of their child. I have even been confronted by officials when my wife and I have taken our grandchildren to a local fair and I was in the distance using a telephoto lens for for a unique perspective of them on some of the rides. I totally dislike losing that freedom to practice my craft in a way that pleases me.

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BACK TO THE SCHOOL

This school has been the home of these children, their parents and grandparents and possibly several generations before that. It is an "old school" I was told. I stood back initially and watched as the "snake guy" educated this class about how to identify dangerous and non-dangerous snakes - and the value of them - - - - being they are being killed off for no reason other than that they are snakes and could be dangerous. So I stood back and grabbed a few setup shots:

1) Entry fee was c500 ($1)

Nikon D40 f3.5 @ 1/60'th 200ISO bounced flash

2) Instruction to one of the classes before entering the Snake Room

Olympus E-510 f6.3 @ 1/200'th 400ISO

3) Love this shot

Olympus E-510 f4 @1/160'th 800ISO

 

[Robert Watcher]

4) These boys were proud that they "knew me" - because they had seen me on the bus (I am becoming known as the man with the camera - as virtually noone has one in these parts)

Olympus E-510 f5 @ 1/125'th 400ISO

5) Inside it turned out that the room was dark and boxes holding the snakes were small and uninteresting from a photographic standpoint - but I had the kids

Olympus E-510 f3.1 @ 1/125'th 1600ISO

6) I have come to love the close focusing accuracy of my Olympus 12-60 f2.8/4 lens and so used it as best I could by holding it against the glass and focusing on the eye and skin of a few of the snakes - at least I had the snake shots for the record

Olympus E-510 f4 @ 1/50'th 1600ISO

 

[Robert Watcher]

7)

Nikon D40 f3.8 @ 1/60'th 200ISO bounced flash

8)

Olympus E-510 f4 @ 1/50'th 1600ISO

9)

Olympus E-510 f2.8 @ 1/30'th 1600ISO

 

[Robert Watcher]

10)

Olympus E-510 f3.0 @ 1/25'th 1600ISO

11) As we were leaving we came across this open door classroom - where I was invited to quickly take a picture

Nikon D40 f3.5 @ 1/60'th 200ISO

 

[Robert Watcher]

Dentistry is of a high quality in Costa Rica - - - and pretty inexpensive (for those who do not have dental plans such as self employed people like me). We had heard stories of how many Americans pay for their vacation to Costa Rica with the savings - - - some simply fly down just to get their teeth fixed.

Well I went in last week and had a filling done at this recommended dentist (they are on just about every corner of every town). The service was wonderful with a feeling of Old School care and sensitivity - and excellent results, even if I had to pay the same price as back home - - - but I didn't as the filling cost me c15,000 or roughly $30 USD. I will be having a Root Canal and Crown on one of my teeth next year when I come back - - - with the price being $195 USD for the complete service.

Anne went in for a cleaning and checkup today (c15,000 or $30). I asked if he minded that I take a few pictures and he obliged. An opportunity I don't know if I'd get back home, without a bit of paperwork:

Olympus E-510 f2.8 @ 1/30'th 400ISO

Olympus E-510 f3.5 @ 1/50'th 800ISO

Olympus E-510 f4 @ 1/60'th 800ISO

 

[Asher Kelman]

Your pictures always interest me. The price of thec root canal is amazing. Before you go I'd love to see your teeth Xrays and then follow with the new pictures! This is amazing!

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

MICHAEL'S HOME

This young entrepreneur that I have come to know, wanted to show me his house that he is preparing for himself and his future bride (getting married in a year or two when it is done-he said). It is on the family property in behind his mothers home and those homes of a few of his cousins.

I asked how long he had been working on it - and he stated that it had been a year. He doesn't have much money and so hires workers as he has some available. He was very excited about the potential and when asked about colors, he informed me that the outside would be yellow - but "not a bright yellow" - and the roof would be red.

I took a shot with one of the trademan working on the concrete walls (another was sawing on the roof) - and then asked Michael to lean against a ladder on the wall, and look out the window as the man worked in behind.

Nikon D40 f3.5 @ 1/200'th 200ISO

Olympus E-510 f5 @ 1/125'th 800ISO

Olympus E-510 f5.8 @ 1/100'th 400ISO

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[Robert Watcher]

Headed out to the North West part of the country by bus yesterday. The bus ride on the Auto Pista (Pan American highway) took 6 hours after we bused into San Jose early in the morning. Santa Cruz was a much different town than we expected with no tourists visible and a poorer road and bus structure than we are used to in the small towns where we are staying in the Central Valley Highlands. We were beat when we arrived and it was hot - so we looked for a place to stay for the might, first off. It was difficult finding hotels and so we pulled out our list of 3 places to stay that are included in an online bus schedule that we purchased. Unfortunately the recommendtaions were based on a fellow who is traveling single - and on the cheap.

We decided on a Hostel from his list - which ended up being a rather unnerving and different experience for Anne and I. Yes it was cheap at c3500 or $7 per person - - -but the room was more like a small prison cell with 2 small bunks (clean sheets though) and dirty walls, as well as the sink and bathroom being outdoors in a nearby building necessitating Anne to wake me up at 1:00 in the morning to follow her to the bathroom. At least we have experienced it - however I doubt that staying in one again will be a conscious choice that we would make in the future, regardless of how cheap it is.

Shortly after escorting Anne to the washroom, I took this setup shot of our sleeping conditions - using the cameras self timer:

This was the yard outside our door with the families outdoor kitchen still lit:

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This was a crazy sight. A bus pulled in to the station and out of the cargo area were unloaded this persons travel gear - including an engine, tank of gas and battery. I took the shot of this while the owner called someone who showed up shortly after with a small pickup truck and a young fellow to lift everything into the truck:

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[Robert Watcher]

Pottery in the traditional of their ancestors

Heading out a long tree covered road into the rural areas of the Guanacaste/Nicoya region of Costa Rica, lies the village of Guaitil (pronounced "way - teal") where artisans carry on the craft of producing their ceramic pottery by hand using the same traditions, tools and materials that have been passed down from generation to generation for 500 years.

Clays and colours are collected from the ground about 4KM from the town. While we were not able to see the firing of the pottery, Elma and Jennifer did create a small dish from start to finish so that we could see the process:

The pottery is spun by one hand while the other hand molds and shapes - many times using the vertical pole as a guide for measurement and accuracy

One of the essential tools is a corn cob for gouging out the excess clay and forming the shape

 

[Robert Watcher]

Unlike the way that we normally see a potter stretch the clay up to extend the shape and thin it out - this method uses sections of a rolled string of clay added to the top at regular intervals, that is then melded in using wet fingers.

 

[Robert Watcher]

From start to finish was about 1/2 an hour

The surface is painted with different colours of pulverized local rock and then etched by hand using simple tools - to reveal the colour underneath and create a pattern

Anne looking at a selection available from this artisan

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If you would like to see their work and some of the history and process, Elma Grijalba Grijalba who is the artisan who owns this store, does have a website:

http://tinajistasguaitil.110mb.com/


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[Asher Kelman]

Rob,

We appreciate learning so much by your travel photography!

I'm so impressed! I'll copy a few images to our thread on skilled workmen. could you tell them that it would be helpful for them to have a number or letter by each of the items in their gallery so they can be referred to and to add a price list!

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

Thank you for the nice comment Asher. It makes the effort worthwhile and gives Anne and I the incentive to keep posting our images and stories for the enjoyment of others.

I'm not really sure what you are referring to with the "Skilled Workman" part of your reply however.

 

[Robert Watcher]

Favourite Bus Driver

While he speaks no English, this bus driver has looked out for us since our first days visiting Alajuela. He guided us to the proper bus depot so that we could get home and when he has seen us around the country side, he has made sure the other bus drivers pick us up so that we can get to our destination. We only run into him a few times a week out the many times each day that we travel on the bus - - - but I wanted a shot of him before we leave next week, and so asked today if I could take his picture, even though he only had seconds to do so before heading off. I gestured for him to place his arm on the window. He gave me his most serious look for the first quick 3 shots in succession - and then I looked out at him from the bottom of my camera and gave him a funny look (same trick I always use to get a smile or laugh), and I got this shot that exemplifies his personality.

Everywhere we go, there are men walking around with large and sometimes heavy loads balanced on their shoulders. They seem comfortable doing so - in order to get their goods to the destination.

Some of the best ice cream we have ever experienced is in just about every venue in Costa Rica. Even their standard ice cream bars are of the caliber if a Hagendas or Ben and Jerrys - they never disappoint. Here we wanted to cool off with a cona in San Jose today - and so paid c600 ($1.20) for 2 scrumptious vanilla cones.

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[Robert Watcher]

CAMERA AT THE HIP (Olympus E-510 w/12-60)

 

[Robert Watcher]

San Jose central market. All shots Olympus E-510 w/12-60 lens at 1600ISO

Seller of Banana Palm Leaves - I asked if I could take a foto - he agreed and just carried on business as usual as I squatted low to the ground for a better angle

This fellow after finding out I was from Canada, raised his hands and shouted "viva canada"

Lots of imported leather products - probably from China

 

[Robert Watcher]

Not quite as appealing a view of the San Jose Central Market - from Avenida 1. An old traditional crowded and bustling indoor business center for the city:

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[Robert Watcher]

CHARACTER & CULTURE

 

[Asher Kelman]

CHARACTER & CULTURE

Very different from the 405 freeway in California!

He's not thinking of what will happen in the office or the price of gas or whether or not the guy behind him is too close or if there's a Highway Patrol car sneaking up behind ready to pounce!

So what's he thinking about?

Asher

 

[Robert Watcher]

Well I didn't manage to snag a wedding during my stay in Costa Rica (didn't really have time to pursue it anyway) - - - but I did manage to shoot one of my "Love Story Sessions" for a young couple on Thursday evening.

Maikol who owns a local supermarket with his mother, speaks a little English and has come to know me as a result of our almost daily visits to his store to pick up a few essentials. He also became aware of our www.asifweknow.com "Travel Virgins" project shortly after we arrived in February, and has been following it all along.

When I was in his store a week or so ago, he mentioned that he went to another website through a link on our journal (it was my main www.robertwatcher.com website) and really liked some of the black and white pictures of couples. I got thinking of how much fun it would be to shoot a love story session while here (even though I have limited equipment and only access to Lightroom (so can't do all of my normal cleaning up, manipulations and artistis work), and so asked if he would like some pictures like that of he and his girlfriend (they will be marrying once he has enough money to finish building his house) - - - he readily agreed.

Here is a small selection of the final 42 images that I provided them:

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[Robert Watcher]

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[Robert Watcher]

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[Robert Watcher]

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[Robert Watcher]

I was asked to take a couple shots of this Tico father with his daughter:

 

[Robert Watcher]

A Costa Rican girl with her little pup (puppy love)

Hot Tamales

We were asked in to a Tico home and provided with freshly made Tamales (corn dough and beans wrapped in banana leaves) - along with Empanadas stuffed with the Chiverre fruit.

Tons of active and elusive hummingbirds up in the mountains. We were about 5000 feet up the Poas Mountain (9000 feet) this weekend and while I tried to get a decent shots of these darting 4 inch wonders by following by hand and using 1/1250 sec shutter speeds with a totally inadequate 450mm equiv lens - - - this is the only shot I got of the Rufous-Tailed Hummingbird after trying for several hours.

 

[Robert Watcher]

THE JEWELRY STORE

Early on in our adventure, I came across a little jewelry store in downtown Alajuela - noticing a pair of delicate "3 gold" earings in the shape of small butterflies, I decided to purchase them and surprise Anne with a little gift (which she loved and expressed her love to me nicely :wink:wink).

This morning after our dentist visit in Atenas, I phoned my mother and father. Mom asked if I could check around for 2 items that she had lost somehow. One was her engagement ring (from 52 years ago) and the other was a self winding watch that she loved (no batteries and no winding). I told her we would look into it this afternoon when we headed in to the city.

It ended up that our friendly jeweler had 2 "automatic" womens watches in stock - but not a ring as mom has described. I was heading out the door to go home and give mom the descriptions of the watches to see if they suited, when I got the idea that I should take a picture and email the pictures. Much smarter idea.

I asked the lady if she would allow me to do so. She agreed. When I showed her the image on the back of the camera, she said "wow - what a camera". Anne told her that I was a professional photographer and a bit about our Costa Rica project. She got excited and asked if I would take a picture of her mother and her with my "professional camera ". Of course I agreed.

Lighting was quite low with exposures being 1/15'th sec to 1/50'th of a second. She asked if I wanted them behind the counter or in front. I said that it might be nice having them in front - they obliged and came out from behind with their family dog. I took a shot with the dog first and then of the 2 alone. Then the hired watch maker came out from behind the store and so I also took a shot of him behind the counter.

 

[Robert Watcher]

The mother began to relax when I was done and I saw more beautiful smiles coming from her - - - so I turned the camera just on her while she talked (in spanish) for a couple of closeups. I did the same with the daughter. It was tough getting natural expressions without movement being that the exposure times for these 2 portraits were 1/15'th of a second at 800ISO.

I have also tacked on one of the shots I took of the watch - to send to my mother for her approval. It turned out to be a far better idea than trying to describe by words.

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NOTHING LIKE HAVING PEOPLE ASK YOU TO TAKE THEIR PICTURE - - - it's something that I'm just not used to at home.

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[Ron Morse]

Hi Robert, I have found your posts most interesting.
My cousin moved to Costa Rico several years ago.. He has since moved to Honduras (spelling). He told me last summer that Costa Rico was getting to many tourists for him.
Having been to Central and South America several times I found the people to be very friendly and anxious to help you in any way that they can ( except for a few areas in Bolivia and Brazil, not areas a tourist would normally go). Keep up the good work.

 

[Steve Robinson]

Thanks for sharing your travel images. I got so enthralled with them I went to Delta's site and looked up the price of a ticket to SJO