Chimirol

We survived our stay at the organic farm/’healing centre’ called Alegría!

To find our way through the jungle was already a challenge. After climbing the wrong mountain, two Ticos were so nice to give us a lift back down the valley in the back of their truck. Then we started climbing the right mountain: It was a steep way through fields of pineapple, banana and coffee trees. Our backs hurt because of the heavy backpacks on our sunburnt shoulders. Then it started raining and big drops were falling like million little explosions from the sky. But we managed to arrive safe and sound. 

We were a little confused when we reached the farm, because the owner Tru (also known by the name Agila the bird) seemed to have lost his tongue. When he invited us to his farm at the Airport (he was on the same flight to Costa Rica as us and when he saw the violin he proposed to jam together on his farm) he could speak very well and wasn’t mute at all.

But as we arrived, he seemed to communicate only by pantomime, which was quite bizarre. Later we found out that he never speaks during the weekends to not interrupt his spiritual state of mind (likely with the help of Ayahuasca).

 When we asked him, what we should eat, he imitated a goat and grabbed some leaves from a tree (which were surprisely good, they tasted like peas). Instead of toilet paper he used soft, violet leaves. Luckily, we brought our own toilet paper with us.

There were 3 people living there: Tru from North America (a nice guy with big visions but slightly too chaotic to implement them all), Tony, a calm and friendly Tico who was raised in the surroundings (he accompanied us most of the time of our stay, cooked with us and helped us to deepen our Spanish knowledge) and Sergio (a nice Costa Rican that was diagnosed with a brain tumour a year ago. He lived on the farm in the hope of healing due to the eating of plants & fruits, taking bathes in mud holes and breathing the healthy mountain air). 

The three guys were bizarre but very friendly and really unique.

The farm, that was created 10 years ago, was quite big and had running water and electricity. It comprised a main house with a kitchen and a ‘living room’, 4 cabinas, a small pool with very tiny fishes, and a lot of natural terraces with all kinds of fruits, plants and tomatoes. 

During our stay, we tried to clean the main house, fixed the roof of the main entrance and cleaned all the bedsheets and pillow covers. If the farm wouldn’t have been this neglected and not maintained, we would have stayed a whole week, but as we don’t like cockroaches, ants, rats and spiders (as big as the palm of a hand) we decided to leave already on Wednesday for Panama.

Ken (a passionate vegan from NYC) accompanied us to the organic farm. On this picture we are on the back of a driving truck.

We were glad that those nice Tico's came along with their 'animal carriage truck' so that we hadn´t have to walk all the way down.

The kitchen of the main house on the farm 'Alegría'.

They grew tomatoes in those colourful pots.

The nice wooden terrace with three banana bunches from the farm. Banana trees only produce once in their lifetime the delicious yellow fruits and then they die.

The pool during the mostly rainy afternoons.

Stella, Tony and Sergio while they were cooking 'yucca potato fritter'

Yummy, our first delicious meal on the farm after tasting different sorts of leaves.

Every living creature that doesn't belong in the living room must leave because we have to clean!

Those aren't the frogs that are used for the 'Kambo frog poison cleansing', but it looks very cute :)

Estelle makes for the first time in her life authentic Tortillas.

Jean-Marc contributes his part to the successful creation of a tasty South American meal

A born carpenter ;)

In between a coffee plantation on our way back to the 'civilisation' towards a healthy portion of recovery sleep.