Author: Sue Barnard

This may have been our final day, but there was no let up in cognitive stimulation. During the 1989 Revolution our hotel had been a flashpoint. The world’s media was based within the building and crowds massed outside to draw attention. Our guide, as a young person, was at the scene. Many were killed or injured, including journalists. Today, what remains close to the hotel are a few small memorials that many visitors will pass by unaware of their significance.

We walked on to the Bucharest Municipal Museum nearby. Its focus is the history of this capital, but unlike other museums its first display boards ask the visitor to consider the concept of time, what one has chosen to do with that time and what impact that has on the person’s life. Its exhibits then take viewers on a journey starting with the present and heading further and further into the past, while enabling them to return to the present at any time. This aspect was profound. Many may have missed the display board and its meaning completely. However, they will not have missed the well-presented history of Bucharest, its Communist era, its timeline to the 1400s and display boards going back to pre-historic times. It was a small museum, but much effort had been taken to provide detailed explanations in English.

Our next destination, as part of the group, proved to be the grand finale. This was the Palace of Parliament, the pinnacle of Ceausescu’s Communist vision. The Leader bulldozed a sixth of Bucharest to make space for this colossal building which is identical on each of its four sides. An estimated 2,000 homes, plus churches and other historic buildings, were demolished to make way for the grand project. That took four years. A further five years were needed to build it using only Romanian labour working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and only Romanian materials. It is said that 5 million citizens had some involvement in its creation and is thereby considered a lasting monument to the people of the country. Today it houses the country’s parliament and associated departments, although rooms are available to hire.

We visited the Senate chamber, conference rooms and walked part of the passageways. What hits the visitor upon entry is the size of the interior, including the sweeping stairs in the entrance hall. Everything is on a grand scale.

Our guide confirmed just how many rooms there are, 1294. I had read estimates between 1100 and 3000 so was pleased to get some accuracy. All rooms were palatial and of different styles. The running costs are enormous – a month’s utility bill alone costs €1 million.

This was a perfect visit to end our time in Romania.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

So, we have spent time in the monasteries, in the churches, and up the towers (goodness knows how many steps we have climbed). Now we had the opportunity to develop our creative appreciation with time spent on the visual arts.

We have been overnight in Sibiu, a lively 12th century Saxon city. A trip out today took us to Sibiel (the names are so often sounding the same) and the Glass Icon Museum containing around 600 Orthodox Christian artworks of the 18th and 19th centuries. These were not created by highly experienced artists of the time, but by Romanian peasants painters in a variety of art schools across the country. The styles differ by region, some having a predominance of a particular colour or soft tone, for example. The styles have been described as ‘naive’. The artwork had to be created on the rear of the glass, thus a mirror image had to be painted. This led to some interesting end results, particularly with lettering.

Our evening time spent in Sibiu coincided with a 10 day festival of arts. During our visits we were entertained by exciting and creative circus artists parading along the town’s streets, some on bouncing stilts dressed in bright red costumes and pulling strange faces at the onlookers. Other acts included musicians clowning around; and the sound of bagpipes drew us down a small street to find an orchestra with each performer doing his own thing. This led to a cacophony of sound as they geared up for their evening performance.

But we could not leave the region without getting a close up of the creativity of wildlife, and in this case the storks which nest in Romania each year, and particularly around a town named Cristian. A metal frame is fitted on the top of the telegraph poles across the country in order to support the nests. This helps prevent the birds settling on chimneys, although this does happen. Many nests contain the parents and two or three offspring. Our timing cannot have been much before they started to fledge for their journey to South Africa.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

We left monasteries in favour of churches as we wended our way back gradually from north Romania south towards Bucharest, which we will reach on Saturday. Our journey took us via some beautiful valleys in Transylvania, rather reminiscent of Austria with its peaks and chocolate box houses.

Every town we passed through, it seemed, was so nicely decorated with planting, particularly bedding plants, roses and trees clipped as standards. Upon enquiring, the town halls take it upon themselves to make their villages horticulturally pretty. Unlike the capital, very little graffiti is seen in these smaller communities.

The order of the day, particularly on Thursday, involved towers and fortified churches. We had never seen so many towers and that meant, wherever possible, we really wanted to climb for the best view over the towns. At this stage of the trip (my!) legs are beginning to feel the strain of yet more steps. Just one trip to reach a church involved 200 steps even before we got to its tower!

The town in which we stayed overnight on day five, Sighisoara, was architecturally beautiful. Sighisoara has buildings dating back to the 14th century. Its medieval citadel contains 9 towers dedicated to various trades including the ironsmiths, bootmakers, tailors, butchers and rope makers. Our first climb was up the 60 metre tall clock tower (also a museum) to see the workings of the little metal characters who chime the bells every 15 minutes. Six floors up I realised that I would not need my Pilates session this week.

This is also the town in which Vlad the Impaler (better known as Vlad III Dracula) was allegedly born. His birthplace is now a restaurant and, of course, it is customary to eat at this establishment. We could not resist the blood sausage and rare steaks!

After a morning tour of Sighisoara, we left for Sibiu and visited a fortified Saxon church at Biertan en route.

There are many of these Saxon fortified churches in this area of Transylvania and the church we visited was a UNESCO World heritage site. While larger towns under threat of invasion may have fortifications around their outskirts, smaller communities created fortifications around the church, incorporating defensive towers.

After the visit at Biertan we hit the road again to Sibiu where we had a tour of the old town that evening before a traditional Romanian dinner.

Tomorrow we visit Corvin castle and the rural Transylvania village of Sibiel.

How I would have liked to have studied under the guidance of Vasile Oltean.

We were off to visit Romania’s very first school and were lucky enough that this gentleman was in residence during our overnight stay in Brasov. Priest Oltean has been the director of the St Nicolas’ Cathedral Museum for many years and was making it his life’s work to research some 6,000 books and 30,000 documents found by chance when vital renovation works were carried out upon the cathedral’s bell tower. During the Communist regime thousand of books had been destroyed, but these rare gems had been plastered within the interior walls of the bell tower to help ensure their safekeeping.

Oltean, having us all sit behind school desks and waving a stick to ensure our attention revealed some of the history of the church and school.

He had such a jovial air that we all were happy to pay attention, and he really did make learning fun. During his long tenure he has published his interpretation of some of these texts dating back to the 11th century, and his work is ongoing. He pulled out a bag of dusty old books to reveal ‘This is my reading for today!’. His latest work was some 800 pages in length. Thankfully this was not in English, for I am sure his charming nature would have had some of us purchasing the heavyweight for our flight back. Surprisingly, he slipped into marketing mode with as much ease and charm, offering us a potted history of the school for a very reasonable sum of 5 Lei (£1).

We were then on an 11 hour journey north-east to Radauti. Whilst the coach journey was long it did give us a flavour of the landscape and villages. Our flight into Romania last Friday had provided a view of wide landscapes patterned with coloured strips of land. During our drive today these strips revealed the extent of Romania’s agricultural land – the Transylvania region in particular growing potatoes and corn. However, tastes were changing. Our guide revealed how, as a young boy, a home always had a supply of homegrown and pickled cabbage to last through the winter. That was no longer common. In fact, the country now sees increasing imports of vegetables from overseas.

Other foreign companies are also seeing potential in Romania, including car manufactures such as Ford and Renault, which has led to offshoots in the form of automotive parts producers. Multi-national beer and water firms have also moved in, the country having good industries in both categories,

But while not catching up on the country’s history during our lengthy, but pleasant, coach ride, we were able to hop off to see the Bicas Gorge, some 300 metres deep, and the Neamt Monastery founded in the 14th century.

The interior is covered throughout by original iconography, and its rare historical content is extended to its museum containing thousands of books. The site also includes a theological school and a more recently built church adorned with religious facades.

Tomorrow brings with it more monasteries as we overnight in Radauti.

Copyright: words and photos Sue Barnard 2019

We left the capital today and headed north through the flat plains of Wallachia and on towards the Bucegi mountains and some of Romania’s ski resorts. Although very popular, their shorter slopes are more attractive to the locals rather than overseas visitors who tend to opt for the longer runs in France.

On our visiting list today were four important buildings. The first was Peles Castle, more an imposing house than a style of castle we are familiar with.

It was the residence of King Carol I, Romania’s first and longest serving of the country’s four monarchs. Many of the grand buildings here have a far shorter history than those of the UK. This residence was built in German Renaissance style from 1875 and no expense was spared. It is considered to be the first European castle to have electricity. It had its own power plant, central heating and even a central vacuum system. It has turrets and spires but a very dark, albeit an incredibly ornate, interior. There are masses of breathtaking intricately-carved adornments comprising an estimated 25 species of wood. Beautiful hand-painted stained glass windows adorn many of the rooms, and decorative frescoes in the theatre (our equivalent of a media room today) were designed by Austrian artists Gustav Klimt and Frank Matsch. An armoury has more than 500 pieces including a full horse armour weighing 60kg and thought to be the only complete set in the world. Unfortunately in several of these houses photography is not allowed, so we are unable to illustrate many of the fine pieces.

Within the same grounds is Pelisor Palace.

This was also built by King Carol I, but for his nephew and heir to the throne, Ferdinand and his wife Maria, granddaughter of our Queen Victoria. It is said that Maria did not like the dark style of Peles Castle and had Pelisor decorated in art nouveau style in the much lighter pastel colours.

We then headed to Bran Castle, an intriguing building with lots of little passageways.

The original furniture does not remain, but there are many ornately decorated fireplaces.

Bran Castle is incorrectly thought to have been the home of Vlad Tepes, the 15th century Wallachian prince (known as Vlad the Impaler due to the cruel ways he despatched his enemies) whom the novelist Bram Stoker (not to be confused with Bran here mentioned) immortalised in his novel about Count Dracula in 1897. Despite that, there is quite a lot of reference made to Dracula at the castle.

Our final stop of our 11 hour journey was Brasov which is one of four towns colonised by the Saxons from Germany in the 12th century.

We visited the Black Church in Brasov that was originally built in 1383. It is considered one of the most beautiful Gothic monuments in the country. Although not black, it was named after the building caught fire in 1689. Only the walls, font and treasury survived and much rebuilding has since taken place. The dimensions were intended to be monumental and this is clear once entering the interior. Its roof stands 65 metres tall and its main organ (one of five) is claimed to be the biggest mechanical organ in the country. Recitals are carried out each Tuesday. It was originally intended to be a Catholic Church but today is considered to be one of the most important Lutheran places of worship in the region.

Tomorrow we head for more religious sites on our way to Radauti in the north-eastern area of Romania.

Copyright: words and photos, Sue Barnard 2019

From Budapest to Bucharest

Having left our last holiday destination of Budapest, Hungary, we are now on our way to Bucharest, in Romania. Sadly, I cannot find any quirky links between the two, apart from their similar sounding names, but wonder how many people have confused them when booking flights to these cities.

In preparation for our next trip I started to consider what I knew about Romania. Just three things came to mind: the rule of Ceaușescu, Romanian gypsies, and the terrible images broadcast from orphanages in the 1990s which led to appeals for help from families internationally. One young business contact I knew at that time was so taken by the TV appeal to UK viewers that she picked up the phone immediately and offered to provide a supportive home for two Romanian orphans – single handedly. Such was the emotive message.

But what is the wider view? Writing this blog urged me to delve more deeply into the country than just the sites we are scheduled to visit and it was not long before I found rather more points of interest than I had been left with from earlier media reports.

The country today has a lot to be proud of. It has four Nobel laureate prize winners: George Emil Palade for his investigation into cell biology; Elie Wiesel for his work in the peace movement following he and his family’s internment in Auschwitz; Herta Müller for literature, and Stefan Walter Hell for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy. All four have incredible stories worth researching in their own right.

Romania has medieval towns, many UNESCO sites – including its own version of the Arc de Triumphant – painted monasteries and fortified churches. Some of these we will be visiting.

Its capital, Bucharest, has recognition from the Guinness World Records. The city’s Palace of the Parliament is believed to be the heaviest building in the world with huge amounts of steel, bronze, marble and crystal used in the creation of the site’s 1,110 rooms and – in addition to its multi-levels above ground – 8 floors underground.

Jeremy Clarkson considers Romania has the world’s best driving road, the Transfagarasan highway, with an array of tunnels, viaducts, bridges and hairpin bends. It will be interesting to see if our coach driver will take us in that direction.

The country has Europe’s largest mammal, the European bison, and the largest number of European brown bears. Let’s hope we see them before they see us.

Happy for some, a study of 195 countries spanning 26 years concluded that Romanian men are the heaviest drinkers of alcohol, consuming more than 8 drinks a day. It is clearly not a good idea to get into a drinking competition with the locals.

Bucharest has one of the prettiest bookshops, Cărturești Carusel. We hope to get a view inside to see if it lives up to its accolade, although the mention of bookshops takes us back to Kathmandu in Nepal which has the largest number of secondhand bookshops we have ever seen. It must be for all those Everest-climbing wannabes awaiting the ideal climbing conditions to visit this awe-inspiring mountain.

How strange it is that Romania has so many aspects of interest, but all we have learned about via the media over the years is the rule of Ceaușescu until 1989, orphanages and travelling families. It will be good to learn more and put some of these things into perspective… but don’t expect me to explain the workings of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy!

Copyright: Sue Barnard 2019

Still not quite having got over our wine tour yesterday, we were off this morning for a culinary trip. Our guide Andrea from Taste Hungary had a four-hour eating session planned for us, and there was no time to lose. It was going to be action-packed.

We started at the Central Market, one of five markets in Budapest, but the most popular with locals and tourists. Agriculture is the number one industry in Hungary and markets remain the place to purchase fresh produce, although we had noticed that Tesco has some superstores around the capital.

For the Hungarians seasonality is key, and nothing is wasted. Any excess is preserved, and this is evidenced by the wide range of bottled pickled vegetables on display, which are eaten particularly during the winter. Excess fruits are used in alcoholic drinks, and nothing goes to waste in the meat section either. Slabs of smoked lard, and goose fat could be seen at every butcher’s stall in the market, alongside pigs’ trotters, tripe, and chicken heads, legs and feet. Meat had very little fat because, we were told, the cattle were hardy and tough. Consequently, their meat needed to be slow cooked for tenderness.

The market was also popular for eating. Stalls displayed made-up dishes for inquisitive tourists, as shown below.

Our first taster was larded bread with raw sweet red onion topping – a rather comforting snack which brought back some childhood memories. Lard, and tripe, have rather gone out of fashion in the UK today. Then came Langosh – a circular dough rather like a light unsweetened doughnut, topped with a thin layer of sour cream and mild grated cheese. A whole one (costing around a dollar) could last the consumer all day.

I was looking forward to our move onwards to the strudel stall. There were so many varieties on offer – not just the usual apple and cinnamon, but savoury options containing cabbage (tastier than expected), curd cheese, or potato. My favourite was sour cherry.

Heading to the delicatessen stalls we were introduced to six varieties of dried sausage, ranging from the mild smoked pork, through to hot and spicy horse (didn’t see that one coming), and pork with paprika with its heat slowly hitting the throat upon chewing. Smoked beef tongue, surprisingly, felt like we were actually eating a tongue (fatty and tender). Also a surprise was seeing photos of woolley pigs (mangalica). They look like pigs but have a coat similar to a sheep.

Some stallholders had taken great care with their displays as shown below.

All that sampling and chatting called for a hearty lunch, of course, and this was taken at a small restaurant away from the market and popular with the workers. The tradition here at Bel Varosi Disznotoros was to eat standing up. No seats are provided. We tried goulash and pheasant soups (a thin stock with meat and vegetables), followed by grilled cheese, black sausage, duck confit, deep fried courgette, and a wide variety of salads.

But we were not done. We then moved on to coffee shops which were very popular in the 1800s but were banned in the more recent Communist era. Since 2000 they have made a comeback and several are ornate with their Art Deco interiors. Our visit was to Central where we indulged in eszterhazy, a vanilla and walnut thinly layered sponge cake. A cake visit must, of course, include chocolate and we all managed to squeeze in another slice, namely dobos.

We were never far away from alcohol, however, and to complete our tour we headed to a wine sampling at Tasting Table where we enjoyed three wines from different parts of the country, including a rather nice sweet white named Szamorodni from Tokaj, produced in the north east of the country.

The culinary tour proved enlightening, giving an insight not only about the food, but life in Hungary in general. Our trip was made even more pleasing by our knowledgeable guide Andrea, and our fellow travellers for the day – a family of grandparents, parents and children from the United States. Thanks guys!

Copyright text and photos 2019: Sue Barnard

First day in Budapest and we were left in the dark. Quite literally. Something that caught my attention when researching places to visit was The Invisible Museum. The venue describes its offering as a ‘unique interactive journey to an invisible world, where in total darkness you find your way only by touch, sounds and scent’. This is a museum like no other. It provides visitors with an experience of what it is like to be totally blind, and is led by guides who are blind or partially sighted. We thought this was something not to be missed.

Even before we entered the museum we became aware of just a few of the difficulties. We saw a blind woman with white stick tapping her way along the path. What would be a convenient waste bin to us, proved an obstacle for her as it was in her line of direction and she hit it with a painful bump. Then there were the steps into the venue, one abnormally high, others of metal more familiar to a construction site, and all within an obscure passageway.

Once inside we were welcomed by our guide Tomaz, who spent time telling us how Braille worked, before teaching us how to type our names in Braille on a small typewriter which only had six keys, but required us to press three at a time to make one character. Just as well we were not called Englebert Humperdinck or we would have been there all day! We also found out that it takes four pages of Braille to produce just one page of text.

The Braille alphabet

Then, not knowing what to expect, we followed our guide through a door and he promptly left us. That was a little uncomfortable as it was impossible to get our bearings in unfamiliar surroundings and total darkness. However, Tomaz soon returned, and with some Mongolian ladies who were joining our party. We realised how difficult it was to acknowledge the newcomers without any of the visual clues we were used to.

Tomaz then described how we were in an apartment. Initially in the hall, and that we were to keep our hand on the left. He also told us of the size of the rooms we would be visiting. This information would have been superfluous in the sighted world, but as we got into our journey we realised how valuable the information was. We inched ahead cautiously feeling with our hands. Was that a telephone I could feel on the wall, ah and a door handle? Our guide said yes go through that door. I felt as if I as intruding in someone else’s property. Then it became apparent about the size of that room. It was quite small and we started bumping into each other. Grappling on we stumbled against an object. Touch revealed it as a sofa, then higher up we felt a picture frame, but could not tell if it was a mirror or a Monet (behind glass). Then we all moved into the bathroom, finding the sink, toilet and shower cubicle. I felt as if I was getting used to this new experience. These objects were just what I expected. But on to the next room and that was not so. It was a larger room with sculptures everywhere. I felt a bald-headed statue, not realising it was a Buddha until someone else pointed it out. Then I head-butted a sculpture of David. Much more unsettling was our simulated outdoors experience, walking down kerb edges and bobbled pavements, and across roads, all with heavy traffic noises surrounding us. That was not easy on one’s own, let alone in a group of six. Crowded streets would bring their own problems.

Then we hit the fruit and veg market. Identifying pineapples by hand was not too difficult, but was that a lemon or a lime I was smelling? Tomaz explained how he would often frequent the same retailers as they were familiar with his requirements, but that it was also important for him to adventure further afield so that he would not restrict his own life experiences. It was this that encourage him to prepare his own meals. He felt that retailers were always fair in their financial dealings with him, but life for the blind had not been made easy with all bank notes until recently being the same size, without touch indicators to differentiate the values.

Finally, we were quite relieved to be taken into a ‘bar’ where we enjoyed a snack and drink. But here we had to focus on what our guide was saying while background music was playing. This was something we would not have noticed before. Pouring the drink was also an experience as we were unsure just how full the glass was getting. Touch and weight were the telltale signs.

Tomaz was blind from birth, having been born prematurely and he told us how one can tell if someone had sight and lost it, or never had sight at all. Those that initially had sight showed similar facial characteristics to sighted people learned through visual interaction, but those who had not had none of these references.

This was a brilliant and unusual experience for the sighted. We found there was a need to be patient, take things slowly, and be attentive. It put life into perspective.

As we head towards our next trip it has been fitting to read the latest statistics from the World Happiness Report revealed today, and just 24 hours after the International Day of Happiness.

 We had travelled to Costa Rica with the knowledge that the country had been voted top for ‘happiness’ three times in the last decade – in 2009, 2012 and 2016.

 Our trip there certainly made us happy. It was wonderful, made especially so by our tour guide Ed and his enthusiasm for taking visitors around his country; the flora and fauna; and the different climatic zones. One can travel through the wet, cool, mountainous highlands, via the mid ranges that are dryer and warmer, and then experience the extreme heat of the lowlands all in one day.

 There was so much in Costa Rica that I had not expected. I knew that wildlife and plant species were abundant, but the nature reserves and the efforts people were putting into the ecosystem in some areas was impressive and encouraging.

Views in the Puntarenas region

So what of my first blog on the country and the happiness aspect? If guide Ed was anything to go by, citizens of Costa Rica were happy. He was always cheery and laughing and full of get-up-and-go (particularly for our daily 4am starts). The local people we came into contact with all seemed happy and polite, and welcoming to tourists.

 However, Costa Rica is not without its problems, and these are not unique to the country. There is poverty, although we did not see it; and an influx of illegal citizens from nearby countries, some of whom were sleeping on the streets of San Jose. There is child exploitation, which agencies are working hard to prevent. There are high pregnancy rates including amongst younger girls. There is also deforestation, particularly due to increasing numbers of plantations and the infrastructure they require.

 But the country has so much to admire, especially its strive in some quarters to protect its ecosystems. The protected land is vast and requires several organizations to oversee it. The numbers of wildlife species are enormous, with many unique to Central America. A lot are endangered. Recycling bins are everywhere and we rarely saw litter. I noted during a three-hour walk in the rainforest there was not a single piece of rubbish. And the food is good. Although the portions are generally large they are not greasy, and the range of vegetables used is far wider than in the UK. Family life and the extended family support system also appear to be strong.

 But how does Costa Rica fare in the latest Happiness Report? It seems its rating is declining, dropping from 12th in the last report to 13th, although it is doubtful a tourist would detect that. Instead it is Finland that is top dog, having been number one in the last two reports. Maybe one day we will put that to the test. In the meantime we are heading to Hungary, currently in 62nd position but on the up since 2012.

So yes, the Costa Rican people we met appeared happy, but this must not mask the fact that they have their troubles just like any other country. It is the way these matters are handled which is most important. And now to Budapest!

 Copyright text and photos: Sue Barnard 2018

 

When someone has a passion for something, there is no hiding it, and during this tour it is evident that passions are running high.

The focus of this holiday adventure (for that is what it has become) is ecology and part of this includes food. Some people might have heard that Costa Rican food has an emphasis on rice, beans and tortillas. While meals, and even breakfast, may include this, there is far more to be enjoyed if one is inquisitive.

The start of this trip included a group get-together at Al Mercat restaurant in San Jose, where owner-chef and Le Cordon Bleu-trained José kick-started the evening by enthusiastically telling us how he buys his produce daily from local farmers, and then showed us various gourds, fruit and vegetables that would become part of our meal. Starter dips included thinly sliced yucca and malanga (a root vegetable), which were rather like large crisps, but baked without any trace of fat. We had never seen such attractive, colourful and tasty crisps. These were consumed with a fresh herb dip; a cheese described as their equivalent of Parmesan; and turmeric mayonnaise.

Cerviche followed incorporating finely chopped squashes – varieties of which are not seen in the UK. Also included was chayote fruit that looks rather like a large green pear, but tastes of cucumber. We were treated to restaurant-made chorizo sausages, served on a sauce with freshly grated cabbage, carrots, and sliced beetroot. The chef’s enthusiasm for food had not gone unnoticed for he had been flown to the UK recently by a customer, just to prepare food for a birthday party.

John has mentioned in earlier blogs Mr Rudolpho, the pineapple grower, and Jean-Pierre the chocolate producer. Both of these gentlemen are using food to give a point of difference to their businesses. Small-scale pineapple farmers cannot compete with the big players based here and whose names we see on UK retail shelves. Likewise, chocolate producers find it difficult to break into international markets. But people, such as these, will not be defeated. Both the above have turned to tourism, offering small, intimate, lodges, coupled with insightful food tours. In Mr Rudolpho’s case he is producing the most succulent and juicy organic pineapple we have ever tasted. We drooled as we bit into the warm, freshly-cut fruit harvested for us as we stood in the plantation.

For Jean-Pierre yet another chocolate was not his preference. Instead, he had carried out extensive research into when cacao beans were considered first used as a drink (at least 4,000 years ago), how they were prepared and how recipes changed after Columbus came to Costa Rica in the 1500s. Contemporary Spanish diaries have recorded this. Jean-Pierre is now producing chocolate bars labelled to meet international standards. Some have interesting additions, such as rice, and chilli, which visitors can purchase.

Our guide too has made adaptions using food. As we are aware, businesses were hit hard during the financial crisis of 2008, and tourism was one of the first to feel the effects. Instead of drowning in sorrow he and his wife started making cakes for local people, under the tuition of his mother, in order to make ends meet and they continue to do so to this today.

All of these individuals have clearly shown their passion when it comes to food, but there is another element that is a driver. Employment offers many benefits including insurance, pensions and health care. For the unemployed, support is extremely limited. In Costa Rica there is more than 10% unemployment, and an even higher level of poverty. Costa Ricans have to be resourceful. A passion for good quality food has enabled some to blossom, and for those tourists lucky enough to experience it, it is offering something special.

Copyright text and photos: Sue Barnard 2018.