7/11/2017 4 Comments Fishing for foodWe stepped back in time today. We thought we were headed to a new waterfall about 20 minutes from our house and we found ourselves in the Garden of Eden. At the base of Cascada Pavon is a home owned by a family who runs a small restaurant out of their house. The place looked deserted when we stopped but we could see a woman walking in our direction from across a field maybe 200 yards away. She was pushing a child in a small ride-on-car across dirt and grass, passing a couple of openly roaming horses, two ducks, and a few chickens along the way. She didn't speak any English so it was a test for me to ask about seeing the waterfall nearby. She pointed in the direction of the falls but led us into her house and beyond it into the garden out back. I don't think I have ever seen anything as beautiful and breathtaking as that space. The house itself was a series of fully open air spaces built with Costa Rican hardwoods and bamboo. There were several structures (living area, dining area, kitchen, bath) all connected by wood bridges and raised walkways with small streams running underneath (tributaries from the waterfall about 2km ahead) so every space was filled with the sounds of water running. My father would have never left! The garden behind was magnificent. It was a series of fish ponds surrounded by tropical plants, flowers and trees. Sprinkled throughout were horses just roaming around. No lead lines, no halters, no fences. The woman handed us thin bamboo poles with fishing line and hooks on the ends. She directed us toward the ponds and reached in and brought out a hand full of something unknown to us. She rinsed her hand off and we saw the snails remaining in her palm. She pulled a knife out of her waist and chopped off the shell to reveal the "meat" which she sliced and deftly placed on our hooks for bait. It's dawning on me now that we are preparing to fish for our lunch. The boys immediately began catching fish. They were small tilapia, not big enough to cook so Abuela (what I began referring to her as to my family) would just walk over and take them off the hook and throw them back adding more bait to the lines if needed. While this surreal experience was happening, Abuela is keeping an eye on her precious granddaughter who is clad in nothing but underpants and a huge grin. She looks to be about 2 years old. I am having a hard time focusing enough to fish. All the boys are just throwing the lines in and pulling them out like this is some kind of every day activity - fishing in God's Garden of Eden - but I am not sure I was breathing for about 10 minutes. Finally, after the boys had all caught numerous fish, I meandered down to one of the lower ponds and threw my line in. What the heck, I though. I'll catch something small to appease the boys and then continue on my photographic journaling of this place. After a few minutes I got a big bite and slowly lifted the line. Money! I caught one and it was big enough to keep. Lunchtime here we come! Before heading up to the falls while Abuela was cooking our fish, I started following these little hand painted signs towards a Ceibo tree. I understood enough from the signs that the tree was hundreds of years old but I couldn't see it from the house or gardens. While the boys kept fishing, I walked. The path took me over a creek on a rickety wood plank bridge around several small turns and past a fence before opening up to this amazing tree. And I will leave you with that little tease and share more about the grand Ceibo in the next post. She can't share part of another post as she deserves her own. The waterfall was beautiful. Not one of the tallest in the country by far but beautiful and interesting nonetheless. It had a rock wedged in between the boulders to each side, just above the waterfall. It had rained while we were fishing so the water was running fast and brown. We had been told by some Ticos earlier in our stay that if the water runs clear, you can swim. If it's brown, stay out as this is indicative of fast and sometimes dangerous waters. So we sat and listened and watched for a short time before heading back to our lunch, caught by us. A day for the record books.
4 Comments
Langdon
7/11/2017 06:24:40 pm
❤️.
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1/20/2020 06:33:51 pm
Fishing is one of the reasons why I have made the money that I have. I used to work as a fisher, but after I got into college, I was able to do a lot more. I was twenty seven when I managed to start studying, but that did not mean that I cannot make anything happen. As long as I continue what I do, then I believe that I can do all sorts of things. I plan on being the best person in the world.
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3/17/2018 09:34:12 am
Looking for a way to bring the while family together? Try saltwater fishing! Saltwater fishing is an activity that everyone, no matter what your age, can enjoy. Many generations can grow closer by fishing together, and this is also a great activity to use to teach children about things like conservation, water safety, and habitats.
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12/20/2022 05:54:12 am
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aboutWelcome to my blog Photos + Footnotes. I am Tyler Cunningham and I love taking pictures. It is the best way I know how to express myself and my view of the world. It's when I'm behind the camera that I'm most comfortable. I see colors and details, I observe connections between people. I see joy and pain, abundance and poverty. I am my least judgmental behind the lens, simply seeing and recording. It is how I process the abundance of information the world throws at me. ArchivesCategories |
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