City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008 - (Page 51)

We are in awe as swarms of vibrant jewel-hued hummingbirds, most, smaller than three inches, zip relentlessly from red feeders full with sugar water. So, being endearingly (we hope) superstitious people, and desperately in need of a sign of good fortune, we had booked a trip to Costa Rica and made it public knowledge (to everyone that we would meet) that we were on the hunt (so to speak) for the Resplendent Quetzal. For us, this bird became a symbol. It was the positive sign we needed. After months of toiling through work situations that were less than enviable, we felt exhausted and depleted. We were hoping that the power of a symbol could transform and bestow good luck. Our visits to the cities and countryside of Costa Rica had introduced us to increasingly exciting discoveries: a black Madonna in the church of Cartago, the lone remaining ox-cart maker and his grandson hand carving wooden tables in front of our eyes. In Arenal, we walked along a small hiking path, El Silencio that led us to a green mountainous landscape overlooking the cloud covered volcano, bubbling with ferocity. Were it not for the wild orchids that perfumed the air and the keel-billed toucans we had passed on a road nearby we could have been in the rolling hills of home. We had seen twenty foot, half ton crocodiles on the bridge over the Río Tárcoles and cappuccino monkeys, notorious kleptoma- niacs, on the beaches of Manuel Antonio. Although we enjoyed every minute of our treks through Costa Rica, as the days progressed, with disdainful good luck wishes offered to us by skeptics, we became increasingly fearful that our search for the Resplendent Quetzal would reach an inevitably sad end. Thus, on the final days of our trip, panicked that all of our travels had not yet yielded a sighting, we received a phone call from Jorge, our Yoda-like guide and friend in Costa Rica. Being a Tico, he had resourcefully found an area where, he told us, we might have a fighting chance of seeing the Resplendent Quetzal. WES HANSON From first page: panoramic view of Savegre Valley; Opposite page, from top: a vibrant tree in the Montane cloud forest; the inspiring Costa Rican landscape; This page, from top left: the beauty of Cobaea scandens (the flower the Chacón’s brought back from Patagonia) ; a magnificent sunset in the valley. Near the main edifice of the Hotel Savegre now, we are in awe as swarms of vibrant jewel-hued hummingbirds, most, smaller than three inches, zip relentlessly from red feeders full with sugar water. As we wait for our guide, we meet an older gentleman whose eyes sparkle with tales of adventure. Guido tells us that he is the owner of all of this splendid beauty. We chat about the strange purple flowers that make a floral fence near a hill, and through Guido’s translation, he tells us that he brought them here from a trip to Patagonia. citystyleandliving.com | WINTER 2007/2008 | 51 http://citystyleandliving.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008

City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008 Contents Editor’s Note Website Behind the Cover Contributors The District Calgary’s Holiday Storefront Windows: Through the Looking Glass Need it Want it Fusion Culinary Adventure Champagne 101: Tiny Bubbles Covet Prêt-à-porter Fashion Adventure Resort Wear Enchanted Evening Passport 24 Hours in Paris Anatomy of... Costa Rica: In Search of the Resplendent Quetzal Final Thought

City Style and Living - Winter 2007/2008

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