Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-11-17
In CENTRAL AMERICA.
SOME OF THE INTERESTING SCENES
OF THE TROPICS.
Bird's-eye Views From Top Of a
stage-Coach-From the Old Cap
itai TO the New.
special Correspondence of the RECORD UNION. ]
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, /

N.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica,
November 5, 1888. !
Returning from Cartago to San Jose, via
diligencia, our experiences might be called
unique, were they not similar to those Of
all travellers in this portion of the world.
The rickety coach, gaudily painted red,
black and yellow, is furnished with pro-
fusion of leather curtains, cracked and
grimy, aprons and cushions of the same
material and condition, and miles of old
rope, the propelling power being mule
and two horses, the mule in the middle.
The driver wears a gray jacket, elabo-
rately braided, military sash of red silk
leather breeches, trimmed down the out
side seams with double rows of silver but
tons and jinghng coins, the toute ensemble
topped with Panama hat of enormous
size, enclrcled by silver cord thick as nv
thumb, set ravishly on one side of his
head
Let me tell you a secret, dear reader.
Whenever you travel by diligencia, in any
country, always make it point to sit be-
side the driver-if that important func-
tionary can be induced by dint of love or
money to let you. No matter how the sun
may shine or skies may lower or dust may
sting, take my word for 1.-THE outside is
Infinitely preferable to the jolts and bumps
and headache and nausea to be endured
inside. How can scant, feminine petit
coats allow one to make the ascent? Ea-
silly enough-if you only know how
though on most old-fashioned coaches the
drivers perch is high up above the great
wheels, and not a sign of "stepn to assist
in reaching it. 1t is no more difficult than
climbing ladder or skipping down fire.
escape, and that every woman can do in
case of emergency. One foot on the hub,
the other on top Of the wheel, your hand
to the driver aloft, one more step, "a long
pull, strong pulr-and there YOU are.
though, like the writer, by no means a
fragile sylph.
Possibly, when arrived at the journeys
end, your nose may be sun-blistered, your
hair blowsy and your raiment " of the
earth, earthly" but you will find yourself
in much better condition physically and
spiritually than the unhappy creatures
who remained penned within the onion
odorous interior, with their pale faces, up
set stomachs. worn-out tempers, and null
titudinous bruises, gained fIom plunging,
per force, into each others arms.
1t was thus that | established myself for
last journey through the beautiful valley
of Cartago-and away we went. smooth or
rough, uphill and down, over plain and
precipice, mud and bowlder, with speed
that never slackened. Such cracking and
rattling, foaming and frenzy, never was
heard. before. The lusty driver-having
been fiattered within an inch of his life by
La Americana in her effort to secure the
coveted seat-determined to distinguish
himself or perish in the attempt, and piled
his whip with merciless vigor, his pro-
longed Mulas, ah-h-h-h p making the
hills re-echo.
As we tore through this silent country
everything seemed to catch the infection
and suddenly break into riot. Women.
young and old, rushed to their doorways,
screaming like lunatics, conyulsively wish
ing US an eternal ddios; while from every
gateway scraggy dogs pounced upon our
trail with the ayidity of wolves. pursued
us for a time with insane eagerness.
then gave up the chase and turned to rend
each other. Inside the coach were mishaps
and catastrophes. uproar and merriment,
as the crowded passengers, hurled from
side to side, bumped heads and bruised one
another black and blue; while we serene
on our aerial perch-though compelled to
cling for dear life to the drivers Jacket Ia
proceeding which he did not resent)-en-
joyed a birds-eye view worth crossing the
ocean to obtain
For many miles the dusty highway is
lined on both sides with coffee plantations,
SO whitening the landscape with starry
blossoms that it looked as if there had
been recent fall of snow. Then came
dark, green fields of sturdy corn; banana
patches and pineapple plantations. in
every stage of cultivation; interspersed by
billowy stretches of pale green sugar-cane.
Anon there were church towers and In
dian villages, and isolated huts of wild
bamboo, and, better than all, there was the
perfect blue of cloudless sky, cooling
breezes blowing straight from snow -capped
peaks, and the encircling mountains, with
their ceaseless changes of lights and
shadows.
Not far from Cartago, we come to cele-
brated cattle-ranch, called Gel Cerado,"
owned by wealthy Costa Rican, who
completed his education several years ago,
in Philadelphia. His casa lies at the hight
of 800 feet up the slooing side of Irazu,
overlooking the towers of the old Capitol,
and wide expanse Of emerald valley.
Though nominally cattle farm, the
greater portion Of this fine estate is under
cultivation, yielding potatoes, peaches,
ounces, etc., besides corn, wheat and sugar
cane. The house is sheltered from the
keen winds that frequently sweep down
ward from the cone of the volcano, by a
broad belt of Alpine oaks, interspersed
with those singular trees which the Mexi-
cans call Arbol de las Manitas ("tree of
little hands ", because the leaf is perfect
representation of the human hand nails
and all, and for centuries has been an OBJ
ject of religious veneration among the
superstitious peasantry.
The densely wooded strip, between the
abodes of man and the almost unknown
upper nights, is the favorite haunt of the
dreaded puma (the mountain lion), and of
snakes almost without end, both numeri-
cally and in measurement The casa
itself, like most Costa Rican farm
houses, is built of wild canes and cedar
posts, succeed outside with sun-baked
mud, and thatched with plantain leaves
and corn-husks, which furnish excellent
breeding places for scorpions, lizards,
vipers and other pests which come spin
ming down upon your head, or into your
food, at most inopportune moments-if,
indeed, any moments may be called Sop
perfume" for such insects. The view from
the house-top, however, is fine enough to
reconcile one to living with snakes and
lions for neighbors; the seven hills OF
Paraiso, covered with gardens, the three
rivers seeking the sea, the sloping forests
and ancient Indian villages of Orosi, and
just above, apparently to topple down
and bury us without warning, frowns the
hIaaE ridoa of Tra1t.