I remember a few years ago after a quarrel with my then girlfriend I jumped into the car and drove off into the mountains towards Vara Blanca.  This is a place I liked to go to get away from it all and on this particular day that is exactly what my goal was.  I drove by the Peace Lodge and continued down the winding road that brings you to the metallic bridge where the La Paz waterfall is located.  I stopped for a moment to gaze at the fall and then decided to get adventurous and keep driving because at that time I did not know those areas that lay beyond the bridge.  The road takes you back up to the crest of the mountains that overlook the canyon cut by the Sarapiqui River.  The raw natural beauty of the place is awe-inspiring.  I stopped at an overlook because deep down in the gorge I could see a large waterfall.  The road is so windy that I thought maybe I was looking at the La Paz fall, but I thought to myself this fall looks much larger.  A local guy came strolling by.  He appeared to be a little drunk even though the day was still young.  He asked me what I was looking for and I asked him about the fall.  He told me that was the San Fernando fall and indeed it was much larger than La Paz.  At some 90 meters it is about twice as big actually, he told me.  He asked me if I wanted him to show me some other sites in the area.  At first I was hesitant to let this guy into my car, but then I thought oh what the heck (he was a good bit smaller than me and didn’t seem dangerous).  Well for the balance of the day he proceeded to introduce me to the area.  More than anything else he introduced me to every local bar in the area.  Every time we passed one he would say pare, pare (stop) and we would stop for another round.  While I don’t mean to condone drinking and driving, you have to understand that there is virtually no traffic in this remote area and the biggest risk is driving the car off the side of a cliff.  We ended up at a little house where a famly was having a birthday party.  This was part of the fellow’s extended family.  I stayed long enough to sober up before bidding my farewells and heading back to San Jose.  That place was Cinchona.  That house later became a frequent stop for me.  I often brought my customers there because they had the most excellent view of the San Fernando fall and an exquisite garden where you could see a mind-boggling array of birds.  It was such a peaceful and serene place and my customers always felt that they were getting to see something so special, and they were.  One of the members of the family, a little girl, maybe age 10, would always entertain by playing with the family’s pet tarantula.  She would offer my customers a chance to hold it, but that offer was usually rejected.  This was the home and family of Guillermo Herrera.  The earthquake of January 8, 2009 wiped Cinchona off the map with devastating landslides.  As I read the news reports, it appears that virtually every home in this tiny community was destroyed.  As of this writing I do not know what has become of this family.  There have been many deaths in this area and many more people are missing.  I am so deeply saddened by this event.  We in the travel industry tend to want to minimize this disaster.  The collapse of the U.S. economy late last year already did enough damage to now have this to contend with.  But as I have written before, it is not about us.  The truth is that this earthquake has devastated families and livelihoods and has even taken many lives. This area will never be the same and the severity of this tragedy should not be minimized.  I hope and pray that with the hard work and dedication that is being shown right now by the scores of Tico volunteers that have flocked to the area to offer their help, Cinchona and Vara Blanca and other areas hard hit will not just survive, but be revived into the magical place that this area has been for so many and for so long.  God bless the families of Cinchona and Vara Blanca.

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