I’m not good with exact dates. Ask me when my boys were born or when I got married and you’ll see an uneasy look begin to spread across my face. I do better with the fluidity of the seasons. They seem to come and go without the requirements of fixed dates. After years of driving around Guanacaste for my job, I’ve come to recognize some signs of the seasons unique to the area.
Perfectly Acceptable Litter Season
We are in the thick of acceptable litter season right now. This season is based on a fruit called mamón chino. Known as rambutan in other parts of the world, this wild-looking fruit is native to Southeast Asia. It’s a 2-inch red ball of soft spikes. To eat it, one must stick their fingernail through the red shell and peel it away, revealing what appears to be a massive pale green grape underneath. The delicious soft fruit surrounds a big seed in the middle.
In Costa Rica, mamón chino isn’t grown in Guanacaste. It comes from the wetter climates of the country. Personally, I’ve seen it growing on farms in the province of Limón. It’s made available to the consumers of Guanacaste via roadside stands with little tables topped with a huge pyramid-style pile of fruits.
For a few thousand colones, drivers receive an enormous bag of fruit. Here’s the important part, the fruit should be eaten by all of the passengers of the vehicle, while driving, and everyone should toss the peels out of the crack of their open window. If you look at the shoulder of any road in Guanacaste right now, you won’t have to travel far until you spot this spikey, fruit-based litter on the side of the road.
Dudes in Trees Season
How long has it been since you’ve seen an adult man in a tree on the side of the road? For me, it’s only been a few months, as dudes in trees season ended a little while ago. This season is also fruit-based. The main character here is a fruit called jocote. These fruits start out as inch-long green ovals that eventually mature to a bright shade of red. Edible at both stages, they grow on a small, straggly, quite climb-able tree that’s often used as a living fence on the side of the road.
This season is highlighted by men, and I only point out that it´s men because that’s what I’ve observed, climbing the trees to obtain the precious fruit. Sometimes a lady is involved, but normally she’s waiting at the base of the tree with a bag. While driving by, I like to picture the man saying, ‘I’ll get the fruits for you, my love,’ before ascending the tree.
I should point out that dudes in trees season aligns perfectly with men chucking sticks at trees season. The only difference is the desired fruit. For the latter, the fruit being sought-after are mangoes. Mangoes grow on trees that can be quite enormous and are thus unclimble-able, requiring the men to throw perfectly aimed sticks at the fruit baring branches to get their prize.
Christmas Season
You’d think you’d know the timing of this season from personal experience, but in Guanacaste you’d be wrong. It indeed begins in December, before Christmas, when a little Guanacasteco town decides to get together and decorate the central plaza for the holidays. The go-to decoration is a giant Christmas tree made of a cone of welded rebar wrapped with green agricultural fabric, locally known as serán, and then decorated with Christmas ornaments. The trick is, the holidays come and go, and nobody bothers to take the tree down.
As I drive through tiny town after tiny town, no less than 75% of them are celebrating Christmas year-round. I started really paying attention while driving lately, with thoughts of this article in my head, and the big cone Christmas tree is by far the most common, though I have noted a giant, sparkling star, a series of big plastic reindeer followed by Santa’s sleigh, and, my personal favorite, a palm tree at the edge of the plaza decorated with Christmas balls and garland. It’s always Christmas in Guanacaste.
About the Author
Vincent Losasso, founder of Guanacaste Wildlife Monitoring, is a biologist who works with camera traps throughout Costa Rica
