Mangroves, Ocean, and Cellos

“There are those that leave us with profound teachings: the same people who dispense their wisdom. I've been lucky to meet such people along my path. They submerge me in the everyday, affirming me as a habitant of a certain place and time.”

 Like many, Don Trino arrived in Pochote 54 years ago. The village already existed, but not as we know it today: a few houses, a few families, the ocean, the marsh, and the mangrove. This combination enchanted him.

 Large estates made up the zone, along with fishermen, farmers, and hard work.

 The school began in a  galerón, there classes were given, practically in the open air. The few children who attended did so after participating in the labors of the field, the fishing boat, and the home. They took their pencil and notebook, and a smile, and took the road towards the school.

 One day, a merchant boat began arriving to Puerto Pochote, where today we can still find the old bases which once supported the now old dock structure.

 The days in which the boat arrived became “market days.” Many arrived, others left, and purchases and trades could be seen all around. Carts, mules, and sacks transformed the peaceful environment of the tidal marsh... and of Pochote.

 For the children, these were days of celebration... dreaming of one day being able to travel in these boats to magical lands, to live the adventures of pirates and treasures and distressed princesses needing to be rescued.

 They observed how the boat approached, first as a speck on the horizon which began to define itself with its different forms and colors. The “speck” slide across the peaceful waters of the marsh emitting a deafening noise.

 Children, women and men; sacks and wooden crates; hens, pigs, and dogs... These sights gave form to a scene which could only mean one things.... The boat had arrived!

 And with this event, life in Pochote began to change.

 The access road to the dock served initially to establish the “urban design,” the basis of the community. Two strings of houses began to appear on either side of the street, most of which were constructed of wood and palm-thatched roofs. The facades of the houses characterized the activities of its inhabitants. Without the danger of the passing cars and trucks, children played in the street as an extension of their gardens. And from the street, to the pastures; from the pastures to the mangrove, to the marsh, and to the ocean.

 The settlers of Pochote did not all come from the same place, Puntarenas, Alajuela, San Jose...., however today they belong to Pochote, this is there home, and like Don Trino, they're made of mangrove and of ocean.

 Pochote is a small town in the northern part of the Ballena Bay. What differentiates Pochote from other coastal settlements is the fact that Pochote is practically found on the water. It is the home of fishermen, of agricultural workers, and of tourists. It's an ideal site, given the natural conditions present: a rich mangrove, a tidal marsh of incredible beauty, a rich biodiversity, and a beach comprised of soft, grey sand and transparent waters. The ocean forms an estuary which has radically changed the local flora y fauna. Some areas have become marshy wetlands, which serve as a natural laboratory for the restoration of various species of wild bird, fish, mollusks, and flora.

 It is the point of departure for fishing, sports fishing, or simple excursions in boat, which interrupt the emerald tones of the water where the marsh meets the mangrove.

 Pochote does not have an adequate touristic infrastructure. It is, however, an obligatory destination, to taste the local cuisine (particularly seafood), and to enjoy the peaceful waters of the bay, where (if you're lucky) you could be surprised by the spectacular given by the whales, who in their search for warmer waters visit this magical bay. Turtles also carry out an annual visit during the months of October and November, to deposit the seed of life in the warm sands which serve as womb for the future of their species.

 Due to its location in the bay, Pochote has a privileged location to observe the sunsets, accompanied by an orchestra of crickets and cicadas. The sunsets color the calm waters that caress the gray sands of the beach.

 We must also speak of the people of Pochote, humble workers that, day after day, fulfill their duties in search of sustenance for their families. To narrate the true story of Pochote, we should discover the “tanned faith” of its inhabitants, ancestral memories of lost childhoods in the passage of time.

 Vividly colored houses characterize the architecture of Pochote; full of memories that evoke the ocean, a faithful companion on the long journey of this struggling community; a community that, even in extreme conditions, intends to survive with dignity. The town of Pochote isn't just numbers and statistics, it is a combination of lives, of histories, of dreams and illusions, and of an uncertain tomorrow.

 Walking through the streets of Pochote, the faces of the children, full of hope of a better future, draw attention. But today, they are appreciative of what mother nature has given them: a little piece of paradise.

 “Life isn't waiting for the green light of contamination. It's vibration is felt more intensely at the edge of the beach of Pochote, seducing, welcoming with all of the mystery and magic of nature, people, and music.”

 In Pochote, aside from it's natural and ecological attraction, cultural activity stands out, in this moment lead by the Music School, part of the Harmony Integrated Development Project. The population of Pochote has unlimited access to the school, and the organization is currently working intensely to form the first Chamber Orchestra on the Nicoya Peninsula.

 Today, it is normal in this atypical town, to run into a child riding his bike, performing a juggling act to keep his balance, with a surf board under one arm and a cello on his back.