HARRY TRUMAN LIBRARY Papers of NATHANIEL DAVIS Despatch no. 69, February 16, 1949, San José, Costa Rica American Embassy, Enclosure no. UNCLASSIFIED blue eyes and fair hair pomething to be admired and even when not stroking her hair they could not keep their eyes We also visited the home of the village, ma skaker who makes maakt for ceremonial dances and teaches the Daring the afternoon several of the non (including myself) went up the river a whort distance and bathed in a pool a little more than knoo deep but cool a trashing, our first bath, incidentally, since leaving San José. Lator in the aftarnoon Lauiso alao bathed ja the pool while stood guard.
Just betoro suprarthe Inevitable fried pork, platanos, bean, and rice but with sone chicken added negotiations were concluded between the members of the Commission and an old woman who owed a house which the Commission wanted to buy to enlarge the school promises.
She agreed to oxchange har hoado for another already owned by the government and 500 colones. Don Perfikio, who is a lawyer by profession, drew up the sale contract.
The ower could not writo so it was signed on her behal by a friend. Mrs. Stone signed for the Commission and signed as one of the three witnesses. The whole village stood around to watch.
After supper we were invited to a chicha party at the home of one of the principal citizens by the name of Espiritu who was to guide us the next day to the river and command our flotilla of cances. Something happened to the chicha and we had none but we spent some time in his house talking to him and his neighbora.
That night the ladies slept on canvas cots in one room of the school teacher house. We men slept on the floor or another room and the teacher and his wife and three children and three Indians slept in another roon.
February 11, 1949.
This morning we left about and rode over the steepeat trails yet, up and down but mostly down, to Lagarto on the Rio Grande de Terraba. Lagarto consists of only two or three huts. There we said goodbye to don Jorge and don Bolivar and got inte danoes for the trip down the river to Palmar. All the baggage was placed in one canoe paddled by two Indians. Louise, Mrs. Macaya. and were in another with two paddlers. The other two canoes had three occupants sach, ono Indian paddling in the stern and one of the members of the party paddling in the bow.
The trip from Lagarto to Palmar took Lrom about noon until shortly UNCLASSIFIED