HARRY TRUMAN LIBRARY Papers of NATHANIEL DAVIS Despatch no. 159, UNCLASSIFIED April 22, 1949, San José, Costa Rica.
American Embassy, Enclosure no. DIARY April 12, 1949 started out this morning on a trip organized by Doris Stone to the Guntuao Indian country and the Rio Frio.
Mr. and Mrs. Stone, Porfirio Gongora, José Marta Chaverri, and took off from San José about a. in the Fruit Company plane for Las Cailas, Guanacaste, where we were met by Jorge Moscoso and the Indian whom know only by his first nane, Teosfero, who had gone ahead with 700 pounds of tent, sleeping bags. food. harness, fishing tackle. Funa.
tameras, and personal baggage. By advance arrangement don fausto Calderon had sent horses from his farm some four and a half hours ride to the northeast near Arenal. Through an oversight pack saddles had not been sent along to carry our equipment and baggage so these were loaded into a bullock cart. We started off on horseback about o clock and reached don Fausto far, La Argentina, at 1:30 p, The bullock cart with our baggage got in about midnight. It was hot and dry in Guanacaste and a strong wind stirred up clouds of heavy black volcanic dust which covered us with a thick coat and which we wa shed off only with sone, difficulty after arriving at La Argentina.
La Argentina is quite an interesting farm. It was started some years ago by a Chinanan. Don Fausto acquired it some 25 years ago and while he produces solde coffee and vegetables for market. doubt if he more than clears operating expenses. He keeps it more or less as a hobby.
The excellent food we had there was all produced on the promises except for spttes and such imported luxries. We spent the afternoon resting and seeing the Lari and in the evening had a beautiful view of the total eclipse of the moon. Unfortunately clouds came up and obscured the moon during the last 20 minutes of the eclipse but before that time we saw everything very well. We slept comfortably that night for the first and last time on this trip. in beds.
Don Porfirio was feeling 111 and thought he had a cold coming on So want to bed expecting to abandon the party.
However, he felt batter the next morning and went on.
April 13.
Ås we had a long day ahead of us we agreed to start at a. but due to the usual Costa Rican delays in getting organised. getting our horsea rounded up and distributing the baggage among three pack horses our cavalcade did not actually leave La Argentina until 8:50. The sky was overcast and until some time after noon we had several showers.
The trail was up and down, mostly across open cround, until we reached a pass in the mountains from which point until the end of the ride we were going mostly through woods. The trail was narrow, steep, and very muddy. Frequently the horses simply stiffened their legs and slid down hills and clamored up as best they could. In the level spaces they sank sometimes above their knees in mud. Don Porfirio horse fell twice going down hill and once going up. Neither horse UNCLASSIFIED