A bad day of fishing in Costa Rica, beats a lot of things.
Well apparently some things are not so much different here in Costa Rica than back home. Say for instance the fishing. We took a small charter out this morning to do a little fishing for, well for pretty much anything. Although the methods were slightly different, the weather was way different, the results were vaguely familiar; we caught nothing. I saw more variety of fish than I have ever seen outside an aquarium. They were jumping, diving, swimming and schooling all over the place, they just wouldn’t bite. Maybe it was too hot for them to eat.
our chariot awaiting us
our trusty skipper William
Jason ready to reel
first mate
The trip was not a total loss, as I said before I saw more variety of fish than I have ever seen. My favorite was the giant Manta Ray. As I have detailed in this blog in the past, we have caught many skates over the years, and I thought Manta Rays were similar. I was way off. They look similar, but it is like comparing a Piper Super Cub to a Boeing 747. The giant manta rays were amazing to watch, gliding through the water, barley moving their wings. Eventually each tip of each wing breaking the surface of the water, as two shark fins moving in unison. Then slowly gliding back down like a hand glider returning to earth. A couple off them were several feet wider than our boat, and one looked to be as big as our 21 foot fishing boat. I can only imagine the giant shadow they must cast on the bottom of the ocean.
Jrew checking the lines
pre-fishing pose
father and son
We also saw some turtles, jumping skates, and about a dozen fish of which I was told the name of, but could not understand what William the skipper called them through his thick spanglish accent. I just nodded my head and smiled, that seemed to do the trick. Finally we saw some sea snakes and some of the beautiful deserted beaches. Shoot, I even managed to get a little snooze in. It was a nice boat ride without any nasty, dirty fish to clean. Back home we would say ” all I caught was a cold”, here “all I caught was a burn, sunburn”.
like father, like son
fishing, boat riding fools
Ex-Pats Partying
Socializing together is very important for ex-pats in Costa Rica, as has become apparent to us this trip. In one week we have gone to two well attended fund-raisers. The first was here in Flamingo for a local private school. There we met many people from the community, people from the church, from the school, and just the area in general.
Dinner night at Angelina's
our transportation to many social events, Jane is a crazy driver though.
The night scene at the Haiti benefit
Tonight we went to another fund-raiser in Tamarindo, this time it was for Haiti. Again, all aspects of the community showed up for the concert, buffalo wings and company. The best thing about these get togethers is that they have great turnouts, they are cheap, and they are outside. It is a great way to meet people and feel part of the area. There is a tight-knit community here, and they take advantage of outings such as these.
Haiti benefit
They even had kids activities, including the Pinata
post sunset listening to the live music ( I can never open my eyes in a self portrait)
more scenes from the concer
Oh, and we found time to go surfing once again, without instructors. This time we hit Playa Grande, where the people are fewer the waves are bigger and the surfing is better. But, the surfing is only better for better surfers, not so much us. I am happy to report that I truly really surfed a couple waves. I mean stand up, ride the wave jump off surfing. And even though I suffered many minor injuries, I believe I will surf again, dude!
I am a monkey, and I am going to get that coconut!
look out dude!
making it happen
Tracy and her friend Arenal, the same guy from last year
the obligatory sunset with a Guancaste tree in the foreground
Things we learned:
It takes more than one day for surf wounds to heal.
12 passenger rental buses can catch air if driven at high speeds over a large speed bump.
It only costs about $2 to fix a flat tire, it only costs another $2 to fix that same flat again….
There are a lot of Americans living in Costa Rica, and they seek out other Americans.
Merry surfing to me
I am a legendary body surfer and well known boogie boarder, at least in my family. However, I cannot say that it has always been my dream to be a surfer. This past Christmas, knowing we would be in Costa Rica together, Jason bought me surf lessons. In his words, so he would not look foolish alone.
Glenn trying to hang ten
two grown men fighting for the same wave
Now I have watched hundreds upon hundreds of people surf, big waves, small waves, big boards, small boards, and for the most part it looks pretty easy. Catch a wave, jump up, balance and ride to the shore. Sure I knew it would likely take 2 or 3 times before I got the knack of it, but I am old and that is expected.
Jason getting ready to make some magic
just like the pros
ending his ride in style
It was a gusty day on Tamarindo beach, blowing along the shore line perpendicular to the surf. The sun was hot, the spray was pelting and the flying sand stung those stuck on shore. Tracy stood by on the beach guarding our things and armed with a multitude of cameras. There were several schools of surf, all identified by their color of surfing shirt and their very close proximity to the shore, like me, Jason, Jrew and Jace, in our awesome surfer blue shirts. Further out, in the big surf breaking out 100 feet past us were the pros, with their wooden short boards, wild hairdos, dark skin, long shorts, taking turns catching the big waves. I knew soon, very soon we would be out there with them.
Jason getting ready to make it happen
Jrew showing all of us how it is done
After our repetitive on shore session learning how to jump up onto the board, we were ready to hit the waves. Our teacher, Cairo, a thin tall dark Tico lead us out into the beginner surf and was soon holding our boards and shoving us one by one into the onslaught of waves. Now some of us were much quicker to grasp the concept of balance and foot position, unfortunately I was not one of them. Eventually though, I was able to stand up, and I think I actually surfed. Most of the time, by the time I was standing the ride was already over, but it still looked good in a quick photo.
ready to catch the big kahuana
almost there
Jace really seemed to get the hang of it, riding several waves all the way into the shore. Jrew also caught some great waves, and he even did a couple tricks, unintentionally, but they still looked cool. Jason caught a couple nice ones, but he injured his hip early on ( during the on shore session) and was suffering throughout the class. Yet he pressed on, and kept his word accompanying me in looking foolish. Me, well I can’t say that I became “one with the waves” but I can say that I became “one with the ocean bottom” several times. I never did make it out deep with the pros, but I was content to hang in the shallow surf with the other blue shirters, attempting to catch wave after wave. Will I ever surf again? Let’s just say I bought a brand new surf shirt today, but you won’t see me in Cook Inlet anytime soon.
two surf daddy's in one picture
emerging victorious
What we learned:
The reason you wear a surf shirt is not for warmth,or to look excessively cool, but to prevent rashes, of which I now have many.
Not only is surfing much harder than it looks, sitting on the board is harder than it looks, swimming on the board is harder than it looks, and getting to the surf is harder than it looks.
Balance is key, and it is not a given.
If you surf once, you will almost always surf again.
Pretty much anyone can look cool holding a surfboard on the beach.
My wife can take some awesome surf pictures.
the unicycle dude, after this he decided to run for an hour at sunset
I have conquered the surf
reflection ( not the one off my head, a deeper much more meaningful reflection)
Vacations can be exhausting
Being on the beach has brought a lot more activity into our lives. We have met up with Jason and Angie and their kids, met up with our friend from last year, Jane; met a whole bunch of new people out outings ranging from a beach party at a nice condo resort, to a fund raiser for a local school. In between, we have found some time to hit the beach, and more importantly, time for my noggin to heal.
finding a minute to relax
We met the Daniels at a beach right in front of our house. They pretty much already look like Ticos, dark hair, dark skin the works. Their espanol is a little rough, but getting mucho mejor. While hanging at the beach, Me, Jason and the boys were showing off our boogie boarding / body surfing prowess, and I must say, it was very impressive, at least to us. The water down here is fantastic, extremely warm, clear and calm. It is easy to spend the whole day in it, forgetting that the sun is beating down upon your head every second.
me catching a wave as Jason looks on in awe.
Olivia showing us all how to hang ten
Me, being the wise man that I am, put my dew rag on; and me, being that wise man that I am, forget that I had it on when I tried to body surf the big Kahuana. Needless to say, after two somersaults, shorts full of sand, and salt water throughout my whole sinus cavity, I emerged without my trusty dew rag. So, uh, Schemanskis, I know you are in Hawaii, keep on eye out for a black dew rag, there is a handsome reward for its return.
we stayed in the water well past sunset.
We also made a road trip down to Tamarindo in the Daniels Dream Wagon. It fit all 10 of us. Along the way we stopped at a great coffee shop called Cafe Cafe, and the coffee was fantastic. The guy working the counter was great, a true surfer named Daniel. He also attends the church we attend while here in Flamingo.
Photo by Jace, in front of Beach Community Church
fun bridge for the hijos outside the church
We hit the board work and did some tourisimo shopping and then hit the local Auto Mercado grocery store. Tracy and I managed to spend about 44,000 colones for our shopping efforts, or about $80 in Alaskan money. I didn’t dare ask Jason and Angie what they spent, but let’s just say the dream wagon was squatting quite a bit on the way home. We have noticed that cheese and peanut butter are very expensive, while fruit and veggies are very reasonable, to down right cheap at times.
the men talking things over during lunch
We did get to see some Congo monkeys on the drive back, after stopping for some true Italian style ice cream. It was a full day topped of with a fund-raiser for a local school where we met another 300 english speaking friends. Man, vacations can be exhausting!
one of the many Congo monkeys in a tree by the road
What we learned:
A great way to inject salt water into every orifice of your body is to body-surf.
A great way to inject sand into every part of your body is to body-surf.
A great way to have the experience of being in a washing machine is to body-surf.
These people know how to put on a potluck!
The monkeys that bark like dogs are called congos, not manos, and they travel in families and the big one is the dominant male. Thanks shirtless, extremely overweight man smoking a cigarette and interrupting our wildlife viewing experience for your un-wanted and un-requested monkey facts.
sigh, another sunset
and another
another
last one
Tank Tops and Flip Flops ( and dew rags for one of us)
Home sweet home. We are back in Playa Flamingo, and it feels like coming home, the beach, the surf, the heat, the sun, the pool,the flip-flops and tank tops, and the peeling head, it is all so familiar and welcome. The drive down from San Jose took about 5 hours, with one stop for lunch along the way. It was a very pretty drive and much tamer than San Jose, although traffic laws are still mere suggestions, and mostly after thoughts.
some new scenes from out bananluna casita
A new papaya tree now prominent and just about ripe
The roads are filled with switchbacks and sodas. The switchbacks, gorgeous scenery and beautiful weather, combined with a 5-speed make me feel like I am in a T.V. commercial for a high-speed Mercedes. And, if I do say so myself, I drove like it, at times, at least in my mind. The sodas are local, very small outdoor restaurants, usually run out of someone’s house, and they litter the roadside. As you drive by you usually see 2-3 dark-skinned Ticos in jeans or cutoff shorts, and dimly colored shirts sitting at a table or bar eating what is likely to be pollo, rice and beans. If the soda is empty, than the owner / cook is usually sitting in a lounge chair in the front waiting for a patron.
scenes from Playa Flamingo beach
this one didn't make it.
We ended up back in Casita Bananluna, the same place we stayed last year, and it felt like walking back into home. Josh, Jane, Ara, and Mia were all on hand to great us. Little 3 year old Mia took to Tracy right away and hearing her talk made us miss our kids badly.
night scenes
another sunset
We spent the night walking the beach and watching the sunset, then sitting out by the pool watching the stars and the blood red moon set. As we watched the stars, two things occurred to me. I rarely ever get to just sit and look at the stars. Back home, when it is warm enough to watch the stars, they usually come out so late, that I cannot keep my old eyes open long enough to just gaze at them. In the winter, they are often out, and I usually pause walking into the house from the car to look at them. But then my ears turn into rock hard ice blocks after 30 seconds so I have to go inside. The second; I don’t think I have ever seen a moon set, and it was an exceptional sight. I hope to see many, many more of them.
the moon reflecting in the spa
Get a Garmin, Get Around. No Garmin, No Go!
Today our GPS took us to a little town called Sarchi. It is known as an “artsy” type of place. I don’t know if I would call it artsy, but they sure do sell a lot of furniture. All the furniture is Cost Rican wood, and all the furniture is handmade, which I would call an art. It was beautiful hardwood and very affordable, about 1/3 of what it would cost back home. It seemed that every little house had some furniture for sale. The town is set in what I would call the definition of rolling hills. It was clean, quaint, friendly, beautiful and we really liked it. We had lunch there at a local little cafe, run by small family of four.
typical mid-day traffic Alajuela
rolling hills of Sarchi
one of the multitude of furniture stores in the Sarchi
Again, the Church was absolutely gorgeous and in the center of the town. It also had a giant brightly decorated ox cart in the town square. The area is famous for its ox carts, and it shows. It as an area we would love to visit again, even if it is just so I can drive like a maniac through 90 & 180 degree turns, the one lane bridges and countless hills. Great times, especially in a five speed!
Normal size ox cart
Giant ox cart. The ox, big enough to feed my family for the week.
Sarchi church
Inside Sarchi church. Note the wood work on the ceiling.
Then somehow, our GPS led us to another mall, one right across from our hotel, and another one. I wonder who is running the show here. But that was our goal, to explore and to learn what we like in this area. We like, Grecia and we like Sarchi, we do not like Alajuela, San Jose, parts of Escazu and Sana Ana. We do not like the traffic, which continues to be insane. It has made me a much more aggressive driver, which I am not sure is a good thing. Tomorrow morning we head off to Playa Flamingo, an are we know we like because we went there last year. I know one thing for sure, even though our GPS keeps taking us to malls, I would never, ever attempt to drive in this area without. Shoot, even with the darn thing I have to do about 13 U-turns a day.
stubborn residue left over from one of our lessons learned.
Things we learned today:
There’s a reason the big beautiful tree right in front of the mall always has open parking. The reason, the birds use that tree as an outhouse with your car as the bottom of hole.
Thank God for GPS, and I mean it, but she absolutely cannot pronounce Spanish words.
Do you know your way in San Jose?
In less than a year, we have returned to Costa Rica. This time we are in the central valley, last time we were in the Guancaste region. We did not experience this region last time, and we wanted to broaden our horizons, and in one day, we have broadened them. San José is a tale of two, no a tale of ten cities. It is, by far, the biggest city in all of Costa Rica with a population of about 1.5 million people in the regional area.
ahh, peaceful no traffic heading into the valley
There are parts of San José that are reminiscence of the poorest parts of any large city in America, except that there are no building codes, so you can throw up whatever you want and call it a home. They build these homes right on the road, and although they cannot afford much, they can afford fences and barbed wire, oh and a big flat screen T.V.
even the drive- throughs are tricky
The traffic is the worst I have ever been in, including cities like Vancouver, St. Louis etc. This is not normal traffic, nor is it normal driving. Last year I was intimated early on in our trip, driving from the big city of Liberia to Playa Flamingo, child’s play compared to this. Instead of a two second rule, there is a hand rule, you should try to be at least two hand widths away from the car in front of you, and that is at 80 km per hour. Further, if you really want to go fast, drive a motorcycle. It is readily apparent that motorcycles do not have to adhere to traffic laws,( all right, everyone pretty much ignores them, but the motorcycles are far more brazen). They pass in between cars, on the divider line ( where this is a divider line) they zoom in and out of cars, pass on the right, pass on the left, pass in between cars going the wrong way, completely ignore red lights, and often don’t wear helmets, yet the usually have a passenger. All this on four lane roads with no lines,no shoulders, pedestrians on the road, cars parked on the road, and the width about 1/2 of an USA highway. It reminds me of the video game Tron, except much faster. I am confident Evil Knevil wouldn’t attempt to drive a motorcycle in this town. My favorite was the motorcycle driver speeding, passing 4 cars into oncoming traffic and texting at the same time. Unfortunately, we were unable to get pics because I was 100 % focused on not dying, and Tracy’s hands were dug into the dash. I hope our insurance covers dash damage.
our first lunch place this time
Just a few kilometers, or several hours aways, are slightly more sane areas. In fact the area of Escazu is pretty much like being in Amercia. It is much cleaner, wider roads, actual lines on the road, and even a few legible road signs. As you drive you see Applebee’s, Outback, Subways, and yes even McDonald’s. Funny thing is that they have some of their local flavor, and the local flavor is chicken, rice and beans. You can get them just about anywhere. The mall in that area is impressive, with many of the American stores, mixed in with some local selections. The prices seemed similar to Alaska prices, not that great.
Just a snippet of little america
They're everywhere!!
Chicken is everywhere, even KFC
We did manage to take a drive out to Grecia, a farm town in the hills of Central Valley. It was a great, quaint little town with very few english speaking people. As with most towns here, it had a huge Catholic church as the town center. We enjoyed visiting the area, and even had lunch at Pollo Crispy, which was very reasonable and tasty.
The church in Grecia
All in all, much like Anchorage, it seems to be a great place to visit, shop, and eat, but I don’t think I would want to live here. Too much traffic, too much stress, too many people, not enough beaches.
Things we learned today:
A month of pre-tanning does not prevent an hour sunburn.
Street signs are about the size of postage stamps, dirty illegible postage stamps.
A stop light combined with a stop sign is a common traffic sight, and just as commonly ignored.
Fumar o no fumar, still a vital question in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Pura Vida le segunda parte ( part two)
I think I got the video issues worked out, finally. Now I must pre-worn you, if you don’t like monkey’s, you probably won’t like part two. For some reason, when I was making this, I went particularly heavy on the monkeys. I like monkeys. I call my kids monkeys. So I am not apologizing for the amount of monkeys, I am just warning that you will see quite a few monkeys. There are also some sunsets, sailboats, beaches and all that stuff. I was also able to upload the whole video in its entirety onto Dailymotion, so I have included that on here as well. So sit back relax and allow yourself to be swept away to the land of beaches, sun, rain forests and monkeys, lots of monkeys.
This is part two from the previous post
This is the whole video, both parts 1 and 2 combined.
PURA VIDA
Pura Vida
In honor of our upcoming trip back to the land of pura vida, I have finally uploaded a video montage of our last trip. Truthfully this project has been mostly done for months. My biggest issue is that Youtube always blocks the music content, so I am trying to find the right music, etc. etc. etc. In fact, I uploaded two videos, and this first one they found okay, the second one they tagged. So now I am going to try to get that fixed.
Anyway, this is the first video. There were thousands of photos I could have used. I could have probably made the video 40 minutes long from the photos we (Tracy) took. None of the animals were in zoos, but the crocs were in the Tempisque River, a park. I gotta say, these minus 10 days are making it very hard to wait for our trip.
All I want for Christmas are…… socks!
Quick, what did you get for Christmas this year? What did you get for Christmas last year?
I don’t know if I can name a favorite gift from every Christmas, but I know I can name one from my last two Christmases. I got the same thing, this year and last year but I don’t want it next year that’s for sure. Yet, if I do get it, it will be the best present once again. Have I piqued your interest yet?
Happy to see her bros and sis's
Ben gets one of the first hugs on the way to momma
Finally made it into momma's arms
daddy, Jo, Jake, Kassie busting a move down the hill of death
hurry up, let's do it again!
paused for a minute to get a pic of the whole gang again
I didn't need a workout after the 47th "I wanna do it again".
Livy and Jo with a little winter swinging, that usually drops the wind chill by about 15 degrees.
Jake and Jo in their current favorite outfits
a little art time making ornaments
Present time! I love my new hat!
Excuse me sir, can I please take your order?
