Eat, Surf, Sleep, 2012 BCC Pavones Surf Trip
I have heard the mantra over and over since we have been here. I have seen the t-shirts, bumper stickers, and signs; eat, surf, sleep. I never knew how serious it was until this last week. I was fortunate to be invited along for a men’s surfing trip to a surf spot called Pavones, on the very southern Pacific edge of Costa Rica. It is said to have the second longest left ride in the world, and even though I lean to the right, I was willing to give a ride. So me, Ben & Jeremy packed up for a post church 9 hour drive to surf. Two cars, 15 men, about 20 surfboards, probably 15 board shorts and half as many pairs of clean underwear headed south praying for great waves and good times. We were not disappointed.
The drive was long and tedious at times as the rains and darkness slowed down the last half of the drive. As we drove the tiny roads and crossed the many, very high, un-railed wooden homemade bridges it dawned on me that these guys really like to surf. And as I looked around, there was only one other guy in the group, over 40, who had just started surfing this last year. Everyone else in the group had been surfing since childhood, so either we were idiots or we were brave, time would tell.
Pavones, or turkey town, is a very small village, a couple of tiny stores, some local surf shops, and a couple of places for non-surfing, non-sleeping surfers to grab a bite. No pavement, no ATMs, no Walmart, just a spot near a beach for world class waves, and that was all we needed. We all stayed in a house that was converted to rent to loco surfer’s such as ourselves, some on beds, some in tents, couches, floors, anywhere away from the mosquitos and the rain, cuz we knew we just needed a place to keep our boards and to nap.
The first morning we were all tired, pulling in well after 10 pm excited for an early rise. There were many among us as giddy as schoolgirls before their first dance, unable to sleep. At 5 am the floor started creaking, bodies started moving and the coffee was being poured. As the sun began to rise, boards were being prepped, waxed, new fins attached, leashes made ready and the anticipation of the sun too much for us to bear. Qucikly, men starting walking the 200 yards to the beach to get a taste of a world class wave. Overcast skies, and offshore breeze, huge slow breaking waves greeted us all as we tip toed over the rocks seeking the quickest way to the shoulder.
Personally my arms turned to jelly on the swim out to the waves. It seemed like never ending strokes attempting to reach a mirage way off in the distance. Even the seasoned vets had to take a break before attempting to catch one of these endless waves. It was gratifying to watch man after man as they found they peak of the wave, stroked quickly, slid down the wave and rode on for what seemed like hours. Four hours later, stomachs grumbling, the waves subsiding just a little, we decided it was time for the eat portion of our trip.
During breakfast, exhaustion seemed to overwhelm us, or our adrenaline had abandoned us, because men were dropping where they sat, some with plates on their laps, forks in their mouths, or coffee in their hands. But as quickly as they fell they again rose looking for the next wave. Me, Lyle and Mike F. decided to try and find our boys who were surfing a secret spot. We had loose directions from Marcell, and set off on an adventure. Unable to find them, we went down a trail by some cabanas. As the trail became overgrown and jungly, we decided it was best to turn around, so we stopped and Mike ran ahead to see if there was an opening to turn around. We should’ve know by the way he bulleted back to the car that something was up. There were waves, big long waves he exclaimed, in short panting breaths. But the best part, no one, not one person was in the water. You can make it, he exclaimed, it opens right up. Open up was a very loose word usage, as we had to dodge Lyle’s car between trees, under branches and to the beach to get to the waves. But it was worth it. He was right. There were big long waves and we were the only three people on the face of the earth that day that got to surf those waves. It turned out to be the best 3 hours of surfing we would have on that trip, and possibly in our entire life. Wave, after wave, after wave of rides 100 – 200 yards long, with only each other to take turns with. No wind, no chop, just rideable wave after rideable wave. In all honesty, it has probably ruined surfing for me from that day forward, and I truly wish my skill level was better so that I could’ve rode the waves for quite a time longer. Unfortunately I have no photos for we were all in the water.
So that’s how the trip went, eat, surf, eat, sleep, surf, eat, surf, on and on and on. Our muscles were tired, our body’s were aching. Some of the waves were too big to ride, some were too crowded to ride, but every wave caught was better than any wave we could catch back home. Ben got barreled and Jeremy rode the longest waves of his life, by far. And because of this trip I now know how to eat, surf and sleep, and although it is certainly not as easy as it sounds, I can’t wait until I get to do it again.
Nicaragua Missions Day 2
If day one was an eye opener, day two was good follow through, although I was a bit worried when I saw the kids trolling the dump first thing in the morning. But as we drove by, they stopped, smiled and waved. We again started the day with the plan of building two houses. We divided back up into teams, split up and got to work. Our team managed to finish our house by about 12:30 which was a perfect transition into the first day of vacation bible school.Our plan was to open up the school to 50 kids, all invites by the pastor, Marcos. An hour before the doors opened kids were already showing up. The church had one solid wall and three gated walls, with a concrete floor, a very nice building by the neighborhood standard. Unfortunately the one solid wall blocked the wind we so craved. Somehow the 50 kids grew to 68, not unexpected and not unplanned for.
- The family we built a house for today.
The shy son
Dorian and Dad making paper airplanes
The first activity of the day was to make and color a paper airplane. Our plan was to teach them how, which was quickly abandoned because of the sheer volume of tiny, tanned, dirty faces surrounding the table reaching out for just a bit of attention and love. It was if we had food to give and they were starving;tiny dirty fingers poking and prodding all over, ” no tengo” they would squeek, pointing at a blank piece of paper as if it was a small treasure. So we made paper airplanes for them as fast as we could, and they colored them to make them their own. A story of Christ’s birth was then shared before moving on to snack time. Snack time was the quietest most peaceful time of the day. My theory, they had been trained already by the daily provided lunch, sit quietly, patiently and you will be fed.
Prepping for VBS
The VBS building, the nicest in the area.
faces of Nicaragua.
- The crew
One of my favorite little girls
At times it was chaotic, it was always loud, and it was hot muggy and uncomfortable. Even the kids were saying they were thirsty. But similar to yesterday you could see the joy in the kids eyes and the excitement and glow in their faces. It was not easy to look past the ill-fitting filthy clothes, or the dirt stained faces, but the smiles and their eyes really brought a level of warmth to my heart. I could not take enough pictures of their faces. But my heart still hurt for the hundreds of kids that were not able to attend. It still felt like this was a band-aid, just a temporary fix, and it left me longing to do more.
here she is again
begging for an airplane
Katherine loving on a little boy
loving her balloon animal
There were some fantastically bright shining moments such as when I told them that they had done ” my bien” or very good coloring their airplane. they would repeat it to themselves and tell their friends, smiling ear to ear. And quickly show me any more improvements for another tidbit of praise. Or they joy they took looking at the myriad of photos I took of them. Or the simple things like when one of the teen girls with us washed their hands, and afterward they smelled their hands in joy. I know these are small things, and to me they don’t mean much, but it is what we can do and I have to deal with that. Perhaps, in time, I will be able to do much more, but for now I must just enjoy the moment for what it is, a memory for them and another life changing moment for me.
Alaska; Costa Rica similarities? It’s a breeze.
Throughout the last 7 months I have been highlighting the differences between Costa Rica and Alaska, today however I am going to key on a similarity. In Alaska, we always mused that we only had two seasons, 9 months of winter and 3 months of summer. Some would say breakup was also considered a season. Our springs were mired in the much of breakup and our falls, well they seemed to last about a week. So we endured winter and lived for summer.
Here in Costa Rica they have two seasons as well, the green or rainy season and the dry season. I posted several blogs during the rainy season, and man it sure does rain. It rains like I have never seen, like Forest Gump Vietnam rain. Well were are now a couple of months or so into the dry season and much like breakup in Alaska we are experiencing a new intra-season, the windy season. The wind here, like all great winds has a name, the Papgayo (I think there are 50 different ways to spell it) winds. These winds are fierce. They start rattling the palm trees at about 5:30 in morning, a natural alarm clock, and often die down about 12 hours later, before repeating the cycle. They are strong, gusting and loud. I mean these are the kind of winds that take a toupee to Panama. They will dry a clothes line full of clothes in 10 minutes or less. They will hurl a coconut down the street faster than a Roger Clemens fastball, post steroid use. These are seriously impressive winds. Winds that would frighten me if I was patrolling the Bering Sea in January like the old days.
a little spray taken off the top of this small comber.
another small one showing the evidence of the winds
Personally I have been enjoying them for they make being outside quite bearable. However, yesterday while hanging at the beach and doing a little surfing, I saw a glimpse into the downside of the Papagayos. You see if you have ever tried to sit on the beach in a bathing suit, during a wind storm,it is akin to being shot at by dozens of kids with airsoft guns. Basically, you are being sandblasted, the same method we used to remove paint off of our old steel boats in Alaska. It is slightly unpleasant. So to escape you jump in the water with your surf board to catch some waves. The problem there is that the wind causes a wind chop that has you taking constant green water over your bow, making it very difficult to navigate. Furthermore it pushes wherever it wants you to go, which is not where you want to be. The good news, if the hurricane is blowing off shore, then you get the perfect barrel for surfing, if you know what you are doing, and I don’t. So I usually end up upside down, holding my breath on the bottom of the ocean waiting for the thundering of the ocean to quiet down so that I can emerge to get some air, pull my surfboard back to the water as it flutters in the wind like a kite, paddle back into the wind, and try again.
spray warning
more wind clouds
but it does lend itself to some nice sunsets and cloud formations
So there you have it, Costa Rica is just like Alaska, two seasons and each with their good and bad points. Alaska’s interim breakup is messy and makes it difficult to be outside, Costa Rica’s windy season is messy and makes it difficult to be on the beach. A couple big differences, although I do take a ton of water over the bow, I don’t have to worry about icing up, and during AK’s breakup your toupee is not only safe, but a good way to keep your noggin warm. Here in CR, unless you are using superglue, best put that thing in lock up for January and February and get a little sun on your dome, after you sandblast off all the dead skin of course.
Here is a short video, with the full sounds of the winds in our back yard.
Sail Away on the Marlin Del Ray
With the dry season now upon us, the only logical thing to do is to take to the water, which we did. BCC sponsored a sunset cruise aboard the Marlin Del Ray and the day couldn’t have been better. There were a smattering of clouds in the piercing blue sky, a slight breeze and perfect air temperature to be skimming across the slightly rippled blue sea. On board the cruise about 60 family and friends, drinks, fruit and food provided.
Our chariot awaits
Nary 20 minutes out of Tamarindo we spotted some humpback whales, a calf and her momma and we veered course to ride next to them. They put on a nice show for all of us, breaching, spewing and generally delighting all those on board before swimming off into the deep. Immediately after getting back on course we were greeted by some dolphins who playfully glided by each hull on the 60 foot catamaran. Right along side of them was a small manta ray sunning his wingtips. Soon after that we sailed upon some Leatherback turtles having an intimate moment. They seemed slightly irritated as we slid by them 10 feet away. In between all this were fish jumping, snakes swimming, and the wind and sea slapping gently against the hulls of the boat. On board, kids and adults were laughing in glee with every new sighting.
Thar she blows! Whale watchers moving over the the starboard side.
Once we reached our destination, a private beach, the anchor was dropped and everyone hit the water with snorkels, noodles or life jackets. The water was not the clearest, but it was clear enough to see the plethora of colorful fish and sea life along the reef. I don’t know what kind of fish I saw but I do know that they were neon blue, yellow, rainbow-colored, small, large, fast slow and all curious. The beach itself was empty except for those of us from the boat, so it was ripe for a walk or a little beach combing. It was a small dark beach sheltered by small cliffs on each side, making the bay it hosted nearly glass calm. No surf to speak of, but great for some swimming and snorkeling.
Jeremy and Octavia checking on the anchor.
The day finished with some food, singing and a typical Costa Rica sunset, the money shot. However, they always seem to be a little more impressive from the water. Something about being able to look back onto the beach having the same view the sun has makes it slightly more breathtaking. Cameras were smoking as their shutters flashed, and there was a slight quietness and stillness that enveloped the whole vessel as we waited for that magical moment when the sun disappeared over the edge of the world. We were not disappointed, as we never are. And as we were shuttled back to the beach in the 20 foot fiberglass, white open skiff, which got us close enough to wade back to the beach in the warm Pacific water, I realized that this was November, and we had just all been kissed by a touch of sunburn. I also realized that our reality had changed from shoveling snow, driving on icy roads and trying to keep my bald head warm, to trying to stay cool, dealing with jellyfish stings, and trying to make sure my bald head doesn’t burn. It is a change, but we are doing our best to cope.
P.S. There are so many pictures that I just put them in slideshow below for you to enjoy.
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Here comes that rainy day feeling again
October is apparently the rainiest month of the year in Costa Rica, and this one has not disappointed, at least not in our eyes. If one has their eyes open the signs are readily apparent, huge drainage holes in the concrete walls surrounding yards, deep concrete ditches on the sides of the roads, and houses adorned with gargantuan gutters and spouts all for this season.
Talking to those who have resided here for a time, this has been a light rainy season. Thunderstorms in the morning, clear skies in the afternoon, clear skies in the morning thunderstorms in the afternoon. But something changed this last month. The thunderstorms have given way to rainy days, cloudy days and periods of downpours. You know it can get bad when your church has a contingency plan to meet in a nearby school if the rain causes the river to rise to an uncrossable level. Which it did last Sunday.
the river runneth through the road to church
Even though I was born on Kodiak Island ie. one of the rain-forests of Alaska, and we lived there for years, it is taking us time to get used to the pure intensity and size of the local rainfall. Often times it pounds down so hard on the roof of the house, you would think it collapse under the sheer weight and force. It is a thunderous sound against the ceramic tiles, that could be almost melodic, but it echos more the constant rolling thunder. Even a quick sprint to the car, 30 feet away will leave you drenched to the point of dripping. But then, when the rain stops in the afternoon and the sun peaks through, then the evaporation and humidity, wet sticky humidity take over the day, and it leaves you begging for the rain again. At least you know you are going to get wet in the rain, the humidity is like a sneak attack; melting you from the inside out.
managed to capture a shot of lightning in the pitch black of night with my iphone.
This being our first rainy season, much like people taking pictures of moose their first year in Alaska, we are shutterbugs, shooting video and pictures of the massive amount of agua that this country can endure. However, it has not come without a price, as there have been 18 road closures, massive mud slides, flooding and the likes.
This is what it looks like from our patio in between the hundreds of lightning strikes....
...same shot seconds later, still pitch black out. It is like a disco strobe at night.
So the following video is for your enjoyment, through the sacrifice of our dryness. Much like the pictures from my days patrolling the Pacific ocean, and waves on the beach, the pictures and video do not accurately display the veracity and intensity of the experience. But it represents a typical September evening and so far a typical late October day. The good news; if it continues we will be surfing down driveway! Hang Ten.
Costa Rican Tip Ups
One of our goals during our first year here in Costa Rica is to explore. We have started to do that, hitting new communities, new beaches, new areas. One thing has been pretty consistent on most beaches and that is the Tico fishing style. Instead of the Lamiglass rods and Berkley reels of the Kenai River, they use plastic reels and wind up some 20 pound mono filament, a small hook and they are good to go. Instead of neoprene waders or lightweight waders, they wade waist to neck-deep, barefoot and in shorts.
This past weekend we spent the day at Panama Beach and met a local fisherman. He was about 18 years old, tall, dark and slender with black wavy hair. His hands had nicks and cuts and thin burn like scars, most likely from hand holding the monofilament with fish on the line. I regretfully did not get his name, but we attempted to converse for quite a while over a topic we both had interest in, fishing. It was amazing to watch him fish, and like all fisherman he loved to talk about his fishing.
Getting ready to get some bait
The first thing on his list, find some bait on the beach. I think what he used was a very small hermit crab, which he deftly removed it from its tiny shell and put it on a very small hook, one you may use to catch minnows. The hook was below a very small bell weight. He then would wade knee-deep into the water and while holding a white plastic roll in his left hand, he would toss the hook 10 feet off the beach and wait. It didn’t take long before he would be whisking a 4-6 inch sardine in. Quickly he would yank the hook out of the mouth a the sardine and then run to his yellow or black plastic roll and hurriedly run a bigger hook through the back of the sardine and race back down to the water. This time he would go much deeper, at least to his waist. Then like Roy Rogers he would swing the live sardine on the hook and weight over his head like he was going to lasso a bull and then sling it out as far as he could. By my estimates it was 25-30 feet off shore. Then it would sit. He would put the reel in the sand, put a little sand on it and go get the white reel to catch another sardine for his second line.
sardine bait catching depth
On this particular day it seemed to be good fishing, as I could see the sardines flying out of the water as they were being chased by game fish. Every once in a while I would even see the flip of a tail, or splash of the head of a game fish. Within minutes my friend was sprinting back to his reel as it was being drug down the beach; Fish on! Then the work began. I don’t know if you have ever fished with a hand line, no rod, no reel, just you the fish and the line in your hand. But it can be an extremely painful experience as monofilament burns skin rather easily as it slides through your hand.
Costa Rican tip ups
As he picked the line up he would sprint straight up the beach to set the hook. Then as he wound up the line back on the reel, he would come back down to the shoreline. From then on it was a typical fisherman’s fight. He would pull in some line, make some headway and then the fish decided to run and would snap the line through his hand and of the reel. I could tell it hurt because after every run he would glance at his hand and then quickly splash it in the ocean before starting another pull. This would go on four or five times until the fish came to shore. When it was close, he would again back up the beach. What I found interesting was that he didn’t “bonk” the fish, didn’t kill the fish or anything, he just left it and grabbed his other reel. The fish, in turn, just laid on the beach.
The first two of the day
On this day I watched him catch and land three fish. They were all about 10-15 pounds and they all put up a decent fight. The last one I caught on video and he had a tough time with that one ” grande, grande” he kept telling me. Now I wasn’t able to fully understand what kind of fish they were, but through a little research I figured out they were Jack Crevalle, not a highly prized food fish, but food none-the-less. Not food directly for him, food because he would sell the fish and use that money to buy food. He earned the money just as much from the cleaning of the fish as from the catching, because he used a butter knife to clean it. Yes a typical American butter knife to clean all three fish.
Butter knife fish cleaning
At the end of the day, fish cleaned, lines out of the water, fish washed in the water from whence they came,he slings the three Jacks over his shoulder and pushes his beat up blue bicycle off the beach. Before he gets 100 feet he already has at least one fish sold, and maybe more. As he exits the beach the little tico kids all surround him to gawk at the days catch, a hero in their eyes as he pauses to tell them how he caught the fish so quickly and about that goofy gringo that kept asking him a million times ” what kind of fish is that? ” Perhaps next time I will join him and learn the Costa Rican twitch with the Costa Rican tip ups.
This is an unedited video of his last catch of the day.
Home sweet home, or hogar dulce hogar.
You know that feeling when you come home after a long trip. That ahhhh, sigh of relief, that feeling of relaxation, comfort and knowingnesss, that feeling of home? Well, we didn’t quite get that feeling when we opened the door to our new home. Perhaps it’s because we had never set foot in the house prior to this day, and the unkown always leads to a little anxiety.
The first impression was taken through weary eyes and tired bodies not wanting to unpack a single one of the 18 suitcases. The beds were quickly divvied up, and we were given a quick walk through of our new home. The very first thing I noticed, I could not help but notice was that our front yard did not have a lawn, but instead was a pool, a fan-shaped pool. And although it was nearly 10 pm, the pool was warm. The second thing I noticed were the giant doors, about 9 foot tall, real wood doors. They were pretty impressive. The third was a sound, it was the weird horn sounding noise,almost mechanical in nature, much like the vuvuzela horns. I thought perhaps the air conditioning was over worked, or a pump was broke. I was quickly informed that those were frogs. Lots and lots of frogs. I remembered the drive and seeing all the frogs attempting to jump in front of our car. Apparently they were coming to our new house. I am glad I was able to cut several of them off before they made it. However, a few of them were chilling right next to the pool, just waiting for us to arrive.
Our entry way
The entry way, with Kassie getting ready to jump in the pool, always.
those huge entry way doors, to keep the frogs out.
After loads and loads of luggage, we turned up the air conditioners and settled in for our first night. Early the next morning the kids were in the pool, while I walked next door to the Super Massai to get some eggs and supplies for breakfast, although no one else seemed to miss it. After breakfast, I continued to inspect the house, and I realized we were not alone. First, we had a cat. I am not a cat guy, but this cat liked me and loved the kids. It seemed very comfortable around our house, it seemed that it lived at our house and we were her guests. We also had some geckos and we had already met the frogs, we just hadn’t met all of them. One frog decided to become more at home than all the others, he took up residence in the downstairs bathroom. In the one place where there is always water, the toilet. Ben discovered him when he went to break the bathroom in. The frog quickly disappeared down the escape hatch, and made several more visits, usually when Ben was around, before I was able to trap him and release him back to the cesspool (pun) he came from.
Entry Way
I kind of think he enjoyed being flushed down because he always came back with a smile on his face.
Overall, the house is very nice. It is larger than we anticipated, but also well lived in and in need of minor repairs. So we have been working closely with our new maintenance man, Esteban. He speaks very little english, and I speak very little spanish. Together, we communicate well. There are a lot of hand signals involved, lots of “si, si” ” no funcionado” “es bien” but we make it work.
some of the necessities
mom and dad's room
view from mom and dad's room, and yes you can see the Pacific from here, but Alli's room has an even better view.
our living area, with windows all around
So far, other than the constant heat and frequent thunderstorms, our biggest adjustments have been to the critters. They are noisy and they are everywhere. Ants, frogs, iguanas, lizards, crickets all singing, and usually only in the dark. It is a giant chorus of nature lulling us to sleep or alarming us awake, depending on your point of view. I imagine in no time at all it will be difficult for us to sleep without the constant chorus of critters.
from the kitchen towards the living area
Kitchen
We are still getting settled and there is a lot still for us to do, but we are trying to get into a groove. It is a very difficult but exciting transition. Not only are we moving countries, but I am working from home with is another huge adjustment. And it makes it even more difficult when the sun is shining, the air is warm, the pool is blue, and the family is outside. I may have to find a computer screen that I can see well in direct sunlight. Steve Jobs you listening?
lunch on the front lawn
We feel blessed to have such a nice house with a pool, and a beach about a 4 minute walk away. I have run it several times and cannot say how much I enjoy the sound of the waves thundering against the sand. My feet are still Alaskan, never seeing the light of day, but I will strive forward to break them in through many miles of beach running.
patio view of the pool
Alli and Livy posing in the front yard
I enjoy seeing the fisherman early in the morning wading neck-deep to catch barracuda, ahi, rooster, or anything that will bite their live sardine bait. But I eagerly anticipate the time when we get into a groove, start making new friends, find a new purpose and start living, instead of vacationing, although when your front yard is a glimmering warm blue pool, are you ever off vacation?
Tico Travel
Although not quite settled, we were already experiencing all the aspects of the Tico lifestyle before the wheels of our Airbus even left the Florida tarmac. We knew travel would be difficult as we planned to arrive 3 hours early, after a quick pit stop at Dunkin Donuts of course. The minute we pulled into the rental car return lot and began unloading our two vans, 2 guitars, 18 carry-ons, (one a personal item), and 18 checked bags, we could tell by the glares and stares it was going to be a long day, as we had planned, but we did not anticipate it was going to be as long as it turned out to be.
After a lengthy, question filled check in with four carts of bags in tow, we headed on over to the lovely TSA screening line, a line not unlike line for Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure, and laid out much the same. As we waited in line, my hands full of passports and boarding passes, I heard over the loud speaker ” every person must carry their own passport, regardless of age”. I knew instantly that was meant for us. They had already spied us and we were on their radar. Several of our bags were unpacked,ransacked, searched and semi-repacked, several of our bags were re-sent through screening, and one bag got left behind, momentarily. If we could just get on the plane.
Finally, an hour behind our projected schedule we arrived at gate number 5 with 45 minutes to spare, just enough to run our family through the bathroom. It then turned out our 45 minutes kept growing until it blossomed into an extra 90 minutes. One and 1/2 hours late we boarded our plane, one of the first groups on. As the last of the passengers boarded, the pilot duly notified us that we had to wait for a log to get signed off, a process that should take 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes a little more than an hour. He also informed us that our flight would be about an hour and 1/2 longer than usual due to weather.
We eventually did take off, and more often than not we wished we had not. I have flown on dozens of aircrafts, hundreds of thousands of miles, I even spent a year working as a FLIR operator aboard a King Air, and not counting small aircraft, I have never been on a bumpier ride. My seatbelt earned its keep, struggling to keep a 20o+ pound man from crushing his head against the air mask release compartement.The most enjoyable part was watching people race to the back to get to the air toilet between the red ding of the seatbelt light. It was like a game of red light green light. More than one of them introduced themselves to me and my aisle seat on a personal level, but not on purpose. Little did we know our day was just beginning.
the shuttle is loaded and we are en route to the rental car counter in San Jose, my favorite place.
De-boarding, or un-boarding went rather smoothly. The passport line resulted in me being scolded by the agent for bringing all my family forward without permission. Next time I will do better, I promised. I already knew I would be hiring skycaps, because hiring a Costa Rica skycap is like getting an express pass at Disney, right to the front of line. I only had one question thrown my way by the custom agent, with a puzzled head slanted look, “senor, just how long are you staying in Costa Rica?” After moving on, the next adventure was attempting to put two skycap’s full Home Depot style flat trailers into their mini-sized shuttle van. Two skycaps, three Thrifty car employees, one dad and 25 minutes of stacking, un-stacking made it all happen. All of us dripping sweat, tugging pushing and pulling bags in every direction. There was not an empty square meter in that van, including the driver’s seat.
Being a smart traveler, I not only had a GPS but I downloaded a special iphone app with an updated CR map. I even pre-progammed our route. So after an always long painful stop at the rental car counter, and multiple reminders that I was renting 2 cars we were on our way. My new App loaded and ready Tracy following our gold van closely behind in her small SUV. Unfortunately I had forgotten that when I programmed in the route, that it was from the center of San Jose, the biggest most difficult place to drive in all of Costa Rica, with two cars lanes combined about 70% the size of one lane in America, and no shoulders. Only 3 kilometers away from the center of “the hood” in the pouring rain, did I realize what I had done, with Tracy in tow, guitars and suitcases on her head,I quickly re-programmed and headed out of the pit. Twenty minutes out of way, we retraced our steps communicating via walkie talkies (that was cool).
on our way out of San Jose, finally!
Two hours into our rainy trip we stopped for a bite to eat at a nice road side Soda, all looking for our second meal of the day 13 hours into the day. Cheeseburgers all around was the plan. Unfortunately they only had enough bread to make three cheeseburgers. So fish n chips and spaghetti it was. We then waded back to our van in ankle-deep puddles and continued on our journey home. Three hours left to travel in the dark rain. Unfortunately, I failed to listen to the App when it said to turn left, and I slammed on my brakes, and deftly rolled into a rare 2 meter shoulder causing Tracy to come within literal inches of smashing into my van. She slammed on her brakes and veered into the opposite lane, her tires slid sideways on the hot wet asphalt as she fought to control her SUV, while battling a guitar case thumping her upside the head. Thank the Lord there was no oncoming traffic. Thank goodness the agent talked me into the “full” insurance at a “discount” rate. At that moment, I kind of wish we didn’t have the walkie talkies (they weren’t very cool). The next few minutes were not fun. Praise the Lord there was no damage, and other than my pride for being so foolish, we were able to continue on.
local signage, I really like the turtle's sayings. Title "Quads destroy turtle's nests".
close to home
Other than being totally exhausted, the rest of the trip went rather well. We only had to pass about 15-20 vehicles, narrowly missed about a dozen pedestrians and bike riders, and ran over lots of frogs (they looked funny jumping into our headlights). At around 9:30 we arrived at the gate to our residence and met Felic, a very nice guard who could not speak a lick of english, nor would allow us access to our new home. Fortunately our new friend Danielle soon came to our rescue and after two shuttle rides, a late roller coaster style plane ride, a scary dark wet unfamiliar two car caravan, we had a place to lay our head for the next ? years.
Our first view of our new neighborhood.If you look closely you can see Felic at the gate.
a blurry daylight pic of our new home
daylight home
In the next episode of our Costa Rica adventure I will tell you about our house, you won’t want to miss it. Pura Vida.
Back to life, back to reality
What is a vacation? Can you have a true vacation while still at home? I think not. I think vacations are getting away from all the daily things in your life; work , meetings, appointments, clubs, practices, and work. The problem with vacations is that they end. It is impossible to have a never ending vacation, because at some point it becomes your “reality” or your “life”.
Now we will admit, we missed our kids and we missed our friends, but if we could’ve found a way to bring them all back to us, we would have. You could’ve all lived in our vacation for a while, and much like a tootise pop, we would see how long it takes a vacation to turn into life. My guess, when the money runs out.
To close out our trip, I thought I would just post some of our favorite shots of our trip. People seem to like the pics ( or really resent them Scott L.!) and I will work on getting another video together. Shoot, last time it only took me a year, and then it will be time for another vacation.
Well I went ahead and did a quick photo video, it was easier. I apologize for the quality, but it was a quick video just so for your enjoyment. The second video, well that is for all the doubters; those that doubt a 41 year, stocky Alaskan can surf. You can hear the cheers from the hot female in the background.
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.
Costa Rica Last Full Day Sailing take me away…… Christopher Cross
For those of you that know me very well, you would know that the above is my all time favorite song. Funny thing, I have never sailed in my life. Much like the horses, if it doesn’t require a key, I don’t usually drive / ride it. So today’s experience was a new one for me. Sailing , reminded me of the horseback riding, because without the sound of an engine, you can actually hear things. Things such as birds, the ocean slapping the hull, the whipping of the sails, and the captain say lunch time. Important things.
View of our house from the boat
We finally had our great cruise. But it was not without trepidation. With 5 minutes before we got underway, we loaded up the car to go. As I backed up, my keen sense of senselessness, alerted me that there was a slight problem with our Corolla. I jumped out, fearing a flat tire, and my fear was quickly realized. But I immediately saw a beautiful sight, only 4 lug nuts. I could whip this out quickly, and with Tra’s help we had it done in about 5 minutes. We threw everything in the trunk, and drove like a lifelong Ticos to get to the launch sight. As we pulled up, I saw our skiff pulling away, loaded. Once again we had missed our cruise! Was it not meant to be?
I saw a couple of Ticos and asked if they knew about the Lazy Lizard, our vessel of choice, and they said he was coming back to drop off one of his guys. It was true, and soon we were off on another adventure.
Newlyweds, or newly refreshed enroute to paradise.
On board we met our other 4 travelers, 2 from Minnesota and 2 from Ohio. The ride over to the snorkeling grounds was wonderful. Under sail, no engine, the wind whipping us to our destination. Once there, we eagerly jumped in to see what would await us in the water. The visibility was poor, maybe 5 feet, but the sea life was abundant. I used every picture in my disposable water proof camera on wrasse, puffers, octopus, electric blue , striped fish and more. I had no idea what I was taking pics of , but they were pretty fish, and I am sure a couple of them were edible.
So how long do I have to hold this????
As Tra explored the near by private and secluded beach, I continued to snorkel, stopping only to kayak with her, and catch my breath on the beach. I did encounter one angry jelly fish, and he gave me a nice stinger on my arm to let me know I was in his house.
Tra kayaking back to the Lizard for some grub
whale!!!
We finished the cruise watching the sunset from the Lazy Lizard, right out in front of our house. We completed the day with a nice meal at our new friends house, discussing the merits of living in Costa Rica.
It was a great great ending to a trip of a lifetime and we are so happy we got to share it with all of you. We are very excited to see our kids, but not too excited to see the snow. I will have a summary blog on the whole trip coming soon, until then…
Just a dream and the wind to carry me and soon I will be free…….
Costa Rica Days 12 / 13 A thorn in my heel.
The last two days have been about shopping, my favorite (not) but it is a necessary evil. It seems every time we talk to the kids they ask ” have you got me anything yet? What is it? Oh yeah, we uhhh miss you.” And that is why we always travel with two extra bags packed in our suitcases. In order to do this we had to go to the touristy areas, Tamarindo and Playa Del Coco. I believe I have blogged on both of these in the past. They are both very Americanized, which, for our purposes is just what el doctoro ordered. So shop we did.
Hmm, only one person on the morning jog! Who's missing?
Have you ever noticed that 90% of the stuff in each of the half a million shops is the same? Same trinkets, same t-shirts, same hats, same key chains, and one unique object, usually made in China. Well if you haven’t, I have you covered, just trust me on this one. In the last two days we must have hit about fifty stores, and they all met the criteria above.
Playa Ocatal, fishing community near Playa Del Coco.
Playa Del Coco is one of the most established tourist areas in Guanacaste, and it shows. It looks like a typical Popular small beach in the U.S. with lots of small souvenir shops and restaurants. Not as many high-rise hotels however. The beach is dirty and crowded, but it is a good place to shop and find American style stores and shops. If you veer of to the left about 6 kilometers, you end up in Ocatal which is where many of the local ex patriots live. Less commercialized, great houses, secluded but close enough to all the “stuff”.
One of the many monos in Playa Del Coco
Tamarindo is a newer but fastly growing tourist area. The beach is very very long and surf friendly, I actually prefer it to Coco. However, there is a lot of people trying to sell you stuff, walking the beaches and streets, and just like the shops, 90% of the “stuff” is the same as the stuff the guy tried to sell you 3 minutes prior to the guy trying to currently sell you stuff. We had a parade of about 50 of them go buy us trying to sell us the same stuff while we attempted to watch a peaceful gorgeous sunset. Both places great to visit, but probably not the best for living.
Tamarindo
Tra in Tamarindo
The highlights of the last couple of days; The monos came down to see us in Playa Del Coco, they hung out right above the shop we were in. The sunset in Tamarindo, it was spectacular with the sailboats and the cloud cover. Some pretty good deals on some neat things in some of the shops. Some of the food was pretty good, and when it is all said and done, it is all about the food is it not?
Tamarindo sunset
Tamarindo sunset
Tamarindo Twosome
The low-points, that cold snap affecting America, we feel it. I mean in the morning when we go for our jog, it is like only 75 degrees, with highs near 90, much cooler than in the past. But we will suffer with the rest of America. The thorn in my heel; while walking the beach in Ocatal, I took about four steps and screeched like a howler monkey. I felt a sheer pain in my right heel and I did not know what it was… a spider, scorpion, snake.. something reached out and bit me hard, right through my flip flops. I told Tra, and she said it was still there. It was none of the above, it was a branch with a 2 inch thorn that I had steeped on just right. It went right through the sole of my shoe and pierced my heel and drew blood. It was quite the experience.
The thorn from my heel, has become the sword of my tongue. Note the thorn on the left with the blood of my heel on the tip!
Where the heck is my food? Nice view at least.
A mono in a tree in Playa Ocatal! A rare sighting for sure!
Tomorrow is Tracy’s birthday!!! We are going boating, so we will see you with some new pics and stories tomorrow night.
Costa Rica Day 11 The boogie man!
Today was a day for boogie boarding. So back to Playa Grande we went, for the surf on our beach is nearly non-existent, great for swimming, not surfing. Picture a surf town you would see in a movie, very small buildings, very small community, lots of small bars and hostels, and some small surf type eateries except with 75% percent of the people habla espanol, y solomente espanol, and that is Playa Grande. Once there, we rented a boogie board, because you are never too old to boogie. I would have preferred more of an offshore wind, but I made do.
Tra showing me how it is done
Now remember I have already conquered ( or survived) my guacho time. I have become a wildlife expert, so it is time for me to join the surf community, except I think I will do it on a boogie board. It’s basically the same thing right? You know, skis vs. snowboard, they both bring you down the mountain, they both bring you in on the surf. One small miscalculation, I am 41 years old, and my body doesn’t twist and turn like it used to. Therefore, when the power of the ocean wants my top to move one way and my bottom to move the other, well there’s a bit of a problem there.
Tra working the surf
I did manage to get a few good boogies ( pretty sure that is the technical term) in before I pulled my left leg out of socket and bent it over my ear. At least that is what it felt like. Tra then hit the water and showed me how it was done, catching three waves in row. Maybe she should be giving the lessons at the local surf shop, Frijoles Loco. It was very fun day, with many hours spent in the sun, a fantastic sunset (again), two hours cleaning our sand from every inch of our bodies,and a great dinner at Angelina’s here in Playa Flamingo. A nice simple day in paradise.
time to head out and catch another one
Catching the big Kahuna.
View back from the water on the packed beach
Packed beach
our dinner spot, it was very nice, great night breeze
We had the whole beach pretty much to ourselves, figuring hard partying surfers don’t get up till after noon sometime (actually they get up at 5 am to catch the best waves), until a couple of local guys came to the beach with a blue soccer ball. Within 10 minutes , there were nearly 20 guys right in front of us playing a full fledged soccer game. Within the group I heard some Spanish, Italian, and possibly some French, or that could have been cursing. It was amazing what one little ball could do to an otherwise peaceful beach. Not that we minded, but we found it interesting that we had a 1 mile long beach with hardly anyone there, and the soccer game broke out right in front of our spot. Maybe I’m just upset they didn’t ask me to play, after all once I got my leg back into place I could have sat in goal.
Costa Rica Day 10 The end is near
For those of you that keep track, remember last Sunday we went to Liberia and got lost amidst a city wide celebration, and the way we escaped was to put Church’s Chicken in the GPS. Well we promised to be in church today, and we were. We went to the Beachfront Community Church. Now it wasn’t beach front and, like many public buildings here, it did not have walls. It was quite breezy, so that made service a lot of fun, but they were ready and it did not faze them a bit. Me, I was sweating throughout the service, and no it was not because I was convicted, it was because I was hot and the breeze, well it too was hot. The winds are called Papygao, and they are seasonal.
Pre-Service
The outside of our church
After Church we did something we had not done since we have been here, we ate inside a place with actual air conditioning and walls. While inside, Tra spotted a friend of hers, a little boy that had been wandering the area trying to sell things, and when he met us, Tra loaded up with his wares. Ever since then, every time we see him he waves emphatically. So Tra ordered him a mango smoothie and while I paid the bill she ran it over to him. He was very excited and drank it quickly. I think we have another amigo in the area.
Tra's new best friend
Another interesting tidbit, apparently the dry season is the burn season. Yeh, I know, it makes no sense to me either. But we noticed fires all over the place and so we asked what was the deal, and the deal is they don’t care about wild fires. They flat don’t care. The fires burn slow, and the houses are not built out of wood, so they don’t care. Apparently the Papygao winds end the end of this month and then everybody really burns like crazy, along with the hillsides. Every once in a while they take out a power pole, but hey who cares?
Fires across the way
More fires, they are everywhere
Finally we have hit several grocery stores here, the main ones are called Super Compro, Super Mercado, Auto Mercoda and Double Massai. The most American one is the one in Playa Del Coco, which we have shopped once. Most of the time, they look like the pictures below.
Small grocery store items, typical items.
We ended the day returning to one of our favorite restuarants, or first re-eatery, and it again was wonderful, El Coconut in Tamarindo. There
we ended the night looking at the sunset and reflecting on the fact that we have passed the half way point of our great adventure, and like the pastor said this morning, the end is near.
the moon has been fantastic lately
Tamarindo sunset
This little fella greeted us when we came home. You can't see it in this pic, but they are very colorful, and mean, much meaner than dungeness, the meanest Alaska crab.
What we learned:
1. A church without walls, and wind, can add empasis to the message if timed right.
2. A church without walls can make you sweat, which isn’t always bad.
3. Fires in Costa Rica, just like the people, burn slower.
4. The markets closest to the tourist areas are by far the most expensive.
5. The kids here work hard, and they appreciate a mango smoothie.
Costa Rica Day 9 A monkey in the hand is worth 20 crocs in the river
And we got both. After sunning ourselves all day yesterday, to the verge of crimson, we decided to take today to try something a little different. After a little research and a lot anticipation, we decided to try a little river trip down a big river and hoped to see some more wildlife, especially some crocs. We didn’t want to see zoo crocs, we wanted to see crocs in the wild, and we got more than we bargained, or paid for.
One of the many iguanas that thought they owned the road on the way to Bolson
The main form of transportation in Bolson
The day started without a reservation or a clue as to where to go. A little googling and I found a river that fit the bill perfectly, the Tempisque River in the Palo Verde Reserve. I noticed that most of the tours started from Playa Del Coco with a bus ride to the starting point Bolson. So we decided to skip the middle man and go straight to Bolson. Can you say adventure, we had no clue where we were going, how to book trip or what to expect. What we did not expect was a 30 minute drive down a dirt road littered with farms and iguanas who think they own the road.
Flat billed heron
One of many crocs
Several times we thought for sure we were lost, I mean whatever comes at the end of a rough dirt road with no houses, stores, stops, nada nothing but farms. But, we had no agenda, no time frame, so on we drove, a car rattled so hard my teeth hurt and our bladders were ready to burst, but on we drove. Finally, with all faith in our GPS we arrived in Bolson, our journey thus far causing us to have guarded hearts of muted anticipation. We were not incorrect, the town, if you can call it that, was about 13 houses and crackled paved basketball court in the middle. We were the only car we had seen for miles, and every Tico stared us down, “what are those expats doing here?”.
We decided to turn around, and drove up and down the 3 roads and there we saw it, a colorful sign promising a boat tour on a house aspiring to be 1000 square feet. We sat outside, “could this be the place? This can’t be the place, it is just a little tiny casa.” Just then a car drives bar and gives a little honk and a four foot chica in shorts and a tank runs out and motions me in. I indulge.
Blue heron
She does not speak a lick of English, but I point to the picture and between my pocito espanol and her little English, I manage to determine that Guillermo was coming to take me to Pedro. I ask the ever present “cuanto cuesta?” she indicates Pedro has all the answers. Needless to say I was a little nervours. Here we are in a foreign country, in the smallest town I have ever seen waiting for Guillermo to take me somewhere to see Pedro. While we waited, she told me it was muy calor, which made me feel good, becuase I thought I was just a heat wuss. The house had no air, no breeze, nada just dead air. She pointed out pictures on the wall showing me Pedro and some crocs he had wrastled. They were huge. I asked about crocs and manos and she shook her head promising us mucho manos and crocs.
bats, snoozing in the day
Macaws, pretty bird, pretty bird
Guillermo showed up on his bike as promised and he spoke excellent English for a young teen boy. We introduced and he told me he was to ride with us in our car, unusual but I obliged and off we went. After paying for the Park fee, $6 each, we continued on the dusty hot rocky windy road, dodging iguanas the whole way. We were introduced to our captain Pedro, he was a jolly Costa Rican, and he already had two elderly couples on board waiting for us, so off we went.
The river was breezy and nice, about 10 degrees cooler in the covered boat, so it was in the 80s. Immediately as we pulled out we saw a croc, and he swam away, no worries we were promised as there were many more to come. They were not lying. We saw many many crocs, too many to keep track of; birds of many kinds;more iguanas of several types than I knew existed; and much more.
Green iguana, big one chilling or heating as it may be
close up of males face
they call these Jesus lizards, they walk on water
The highlight of the trip was the monos, we saw three different species and they were fantastic. Our favorites were the white face. The white face came to the boat and ate, not just from the boat, but from our hands and it was an experience to say the least. Tracy was overcome with joy at the cuteness of these monos, they were like little kids begging for our bananas, and we gave them freely. They ate bananas like me eating baby back ribs, it was not pretty, but very efficient.
Tracy's monos taking bananas from here
More banana please
It took him a minute to get confident enough to take the bananas, but once they did, it was non-stop.
The river trip could have been the highlight of our trip. Half way through he dropped the elders off the boat and it was just me Tra and Pedro, and we had a great time. Him grilling me about Alaska and telling us his life story, how he left home at 15 and what he did, it was a bonus and by the end of the trip we had a new amigo. I cannot say enough how incredible it was to see the things we saw and the conversations we had. At the end as we disembarked, I told Pedro we had not paid. He seemed surprised, so again I asked “cuanto cuesta” he asked what his wife had told me and I replied $5 dollars, and then punched him in the arm. He laughed and said how about $50 for both of you. For a nearly three hour river trip with all that we saw, I thought that was a fantastic bargain, and I tipped him the same. He hugged us both and as we left Tracy was still beaming with joy, for a monkey in the hand……..
This is fun
Eeeeeeeehhhhh, crocs
Costa Rica Days 6-7 The grass is greener
You may have noticed that we have been missing in action for the last couple days. Well we made a bit of a road trip inland to Arenal, home of an active volcano. I guess we figured since redoubt didn’t blow, that maybe we would get to see one here in action. We had no internet access in the abyss, I apologize. So this will be a long one.
Tree on the way to Arenal
The road to Arenal, view of the lake
Lots of wind equals wind power
Bamboo next to the road
The first thing we noticed, the farther inland you go the greener it gets. It also gets quite chilly, I mean we had to put up with temperatures in the low to mid 70s, it was quite torturous for Playa Flamingo residents such as ourselves. The drive itself was about 70 miles and 4 hours. You drive much slower here, and the last 1/2 of the drive was through windy roads with about a dozen one way bridges, similar to the road to Hana in Maui.
Begging critters, they wait for cars to show and mob em for food
they are called Coati, thanks to Joe K. for that. The locals have another name for them, but i forgot what it was.
We had a great time there and stayed in a place recommended by our host, known for its hot springs, Arenal Parasio. It was a full fledged resort based on the volcano Arenal, with a myriad of activities available to all. We chose to participate in three, the mineral hot springs, the canopy tour, and little horseback riding.
Volcano Arenal from our room
Me relaxing in the rocking chair waiting for volcano to blow
Wet bar in mineral spring
We started with some time in the hot springs, and that was extremely relaxing. There were about 15 different springs you can sit in, and the farther up you went, the hotter they got. They are said to offer healing and rejuvanation to the skin, and I think they greatly helped progress the healing of my scarred noggin. We enjoyed they peace and quiet and view of the volcanoe, and they piped in music to each spring. There were very few people and we had each spring to ourselves.
working the hot springs
Oh where is my hubby?
enjoying one of the pools
These were some hot springs, shower like
Enjoying the springs
You can see the water is darker thatn normal water, but revitalizing
The next morning I scheduled a canopy tour, which to expatriats, is a zip line through the jungle. Unfortunately it rained all night long, the first moisture we have seen since we have been here, and it rained hard. So we cancelled our early tour and scheduled a later one. The one we did had 11 zip lines. We were in a group of 6 tourists. It was funny, I noticed as we walked up to the staging area, gear on, the line was very quiet and somber, almost like a funeral. By the end, we were all buddies, laughing and goofing off, funny what a life experience will do to a group.
getting ready for my first zip
views from the zip platforms
More zip views
me zipping along
zipping right into the greenery
The zip line was breathtaking, literally, it took your breath away. I had visions of a nice slow leisurely tour above the jungle, looking at beautiful scenery and taking pics. Alas, I was greatly mistaken. Zip means fast, very very fast, and yours truly was first up. I should have had a clue when 3/4 of our 10 minute safety briefing was spent on how to stop and “never stop with you feet, I don’t ever want you to use your feet to stop, you could get hurt, don’t use your feet”.
Mamma smiling, she is getting used to it.
Needless to say, it was an expierence of a life time . Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to hold a camera during the trip, but I tried. Prior to going they load you up with equipment including a beautiful hard leather glove, again for stopping. One side effect of the glove, when it is wet out, they leak and they leak all over you and your face, nothing like a leather juice to add to the experience. That made the whole experience exciting, the rain and fog dripping, and smacking you in the face at mach 3. Oh another thing about stopping, you are suppose to start stopping when you see the signal from one of your two guides, the trick is you have to see the signal. Some of the zips were so long and through so much greenery and rain and fog, that you may not see him until it was too late, then you were in panic mode applying the brakes. It was exhilarating. Tracy was very scared, but she did awesome and even had enough courage to keep her eyes all the way open by the last 1/2 of the trip. I even saw her smile several times.
After cleaning up and having a bite, we decided it was Tra’s turn to pick, she picked a horseback ride up the volcano. Now in my mind I pictured a nice easy horse ride, where the guide pretty much does everything and I just have to sit in the saddle. Tra loves horses and riding, me not so much. If it doesn’t have a key to start it, then it is not my thing. I have never really ridden a horse, nor have I desired so. Well I cannot say that anymore. Now let me make something clear, before each activity we sing a statement saying that we know this is dangerous and that we could die, but I have done that in the states as well. So I assumed they we would extremely safe like in the states, harnesses, pre-fabricted trails, more like the mini horse ride at the fair. I could not have been farther off. Our guide gave us a 5 minute demo of how it is done in Costa vs. the U.S. Apparently there is a difference, I really couldn’t tell.
Goucho and Gouchette
Where's the gas on this thing?
The view made all the pain worth it.
The ride was fantastic, hard but fantastic. We went down some steep valleys, and up some steep valleys, we galloped and trotted and rode, In fact a couple times Tra and I went the wrong way, our guide had to call for us. So there was no close watching or tracking. We had complete control. You could tell the horses knew where to go, but they also had their own minds and would do what we told them to do. My horse loved to eat, and he ate the whole way, and got ticked at me when I told him to move. I also had to learn on my own that when you gallop, you should put some weight on your feet, if not, they go flying out of the stirrups, just like mine did.
Beauty and the beast
Half way through the ride, stopped at volcano view
Momma and her sexy poncho
Another of the endless views
By the end I was a full fledged goucho, and I now know why gouchos walk bow legged. After the ride, we were both in pain, especially in our horseback riding regions. I apparently have a little saddle rash, not sure what that is, but I know I don’t like it. It sure would have been nice to sit in a hot spring, but we had already checked out and had to head home.
Steep hill, no problems for us pros
Elusive white hawk
Muchos Gracias Senor
this is just about right for me.
the Coati started climbing up my leg, reminded me of the critters from Galaxy Quest. they had sharp claws and viscous teeth.
What we learned:
1. Bring long pants for horse rides
2. Bring a light rain jacket for Arenal.
3. Take your time and enjoy the view.
4. Never trust sugar free ice tea.
5. Mineral springs rejuvinate the skin.
6. It is awesome to explore.
7. Sometimes, the grass is greener.
There is so much more I could write about, but this one is becoming much too long. We are still alive and loving it, and just trying to figure out how to get all the kids here with us. Here is a video of a copule of zip lines. Pura Vida!
