Golden Grandmas
Now that mom and grandma have left us, life is returning back to normal, even though we have not yet determined what that is. It was great having them here, they are feisty, up for anything, great cooks, great company and simply fun to be with. They filled our house with love and also filled it with the sweet aroma of fried bread, sourdough, brisket and much more. We ate well and we ate much. They even helped cook for youth group, life group and a church potluck. They made it much easier for us to transition through our first holiday away from the states, and again we ate well. They got hot often, but complained little. They reveled in the simple things, such as Fox News in english and Pops ice cream parlor.
wedding cruise
Dr. Doolittle making new friends
Grandma slept well, in the car, but not in her bed. Mom swam in the pool pretty much every day and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the exercise. Grandma flourished at the beach and on our adventures despite burning her back to match the flesh of a spawning red salmon, and peeling much the same way. Mom was in her element packing for the beach, lunches, snacks, and making sure we never ran out of sun tea. She also made sure there was always some kind of fresh baked goods close at hand: Cinnamon rolls, bread, fried bread, cookies, cakes, it was all there.
Nana, Livy, Dorian walking Avellanas
Grandma never went anywhere without one of her cameras and took pictures of everywhere and everything. Then she would upload them to her Facebook page faster than Mark Zuckerberg ever dreamed possible. Yes, my 82-year-old grandma has a Facebook page and she owns that thing. Posting picture after picture, commenting on statuses and reading posts from her grandchildren and friends upload throughout the day. My kids discovered a fatal flaw in Facebook because of her, there is no great grandma relationship available. In the evenings, after helping in the kitchen she would check her Facebook, play solitaire and wait for us to let her watch Fox News. One thing is for certain, I never worked up enough courage to drive by a Pop’s ice cream shop without stopping, because I am too scared to know what would’ve happened if grandma could not get her mango ice cream cone.
The 70's gals ready to party
We miss them already and can’t wait until they return for another visit. And perhaps by then we will all be able to follow my grandma’s tweets as she travels the country searching for pretty flowers, monkeys, cows and critters worthy of an upload. And if Pop’s ever gets free wi-fi, I guarantee you will see about a dozen pictures of a double scoop mango ice cream cone being devoured on Facebook.
Here are a lot more pictures from their trip.
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- Nana
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- didn’t ask, don’t know
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- We could’ve had a lot of these pictures
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- camera ready to roll
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- If Jake can do it, I can do it.
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- more camera time
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- Jungle woman
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- what did you say?
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- camera in hand for a critter shot
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- grandma enjoyed resting in the back yard
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- Love this one because her white hair blends in with the froth of the wave
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- Don’t know didn’t ask.
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- Livy and grandma
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- The oldest grandson
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- I said Coca Cola, not Coconut.
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- waiting for our boat
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- camera in hand ready to ride
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- nana and Wolfy looking for fishes
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- mom playing the bongos on the cruise
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- a wee bit breezy
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- star gazing
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- Dr. Doolittle making new friends
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- Los Lagos at Arenal
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- wedding cruise
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- Mom preferred this over the zip line.
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- She don’t go anywhere without a camera.
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- Enjoying the Fortuna waterfall
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- Nana, Livy, Dorian walking Avellanas
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- The 70′s gals ready to party
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- This took about 17 takes
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- See Alli this is how facebook works.
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- Are you sure this is safe? I mean really really safe.
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- Mom zipping
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- good times
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- Grandma in her new favorite mode of transport
6 month update
As this will be my last post of 2011 and my 55th post of the year (my goal) I figured it would be great to give our six month update. I already covered the year in our 2011 Christmas Letter, so I wanted to get you all caught up on where we are at in our little adventure.
Currently we have car, and we just recently got our bank account. Those were two primary things to check of our list. Next on the list is to work on residency and to get our Costa Rica driver’s license. Both tasks will require trips to San Jose, four and a half hour trips of which I am not fond.
We have really begun to settle in. We find it relatively easy to meet people here and to make friends. I find that we have an instant built-in bond. The bond of being a loco expat that has moved to Costa Rica. We all have our reasons for being here, but whatever that reason we are the few crazy ones that have done it, so that gives us an instant connection.
Part of the Godfrey/ Gugel clan setting up camp at Playa Danta.
Life in the Guanacaste region is slow, and by that I mean there is not a lot going on here. The kids have a few school activities, there are a few activities for adults, but there is no movie theater, no bowling, no malls nothing but beaches, bars, restaurants and tourist traps. So our definition of fun has truly evolved. As for Dorian, Jeremy, Ben Jake, Kassie and I, we like big waves for boogie boarding or surfing. It has become our go to activity, and we really enjoy it. Tracy just likes going to remote beaches and relaxing, Alli goes where her friends are and Livy doesn’t much care for the beach. Hopefully we can get her surfing. I have been helping coach the boys basketball team, and it looks like I will continue to do so into the new year. Tracy continues to sing with the church worship team and we both attend Bible studies with our relative gender.
I have enlisted a couple of my friends to teach me the art of spear fishing. They are eager to do so and I am eager to learn as my affinity for killing fish has not weaned from my Alaska days. Until then I will continue to stay on top of the water.
Mystery fish in the surf, a common sighting.
Another view, begging for a spear fisher.
Me on the hunt!
We still have bouts of home-sickness, especially during that holidays. We look forward to visiting, hopefully this summer, but it has been a huge blessing to have Mom and Grandma here during the holidays to bring a sliver of home to Costa Rica.
Jake and Kassie in a Costa Rican hot tub.
We are looking forward to doing missionary trip to Nicarauga with our church and have been involved in a small way with aiding local schools. Unexpectedly, we have a found a huge need amongst the local expats as well as the Ticos, so perhaps that is the path God is taking us down. Wherever he is leading, we will do our best to follow
Kassie and Ben watching daddy.
So there you have it. The biggest events from the three-month update has been our local bank account and the arrival of mom and grandma. At this rate, within two years we should have our local driver’s license, and residency sometime before we die. Until then, if you read this blog you will have to endure endless pictures of the beach, sunsets, and Godfrey’s in shorts. I figure by next rainy season, we will all be in sweaters. Pura Vida.
A Turtle’s Pace Part II
After paying our fees, at an open air shack filled with 5 Ticos wearing some semblance of shirts with turtles on them, making them obvious official turtle guides, we embarked on the second half of our journey. $8 for non-residents, was the fee for our “guided” tour of the beach. There were about 15 students and 10 adults, a salty group ready to stretch their legs. After money changed hands, we were issued our official green passes, and then canvas bags, which we were informed were to be used to gather trash. Cool, we pay to work. So that’s how socialism works. As we began walking towards the beach, the rain clouds moved in. No worries, as long as the turtles were there it would all be worth it. They were not.
Some major log moving going onLet's not move this one, it's too comfy.
I knew this was the only turtle we would see on this day.
We walked and walked and walked. We saw signs of turtles, drag marks, egg pieces and even a big old dead turtle. But no baby turtles and certainly no big momma turtles. After trudging for what seemed like miles in the black gritty sand, our guide finally spoke and asked us to help clean up the driftwood so the turtles would have more nesting room. So not only did we have to pay to see nothing and pick up trash, we had a good 1/2 hour of hard labor. We had resigned to our fate that we had just paid $8 per person to clean up trash, move driftwood, walk in the rain, and do things we could do every day in Guanacaste for free. Perhaps we could find turtles on the other side of the beach. I was clearly not hopeful. For after conversing with several of the turtle attendees who had attended several turtle coming outs in the past, the best time to come was very early in the morning, or at night, not 9 am. As I walked back along the surf lane allowing my feet to be washed off by the ever beating surf, I noticed a small portion of our group gathering up the beach a little. I altered course . As I walked into the small circle I heard cameras clicking, oohs and aahs, and saw some pretty big smiles. There were several baby turtles emerging from beach!
We see turtles emerging from the eggs buried in the depth of the black sands.
It was amazing to watch, first about six turtles, then 15, 20, 40, 60, 64 at final count. It was like a clown car at a circus, they just kept coming and coming directly out of the black sand. Slowly moving, covered in dirt trying to find their way. A few knew right where to go, others wandered off to the left or the right, but eventually they all seemed to at least point to surf. Maybe not directly, but at least at an angle that would get them there. The journey ahead of them was long and arduous, for they were about the size of a silver dollar, and about 1/3 the weight. Every footprint, stick or pebble presented an obstacle. A few got flipped over, some got stuck, some had to alter course completely, but all were determined to make it to their destination. It was then that I realized we were the turtles. We had a long and arduous journey, we had to alter course, we had to climb up and down the footprints left by nature, but we were determined to make it to our destination. The only difference, the baby turtles got stronger with every flip of their flippers, and we got a little weaker with every pothole.
Finding their way.
guess what I have!
At least now the journey to the surf had been worth it. We had seen what very few had ever witnessed. The sheer determination and pure beauty of God’s creation. The instinctive drive to survive no matter how hard. Events like these always affirm my belief in a creator. It seems incredulous to me to believe something so perfect as the circle of life could ever happen by accident. If you ever take a quiet moment to think about the true miracle of life, both in humans and creatures, of flora and fauna, it seems impossible to me to come to any conclusion other than the conclusion that it is planned. All of it. Each and every morsel. And nothing will affirm my faith in that more than seeing it in action with my own two eyes.
For many more pictures, video, and commentary enjoy our following two minute documentary.
P.S. On the way in I related a story about a teenager leading us on a false shortcut. On the way home we let a teenager lead us to the best Pizza place in all of Costa Rica. “The road is a little sketchy” he warned, but that pizza is good. When a road is barely passable by bicycle, covered in spider webs, and drops down 100 feet a time; that my friends is not the sign of good pizza place. This trail made the previous trail look like the Autobahn. It was steep, tiny, overgrown, full of fissures, gorges and gashes, muddy, slick and deadly. In short, it was scary. However once we turned down, there was no turning back. What we wouldn’t do for great pizza. How was the pizza? We will never know, it was closed for the season. Needless to say, those of us driving were not too happy with our teenage connoisseur. If you want directions I will give them freely, however be aware because there may be a former Gold Coast teenager roaming the roads chanting, ” the road is sketchy, but the pizza is good, the road is sketchy, but the pizza is good!”
Any reason to party?
Back in the states Halloween was a pretty big deal. In fact, if I recall correctly, the very first date Tra and I ever went on was near that very holiday, at a harvest fest type of event. I recall having to be prepared every Halloween for the slew of kids to come parading through the neighborhood. With every open door a shot of cold air would rush across our skin, and handfuls of candy would be dropped in the bags of ghouls, ghosts, goblins and ???. In Costa Rica there is no Halloween. Perhaps it is because they have a plethora of other holidays, or perhaps it is because it was created by the candy moguls in America, or perhaps it is because chocolate can be very hard to come by for the locals. Either way we didn’t expect much of anything, we were wrong.
a rock star from NOW, an American army guy, and a flapper
Ben from "Not of the World" Note the tat.
Jeremy and his first victim of the night.
Ben and Brockzilla, two rock stars from different sides of the track, not standing out at all in a packed La Paz gym.
There is a pretty large contingent of Ex-Pats in this area, and they hold on to their American / Canadian traditions very strongly, as we are quickly learning. If there is a slight reason to celebrate or party, they will gather in droves. Superbowl, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Columbus Day, doesn’t matter, if it connects them to home, they embrace it. Halloween, other than being a floating holiday is no different.
our flapper girl
Kassie and Jake harvesting some subsistence candy.
In the area we live there are three primary english schools, La Paz, Country Day, and Gold Coast Academy. All three private schools, all full of Americans, Canadians and French ( don’t ask me). All three of them held festivities on Friday night.
Livy in her award-winning costume, the one in white.
all about the candy
Our evening began right at sunset; humidity still thick in the air, the hot night air enveloping those in monkey suits, ghost sheets and more. I saw more sweat stains than at a July jalapeno chili bake in Texas. We hit La Paz first, the school had a special area for candy gathering, and it seems every english speaking kid in the country was there, adding to the humidity. As we weaved our way through the blue mat maze of on-air conditioned classrooms, we were met by princess’s, gold people, Lego’s and many more homemade costumes. There is no Wal-Mart, so creativity had to be high. Although sheer torture for the camera wielding adults caught in the never-ending snake of children, it was fun for the kids as their bags weighed down under the girth of the mixed tico candy. The school also had a small haunted house, and a gym full of games for the kiddos with prizes and awards. To top it off they had a bake sale and hamburgers and hotdogs off the grill. It was an all out event that required traffic control and parking on an empty over grown lot next to the school.
still waiting in line for some more loot.
Like, who's this creeper pretending to be Shaggy? ( a good friend, the real creeper is over his right shoulder)
Next we made our way to Country Day School, where they had a similar event going on. However, their highlight was the haunted house, and that is what we set our sights on, at least those of us brave enough to endure the close tight humid quarters. As we made our way through the draping of dark plastic we were assaulted by every creature imaginable from every angle, our feet, our heads, straight on, they were everywhere, and it appears that they were heavily dehydrated. It was a fun adventure with blue lights, water , at least we hope it was water, and much more. And talking to some of the creatures afterward, it was labor intensive, hot and draining, but they did not complain, instead they did their best to elicit screams and cries, and I am sure I heard a few, even from within our own party. Again, there were games for the kids, bake sales and some BBQ pork sandwiches. Lots of decorations, and balloons that were getting heavily assaulted by anyone under 4 foot tall.
no parking on the dance floor baby!
We finished the evening as chaperones at the Freaky Tiki, and event semi-coordinated by Alli as the event planner for her school. The event was made for the older kids as a costume dance event. Now I don’t know what qualifies as a good dance, but if it is a bloody red pool and fountain, lots of sweaty kids dancing all together, loud never-ending music, pizza and very loud never-ending music, then this was a successful dance. Again, it seems every english speaking kid from every local school was there. Apparently things have changed form when I used to go to dances. In my day you asked a girl to dance, you went out to the floor together and danced next to your buds, making funny faces and did your best to be cool. What we witnessed was just a glob of people all dancing together. I never did see two people dancing. The smallest group was six. However, I could’ve been hallucinating because between the unbearable thumping, heat, strobe light, and extra curricular lightning storm, I am not totally sure what we witnessed. But I am pretty sure there were no nefarious on goings nor any grinding going on during our watch! The dance went from 7-11 and was thumping the whole time.
a pool of blood surrounded by tombstones.
The fountain of blood, created by Mr. S. the demented.
strobe light limbo.
It was pretty much packed like this the whole night.
The freaks come out at night.
I have never been so exhausted after a Halloween night. I am convinced that we met every Ex-Pat in the area on that Friday night, even the ones without kids. And the best part, Halloween is tonight. I have no idea what to expect, but we will be prepared with some melted chocolates for our little prettys, just in case. Can’t wait to see what Thanksgiving will be like. I plan to get a nap before that one.
Just Bag It
Having never been much of a world traveler, the things I experience, the things new to me, are odd. Odd to me because they are different from my expectations. Not odd in a bad way, but odd in a way that makes me go hmmmm? Let’s take food for example. Sure the national food here is arroz con pollo or arroz con frijoles, chicken and rice or beans and rice. Like in Alaska where everyone has their own sourdough or beer batter or smoked / canned salmon recipe, here everyone has their own beans and rice or chicken and rice recipe. That’s not really too odd. I’ve watched enough food network to know that when you travel you should attempt to experience the “local” cuisine. However, what I find a little odd is how you buy your food.
Perhaps a little bit of a brand translation fail? Yummy bread though.
For instance, bagged ketchup? Yep, you can buy ketchup in a bag. Not just ketchup, but mayo mustard, beans, pretty much anything that comes in a liquid or semi-liquid form is sold in a branded six-inch sturdy foil bag, like a giant Capri Sun bag. They are in every store and nearly every aisle; Even cleaning solutions, clorox, windex, soap…. bags. Now I haven’t exhausted every resource, but I have asked a lot of people and no one has been able to tell me why. I have heard they are easier to stack, last longer, more econ friendly etc. All theories, all plausible, but odd none-the-less.
Ben showing us the Mayo and mustard bag section.
rows and rows of bagged / pouched stuff.
Pouched honey
Not sure if this is oil, lard or grease, but I know it is bagged, and Jeremy wants some.
Vanna showing us bags of cleaning "stuff". Liquid, powder, solid doesn't matter, it is bagged.
Hot dogs, and American staple and a Godfrey staple. they are good for breakfast lunch or dinner. I know what you are thinking, they do not come in bags. Well, not exactly anyway. They come in wrappers. When you grab a pack of dogs at the store, they look just like any pack you would buy back home. However, they are made from many different things here, most commonly chicken. So you need to learn a few words to grab the right kind. But when you cut the pack open, you quickly see that each and every dog is individually wrapped with a thin layer of??? It is like a Saran wrap, a very thin tinted Saran wrap. I have yet to get an answer as to why or if you are to unwrap before cooking, cook with wrapping on, eat wrapping or discard wrapping. Again, odd.
look closely and you can see lurking beneath the package the slightly pink wrappers engulfing each individual hot dog.
Is it just me or does this just not feel like spanish?
Eggs, another Godfrey staple. We could have 50 chickens laying eggs in our back yards and that probably wouldn’t be enough for our family. We buy a lot of eggs. In the markets here the eggs come in containers of 4, 6, 12 , 36. They are brown, their shells are thicker and the eggs are not all the same size or color. They are not individually stamped, they look more like someone just picked them up form one of the millions of chickens you see running around all over the place. Also, they are never not once refrigerated in the store. Not in the upscale stores with air conditioning, or the local 95 degree stores. Eggs do not go in the refrigerator. They are usually at the end of an aisle stacked 6 feet high. We try to get the bottom of the stack of course, they are slightly fresher. Another oddity, or eggstentialism if you will.
The nicest egg section this side of San Jose. Usually they sit on the floor or on a metal rack.
You can see the bread lady at the bread counter. If you get a bread or pastry and try to walk by without her bagging & tagging your bread, well then you are taking your own life in your hands.
They are serious about their bread here, rightfully so. It is good bread.
Further, there are an abundance of employees in every store. For instance in our local Auto Mercado there is a stock boy for every aisle, and they are always adjusting, dusting rearranging or doing something in the aisles. There seems to always be at least one of them in the aisle if not three or four. There are usually 3-4 security guards patrolling the store, and apparently they have been trained to keep an eye on goateed bald guys. But I find a smile and a “buenas” puts them at ease. Most every store has a meat counter where you get your meat, and three employees behind it. Oh, and you order in kilograms. That’s always fun, especially the first time you ask for 4 kilos of molida (ground beef) and the guys eyes almost bug out of his head. Often times in the vegetable or fruit section there is a guy there just to weigh your fruit and mark it for you. If you try to leave there without getting it weighed and marked, he will chase you down. There is another one in the bakery section to bag, box and mark your doughnut. Around every corner there is someone doing something, or doing nothing as the case me be. In almost every instance there are more employees than patrons in the store at any given moment. The day I took these pictures, in the nicest mercado this side of San Jose, I counted at least 25 employees and about a dozen shoppers.
It seems that Tony the Tiger is quite a bit meaner in Latin America. Perhaps it is the heat.
So not only are we learning to adjust to the new money, the new language, the new food, we also have to relearn the metric system, how to shop for food and how to purchase it properly. It is a daily adventure, and sometimes struggle. But I have learned a couple of things over the last 4 months; Squeezing your condiments onto an unwrapped hot dog, near nirvana. And you haven’t lived until you have made your kid’s PB&J by squeezing your grape Smuckers from a pouch.
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.
A boat full of monkeys and a river full of critters
The water is not pretty, it is a coffee brown, a brown akin to an old cup of coffee, you know the one; The pot that has been sitting on the burner for three hours, you pour into your favorite mug, add cream and then it doesn’t blend, it doesn’t cream, it just kind of darkens it and changes its complexion. That is what the Rio Tempisque (temp es kay) reminds me of. It is dark muddy water, perfect for hiding the multitude of critters that prey within its banks. Slowly and quietly flowing down the banks, almost undetectably so. It is a virtually unspoiled wild land teeming with crocodiles, lizards, iguanas, birds, snakes, monkeys and tour guides. For wherever there are cool things to see, there are people who will take you to see them for a price.
Rio Tempisque
Guanacaste tree hanging over the river
some kind of bird
Kassie with her new friends
This was our second time touring the Tempisque, known as the most important river in the Guanacaste Region, and one of the biggest in all of Costa Rica. It is protected and preserved, and it shows. Unlike the Kenai River back home, there are no houses on the river, there is very limited river access, and other than the half-dozen tour boats, we have nary to see a human. Well we kind of changed that nary a human thing this time. You see the first time Tra and I did the tour by ourselves, this time it was the whole family, there’s a crowd right there. But that’s not all. Pastor Lyle invited us on this tour, along with four other families, for a grand total of eight adults and 22 kids. Yep, that’s right 22 kids, and most of them were under the age of 10. Quiet no more the Tempisque be.
the back half of the boat
Iguana
big iguana
baby croc
Despite the crowd, it was a great trip. We saw crocs and snakes, white face monkeys and howler monkeys, green and black iguanas, birds of various colors and sizes, bats and even an anteater. By far the highlight of the tour, much like the last time, was the white face monkeys. You see this little critters are not bashful. In fact they are self- trained. They know when the big flat boat shows up loaded with brightly colored loud human monkeys, that bananas are not far behind. As soon as our bow hit the shore, the monkeys were on board and the screaming and laughing commenced. Cameras were smoking, batteries dying, memory cards filled and joy was seen all around the boat. The monkeys, well they just did what they do. The begged, stole, posed, grabbed, and even had an occasional fight, right on top of us. When I say on top of us I mean on our heads, shoulders, laps, seats, wherever there was a morsel of banana or apple to be had, they were there. Even if there wasn’t a morsel, but a closed fist that could contain food, they were there. It reminded me of feeding the fish in Hanauma Bay Hawaii. They come right to you knowing that they will be fed and they will not be hurt. They embrace the paparazzi in return for the reward. I truly believe it is something the kids will never forget.
white face monkeys, the stars of the show
hamming it up for some bananas
hey you look like my little brother
he doesn't look that much like me, but he does like the monkey on my shirt!
this pose cost here one banana piece
I can't seem to get this monkey off my back
He's eyeballing Ben's hat, and it would probably look better on him.
excuse me maam, do you have another banana?
mom's favorite monkey, by far!
Even the drive in and out to the boat launch was adventuresome. On the way in we saw a wild anteater. Never seen one of those before. I assume he was eating ants, and he pretty much ignored us until one of the other kids decided it would be good to go and try to pet him. He was stopped short, thank goodness. On the way out, Howler monkeys howling away, and I did my best to answer. I think that I may have offended them though because they started jumping and shaking branches and screaming really loud. Drama queens.
do you think he's hungry?
well we tried to feed one of them.
Finally, as we sauntered away from them, lo and behold right in the middle of the road a rattle snake coiled up. Danger! As we jumped out of our car and slowly approached, I waited for the distinct rattle and the quick strike, knowing from years of watching the Discovery channel that we need to stay a safe distance away.I was ready to try my snake catching skills, learned from watching Steve Irwin and Billy the Exterminator. Perfectly coiled, I was sure it was waiting for us to get close so it could strike, but alas a local friend poked it with a stick and it did not move. Dead from a fatal head wound, it was still an amazing sight at 5 feet long. And Jeremy, the only one with a knife, was quick to take the rattle as a trophy.
coiled and primed to strike!
but alas a mortal head wound turned out to be this rattler's demise
a local holding up his trophy
Our day ended with a quick trip to the food court in Liberia, a complete contrast to where we had just been. And as we waited for our food, we scrolled through the pictures on our phones and cameras and shared with each other. If we can determine the best part of the trip by the amount of pictures, then there is no doubt that the clear winners are the monkeys. Perhaps next time we will bring some chicken and see if the crocs will come on the boat like the monkeys did. I’m sure that’s what Billy the Exterminator would do.
all hands and legs accounted for
Busy as a beach bee
I am not going to lie to you, life has been pretty hectic. Not by choice, but by necessity. You see living in Costa Rica, according to what I have learned so far, is divided into 2 styles, minimalist and normal. Now the minimalist life means no car, no house, no air conditioning, very little comfort and very little concern. There is surfing, swimming, salty shorts, bus rides and perhaps the true meaning of Pura Vida. We have not chosen this style of life. Instead we went for the Ex-Pat style, this includes a bank account, a car, and a house, all of which lead to more red tape and procedures than a visit to the oval office. For some reason everything an ex-pat has to do requires an attorney and often an accountant, and most of all patience. I have met many people since we have been here and there are many tidbits of knowledge they have bestowed on me. One that really sticks in my brain is from a couple who have been here for 16 years, ” You will have to re-learn what patience is”. That is deep, and true, and turning out to be a lengthy process.
Time is relative, according to Einstein, perhaps he was trying to become a Costa Rican. Living here you quickly learn the practical application of this theory. Monday can be next Monday or maybe two Monday’s from now. 9 am usually means before 12, usually. Learning to live with it takes a lot more patience than I ever thought I had, but perhaps that’s Pura Vida.
finding some time to realx, and pose
Ben showing us how true Pura Vida is done
There's always time for some crunches, well needed to.
Jake and Kassie doing what they do 90 percent of the time, play in the water
Even with all the business, meeting workers, bankers, accountants, attorneys, teachers, shopping and more, we have worked hard to make sure and find time to hit the beaches, one thing there is not shortage of around us. As we visit the beaches we have come to learn that they each have their own personality. Some are dark some are light, some have surf others do not, some are crowded and others have nary another soul. It is our job and mission to visit them all and to see which fits our personality, which will become our favorite and our secret spot. This past week we hit a couple of beaches that we have been to several times. They are popular beaches with people vendors etc., but they are popular for a reason, they are good beaches.
conchal at its best. a few more people than we care for.
More Conchal sites
Kassie showing off her prize shell from Conchal
a beach of crushed shells
the local fisherman
Playa Conchal is about a 4 minute drive from our house; A white beach made of crushed shells. It is a little tricky to get to, but worth the trip. It is beautiful, warm with very small breakers if any at all. We chose this for a snorkel adventure. Although visibility was not as good as expected, there were a lot of fish to see and it was nothing if not relaxing. The beach is the front lawn of Reserva Conchal, a very nice resort area nearby. It is great for jet skis, snorkeling, tanning, swimming and picnics, but not a surfing hangout so the crowd tends to be family oriented, especially with ticos on the weekends.
Conchal Sunsets
Yesterday was a surf tournament sponsored by Christian Surfers at Tamarindo, and since there were people from our church competing, we thought it would be nice to attend. Now Tamarindo is an extremely popular beach and a very touristy location. It is littered with tourists shops and surfing stores. You can learn to surf from one of the hundreds of experts stationed all over town. They are usually very dark-skinned with dreadlocks, corn rows, Bob Marly surf boards and shorts to match. They all guarantee you will stand on the board before the end of you lesson or “NO PAY”!
There are way more people there than we tend to like, but it is known as a great place to learn to surf, and a great place for those who know how to surf. The culture is truly surf town and tourist town. But when we need to shop or find some different food options, it is Tamarindo we hit, a 25 minute drive from our house. Although we had no idea what we were watching, it was fun to attend a local event and get a feel for the culture. I can’t say the competition was fierce, because I couldn’t tell what was good or bad, and the announcers all spoke Spanish, but it was interesting. The food wasn’t half bad either.
Christian Surfers HDQ
typical for this beach
If they ain't in the water, they is in the sand
I think Tra woke Dorian up for this pic on Tamarindo Beach
Jeremy with the surfing competition behind him.
sunset surfers and the watch station
a chain of surfers leaving the beach
We tend to time our beach visits with the sunset, arriving around 2-3 in the afternoon and staying until the sun goes down. I imagine, much like the moose and mountains back home, there will come a day when we won’t take a picture of every beautiful sunset. But until that day we will continue to share them on the blog with you; Perhaps you can get a sense of where we are finding our Pura Vida in the midst of the chaos.
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.
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.
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
