I am sitting on the huge patio of our B & B in Monteverde. It is 18 degrees Celsius. I am wearing my Lululemon hoodie and I couldn't be H-A-P-P-I-E-R than a clam at high tide.
Much as we LOVED Tamarindo, the heat was debilitating at times. We didn't do anything other than sleep, eat, read, swim and socialize with the other guests. But then... isn't that what you are supposed to do on vacation? Time to move on though!
We took our shuttle at 8:00 am, walking down the hill with our backpacks on. Aren't we tough? LOL
A fellow passenger was a Canadian from Toronto. There are LOTS of Canadians in Costa Rica. Our driver, a very young Mike, was so sweet. He is going to be a first time father in four days! He is so excited. Desafio is the company we book our shuttles with the most, and they are very, very professional. They give excellent service, and THEY have WIFI in the shuttle. We transferred shuttles and drivers, in a little village, for the one and a half hour drive up, UP, UP AND UP this mountain, with rough terrain, narrow dirt roads, and plunging ravines. Not to mention panoramic vistas.
MONTEVERDE is a pretty little touristy town, where you can do all kinds of CRAZY, extreme activities, if you are young and foolish. Fortunately, I am old and wise. That being said, I can still be s-t-u-p-i-d! I have just paid my last $50 US, to go zip lining tomorrow morning! I AM TOTALLY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE PEOPLE!!! DO YOU HEAR ME? HERMANITA is definitely OUT of hers as well, but we are doing this! (I already ziplined across the top deck of the largest cruise ship in the world, but that doesn't really count because it only lasted eight seconds!). Because there are seven zip lines, I have to get used to it sooner or later, I figure. Furthermore, I have been assured that a very strong, handsome employee will attach himself to ME, if I am too afraid to go it on my own. Very good insurance, I would say. Plus it doesn't cost me a penny more. :)
Now d-r-i-n-k-i-n-g moonshine less than an hour after our midday arrival, with the wonderful owner Marcos, of the Soda (diner) next door to our B & B ... now THAT is totally normal behaviour for me. Actually, I drank mine and Lou's because she didn't like this mix of honey and local cherries. It is a LOT better tasting than grappa, let me tell you. We ate at "Soda Bonanza" on the recommendation of my nephew JP, and he was SPOT ON! Where we went for supper as well, "TACO, TACO", was what TICOS call "BUENO, BONITO, BARATO!" It was also on JP's recommendation. From now on, I am only eating where HE has eaten. Gracias sobrino!
IF I don't blog Day 14, you will know that I had a HUMONGOUS heart attack while ziplining. I want someone to sing Leonard Cohen's "HALLELUIAH" at my funeral. Total Karma today... as we checked in, THAT song was playing here at Camino Verde.
Bonne nuit tout le monde - sweet dreams!
PVCR: Day 12 - The GOOD, The BAD, and The UGLY!
THE GOOD! I have already given ALL the GOOD about Costa Rica, haven't I?
THE BAD! Well, it's not really bad here. It can be less than perfect I guess, if you want to get really picky. I don't! However, there are a few things that some of you might consider bad. In Tamarindo it is very, very H-O-T. Es muy caliente! You have -36 on the North Shore? Here it is +37, as I type at 12:45 pm. The heat can be crushing, if you aren't close to the beach, a pool, or air conditioning. It is also VERY windy in Tamarindo. The wind blew our chairs right off our patio, onto the second floor deck, below us. It will blow your drinks away too, NO problem.
I am missing my Vimy terribly. I got a little weepy this morning, for the first time. Then Lou found a recent video online, of Vimy at his kennel, playing, and I am okay! Louise said "Haha! You were the first one to cry... you lose!" Crying is DEFINITELY out of Lou's comfort zone, but NOT mine. I can cry at the drop of a hat, doesn't bother me. I have just learned over the years, to hold back those tears. Tears terrify people. I can't figure out why. THEY are so cathartic. I will NEVER GET AN ULCER!!
Our little brother Pierre, sent us a message online to be on standby, while he drove over to our Mamacita's this morning. On her IPad, he enabled a video messenger chat with her, which was so wonderful. Maman s'ennuie de ses deux filles!! It was barely 7:00 am here. There we were on the patio Louise and I, chatting very loudly with Pierre and Mamacita. Out comes the owner, Joey, yelling upstairs to us, "Hey, are you guys okay? I am hearing a lot of yelling!" BAD that we woke him up, and other guests. Joey only got to bed at 2:00 am, cause HE went partying downtown. WE were in bed at 9:00 with a book. Joey is such a good host. He just wanted to make sure we were okay!
When we arrived on Monday, we put away some hummus in the communal fridge. Joey shortly after, cleaned it out, because guests had just left. People leave food behind. He THREW out OUR hummus. When we were looking for it a few hours later, and mentioned it to cutie Jarred, he said he would find out what happened to it. Lou and I said, "Never mind! There was only a little left!" Later in the evening, sitting on our balcony, we heard them down below saying, "Those poor girls! We have to get their hummus back!" I yelled down, "Forget about it!" No way JOSE! JOEY DUG IT OUT OF THE GARBAGE. It was in a plastic container. No big deal. We accepted it graciously, but then we fed it to the dogs! LOL
We found a gift in the refrigerator when we got back from town and the beach. You guessed it? A lovely little container of homemade hummus from Jarred and Jen, bought at the market yesterday.
IF you are not a DOG LOVER, do not come to Casa Bambora. There are four dogs here. Raya and Scrappy belong to Joey. Maya and Andre belong to Jarred and Jan. They are sweet and make us feel right at home. Scrappy was rescued by Joey, off the streets of Tamarindo, half dead. He has gained seven kilos in the six months Joey has had him. Poor little thing, he eats everything he finds off the floor. Hence the name Scrappy!
In most places in Costa Rica, you CANNOT PUT PAPER IN THE FLUSH. So...you put your paper in the waste paper basket. Then you empty the waste basket, OFTEN!!
MANY Americans come here to have their dental work done, because it is so cheap. Claudia had a temporary cap put on a tooth last week, but it fell off today. It is Sunday. No dentist is working, so she got some Polygrip to hold her cap on, until she returns for the permanent one. NOT BAD,
BUT...?
THE BEACH in La Sámara is more beautiful, with bigger waves, less people and just more PURA VIDA!
THE UGLY? There is NO UGLY! We are on vacation!
THE BAD! Well, it's not really bad here. It can be less than perfect I guess, if you want to get really picky. I don't! However, there are a few things that some of you might consider bad. In Tamarindo it is very, very H-O-T. Es muy caliente! You have -36 on the North Shore? Here it is +37, as I type at 12:45 pm. The heat can be crushing, if you aren't close to the beach, a pool, or air conditioning. It is also VERY windy in Tamarindo. The wind blew our chairs right off our patio, onto the second floor deck, below us. It will blow your drinks away too, NO problem.
I am missing my Vimy terribly. I got a little weepy this morning, for the first time. Then Lou found a recent video online, of Vimy at his kennel, playing, and I am okay! Louise said "Haha! You were the first one to cry... you lose!" Crying is DEFINITELY out of Lou's comfort zone, but NOT mine. I can cry at the drop of a hat, doesn't bother me. I have just learned over the years, to hold back those tears. Tears terrify people. I can't figure out why. THEY are so cathartic. I will NEVER GET AN ULCER!!
Our little brother Pierre, sent us a message online to be on standby, while he drove over to our Mamacita's this morning. On her IPad, he enabled a video messenger chat with her, which was so wonderful. Maman s'ennuie de ses deux filles!! It was barely 7:00 am here. There we were on the patio Louise and I, chatting very loudly with Pierre and Mamacita. Out comes the owner, Joey, yelling upstairs to us, "Hey, are you guys okay? I am hearing a lot of yelling!" BAD that we woke him up, and other guests. Joey only got to bed at 2:00 am, cause HE went partying downtown. WE were in bed at 9:00 with a book. Joey is such a good host. He just wanted to make sure we were okay!
When we arrived on Monday, we put away some hummus in the communal fridge. Joey shortly after, cleaned it out, because guests had just left. People leave food behind. He THREW out OUR hummus. When we were looking for it a few hours later, and mentioned it to cutie Jarred, he said he would find out what happened to it. Lou and I said, "Never mind! There was only a little left!" Later in the evening, sitting on our balcony, we heard them down below saying, "Those poor girls! We have to get their hummus back!" I yelled down, "Forget about it!" No way JOSE! JOEY DUG IT OUT OF THE GARBAGE. It was in a plastic container. No big deal. We accepted it graciously, but then we fed it to the dogs! LOL
We found a gift in the refrigerator when we got back from town and the beach. You guessed it? A lovely little container of homemade hummus from Jarred and Jen, bought at the market yesterday.
IF you are not a DOG LOVER, do not come to Casa Bambora. There are four dogs here. Raya and Scrappy belong to Joey. Maya and Andre belong to Jarred and Jan. They are sweet and make us feel right at home. Scrappy was rescued by Joey, off the streets of Tamarindo, half dead. He has gained seven kilos in the six months Joey has had him. Poor little thing, he eats everything he finds off the floor. Hence the name Scrappy!
In most places in Costa Rica, you CANNOT PUT PAPER IN THE FLUSH. So...you put your paper in the waste paper basket. Then you empty the waste basket, OFTEN!!
MANY Americans come here to have their dental work done, because it is so cheap. Claudia had a temporary cap put on a tooth last week, but it fell off today. It is Sunday. No dentist is working, so she got some Polygrip to hold her cap on, until she returns for the permanent one. NOT BAD,
BUT...?
THE BEACH in La Sámara is more beautiful, with bigger waves, less people and just more PURA VIDA!
THE UGLY? There is NO UGLY! We are on vacation!
PVCR- Day 11: It's ALL about Casa Bambora!
Hermanita and I are in Tamarindo. This blog is going to be an unabashed P-L-U-G for this marvellous place we are staying at, and the people who live and work here.
IF you are following Louise's private FB page called Pura Vida Con Mi Hermana, you will have seen that she posted the link to this"MARAVILLOSO" Casa Bambora.
Neither the pictures NOR the information give this place ANY justice. I found it back in November while surfing the Net. Louise had done all the work getting us information and booking places, so I had to book ONE thing at least, don't you think? We are paying $50 per night each, Canadian, and it is H-E-A-V-E-N. Check out our pictures and their pictures. If you can step out of your comfort zone, (if all-inclusives are your thing) than GO for this place. Spend a week here. It might cost you more than an all inclusive, but the EXPERIENCE WILL BE SECOND TO NONE!
We are high up on a hill, overlooking ALL the beaches of Tamarindo. It is warm and windy. Our room on the third floor doesn't even need the air conditioning; we just leave the windows open. HELL, we don't even lock our doors! We can be at the beach in less than ten minutes, which is a quick walk down the hill. However, we just spent four days being right on the beach in La Samara, so we don't feel the same need to be right next to it.
Joey owns this place. He came here in 1992, a surfer DUDE! Tamarindo was a sleepy fishing village then. He came... and he stayed. He bought a piece of land on this hilltop, and pitched a tent. Over the next twenty-five years, he built as he could afford, following his tent with a rancho on stilts,(basically a shack!). Joey figures he did 80% of the work himself. Let me tell you, he laid every single tiny tile in his pool. He will never have ANY cracks in it.
So now Joey has this gorgeous three story home, which he lives in, wondering around being the convivial host, barefoot, in his swimming trunks. This CUTEST couple, called Jen and Jarred, from Rhode Island, run the place. They came here five years ago, on vacation, loved it and KARMA LANDED THEM THIS SWEET GIG. They have been coming for five years, to work here for three months. This year they are staying five months. Work? They don't consider it work. They JUST LOVE being here.
Jen did our laundry this morning, can you believe it? Jarred's parents, Claudia and Frank, who are the poster picture for FREEDOM 55 (all you Canadians out there!) are visiting.They are staying elsewhere, and will take my and hermanita's room, when we leave Monday morning. Boohoo!
Jared and Jen go back to Rhode Island in May, and work there bar tending, doing electrical work, and maintaining rental property, until they return again in January. I SO, SO admire these young people WHO DO THEIR OWN THING. They are not locked into a 9 to 5 grind; they are free spirits. Mind you... WHAT KIND of retirement will they have twenty years down the road? Certainly not the one Jared's parents are having. They are in their mid-sixties, and have been retired since their early fifties. They come here to visit with Jen and Jared, have a condo in Florida, a home in Rhode Island, and will be traveling cross country (US) with friends for 45 days, in May. What a dream life! Claudia and Frank are MY generation. They are doing what they DID NOT do when they were young, when they were too BUSY raising a family, paying a mortgage and camping out for their vacations.
ESO ES LO QUE ES LA VIDA! Such is life. It is yours to live it as you choose. ¡PURA VIDA!
Need I add that hermanita is TOTALLY chilled out?
IF you are following Louise's private FB page called Pura Vida Con Mi Hermana, you will have seen that she posted the link to this"MARAVILLOSO" Casa Bambora.
Neither the pictures NOR the information give this place ANY justice. I found it back in November while surfing the Net. Louise had done all the work getting us information and booking places, so I had to book ONE thing at least, don't you think? We are paying $50 per night each, Canadian, and it is H-E-A-V-E-N. Check out our pictures and their pictures. If you can step out of your comfort zone, (if all-inclusives are your thing) than GO for this place. Spend a week here. It might cost you more than an all inclusive, but the EXPERIENCE WILL BE SECOND TO NONE!
We are high up on a hill, overlooking ALL the beaches of Tamarindo. It is warm and windy. Our room on the third floor doesn't even need the air conditioning; we just leave the windows open. HELL, we don't even lock our doors! We can be at the beach in less than ten minutes, which is a quick walk down the hill. However, we just spent four days being right on the beach in La Samara, so we don't feel the same need to be right next to it.
Joey owns this place. He came here in 1992, a surfer DUDE! Tamarindo was a sleepy fishing village then. He came... and he stayed. He bought a piece of land on this hilltop, and pitched a tent. Over the next twenty-five years, he built as he could afford, following his tent with a rancho on stilts,(basically a shack!). Joey figures he did 80% of the work himself. Let me tell you, he laid every single tiny tile in his pool. He will never have ANY cracks in it.
So now Joey has this gorgeous three story home, which he lives in, wondering around being the convivial host, barefoot, in his swimming trunks. This CUTEST couple, called Jen and Jarred, from Rhode Island, run the place. They came here five years ago, on vacation, loved it and KARMA LANDED THEM THIS SWEET GIG. They have been coming for five years, to work here for three months. This year they are staying five months. Work? They don't consider it work. They JUST LOVE being here.
Jen did our laundry this morning, can you believe it? Jarred's parents, Claudia and Frank, who are the poster picture for FREEDOM 55 (all you Canadians out there!) are visiting.They are staying elsewhere, and will take my and hermanita's room, when we leave Monday morning. Boohoo!
Jared and Jen go back to Rhode Island in May, and work there bar tending, doing electrical work, and maintaining rental property, until they return again in January. I SO, SO admire these young people WHO DO THEIR OWN THING. They are not locked into a 9 to 5 grind; they are free spirits. Mind you... WHAT KIND of retirement will they have twenty years down the road? Certainly not the one Jared's parents are having. They are in their mid-sixties, and have been retired since their early fifties. They come here to visit with Jen and Jared, have a condo in Florida, a home in Rhode Island, and will be traveling cross country (US) with friends for 45 days, in May. What a dream life! Claudia and Frank are MY generation. They are doing what they DID NOT do when they were young, when they were too BUSY raising a family, paying a mortgage and camping out for their vacations.
ESO ES LO QUE ES LA VIDA! Such is life. It is yours to live it as you choose. ¡PURA VIDA!
Need I add that hermanita is TOTALLY chilled out?
DAY 10 - Pura Vida Costa Rica: Our adventures continue...
I can't even blog about a fraction of our adventures. I will have to add blogs when I get home, believe you me!
Suffice to say that we left La Sámara today and are safely ensconced in our FANTABULOUS digs, on a hilltop overlooking all the "playas" "beaches"of Tamarindo. I can't post any pics because of my usual storage problems. F<$$?!$&&!!! Mañana!
We hope to get a r...e...a...l...l...y good night's sleep tonight. The first night in La Sámara we had that damn rooster! The second night Louise could smell woodsmoke, when we went to bed. So could I, and my sense of smell is poor, so you can imagine how STRONG it was. The turistas next door in the AirBnb had made a campfire on the beach, and gone to bed without putting it out. Louise was so concerned that embers would set our little casita on fire, and we would burn up quickly because everthing is SO dry. Honestly, her mind goes a mile a minute ALL the time. I figured that effin rooster would wake us up in time, if the place were on fire.
The third night, when the rooster started to CROW (because he would start around 3:00 am), a S-K-U-N-K got scared, SPRAYED and THAT smell woke us up!! HOWEVER, it DID shut the rooster up, so thank goodness for small mercies. Furthermore, new arrivals in the casita in front of us, partied hardy quite late, to boot!! We had little to no sleep.
Our fourth and last night, the smell of marijuana wafted through the open beamed ceiling/roof of our casita. Of ALL the odours and smells our olfactory senses were teased and tormented with these last
four nights, I have to admit this one was THE least offensive. We fell asleep on a high! LOL
Suffice to say that we left La Sámara today and are safely ensconced in our FANTABULOUS digs, on a hilltop overlooking all the "playas" "beaches"of Tamarindo. I can't post any pics because of my usual storage problems. F<$$?!$&&!!! Mañana!
We hope to get a r...e...a...l...l...y good night's sleep tonight. The first night in La Sámara we had that damn rooster! The second night Louise could smell woodsmoke, when we went to bed. So could I, and my sense of smell is poor, so you can imagine how STRONG it was. The turistas next door in the AirBnb had made a campfire on the beach, and gone to bed without putting it out. Louise was so concerned that embers would set our little casita on fire, and we would burn up quickly because everthing is SO dry. Honestly, her mind goes a mile a minute ALL the time. I figured that effin rooster would wake us up in time, if the place were on fire.
The third night, when the rooster started to CROW (because he would start around 3:00 am), a S-K-U-N-K got scared, SPRAYED and THAT smell woke us up!! HOWEVER, it DID shut the rooster up, so thank goodness for small mercies. Furthermore, new arrivals in the casita in front of us, partied hardy quite late, to boot!! We had little to no sleep.
Our fourth and last night, the smell of marijuana wafted through the open beamed ceiling/roof of our casita. Of ALL the odours and smells our olfactory senses were teased and tormented with these last
four nights, I have to admit this one was THE least offensive. We fell asleep on a high! LOL
PVCR-Day 8: I COULDN'T get my hands on a gun...
but I got the NEXT best thing! Hermanita (aka Lou, Loulou, Louise,my sister) gave me a pair of earplugs! They worked really well! Either that or SOMEONE else got a hold of the rooster.😉 We barely heard him.
Those ear plugs worked a heck of a lot better than the mosquito netting. I felt cocooned under it, but I have MORE bites. Tis to be expected, and I am okay with that as long as whatever bit me does NOT lay eggs. GROSS EH?
Today was a total beach day, as you saw from my picture posting on FB. Not missing the German bakery truck was OUR biggest challenge of the day.
We have been hanging out with Sara, the owner. She calls us her "Canadian Chicas Vivas", which means her "Wild Canadian Girls!" Geez Louise! I would hate to see quiet Canadian girls; they must be quasi comatose. It IS true that we are a bit lively, plus we are always arguing as only sisters can. Besides, everyone loves Canadians. Though again, as soon as anyone hears us speaking French, "Québec? Montreal?" Then we have to give them a geography and history lesson, from 1755 to the present. LOL
We walked into Samara yesterday, to do a bit of shopping and join our Canadian Albertan neighbours in the Casita behind us, for supper. The cutie red haired Swiss girl tending the shop told us it had hit 39 degrees in town in the afternoon. We found it incredibly HOT yesterday, and we were by the water ALL day! Tomorrow promises to be another scorcher.
I didn't do my job yesterday... walk Jojo. I was just too tired, too lazy and it was too hot. I understand now why life is at such a s...l...o...w...e...r pace here. You just can't move as fast, nor accomplish AS many things. I could be quite the SLOTH if I lived in Costa Rica.
It was our FIRST evening out AFTER DARK!!! IMAGINE!!! AT our Italian restaurant, Lou called our waiter a "Fabio" lookalike, until we found out his name was Mateo. It was a good meal, and such fun to be dining with Dave and Carole from Edmonton. We had to be careful though, when it came to discussing politics. They liked STEPHEN HARPER! Enough said!
On Lou's bill, she was incorrectly charged for two glasses of wine, and I too was charged incorrectly for one, that neither of us had ORDERED. We deduced that Mateo was either smarter or dumber than he looked! It all depends on how you look at it. I gave him the benefit of the doubt ... an honest mistake. YOU CAN really get away with anything when you are young and handsome!
We had a marvelous walk back along the beach, which was virtually deserted. Dave and Carole went back to their patio for a nightcap, and I WENT SKINNY DIPPING in the Pacific. It was almost a full moon, and Lou kept lookout. IT WAS TOTALLY WONDERFUL!! Another item OFF my bucket list!!
Hasta mañana amigos!
PS: I love to stay connected when I travel. To you, the faithful readers of my blog and those who comment on pictures, thank you SO MUCH! I ❤️ having you along with me on this journey.
Those ear plugs worked a heck of a lot better than the mosquito netting. I felt cocooned under it, but I have MORE bites. Tis to be expected, and I am okay with that as long as whatever bit me does NOT lay eggs. GROSS EH?
Today was a total beach day, as you saw from my picture posting on FB. Not missing the German bakery truck was OUR biggest challenge of the day.
We have been hanging out with Sara, the owner. She calls us her "Canadian Chicas Vivas", which means her "Wild Canadian Girls!" Geez Louise! I would hate to see quiet Canadian girls; they must be quasi comatose. It IS true that we are a bit lively, plus we are always arguing as only sisters can. Besides, everyone loves Canadians. Though again, as soon as anyone hears us speaking French, "Québec? Montreal?" Then we have to give them a geography and history lesson, from 1755 to the present. LOL
We walked into Samara yesterday, to do a bit of shopping and join our Canadian Albertan neighbours in the Casita behind us, for supper. The cutie red haired Swiss girl tending the shop told us it had hit 39 degrees in town in the afternoon. We found it incredibly HOT yesterday, and we were by the water ALL day! Tomorrow promises to be another scorcher.
I didn't do my job yesterday... walk Jojo. I was just too tired, too lazy and it was too hot. I understand now why life is at such a s...l...o...w...e...r pace here. You just can't move as fast, nor accomplish AS many things. I could be quite the SLOTH if I lived in Costa Rica.
It was our FIRST evening out AFTER DARK!!! IMAGINE!!! AT our Italian restaurant, Lou called our waiter a "Fabio" lookalike, until we found out his name was Mateo. It was a good meal, and such fun to be dining with Dave and Carole from Edmonton. We had to be careful though, when it came to discussing politics. They liked STEPHEN HARPER! Enough said!
On Lou's bill, she was incorrectly charged for two glasses of wine, and I too was charged incorrectly for one, that neither of us had ORDERED. We deduced that Mateo was either smarter or dumber than he looked! It all depends on how you look at it. I gave him the benefit of the doubt ... an honest mistake. YOU CAN really get away with anything when you are young and handsome!
We had a marvelous walk back along the beach, which was virtually deserted. Dave and Carole went back to their patio for a nightcap, and I WENT SKINNY DIPPING in the Pacific. It was almost a full moon, and Lou kept lookout. IT WAS TOTALLY WONDERFUL!! Another item OFF my bucket list!!
Hasta mañana amigos!
PS: I love to stay connected when I travel. To you, the faithful readers of my blog and those who comment on pictures, thank you SO MUCH! I ❤️ having you along with me on this journey.
DAY 7: I GOT A JOB!
It is only walking Sara's dog, Jojo, the cutest beach mutt. Sara is the owner of Las DIVAZ Casitas, and she is a TOTAL firecracker! I have met my twin. I am worming my way into her good graces so that maybe she will help find me a real job here next winter. My title was what we call a "hook". Did I hook you? LOL
This place is divine! We are right on the Pacific and it is as beautiful as I remember it in San Francisco. Sara is from Boston and has owned this place for over fifteen years. It caters to adults and the gay community. Right now, there is only another Canadian couple here from Edmonton, Dave and Carol. This is how SMALL Costa Rica is. I mentioned to Sara that I had visited the Caribbean side of this gorgeous country, five years ago with a girlfriend from Montroeal. When I said we stayed at the Banana Azul, she said "Colin's place?" When I replied with surprise, that "Yes, he was a Canadian from Vancouver, no longer with his partner", she added "No, they are back together!"
That is so cool!
We had our guest beer from Sara on the beach at sunset yesterday, around 6:00. It gets dark early in Costa Rica. Sara is very straight forward about informing us of all the good and the bad of this beach town. Louise said, laughingly, after, in our little casita, "She is trying to terrorize us!" I am not that easily terrorized. Just don't go on the beach after dark. Don't flaunt your stuff either!
There are lots of bugs and insects here. I have a few good welts, but nothing major.
Yesterday, while enjoying a wonderful lunch on the beach, who should go by but Alex, one of our French friends, from the bus floor party. We hailed her and she stopped to have a chat with us.
I wish I could have gotten my hands on a gun this morning, to KILL that FRIGGIN' rooster that started crowing at 4:00 AM. He crowed until 6:00 am! By that time, I had to get up for my job: I had to take that cutie Jojo for his walk on the beach at 6:30. She was waiting for me outside on the patio. We did a 4 km walk, and I managed to jog one of those kilometres. She be warm boy! That's what they would say in NFLD! 36 DEGREES Celsius is a regular day here.
Sara took us along with her to the local market this morning, then to run a few errands, so now we are totally free to relax, swim, soak up the sun, drink "cervelas" = Imperial Silver, walk up and down the beach, eat, chat and really, do absolutely NOTHING much. MARAVILLOSO!
This place is totally FUNKY in its decore. I will post some pictures later. My phone has gone on strike and refuses to let me take more than half a dozen pictures, before telling me my storage is full! ARRGH!!!!
So, if I don't blog for the rest of the week, until we leave Friday, you will know it is because there is nothing going on. UNLESS, of COURSE, I get my hands on a gun, and/or that ROOSTER!!!
Louise just screamed! She was surprised by a BIG lizard. :)
This place is divine! We are right on the Pacific and it is as beautiful as I remember it in San Francisco. Sara is from Boston and has owned this place for over fifteen years. It caters to adults and the gay community. Right now, there is only another Canadian couple here from Edmonton, Dave and Carol. This is how SMALL Costa Rica is. I mentioned to Sara that I had visited the Caribbean side of this gorgeous country, five years ago with a girlfriend from Montroeal. When I said we stayed at the Banana Azul, she said "Colin's place?" When I replied with surprise, that "Yes, he was a Canadian from Vancouver, no longer with his partner", she added "No, they are back together!"
That is so cool!
We had our guest beer from Sara on the beach at sunset yesterday, around 6:00. It gets dark early in Costa Rica. Sara is very straight forward about informing us of all the good and the bad of this beach town. Louise said, laughingly, after, in our little casita, "She is trying to terrorize us!" I am not that easily terrorized. Just don't go on the beach after dark. Don't flaunt your stuff either!
There are lots of bugs and insects here. I have a few good welts, but nothing major.
Yesterday, while enjoying a wonderful lunch on the beach, who should go by but Alex, one of our French friends, from the bus floor party. We hailed her and she stopped to have a chat with us.
I wish I could have gotten my hands on a gun this morning, to KILL that FRIGGIN' rooster that started crowing at 4:00 AM. He crowed until 6:00 am! By that time, I had to get up for my job: I had to take that cutie Jojo for his walk on the beach at 6:30. She was waiting for me outside on the patio. We did a 4 km walk, and I managed to jog one of those kilometres. She be warm boy! That's what they would say in NFLD! 36 DEGREES Celsius is a regular day here.
Sara took us along with her to the local market this morning, then to run a few errands, so now we are totally free to relax, swim, soak up the sun, drink "cervelas" = Imperial Silver, walk up and down the beach, eat, chat and really, do absolutely NOTHING much. MARAVILLOSO!
This place is totally FUNKY in its decore. I will post some pictures later. My phone has gone on strike and refuses to let me take more than half a dozen pictures, before telling me my storage is full! ARRGH!!!!
So, if I don't blog for the rest of the week, until we leave Friday, you will know it is because there is nothing going on. UNLESS, of COURSE, I get my hands on a gun, and/or that ROOSTER!!!
Louise just screamed! She was surprised by a BIG lizard. :)
Day 6: What a difference a day makes!
TO YOUR HEALTH: As soon as I got off the plane in San Jose, my sinusitis disappeared. Just like that! It is so wonderful to feel wonderful again! Pura Vida Costa Rica! Lou is still coughing but she says she is getting better.
TO YOUR LIFESTYLE: We left our quite luxurious accommodations at Ti-fakara Lodge, to move into a very humble Air BnB room with a typical Tico family. The eighteen year old daughter, who runs the listing for her parents, was leaving TODAY, to go study English for three months in Tampa. She was a real little sweetie. There was a big party last night celebrating her departure, so Lou and I didn't get to spend much time with the family. I wouldn't have understood a word- with all of them chatting. Come to think of it, they were just like our loud, Acadian families when we get together! Ah.... we Latinos!
TO YOUR COMFORT ZONE: Dare I use those words? We slept with the windows open, because we couldn't close one of them. We needed the natural air conditioning. Lou went to close the curtain and the whole thing came tumbling down. I laughed!We got it back up, while stumbling around in the dark. We didn't want to put the lights on and let more bugs in. NO mosquito netting! We were really roughing it. For sure Lou was WAY out of her comfort zone, but she NEVER complained. She took it all in for the unique, but NEVER to be
REPEATED, experience that it was.
TO THE TOPOGRAPHY: We are on our way in a private shuttle, with our driver Horacio and three young Canadian graduating students from Toronto, to La Sámara, a beach enclave. Can't wait! We meet Canadians everywhere. They got a 400$ flight with Delta, direct to Liberia. SWEETER deal than ours, and an even sweeter graduation gift! I flew standby to Toronto to visit friends, WHEN I graduated from UNB.
We have left behind the humidity, the rain forest with its gorgeous flora and fauna, for the dryer land and blue coastal vistas of the Pacific Ocean.
Thanks to all of mi hermana's hard work, research and preparation, we are getting every
thing in the way Ticos refer to as: BUENO, BONITA, Y BARATO!! Good, pretty and cheap!
Furthermore,I wrote this entire blog in the SHUTTLE! It has WIFI! How S-W-E-E-E-E-T is that?
TO YOUR LIFESTYLE: We left our quite luxurious accommodations at Ti-fakara Lodge, to move into a very humble Air BnB room with a typical Tico family. The eighteen year old daughter, who runs the listing for her parents, was leaving TODAY, to go study English for three months in Tampa. She was a real little sweetie. There was a big party last night celebrating her departure, so Lou and I didn't get to spend much time with the family. I wouldn't have understood a word- with all of them chatting. Come to think of it, they were just like our loud, Acadian families when we get together! Ah.... we Latinos!
TO YOUR COMFORT ZONE: Dare I use those words? We slept with the windows open, because we couldn't close one of them. We needed the natural air conditioning. Lou went to close the curtain and the whole thing came tumbling down. I laughed!We got it back up, while stumbling around in the dark. We didn't want to put the lights on and let more bugs in. NO mosquito netting! We were really roughing it. For sure Lou was WAY out of her comfort zone, but she NEVER complained. She took it all in for the unique, but NEVER to be
REPEATED, experience that it was.
TO THE TOPOGRAPHY: We are on our way in a private shuttle, with our driver Horacio and three young Canadian graduating students from Toronto, to La Sámara, a beach enclave. Can't wait! We meet Canadians everywhere. They got a 400$ flight with Delta, direct to Liberia. SWEETER deal than ours, and an even sweeter graduation gift! I flew standby to Toronto to visit friends, WHEN I graduated from UNB.
We have left behind the humidity, the rain forest with its gorgeous flora and fauna, for the dryer land and blue coastal vistas of the Pacific Ocean.
Thanks to all of mi hermana's hard work, research and preparation, we are getting every
thing in the way Ticos refer to as: BUENO, BONITA, Y BARATO!! Good, pretty and cheap!
Furthermore,I wrote this entire blog in the SHUTTLE! It has WIFI! How S-W-E-E-E-E-T is that?
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