Wow today I hit the caffine! In addition to my two morning cups I went to Café Britt and had many delicious samples of coffee and chocolates! I only bought a bag of chocolates because I still have coffee at home, and these days E and I are not there. I plan to get some items for family and friends before I return to the USA.
Speaking of the USA, have I mentioned that I will be back in August to visit family and friends for a while? Travel plans are set in motion, and I hope to see more of my extended family this time around. Also hopeful that E will make it too.
Finally FRIDAY! This week has really flown by, what with my group of thirteen year olds and a few episodes and late night house-calls. They are a sweet bunch but I am ready for a more independent group. This weekend we head to Guanacaste for two days and two nights before making the journey up the mountain to Monteverde for another week of Spanish class. Already my third group of the season, how time flies!
Hoping to see E when he arrives home after his time on Coco Island. Vamos a ver, we will see how my schedule works out.
This afternoon there is a baby shower at CPI Heredia...two ladies are pregnant, one with a boy and the other with a girl. Before both of them go on maternity leave (which will probably be soon), the school is hosting a baby shower for them. Last night my compañera and I went to the mall and visited Bebé Mundo to get them some small gifts! I think that the gift bags and thier contents are quite cute : ) But I do not think that I will make it to the baby shower, as I have to drop my group off, walk two girls home, and then visit my Mama Tica and another amiga here in San Joaquin.
I am going to miss Heredia, even though rainy season has set in and the evenings are very chilly in comparison to my toasty little casita in Esparza. I am excited for a dose of sunshine (I hope) this weekend before arriving to the chilly mountain clime of Monteverde. Though I am excited to touch base with my amigos in the Groups Dept. that I haven't seen in a while!!
Until next time, Heredia...! Hasta la proxima!
Pura Vida
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
another day in ticolandia
Most mornings I get up at 6am with my alarm, which has been set to that time since I was last in the USA. I think part of why I haven't bothered to change or switch off the alarm is because I am so time oriented and I like knowing what time it is...even on my days off I leave the alarm on for 6am and it helps me gauge how much time I can afford to waste, haha!
Last night I had hoped to go and see my sisterin-law in San José and celebrate her birthday! In the end it didn't work out...my bus came LATE late LATE, and she did not get off work in time so we had to postpone. It was all for the best, as I enjoyed time sharing with my compañeras and talked with E. Tonight I want to try and see some amigos and talk with my Mom.
The sky this morning was not clear but it was nice, with whisps of cloud floating by and the humidity high. I had breakfast sitting on the little terraza, and my two cups of coffee.
This monring I took my group to La Carpio, the immigrant community near San José. We did a day of service work and painted houses and worked with kids in thier model education center. The man living in the house we painted was very pleased with the job we did and thanked us...another home that we painted had two little kids living there, and they came to investigate and watch us paint.
Afterwards we watched a presentation given by some of the women in the community, and then had to leave to eat lunch and get to school on time.
Going to this community is always a very special experience. It really helps to keep me grounded and give me prespective in my own life. It is such a challenge to distinguish between wants and needs in our world...and visiting La Carpio really helps me to understand the difference.
A girl from my group sharing with the kids of La Carpio
Now the sky overhead is dark and you can hear the thunderclouds rolling in from north of us. In the distance you can even see the clouds dropping a curtain of rain across the landscape, and I am glad that I have my raincoat. One important need taken care of for today.
Pura Vida
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
thirteen THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLDS
After 48 hours at home I am back in Heredia with a new group from Dallas, TX. They are all thirteen-year-old girls, many away from home for the first time, and after picking them up Sunday night and dropping them off at homestay families it seemed like everything would be fabulous this week...! The two professors who accompanied the group are both nice enough, one is a little more demanding but after all it is a group of minors and understandable. But after 24 hours...reality set in.
Last night I got two calls from Familia Ticas, with students crying and sick and who knows what else! With the professors we went to two different homestays and took stock of the situation. Luckily the professor knows her students well and was able to calm them. Another student she took home with her to help her peace of mind...did I mention that these professors are my next-door neighbors this week??? I am almost bothered by being so close to them, but so far they haven't come knocking on my door. After calming the students and bringing one home, I had a phone call after 10pm from another student who was having a little bit of a meltdown. After speaking with her professor on the phone she felt better...but wow, I really have my hands full it seems with some delicate young ladies for the next two weeks. What luck! But I know I can handle it. Also, I cannot imagine leaving the country without my parents at thirteen...I don't think I would have handled it well. So I just take a deep breath and dive in, and hope that my energy this week is infectious enough to distract them from any homesickness they may feel, espcially after 24 hours...! Hopefully I will not have any more calls tonight.
While I was at home I had a visit from a howler monkey in my backyard. Talking with my landlady we are pretty sure he saw his own reflection in the glass door on my terraza, and came down to investigate. He was all of 4 feet from me!!! I took several pictures and all of the little kids next door came in and watched him, and my landlady even tried to feed him a banana, but he just wanted to check out his reflection...what a vain monkey, haha!! Or maybe he just wanted a friend??? (Pictures below)
This week it's like I am in college all over again. I have 3 compañeras in the little chaperone apartment with me. We have a random assortment of food in the fridge and share stories in the evenings, and it has been a lot of fun! We are trying to arrange a trip to the mall sometime this week...vamos a ver!
But man, we are officially in high season here at CPI.
PURA VIDA!
Last night I got two calls from Familia Ticas, with students crying and sick and who knows what else! With the professors we went to two different homestays and took stock of the situation. Luckily the professor knows her students well and was able to calm them. Another student she took home with her to help her peace of mind...did I mention that these professors are my next-door neighbors this week??? I am almost bothered by being so close to them, but so far they haven't come knocking on my door. After calming the students and bringing one home, I had a phone call after 10pm from another student who was having a little bit of a meltdown. After speaking with her professor on the phone she felt better...but wow, I really have my hands full it seems with some delicate young ladies for the next two weeks. What luck! But I know I can handle it. Also, I cannot imagine leaving the country without my parents at thirteen...I don't think I would have handled it well. So I just take a deep breath and dive in, and hope that my energy this week is infectious enough to distract them from any homesickness they may feel, espcially after 24 hours...! Hopefully I will not have any more calls tonight.
While I was at home I had a visit from a howler monkey in my backyard. Talking with my landlady we are pretty sure he saw his own reflection in the glass door on my terraza, and came down to investigate. He was all of 4 feet from me!!! I took several pictures and all of the little kids next door came in and watched him, and my landlady even tried to feed him a banana, but he just wanted to check out his reflection...what a vain monkey, haha!! Or maybe he just wanted a friend??? (Pictures below)
This week it's like I am in college all over again. I have 3 compañeras in the little chaperone apartment with me. We have a random assortment of food in the fridge and share stories in the evenings, and it has been a lot of fun! We are trying to arrange a trip to the mall sometime this week...vamos a ver!
But man, we are officially in high season here at CPI.
PURA VIDA!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
monkeys and crocodiles and trying to walk up the stairs.
This morning my group went on a jungle boat tour in the Tempisque river...on one side of the river was Palo Verde National Park and on the other was El Viejo Wetlands Private Reserve.
Throughout the trip my group has been dying to see animals...especially monkeys and sloths. Today we definately filled our wildlife quota for the trip in the space of 1.5 hours...!
-20+ crocodiles
-white face monkeys
-howler monkeys
-birds, birds, birds
-iguanas and MORE iguanas
Throughout the trip my group has been dying to see animals...especially monkeys and sloths. Today we definately filled our wildlife quota for the trip in the space of 1.5 hours...!
-20+ crocodiles
-white face monkeys
-howler monkeys
-birds, birds, birds
-iguanas and MORE iguanas
After the tour we had lunch a finished it off with a delicious arroz con leche. My group was thrilled after seeing so many animals and slept almost the whole way back to CPI Flamingo. The coolest part of the tour was definately having a crocodile about a foot away from me as he emerged from a shallow area under the boat and moved off to get away from us. I jumped, he came up so unexpectedly and so close! Creepy crocodiles...I also saw motmots (national bird of Nicaragua), Tiger herons, little blue herons and a sandpiper. E would be impressed by the fact that I know all the names.
So far today I have fallen up the stairs twice, the first time catching myself in time to avoid bruising, and the second time spilling a significant amount of coffee on both stairs and myself...! I am trying to avoid a third fall. My loose sandal is possibly the culprit. Ugh now I smell like café!
Soon the group will finish with thier last day of class and I will not be returning to CPI Flamingo for a while. It looks like my next group will take me to Heredia and then to Monteverde. Tomorrow my group has a snorkel cruise as thier final activity and then on Friday morning I drop them off at the airport and hopefully get as much laundry done as I can that afternoon at home before getting back to Heredia Sunday to get a new group.
I have had a very pleasant two weeks with these ladies from Chicago, they are all kind and mature and not drama queens at all! I will miss them and they have been a breath of fresh air for me. Wonder what my next group will be like...?
PURA VIDA!
Monday, May 20, 2013
thanks for the chacos
This weekend was long.
Long in the sense that I had to work both Saturday and Sunday, and Saturday proved to be more stressful than I thought...! The group was scheduled for a few tours in the area of Rincón de La Vieja (an active volcano close to Liberia). First we were going to do a guided hike through the National Park with the guide who was with us for our Santa Cruz tour Friday...upon arriving to the road where we start our way uphill to the park entrance we found a roadblock...a car rally was going on and we would have had to wait until 11am to get through. So we turned around and went right back down the hill to Liberia, where the group got to spend a little more time looking around. I looked for sandals (no luck) and had some jugo de caña off the street, being sold by a local man...sugar cane juice is some good stuff, but it is sweeeeet! I had a cup and a half though, I have a terrible sweet tooth. But I was so stressed, and the guide was not the most helpful. In fact when we got to Liberia for our little detour he took off back to his house for breakfast!
We finally made it up to Hacienda Guachipelin where we were scheduled to have lunch and do our afternoon activity...horseback riding and rafting!
The guide only did the horseback riding with us, not the tubing. It would have been interesting if I had not been there, because he was suposed to go..!! I am no longer so impressed by this guide after this weekend.
The important thing is that the group had a lot of fun, despite our detour and the wait....they wanted to get right back on the river and do tubing all over again! I did too hehe : )
I am especially thankful to my parents for thier gift of Chacos at Family Christmas some years ago, as these all terrain sandlas have served me well rafting, waterfall rappeling and on river tubing tours...! Thanks for the Chacos, Mom & Dad! : )
Loving the water and the ride...!!! One of my fave tours in the area and always happy to accompany groups here! Anyway after the ride we started back to Playa Flamingo right away and our guide got off in Liberia without shaking the professor's had, or mine...! He was out of there. Ugh.
Sunday was a long day too. We left at 5:30am from our hotel and started on the road to Monteverde. We stopped and had breakfast along the way in Cañas (where I thought of E's grandma, and wished I could call her!) and then continued and went up the road from Las Juntas. Wow I had forgotten how bumpy the ride can be, and my back and neck were killing me...!! We arrived late to our morning tour at the Reserva Santa Elena and got on the trail with a local guide who was very kind and knowlegeable. We finished hiking around 12:15pm and went back down to the neighborhood of Cañitas, where we did the Trapiche tour. The tour has changed a little in the last year, they now have a chocolate making area and they moved the sugar cane processing equipment to another area, So I am glad I got to see the new set-up and be prepared for the rest of the season. At the end of the tour we made candy as usual...I could eat a whole bag by myself in one sitting. So unhealthy but SO GOOD!!!! Our stop at the gas station turned into an impromptu souvenir stop...next door there is a little shop that sells jewelry and clothes and lots of original art, and I admit that I got some earrings and a ring that I am wearing right now. Going into that shop is always a risk for me, since I could easily spend my whole paycheck there!!! I have some gift ideas for friends and family before I go back to the USA.
We reached Liberia again by 8:30pm and were back at the hotel around 10pm. I slept like a rock, I was so tired. But the sleep did the trick because this morning I feel good. Hopefully this energy lasts the week!!!
PURA VIDA!
Long in the sense that I had to work both Saturday and Sunday, and Saturday proved to be more stressful than I thought...! The group was scheduled for a few tours in the area of Rincón de La Vieja (an active volcano close to Liberia). First we were going to do a guided hike through the National Park with the guide who was with us for our Santa Cruz tour Friday...upon arriving to the road where we start our way uphill to the park entrance we found a roadblock...a car rally was going on and we would have had to wait until 11am to get through. So we turned around and went right back down the hill to Liberia, where the group got to spend a little more time looking around. I looked for sandals (no luck) and had some jugo de caña off the street, being sold by a local man...sugar cane juice is some good stuff, but it is sweeeeet! I had a cup and a half though, I have a terrible sweet tooth. But I was so stressed, and the guide was not the most helpful. In fact when we got to Liberia for our little detour he took off back to his house for breakfast!
We finally made it up to Hacienda Guachipelin where we were scheduled to have lunch and do our afternoon activity...horseback riding and rafting!
The guide only did the horseback riding with us, not the tubing. It would have been interesting if I had not been there, because he was suposed to go..!! I am no longer so impressed by this guide after this weekend.
The important thing is that the group had a lot of fun, despite our detour and the wait....they wanted to get right back on the river and do tubing all over again! I did too hehe : )
I am especially thankful to my parents for thier gift of Chacos at Family Christmas some years ago, as these all terrain sandlas have served me well rafting, waterfall rappeling and on river tubing tours...! Thanks for the Chacos, Mom & Dad! : )
Sunday was a long day too. We left at 5:30am from our hotel and started on the road to Monteverde. We stopped and had breakfast along the way in Cañas (where I thought of E's grandma, and wished I could call her!) and then continued and went up the road from Las Juntas. Wow I had forgotten how bumpy the ride can be, and my back and neck were killing me...!! We arrived late to our morning tour at the Reserva Santa Elena and got on the trail with a local guide who was very kind and knowlegeable. We finished hiking around 12:15pm and went back down to the neighborhood of Cañitas, where we did the Trapiche tour. The tour has changed a little in the last year, they now have a chocolate making area and they moved the sugar cane processing equipment to another area, So I am glad I got to see the new set-up and be prepared for the rest of the season. At the end of the tour we made candy as usual...I could eat a whole bag by myself in one sitting. So unhealthy but SO GOOD!!!! Our stop at the gas station turned into an impromptu souvenir stop...next door there is a little shop that sells jewelry and clothes and lots of original art, and I admit that I got some earrings and a ring that I am wearing right now. Going into that shop is always a risk for me, since I could easily spend my whole paycheck there!!! I have some gift ideas for friends and family before I go back to the USA.
We reached Liberia again by 8:30pm and were back at the hotel around 10pm. I slept like a rock, I was so tired. But the sleep did the trick because this morning I feel good. Hopefully this energy lasts the week!!!
PURA VIDA!
Friday, May 17, 2013
beach scene--where i have been lately
PLAYA CABO BLANCO
SUNSET CABO BLANCO
guanacaste
CPI Flamingo is located in Guanacaste, a province located in the north of Costa Rica and well known for it's beaches as well as cattle farms and rich cultural heritage. July 25th is when the Annexation of Guanacaste is celebrated in Costa Rica. Before gaining independence from Spain the province was considered part of Nicaragua.
The culture here is all abut cowboys, corn tortillas and tradition.
Bull riding is incredibly popular and two of the most well-known bulls are from the town of Santa Cruz, where I visited with my group today. You see cowboys (plaid short sleeve shirt, leather belt, jeans tucked into leather cowboys boots with a coil of rope at the hip and a plain canvas hat...shirt usually open to expose manly chest hair) and farms everywhere stretching over the flat, dusty plain of Costa Rica, sloping down to meet the ocean and creating some of the most popular touristic destinations in the country: Tamarindo (or TamaGRINGO), Playas del Coco, Samara and Nosara just to name a few.
In Guanacaste you can find handmade tortillas of varying colors: all made with cornflour, sometines you will see white, yellow, even red or purple. Traditional recipies include corn and it is used in a variety of ways...! There is nothing quite like having a fresh tortillas made by a tortillera, a local woman who makes tortillas! I do not have the same touch they do, I need to perfect my tortilla making...they are never perfectly round, much to E's amusement.
Many of the people have Afro-Caribean and indigenous roots. They have darker complexions and black hair, and many of the women wear it long straight. This is interesting because you find people with lighter complexions in other areas of the country like Monteverde or Heredia or San Jose, where it is more common to have Spanish roots...if anyone asks, I would say I am Herediana haha!
People from the province of Guancaste are proud of thier heritage and traditions...passing the local primary school the phrase over the front door was, "Orgullosos de ser Guanacastecos" or "Proud to be Guanacasteco."
In the town of Santa Cruz you see many statues and symbols that represent the culture, like the one here. A sabonero (cowboy) is shown riding a bull!
What a great opportuniuty to learn more and to enjoy this province and it's unique culture. Today was a great day touring with the group.
GUANACASTE...pura vida : )
The culture here is all abut cowboys, corn tortillas and tradition.
Bull riding is incredibly popular and two of the most well-known bulls are from the town of Santa Cruz, where I visited with my group today. You see cowboys (plaid short sleeve shirt, leather belt, jeans tucked into leather cowboys boots with a coil of rope at the hip and a plain canvas hat...shirt usually open to expose manly chest hair) and farms everywhere stretching over the flat, dusty plain of Costa Rica, sloping down to meet the ocean and creating some of the most popular touristic destinations in the country: Tamarindo (or TamaGRINGO), Playas del Coco, Samara and Nosara just to name a few.
In Guanacaste you can find handmade tortillas of varying colors: all made with cornflour, sometines you will see white, yellow, even red or purple. Traditional recipies include corn and it is used in a variety of ways...! There is nothing quite like having a fresh tortillas made by a tortillera, a local woman who makes tortillas! I do not have the same touch they do, I need to perfect my tortilla making...they are never perfectly round, much to E's amusement.
Many of the people have Afro-Caribean and indigenous roots. They have darker complexions and black hair, and many of the women wear it long straight. This is interesting because you find people with lighter complexions in other areas of the country like Monteverde or Heredia or San Jose, where it is more common to have Spanish roots...if anyone asks, I would say I am Herediana haha!
People from the province of Guancaste are proud of thier heritage and traditions...passing the local primary school the phrase over the front door was, "Orgullosos de ser Guanacastecos" or "Proud to be Guanacasteco."
In the town of Santa Cruz you see many statues and symbols that represent the culture, like the one here. A sabonero (cowboy) is shown riding a bull!
What a great opportuniuty to learn more and to enjoy this province and it's unique culture. Today was a great day touring with the group.
GUANACASTE...pura vida : )
Thursday, May 16, 2013
guilty pleasures
Lately I have become more and more obcessed with a certain kind of cookie found here in CR: YEMAS.
For all of you Spanish speakers, you know that a "yema" is the yolk of an egg (and if you did not know that, now you do!). These cookies hardly look like that, or taste like that! Between two plain sugar cookies is a delicious dolop of guava jam....basically it is like the vanilla and fruit version of an oreo! I love it! I have already eaten an entire package this week. And they are even more delicious when paired with a cup of coffee. Yemas...yum!
Today I met the new chaperones who will be part of the team this year. We talked more in depth about the job, two of them are native Spanish speakers and one is from my UD group last year. She was kind enough to bring me a few things from the USA, among them two of my favorite magazines! One of my guiltiest pleasures is reading fashion magazines, namely InStyle and Marie Claire (I am not really a Cosmo girl, much to my Mom's relief I am sure haha!). I am thrilled to have the most recent copies of these two mags, which I will pour over probably until I return to the USA and get myself the newest issue...! Hmm now I can hear Madonna's "Vogue" playing as backround music in my head...
This time last year I was training the new chaperones...they are doing much the same program, getting to know each campus and the surrounding restaurants and tours, seeing meeting points and neighborhoods where we have homestay families. Thier leader is a chaperone who has been with CPI since December but who I have never met before. But based on my first impression I think we will get along very well! My fisrt impressions are not usually wrong...! I say not usually but I can hardly say never.
Did I mention that this week I am in a hotel with my group? All this talk of guilty pleasures has inspired me to go and take a dip in the pool this afternoon when we get back, something I haven't done yet...
PURA VIDA!
For all of you Spanish speakers, you know that a "yema" is the yolk of an egg (and if you did not know that, now you do!). These cookies hardly look like that, or taste like that! Between two plain sugar cookies is a delicious dolop of guava jam....basically it is like the vanilla and fruit version of an oreo! I love it! I have already eaten an entire package this week. And they are even more delicious when paired with a cup of coffee. Yemas...yum!
Today I met the new chaperones who will be part of the team this year. We talked more in depth about the job, two of them are native Spanish speakers and one is from my UD group last year. She was kind enough to bring me a few things from the USA, among them two of my favorite magazines! One of my guiltiest pleasures is reading fashion magazines, namely InStyle and Marie Claire (I am not really a Cosmo girl, much to my Mom's relief I am sure haha!). I am thrilled to have the most recent copies of these two mags, which I will pour over probably until I return to the USA and get myself the newest issue...! Hmm now I can hear Madonna's "Vogue" playing as backround music in my head...
This time last year I was training the new chaperones...they are doing much the same program, getting to know each campus and the surrounding restaurants and tours, seeing meeting points and neighborhoods where we have homestay families. Thier leader is a chaperone who has been with CPI since December but who I have never met before. But based on my first impression I think we will get along very well! My fisrt impressions are not usually wrong...! I say not usually but I can hardly say never.
Did I mention that this week I am in a hotel with my group? All this talk of guilty pleasures has inspired me to go and take a dip in the pool this afternoon when we get back, something I haven't done yet...
PURA VIDA!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
May: all about the beach
So this month I am back to work, after a long respite and time to recuperate after a very wet week in Heredia with my last group.
Currently enjoying the beach at CPI Flamingo, with a group of grad students from Chicago, IL. I am constatly reminded of my best friend while listening to the group speak, as many of them have that typical Chicago accent, especially the professor of the group who has a slightly stronger accent. Missing my BFF!
This group has been wonderful so far, but it has only been 48 hours since I picked them up from LIR (Liberia's international airport). They are much more focused and mature which is a relief and a pleasure, often having to work with rambunctious high school groups or college students who tend to be very thirsty...!
Yesterday we made arroz con pollo for lunch and watched the sunset before coming back to our hotel for dinner.
That is right, I am in a hotel with this group during thier stay...a whole 2 weeks of AC! What a luxury! But I still shower with just the cool water, it is much too hot to turn on the hot water.
Here in this area the majority of homes do not have hot water, as there is no need for it! Hotels may, or newer rental homes, but most ordinary people would never dream of bathing with hot water in this environment. Right now it is very dusty here, as rainy season has not yet swept in to dampen everything and lessen the dust and dry dirt that is disturbed by bikes and cars and four-wheelers coming and going down the unpaved streets. Life on the beach is not as glamourous as you may imagine...unless of course you are living in a hotel, haha!
While we were doing a walking tour of downtown Flamingo and looking at all of the high rise condominiums and hotels, one of the students commented that living here would probably cause the beach and the atmosphere to lose it's novelty...and asked me if living here had caused some of the novelty to wear off.
After reflecting I have to admit that yes...living in Costa Rica is lovely, but it is not always paradise. I often get frustrated at the system, not having reliable postal service, the potholes in the road and the prices of some items in the grocery store, not mention the lack of chocolate and peanut butter flavored candies and ice cream! When I have one of these moments I have to step back and take a deep breath.
I am living in a beautiful country on the whole, with an amazing person and I would not change that for the world. The most important thing to remember, coming from the USA is...
"Not better, not worse, just different." So true.
Currently enjoying the beach at CPI Flamingo, with a group of grad students from Chicago, IL. I am constatly reminded of my best friend while listening to the group speak, as many of them have that typical Chicago accent, especially the professor of the group who has a slightly stronger accent. Missing my BFF!
This group has been wonderful so far, but it has only been 48 hours since I picked them up from LIR (Liberia's international airport). They are much more focused and mature which is a relief and a pleasure, often having to work with rambunctious high school groups or college students who tend to be very thirsty...!
Yesterday we made arroz con pollo for lunch and watched the sunset before coming back to our hotel for dinner.
That is right, I am in a hotel with this group during thier stay...a whole 2 weeks of AC! What a luxury! But I still shower with just the cool water, it is much too hot to turn on the hot water.
Here in this area the majority of homes do not have hot water, as there is no need for it! Hotels may, or newer rental homes, but most ordinary people would never dream of bathing with hot water in this environment. Right now it is very dusty here, as rainy season has not yet swept in to dampen everything and lessen the dust and dry dirt that is disturbed by bikes and cars and four-wheelers coming and going down the unpaved streets. Life on the beach is not as glamourous as you may imagine...unless of course you are living in a hotel, haha!
While we were doing a walking tour of downtown Flamingo and looking at all of the high rise condominiums and hotels, one of the students commented that living here would probably cause the beach and the atmosphere to lose it's novelty...and asked me if living here had caused some of the novelty to wear off.
After reflecting I have to admit that yes...living in Costa Rica is lovely, but it is not always paradise. I often get frustrated at the system, not having reliable postal service, the potholes in the road and the prices of some items in the grocery store, not mention the lack of chocolate and peanut butter flavored candies and ice cream! When I have one of these moments I have to step back and take a deep breath.
I am living in a beautiful country on the whole, with an amazing person and I would not change that for the world. The most important thing to remember, coming from the USA is...
"Not better, not worse, just different." So true.
Monday, May 13, 2013
beach camping in CR
In my last post I mentioned that E and I through our astronomy course were able to visit 3 beautiful beaches in CR....Cabo Blanco, Santa Teresa, Curú.
The location that we fell in love with, though, was Playa Quesera, part of Curú and accessible through a winding cattle trail. Well! After finding that beach we decided we had to come back and CAMP!
So we rescued the little tent E has from it's corner in our apartment, took some blankets and swim suits and enough food for 3 days, and went!
It was an afternoon when E got off of work and we waited for a friend of his to all ride the ferry together. When we arrived to Paquera (from Puntarenas, El Puerto) it was already completely dark and E's friend was kind enough to give us a ride into the trailhead so we would not have to walk so far in the dark. He also has contacts there in Curú and knows the owner, so he was able to help confirm that it was OK to camp there.
(NOTE: Apparently there is a standing reservation for someone who comes from Canada every year and does a camping trip there. But at the end of the reservation period they are no longer going to allow people to camp there in Curú.)
We arrived at the trailhead and put on our backpacks and turned on our flashlights, the dry leaves and gravel crunching under our feet as we skirted past some loose horses hanging out by the gate and started to make our way through the dry forest at night.
What a different view! E's main concern was snake activity, considering that some venemous snakes are known to be more active at night and that there are some more agressive than others. Not even a meter later we had already encountered a small boa constrictor, about 1.5 ft long on the ground along our path. 10 mins later we encountered a small vine snake and could hear and see him as he slithered away from the beams of our flashlights through the bushes along the edge of the trail. We heard several birds, swatted many mosquitoes and once saw a pair of eyes staring back at us from the depths of the night as we crosssed the pasture but did not encounter the terciopelo, and agressive venomous snake that caused E to walk slowly and cautiously. We took way too much food with us, and we were both sore when we finally arrived to the beach and were facinated to find the sand blanketed by hermit crabs and haloween crabs in a frenzy of activity, moving and crucnhing the undergrowth all around us as we approached the beach and heard the waves and as we set up our tent and established camp they moved in to check us out, then scrambled away from our heavy footsteps as we walked across the sand. We light two small candles to conserve our flashlight batteries and opened a box of wine and looked up in awe at the stars, E finding several constellations and me settling myself down on my back on the beach to watch the sky and being rewarded with 3 shooting stars...! E did not see any this time around.
Sleeping was not a very comfortable affair...the size of the tent might be ok for two people, but when you stop to considered how to fit in the backpacks and bags of food and shoes, well...it's a whole other thing! I slept all of two hours after trying to get comfortable and failing, then hearing hermit crabs scratch at the walls of the tent where it met the sand, right next to my head. Several times I also sat up and squinted out into the pale moonlight to see where the tide was, as it crept up the beach toward us but never quite reached up all the way to get us wet. By the time my alarm went off at 6am I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep anymore and E couldn't either, so we both got up and had an early breakfast and listened the the little radio E had brought and watched the hermit crabs crawl around our feet as the sun spread it's slow warmth across the sand. We spent most of the morning laying out on the beach in the shade, trying to sleep a little now we no longer had to worry about the tide or the mosquitoes with the ocean breeze. Later around 9am we finally went into the water, crystal clear and perfectly warm and snorkeled and swam for a while.
E got an important phone call while we were there, and was offered an opportunity to go as a volunteer to the Isla del Coco! He said yes, and being overjoyed and having to make plans to leave that coming Saturday we started to pack up and left Playa Quesera early with the sun shining over head as we hiked our way back to the entrance of the trail. E called a taxi which got us to the ferry just in time to buy some tickets and get back to Puntarenas and then to Esparza where we both starting preparing for our trips away. He will be on the island for one month volunteering and doing work very similar to that of a park ranger. This island, Isla del Coco, is part of the Galapagos and a touristic visit there costs five thousand dollars or more. E was excited for the chance to visit and learn more biological info, historical info and just to broaden his experience as a naturalist, and I am excited for him as well. Really it is not an opportunity that comes along every day!
The only negative of this beach camping experience was my choice of footwear. That may not sound like a big deal, but believe me, it really makes all the difference! I wore my Chacos (sandals) and it was a huge mistake as I got terrible blisters along the bottom of my feet and also a really bad chafe on my toe that removed quite a lot of skin, making it painful to walk. E taped me up and gave me a few bandaids and I learned my lesson...just wear shoes, it really is a much better idea.
I will keep that in mind for next time...because there will absolutely be another visit to the beautiful Playa Quesera, definately my favorite beach in all of Costa Rica!
Pura Vida
The location that we fell in love with, though, was Playa Quesera, part of Curú and accessible through a winding cattle trail. Well! After finding that beach we decided we had to come back and CAMP!
So we rescued the little tent E has from it's corner in our apartment, took some blankets and swim suits and enough food for 3 days, and went!
It was an afternoon when E got off of work and we waited for a friend of his to all ride the ferry together. When we arrived to Paquera (from Puntarenas, El Puerto) it was already completely dark and E's friend was kind enough to give us a ride into the trailhead so we would not have to walk so far in the dark. He also has contacts there in Curú and knows the owner, so he was able to help confirm that it was OK to camp there.
(NOTE: Apparently there is a standing reservation for someone who comes from Canada every year and does a camping trip there. But at the end of the reservation period they are no longer going to allow people to camp there in Curú.)
We arrived at the trailhead and put on our backpacks and turned on our flashlights, the dry leaves and gravel crunching under our feet as we skirted past some loose horses hanging out by the gate and started to make our way through the dry forest at night.
What a different view! E's main concern was snake activity, considering that some venemous snakes are known to be more active at night and that there are some more agressive than others. Not even a meter later we had already encountered a small boa constrictor, about 1.5 ft long on the ground along our path. 10 mins later we encountered a small vine snake and could hear and see him as he slithered away from the beams of our flashlights through the bushes along the edge of the trail. We heard several birds, swatted many mosquitoes and once saw a pair of eyes staring back at us from the depths of the night as we crosssed the pasture but did not encounter the terciopelo, and agressive venomous snake that caused E to walk slowly and cautiously. We took way too much food with us, and we were both sore when we finally arrived to the beach and were facinated to find the sand blanketed by hermit crabs and haloween crabs in a frenzy of activity, moving and crucnhing the undergrowth all around us as we approached the beach and heard the waves and as we set up our tent and established camp they moved in to check us out, then scrambled away from our heavy footsteps as we walked across the sand. We light two small candles to conserve our flashlight batteries and opened a box of wine and looked up in awe at the stars, E finding several constellations and me settling myself down on my back on the beach to watch the sky and being rewarded with 3 shooting stars...! E did not see any this time around.
Sleeping was not a very comfortable affair...the size of the tent might be ok for two people, but when you stop to considered how to fit in the backpacks and bags of food and shoes, well...it's a whole other thing! I slept all of two hours after trying to get comfortable and failing, then hearing hermit crabs scratch at the walls of the tent where it met the sand, right next to my head. Several times I also sat up and squinted out into the pale moonlight to see where the tide was, as it crept up the beach toward us but never quite reached up all the way to get us wet. By the time my alarm went off at 6am I knew there was no way I was going to be able to sleep anymore and E couldn't either, so we both got up and had an early breakfast and listened the the little radio E had brought and watched the hermit crabs crawl around our feet as the sun spread it's slow warmth across the sand. We spent most of the morning laying out on the beach in the shade, trying to sleep a little now we no longer had to worry about the tide or the mosquitoes with the ocean breeze. Later around 9am we finally went into the water, crystal clear and perfectly warm and snorkeled and swam for a while.
E got an important phone call while we were there, and was offered an opportunity to go as a volunteer to the Isla del Coco! He said yes, and being overjoyed and having to make plans to leave that coming Saturday we started to pack up and left Playa Quesera early with the sun shining over head as we hiked our way back to the entrance of the trail. E called a taxi which got us to the ferry just in time to buy some tickets and get back to Puntarenas and then to Esparza where we both starting preparing for our trips away. He will be on the island for one month volunteering and doing work very similar to that of a park ranger. This island, Isla del Coco, is part of the Galapagos and a touristic visit there costs five thousand dollars or more. E was excited for the chance to visit and learn more biological info, historical info and just to broaden his experience as a naturalist, and I am excited for him as well. Really it is not an opportunity that comes along every day!
The only negative of this beach camping experience was my choice of footwear. That may not sound like a big deal, but believe me, it really makes all the difference! I wore my Chacos (sandals) and it was a huge mistake as I got terrible blisters along the bottom of my feet and also a really bad chafe on my toe that removed quite a lot of skin, making it painful to walk. E taped me up and gave me a few bandaids and I learned my lesson...just wear shoes, it really is a much better idea.
I will keep that in mind for next time...because there will absolutely be another visit to the beautiful Playa Quesera, definately my favorite beach in all of Costa Rica!
Pura Vida
twinkle twinkle little star...!
About a week ago E and I particiated in an astronomy course being offered by the Organization of Tropial Studies or Organización de Estudios Tropicales (OET). We both enrolled for a weekend-long course that included transportation, meals and entrance fees to several national parks and a pit stop at a popular beach.
The trip was AMAZING! I enjoyed it very much, and I have always been interested in astronomy and learning more about the position and names of those celestial bodies visible only on clear dark nights, and I was very excited to be able to learn more. The course was taught by a well known professor, astronomer and physist who E has heard of before and who has impeccable credentials. He has a real knack for explaining things and a genuine enthusiasm that is downright contagious! We had a wonderful time learning about the constellations and names of stars, as well as information about how to orient yourself looking the sky, important times of year (or day, or night!) when you can see more or less, about the rotation of the earth and sun and moon...! E took some really wonderful pictures, we even got to see Saturn and it's rings clearly defined and hovering in the sky through E's telescope! I went to bed before E did, my enthusiasm wasn't enough to keep my eyes open. But then we got up at 4am, the hour when you are most likely to see more shooting stars. I saw about 7 in the 20 minutes we stood out on the beach! In total my count was 13, while E's was much higher. Guess I should have been wearing my glasses???
The following day we left Reserva Absoluta Cabo Blanco (where we stargazed and spent the night at a research station) and hiked back out to our little bus, seeing monkeys and almost getting pooped and peed on on the way (there were 15 participants in all) and drove to Playa Santa Teresa. This was however, a Sunday at 8am and there was nothing much to do or see. E and I hung out on the beach and watched the surfers fighting to get waves through our binoculars before going into town and stoping at a bakery to get some cappucinos and a chocolate pastry and get online to check our mail. Then we all got back on the bus and drove to Reserva de Vida Silvetre Curú, a private nature reserve where we had way too much free time and the tide was up on the beach. We ate lunch there and afterwards E and I decided to go hiking and find a beach called Playa Quesera, which is accessible by a winding cattle trail through the reserve, an estimated 2 hour hike away. Wanting to make the most of our time we booked it up and down the cattle trail, up a little winding hill and through open pastures until a little over an hour later we reached the sandy and pristine shore of Playa Quesera...and fell instatly in love. After such an intense hike we threw ourselves into the waves and then walked right back out, putting on clothes over our wet swim suits and booking it back to the bus to leave on time (we made it in 55 mins). When we arrived I was BEAT, and with 10 minutes to spare and the rest of the group waiting on the bus I went and rinsed off all the sweat and sand before changing into shorts and flip flops and collapsing into my seat on the bus...but E and I were both so glad that we had decided to do that hike, exhausting as it was, and so excited at discovering this pristine and completely tranquil bit of beach. From Playa Quesera you can see Isla Tortuga, and a thought E and I had was to rent sea kayaks or maybe a small boat and come by sea to the beach, bringing things to camp and picnic. (see my next blog entry!) In any case, if my family comes to visit at some point we decided that taking them to this beach is an absolute must.
Once back on the bus we arrived to Paquera in time to catch the ferry back to Puntarenas. As soon as we reached the Puerto the sky opened up and it started to rain...the kind of rain that had been waiting to fall for days, huge fat drops that when flung into the wind feel like needles on your skin. I had left my raincoatin the bus, and all E had was a flimsy rain poncho and his WINDBREAKER which I ALWAYS thought was a RAINJACKET! So we put everything into E's water resistant backpack and made a run for it down to the bus after most of the other passengers had gotten off...the bus dropped us off at our bus-stop for Esparza where miraculously there was a bus waiting to leave and we jumped on, hauling wet gear and jackets behind us, and sat down wet and tired but elated in the bus. By the time we got to Esparza we realized that there had been no rainfall there and we looked like such tourists toting our backpacks and now non-essential raingear, and we made it home and hung things out to dry and showered properly.
What an amazing trip! I now can recognize (with names in Spanish):
-la cruz
-el cuervo
-el escorpion
-gemini
- el león
-la joyera
-Saturn
It also helps that I installed an app called SKY MAP on my android phone, which helps me to recognize direction and costellations. Now on a clear night I won't feel so lost and insignificant looking at the sky...! Instead I will be able to point out some of the constellations and tell thier stories.
E and I hope to do another course with OET, which for the total cost did include quite a lot of activities. If only there had been a little more information about astronomy, maybe a talk or two given by our leader. It would have helped me to get much more out of the trip, but it was still worthwhile...!
PURA VIDA
The trip was AMAZING! I enjoyed it very much, and I have always been interested in astronomy and learning more about the position and names of those celestial bodies visible only on clear dark nights, and I was very excited to be able to learn more. The course was taught by a well known professor, astronomer and physist who E has heard of before and who has impeccable credentials. He has a real knack for explaining things and a genuine enthusiasm that is downright contagious! We had a wonderful time learning about the constellations and names of stars, as well as information about how to orient yourself looking the sky, important times of year (or day, or night!) when you can see more or less, about the rotation of the earth and sun and moon...! E took some really wonderful pictures, we even got to see Saturn and it's rings clearly defined and hovering in the sky through E's telescope! I went to bed before E did, my enthusiasm wasn't enough to keep my eyes open. But then we got up at 4am, the hour when you are most likely to see more shooting stars. I saw about 7 in the 20 minutes we stood out on the beach! In total my count was 13, while E's was much higher. Guess I should have been wearing my glasses???
The following day we left Reserva Absoluta Cabo Blanco (where we stargazed and spent the night at a research station) and hiked back out to our little bus, seeing monkeys and almost getting pooped and peed on on the way (there were 15 participants in all) and drove to Playa Santa Teresa. This was however, a Sunday at 8am and there was nothing much to do or see. E and I hung out on the beach and watched the surfers fighting to get waves through our binoculars before going into town and stoping at a bakery to get some cappucinos and a chocolate pastry and get online to check our mail. Then we all got back on the bus and drove to Reserva de Vida Silvetre Curú, a private nature reserve where we had way too much free time and the tide was up on the beach. We ate lunch there and afterwards E and I decided to go hiking and find a beach called Playa Quesera, which is accessible by a winding cattle trail through the reserve, an estimated 2 hour hike away. Wanting to make the most of our time we booked it up and down the cattle trail, up a little winding hill and through open pastures until a little over an hour later we reached the sandy and pristine shore of Playa Quesera...and fell instatly in love. After such an intense hike we threw ourselves into the waves and then walked right back out, putting on clothes over our wet swim suits and booking it back to the bus to leave on time (we made it in 55 mins). When we arrived I was BEAT, and with 10 minutes to spare and the rest of the group waiting on the bus I went and rinsed off all the sweat and sand before changing into shorts and flip flops and collapsing into my seat on the bus...but E and I were both so glad that we had decided to do that hike, exhausting as it was, and so excited at discovering this pristine and completely tranquil bit of beach. From Playa Quesera you can see Isla Tortuga, and a thought E and I had was to rent sea kayaks or maybe a small boat and come by sea to the beach, bringing things to camp and picnic. (see my next blog entry!) In any case, if my family comes to visit at some point we decided that taking them to this beach is an absolute must.
Once back on the bus we arrived to Paquera in time to catch the ferry back to Puntarenas. As soon as we reached the Puerto the sky opened up and it started to rain...the kind of rain that had been waiting to fall for days, huge fat drops that when flung into the wind feel like needles on your skin. I had left my raincoatin the bus, and all E had was a flimsy rain poncho and his WINDBREAKER which I ALWAYS thought was a RAINJACKET! So we put everything into E's water resistant backpack and made a run for it down to the bus after most of the other passengers had gotten off...the bus dropped us off at our bus-stop for Esparza where miraculously there was a bus waiting to leave and we jumped on, hauling wet gear and jackets behind us, and sat down wet and tired but elated in the bus. By the time we got to Esparza we realized that there had been no rainfall there and we looked like such tourists toting our backpacks and now non-essential raingear, and we made it home and hung things out to dry and showered properly.
What an amazing trip! I now can recognize (with names in Spanish):
-la cruz
-el cuervo
-el escorpion
-gemini
- el león
-la joyera
-Saturn
It also helps that I installed an app called SKY MAP on my android phone, which helps me to recognize direction and costellations. Now on a clear night I won't feel so lost and insignificant looking at the sky...! Instead I will be able to point out some of the constellations and tell thier stories.
E and I hope to do another course with OET, which for the total cost did include quite a lot of activities. If only there had been a little more information about astronomy, maybe a talk or two given by our leader. It would have helped me to get much more out of the trip, but it was still worthwhile...!
PURA VIDA
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