Return to Costa Rica - The Hunt for Housing

         Flying back to Costa Rica on a Continental Airlines jumbo jet, I had a chance to try out my new Panasonic Lumix ZS7 camera and wow! it’s a real winner, offering a wide-angle Leica lens and a 12X zoom. My blog photos should improve dramatically.

         Upon our arrival, we breezed through customs and Immigration, easily found our driver and were soon back in Atenas. But the next day when we called Dennis Easters at Pure Life Development, we learned that the apartment we thought we might rent was no longer available. Rentals here are going like wildfire through dry grass -- this, even though it is technically the “low season,” the time of year when fewer tourists are arriving. So it seems there will be no early end for us to the vagabond life. Still, we are confident we’ll soon find just the right place. Tomorrow we will go with Dennis and his partners Gerardo and Nelson to see several other places and perhaps one of them will be the little paradise we want.

         Meanwhile, we’ll spend a few more days here at Vista Atenas Bed & Breakfast while we continue looking. As you can see, it’s not as if we’re stuck in some dumpy hotel. Vista Atenas is located near the top of a hill just outside of town in an area called Sabana Larga, or Long Savannah. The breakfasts prepared by owner Vera and her charming associate Jonathan are superb: fresh pineapple, watermelon, tomatoes and cucumbers, all plated artistically; delicious local coffee, a few slices of smoked sausage and eggs seasoned with fresh herbs. Perfection!

          Being the dedicated bus riders that we have become, on our first morning here Layne and I walked down the long, very steep hill to the bus stop, learning the hard way just how unaccustomed our downhill muscles are. Yesterday and today, we have endured stiff sore calf muscles and tight gluteus maximus muscles, a testament to the extreme terrain. Hopefully, we’ll have loosened up by tomorrow night as we plan to attend the monthly dance party at Kay’s Gringo Postre.

         As we wandered through town Wednesday morning, we were surprised to hear our names called out by a woman emerging from a car ahead of us. It was Lee Cortes, the owner of El Mirador, the cool discothèque up the mountain where we used to go dance or listen to karaoke. After hugs and laughter, we learned that she’s just reopening the club this weekend. Good timing for us! We waved goodbye, promising to come dancing soon and continued on to Banco Nacional to withdraw colones. Inside the bank, once again we heard a woman’s voice call out to us. It was Carmen who works with Genevieve running the organic farmers’ market. What a small town it is and how lovely that in our short two-month stay here last spring, we made some buenos amigos.

         Our real estate tour on Wednesday afternoon was lengthy and, although we saw several places that were attractive in some way, none really appealed to us immediately, as Hazel’s little chalet did last spring. For example, one three bedroom, two bath house up the hill in Santa Eulalia was very attractive at first glance, with a well-kept lawn, flowers along the porch and a large backyard with a great view. The living room was expansive and the ceramic tile floors beautiful. And the price was great -- only $300/month, plus utilities -- but the kitchen was awful. In fact, toward the back of the house, the appearance of the rooms deteriorated. Plus, there was very little furniture. With the right décor, it could be made into a real jewel of a home, but to do so would be a major project, costing us most of the savings in rent. And after we bought all those furnishings, what would we have? More stuff!

         The search for housing took us to a number of different neighborhoods in the area, from a brand new apartment at the bottom of our hill here in Sabana Larga to a choice of three oddly-configured apartments just out of town to a stunning cabin on a big coffee plantation in Morazon, fifteen minutes up the hill above Atenas. The largest of three cabins on the property, it had views to die for and a front patio as big as a living room. At $650/month, including all utilities (even broadband Internet), it seemed like a good deal and we were ready to take it. Unfortunately, we learned the next day that the owner of the property is living there and has apparently decided not to rent that cabin. There remains a chance that he’ll change his mind but at this point, it’s not an option.

         However, our criteria became clearer with each stop. We know we need to be close to a bus line or within walking distance of downtown or at least a small market. We prefer two bedrooms and hopefully two bathrooms so that we will have a comfortable space for guests. I am determined to have a well-appointed kitchen since I enjoy cooking and hosting dinner parties. Ideally, we would have a view since this country is so amazingly picturesque. In a perfect world, we would even have a swimming pool to enjoy. And of course, price is very important to us since we are on a fixed income now. Like a housing search anywhere, there are trade-offs. In San Francisco, where our son Damian lives, he chooses to rent a smaller apartment, which is more affordable, but near the beach since he loves to surf. Here we have to balance the priorities of price and location against the desirable features we want. Lucky for us, there are some real bargains in Costa Rica if you look for them. So that’s what we plan to do.

         Now the rain is rattling through the trees as it does most every afternoon here during the summer rainy season. Mornings often dawn bright and sunny with everything washed clean by the night’s downpours. Only in the afternoons do the thunderheads build and the steady showers begin. Our little cabin here at Vista Atenas has a large front patio facing into the jungle, offering a sense of quiet privacy. The hammock is tempting even during a rainstorm. As I look out my louvered window with the breeze coming in, I can see a bright green hummingbird, undaunted by the rain, still flitting from purple to pink flower, offering a model of Pura Vida: patience and persistence will pay off in the sweet honey of a good life.  

Last Fling in Chicago ... On to Costa Rica!

We have made the rounds here in Chicago, seeing old friends, meeting new ones and enjoying that famous Chicago deep-dish pizza. With our suitcases loaded for bear after cutting down to three bags, leaving one large duffle bag, golf bags and much extraneous clothing, toiletries and other “stuff” in Portland.

         Our early morning flight to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport via Salt Lake City was pleasant enough. Thank goodness for a couple of Atkins Protein Bars; Delta offers very little in the way of snacks. After arriving at the Quality Inn near the airport, we enjoyed a delicious late lunch at the Bella Sera restaurant inside the hotel. I would have enjoyed my grilled chicken panini more if we weren’t trying to stay lo-carb. As it was, I scraped off the yummy pesto dressing and left most of the bread behind. Volumes could be written about trying to stay lo-carb on the road.

         Saturday offered an introduction to the subway and bus system here in Chicago, adding a layer to our growing knowledge of public transit around the world. After a hotel shuttle ride to the airport, we wandered through several doorways then down an elevator to a lower floor where we encountered a maze of ticket machines. Despite our ignorance, we were able to help a foreign visitor with the mysteries of a credit card machine: insert the card and remove it quickly for the reader to work. Voila! In the process, we learned how to buy a ticket ourselves and at least one of the riders waiting behind us thanked us for the impromptu educational experience.

Then it was down an escalator to a still-lower level where four tracks held waiting Blue Line subways. Off we went on a ride that seemed much like the Bay Area’s BART trains, bumping and rumbling alongside dark walls, yellowish lights flashing by in rhythm, then emerging into sunlight and city views. A few stops later we got off at Jefferson Park to catch the #92 bus. With seemingly perfect timing, we soon saw our bus pull in through one of the portals and we stepped onboard. Like a Costa Rican local, this one stopped at almost every corner. Finally, we arrived at our meeting place to hook up with an old friend, Jill C., my roommate in graduate school and former longtime girlfriend of Layne’s, a dear friend to us both. Jill drove us to her beautiful apartment in the Gold Coast, that famously upscale area of Chicago overlooking Lake Michigan. There we enjoyed a glass of wine and a couple of hours of delightful reminiscing and updating each other on our life paths.

After much laughter and many hugs, we headed out for dinner. Jill’s good friend Terri lives in Highland Park and the 45-minute drive north took us through tree-lined streets with glimpses of ornate mansions set back from the street. At Terri’s lovely home, surrounded by large trees and only steps from the lake, we were greeted by a loud chorus of cicadas screeching their hallelujahs to the world. There we met three of her friends: feisty Elizabeth, originally from Poland, and Bill and his partner Arturo, who is from Puerto Rico and still has family there. Over bottles of Chianti, we discussed the pros and cons of Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico for retirement, which Bill and Arturo are considering. While Costa Rica has a complex residency process (as we have discovered!), as a United States territory, Puerto Rico requires no paperwork for U.S. citizens to live there. And while Layne and I will still be liable for U.S. income taxes, Puerto Rico residents are not subject to the Internal Revenue Service, only federal payroll taxes such as Social Security and Medicare plus Puerto Rico income taxes. But then, Puerto Rico has much more poverty than Costa Rica and lies within the Atlantic hurricane paths, while Costa Rica is spared those devastating storms and has a literate and large middle class. After all the debate, Layne and I remained content with our decision.

         Finally, the group headed out to a “Jewish Mexican” restaurant they had all been wanting to visit. And for good reason! La Casa de Isaac served some of the best Mexican food we’ve enjoyed all summer. The salsa was perfectly picante, the guacamole was as good as my own and the enchiladas Layne and I shared were spectacular. Plus, our waiter Bernardo was attentive but patient with our raucous laughter, fueled by outrageously good margaritas. Fortunately, we were seated outdoors in the warm evening air so our good times didn’t disturb other customers. An aspiring photographer, Bernardo pointed out his excellent photographs on display inside the restaurant and we were impressed with the gorgeous colors and composition.

         The rest of the crew returned to Terri’s house but Jill, Layne and I had other plans for the evening. My good friend, Candye Kane, blues diva extraordinaire, just happened to be performing in Chicago that night. (Photo credit: Alan Mercer) For months, I had been following Candye’s worldwide tour schedule via Facebook, wishing our paths would cross. Then I saw her post that she was in Edmonton Friday night and would be at Fitzgerald’s in Chicago on Saturday. What an opportunity! I quickly emailed her that we were in town and she responded with a generous offer to put us on the guest list.

         With the sometimes-confusing help of Ilsa, as we call our German-voiced GPS, Jill drove us across town with a persistent foggy windshield blurring her view, despite Layne’s best efforts to locate the defroster button. We could have been in the cockpit of a 747 with the complex array of red-lighted icons on the Audi dashboard. But eventually we landed at the nightclub and were whisked inside just after Candye’s set had begun.

         What a great time we had! Candye is an eye-popping brunette beauty with charisma oozing out of every pore. Plus-size and proud of it, she is a survivor of pancreatic cancer and in between belting out the blues, she urged her audience to enjoy and appreciate every moment of life, to love our bodies including the parts we like the least and to cherish our friends and family. She is such an inspiration, not to mention a world-class talent, having been nominated for four National Blues Foundation Awards for the BB King Entertainer of the Year award, Best Contemporary Blues CD for Superhero, and Best Contemporary Blues Female of 2010, to name only a few of her many honors. Adding so much to the band’s excellence was Laura Chavez, the lead guitarist, whose soulful interludes were much appreciated by the crowd, which showered her with applause after each solo.

         At the end of Candye’s set and a short visit with her stage-side, we left to make our way back across town. Gosh, Chicago is HUGE! Eventually, between Ilsa’s directions and Jill’s knowledge of the city, we made our way to a Blue Line station where Jill dropped us off for our trip back to the hotel. Like I say, Chicago is big and with a lengthy wait at the airport shuttle stop, it was almost 3:00 a.m. when we finally dropped groggily into bed. Ah, but what a night!

         And now… on to Costa Rica! Hasta la vista, amigos!

Crawfish Tales and a Great Blue Heron!

August 15, 2010

         Like Costa Rica, every place has its own unique flora and fauna, which brings the color and vibrancy of the environment and the ecology of the area to life. Geology, biology, geography, resources, elevation and climate all play a part in the natural history of a locale. Here in Portland, Oregon, where we are spending our final week in the States, the natural world has been greatly influenced by the city’s proximity to the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and the numerous smaller streams that feed into those two majestic waterways. A jewel of the Pacific Northwest, Portland lies between the Cascade Mountain Range to the east and the Coast Range west along the Pacific Ocean. It enjoys a “marine west coast” climate of warm, dry summers and temperate but rainy winters. The beautiful and fertile Willamette Valley just south of the city produces an abundance of vegetables, berries, grass seed, greenhouse and nursery stock as well as vineyards, which produce highly prized pinot noir and pinot gris wines.

Portland also boasts an amazing number of distinctive birds and wonderful trails from which to view them. According to the Audubon Society of Portland, some 500 species of birds migrate through Oregon during part of their life cycle and over 200 of these travel through the Portland Metropolitan Region annually. Layne and I had the incredible good fortune to see one of the most remarkable of those birds on our walk yesterday: a Great Blue Heron! The enormous creature was sitting on a log in the middle of the Fanno Creek, a 15-mile tributary of the Tualatin River, which flows into the Willamette.
Along the part of the creek that runs through Tigard, the small Portland suburb of Layne’s youth where his family still lives, the wetlands attract a variety of wildlife as the trail meanders behind new apartment buildings, crosses streets, then wanders back into dense riparian woods. Layne and I have made a habit of walking through this park each morning as he points out places of interest from his childhood. Today we passed under the roadway that Layne remembered as the site of crawfishing in the Fanno when he was young and he pointed out parts of his old newspaper route. We lost the trail briefly then found it again as we headed back to our car parked at Tigard City Hall. Just as we approached the turn into the parking lot, we noticed the large bird sitting out in the creek, quietly watching for prey. As I crept slowly and silently along the back of the building to snap a few pictures, he turned his great beak my way as he observed my movement, but he didn’t stir from his perch. He must have been three feet tall with gleaming blue-toned wings and a pale breast. Even from our distant viewpoint, the heron was a splendid and dignified being.

         Three days later: This may be a case of time flying when having fun because we have definitely had fun here in Portland, but I suspect it’s more a case of the mad dash to the finish line in a race against time. In spite of my best intentions to get this posted, there has simply not been time in the last few days. First, we were focused on getting our Subaru Outback ad up on Craigslist, a task we thought we had completed on Saturday. On Sunday, however, we discovered that our ad had been filtered out by the Craigslist gremlins due to our use of commas separating the description of features on the car rather than listing them in a column. Having lost a day, we re-submitted the ad, then held our breath to see if it would appear online. Fortunately, it did. Still, it was Monday before any calls came in. As we soon realized, it only takes one buyer and that buyer showed up Tuesday morning and we completed the deal today! One more big thing to check off the list.

         Monday night found us chowing down on local seafood at Jake’s Famous Crawfish restaurant in downtown Portland, as guests of Tom G., a friend who lives nearby. Although the crab and shrimp cakes were not the best I’ve tasted and Layne’s Crab Louis was disappointing, the ambiance and the 118-year history of the place were distinctive. Perhaps we should have tried the crawfish! But Tom is always a fun conversationalist with his endless supply of anecdotes and stories of his world travels and our sampling of the local pinot wines was excellent, so dinner was still delightful.

         Last night we went off with Layne’s sister Annie to her regular Tuesday evening “Sex and the City Girls,” as Layne has dubbed this lively group of women. Much like the stars of the television show and movie spin-offs, Annie and her pals meet at a local bar to dish up the latest news on family, friends, men and memories, of which they have many from their long years of acquaintance. Last night was no exception as the six of us laughed over cocktails or club sodas, with Layne and me sharing tales of Costa Rica and them with hilarious boating dramas from thirty years ago.

         Our Costa Rican news included a last-minute report from our real estate friends yesterday that our charming chalet up the hill from Atenas was not available to us after all. Our landlady Hazel was fortunate to find a year-long tenant and had returned our deposit. But the good news is that Dennis of Pure Life Development has a few places for us to look at next week, including a nice-sounding apartment with a pool, a “rancho” for grilling outdoors and views of the Central Valley. Plus, it’s within walking distance to town, something we had wanted when we moved there. So we look forward to getting back to Atenas and finding the next cool place to live. We take it in stride: it’s all just part of our big Costa Rican adventure! 

Up the Columbia River Gorge to a Spokane Family Interlude

So here we are in Spokane, Washington, hanging out with Layne’s son Jess and his family -- wife April and children Sierra, a stunning seventeen-year-old beauty, and their adorable son Orion, now nine. Our six-hour drive here from Portland yesterday was unremarkable except for the trip through the Columbia River Gorge. Traveling through that geological marvel is a phantasmagorical jaunt back through eons of time. The 80-mile canyon forms the border between Oregon and Washington State and has provided a navigable sea-level route through the Cascade Mountains for thousands of years. In more modern times, hydroelectric power has been generated through a series of dams along the huge river, which spans a mile wide in some places. But the real thrill of traveling along Highway 84 as it winds its way alongside the majestic Columbia River is the awesome scenery, the dramatic waterfalls and the layers and layers of geologic history embedded in the sheer walls of the gorge, rising in places to 4000 feet. (Thanks to Bonneville Power Administration website for photo.)

         Human history as well is carved into those walls. Archeological evidence shows that humans have traversed this waterway for at least 13,000 years, including the Folsom and Marmes people who crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia. In 1805 explorers Lewis and Clark traveled down the Columbia from its main tributary, the Snake River, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Native Americans have fished these waters for salmon for at least 10,000 years. One of the favorite fishing sites was Celilo Falls, a tribal fishing area just east of the Cascade Mountains where a series of cascades and waterfalls offered native fishermen a perfect site for dipnet fishing. Sadly, in 1957 with the completion of The Dalles Dam, Celilo Falls was completely submerged and native fishing there ended with the tribes accepting financial compensation for the loss.

         As we left the Columbia River Gorge behind and entered Washington, the terrain shifted dramatically. Instead of rugged basalt cliffs and lush green Douglas fir forests, we drove through miles of windswept but luxuriant agricultural land, filled with rows of corn and alfalfa and vineyards but with hardly a tree in sight. The rolling hills and dry ravines are part of the Columbia Basin, one of the highest lava plateaus in the world and which provides the drainage area for the Columbia River. Formed by repeated volcanic lava flows millions of years ago, the Basin now is home to numerous small lakes in which fossils, petrified wood and animal bones have been found. Nearing Spokane, which is situated at an elevation of about 2000 feet, the terrain changed once again, with pine and fir trees appearing as if by magic at this altitude.

         Still, the lava rock is never far below the surface as we found today in Lincoln Park, a lovely tree-filled urban retreat with a long asphalt walkway leading uphill to a small pond, filled with lily pads and cattails. Gigantic lava rocks and basalt boulders lined the steep trail and covered the ground at the top. The park is obviously a popular spot for dog owners. Just as we approached the water, behind us came the sound of doggie paws thundering on the roadway. We turned to see an exuberant yellow lab barreling for the pond, his eyes fixed on a few ducks paddling around. Undaunted by the failure to nab his prey, he soon leaped from the lake and ran off to shower his owner with water.

         Last night after our arrival, we all enjoyed a yummy barbeque of steak and chicken kabobs plus the requisite bottles of wine. Layne stayed up late with Jess and April, laughing and talking into the wee hours. Today's activities involved a little golf practice, a trip to the park for Orion and tonight will be another evening filled with good food, good wine and much laughter. It’s truly a joy to spend time with our family but Costa Rica is never far from our hearts and minds. As we search for shoes or glasses or some item of clothing in our luggage, we look forward to leaving this vagabond life and settling in again to La Pura Vida.