Crazy Times in Costa Rica!

My amazing new orchid!

Boy, have I been crazy busy since we returned to Costa Rica one short month ago! When we arrived back from a two-month visit to the States, there were the inevitable reunions with friends like Marcial and Seidy, who brought me a gorgeous orchid as a welcoming gift when we resumed our regular Friday night dinners. Then there were health issues with our dog Winston -- non-contagious mange, which required weekly shots and time-consuming baths as well as daily cream applications, plus conjunctivitis in one eye, which meant applying drops 2 to 3 times a day. Fortunately, he is recovering nicely and requires less medical care now.

Lighted Bomberos' (firefighters) trucks in the parade

Within a week of our return, we found ourselves hosting Thanksgiving dinner for ten people, which was a wonderful celebration but a lot of work for Yours Truly. Almost as soon as the plates were cleared from that party, we were preparing for the visit of a very dear friend, Philisse, who had planned her trip to coincide with Layne's big 75th birthday week. To introduce her to a taste of our lives here, we took her into town the very first night for the Atenas Festival of Lights, where she enjoyed the parade and the colorful array of Ticos, children and vendors in the park.

That Sunday afternoon brought together some two dozen friends to celebrate Layne's birthday, a festive pool party at Bonnie & Stephen's place, complete with a yummy carrot cake baked by Jan & Tom of Buen Pan and lots of delicious food from everyone. Toward the end of the day, Layne offered up hilarious (if slightly inebriated) entertainment by singing a rollicking version of "Pecos Bill" to Daniel's guitar accompaniment. Philisse enjoyed meeting our friends and began to understand why we love our life here so much.

The gang at the pool

Philisse and Layne are all smiles!

Even Nelson, our taxista, and his family were there

Layne blows out his one big candle as Tom looks on

But the busy times were really just beginning. The very next day Layne, Philisse and I - plus Winston! - were off to Esterillos Oeste for a two-night stay at Rancho Coral, that cozy, pet-friendly beachfront hotel run by our friends Wilburth and Eva. There things slowed down just a bit as we laid out in beach chairs just yards from the surf, took strolls along the sand and watched Winston play with the other dogs. 

Winston, Layne and Philisse enjoy the beach

Winston, the Wonder Dog, enjoys dinner with friends

We even found a pet-friendly restaurant, Los Almendros, where we enjoyed some excellent Caribbean and Thai-style seafood while Winnie snoozed quietly beneath our table. The proprietress has promised to send me her recipe for Fish Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce. It was outstanding!

Layne and Philisse at Casa Inspiración

But with the dawning of the third day, we were heading back to Atenas just long enough to unpack, re-pack, drop Winston off with our long-suffering dog-sitter friends Chris and Sue and leave the next day for the cloud forests of Monteverde. There we stayed at our friends Veronica and Alex's charming vacation rental, Casa Inspiración, a rustic cabin perched on the side of the mountain with views across to the Gulf of Nicoya. Quite a stunning setting with quiet, peaceful gardens and a friendly dog Schnookie to keep us company.

Sunset at Casa Inspiración

Alex and his surprisingly mature young son Stuart greeted us with delicious bocas prepared by a Tica neighbor Gisell and her lovely daughter.

The next day Philisse and I were off to Sky Adventures for a bird's-eye view of the cloud forest on the Sky Tram. With blue skies as a backdrop and a strong wind whipping our hair, we savored the slow ride up to the top of Costa Rica's Continental Divide, to about 5800' elevation. Our guide Daniel said the winds were probably around 80 kph, or some 50 mph, and it felt like it! But the tram was stable and secure and we soon hopped out onto the observation platform to take a leisurely look at the dramatic scenery, including a glimpse of Arenal Volcano and distant Lake Arenal. After our return to the lower level, Daniel invited us to take a walk through their Hummingbird Trail, where many exotic species of the little aviators abound along with a number of stunning trees, plants and flowers, including some tiny orchid species that would have gone unnoticed but for Daniel's commentary.

Amazing views from the Sky Tram

Philisse on the observation platform

Such beautiful flowers!

Such vivid colors!

Philisse shoots a "Hot Lips" flower

Daniel poses with "Elephant Ears"

Philisse goes for just one more photo!

And yet again, it was soon time to leave Monteverde and return to Atenas for Philisse's final few days with us. We had such a great time showing off our beloved Costa Rica to our old friend. We can only hope that she had as good a time as we did, and that now she understands what we mean when we say: Pura Vida!

Check out Layne's novel "Moral Turpitude," Kindle edition now available for only $4.99 at Amazon.com. Five star reviews! High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HI25M1K/

Brittany's Costa Rican Birthday Bash

So did you miss me? I have been away awhile, escorting my long-time friend Brittany around the country. She decided she did NOT want to celebrate her 40th birthday in New York City so she hopped on a Jet Blue and spent nearly two weeks with Layne and me and our puppy Winston, who rather fell in love with her. In part, she was checking out Costa Rica as a possible place to relocate where life would be less stressful and less expensive than NYC. Although we spent one morning looking at apartments, mostly she and I made overnight trips to our favorite resorts, such as Bahia Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula and Finca Luna Nueva near La Fortuna.

But we started right here in Atenas with the El Toledo Coffee Tour, guided by our friend Gabriel who sells organic coffee at the feria each Friday. We were joined by part of the Santa Eulalia gang, Chris and Sue and Bonnie, along with Layne who handled wild dog Winston, for the long winding climb up the mountain to the El Toledo farm. Gabriel explained in detail the history of the farm and why and how they switched to organic permaculture farming some twenty years ago after his father realized that pesticides and chemicals were causing his health problems. It was a steep learning curve for them and not immediately profitable. In fact, even now they make less than before the change but as Gabriel said, "Our family's health and the health of the planet are priceless."

Gabriel explains coffee to Bonnie while Winston wanders

Beans fresh from the roaster

After Gabriel's educational talk and a delicious "coffee tasting" experience, we hiked along the steep trails through the farm, learning as we went and enjoying bites of the multitude of fruits that grow unaided among the coffee plants. Brittany really enjoyed the tour and we highly recommend it.

Next on our agenda was a sea kayaking trip to Bahia Rica, a rustic lodge near the Paquera ferry landing run by a friendly Norwegian couple, Vigdis and Thomas, offering tours of all kinds, from sport fishing to snorkeling to whale and dolphin watching. The kayak trip, however, almost did Brittany in as the vigorous paddling aggravated carpel tunnel and tendonitis in her right hand, causing so much pain that for the return trip, Thomas hitched her kayak to his and towed her back to the lodge. Even though Brittany was a bit discomfited to need the help, she did say it allowed her some leisurely sightseeing. And there was plenty to look at because the scenery among the islands there in the Gulf of Nicoya is stunning, although we were saddened to see how terribly polluted the Gulf has become.

On the Paquera Ferry... can she be 40??

Brittany on the porch at the lodge

Lucky for us, Thomas had just snagged a huge corvina or sea bass on a fishing trip the day before and the dinner he prepared with it was fabulous. We enjoyed lively conversation, much of it about food and cooking, with Deborah and Steven, a pleasant couple on vacation from Colorado. Since I had mentioned to Thomas and Vigdis that it was Brittany's birthday trip, he even baked a yummy chocolate cake and served it with ice cream and a candle on top!

Finca Luna Nueva pool

Finca Luna Nueva, a huge organic farm and conference center near La Fortuna, was our next outing and it allowed for some nice relaxation on the veranda of our spacious family bungalow. The afternoon of our arrival, I went for a swim in their big spring-fed, non-chlorine pool while Brittany opted for the hot tub. There she met Joseph who works for FLN as a microbiologist, studying ways to sequester carbon in the soil and plants. When I joined them after my swim, we all had a most fascinating conversation about soil biology and the principles of permaculture. For more information on the biodynamic systems used at FLN, visit Joseph's blog.

The next morning we were up bright and early for a horseback ride to Arenal Volcano.

View from my horse Luna

Brittany in control again

Brittany and Yours Truly enjoy the view

Brittany is not the experienced rider that I am so she had a few rather exciting moments as her mount had different ideas than she did on which way to go. But she managed to coax the beast along the steep and muddy trail to a high point beneath the volcano that offered us a splendid, if slightly cloudy view.

Hands-free! Brittany takes a picture of Cesar, our guide, volcano in the background

Finally, on Tuesday the 14th, it was Brittany's special day and along with Layne we headed to Jacó to celebrate her birthday. The weather cooperated with beautiful sunshine and a few drifting clouds. So with Mojitos and Margaritas in hand, we lazed around for the afternoon, wandering along the sandy beaches and taking a few dips into the powerful surf before heading home for her to pack.

All in all, it was a fun-filled holiday. We hope Brittany enjoyed it all as much as we did. Happy Birthday, honey! 

Check out Layne's novel "Moral Turpitude," Kindle edition now available for only $4.99 at Amazon.com. Five star reviews! High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here -http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HI25M1K/

Mooning the Howler Monkeys

“In sickness and in health” took on a whole new meaning this week as Layne and I have both been under the weather with cold/sinus infection blues. Feeling tired and stuffed up offers no incentive for writing, that’s for sure.

But as Lady Gaga might say, “The show must go on.” Did you see her terrible fall from the piano bench during her Houston show recently? Goodness, the woman is a real trooper to keep on singing after a tumble like that. Even if she was lip-synching, as some cynical commenters charged, it was still amazing that she got back up and kept performing.

Katia at Apartotel LaSabana

So I’ll try to buck up and offer a brief report on our recent (pre-snuffles) travels with friends from Oregon, Sue and Christine. We met them at our San Jose home-away-from-home, Apartotel LaSabana, the comfortable inn located just far enough from downtown to feel safe and secure but close enough to be convenient to museums, parks and restaurants. Although Layne and I arrived quite early, our two-bedroom suite was all ready for us so we had time to lie around the pool. One of the best things about Apartotel LaSabana is the helpful staff so while we awaited Sue and Chris’ arrival, I got some friendly advice from desk clerk Katia regarding the bus schedule for the next morning -- destination: Paquera on the Nicoya Peninsula by ferry from Puntarenas.  After due consideration, we opted to take a later ferry rather than push our jet-lagged friends on to the early bus to Puntarenas.

Puntarenas Ferry Terminal

Following the relaxed and delicious Tico breakfast at Apartotel LaSabana, we headed to the bus station for the two-plus hour ride to Puntarenas, a rugged port city that stretches out along a narrow peninsula into the Gulf of Nicoya. As we dropped down from the Central Valley toward the Pacific coastline, the weather changed from fresh and comfortable to muggy, hot and humid, a dramatic illustration of the microclimates in this small country.

Vigdis, our lovely hostess

Humidity notwithstanding, the short ferry ride to Paquera was delightful as sea gulls, pelicans and frigate birds sailed the ocean breezes around us while we nibbled on leftover lamb from dinner the night before and sipped Costa Rican beer. Soon enough we pulled into the dock and were met by Vigdis Vatshaug, a captivating sun-tanned beauty who with her husband Thomas Jones runs Bahia Rica, a fishing and sea kayaking lodge just a few minutes drive over rough road from the ferry terminal. With her vibrant smile and sun-bleached hair, Vigdis presented the perfect beach welcome to us weary travelers.

One of the many exotic birds 

Relaxing on the veranda

Vigdis and Thomas are charming Norwegians who met via the Internet and have successfully fulfilled their dream of running a fishing company and bed-and-breakfast business in the heart of the tropics. Located at the top of a large hill with views of the Gulf is the lodge, a unique pole-built structure constructed by the Dutch owner to European standards, offering three large rooms with a queen and a single bed in each. Rising two stories up into a jungle of trees, with long open verandas on each level, the lodge brings guests into close contact with wildlife all around.

A View for the Monkeys

And boy, was there some wildlife! Colorful exotic birds and a variety of butterflies flitted through the trees on the second floor where we stayed and howler monkeys moaned their distinctively fearsome calls only yards away. Situated between two sleeping rooms, the upstairs bathroom was an open-air arrangement, which we shared with our Atenas friends Sally and Leonard who had arrived earlier by car for this two-night stay at Bahia Rica. Showering with howler monkeys watching from their treetop perches was quite a bizarre experience!

It was a treacherous path down the steep hillside 

that led to Vigdis and Thomas’ rustic beachfront cottage, set in a clearing full of mango and cashew trees and adorned with tempting hammocks at the water’s edge. Sally and Leonard opted to make the extreme climb back uphill to the lodge but Layne and I, along with Sue and Christine, only managed the vertigo-inducing hike down.

All the meals prepared by our hosts were delightful, including Norwegian breakfasts of homemade bread, light meats, cheese, sliced tomato and cucumber. Vigdis showed cooking creativity the first night by adding mango to chicken quesadillas. Delicious! The second night we enjoyed fresh-caught mackerel that Thomas had snagged on an outing with sport-fishing clients, then cooked for us himself. It was truly the best fish I’ve ever eaten, just lightly breaded and sautéed, served with salad and mashed potatoes. 

The happy kayakers! 

Our morning sea-kayaking excursion was adventuresome and strenuous fun as we paddled our way out into the Gulf, along the way watching schools of leaping black tuna feed on sardines in the surface waters. We circled nearby Jesuito Island and stopped for snacks at a secluded beach inhabited only by a family of Ticos. Frolicking in the shallow water was a small girl who shyly befriended me and pointed out her house at the top of the surrounding cliff. I enjoyed a leisurely swim in the incredibly warm waters until it was time for us to move on and reluctantly make our way back to Bahia Rica. Along the way we were suddenly bombarded by an aerial feeding frenzy as dozens of large black frigate birds, with their scimitar wings and forked tails, began diving headlong close to our kayaks, grabbing some of the sardines away from the tuna. An amazing sight!

At noon we crowded into Sally and Leonard’s SUV and headed into the little town of Paquera for lunch. Talk about a step back in time. It felt like Hawaii in the 50’s with kids riding along dusty roads on bicycles, mangos hanging in clusters from the trees and bougainvillea lining the yards. Our lunch at Mapi’s, a small hotel and restaurant run by a Tico family, was excellent and inexpensive.

One very virile monkey!

As we lounged on the verandas that afternoon, a whole family of howler monkeys paid us a noisy visit -- a mother with a baby on her back who kept her distance, a big male with enormous pink testicles which drooped down below the branches where he sat arrogantly observing us and several others leaping through the tree limbs. Although we have heard the sound of howlers now and then even here in Atenas, we had never before seen them. Being so up-close and at their level in the treetops was a thrill.

And yet this wonderful two-night adventure was just the beginning of our travels with Sue and Christine. As we waved goodbye to Sally and Leonard in Puntarenas following the ferry ride back across the Gulf, we headed off to Lake Arenal for still more exciting activities. Stay tuned! 

Too Busy to Be Bored

So often we are asked by friends in the United States, “How do you spend your time there in Costa Rica? What do you do? Aren’t you bored?”

For those of you accustomed to busy lives of commuting, shopping, running errands, paying bills and the rest of the minutiae of life with a full-time job and family responsibilities, the thought of retiring to a tropical land may seem to promise as much boredom as fulfillment, a case of too much time on your hands. After the “new” wears off of basking in sunshine, bird- and monkey-watching, admiring exotic flora, checking out museums and national parks, doesn’t one get a little jaded by it all? The answer really depends on the individual and you can stay as busy here or idle as you choose. Like anywhere, life in Costa Rica is what you make of it.

On a recent outing with friends to a beautiful Gulf of Nicoya beach, I listened as the women discussed their lives as expat retirees.

“It’s amazing just how easily I have adjusted to retirement,” one friend commented. “I never thought I would. I was a complete workaholic, the first one at work, the last to go home. Usually I was still there when the maintenance staff came around.”

“Yes, me, too,” another woman said. “Until we got here, retiring was the last thing I wanted to do. I loved my job but I love going to the beach more!” We all laughed as we sat soaking in the sun and gazing out at the picturesque view.

As they talked, I found myself quietly disagreeing as they proclaimed their contentment with relaxing in a hammock and reading a good book. Like them, I never imagined actually “retiring.” After all, my elderly mother still has a paying part-time job as well as numerous volunteer duties in her West Texas town. With a role model like that, I always thought I would be working well past normal retirement age. But when the economic downturn hit and I was laid off like so many other Baby Boomer-age North Americans with no job prospects in sight, Layne and I could read the tea leaves: we would soon face a financial shortfall each month unless we changed our lifestyle pretty significantly.

Moving to Costa Rica has given us that affordable lifestyle but it is anything but boring. Somehow we stay remarkably busy. For one thing, having no car means we do much more walking than we ever did in the States. Walking takes time so, for instance, a recent trip into town for haircuts took up most of the morning and, by the way, cost only $12 for both of us. Every Friday we make the thirty-minute hike to the feria to pick up a week’s worth of fresh veggies, fruits, chicken or chiccarones, those tasty fried pork pieces so popular here. While strolling through the farmers’ market, we stop to chat with friends, examine handmade jewelry or weavings offered by a Guatemalan senora and consider which of the organic breads from Tom’s Bakery to take home. Perhaps we grab a delicious mocha fria from the Balcon Café nearby or stop in at Kay’s Gringo Postre for breakfast. There always seem to be errands to run. Finally, with our bags full, we grab a taxi and for about $3.00 arrive back at our apartment ready for a few laps in the pool.

Then we go to “work.” As Layne toils diligently at his computer writing his first novel, I often start work on my column for http://TheCostaRicaNews.com, mentioned in my last post here. It has encouraged me to research retirement issues and offers the chance to pass that information on to others who might benefit from relocating here. Since I try to keep my skills up as a travel writer, Costa Rica offers abundant choices for colorful and interesting story ideas. Then when time allows, I write a post for this blog.

Here in Atenas, a relatively small town, I have taken classes in yoga, Zumba, Pilates and Latin dance. In addition, there are at least two well-equipped gyms, training in Tae Bo, Tai Chi and karate, plus art classes and, of course, several Spanish language schools are located here. We have art shows, used book sales, photo exhibitions, live music events and karaoke. In San Jose and Alajuela are even more of these kinds of activities, including live theater, hot nightlife and modern shopping malls. Head for any of the stunning beaches for surfing, beach-combing or deep-sea fishing. Rather than being bored, it often seems there are not enough hours in the day.

Volunteer opportunities abound in Costa Rica, from helping in local schools with English classes to working with animal spay and neuter shelters. Volunteer organizations focus on reforestation, rain forest preservation, turtle conservation, environmental integrity, organic farming techniques and dozens of other valuable programs. I even spent a few weeks as a volunteer dance instructor, working with young girls in ballet class. What fun that was! Anyone with some special skill or activity that they are willing to share is appreciated here and volunteering can be an extremely satisfying and enjoyable way to spend some time.

The Pura Vida lifestyle is a laid-back one; no one hurries much -- that is, until they get behind the wheel of a car! Tico drivers are notorious speeders and reckless passers, and traffic laws are not uniformly enforced. Still, other than in the metropolis of San Jose or other large cities, most people enjoy a slower pace of life, a fact that accounts in part for the contentment quotient of Ticos. According to Wikipedia’s “Happy Planet Index” for 2009, Costa Rica ranked #1 out of 143 countries. In survey after survey, this country has scored at the highest levels of having a happy population. No wonder Layne and I love it here and believe me, we are anything but bored!