A Fabulista Farewell

Four days ago was an anniversary of sorts for Layne and me. February 9th marked four years since we set out for Costa Rica and a new life as expats. And it's been four very exciting and fun years as my blog archives reveal. Our good friends here number in the dozens as do the parties and holidays we've enjoyed together. My work as a travel writer and blogger, and for a while as a Retirement columnist and freelancer for The Costa Rica News, has allowed us to see more than our fair share of this beautiful country. For his part as a retiree, Layne completed his excellent novel, Moral Turpitude, and it is now available in Kindle format on Amazon.com where it's receiving 5 star reviews. For an exciting fun read, check it out. I'm very proud of him and am urging him on to the second book in the series.

My mom in younger years as an
1880's schoolmarm at For Concho

Yet the one thing you can count on in life is Change. And change we must, as we begin to close down our life here in Pura Vida-land and head for West Texas to live with my elderly mom. She lives alone but she still has a job at the Visitor's Center one day a week and volunteers at the hospital and Fort Concho, driving herself around town as needed. Still, she's had us fooled for a long time, I think, with her busy life and independent ways. After a six-week visit with her last fall, we began to see how everyday things are hard for her and that she could definitely use our help. So about a month from now, we'll pack up our last bags and bundle up our beloved dog Winston and take off for San Angelo. But to paraphrase an old song, "Don't Cry for Us, Costa Rica." Our love affair with this small country won't end with our departure; we will undoubtedly return for visits with friends. But this blog will end, unfortunately, and I expect this will be my final post.

Out the airport waiting room window

But let's not part, dear readers, before a report on one of my latest adventures. I recently returned to Texas for a two-week visit with my mom, where the weather was beyond nuts! Sunny and almost hot one day and then a drop overnight to 17 degrees! How the heck do you dress for such a climate? We're going to miss "el clima mejor del mundo," that's for sure! And to top it off, the day I was to depart for Costa Rica, it was colder than Antarctica and started snowing. Yes, SNOW. Little tiny dry flakes that were just beginning to fill in the dark spots in the yard when it was time to leave for the airport.

As we drove along the thoroughfare leading to the airfield, the snow blew across the road in curtains of powder, little whirlwinds of white, skidding and drifting along the side of the road. I was beginning to get nervous thinking of Mother having to drive back home in such a storm.

But my indomitable mother assured me she would be fine, so I off loaded my bags and bid her a tearful adieu. I made it through security and had just sat down in the gate area, when an agent came through saying our flight had been cancelled. Indeed, ALL flights that day were cancelled because Dallas-Forth Worth airport was shut down by the storm. They re-booked me for the following day and I called my mom with the news. Needless to say, she was overjoyed and undaunted at having to drive back to pick up me and my bags.

I finally made it home just fine and as you can see, was soon enjoying a glass of wine with my sweetheart and my adorable doggie. Which one was happier to see me would be hard to say!

So with mixed emotions, I bid farewell to all my wonderful readers; at last count, you've logged more than 66,000 page views originating from countries around the world. I hope I have brought some good cheer into your life and shared some good times with you. It is my fondest wish that by writing of my experiences here in beautiful Costa Rica, your worldview has been expanded and enriched.

Hasta luego, amigos! May you always be blessed with Pura Vida!! And now for a little look back....

A Festive Climate Fair and Oxcart Parade

Happy Birthday to our two wonderful grandsons, Kai turning 15 and Orion who is 12 today! Hope your day is just what you want it to be, full of fun, good food and lots of love from your family and friends. And we hope you both get to visit us in Costa Rica very soon!

Jumping right into my topic, last weekend was the Atenas Climate Fair and Oxcart Parade, an annual celebration in recognition of Atenas' reputation for having "the best climate in the world" and its historical significance as a key site on the road taken by the oxcarts carrying coffee to the port of Puntareñas on the Pacific Coast. Unlike our first year in Costa Rica, this fair day opened to a bright blue sky and the promise of a good day for the vendors in the central park selling jewelry, leather goods, clothing, knick-knacks and aromatic foods. There were trampolines and face painting for the kids and music and dancing for everyone.

Monumento de Boyero

But rather than head into the park, Layne and I had plans for a Sunday hike with Marcial and Seidy. Several of the "Santa Eulalia gang" were off on a trip to Nicaragua for their required "visa run" every three months so they can stay in the country legally, which left only the four of us for our weekly walk. So we gaily hopped on the Santa Eulalia bus for a quick ride into town, then hiked down the main road toward the Monumento de Boyero, dedicated to the oxcart drivers who plied their trade along this road since the time the trail was created in 1843. Although coffee transportation has evolved, the tradition of painting the carts and training the oxen has survived here in Atenas as well as in other parts of Costa Rica.

Along the way we looked behind us and saw a big group of Scouts, boys and girls, skipping along and singing. When we slowed near a bus stop to take a breather, the kids caught up with us and Marcial learned that they were in position to offer refreshments to the parade participants when they went by. It seemed the perfect photo op and the youngsters agreed, smiling and waving for the camera.

"The Last Supper" Bar

We were early for the parade so we continued down the side road into the barrio of Los Angeles where Layne and I lived for more than a year. Stopping at the local pulperia, or small grocery store, only a few blocks from our old apartment, I greeted the nice woman who works there and bragged to her on my improved Spanish language skills. After Seidy bought a bottle of water, we were ready to head back up toward the Monument where we planned to view the parade. But it being mid-morning and this being the remnants of "The 10:27 Club," somehow Marcial found a tiny bar right next door to the pulperia, with only a few stools. Indeed, being located across the street from the Catholic Church and having such limited seating, it enjoys a nickname: La Última Cena, or The Last Supper. Layne and Marcial enjoyed a beer (or two) but Seidy and I stuck to water for now. 

With most of the audience gathered in the Parque Central, the un-crowded Monument park was the perfect place to view the parade, especially since the route took the oxcarts down the main road to a turn one block away and back up on the other side. This being another refreshment spot where volunteers carried tortillas filled with grilled meat to each participant, we had ample opportunity to view the magnificent beasts and the colorful oxcarts, often filled with laughing occupants. There was even some dancing in the street!

Such a beautiful face... 

Atenas High School's Project Blue Flag, made from plastic bottles!

Another colorful cart

Docile oxen gets a pat from his boyero

Marcial chats with a boyero during the stop for refreshments

Beautiful detail in the cart wheel

After the last cart passed by, we trekked the mile or so back to town. Although alcohol is technically prohibited, Marcial and Layne managed to smuggle me a tequila in a plastic cup from the corner bar where they hung out while Seidy and I sat on a park bench and watched the last of the parade circle the park. 

Relaxing in our dead-end street

A visit from a Toucan

Always a thrill!

Catching a taxi back home, the four of us enjoyed the late afternoon view from our front driveway. We were delighted when a beautiful Toucan landed in the tree nearby, the perfect punctuation to a day of Tico culture and good friends. 

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

  

Leaf-Cutter Ants and a Machete-wielding Carpenter

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

(Click on photos to enlarge)

         What a hodge-podge of leftover details I have to write about today. We have spent some time this afternoon cleaning our small chalet since our housekeeper called yesterday to say she was “muy inferma” or very sick, and couldn’t come today. Dunia suffers from asthma so in preparation for the arrival of our good friends, Penny & Joel, we were left with the housecleaning, a minor task really. Penny and Joel, aka P & J, are on final approach to Juan Santamaria International Airport as I write this, heading for some quality time tonight with their family in San Jose. Penny’s nephew Greg and his wife Amanda have just had their first baby, a little boy named Lincoln, who must be about three weeks old now. Penny’s sister Karen and her husband, Greg’s parents, are also here on a visit and we have plans to join all of them in San Jose tomorrow for what promises to be a festive evening together. And since Amanda is the Assistant Director of the Peace Corps here in Costa Rica, I hope to get some ideas from her on worthwhile volunteer opportunities.

         On Thursday, P & J will come out to Atenas to overnight here before they head up to Monteverde for a night in the cloud forest and then on to the beaches in the northwest province of Guanacaste. Ah, the life of the tourista!

         For us Gringo locals, life goes on as usual in our little paradise. In my last post, I mentioned the green mangos that Dunia had brought to us. Not knowing just how to use an unripe fruit, I turned to the Internet, of course, and learned that in Nicaragua they use these mangos for a “refresco,” a drink similar to what Gilberto prepared for us using the tangy citrus fruit in our front yard. With the mangos, the drink is more frothy but it has a delightful tart freshness that really quenches the thirst. We plan to try adding a little rum tonight, just for flavor!

         A week or so ago, our thoughtful landlady Hazel (with Kat above) surprised us with two fine-looking wooden slab tables for our patio and a large piece of the same wood to serve as another table top out in the yard on top of a tree stump. The wood is the beautifully grained madera called Guanacaste and for which Guanacaste province is named. Hazel was so cute telling us, with a devilish smile, that she knew we needed something to put our drinks on in the evening. And she also thought we might like to take our tall bar stools out to the tree stump table so as to have a different angle on our ocean vista and sunset. She had arranged for her friend Manual to come by after work to affix the wood slab to the stump. Exactly on schedule, I heard a voice at the gate and quickly went to let Manual in. Using his handy machete, Manual carved shims and nailed them on to level the wood and soon we had a new table.

         As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Costa Rica definitely has a large insect population and we recently had occasion to meet one of the most destructive of the pests. While Kate and Gilberto were here last week, they observed that a few plants in our garden showed damage caused by leaf-cutter ants and cautioned us that the little beasts could devastate foliage overnight. Sitting out at dusk the other night, we noticed a brigade (well, Layne thinks it was a full division!) of the creatures marching along the path just beneath our long patio bench, each of them carrying a chunk of leaf much larger than themselves. They were clearly on a mission! Using the flashlight, we followed them along the incredibly long trail they traced, across our lawn, around the palm tree, over the driveway, across the other yard and down to the bottom of a concrete abutment where they apparently have their nest. While we regret the damage they are doing to our plants, primarily a poinsettia bush, you have to be impressed with their industry, their teamwork and their determination.

         Kate had recommended a product called Mirex, which we found at a local garden shop, but when Layne looked it up online, he found that it is such a toxic poison, it has been banned in most countries around the world. Again, we have to shake our heads in dismay at the pesticides that are used in Costa Rica. Could the use of such products be connected to Dunia’s asthma? One might suspect as much. We plan to return the Mirex and hopefully substitute a more organic product to discourage our leaf-cutter friends.

         And finally, let me tell you about some of the birds we have here. You’ll recall the four Toucans, which served as a greeting party for us on our first night. Since then, although the Toucans have not returned, we have enjoyed watching several stunning yellow-breasted birds that come around each evening. A clay-colored robin-type bird, the national bird of Costa Rica named the Yigüirro, is also a familiar sight and sound. It was given status as the official bird in 1977 due to its strong and melodious calls that signal the start of the rainy season and because it lives so close to Costa Rican homes and is so familiar to Ticos. This little guy has such a loud voice that my mother can even hear its song during our Sunday Magic Jack telephone calls. Then there is the striking orange-breasted bird, an Oriole look-alike, which sits high in a nearby tree but is too shy to land on our fence. So it was a pair of the yellow guys that agreed to “pose” for a portrait for the blog. Hope you enjoy! 

Toucan Welcoming Committee

(Note to readers: Click on photos to enlarge.)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

         Much has happened, both good and bad, since my last post. Although I was past the worst of the intestinal distress by Saturday afternoon, Layne’s difficulties lasted another two days, forcing us to contemplate a trip to a Costa Rican doctor. Then on Monday, I was hit with a nameless malaise that had me in bed with chills and general misery but with few specific symptoms. We still don’t know what caused my discomfort but it served as a lesson on the perils of food in foreign countries, not that we really know what food it was. Different people, different symptoms; still it made us nervous about eating out. Even in Costa Rica, where the water is good and the people are clean, it gives one pause. I was certainly glad when by Tuesday morning, I was beginning to pull out of it.

         And none too soon since our much-anticipated moving day was coming right up. On Wednesday morning, after turning in our keys at Villa Roma, we loaded our hired van up with luggage and headed for Atenas where our real estate friends, Dennis and Gerardo, were awaiting our arrival to drive us to the new casa. Our charming landlady Hazel was here with beautiful cut flowers and fresh bananas to greet us in this lovely chalet. But when we tried to pay our rent with American Express Travelers Checks, we learned that the banks in Costa Rica have a policy of holding such payments for anywhere from 25 to 45 days! Needless to say, Hazel was hoping for a rent payment in dollars or colones. After some deliberation, Hazel offered to take us to the bank in town in the hopes of changing the travelers checks into negotiable cash. So off we went in her well-traveled Jeep-type vehicle, banging over the rough spots with aplomb.

         No problem at the bank! With Layne’s passport and signature on the checks, we soon had our month’s rent paid in colones and were off to the super-mercado (grocery store) for some shopping while Hazel patiently waited for us outside, drinking a cerveza and making real estate calls. Talk about a great landlady!

         We arrived back at our new home and with drink in hand, moved outside to the terrace to begin our new life in Atenas. And what a life it promises to be! Our chalet is positioned high on a cliff so that birds fly by at eye level. We soon had hummers, brown robins, yellow-breasted somethings, an occasional blue bird of some sort and completely manic swallows, flitting here and there capturing bugs for their dinner. The sun was setting over the Pacific against a haze of clouds and the breeze was wafting up the canyon, cooling the late afternoon warmth. As I glanced over Layne’s shoulder, I recognized a Toucan that had just landed in our backyard tree! What an exotic sight with his magnificent curved beak and colorful breast. Then three more joined him, hopping from limb to limb. Four Toucans in our garden! What is this? Paradise?

         The “sounds of life” here are amazing - frogs, crickets, birds of all voices from chirpers to cacklers. We even have a big brown robin that visits our garden for worms and bugs, bravely hopping along only a few feet from us. (He’s here right now as I write this.)  This morning I watched him pounce on a worm and gobble it up before the wiggler knew what hit it!

         But the most incredible sound last night had us fooled. As the late afternoon sun faded in the distance, we began to hear a loud bird or … what? A sound like we had never heard before started out in chopping sounds and swelled into a shrieking continuous howl that actually made Layne’s hearing aide noise circuits cut out! What the heck was that? We tried to imagine a bird that could possible create such a noise! Well, today we learned it was undoubtedly a howler monkey. Indeed, they are out again tonight and add a unique, if raucous, sound to the evening’s entertainment. We surmise that they live in the dense jungles below us.

         This morning I was awakened just before seven a.m. by the certain sound of gunfire - two, three shots fired just below our property. What on earth? Since there was no going back to sleep, I arose to make coffee and see what was happening in the neighborhood. As I looked out over the railing, I saw several men beneath the trees handling a large heavy carcass, obviously a cow. While I watched in fascination, the men pulled and tugged on the legs of the animal to turn it on its back as another man began to cut the dead animal down the center of its belly. This was more than I could stand to watch but clearly, they had just harvested one of their cattle for meat and were about to butcher it.

         Over the course of the morning, we checked on their progress and sure enough, working as a team, the five or six men skinned and carved the cow into its edible parts and carried them away. As we sipped our coffee, we watched as dozens of vultures began to circle above, heads cocked to watch the progress below them. Numbers of them perched, vulture-like, in a dead tree nearby, waiting and watching. At one point, the men threw some of the innards into a clearing and the hungry birds quickly swooped in to devour it. Then after all the inedible parts had been collected, another man, with the last of the guts in a wheelbarrow, hauled it down to the clearing for the birds to clean up. As the men - and we - watched, some thirty or forty or more birds converged on the waste parts, fighting greedily, beaks viciously pulling each piece apart.

         By now, the men had become aware of us watching them and we’d joined them in laughing at the gluttonous vultures and waving down at them in camaraderie. For after all, this cow had had a good life on open pasture, was not subjected to cruel and filthy stockyard treatment, had no antibiotics or poisons in its system and had been fortunate to receive a quick and humane death. Now, in the way of nature, it would be used to perpetuate the lives of other creatures. It may not have been pretty but it was a very educational and somewhat profound experience. Pura Vida indeed.