I Am Curious Gecko

Our driveway

Joy, oh joy! Layne is home! My heart went pitter-pat Wednesday night when at about 9:35 p.m. the lights of the taxi came shining down the driveway. Good grief! You’d think we were teenaged sweethearts heading for the prom instead of lovers for some 32 years now. And yes, we do know just how lucky we are to still be so happy together.

The best news about his return is that the medical prognosis for his sister, as the doctor reported to them on Tuesday, was much better than we had feared. At this point they are doing no treatment, just watching the situation to be sure she has no further problems.

Independence Day parade last year

So we are back to our Pura Vida life here in Costa Rica. Yesterday, after uncharacteristically sleeping in, we went out for our morning walk into town to pick up a few groceries and get our exercise. Along the way we saw a Tico friend Marciel, whose excellent Italian sausage (yes, I know - Italian?) is all the rave around town. After putting in our order for a half-kilo of the spicy version, we learned that Marciel is planning an Independence Day celebration at Roma Vista, reputed to be a beautiful resort up the mountain a few minutes out of Atenas. He showed us his flyer and asked for our help in spiffing it up a bit to attract more Gringos, adding a graphic and scanning in the map he had drawn. As former publishers/editors ourselves, Layne and I were only too happy to assist. And we’ll definitely be in attendance next Thursday, the 15th, to help celebrate the 190th year of independence here in Costa Rica.

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One of last year's little dancers

Well, the rest of yesterday got away from me so now it’s Friday afternoon and I’m trying to finish this little post. We met up with Marciel at the feria this morning and gave him our new and improved edit of his Independence Day flyer; he seemed quite happy with it. Now we’ll send around some emailed invitations and hope for a good crowd next week. It sounds like a festive afternoon with barbeque, ceviche, corn-on-the-cob and typical Tico comidas (foods). Plus, with DJ music and dancing, you know we’ll be there!

A gecko audience of one

As a dancer since the age of five, I love moving to the music. And I believe in stretching before any strenuous exercise. So one morning recently as I was doing my stretches prior to a walk, I looked up and noticed that I had an audience of one. A curious little gecko was perched on the top edge of a painting and was eyeing me closely as I stretched my arms overhead or dropped down to touch my toes. I stopped and looked at him; he cocked his head and looked back. I moved closer and picked up my camera; he took a few cautious steps along the picture frame but didn’t run away. Instead, he continued to observe my actions for a full ten minutes as I did my warm-up and took pictures of him. Needless to say, it gave me a giggle to think my athletic efforts were of such interest to the tiny creature.

Other creatures in our neighborhood are less impressed with human activities than the resident gecko. Wandering up the wooded hillside behind our apartment one day while Layne was still away, I noticed dramatic movement in the trees above me and suddenly realized there was a troop of white-faced monkeys leaping through the branches, unconcerned about the human on the ground below. As I watched and took pictures and videos, they balanced effortlessly on narrow limbs as they munched on some kind of fodder. It almost looked like corncobs with the husks hanging loose and perhaps it was since we have several cornfields nearby, all ready for harvest. Occasionally one more dominant monkey would push another away, hoping to keep the food to himself, but in general they appeared familial and gregarious, as they scurried from tree to tree. Having capuchin monkeys migrate through our backyard is one of the best things about living here. They are adorable! I just hope they don’t steal the ripening bananas from our front yard tree. I have plans for those myself!

Make Dance, Not War!

It’s Veterans’ Day there in the U.S. of A., and I understand Wall Street is open for business. Says a lot about how much the capitalists think of our troops, doesn’t it? “Just keep America safe … for our profits,” I suppose would be their motto.

Here in Costa Rica, my thoughts are on the men and women in uniform all around the world, visualizing their safe return to their families and an end to all the conflicts, and I’m remembering my father who fought in World War II with the Navy Seabees. As much of a pacifist as I consider myself to be, I was reminded this morning of the importance of Costa Rica’s friendship with the armed nations of the hemisphere when I saw headlines stating: “U.S. Willing To Help In Costa Rica - Nicaragua Dispute If Asked” and “Canada Offers Costa Rica Military Aid.”  It seems that the disagreement with Nicaragua over just where the international border between the two nations lies is not yet over. Nicaragua is accusing Costa Rica of “expansionist pretensions,” while Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla calls the San Juan River dredging by Nicaragua “the invasion of one nation [by] another.”

Apparently, the river has changed its course over the decades since the Cañas-Jerez  treaty of 1858  established the meandering waterway as the official dividing line between the two nations. In that agreement, Costa Rica’s northern boundary was identified as the southern bank of the river, with Nicaragua owning the river itself but granting Costa Rica unrestricted use of the waterway. An area known in Costa Rica as Isla Calero, but as Isla Portillo in Nicaragua, is now the contested part of a vast network of lagoons and water channels that makes up the eastern mouth of the San Juan where it empties into the Atlantic. And in an almost comical twist to the tale, Costa Rican media is blaming Google Maps for the confusion because it shows Isla Calero as being in Nicaraguan territory. Although Nicaragua denies that it relied on the maps, Google officials are scrambling to correct what they say was an “inaccuracy” in their online service. (Image courtesy of Search Engine Land.) 

In an effort at peace-making, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) has recommended that all armed forces leave the disputed area on the Rio San Juan and that the two countries cooperate to clarify and demarcate the boundary. So far, Nicaragua has refused to remove its troops, arguing that they are on their own national soil, not trespassing on Costa Rican land. In fact, on Wednesday afternoon, the entire Nicaraguan National Assembly, which is ordinarily divided and squabbling along partisan lines, held a special legislative session in a local gym on the banks of the San Juan to send a unified message of defiance to Costa Rica and the OAS. But this is not the first time these two countries have argued about borders and it likely won’t be the last. Evidently, Nicaragua holds an historical grudge for Costa Rica’s annexation of the northern province of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula 186 years ago, following a democratic vote by residents there to join the nation to the south instead of Nicaragua to the north. Time to get over it, boys!

Meanwhile, life here in Atenas, many miles away from Rio San Juan, seems unaffected by the quarrel. We are yet to hear any of our Tico friends discuss the situation and the regular Friday feria or farmers’ market has been busy as always. Unfortunately, the organic feria has been suspended indefinitely because the recent heavy rains ruined much of the crops and transportation problems related to washed out roads has prevented deliveries. But the children’s dance festival was held last weekend as scheduled and it was a festive affair indeed, with homemade food dishes and desserts for sale and cars parked in every available space near the Catholic Church community center.

Billed as “Una Hora Para Bailar” or An Hour For Dance, it was put on by Su Espacio (Your Space), an activity center and dance studio that offers ballet classes, English and Spanish classes, Pilates and aerobics, volunteer services and more. An annual event under the direction of Su Espacio owner Tina, the festival has been in the works for weeks. In fact, for a few of those weeks, I served as a volunteer dance instructor in the children’s ballet classes and watched as they perfected their routines for the event.

As usual for community affairs here in Atenas, the turnout was large and enthusiastic. Many local schools were represented, each putting forth costumed dancers to fill the stage with color and energetic movement. Cheering clusters of kids in the audience made it clear which team they supported and parents and grandparents beamed their pride. For about $3 per person, Layne and I enjoyed an evening of youthful dance in a lively atmosphere that truly captured the spirit of Pura Vida!

The Dancing Gringa!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

It finally rained the other day, on my birthday Thursday, as I recall. Much like Camelot, however, the rain fell mostly after sundown. Only in late afternoon did a light mist begin to fall. It was through the soft spray that I noticed a rainbow running all the way across the sky. In spite of a few drops on my glasses and perhaps on the camera lens, I did manage to capture a shot or two. As I took this one, I saw that it was actually a double rainbow, with a faint second arc above the darker one. Quite spectacular!

The big birthday came and went without much to-do here but we did go out for a nice seafood dinner at a local restaurant, La Barca de Mariscos, which means The Seafood Boat. We had been told it was good but more expensive than our fave next door, La Cubana. (La Cubana deserves a post of its own. It’s truly a Costa Rican classic!) One of the best things about La Cubana is Monica, the barmaid that waits on us each night and who has become something of an amiga, due to our efforts to communicate in Spanish and the frequent laughter that results. Now when she sees us arrive, she automatically brings over two Imperial beers for us oh-so-predictable Gringos.

At La Barca, the extensive menu was entirely in Spanish and included numerous terms unfamiliar to me so out came the Palm Pilot and I began looking up first one word then another. But our smiling waiter soon came to the rescue with an English language version. When we ordered, I told him “Hoy es mi cumpleanos!” Today is my birthday, I said, by way of explaining the bottle of Chiliean wine we had ordered. Soon our generous plates arrived and as we were finishing up, the young man surprised us with a small cake sporting one lighted candle on it! I don’t know what kind of cake it was but it had a delicate custard-like character. Muy delicioso! I glanced into the kitchen area and saw the owner smiling with delight at our pleasure. Happy Birthday to me!

In our walks around town, we had seen a bar and restaurant nearby that advertised Musica Viva - live music - several nights a week. So last night, we decided to check it out. After watching part of the Olympics, we headed to La Caverna, splurging again on dinner out. But since even the high priced dinners here are less than half what the same meal would cost in the states, we figured our budget could handle it. Located only about two blocks from our villas, La Caverna lived up to its name. The music was down some steep stairs in a bar area decorated just like a cavern, complete with fake stalactites hanging from the rocky grey ceiling. With table seating for perhaps 35-40 and no obvious dance floor, it was a cozy cantina but almost empty when we arrived.

However, not quite empty. Seated at a table with another woman and a man was Monica, our friend from La Cubana. She saw us come in and greeted us warmly, laughing as we ordered wine with our dinner instead of our standard cerveza.

The dinner was excellent, one of the best we’ve had. I’m very fond of a certain fish here, corvina, which I think basically means sea bass. I’ve had it breaded and fried or grilled and last night I ordered it with a salsa de aguacate, or avocado sauce. Along with some nicely spiced mashed potatoes, a side of sautéed broccoli and cauliflower plus a small salad, it was fantastic! Layne’s steak was flavorful although not as tender as one might wish but the mushroom sauce with it was tasty.

Then the Saturday night crowd began to filter in and slowly the place filled up almost to capacity. Advertised as beginning at 8:30, but on Costa Rican time more like 9:30, the two-man band finally began, one on guitar, the other with a drum and bongo set up, and both singers with strong voices. It was great music, flavored with lively salsa and Latin beats, interspersed with apparently humorous bits from the musicians, based on the audience reactions. As the only Gringos in the crowd, we never got the jokes but certainly enjoyed the ambiance and the saucy music.

Suddenly, during one particularly lively song, Monica began waving me over to her table. Not knowing what she might want, I scooted over and quickly found myself being pushed onto the tiny dance floor in front of the band with her male companion!

Well, if it’s got a beat, I can dance to it! And I’m not known for being shy so I immediately got the picture and started to dance, joyfully and with wild abandon to the energetic music. Before I knew it, the audience was clapping to the beat, encouraging my dance partner and me in our improvised entertainment. What fun! Now I’m probably known around town as La Gringa Bailando, or “the dancing Gringa!” I can’t wait to see Monica again and ask why she chose me to put in the spotlight that way. Do I have “dancer” tattooed on my forehead or something?

Today was farmers’ market day again and after the regular Sunday morning phone call to my mom in Texas (free, thanks to Magic Jack!), off we went to replenish our supply of fruits and veggies for the next few days. The festive atmosphere of this weekly event brings out the entire town, it seems.

The park was filled with adults and children, many of them watching skateboarders practice their tricks on obstacles set up on the school basketball court, converted into a mini-Olympic course for the teens. After Layne took a few photos of the athletes

in their trials, we shopped for pineapple, strawberries, watermelon, cilantro, avocado and, of course, mango. A couple of the vendors, after weighing my selection, added extra mangos to my bag for free! Muchas gracias!!