Tag Archives: San Jose

Our pants may be crabby from time to time, but we’re not crabby pants!

30 May

Hi all, the three sisters have finally been united (plus one Landin). Man, just getting out of Honolulu was a big deal… between trying to finish things at work and getting stuff together to come took two weeks! It is hard to take a month off of work, but the Europeans and Canadians do it enough that I know/think everything should be okay…

Leaving would have been easier if my banks wouldn’t have created extras problems; I am switching to a credit union when I get home (plus my bank just sent me a letter stating that now that I am 30 something, I have to start paying for my checking account – that is not a good letter to receive right before your 30rdy birthday!). Between debit card expiration drama and not-so-fantastic customer service I’m ready to make the switch.

Everything was good once we got to the airport in San Jose; the sisters were there to greet us with a very detailed sign proclaiming my 30rdy birthday celebration. (who hasn’t always wanted their name on a sign at the airport!?! Landin even had his own side) We leisurely drove down to Punteranas to catch the ferry to Nicoya Peninsula but drove in just in time to watch the 5 pm ferry float away. So we decided to drive around the gulf rather than wait until the next ferry at 8pm; we only made it as far as Barro Honda before calling it a night.

The next morning, since we were so close to Barra Honda National Park, we decided to do some spelunking (like Carmen Sandiego was always known to do in our childhood) down into the limestone stone caves; which were awesome and we had a great guide! We officially know that anis is a natural mosquito repellant and makes a great tea for upset tummies (guess we all have to start liking the taste of black licorice).

After that we took some bumpy roads down to Montezuma, where we stayed for two nights and spent a full day at Isla Tortuga. H saw an octopus ink, which made her day (we proceeded the inking with a discussion of Finding Nemo and how that should really be her favorite Disney movie)! Landin got bit by a fish (it even drew blood); and he has now been playing with all of the crabs to see if their pitchers hurt… he is going to try to get bit or pitched by as many creatures as possible while in Costa Rica. One crab even donated its claw to Landin’s quest (we’re kind of hoping those things grow back…) and others have been crawling around in our shoes and clothes trying to help him out as much as they can!

Yesterday we drove on more bumpy roads to reach Nosara, which is the best so far! The beach sunset was spectacular and the waves were great… may even be equal to Hawaii’s best beaches… We are staying at the cutest place about 200 meters from the beach, in our own little cabina by a pool (including its own little waterfall) with a kitchenette, private bath, and space for 5 to sleep. For $11 a person per night, we have stumbled upon a ridiculously wonderful place at Kaya Sol!

We went out and enjoyed a great meal and live music at The Gilded Iguana, with adult mac and cheese and adult beverages for a reasonable price! The town has a definite ex-patriot feel to it, but it’s beautiful and H even found her future husband running around town before she caught the perfect wave!

Today we are headed to Playa Hermosa for the beach house, which means more dirt roads – but we will get some beach and town exploring here before leaving. Until next week; I can’t believe I get to do this for a whole month!

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The Rule 2: Don’t Die Special One Month Anniversary Edition, In Two Parts… PART ONE

24 Apr

That’s right people, we have made it to our one month anniversary! We have been celebrating our little anniversaries that we’ve reached along the way, mainly with ice cream. However, for the one month we decided that something more fancy than the two of us eating ice cream would be required for blog purposes (but let’s not pretend, we absolutely ate ice-cream on the anniversary!); thus, we have the Rule 2: Don’t Die Special One Month Anniversary Addition, In Two Parts.

PART ONE: The Helpful Peruvian

We worked for three days at the Cloudbridge Reserve in San Geraldo. On the first day, H chopped her thumb in two. The second day she was in charge of greeting hikers into the Reserve while I learned what to look for when finding posts for building a casa and about the land surrounding the reserve from Tom while we hiked around the front of the property (I definitely had the better job!). Day three was all about staining one side of some planks of wood to keep them from being damaged during the building phase of the next few weeks; we stained a lot of wood, but did not quite finish them all before our stain ran out. We’re really excited to see them on the floor of the new buildings when we head back through!

However, instead of staying our full 5 days, as was the original plan, we had to pack up and leave for our next stop in Liberia to help watch a small B&B with pets while the owners traveled, looking into different location possibilities. We said goodbye to Tom and our favorite view at Cloudbridge (which just so happens to also be from the volunteers’ porch) and went to also say goodbye to Traci at Casa Mariposa. When we arrived Traci had gone for a hike down to the next town, Canaan (which I hear has a fantastic sustainable dairy farm with tasty cheese), so we parked in front of the house and snacked on our lunch. We assumed that if we finished lunch before she came back, we would just see her on the hike back down the mountain as she was coming back up.

Conveniently, while we were sitting on the porch with H‘s thumb stuck in a permanent hitchhiking position (it can also be seen that she seems always really supportive of anyone who looks at her) a friendly Peruvian, who we had just met at Casa Mariposa a few nights before, passed by directly from his long hike down Chirripo in the rain. Gonzalo was headed back to his home in San Jose, we were headed to San Jose for the night, and he kindly offered us a ride with him (an offer we secured by asking if the shower could be borrowed at Casa Mariposa). We were not more than 3 km down the mountain when a nail found it’s way into the back left tire. Bad luck, especially since H was one handed and Gonzalo had literally just hiked a ridiculous mountain. But he still had enough energy to do all the heavy lifting, allowing me just a few moments with the jack to make me feel like I was contributing…

And we changed a tire

Ultimately we got the tires switched about the car, and I was very impressed how well Toyota had organized it’s tools so they are all easily accessible and yet out of the way inside the door or walls of the truck. Ingenious, really.

Gonzalo got us to San Jose without further delay, insisting we practice our Spanish even though he speaks fluent English. We even had a discussion about the difference between clouds and fog while going over the Montana de Muerto, which I am not sure we ever came to any final decision on. (Does anyone know the answer on this?) After proving ourselves to be unlikely serial killers, Gonzalo invited us to stay at his apartment outside the city. We ended the evening with breathtaking views of San Jose and the nearby volcanos from a swimming pool, extraordinary conversation, and a late night viewing of Los Juegos del Hambre (finally! And it was in English with Spanish subtitles, which I should have been paying attention to… But it’s the Hunger Games, I did not have any better intentions than pure enjoyment!)

We took a bus to downtown the next morning, got a little lost looking for the next bus station, and then began our trek to Liberia. Please stay tuned for more information in PART TWO: Ant Wars, coming soon!

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