Manzanillo

It is 7:30pm and I am sitting on our covered porch feeling the delicious breeze on my back as Jacob swings lazily in the hammock practicing his Spanish.  The sweet voices of the girls can be heard inside… or could be heard because now the sky has opened up and it is pouring down rain.  I am internally jumping for joy for the rain.

It has been HUMID and HOT like I have never experienced.  The caretaker of the property, Anita, said it has been unseasonably dry for the last week causing the heat to be more intense. It usually rains every evening which helps to cool things down. I cannot tell you how good this cool breeze feels after being in 90 degree heat with 100% humidity for 4 days.   I think I have lost 10 lbs in sweat and decreased appetite.  The first day of the heat I was so cranky. I think we all were, but I can only speak for myself.  We seemed to be snapping at each other and could not get on the same page.  I think some of that is the adjustment to this life and 24/7 togetherness but most was due to the oppressive humidity and heat.

As I sit here I am reflecting on our Costa Rican discoveries to this point:

1. Eating out is fairly comparable in price to that of Colorado.

   

   We have done most of our cooking at home and found prices in the grocery store as you would expect, buy local spend less buy familiar foods like 8 ounces of cheddar cheese and pay $6.  Our excursion budget is highly dependent on what we spend on food each day so we are being very mindful.

2. Puerto Viejo fills up with people on the weekend making driving even more perilous. People from San Jose or other close towns, seem to come to the coast for the weekend to enjoy the beach and laid back vibe of Puerto Viejo and surrounding communities.
3. We can hear the howler monkeys all the time; their sound can carry for up to 5km.  At first we only saw them when we went deeper into the jungle but today there was a whole crew hanging out in the trees beside the road.  We learned that they get set off when loud cars drive by because they are very territorial.  It was quite a laugh to see them worked up by a small motorcycle.
4. THERE ARE SO MANY ANTS:  our Spanish teacher, Matías, told us about the hormigas limpiadoras “cleaner ants”.  These fascinating creatures descend on a home, unannounced to the owner, and pick it clean of crumbs, geckos, other bugs, you name it and do not leave until it is clean. The homeowner has to leave the house for 3-4 hours while the ants do their work. When you return, there is no sign of them.  No insecticide will make an impact you just have to let them do their thing or stay and suffer their painful bite.  Crazy.  We have not experienced the “cleaner ants” but are in a daily fight with these teeny tiny, innocent looking biting ants. Their bite is like fire and the itch goes on for days.

   

5. The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica is very diverse. There is a mixture of African, Latino and exPats from many different countries here.  It seems people are drawn to the true “Pura Vida” (pure life) way of life. Lots of organic farms, yoga and meditation retreats, people in dreadlocks, Bob Marley posters and tie dye.  It’s lovely. The energy is friendly and welcoming and I get the feeling we have just barely scratched the surface of what is here.  When you say “cómo estás” the common answer is “pura vida”.
6. There are no road names or house numbers in the small towns that are adjacent to Puerto Viejo. People give directions based on landmarks and other businesses. Such as, my house is in Punta Uva, near the Butterfly Garden.  To give an idea of the area think of Puerto Viejo as central it is the largest town south of Limón.  To the south in order is Playa Cocles, Playa Chiquita, Punta Uva, Manzanillo then on to the border of Panama.  To the north of Puerto Viejo is Hone Creek (where we do most of our grocery shopping, we have found the best prices at Pali Supermercado), Cahuita (30 minute drive from Punta Uva), San Clemente then the port city of Limón. (that is about an hour away).
7. Pita Bonita in Punta Uva has the most amazing Middle Eastern food.  We had lamb kebab, hummus and falafel, and chicken shawarma.  The owner, Elan, is from Israel and makes everything from scratch including the pita bread. Wow.  People warned us that the food in Costa Rica is not that great but he proves them wrong.
8. Each beach is muy bonita. WOW. The green of the jungle reflects in the water making it an emerald color in some of the coves.  Along most of the shores the water is turquoise blue. The law in Costa Rica prohibits anyone from building within 164 feet of the coastline. This is the “public zone”.  Because the beach belongs to everyone, there are no huge hotels asking you to move off of “their” beach .  It also makes the beaches and coastlines appear more “wild”. There are washed up palm trees, coconuts in varying disarray and all kinds of debris along the beach. It is not a mess, just natural and amazingly free from trash.  There are plenty of spots to lay your towel and build sandcastles.
9. The use of bicycles as transportation is amazing.  Moms and Dads transport 1-3  kids younger than Quinn on the handlebars or crossbar of the bike and no one is wearing a helmet, a person steering his bike toting long boards on his shoulder seemingly to a construction site, or the weaving tourist trying to speak to his/her friends that are also weaving in the line behind him.  When taking a closer look at the “family bikes”, you find a small bike seat attached to the crossbar and foot rests on either side of the front tire.   I can see us joining in the party and looking for one of these family bikes in our last week here when we no longer have a car, we’ll see.
10. I LOVE the sound of Howler Monkeys.  It is an eerie background to the constant chatter of birds that I find comforting and intriguing.  They start EARLY in the morning and I have loved waking up to their sounds.
11. Learning another language is hard.  We decided to use our second week in Costa Rica as our language week.  We found a private tutor through Eñe (www.costaricaspanishteachers.com ) who is coming to our house for 3 hours/day. The first hour we all learn together and then the girls go play, draw or watch a movie while Jacob and I spend two more hours conversing and learning with Matías.  Jacob is WAY ahead of me and will likely continue in some fashion for our remaining time.  He is the language guy, loves learning them and practicing and is not afraid to try it out.  I am a little more hesitant but am doing my best.  I was so proud of myself as I successfully spoke to Anita about cleaning and asked the clerk in the market to slow down so I could understand (which I still didn’t but I asked!).  Small steps.

Jacob and I have spoken about the experiences we would like to have in the coming weeks. We are looking forward to kayaking and visiting Punta Mona, a guided hike in the jungle, a visit with the indigenous Bribri people and chocolate tour, The Jaguar Rescue Center and possibly a trip to Tortuguero  to spot turtles hatching and laying eggs and/or Turrialba to see the nearest active volcano.  In the meantime stay tuned and Pura Vida!