Shopping in Panama

The cost of food, clothing, hardware and most other items including beer seems to be less in Panama than in Costa Rica. You are also more likely to see familiar brands like “Hunts,” “Jif” and “Armour” here than in CR. Plus, we are actually slightly closer to Panama than to Limon (our closest city of any size in Costa Rica). The town we frequent most is called Changuinola – a full blown city with stores of every variety as well as restaurants, a casino, feed store and more. It takes about 45 minutes to get from our house to the border town of Sixaola. There we walk over the Rio Sixaola on an old railroad bridge (see photo) to the town of Guabito and take a bus or taxi a few more miles to Changuinola. Trucks, buses, cars and people all use this bridge to cross. Another more limited shopping choice is the village of Chase. Here there are half-a-dozen variety and electronics stores plus a small bar. To reach this area you drive down several unpaved, unmarked roads to the rivers edge and cross via motorized dugout canoe (see photo).

Waterfalls near BriBri

You can’t see them from the road. There are no signs announcing them. And, as far as I can tell they don’t even have a name. But we were lucky and someone told us to pull into the driveway of a bamboo house on the main road between Hone Creek and BriBri and follow the path. The path was steep but well marked with stairs cut into the mountainside as needed. As we approached we saw 3 places where water rushed over the smooth boulders into a deeper pool below and a couple of kids having a great time diving off the rocks. We walked downstream a little way and looked back at the waterfalls only to discover there was yet a higher falls behind the first set. We hiked up to this one and dove into the clear pool below it. The water was cool, clean and refreshing beneath the spray of the falls. A few more people arrived while we were there bringing the total to less then 10 including us. Our newly discovered waterfalls proved to be a great change of pace from our ocean “beach days” and I am sure we will spend many more warm afternoons playing there. (photos: Lili getting ready to dive into the pool beneath the higher falls and a young boy diving off the rocks at the lower falls).

Freaks of nature

The moth was on our back door and had a 3 inch wing span. Its colors helped it blend in to any wood surface. The strange mushroom was found in the jungle across the street from our house.

Just add water...

People here have told me how easy it is to grow just about anything but I guess I never really appreciated what they were saying…until I saw it for myself. One of the plants in our front yard is a gardenia tree that is about 8-9’ high. The trunk and branches are smooth and leaf-less with clusters of green leaves and beautiful fragrant white flowers at the tops of each branch. One day we found a small “y-shaped” branch and a second single branch – each about 12 inches long on the ground. There were no roots and no green on either – just broken off branches from the mother tree. Rather than throw them out we decided to just stick them in the ground and see what happens. In less than 3 weeks both branches had taken root and sprouted green leaves and continue to grow and flourish. Photos show the mother tree and the branches at about 3 weeks old.

And where does the water come from...

Our water comes to the house by way of a mountain spring, metal barrel and blue hose. As surprising as it seems it is usually quite tasty, clean and reliable. When the water turns muddy or the flow stops, Gordie needs to go up the mountain in the jungle across the street and follow the blue hose to its source to find the culprit. It could be debris that has floated down the creek, a broken hose at some point along the route, or a broken connection at a neighbor’s. The photos show the blue hose along the creek and the barrel that filters and directs the water flow.

Measuring Rain in the Rainforest

Yes, it does rains a lot in Costa Rica. And since April is one of the rainier months for our Caribbean area we thought it necessary to find an appropriate rain gauge to track the downpour.

Painted Palms Grill, Bar and Beach

One of our favorite places to stop for a beer, lunch, and “beach time” between Puerto Viejo and Limon (our “big city”) is the Painted Palms Bar and Grill. The friendly expat owners provide a fun, colorful atmosphere for outside dining, drinking and socializing. The grill is hot and the beverages cold. Added to that is the Painted Palms beach directly across the street which is spotless and never crowded. What more could you ask for.

More strange fruits…

This one is the Rambutan, probably native to southeast Asia but known in Costa Rica and other Central American countries as the Mamon Chino. We had seen people selling these at roadside stands on our various visits to Costa Rica but never knew what it was or what to do with it. The spiny exterior is easily broken open with ones thumb. Underneath that spiny husk the fruit is the consistency of a canned peach. Beneath this layer is a seed or nut. In researching what the mamon chino was and what to do with it I found that this center is also edible. The overall sensation of eating a mamon chino is sweet, slimy and crunchy all at the same time!!!

Animals – friends and foes

Costa Rica is noted for its abundance of wildlife. We have seen monkeys, sloths, toucans and more all from the comfort of our window. We have also seen – in the house -- close up and personal – three huge scorpions each at least 3” long…that would surely put the Tonto Basin scorpions to shame (the one shown in the Tupperware was from our laundry basket). There have been centipeds including the one walking across my bare toe as I surfed the web yesterday – sorry no picture of this one! And of course there are the bats that fly through one window and out the other each evening. These have become so commonplace we actually don’t always notice them. On the lighter side there are also lightning bugs and toads and of course the more domesticated animals like dogs and chickens. The puppies shown here are actually a neighbors but they spend most days and nights at our house sometimes bringing additional siblings.

House Updates

The first picture shows our house in its “original condition.” We have made several “updates” since moving in a month ago. The 6-foot plus flowering hedge that you can see in the front-right part of the first photo now extends across the front of the property giving us lots of privacy and a nice grassy area in front. The driveway has now been moved to the side (see where car is parked). Gordie is in the process of building an entry gate for the driveway with a traditional “porton” on top (a covered top to the gate). A neighbor has been re-painting the entire exterior – the cement planter at the front of the house is now blue (see second photo) and the exterior green is brighter with yellow trim for contrast.

What is there to eat?

I have eaten and enjoyed cashew nuts my entire life but always thought they grew in cellophane bags with salt already added. Not so. These three photos show a fruit from the cashew tree (we have one in our yard). The strange looking cashew-shaped “thing” at the bottom of the large red fruit is where you find the actual nut. The fruit itself can also be eaten and has a sweet -- although a bit unusual -- taste. The juice from the fruit – mixed with a little sugar and water it makes a very refreshing drink – see liquid in glass. The nut itself is well protected and difficult to remove from its protective “husk.” Wikipedia describes it best: “…The seed is surrounded by a double shell containing a dermatogenic phenolic resin, urushiol, a potent skin irritant toxin also found in the related poison ivy.” Every day we are trying new, different, strange, things that grow on trees...watch the blog for further culinary adventures.

Waking up to Howler Monkeys

No need for an alarm clock in the jungle...the howler monkeys begin their daily "singing" about 5 AM every morning. There are 5 or so that hang out in the tree across from our house. Hard to photograph, great to watch and listen to.

Another day in Paradise

Now that we have a car we can easily take off and spend the day at any beach of our choosing. Today it was one just south of Punta Uva. Intensely blue water, white sand, tropical shade and no people…what more can you ask for.

Wheels in the Jungle

Although Costa Rica is renowned for its public transportation, we live about 2 miles from the closest bus stop so deciding to buy a car was easy. Since our road and many of those we travel on are not paved, a used 4x4 was the most practical vehicle to get. Finding one at the right price was a bit more difficult…they are surprisingly expensive here! Thanks to “craigslist” we were able to find a 1987, “small” 7-passenger, good mileage car in San Ramon for a reasonable amount. So far it’s great!!!