How much does it Rain in Costa Rica?

“Back home” in Arizona an inch of rain is guaranteed to be the top news story of the day. So it comes as no surprise that we are often asked by our fellow desert dwellers just how much it really rains in the rainforest of Costa Rica. When we moved here in March of 2008 until we returned to the US in mid-September, almost nightly gentle evening rains were common. Never too much, just enough to cool things off, hold down the dust on dirt roads and keep the jungle a brilliant green. There were some exceptions to this – times when it would rain during the day or even a few heavy showers, but never too much. Some neighbors even expressed concern that it was a dry year and there might be water shortages. And then we returned in November. That month brought almost constant rain – somewhere past the 42-inch mark I believe. I remember a lot of rain in December too, but after November anything was an improvement so we did not even bother to measure. In January we got to 17-inches but stopped counting. Luckily the weather didn’t hamper everyone’s spirit or activities -- the town was filled with surfers from all over the world. There was even a surf school set up on Playa Negra. Then came February -- the first couple of weeks brought us more than 27-inches of rain. A section of road over the creek that runs next to our house was washed away by the force of the water coming from the mountains (see photo). The hose that supplies water to our house runs through this culvert so we were without running water for several days. Fortunately our buckets were always full of clean rain water. We’re in mid-February now. There was a crew of volunteers cleaning up the beach this past weekend. Tourists are appearing out of thin air, smiling, taking photos, happy to be here. The skies are clear and blue, there are a million stars in the night sky, everywhere you look things are growing and the ocean is postcard perfect. Last night you could hear the rain gently falling on our tin roof in the middle of the night. I think that we are again back to “normal.” Life in paradise begins a new year.

Hot Springs Cold River

After a restful night’s sleep we were ready to start exploring the area around Boquete. First stop -- the cafeteria with 25-cent coffee and a scrambled egg breakfast with tortillas, pancakes or 2 large fried breads for $1.25. Next it was off to find the bus to the Caldera Hot Springs. It was parked by the town square with a family of 6 from Denmark inside but no driver – seems it wouldn’t be leaving for another hour or so. We were ready now so our Spanish-speaking friend, Rosalinda, ventured out and found another van driver willing to take us -- along with our new friends from Denmark -- for $20 total. The drive there took about 45 minutes with 15 or so on the highway and the rest on paved and unpaved rural roads. The countryside was dotted with a mix of large, new homes on sizable lots and long-standing picturesque ranches. We passed through the small town of Caldera and made the final turn down a winding dirt road through a construction zone for a new hydroelectric project (very controversial). We knew we would never have found this on our own much less made the hike from the bus stop in the Caldera so we convinced the driver to come back and pick us up in 4 hours. We crossed the bridge that spans the Chiriqui River (see photo) for the final 10 minute hike to the springs. The Hot Springs are on a private farm with a resident caretaker who charges $2 per person to enter. There were 4 different hot springs in all, 3 surrounded by stone walls and the 4th alongside the river – all very private as we were the only ones there for most of our visit. The approximately 112 degrees F temperature in the springs is unbelievably relaxing. Our fellow travelers from Denmark said it is traditional to follow a hot soak with a cold plunge – Gordie followed their advice and took a plunge in the very very chilly Chiriqui River (see photo). I’ve been in Arizona too long and couldn’t make it any deeper than my knees.

Boquete – in search of perfection

At 3,600 ft., Boquete is nestled between the beautiful Caldera River on its east and cloud-covered Baru Volcano on the west. Boquete has made many international lists of the “best places to live in the world.” And I guess the word is out. I have read that there are about 17,000 inhabitants with that number continuing to increase due to an influx of North Americans and Europeans who find the year-round spring-like climate and modern, affordable housing to be and ideal lifestyle choice for retirement. Since we are always searching for perfection we decided to check this place out for ourselves. Growth is very apparent as you approach the town. There are several housing developments springing up across the landscape. All very “North American” in style and features. You could easily be approaching the “East Valley” in Arizona. The bus dropped us off in the center of town (see photo) where we met up with a friend from Costa Rica who was also doing her “3-day thing.” Next on our agenda was finding a place to stay. Our friend had already checked in at a hostel by the river where dorm rooms were $8 a night. They were now full so we found a beautiful hotel down the street where rooms started at $66 per night. Luckily for us they also had a non-descript 3-unit complex a few doors down where we were able to get a clean, comfortable room with a double bed, single bed, tv and private bath – all for $25 per night. Time to eat. There are many dining choices including pizza and bistro-style restaurants but we decided on Mexican food...it’s hard to beat AZ Mexican food but the Panama version wasn’t bad. Beer was next on our list. To our surprise, finding a bar on a Monday night was not as easy – apparently most of them are closed. So we headed to the Amigos Bar right off the town square (see photo). This was definitely an “ex-pat” hangout with burgers, wings and onion rings on the menu and English on the tongues of the customers – something you don’t hear very often in our part of the world. The temperature was cooler than we are used to but not too cold. The town was more “American” than we had anticipated, but still Panamanian. And although our hotel was near the center of town there was little noise from traffic, people or monkeys. Seems like a very peaceful place.

As the crow flies…

Living in Costa Rica as “tourists” we have become accustomed to a “3-month ritual.” Every 90 days we are required to leave the country and remain out of the country for a minimum of 3 days. Upon re-entering, our passports are stamped and we’re good for another 90-days. We look at this as a great excuse to explore Panama! This time around we decided to head to the mountainous town of Boquete. Shielded from the rain by our Dollar Store ponchos, with backpacks in tow, we left the house at 6:15 AM and hiked down our dirt road to catch an early morning bus to the border town of Sixaola. There we “stamped out” of Costa Rica, walked across the old railroad bridge (see photo) and “stamped in” to Panama. The journey had begun. We took a 15-minute taxi to Changuinola -- with 90,000 inhabitants it’s the biggest commercial center of the Bocas del Toro Province. From there we hopped aboard a mini bus to David, the capital of Panama’s Chiriqui Province on the Pacific side of the country. It was now close to 10 AM. The scenic bus ride to David takes about 4-1/2 hours. From David we boarded a converted school bus to take us the last 30 or so minutes up to Boquete. By land our trip took about 10 hours. As the crow flies we were less than 100 miles from our starting point. Oh to be a crow!

Always room for one more…

Meet Chepe. Chepe is our house guest for a month while his mom is on the “Osa.” The remote Osa peninsula borders the Pacific Ocean just north of Panama. It is very sparsely populated with a large percentage of its land area made up of National Parks and private reserves. We drove part way down the eastern side last year to the town of Puerto Jimenez. The scenery was very dramatic along the way but don’t’ remember if we saw any other cars on the trip. Anyway, Chepe and Gordie have developed a fondness for one another. They share treats and discuss the day’s events at length. Me? Well, by the way Chepe squawks when I walk by I would say we will never be that close.

Making bridges

Record rainfall in late November on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, where we live, washed out the bridge into Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo, a laid-back beach town, is a source of employment for many and also houses our closest ATM, favorite shops, beaches, bars and restaurants. The bridge connects the town to the outside world. The flood damage was extensive leaving the concrete structure listing at a 30 degree angle. Although crossing in motorized vehicles was impossible, locals positioned a 3-foot wide plank between the broken bridge and the road leading into town to allow pedestrians and bikes access (see photo, the green hose on side of bridge was bringing water into town). Within the week flooding had subsided substantially and construction crews built a temporary crossing along the beach edge so buses and cars could again travel freely to town. By the following week construction crews had installed a new “pre-fab” bridge over the original structure. The rapid response as well as the solution was impressive.

Ironically, during this same time period access to our home in Tonto Basin, Arizona, was also blocked due to flooding. Rains had caused Tonto Creek to raise isolating residents on the east side of the creek (our side). Unfortunately this creek is too wide for a “pre-fab” solution, so I guess our activities – wherever we are -- will continue to be at the whim of the rain gods.

Daily life in paradise...the Kitchen

Beautiful beaches and lush jungle vegetation aside, daily life in paradise is not that different from daily life in Arizona or anywhere else. Although the appliances may be different the tasks are the same -- cooking, cleaning and laundry. So let’s start by taking a look in the kitchen. Our kitchen is about 9-1/2 feet x 8-1/2 feet. The main area is U-shaped, compact but efficient (see photo). On the opposite wall we have recently built a pantry shelf (see photo) for extra storage. There is no glass on the windows only wood lattice which allows for great ventilation and also makes a convenient place to hang mugs. There is no oven. Ovens are rare in homes around here so our main cooking appliance is a 4-burner propane stovetop (made by Mabe) that sits on a cupboard (see photo). The cupboard keeps the propane tank out of sight and gives us extra room for storage – something there is never enough of no matter where you live. This is a very economical way to cook -- our first tank fill up cost less than $20 and lasted 7 months. Since moving here we have accumulated numerous recipes using just the stovetop such as meatloaf and pizza pie. Backup appliances for cooking include a microwave and a toaster oven. The no-brand toaster oven runs for 15 minutes at a time and has only one temperature – not sure what that temperature is but we have been able to adapt recipes through trial and error. And, yes, we’ve even made bread in the toaster oven. Other models of toaster ovens are available that feature temperature and clock options; however, as with all appliances in Costa Rica, they are more expensive than the equivalent model in the US. The one I purchased was about $35. This same model would probably cost $15-20 during a holiday special at WalMart. Our refrigerator, an Atlas brand, is a bit smaller than found in most US homes but operates the same way. The sink is a different story. Ours is in the traditional style -- cast concrete divided into 3 sections. The two side sections drain into the center main section. Since there is no hot water the plumbing is very simple -- a PVC spigot for the faucet that comes in directly from the waterline on the house. Often people will tile their sinks – we painted ours bright green (see photo).