On my way to San Jose

On Monday I had planned to leave for San Jose to meet Gordie's arriving flight from the US. I was able to purchase a ticket for the 11 AM direct bus in Puerto Viejo a few days in advance - quite a bargain at less than $10 for a 4-1/2 hour ride. Shutters closed, bag packed and off I went to walk down to the bus stop. I really love the walk down our road. It's peaceful, lush green, birds and animals chirping and whistling along the way. Great way to start another pleasant day. About half way down the road I came upon a neighbor and her daughter. We continued walking as we exchanged "bueana dias" and "como estas." As I turned to face forward I realized I was on a collison course with a young boy on a bicycle. Before I knew it I was flying over the top of his bike and heading straight for the road below. My face hit the dirt and the blood started rushing down. I will leave the gory details to your imagination to focus instead of the outcome. The mom called her brother, a taxi driver, who was there in nothing flat. They took me down to the clinic where I was rushed right in to the doctor. No one asked my name. No one asked about my insurance. The only question I was asked was about existing conditions that might affect my treatment. The nurse came and cleaned my would. The doctor, who spoke perfect English, came in and stitched me up. After I was patched up I was sent out to fill out paperwork. I showed them my passport and asked if I couldn't come back on Wednesday as I was trying to catch the bus to San Jose. No problem. My new taxi driver friend had waited for me and drove me to Puerto Viejo - for free - so I would catch the bus on time. Believe it or not, this whole ordeal, from accident to delivery at the bus stop took only 45 minutes. I made it to San Jose on time. Gordie arrived, 2 hours, using a cane. What a great couple we make!

By the way, I did go back on Wednesday to finish the paperwork and get my perscriptions. The total bill was about $60 usd, which included the emergency room, doctor, 7 stitches, 2 perscriptions (an antibiotic and a pain pill) and the follow up visit for removing the stitches. At least accidents are affordable here.

Whole lotta shakin goin on

I wake up each morning to the sounds of howler monkeys. It's wonderful and ordinary. But yesterday morning was a little bit different. They were much louder. Much longer. Far more talkative. Other than that, the day was pretty ordinary. Until 4 or so in the afternoon, that is. I was brewing up a pot of soup when all of a sudden the whole house began to sway back and forth. Now, I'm not from California but even an Arizona girl like me knows when there's an earthquake going on. It seemed to last forever – probably 10 long seconds – then it was over. Nothing fell. Nothing broke. Apparently the earthquake was in the Pacific about 30km southwest of Quepos (which is near Manual Antonio National Park). Perhaps I've been in the jungle too long, but I think the monkeys knew it was coming.

The shaking brought to mind an article I read a few years ago about home construction considerations in earthquake prone areas. From what I remember, the article mentioned that building a house on stilts would allow for more movement without structural damage. It also mentioned that wood was preferable to concrete as there was more give, and, in the event of a collapse, there was less chance of being crushed. This was also mentioned in regard to roofing material. If a tin roof falls on you your chance of injury is far less than if it had been tile or wood. Remembering this article made me feel far safer about living in a wooden house on stilts with a tin roof. Then I also remembered that I had researched all of the fault lines throughout Central America before I ever moved here...just in case. So, the monkeys are still very talkative today. Maybe it's mating season, or perhaps this time they are just discussing yesterday's quake. As soon as I master Spanish I will have to learn monkey, it would certainly come in handy around here.

It's soooo GREEN and red and yellow and...

It never ceases to amaze me just how GREEN and LUSH Costa Rica is. I have read that there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 plant species here which may account for the 600 species of birds that call Costa Rica home (an additional 250 species stop by on their way south each year). Some days I think they are all living and growing in my yard. About 25% of the country is protected through national parks, biological and maritime reserves and other conservation areas. Pretty impressive for such a small country. So, once again, I have filled my camera with shot after shot of flowers, red, yellow, orange, purple...no birds yet, they're still a little too fast for me but I'm working on it.

Looking for a house in the jungle?

As many (make that all) of our friends in Arizona know, we decided to sell our "little house in the jungle" and move to the very far end of Costa Rica. We bought a lot in Manzanillo which is literally where the road ends. It's a very small town. Close to the beach but still in the jungle (there were monkeys in the trees over our heads when we looked at the property). It's about the same distance from the "major" resort town of Puerto Viejo as we are now just in the opposite direction. And far fewer buses to get there but we'll deal with that when the time comes. We'll be starting from scratch - assuming all of the paperwork goes through - this is sometimes a challenge down here. I will keep everyone posted - until then we will continue to enjoy our great neighbors, quiet surroundings and continuing adventures here outside of Hone Creek. Wish us luck!!! Oh, we're asking $45,000 for the house, furnished, in case you're looking for a relaxing place to vacation or retire to.

A military “Welcome Home”

Military? Costa Rica? Everyone knows that Costa Rica disbanded their army in 1948. Well, that was their army of MEN. The Costa Rican Army Ants are still going very strong, thank you. Locals and expats alike will advise you to just leave your house for a few hours and let them “do their thing.” You won't find a trace of any bug bits or debris when you return, they guarantee it.

So here I am. Home for 2 days. Alone. At night. As pitch black as only the jungle night can be. No car. No problem - I think. Just enjoying a peaceful evening in paradise. Fearlessly I walk into the kitchen only to stop short in my tracks. At least 50 or so army ants are marching along my lattice windows. Yes, these are the Caribbean-style windows with no glass or screen. I have no flashlight so my escape plan is limited - the best I can do is keep moving from room to room till they're finished and hope they don't decide to clean more than one room at a time. I go back to the safe haven of the living room only to find there is now a brigade of ants passing by on that window sill. Yikes! I wonder if they'll look under the covers for me? I wait. I hope. I pray. Ten minutes go by. I check the living room window again. No army ants. Now to the kitchen. Again, nothing. Miraculously, ALL of the army ants have left without a trace. I can only hope that this was not a scouting party. Safe, at last, until they come again.

New place to stay by Juan Santamaria Airport

For what ever reason, it seems that all flights I take to Costa Rica arrive at night and all flights that leave Costa Rica have early morning departure times. Since it's a 4 hour mountainous drive to my house, these schedules require an overnight in San Jose. As the capitol city, San Jose offers a wide price range of accommodations but I usually prefer to stay close to the airport (which is actually in Alajuela). I'm either tired from traveling all day or the departure time is so early I can't risk getting stuck in city traffic and missing my flight. Of course, staying by the airport usually means paying top dollar as well, so I am always on the lookout for a reasonably-priced hotel. The one I found this time around is a real gem. Casa Antigua is literally minutes from the airport, just 800m east of the Casino Fiesta (where the much higher priced Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express are located). The local bus stops outside of it's door making the trip to downtown San Jose all of 80 cents – a taxi will cost about $25.

The decor throughout this hotel is amazing. From the plush lobby to the elaborate paintings adorning the floors this place is NOT ordinary. There are hand-crafted and painted tables, stools and walls. Bold, colorful and ornate textiles dress the lobby, restaurant and garden hookah lounge. Yes, there is a hookah lounge with large cushioned chaises to relax on in the garden. By now you're probably wondering about the “things” that most people go to hotels for. The rooms. Clean and comfortable with cable television. The service. Friendly and efficient. The extras. There is a computer in the lobby with internet hook-up that customers can use at no expense. And, they start putting food at before 5 AM so anyone with an early morning flight can still have some coffee, toast, fresh fruit, cereal or sweet breads before leaving. All is included in the cost, which for me (single) was only $49 plus tax. I already plan to stay there when I meet Gordie at the airport later this month. Only this time I may arrive early and try out that hookah lounge!

Fairy tales do come true...

Be honest, haven't you always wanted to live in a castle? I know that I have. Perhaps it was too much Disney growing up. Anyway, when I came across pictures of The Blue Cave Castle in Negril while planning our Jamaican trip I just couldn't pass up this “dream come true.” And it was within our budget of $60 per night. There it sits on the cliffs of Negril overlooking the clear Caribbean sea. Each room is different, each very private and each intriguing. I selected the Deluxe Room #2. Right outside of our door was the staircase descending into ocean and the Blue Cave. How convenient is that? We were only able to stay two nights but took every opportunity to snorkel. There was also an excellent small cafe and free (yes, free) coffee and tea available each morning. Another place I would definitely return too.

On to the beach...

Next stop for companion and I was Mariner's Negril Beach Club. We were not expecting much. Our budget for this trip was $60 per room per night. My pre-trip research showed most of the other resorts in Negril to be many times this amount. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if this resort was ON the beach of just NEAR it. Either way, we didn't care, we would be there and the price was right. As we pulled up I noticed the exterior of the resort showed its age. Ditto for the lobby. What a surprise when they brought us up to our room! Beautiful, polished, hardwood floors leading into a living room with a modern sofabed, side chairs, coffee table, ceiling fan and a large flat screen TV. The next room was the bedroom with a king size bed, large bureau and wardrobe closet, and a wall of wooden shuttered doors leading out to the balcony with table and chairs. A walk from our room through the landscaped grounds brought us to a perfect – yes, perfect, Caribbean beach. Soft, soft, white sand and perfectly smooth, warm, clear turquiose water. Turns out there was also WiFi in the lobby, 2 “mini-mart” type stores on site, a pool, a spa, a beach bar, a restaurant, and several small boutique stores. WOW. Not bad for $60 a night.

The long way home...

From Tonto Basin to Phoenix to Costa Rica via Jamaica. Guess it's not exactly the most direct route, but, after all, my nephew was getting married in Jamaica. So off we went on the 5 AM SuperShuttle to Phoenix Sky Harbor. The flight was uneventful and food-less so by the time we hit Miami International we were HUNGRY. Since we were also facing a 5-hour layover in Miami, it just made sense to leave the airport to eat and explore. On the advice of an airport “info” person, we headed to an area called Bayside. There found numerous cafes featuring every type of seafood imaginable, but nothing on the menu that would appeal to my vegan traveling companion until we spotted a Chili's Restaurant with outside dining on the second floor overlooking the marina. Good food, great views. And judging from the size of the fish the boats were unloading, this is a top notch area for sport fishing. After lunch we still had a little time to explore the numerous shops around Bayside, and decided that the Miami area would make a great destination point for some future trip. Good thing we made this decision before getting back to the airport just in time for a 2-hour delay. Getting to paradise can sometimes be a struggle.

Hanging out in history...

Hanging out in history...
Our first two nights in Jamaica were strictly a family affair. The bride, groom, parents of each, siblings, aunt and cousin. Ten of us total in a luxurious 5-bedroom villa in Montego Bay. A little background on Villa Monzon: it's in a private community of seven homes and was formerly part of the Royal Windsor Family of England's Plantation. This property was presented to Sir Winston Churchill in 1946, after the end of World War II. Historically, the original "Content" estate was 300 plus acres. Later, Winston Churchill's niece, Lady Sarah sold off parts of the estate which now comprises this seven home community. The original Content/Churchill estate is on 16 acres next to Monzon and on the other side is the "Drambuie" estate on 75 acres.

Our first day there we hit a local beach with the largest starfish I have ever see. Warm, clear water, just the way I like it. We then stopped by a small local thatch-roof restaurant for some soup (shrimp or conch soup) and cold Red Stripes – the local beer which was actually quite good. But nothing could surpass the outstanding lobster dinner we had that evening back at the Villa – an end to our introduction to Jamaica. Yum. And to think some people live like this all the time!!!