Monthly Archives: January 2012

January 16, 2012 · 9:52 am

Oh NO!!! My Kindle broke!

IMG_4887In mid December I went to read a book on my Kindle so I turned it on and the entire bottom part of the screen was dark.  I could read but not very easily.  I am a voracious reader and the Kindle has been a life saver for me in that regard.  There just aren’t many books here in Puerto Viejo and to order from the states is cost prohibitive for me. 

The Kindle was not quite a year old so I got on Magic Jack and called Amazon to see if they had a solution.  After going through all the options on their end (none of them worked) the wonderful customer service agent said that I could send it back for a replacement and would be reimbursed for shipping.  I had a month to complete the return.  The replacement was sent to my son’s house in Colorado two days later and he sent it on to friends who were returning to CR in January.  I was thrilled!! 

The agent said that I would get email instructions on how to send it back and in just seconds after I hung up, there they were.  the only issue that I could see was that they required the package to be tracked and the postal service here does not do that.  IMG_4921I found out that there is a DHL office in Limon – about an hour or so away – so one morning, Tom took off to Limon to send back the non-working Kindle.  About 11:30 a.m. I got a call from Tom saying that the cost of the return was going to be $92.00 as the only option for tracking was three day delivery.  We decided not to send the package since you can now buy the Kindle I have for $79.00 and I didn’t want to risk not getting the reimbursement for shipping.  However, I got online and “chatted” with the Kindle customer service representative and was assured that the total cost of shipping would be reimbursed – even though it was more than a new Kindle would be worth!!  I called Tom but he was already on his way back, and, since everything in Costa Rica closes down for an hour and a half for lunch and it was now noon, he decided to try another day. 

We headed back to Limon a couple of weeks later and sent the old Kindle on it’s way to Amazon.  We had a couple of issues that came up – one being that they didn’t know that it had arrived and my account was not credited for the shipping.  However, a quick phone call was all it took to give them the tracking number and we were done.  I am now happily reading away on my new device.  Pura Vida!!!

Photos from our trip to Limon:

IMG_4912Port of Limon – cruise ship

 

IMG_4929The cemetery in Limon

 

IMG_4933 Cemetery again

 

IMG_4936 A tire and brake shop

 

IMG_4941Flowering trees

IMG_4949Big trucks on skinny road

IMG_4961Warning for big hole in the middle of the bridge

IMG_4962Almost home

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January 2, 2012 · 8:42 am

Welcome 2012!!!!

New Year fireworks

The holiday season here in Puerto Viejo was definitely fun filled.  A few days before Christmas, a group of people and businesses decided to host the first ever World’s Biggest Rondon Worlds biggest Rondonand Multicultural Festival.  About 2:00 in the afternoon people started gathering in the park in the center of the town.  Rondon cooksThe Rondon cooks started much earlier putting together the stew/soup that this part of the country is known for.   Rondon comes from the words “run down” meaning you throw together whatever you have in your kitchen and see how it comes out.  It has evolved to having a set of standard ingredients to start with – coconut, coconut milk (lots!), plantains, fish, shrimp – and then other ingredients are added that the cook feels might be good. 

Pinata funThe day was especially fun for the kids – they were all over the place!  A clown presided over the festivities for the younger crowd, topping off the events with the breaking of several pinatas Pinantafollowed by the wild dash for the candy. Candy There were also sack races and a jungle gym brought in especially for the occasion.  It really was a wonderful day.Dogs enjoyed it too

On Christmas Eve, we entertained a small sloth that had found it’s way into our cacao trees that are all over our yard.  Christmas Eve SlothSloths can only eat certain types of leaves and the cacao is not one of those.  It finally made it’s way to the hibiscus bushes that surround our yard (they can’t eat those either) and climbed through those bushes to the trees that have the leaves it can eat in the area behind our house.  I worry too much about these little guys – they always seem to figure it out Smile

On Christmas Day we went to our neighborhood bar – The Point – and had a traditional Christmas dinner for brunch and then headed on over to the Botanical Garden to help set up for the afternoon Christmas potluck they have every year for the people who live in Playa Negra. Christmas Day brunch People started coming around 2:00 and stayed until dark.  We met some new people who live nearby and chatted with several we already knew.  All in all a very nice way to spend Christmas day.

New Year’s Eve was a really fun time.  We headed down to The Point and had dinner.  About 7:30 we all headed down to the beach in front of the bar and Toby set off some fireworks.  New Years Eve Fireworks (1)I stood right under them and watched as they exploded overhead – it was the most amazing feeling!   When that was done, we headed back home to check on the dogs and then met everyone at a little pizza place just a couple of minutes from our house.  New Years Eve Fireworks (2)We chatted, ate pizza, drank some beer and just had a terrific time.  We did not ring in the new year officially at midnight as we were home tucked in bed but we did hear the fireworks that went off all over the area. 

The weather for those two weeks was just gorgeous.  Last year at this time, it was rainy and overcast every day except for Christmas day but this year could not have been more beautiful.  I am so glad to be here………….

garden

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