Costa Rica Dog Lover

It has been quite a while since I wrote – about two months.  The main topic of conversation around here during that time was the terrible drought that had been going on since July.  Water wells were drying up and those places that were serviced by the city water had to ration – most areas could only use water two hours every other day.  We were lucky because our well is quite deep and we continued to be able to have water every day, although we did conserve.  This is one of the huge trees near our yard that shows the effect of the lack of rain.  Rain forests don’t do too well without water.  The good news is that we finally started getting rain a couple of weeks ago and last night we had over five inches.  Everyone is breathing a big sigh of relief.

For us the most important topic of conversation has been Kaya’s knee surgery.  She has been limping for several months off and on and a few weeks ago when Tom took her to the beach she did something to it and could no longer put any weight on her back leg at all.  Our vet here recommended a specialist in San Jose to repair what turned out to be a torn ACL.  Things went okay until a couple of days after she got back.  The stitches came out and the wound was gaping.  We called our vets here in town on the Saturday before Easter and they came over and fixed her right up.  It actually was pretty hysterical. They put her on the table in our outdoor living room, gave her an anesthetic to put her to sleep and then completely redid all the stitches and cleaned it up.  Tom got to hold the flashlight so was a surgical assistant   It will be several weeks before she is able to get back to running around but she is already so much better – she doesn’t even mind Wiley laying his head on her.  And I have to add that the entire cost was 1/10th of what it was when we had the same surgery done on our Alaskan Malamute when we were living in Idaho.  Pretty interesting.  I absolutely love these veterinarians here!!  Excellent care for a very reasonable price.

We did have a couple of sets of visitors in March which was nice.  We haven’t had many at all this year so it was good to see friends and family from the states.  Clive and Lori, our friends from DC came at the beginning of the month for their third visit and my cousin Rich and girlfriend Candace came at the end of the month for his second visit.  It was such fun to see all of them even though I had to work and we didn’t get to spend as much time with them as in the past.  Still fun to catch up and spend time together.

We have had lots of wildlife visitors too – right in our yard the last couple of weeks.  Two snakes, both harmless but really long – a green vine snake that wanted to go into the bedroom and hang out with Wiley, and a bird eating snake that was huge!! 

An iguana hiding from Sofi and Kaya in the wheel well of our car

A brown wood turtle – that was completely unexpected!!  We have no idea how it got here……

A green honeycreeper – we have seen them but have never gotten a good picture until now

A praying mantis that thought maybe it would like a sip of Tom’s beer

And last but not least a sloth who has been living in a tree in our backyard who evidently just had a baby – you just never knows what you will see in this place

That’s it for now.  Till next time……….

Last week a friend came to visit for a few days.  Tom and I met Kimberly Beck Hovland, who writes the blog 10 Degrees Above, in Cahuita a few months ago.  Casey Bahr – A Dull Roar – and his family were visiting Kimberly and her husband Barry on their 22 acre farm a couple of hours away and they came to Cahuita to hike and hang out.  We drove up and met up with all of them for lunch at a restaurant in Cahuita and had a terrific time.  I told Kimberly that she would be welcome to visit any time so she took us up on the offer to have a short vacation from her working life at the farm.  As you can see from the picture we weren’t the only two happy to see her – Kaya was in love

The first day Kimberly was here she was talking about how she makes tea every morning by collecting lemon grass, guanabana (graviola/soursop) leaves, hibiscus leaves, and mint from the farm.  As it turned out, we had everything in our garden except the mint so she showed me how she made the tea by throwing everything in a pot to boil and then letting it steep for a while.  The first batch was a little bit weak so the next batch I made sure to have more of the lemon grass and less water.  I also added ginger, which we don’t grow,  and turmeric  (which we do) roots and a bit of lime and it is delicious!!  I am not one for sweet drinks but for those who are (namely Tom), I add some of the raw honey I have in the cupboard.  Just one more benefit of living in this great spot! 

Last weekend we went to see Luis Angel Castro who is a singer/songwriter in Costa Rica.  My Spanish teacher will often have me listen to his songs and try to understand them and by doing so, I have become a huge fan.  He was playing at one of our favorite restaurants – Stashu’s Confusion – which is small and intimate.  We got to meet him and ended up buying a couple of CD’s.  His music was even better live    Evidently he is moving  back to this area from the city and so I am hoping that we will get to see many more of his performances.  Here is one of my favorites: 

Finally – a couple of weeks ago our friend Marvin and his wife dropped by to show us their new baby.  She is adorable and has the fattest little baby cheeks ever!! 

So that is it for now from my little corner of the world.  I hope that friends and family in the states are surviving the brutal winter up north………………

On Friday Tom and I headed off to Limon to renew our drivers licenses.  We got them initially three years ago in San Jose and it took forever and seemed really complicated.  This time we thought it would be a breeze since renewing our residency in Limon in October had gone so well. 

We got to the place in Moin, outside of Limon, at about 8:15 and first had to get a ‘physical’.  The doctor was in an old school bus that was in bad shape.  I think it used to be a roaming bus for a dentist since the ceiling was all decorated with cartoon teeth   The doctor took blood pressure readings and listened to our chests and gave a bit of advice and sent us on our way $80 poorer ($40 each). 

We took the card he gave us saying that we had passed our physical and went to a small building to wait to be called.  There were only a couple of people ahead of us and it was going fast so we were happy to think we would be back on the road to Puerto Viejo in a short time.  Oops – wrong………. 

Tom went in first and found out that because our drivers license had our passport number on it and not our cedula number, we would have to get a piece of paper from immigration saying that we really did have residency.  We knew that the law had changed and brought our cedulas with us to show them.  But even though we had our cedula with us, we still had to get the piece of paper.  So we climbed back in the car and drove into Limon to the immigration office.  Traffic was nuts since it was rush hour so it took a while to get back to Limon. Luckily there was no line at immigration and the person who helped me with my residency paperwork in October was the one to help us again.  She knew exactly what we needed so printed off two copies, signed them and sent us on our way.  So, fifteen minutes later we headed back to the drivers license office.

Once there it went very smoothly.  There was some additional paperwork needed so it took more time for each of us but within 1/2 hour we were done and had new licenses good for six years.  Yahoo!!

One day last week we had two new raptors hanging out in the yard. One – a Laughing Falcon – we had seen before but could not get a good picture of.  This time we did.  The other bird is a Black Hawk Eagle and it was gorgeous!!  Tom got a couple of great shots.  It evidently eats other large birds like Toucans and Chachalacas as well monkeys and large rodents.  It was wonderful to see but I’m glad it didn’t stick around and eat all my animal and bird friends

Other than that, it has been an uneventful couple of weeks.  I’ve been working longer days at my job and Tom has been spending most of his time working on the house.  Even though it is only four years old, living in this climate takes it’s toll and there is always some kind of upkeep to be done.  The weather has been unbelievably gorgeous but we have had some rain which we are glad about. 

Now it is time to go hang out on the back deck and pretend I am like my sloth friend who was sleeping on her back in a tree in our yard yesterday.  It’s a tough life……………

It is hard for me to believe that we just celebrated our 4th Thanksgiving here in Puerto Viejo.  Actually celebrated is probably not the correct word.   We had a giant tree fall across the road and into our yard so Tom spent most of the day

with neighbors as they cut it up and tried to repair the damage.  Luckily our wonderful gardener Pedro was scheduled to be here on Friday so he brought a couple of guys and they got everything cleaned up.  While this is a common occurrence when you live in the rain forest, it is the first time we have a a tree fall into our yard.  We were so lucky – no damage at all to structures – just to our fence and the hibiscus hedge that surrounds the property.  All easily fixed. 

The last couple of weeks have been eventful.  Last Saturday there was a Tope horse race in our little town.  Horsemen and women come from all over the country and race their horses up and down the beach and around the town.

It is such fun to watch.  It reminds me a lot of growing up in Wyoming and going to the county fair and rodeo – without the ocean of course   These races occur all over Costa Rica throughout the year and they are a big deal.  There are literally hundreds of people who go from town to town and race, have fun, and party all weekend.

Sunday was the launching of the PARTY BARGE!!!  The owners of our neighborhood bar The Point – Tiffany and Popeye – decided six months ago that they were going to build a barge that people could be taken out to from the bar and hang out and party.

A lot of people donated to the effort and although it often looked like it was not going to happen, Popeye never lost faith.  After hours of delays due to the difficulty of getting the barge off of the sand and into the ocean, it finally happened around 4:30 pm  on Sunday.  Honestly, it was hysterical to watch!  It now sits quite a ways off shore and I am not quite sure what the plan is but it doesn’t really  matter.  They had a vision and they saw it through – pretty cool!!! 

Other than that, things here in my little corner of the world are pretty much the same – kickin’ back and enjoying life

Pictures from the yard

Hawk screaming

Vultures roosting

Poison green dart frogs

Cool bug with fluorescent green eyes!

Brown Jay

Oriole

Newspaper moth

Cool lizard

Baby bird just fledged

Pronthonatory warbler

The weather the last few days has been rainy and overcast.  It is actually a great thing as it has been so dry here the last few months that those on city water are under restrictions as to when they can use water and those who have wells are finding them drying up.  So we are all delighted that it is finally raining here.  But this morning there was a break and the sun was out so I headed on down to the beach for a walk.  As usual I cam back with a renewed appreciation for where I live. 

One of my favorite things is watching the wild horses meandering up and down the beach.  These two were just hanging out drinking water from the river but also from the ocean.  There were a lot of people out enjoying the day as well and lots of birds chasing bugs. 

I passed by our local neighborhood bar, The Point, which has had an ongoing project for the last few months – they are planning to launch a party barge!!  People from all over have donated and it is now ready to hit the water.  The only problem is that now the water is a bit too rough so the formal launch has been delayed to the end of the month.  I have to say that I had little faith that they were going to pull this off but I have been proven wrong.  I will definitely be there to watch this huge raft hit the waves

A few weeks ago, we met up with some old and new friends in Cahuita and had lunch.  Casey Bahr (A Dull Roar), his wife Tamara, and son Sean, were visiting Kimberly Beck Hovland and husband Barry (10 Degrees Above) at their property outside of Limon.  We met the Bahr’s a couple of years ago on their first trip to the Caribbean side of the county and were delighted to see them again and meet Kim and Barry.  We had a great lunch and a terrific time catching up.  

One of the highlights was seeing the painted rocks that Tamara has created.  She is an incredibly talented artist and has proven it again with these.  A photograph does not do them justice – they are stunning!  I am looking for a shop here in Puerto Viejo that would want to sell them and have had a couple of leads.  Most people was to sell using commission only but I am going to try again when the tourists begin arriving for the high season in December.  I think they would sell like crazy as souvenirs. 

So now I am off to hang out on my new back deck, read, and watch a little American football while enjoying the view.

Life is good

September and October are the most beautiful months on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.  And because most of the people who come to Costa Rica to visit are told that this is the rainy season (which it is on the Pacific side but not here) there are almost no tourists.  Not so great for the businesses but wonderful for  those of us who live here and have the incredible opportunity to enjoy this beauty in isolation.  Snorkeling is the best since the sea is so calm – almost like a lake.  So when my 60th birthday rolled around last Sunday, we headed off to our favorite spot at Punta Uva.  It was so great to swim around and see all the amazing life underwater.  We didn’t stay long but definitely got our first taste of many more adventures to come. 

We did have very sad news on Wednesday though.  Our good friend and neighbor Juni died leaving his wife and four children.  He had just turned 50 on September 6th.  The funeral and burial experience in this culture is very different than in the U.S.  Because there is no embalming, burial needs to take place quickly.  Sometimes burial takes place on the same day – particularly in the case of an elderly person.  Also, the gravesite is dug by hand – there are no backhoes used for this purpose.  Several of Juni’s friends, including my husband Tom, headed out early on Thursday morning to dig and prepare the grave.  It was three long hours of work. 

The wake was held that night at the community cultural center and friends and family came and talked and hugged each other.  Then the family stayed with the body all night.  On Friday morning the funeral was held in the cultural center which was extraordinarily hot!  Many of  us went outside to the porch to get some fresh air hoping for a bit of a breeze.   When the service ended, the casket was put onto a truck and taken to the cemetery not far away while a parade of people walked behind.  Another service was held and then there was a lot of spontaneous singing.  Finally, nine days after a person dies there is a celebration of his life. It is thought that this is the day that the soul leaves the earth and enters heaven so people gather around to make the transition easier. 

To end on a good note – our new deck was finished last week and it is wonderful to sit out there and just look at the wonderful garden!  We love the other side of the house as well but it is nice to be able to sit and watch the different variety of birds and animals that visit the backyard.  It is amazing that there is a difference in just a few feet but there really is. 

BeetleCacique

Sloth smiling at me

Hawk on the ground

Juvenile Seedeater

Moth

Red Dragonfly

Kaya’s new favorite place

This last weekend in Puerto Viejo was spent celebrating the Afro-Caribbean culture of the area.  There were parades, food, movies and dancing in the streets.  Parades in Puerto Viejo are unlike anything seen in the U.S.  They mostly consist of bands that are almost entirely drums and people walking along with the bands.  Streets are not cleared out and often there are cars parked along the side or even driving through the middle.  Sometimes, as happened this weekend, people walking are dressed up.  In this case the men, women and children who marched were all dressed in the costumes of their heritage. 

The black population in Costa Rica runs anywhere from 1% to 3% of the population depending on the source cited.  Almost the entire population resides in the Limon province where I live.  Afro-Caribbeans came to Costa Rica in the late 1800’s to mid 1900’s primarily  to work on the railroad and then on the banana plantations.  Until 1949, blacks were not allowed to go up and over the mountain into San Jose but were confined to the eastern shores.  There is still a great deal of prejudice towards the black population and government services seem to be allocated last to the Limon province.  Poverty and the high school drop out rate are the highest in the country. 

The community elders were honored on Saturday night and the stories of their settling this area were very moving.  Most have lived their entire life right here in Puerto Viejo earning a living fishing, selling goods, or by whatever means they could figure out to take care of their families.  

Hollywood celebrities Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, and Delroy Lindo came to town to help with the celebration.  Movies that showcased the actors were shown and they hung out with the people around town for three days. 

During the parade we saw lots of our friends who were also out on the town enjoying the festivities.  Our neighbors Beatey and Juni were having a great time as were a multitude of others   It was a great time to be in Puerto Viejo!!

While I love seeing all my family and friends in the U.S. I have to say it is always so wonderful to be able to come back home to Puerto Viejo.  Today I woke up and sat on my new deck and watched a sloth eating breakfast in one of our trees.

I then headed to the Feria and met up with friends and bought several chocolate bars, some natural insect repellent and some vanilla made at the Botanical garden by my friends Peter and Ancel.  I also found out that they got married yesterday which made a great day even better

After that I rode my bike down the road and said ‘hola’ to about 100 people who were also out enjoying the day.  On the way back I stopped at the Puerto Pirata Deli – one of my favorite breakfast/lunch places in town  owned by our neighbors Flora and Eric from Italy – and had a great mango and yogurt smoothie while watching the activity in and around the ocean.  There were lots of dogs and people having a wonderful time playing in the ocean and walking on the beach.  A group of little kids climbed onto a boat that was anchored just off the shore and were playing in it when they spotted something in the water that caught their interest.  I don’t know what it was but there were squeals and hand clapping all around.  There was also a man bicycling with his dog in the bicycle basket just having a good ole time. 

Once back home, I watched Tom and Marvin (our carpenter) work on the almost finished new deck off of our bedroom.  It is going to be the most wonderful place to sit and relax, especially in the morning while sipping a cup or two of coffee.  Here is what it looks like now:

They have done amazing work in just a few weeks.  And in about two or three days it will be completed. 

I am just not sure life can get a whole lot better

Here are a few recent pictures from around the yard.

Yellow Catepillar

Looking up

Dragon Fly

Pepper in our garden

Cool bug

Tree with sharp spikes

Red flowers

It seems fitting that I arrived home from a visit to the United States just in time to celebrate our third anniversary living in Puerto Viejo.  I haven’t posted in this blog much since last year – actually just one post – but I hope to remedy that in the coming months.  It isn’t so much that there isn’t anything to say, just that I have been busy   Between working my telecommute job, Spanish lessons, yoga classes, tending the garden, reading, etc. I have not made the time to write. 

My visit to the U.S. was a good one.  I saw friends I hadn’t seen in several years and  got to spend time with my son and his family in Colorado and my Mom and brother in Wyoming.  The wildflowers in Colorado were gorgeous and I have to say that there really is just nothing like coming into the Buena Vista Valley on highway 285 and seeing the towering collegiate peaks – truly awe inspiring.  But it was so good to get home to Tom and the dogs. 

While I was gone Tom and Marvin (our wonderful carpenter/friend) worked on building a deck off of our bedroom.  After all of the work Tom had done on the backyard, we realized that we spent very little time enjoying all of the wildlife that was now coming to visit the plants and trees.  So adding a deck that we can sit on throughout the day to enjoy both the wildlife and the garden was a perfect solution.  There is still a lot of work to be done but it will definitely be worth it in the end.

I came back to Puerto Viejo loaded down with all the ‘stuff’ we either we cannot get here or that costs so much less in the U.S. – long lasting batteries, a wireless printer, a backup battery for my computer for when the electricity goes out (which is happening more lately) and inexpensive replacement clothes along with lots of other things.  Living in the rain forest is hard on clothes – stains abound on every piece of clothing we have almost.  So bringing back new shirts and shorts makes it feel like Christmas in August. 

I have to say that the three years we have been living here have exceeded my expectations.  I had hoped that I would like it but worried a bit that once the newness wore off I would tire of life here.  I read so many stories of people moving here and then finding that it just wasn’t the place for them and returning to where they came from.  That has not even been close to my experience.  I still love being here every day and when I am gone I can’t wait to return.  We have made such good friends and waking up to the amazing bird sounds and

howler monkeys every day is my idea of a wonderful life.  I do miss my family but find that I make it back to see them much more than I did when living in Idaho.  And hopefully they will all be able to come down again one of these days.