Costa Rica Dog Lover

I got a message from my Aunt bubbles asking me to write in my blog so I am doing just that   Her name is actually Beverly but all of her nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers, and I don’t know who else (everyone I think) called her Bubbles.  At any rate, I have been a bit lax on the blogs due to our trip to Colorado and back that occurred just one week ago today.  We left last Monday to stay the night in San Jose and then flew to Denver for a three day whirlwind trip.  We went to collect the documents that son Jordan had collected from different states and agencies for us so that we could apply for residency in Costa Rica.  He had to gather it all and then send it off to the Costa Rican embassy in Washington D.C. so they could authenticate all the documents and send them back to him.  He got that all done and back about two weeks before we arrived in Colorado. 

We had such a great time with all the kids and grandkids – lots of good food and company – especially for such a short trip.  We had spent several months buying things on the internet and sending it to different kids, that we needed to bring back.  We bought three ceiling fans that Tom put up today and they are great!!!  Very quiet and they really move the air.  It is so comfortable as we sit here in our living room watching the birds and it is so much quieter than when we had to use the tower fans that we brought down.  We bought tons of other stuff too – so much that we ended up having to leave much of what we had planned to bring that we brought from Idaho.  Oh well, I guess we’ll have to use mules to bring the rest down.

When we got back to San Jose (after a very long couple of days that started with a 1:30 a.m. flight on Saturday morning) we stayed at a wonderful B&B in Alajuela and caught up on some rest.  Monday morning we took all the documents Jordan had collected and took them to the company that will be helping us with our residency application.  They said that all documents were perfect and all we needed to do to complete the process is to come back and get our fingerprints and get a letter from the American embassy verifying that Tom will be getting a monthly social security check beginning in December.  So we will head back to San Jose this Sunday and get in line at the embassy bright and early Monday morning to get that done.  We should have our application number within a month and that means that we will not have to leave Costa Rica every ninety days and we can join the public medical plan.  It seems that all the months of planning are paying off. 

We got back Monday afternoon to two very excited dogs!!  Kaya and Wiley went nuts when they saw us and yes, Kaya got to sleep on our bed last night  

So now I am sitting in the living room listening to the birds and enjoying the most amazingly beautiful day.  It has been sunny and warm (but not too warm) all day and there is just a very little bit of a breeze.  Tom just took the dogs for a walk on the beach and I am once again pinching myself that we are here.  Life could not be better………..

  Amazing place to shop – everything you need and incredibly cheap!!

  Work being done in San Jose – the streets were a mess.

Cows coming to visit at the B&B

   The treetops are beginning to flower – it is beautiful!

  Restaurant on the road to San Jose

  Fresh fruit stand on the way to San Jose that we stopped at

Hummingbird greeting us on our return to our little paradise

Today Tom came back from walking the dogs and said that he hadn’t been able to walk them on the beach because it was covered in water.  The storms in the Caribbean have caused a bit of havoc to our normally calm ocean.  So I headed down to see for myself and it really was amazing!!  I love the ocean and how it changes.  Here are a few pictures of what it looks like today.

Looking out to the east

Looking at Puerto Viejo

   Logs that drifted in today

The water drove the horses that normally wander on the beach in the early morning to the road.  As I walked along, one of them came up to me looking for food but I didn’t have any for them.  Not that there is any need to worry – these horses have more food than they could possibly eat – they rule Playa Negra.

Tomorrow we head out to San Jose to catch our plane to Colorado on Tuesday.  It will be good to see the family and pick up the many items that we have had shipped to the kids for us to bring back but it will be nice to get back here too.  I am really not quite ready to leave.  We have a wonderful dog/house sitter lined up and our wonderful neighbor is going to walk them on occasion if he can, but it will still be very hard on Kaya and Wiley to not have us around.  Kaya has gotten used to sleeping outside but she will break that good habit as soon as we get back – I have no doubt about it

As a parting gift to me today the Collared Aracaris showed up on our papaya tree this afternoon to snack.  I love all these birds!!! 

Not in Puerto Viejo or on the Caribbean side of the country but in the central valley and on the pacific side the rains have been terrible – most say the worst they have seen in years and years.  The current storm is evidently the result of tropical storm Tomas which is centered in the Caribbean Sea.  But the rain has been relentless for the past three months in the central valley and the pacific side and this storm just was the “straw that broke the camels back”.  The country is in a declared state of emergency and they are reporting that 20 people have died in a suburb of San Jose (Escazu) and at 10 more are still missing.  Roads and bridges are washed out all over the country and shelters have been set up for the hundreds that are being evacuated from their homes.  Many homes have been lost to the flooding in all areas of the country (except the Caribbean side).  The picture to the left is of a road between the town of Manuel Antonio and Quepos in the southern pacific. 

We are leaving the country on Tuesday morning to fly back to the U.S. to pick up our paperwork to apply for residency here in Costa Rica.  I sure hope that we are able to get to San Jose and that the planes are flying. 

This Halloween weekend was very interesting.  On Saturday something called the Tope came to Playa Negra which is the beach that is just a three minute walk from our house.  I have noted before how tranquil and un-crowded this beach is – not this weekend!!!  The Tope is evidently an event that brings horsemen and women from all over Costa Rica to one place to show off their horses and have a great time.  The party starts mid morning when people arrive and fire up the barbeques.  There is much food, beer, and soda consumed and a lot of people hanging out in the ocean and playing volleyball on the beach.  Then hundred of riders mount up and ride their horses along the beach into town and ride all around our little town stopping at bars, restaurants, and shops.  In the late afternoon they all come galloping back to the beach to finish up the festivities.  Some of these horses were dancers and the riders led them through some of the most intricate moves I have ever seen.  It was amazing to see a horse moving with as much agility as a small dog.  There were cars and people (and horses and dogs) everywhere!!  I thoroughly enjoyed walking along the street and taking pictures of everyone enjoying themselves.

Sunday (Halloween) was one of the most gorgeous days we have had so far – and that is saying a lot since almost all days are beautiful.  Once again people were out on the beaches and in town visiting and just enjoying life.  Tom and I headed to Limon with about ten other people in our little choir to rehearse with the people in Limon who will be singing the Messiah with us on December 19th at the Limon Cathedral.  The director was a task master but he really knew what he was doing.  By the end of our three hours together we actually sounded pretty good!!  It was interesting to see the difference in who was singing from what place.  Those of us from Puerto Viejo were all in our 50’s and 60’s while those from Limon were much younger – mostly 20’s and 30’s.  It was great fun.  The director’s wife brought us homemade pumpkin tasting bread for the ride home and it was delicious!  When we got back to PV it was apparent that the Halloween parties were just getting started.  Evidently this is a big celebration here in town and many bars and restaurants have costume contests.  We did not go out this year but we definitely will next year – it looked and sounded like a great time!! 

Yesterday, my friend Nancy asked if I wanted to go to Bri Bri (the county seat) with her so she could pick up some baby chicks and an artificial Christmas tree.  Bri Bri is about fifteen miles away in the mountains and is a very typical Tico town.  Sharon, another friend, decided to come along as well so we headed out in the mid afternoon for a new adventure (at least for me).  We got to Bri Bri and went to the veterinarian who sells the baby chicks.  Nancy bought four of them and he put them in a cardboard box and tied them up.  She wanted the chicks because one of her chickens at home had been sitting on four eggs for over thirty days and they were not going to hatch.  But the hen would not leave the nest.  A few years ago Nancy found that if she brought live chicks to the hen that was sitting on dormant eggs, then the hen would think the eggs had hatched and would tend to the chicks and get off of the nest.  I thought this was hysterical!  At any rate, we then went shopping at a variety of little stores and Nancy found her Christmas tree which happened to be the last one so they had to take it apart so we could buy it and bring it back.  As we stopped in all of the stores, one of us would carry the chicks who were chirping away in their cardboard box.  Now this is something I never did in Idaho – or Colorado – or Wyoming…………  We headed  back to PV and I dropped Nancy off at her house with the Christmas tree and the chicks.  Sure enough that goofy hen saw those chick, got off her nest, and started herding them around.  This is the life!!

What an absolutely stunning morning it was (is) today.  I took Wiley and Kaya for their morning walk to the beach and it couldn’t have been more beautiful.  At about 5:45 the moon was still pretty high in the sky but the sun was fully out.  There were birds fishing and people fishing as well.  There are great big logs on the beach that were washed up from the rough seas a couple of weeks ago.  It is amazing to see what comes on shore sometimes.Kaya kept trying to catch the crabs but they were way too fast and escaped to their holes in the sand with plenty of room to spare.  There were a few other dogs out trying to find food left by people last night but they were not too interested in mine so Wiley didn’t try to eat any of them.  Cesar would not think too highly of our misbehaving dogs. 

We actually swore that when we moved down here, Kaya was not going to be allowed to sleep on the bed.  That lasted for one hour because she just sat outside the door and cried.  So in she came and has been there every night since.  However, since we are having to leave the country to back to the U.S. for a few days, we are now having to be tough since we know getting a dog sitter who would allow her to sleep with him/her would be nearly impossible here.  It has been cold turkey for the last two night and she is not a happy dog.  We are not happy campers either since we spend all night listening to her whimper and cry.  But, we are sticking to our guns and can only hope that we can outlast her.

Last week when I was walking back from the Farmer’s market I ran into a woman I had met at the group who is getting together to sing the Messiah at Christmas.  She was carrying a yoga mat and I mentioned that one of my goals when I moved down was to learn yoga.  Turns out she is a yoga teacher (as well as just an all around holistic minded person who was a physician in Canada before she moved to PV) and had just formed a group for beginners in our age group.  All right!!  So Thursday morning at nine I headed over to her house and joined two other yoga newbies.  It was a great experience.  I used to be incredibly flexible but after years of sitting at a desk and not being too active have lost that flexibility.  However, I can see that if I go very slowly and keep at it, I will regain at least some.  She is a very patient and gentle person and it will be fun to do this a couple of times a week.  Since she also lives in Playa Negra, I can either walk or ride my bike so just one more plus

Yesterday a young man stopped by our gate and started hollering that he had something to sell.  Tom and I headed out to see what he had and found that he had all sorts of fruits and vegetables.  The picture at the left is one of the things we bought – it is called Rambuton and the pulp inside tastes very much like grapes.  The spines on the outside feel like rubber and are very soft.  When you cut it open you find a seed that is surrounded by pulp which you eat.  It was delicious!!!  We also bought a bunch of fresh carrots and cucumbers so we will have a great salad for dinner tonight.  A couple of weeks ago I bought some fruit at the farmers market but didn’t know what it was.  Today I do – it is called snake fruit because the skin looks like a snake but the inside tastes like a cross between a pineapple and an apply – yummy!!  Every week I try to pick up something at the farmer’s market that I haven’t tried and so far I have been delighted with all the new foods I have had. 

The papayas in our yard are evidently ready to eat because we had both collared aracaries and chachalacas having dinner on them last night.  At one point there were seven aracaries and later there were five chachalacas just hanging out in our yard eating the papaya fruit.  The fruit is so high up that we have not been able to figure out how to get it down so it is just as well the birds eat it.  We’ll figure out how we can get to it next time they are ready to eat. 

Today all the government offices and schools were closed for the “Day of the Races” formerly known as Columbus Day.  All of central america celebrates this day and here in Puerto Viejo it was just one more day to kick back and hang out.  The beaches were the most crowded I have seen them.  A friend and I bicycled all up and down the road visiting people and sight seeing.  She has been living here for seven years and knows many people so I was introduced to several new friends   The day was an absolutely beautiful one – sun shining in the morning and then a brief rain this afternoon.  It wasn’t too hot and I got to see a few things I had not seen before.  We visited the only upscale hotel in this area – called the Le Chameleon – and I got to see one of the rooms.  It was very nice and the grounds and the beach area that they have is absolutely gorgeous! 

I met a woman who has had a blog for a couple of years now that I have followed.  Her name is Lisa Valencia and she moved to PV about two years ago and is making a life for herself.  She has an audio book that I purchased and she has a guide service that she is putting a lot of work.  I have no doubt that her clients are very pleased with the places she takes them and the knowledge that they glean from her. 

Other pictures from the day:

Buses taking people back to San Jose

Ticos fishing for dinner from the shore

Morning at the beach

Places to eat

Today I decided to walk to town instead of riding my bike to go to the farmer’s market. Last night we had torrential rains that came down so hard that we had trouble hearing each other speak.  I believe that we are at the beginning of the rainy season in the Caribbean – I hear that November is the month that the most rain will fall.  At any rate, I walked in thinking that there would be too many opportunities for me to crash into mud puddles and I was right.  The walk was wonderful though and I may just continue to walk since I can get there and back before the sun gets too hot and the things you see when you go at a slower pace are just great.  I am posting the photographs of what I saw along the road.

   Whimbrel

  Beach morning glories 

  Coconut Tree

Horses at the bridge

  Dog relaxing on the beach

  Road to my house

Even though it is overcast and has been for most of the week – it is still just wonderful………….

Yesterday I went to visit a friend and, after we made some absolutely incredible fresh passion fruit juice, she asked me if I liked to sing.  I said yes – twenty years ago I actually was a pretty good singer.  She asked if I would join a small group of people who were planning to sing Handel’s Messiah in Limon on December 26th.  I said yes since I know the entire thing – bass, tenor, alto, and soprano – by heart.  My dad and I used to sing the Messiah, or at least several choruses from it, every Christmas at the First Presbyterian Church in Casper before I left to “further my career”.  Those times with dad are some of my fondest memories of him.  We would go to the choir room every Thursday and practice and once we even had a quartet with another couple of people that brought the house down    These are the times I miss him.

At any rate, Tom decided to come along too (even though he didn’t realize he would have to be a participant as well) and we had a great time.  We practiced the “Hallelujah Chorus” and it was such fun!  There were twelve of us and there were probably be a couple more before it settles in.  There is a Tico tenor who has one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard.  And another tenor who has a beautiful voice as well who has clearly had training.  The rest of us just give our very best.  Tom actually had a great time once he realized he would actually have to sing.  He is singing bass which is a bit out of his range but he has a great voice and, since he played guitar for years, knows how to read music and is a big help to the other basses who don’t. 

The director is the most amazing women – incredibly patient and a wonderful musician.  She brings her portable piano to the place we practice and speaks all three languages of those of us who are participating – English, Spanish, and German.  Since I actually have memorized the entire “Messiah”, I was able to take care of keeping the altos on track so she only had to worry about the other three parts   I have to say I admire here immensely – she lives in Bri Bri, works in Cahuita and LImon and comes to work with us in Puerto Viejo in the evening.  Quite an amazing person. 

In Limon we will be singing in a cathedral with twenty other people from there.  This will truly be an experience of a lifetime!!!

Two things – Tom’s birthday and our second month in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica!!  Tom is 62 today and I have to say both of us could not be happier that this birthday has arrived     He will begin receiving his social security checks on December 15th and that is how we are going to stay in our tropical paradise.  We have planned all along on living on what he gets from social security – at least until mine kicks in in five years (if it does – who knows with the way the world is going).  Since we own the house outright, it really won’t be too difficult to maintain a lifestyle that we enjoy as long as we don’t overdo it.  We will dip into savings for the occasional trip to the US and around the country to see those parts of Costa Rica that we have not yet experienced but other than that, we will be living pura vida on social security income.

I have to admit that the two months really has flown by.  We will be heading back to Denver in November for four days for two reasons.  First is because our first 90 days in the country will be up and we have to leave – at least until we get our residency paperwork lined up.  And secondly – to pick up that paperwork that son Jordan has been diligently mailing all over the place getting requests in and certifications done.  By the time we arrive in November, he should have received all of the final paperwork back from the Costa Rican embassy in Washington D.C. which we can then bring back here and submit to the powers that be in San Jose.  It will take about a month to get everything translated into Spanish so that we can submit it, but once that is done, all we have to do is wait.  There are other housekeeping things we have to do here in Costa Rica but that shouldn’t be too difficult.  I know – I sound like the very naïve person I am but my motto is now “don’t worry be happy”.  Thank you Bobby McFerrin.

To the right is a photograph of a number of birds on a banana plant.  We have watched the most amazing display the last two days as birds eat on these bananas.  Woodpeckers, tanagers – five different kinds, Oropendolas – two different kinds, and others that I don’t even know the name of – have been eating on these bananas right outside our gate.  Does anyone wonder why I love this place?!?!?!