Tourist Season Has Arrived!

It has been a while since the last time I have written on the blog, so there are quite a few things to cover.  First and foremost we had a great trip home to see all of our friends in California, and when we were there Dana and I got engaged!  We are really excited about moving forward with our relationship and hopefully getting married next September, back home in Tahoe.

  

Shortly after we returned to Costa Rica my parents came for a visit, which was jam packed with restaurants and fun activities.  The first day they were here we went to a Zoo that had most species any tourist visiting CR would want to see, followed by picking up Dana after school and driving out to the Caribbean.  We drove about three and a half hours south all the way to Puerto Viejo which is an awesome beach town just north of the Panamanian border.  We stayed at a cool little resort and enjoyed great food, rode cruiser bikes, and attempted to swim in the ocean; until the lifeguard came down the beach and said no more swimming.  The rip current was too strong, not to mention ten foot swells coming in, due to a hurricane.  Puerto Viejo is one of my favorite areas I have been to so far in CR, with the Caribbean vibe, Rastas everywhere and beautiful underdeveloped beaches.  It really makes you feel like you are in a place that is still very special.  We also had one of the best meals I have ever had in my life at an Italian restaurant, La Pecora Nera, where everything was so fresh and the service was incredible.  When we returned from the beach we had some nice dinners with the cousins and just enjoyed some time to show my parents what we’re up to down here. 

Not long after they were off we had our second set of visitors, our buddies Mike Hoopengartener and Kevin Embertson from Truckee.  I picked them up from the central square in downtown Heredia and we started having an awesome week.  We did all sorts of activities including going to the Central market, for shopping and some lunch, hiked to a Tapir reserve and to see two different waterfalls, went out to the beach on the Pacific for the day, and best of all going to see the sunrise over Poas Volcano.   My uncle was helping a film crew experience many great things CR has to offer for a PBS TV show “The Quest for Pura Vida” and the last day of filming was at the volcano for sunrise.  The volcano is a huge crater about 1.2 miles in circumference, but most visitors only see it covered in clouds because the park doesn’t open until 8:00 a.m.   They wanted to film the crater at sunrise, for the best footage and clarity, we got picked up in a bus at 3:15 a.m. and reached the crater at 5:00 am and watched the volcano slowly illuminate with light.  We stayed until maybe 6:30 witnessing two small eruptions and then went down the mountain for an amazing freshly prepared, traditional breakfast.  After that, we sent them on their way, with our friend Travis, for a day of whitewater rafting with his company on the Rio Sarapaqui.  It was really fun to have visitors, and to provide a place where they can feel totally comfortable in such a different culture, and a small reprieve from traveling.  It is also very rewarding to show friends from home our life down here and have them so excited to see what has now come fairly accustomed to us; it reminds us of how special the opportunity we have right now really is.

We are looking forward to having quite a few more visitors in the coming months, starting with Todd (Dana’s brother) this Friday.  We are planning to head south with him and see a bit of Panama, but most of our time will be spent in Bocas Del Toro.  Bocas is an archipelago of islands that are reached by water taxi only.  These islands are well known for their crystal clear waters, Caribbean vibes and open ocean surf breaks.  I’m looking forward to really traveling in the next couple months, as Dana has vacation for almost five weeks, followed by three of my good friends coming down in early February!  We’re planning an epic surf trip that we will surf the majority of the breaks on the Pacific Ocean.   We also have Dana’s parents coming for two weeks in January, so it will be fun to show them all over the country, probably splitting the time between the Central Valley where we live and various beaches throughout the Pacific.

Recently I have been working hard on building a new entertainment center for my uncle in the woodworking shop I work at.  Though I am looking forward to getting back to carving bowls and trying to do some salad utensils and table legs in the near future.  It is really nice to have the freedom to do what I want everyday so I am trying to embrace it as much as possible, and really experience everything that presents itself.  One of my favorite parts of being here is being able to create friendships with my cousins down here.  It has been great for us to get to know them as adults and friends rather than just seeing them at some family event once in a blue moon.  Steve and Anne (my pseudo aunt and uncle) are incredibly inspiring people to be around, they truly believe in what they do and are so dedicated to the arts and culture it is really nice to constantly be surrounded by such intellect. 

I am really missing the snow.  It has been an incredible start to the season in Tahoe and even wearing shorts and a t-shirt everyday couldn’t ever replace my love for the snow.  I hope everyone back home is loving the snow and skiing as much as possible, because I know I would be.  We are looking forward to being home next year for our wedding and the snow!  We’ll keep you posted on all of our journeys. Enjoy shoveling, and Pura Vida!

It's Been a While!

Well, where do I begin?  We have been slacking on the blog lately.  

Tahoe Rim Trail

Out of order, but very exciting, Jacob and I are engaged!!!! He asked me while we were home visiting Truckee, during my 2 week vacation, hiking on the Tahoe Rim Trail near Tahoe City.  When we came to a nice open spot, with a great view of the lake, he got down on one knee,  and told me all the reasons he wanted to marry me!  It was very sweet and, of course, I said YES!  He had chosen the diamond, but wanted my help finding the perfect setting.  We ended up going to a local jeweler and designed the ring from scratch.  We sat with the jeweler for a few hours, while he molded and carved my ring out of wax to my liking. It was so cool to be a part of the process and to watch him create my ring.  It is truly one of a kind.  After designing it, he worked hard to have it ready for me to pick up the next day, just in time to fly back to Costa Rica. 

Now, let me back up a little bit…

15 de Septiembre

School is now in full swing and I have settled in quite nicely.  I LOVE my group of students, although they have their moments :)  Gita, my assistant, and I are a perfect match!  We work great together and are becoming very close friends.  We are constantly coming up with new ideas, and motivating each other to provide the best environment for the kids as we can.  I love it.  I love her!  We have gotten into a nice routine and fill any spare moment with art projects for the kids.  I love that this school encourages fun and interactive art projects, instead of stressing about assessments and preparing for them.   The vibe in the room is positive and engaging, the way learning should be. 

The school had a big celebration on September 15^th for Independence Day that all of the students participated in.  It was very traditional and included typical dress, music, dance, and food.  The students and I practiced MANY times with the choreographers – I think I could do it in my sleep now!  It was worth it though, as all of the parents and students really had a great day. 

Jacob and I also went to a small traditional parade in San Jose de la Montana, about 20 minutes up the mountain.  We met Gita and her daughter for the parade and then joined the many families at the local park for a picnic.  Ember was also with us and was the life of the party at the picnic.  She ran for hours with all of the kids chasing her.  They LOVED her!  At first they were scared of her, as they are most dogs, but soon realized her friendliness and obsession with sticks.  They thought it was so funny!  It was also funny for us to watch 15 boys running after her, trying to get the stick! 

A Dutchman's Pipe- smells like rotting meat to attract flies

I have been on a few field trips so far this year.  The first was a hike with all of the second graders and their families.  At first I was thinking it was going to be a little much, with all of families coming along also, but it ended up to be really great.  It was at a nearby park named Bosqe de la Hoja (Leaf Forest) with trails of all levels of difficulty and length.  We did an easier hike of about a half hour, than ended at a nice picnic area with a playground and huge soccer fields.  It was a really fun day and beautiful scenery.  I enjoyed getting to know the families and kids outside school.  Getting to see the family dynamics always give some good insight…..

In science we are studying plants, so we also went to a place called the Herb Ark Farm.  Some parents were concerned about some big storm and didn’t want to send their kids on the outdoor field trip in the rain.  Wanting everyone to be able to go, I rescheduled and what do you know, no rain at all.  The following week when we actually went, it poured!  Typical!!!  It was a SWEET field trip though and I think the rain made it even more memorable. The owner gave us an extensive tour of the property and we were all fascinated.  The farm contains more than 300 species of medicinal plants from all over the world.  Along the way, they we were given endless opportunities to smell the different herbs and learn their purposes.  He showed us everything from kitchen spices to giant leaves that you put on your forehead for headaches.  It was amazing!  We ended the tour with crackers and edible flowers.   He also gave all of the kids a different plant to go home which got them very excited.   I can’t wait for the next field trip!!  We could not be studying plants in a better place!

We have been trying to see as much as possible of the country and have seen our fair share.  Jacob has seen more, as he has time while I am at school.  We did finally make it to the Caribbean side of the country and went to Cahuita, a very cute little town with beautiful beaches.  We went with Jacob’s cousin Toupi, his wife Liza, and their new baby boy, Felix.  We rented a little house across from the beach and had a blast playing at the beach (Jacob’s is now catching waves) and playing games at the house. 

Puda Vida

A place we stopped to fuel up and get a drink

A lot of things have happened since the last time I have written.  First and foremost I did complete the dirt bike ride!  It ended up being 174 km which is roughly 105 miles.  We rode from Sarapiqui all the way to Rio San Carlos which is the river that separates Nicaragua and Costa Rica.  It was a pretty amazing experience but I won't lie I didn't know what I was getting into.  CR mud is deep, juicy and plentiful not to mention as slippery as ice.  Luckily I was borrowed all the proper riding equipment, because I certainly put it to good use (I crashed maybe ten times and by the end of the ride I looked like I had swam in rice and beans).  The ride was with eight other guys, the group my cousin Ben usually rides with.  I rented a 2009 KTM 250 2-stroke so it was a nicer bike than I am used to at home.  I made it and enjoyed it, I just couldn't walk comfortably for at least three days after wards.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to go again, maybe just a bit shorter ride, but at least I got my money's worth out of the rental!

Looking across the river to Nicaragua

Since then Dana has started school, which leaves me with a lot of free time.  It is pretty nice to have the opportunity to take in life and enjoy whatever it is I choose to do each day.  I have surfed at Jaco, Hermosa, Play Negra, Boca Barranca, and plan to keep exploring.  I do enjoy the quickness of simply cruising out to Jaco and nearby Hermosa, and have found it to be a pretty nice break with consistency and plenty of space to have your own wave.  It is so much more enjoyable to learn to surf here than trying in California.  People are helpful, attitude and ego are something that doesn't affect my time in the water, unless it's some bro from SC!  I'm at the point where I am enjoying every time I get in the water.  I can paddle out comfortably, catch most waves I go for, and about thirty percent of the time stand up and ride it for a ways.  I haven't actually gotten to the point of feeling comfortable, and I can't quite surf across the wave as much as I ride where ever it takes me.  But these are all good and reassuring steps to finding out that I am not surftarded(which I questioned for a while).

Hiking near Ciudad de Colon

More recently I have been spending some time in a furniture shop, in nearby Sanisitro.  I told the owner of the shop when I met him that I wanted to learn how to turn bowls on a Lathe, and asked if he had one.  His response was perfect, " I have a lathe that I never use, I have too much on my plate and every time I look at it I just wished it was used."  Needless to say I got the opportunity I was looking for, not to mention the lathe he ended up having was a Powermatic which is considered one of the best brands of shop tools money can buy.  I watched a few videos, and have been reading some books that Carlos(the owner of the shop) has lent me.  With some basic knowledge I was able to successfully turn some cool items.  I plan to spend a ton more time in the shop.  It is incredible for me to actually be creating, holdable art out of wood.  Building houses in Tahoe is rewarding, but to shape a log into a bowl, and watch the beautiful grains of tropical hardwoods unfold as I carve away more wood, is a rewarding experience.  I have been using wood from fallen trees, so I feel pretty good about the whole process.  I hope to create quite a bit of work during our year, so that I will have it to share with our friends when we come home.
Most recently I have worked on an organic farm, a connection through my buddy Leeland.  Roderick the owner of the farm is super dedicated to the green and organic movement in Costa Rica, and is an awesome guy to be able to help.  I may try to set up a program with Dana's school, where the high school students can volunteer on the farm, and learn about organic farming, where their food comes from and why organic is important.  It could be a great thing to start, I think Roderick the farmer and the kids could both highly benefit from the relationship the program will create.  His dream is to have a farm that people can come stay at in return for their work.  Dana and I have also just finished an amazing course called The Arte of Living.  It incorporates some yoga, meditation, and a a breathing technique called the Shardashan Kriya.  It was an insightful experience, and we are now trying to continue with the breathing exercises for forty days after the course.  The part that most moved me was seeing a short video about what the course has done for other people around the world.  It is used in prisons and extremely poverty stricken areas, in 142 different countries in the world.  It's unreal how much happiness, and serenity it has created in the world, and we would both suggest it if anyone is interested in taking it.

Macaw at Playa Negra

We have really been enjoying our time down here, but we are starting to experience small doses of homesickness.  It is nice to know that we are coming home in October for a two week visit, and when we return is the time some visitors are going to start coming.  We are excited to share this beautiful place with our friends and family, but I can definitely say that where the majority of the people reading this live, in Northern California, is a pretty special place.  I feel lucky to have the life that we do in Truckee, and don't think we could be happier to call any other place home.  It was exciting for us but hard to not be a part of the ToeJammers winning our second kickball championships, and I really think this was the catalyst for the effects of homesickness.  Don't take this the wrong way, we are fully enjoying everything here, we are just happy to know that we always have a place to come back too.  Tuesday the 31st is Dana's birthday, so we are going out to a fancy Italian restaurant, and both look forward to celebrating her quarter century.  On the 14th of September we are planning on seeing Israel Vibration, at an independence day concert, which is the following day(Dana has off of school).  Enjoying our lives to the fullest, and can only hope the same for everyone connected to us, Pura Vida and remember to smile!

School

So much natural light, I have yet to use the lights!

Last week was my first week of school and I couldn't have asked for it to have gone more smoothly.  I am one of two second grade teachers at the European School, and Mrs. Norma has been great getting me into the groove of how second grade flows. 

We are in the primary wing of the school, with gardens and grass outside every door.  Each classroom has a bulletin board outside the door which is redone every month.  The amount of creativity from the teachers is amazing- I can't wait to see them throughout the whole year.  I have an amazing full time aid in the classroom with me named Gita, from Latvia, and I can already tell we are going to be great friends- We have a very similar way of working with the kids and couldn't be a better match!  As of now, we only have 19 kids and I am proud to say I already know all of their names and am already getting to know them well academically, as well as personally.  I have a lot of freedom in the way we do things in our room and it allows much more time to really get to know the kids and what motivates and interests them.

Their props for the first poem

     Each morning the kids begin the day with Morning Music in the music room and I can't help but get the chills when they sing!  They love it and sing songs in English and Spanish.  Every Monday they get a new poem to study for the week, and on Fridays they recite the poem for the class and share a homemade prop that represents the poem (always made from recycled items at home).  The school uses notebooks for every subject and photocopies are pretty much against the rules- I love it.  The kids take a lot of pride in keeping their notebooks nice and orderly, because they keep them for the entire year.  The students only know the Costa Rican cursive alphabet at this point and their penmanship is beyond impressive! It has been YEARS since I have written in cursive so I have really been trying to practice mine! 

    Lunch time is a sight to see.... Kids are not allowed to bring any food on campus.  The teachers eat in the lunchroom with their students everyday.  Two students leave a couple minutes before the rest of the group with Gita to set the table properly and serve the salad.  Once the salad is eaten, they are served the main course, then fruit for desert. There is no toleration of students not eating their food and they must eat everything before being excused.  All of the food is fresh and organic (some of which is grow on the property we live on) and so far I think it is delicious!!!  I have mixed feelings about making the kids eat whatever is on their plate, but it really hasn't been an issue so far- they know the drill at this point.  Once a week I have recess duty and the only rule strictly enforced is "No climbing to the very top of the trees".  I love it; they can use their imagination, run around all they want and BE KIDS!
   We had a back to school night already and it went very smoothly.  The parents were requested to bring either wine or cheese, to mingle after the classroom meeting.  The amount of trust and faith in the teachers and the school's philosophy by the parents is incredible!  It was great to take the edge off of meeting the parents by sipping some wine with them and chatting about school and life  :)

Laguna Barva

The school offers so much for the students and teachers.  Every Wednesday is a half day, so that the kids can take extra curricular classes on or off campus (baseball, soccer, ballet, art, music, dance, etc.).  They also expect that the students and teachers will use this time for any dentist or doctor appointments, so they will not have to miss any school.  For teachers, they offer yoga, massages, chiropractor, Spanish classes, etc. weekly.  They also just began a program this year where 11th grade students organize and take a younger class (the same class) hiking one Saturday each month, as part of their community service for the IB program.  Jacob and I joined my friends Nicole's 5th grade class today just  for fun.  We went to the Barva Volcano (not quite to the top) and it was beautiful!!!  It started to POUR while walking back, but the students were troopers!  I think it was a bonding experience....

All in all, I can already tell that it is going to be a fantastic year down here and an incredible teaching experience!!!!   I don't think I will ever want to come back and teach in the States!

Loving Life!

At this point we are really settled in.  I know because the weeks are starting to fly by and every time I look at what day it is, it is the weekend again.  I have been surfing at an awesome break called Playa Boca Barrnaca which is one of the longest left hand breaks in the world.  I swear it looks like a movie, just perfectly shaped waves breaking consistently in the exact same spot and then pushing into the bay, and any good surfer can easily get a two plus minute ride.  I am not a good surfer yet but I am planning to explore more breaks, such as Jaco, Hermosa, Dominical, and eventually Samara, and Pevones and eventually I am sure will be pretty comfortable.  For now I am really focused on building my endurance for paddling and just consistently paddling into waves, but the whole standing up and carving thing is still a few more times away. 
We have made some pretty cool friends around the area where we live, one couple just had a baby girl two nights ago, so it has been pretty exciting.  The other benefit to knowing Carlos is that almost everyone that lives in the small town we are in is related to him in some way and his aunt owns the best and cheapest Soda (a little typical CR restaurant) we have been to yet. We are also getting closer with another couple, Leeland and Faviana, who are recently married.  Leeland is from Vermont and he went surfing with me this week.  We plan on exploring more breaks together. His wife is a Tica so his Spanish is really good, and she is in charge of organizing one of the local all organic markets in Heredia, so their interests and simple lifestyle are right up our alley.   It has been amazing to have my family here, for the transition has been as close to flawless as we could have imagined. 
We are starting to feel pretty official, we are now the proud owners of our own corporation, which allows us to have a cell phone, own property, and own a car all under the corporation's name, without having to gain citizenship.  It sounds funny but this is the safest and most official way for us to possess anything here, it also will allow us to sell the car more easily whenever that time may come.  Yep, we bought a car, a 98' Toyota Rav 4.   I'm sure this created a few laughs when you just read this, I am a pretty good size guy to be in this little car but it really makes the most sense.  Gas prices are about $5.50 a gallon once you convert it from liters and colones (the local currency) and the Rav 4 has only a 2000 c.c. engine, and offers us everything a Pathfinder or 4-Runner could have, specifically 5 comfortable seats and four wheel drive, not to mention how easy it will be to recover all our money because Toyota s are definitely the most respected car here.  With all this said we did pay 4.8 million for the car, yeah that's right million, I'm not sure but I think that was the gringo price.  Just kidding this is an incredible deal and I think the Tico salesmen were actually a little pissed at how hard I negotiated it, but I got what we wanted and made them throw in a set of racks for the surf board.
Today I may hike Irazu volcano, which is not very far from where we live, but tomorrow is what I am really excited for.  My cousin is taking me on a 150 km dirt bike ride, which we are going to ride all the way to the Nicaraguan border and back!  I'm renting a bike and can't wait for the mud and the whole experience.  I have been helping Dana get her classroom ready this week, and all the other teachers are very complimentary on how the whole thing has come together.  We organized a ton, and decorated the whole thing without buying or using any new materials.  The school is absolutely incredible, they are very focused on recycling anything possible, use almost no plastic, and have fresh, all organic, mostly vegetarian lunches everyday.  She starts on Monday, and has 19 students as of now, but is assured she will have the full classroom of a whopping 20 with a full time aid.
I start language school on Monday and have been looking into volunteer opportunities ranging from CR's version of habitat for humanity to a three week stint on an island in the middle of the Pacific that hosts its own ecosystem.  It is Isle do Cocos which sits halfway between the Osa peninsula and the Galapagos Islands, and only hosts about five hundred visitors a year!  The entire island is a nature preserve, so I would be volunteering in the park, getting a free ride out there on a supply ship and staying for three weeks.  It would give me/maybe us the opportunity to swim with schools of hammerhead sharks, and live amongst one of the most uniquely bio-diverse ecosystems in the world!  As for now we are just finishing up Dana's classroom and enjoying everything that comes our way.  We miss Tahoe a little bit, but really we are embracing the life experiences that we are currently gaining.  Can't wait for everything and anything, and we hope everyone is doing well.  Remind people to read the blog and maybe we will see some of you soon to share part of the adventure!  Pura Vida!!!!!

We're here!!!

Well, we are finally here!  It has been a crazy few weeks trying to get everything lined up to be comfortable leaving.  We spent weeks organizing and packing, then repacking.  With all of the stress of getting ready to leave for a year plus, we noticed Ember was not being her regular happy go lucky self.  After a few days of her being in a weird mood (depressed, not eating-her most favorite thing to do, and not drinking water) we took her to the vet just one week before we were leaving.  They told us she was having kidney failure and we needed to rush her to the Emergency Vet in Reno for more tests and to stay over night.  We were an absolute wreck! All of our plans of taking her seemed to be shattering just as we were most excited.  To make a very long, and expensive, story short, she has been diagnosed with Addison's Disease which was triggered by the all of the stress of us packing :( Addison's Disease is basically where she cannot produce the hormone to control a variety of things like stress, blood pressure, etc.  SO, once a month we will need to give her a shot of the hormone so the poor girl can regulate herself.  Thank God the disease is treatable and it turned out NOT to be kidney failure.

Todd took us to the SF airport and saw us off.  We had Ember with us and I was very impressed with how she handled the airport, only barking at a few sketchy people when they walked by.  We had her out of the crate for as long as possible and then finally had to say goodbye.  It was a red-eye flight, which was actually really nice, since we could sleep on the plane. Had a layover in Houston for a few hours, where they had Ember out for the whole time and walked and fed her, or so they say.  We finally got to the San Jose airport and couldn't wait to check on Ember.  We were a little worried about customs and claiming we were just traveling for a few months and six huge duffel bags and a dog, but they didn't think twice about it.  We had a driver waiting for us as we walked out and he took us to the Cargo terminal to get Em.  Dogs are seen a little differently here, so the idea of taking her out of the crate was insane for the driver. As soon as she saw us, she just stared and eventually went into a whining and barking fit.  I can only imagine how bad she had to pee, having not gotten out since Houston.

We got to the house and the five-six dogs that live on the property greeted us.  We are staying in a 2 bedroom/1 bath apartment on Jacob's aunt and uncles beautiful property in San Rafael de Heredia, in the mountains. Our porch looks out onto the family's garden with the city in the distance.  We had tea and visited with the family for a while, then went out for beer and some food with Jacob's cousins, Philipe, Toupi and his wife Liza.  We went to a sweet place just up the road that looks over the whole city. Jacob ended up leaving his wallet at the bar, and luckily the knew his cousins and they called his to come get it. Next time we probably won't be so lucky... The next morning, we all went to watch some of the World Cup and ate the typical Costa Rican breakfast of Gallo Pinto (deliscious mix of rice and black beans), fried cheese, plantains and fresh OJ.  Jacob's family has been amazing to us, welcoming us in every way.

Today we slept in a bit, which we needed, has some breakfast, and went to the local farmers market.  It was fantastic!  The food was incredibly fresh and inexpensive.  After getting all of the produce we needed, we walked back up the hill to the house.  This was the first time we really noticed the humidity.  It isn't bad at all just hanging out, but exercising in it is a different story.  So far, no problem with bugs here, they say it's really only bad at the beach, so that is GREAT news for me, since bugs can't seem to get enough of me.  Looking forward to tonight, where the whole family is getting together to make pizzas in the brick pizza oven.

Road trip to Mal Pais and Santa Teresa

Since buying a car is kind of a process, we ended up renting a car to head to the beach.  We call it the "clown car" and it screams tourist, but that's ok.  It was exactly what we needed- affordable, 4 wheel drive and enough room for Ember too.


The night before we left, Ember got jumped by 4-5 dogs on out property.  She had/has a few puncture wounds, but we are doing our best to keep them clean and avoiding going to the vet if possible.  We woke up early to leave on our trip and to avoid as much traffic as possible.  Driving is pretty crazy down here; not many rules, everyone going fast and looking out only for themselves.  We headed strait to the ferry in Puntarenas and got in the long line to load onto the boat.  By 9am we were hot and sweaty and looked forward to the boat's breeze.  As the line began to move, we crossed our fingers that we would make it and not have to wait until the next one, two hours later.  They decided the ferry was full AT us... After getting pretty disappointed, about 15 minutes later they told us that our small clown car would fit!!!  We were the last one let onto the ferry!  Since we had Ember, we had to sit in a special pet area.

We were psyched to finally get off the boat and closer to the beach.  We arrived at the Mal Pais Surf Camp about an hour and a half later.  The place was awesome!  Right across from the beach, pool, nice rooms, pool tables, ping pong, full kitchen for us to use, restaurant and bar, cute little Cabinas for $25/night, and the #1 perk was that they let us bring Ember, which no others would.  Our first night we had the entire resort to ourselves, since it is the rainy season.  Over the next couple days more people showed up and had a blast with them surfing, going out to eat, hanging by the pool, and playing the now infamous game of Pass the Pigs every night. 

The weekend we were there, happened to be the Costa Rican Triple Crown surf tournament.  The locals kicked ass!!! There were rumors of Kelly Slater being there, but we never saw him.  Over the 3 days, we saw some incredible surfing.  Jacob went surfing everyday and bought his first surf board- a local Mal Pais Surfboard.  The waves were a bit much for me, although I hope to go to some better beginner spots on one of our many trips to the different beaches.  The mornings were always gorgeous, and usually we had a refreshing rain in the afternoon. We could watch the storm coming for us and then just open up and POUR!

We planned on possibly going a few different places, but we fell in love with Santa Teresa and the surf camp. We did a day trip to Montezuma and tried to hike up to the waterfalls, but with all of the rain, the trail was nonexistent.  We went as far as we could, grabbing onto vines and trying to plant our feet in the mud.  We didn't stay long, as Mal Pais and Santa Teresa are more our style.  My friend Tara and I took a yoga class up on the hill that overlooked the entire ocean. At the end of the class, I realized I had a huge smile on my face while I listened to the waves crash on the beach.   It was AMAZING! I will post some pics of it when I get them.

Quite a learning experience!

Dana and I have been looking around for a car to buy before we head out to the beach for a week plus to stay at a surf and yoga camp. Fortunately I convinced the owner of the lodge that Ember is really well behaved and they are letting us bring her, based more than anything on the fact that she is a Lab.
So, cars in Costa Rica are super expensive, because everything is imported, so for example something like a 95' Toyota 4-Runner is at least $8500. Kind of crazy, but most cars have diesel engines and last a lot longer, for they aren't driven as hard as in the States. Well here I am looking for great deals and I came across a long term rental agency that would let us rent a car for a week with the option to buy at the end taking the rental price out of the purchase price. Sweet, test drive this thing for a week and make a decision to buy based on that. It was definitely too good to be true. We arrived only to find the 99' Pathfinder we wanted was being worked on, so we had some lunch and watched the soccer match only to find the mechanic still working on the car that they are about to not only rent to us but also are hoping that we will buy. At this point the mechanic then informed us that the gauges on the dashboard didn't work, but we should test drive it anyway. So not more than a 1/4 mile out of the lot the damn thing ran out of gas, and the salesmen and I had to push it back to the lot while Dana steered. Kind of discouraging, but who the hell was I kidding, buy a used rental car, this was just the reality check I needed. To top it all off when I asked the guy for a ride back to the bus station he took us in a different car the agency owned, and when Dana tried to roll down the window she got nothing but the roll down handle in her hand. The guy said to not worry about it because they had already sold this car! Well needless to say, lesson learned and we are now taking assistance from my family's friend who will hopefully help us find something reliable and in our price range.
It felt good to be able to laugh about the whole experience, definitely felt like I learned something more than feeling like we wasted a day. Really settling in, have a great little house on my family's farm, where the chickens are running freely and Ember has 12 fenced in acres and five other dogs on the property to befriend. Super excited to surf, relax, and most of all see Ember get tossed in the waves. I hope that all our friends that say they are coming to visit, do intend on following through, because this place is absolutely amazing, from the smiles on everyone's faces, to the lush beauty the rainy season creates, I hope you all come and share the experiences, Pura Vida!

Getting ready!

Jacob and I have been working very hard to get things done around the house, so we feel comfortable leaving it for a year.  We are leaving the house furnished, luckily, and are using the room under the garage for storage, making it a lot easier on us.  Little by little we have been going through rooms, closets and the garage, weeding out junk and it feels great!  We had a garage sale last weekend and made over $200 on our junk!  Maddie, our cat, is still looking for a home, although we have some friends said they could help us out if no one steps up.

All of us, including our dog Ember, are getting our regular checkups and vaccines for the trip.  Ember has it easier than us!  Getting her there is much easier than we anticipated; all she needs is a current rabies shot and a certificate of good health- no quarantine luckily.

Once the house is in good shape to leave, the packing begins.  We aren't really taking that much stuff, just clothes and camping gear.  The house we are moving into is fully furnished and we plan to buy a can when we get there.  The Costa Rican roads can be pretty rough, so all we are looking for is 4 wheel drive and reliable. 

We leave on July 2nd and we could not be more excited about getting there!