Sunday, August 24, 2003
Over the River and Through the Woods!
Well, I�ve been super busy with Mother�s Day (Here in Costa Rica they celebrate it on August 15th) and Summer�s 8th birthday on the eighteenth of August, and I�ve been diligently working on my latest novel, �Blood, Sweat and Tears� and so I apologize that it has taken me so long to finish this story. But I�m going to finish it for you right now!
So, when last I left you, Thomas and I had just gotten off the bus after a two-hour bus ride that we thought would finally leave us in the little town of Montezuma However, recent earthquakes and mudslides had left enough destruction on the road ahead that the bus could not go any further. We were instructed to walk through the woods and follow the rest of the passengers for about 2 miles until we came to Montezuma!
Now, I hate hiking and I used to say that before I went on any real hikes. Thomas loves hiking and in the past two years has bribed me into the woods along this pretty river or that to go �exploring� as he calls it and after those experiences, I can honestly say, I really don�t like it! But I will do it if it is necessary in order to get to my destination, if I have the right kind of shoes for the rain forest terrain.
On this particular trip, however, I had been wearing my beach sandals, an older pair of �Flip-Flop� material sandals with an adjustable Velcro strap across the tops of my toes and also around my ankles, and absolutely no form of traction on the bottoms! We�re talking seriously slick rubber here. And Thomas was wearing a pair of REAL Timberland sandals that had the bottoms of hiking boots! So, while this little unexpected hike added to his idea of an adventurous trip, it did not excite me a bit! To say the least, I was very angry that I had to walk up and down these steep, muddy, hills and climb over fallen trees and slide down rocks onto the path below! But, I truly believe that attitude is everything and that a positive attitude will always take you further than a negative one.
And I guess that�s why, when we came to a particularly slippery hill, I just completely lost my footing and slid down the muddy hill into an even bigger, and dirtier mud puddle! Everyone in the group of bus passengers chuckled but only after I started laughing at myself! What else could I do as I stood up with my back and rear end covered in mud? Only thank God that we were supposively getting close to the town!
After my �hiking tragedy� as I called it the rest of the weekend, we finally came to a real road! We turned right and walked about 300 meters and finally, there were a few little hotels here and there along the road! We could hear the ocean off in the distance to our left and finally we came to the main road that runs down the center of Montezuma! The first thing we did was to walk through town (which didn�t take long because it�s a very small town) and towards the sound of the rolling waves. We both had our bathing suits on so we set our backpacks down on our beach towels, ran towards the dark blue waves, and let Mother Ocean wash away all of the sweat and dirt and negativity of the hike. It was so refreshing and fun!
After a quick swim it was time for lunch. The first restaurant we found was called �El Sano Banano� or the Healthy Banana, but we hadn�t paid attention to the name when we decided to eat there. There were tables and chairs outside, but it was too hot, so we went inside where the one little window unit air conditioner was doing its best to keep the place cool. It wasn�t doing a good job, but the atmosphere was cute with big wooden tables and chairs and tropical plants all around. We ordered two beers and started to look at the menu. The waitress brought our beers and as we began to gulp them down, we realized that they were warmer than the room itself! The menu wasn�t treating us any better.
It turns out that this place is a vegetarian restaurant and there was not a speck of meat on the menu! When it comes to food, Thomas and I are, above all else, carnivorous creatures! We needed meat and preferably in the form of something on a bun with bacon and cheese on it! Unless we wanted to order Scrambled Tofu or a Tofu burger, it looked as if we were not going to find what we were looking for at the Healthy Banana. We paid for the warm beers and went in search of some kind of meat. However, we did return the next morning to El Sano Banano for a very delicious breafst of omelets, hashbrowns, and gallo pinto.
We left the restaurant and went back into the hear, although I must say that Montezuma was not quite as hot as another of our favorite towns, Jaco on Playa Hermosa. When I�m there, I feel like I�m back in Florida again! Montezuma had a nice breeze coming off of the ocean, but the sun was still somewhat sweltering.
The main road down the middle of town ended in a T with the ocean on the right and left. But we didn�t need to turn in either direction because when we got to the end of the road, Heaven was just sitting there, in the form of a big pink building, waiting for us! The sign said, �PizzaNet�Great Italian pizza and internet caf�!� We practically ran into the nice, air conditioned pizza parlor and immediately felt at home.
We sat in one of the long wooden booths across from the wall mural of a rainforest with beautiful birds and flowers and trees and ordered a large supreme pizza and two beers. This time the beers were icy cold and tasted so refreshing and the pizza was hot; cheese bubbling and pepperoni still sizzling! We ate and talked about what to do next.
Bellies full and thirsts quenched, it was time to find somewhere to stay for the night. After looking a lot of different hotels, we decided to stay at one that was set back from the road a little and wasn�t overly expensive. It was called the Pacific Del Mar and while it was a long way from the simple motel rooms in the States, it had a feeling that we loved and will retun to when we go back to Montezuma. The owner was very nice and gave us a great deal on the room. The room was simple with a full bed and twin bed, a big bathroom and shower WITH hot water (Im not kidding when I say that hot water is a luxury here and you will pay a little more for a hotel with it than you will for a hotel without it), ir conditioning(also considered a luxury!), and a refrigerator. There was no TV but in our opinion, who wants to stay inside and watch TV when you can do that at home? We took room seven which was upstairs and right outside of it was a big balcony overlooking the town, which had three tables, four chairs around each one. Right down the hall from our room was the little kitchen with the fridge and enough space for a hot plate if you wanted to cook a nice meal at night. The place was quiet and we fell in love with it right away.
It was afternoon now, so we decided to walk along the beach and try to find the big waterfall that all of the hotels displayed pictures of. We walked and walked, but we never did find it. We agreed that when we go back, we are going to rent the horses that are available for a pretty good price and make them do the work of walking to it! This is one of the reasons that I am so happy to be living here. If I miss something on a certain trip, I can always go back and do it again the next time.
We spent about 2 hours walking down the beach before we finally came back to the many beach facing bars of Montezuma. One bar in particular was playing 80�s music and I liked the song so we walked over and ordered two frozen margaritas. We sat at one of the stone tables that was outside the bar on the beach. The sun was about to set and it was really nice to watch the sky turn from bright blue to bright pinkish-orange, and then to black. No kids, no bosses, no animals, no chores. It was just the two of us and the music from the bar. Something we agreed we must also do again.
At night Montezuma really comes alive! All of the restaurants, hotels, bars, and shops along the main road have colored lights on the outside which makes strolling down the street a very pretty experience. The jewelry makers and hammock makers set up their candlelit booths along the sides opf the street. There were beautifully woven, colored hammocks of all sizes. Some were made of brightly colored fabrics with pictures of fish and sea turtles in oranges and purples. There were earrings, necklaces, and bracelets made of multi-colored beads, some made of stones like Turquoise, Amber, and Tiger�s Eye, and also jewelry made from the gorgeous sea shells that can be found on the golden brown sand of the beach. Thomas bought some red, yellow, green, and black beads that hung on a thin, black, cord at one booth. The man who sold them introduced himself as Mario and showed us all of his beautiful jewelry that he makes by hand. Next we stopped at one of the sea shell jewely booths and bought Summer the light pink sea shell necklace that she has been wanting for some time.
For the rest of the night we just walked up and down the street and went in and out of the little beach bars. We chose Pizza Net again for dinner because lunch had been so yummy! When the owner, Andres, saw us coming he immediately lit a candle at the table where we had sat for lunch and welcomed us in saying, �Su mesa est� lista.� (Your table is ready). We thought that was very nice and had a wonderful dinner of some of the best brick oven pizza we haver tasted. Second only to our favorite pizza restaurant in San Antonio, Escazu, where we used to live before we move to Angel Mountain in Santa Ana. The place is called Cerros and they give you this garlic oil to pour over your pizza, which is already delicious, and the restaurant is small and dark with the red and white checkered table cloths that I always accociate with the pizza restaurant, Napoli�s, that was my favorite when I was just a kid growing up in Findlay, Ohio. So, except for Cerros, Pizza Net�s pizza was the best we�ve had.
It was getting late. Pizza Net was opened until midnight and after drinking beers with Andres and eating A LOT of pizza, we decided to go back to our hotel. We left the restaurant and made our past the American guitar player who was sitting on the steps playing and singing while people gathered in a circle and threw colones (that�s the Costa Rican currency) into his guitar case, past the drunk surfers who were loudly announcing that the waves were all kinds of things without actually saying the word, �wave,� and right into a giant, black, curly furred, poodle! At first it scared me because I was watching the surfers and wondering if they were actually going into the ocean in their condition, but the poodle just licked my hand, enjoying the smell of pizza. All of a sudden, from nowhere a tall man with dark stringy hair under a dark red bandana came up to us and started petting the dog. He greeted us in Spanish in a voice that was gruff and hearty. He had very few teeth and wore dark pants that were cut off at the shins, a button down white dress shirt which only had the bottom button buttoned so that his massive, hairy chest was showing, and a long earring in his left ear. I thought to myself that this one of the last pirates! He only needed a big parrot sitting on his shoulder and a patch on his eye. He was a really neat guy to talk to. He told Thomas and I that he was a fisherman by day and a writer by night! What a coincidence! One of my fellow brood and he lives in Montezuma! Thomas told him that I was a writer and the weirdest thing happened. He looked at me for a second, looked right at me, almost in me, then he took my right hand, kissed it gently and said, �Yes, you are a writer and your wildest dreams will come true very soon!� I got goose bumps! Thomas said he did too. The pirate said that he wrote mostly fantasy stories and that he always wanted to publish them, but he had never tried. �Maybe someday, when there are no fish to catch, eh?� he told us. We said our goodbyes and �our nice to meet you�s� and declined his request to go have beers together. We had had enough and knew it. It was time for bed. We went back to the hotel and slept like babies. We had had a full day.
The next morning went quickly because buses still were not able to come into town due to the condition of the road that leads out of town and we knew we had another 2 mile ahead of us. Like I said, we ate a big, delicious breakfast at El Sano Banano and then went swimming in the ocean for a little while. The sun was out and it was hot. We laid on the beach for awhile before we both admitted that whether we liked it or not, it was time to go home. It was Friday morning and we hadn�t seen or spoken to our family since Wednesday. We called to let them know that we were on our way and then packed up the things we had in the room. We said goodbye to the owner of the hotel and told him that we would definitely be back and hopefully would get room # 7 again also. And then we began the hike out of Montezuma. This time, however, we decided to take our chances on the road; how bad could it be?
The road was pretty bad. I don�t even think a four wheel drive could have made it, but I only had to climb up one mud hill and I didn�t fall this time so that was good. There were huge chasms carved into the road; some as deep as Thomas is tall, which is about 6 feet 2 inches, but they were narrow enough that we could take a small running start and jump over them. Everyone asked us later, �What would you have done if one of you had fallen in?� But I guess we have learned from being together so long what each of our limits are and we just knew that we wouldn�t fall in. Honestly, I enjoyed the trek out a lot more than I had enjoyed the hike in! The bus was about to leave when we finally arrived at the part of the road where we had been let off the day before, so we were glad we left the beach when we did! That was the only bus out for the entire day and our money was running short!
We took a nice, long ride back through the middle of the rain forest and through several small towns and I slept most of the way. I guess I was more tired than I realized. The bus arrived at the ferry dock and we bought our tickets and waited to board. But this time, we took the smaller and faster Launcha. It simply means boat. It was smaller than the ferry most definitely, but I liked it because there was one bench on the bow, right below the bridge, and that�s where Thomas and kicked off our shoes and talked about the past three days.
It was a great experience and one that we have planned to do again in December or January. The things we did were things that I have always wanted to do, but we never seem to have the time. I think it was the best trip to the beach we�ve ever taken and that�s odd because there is still so much down there to do that we just didn�t get to do. Part of what made it so exciting and fulfilling was that we had no plans. I tend to plan everything in my life and hve decided to stop doing that so much. Who knows, I may not be around to complete all of those goals anyway. Living without a plan, at least for three days, was one of the best feelings I�ve ever experienced. It meant that whatever happened on the trip would end u being looked at as a good thing because we expected nothing. We just came and went and did what we felt like doing. It was a freedom that I can�t wait to dive into again!
So, when last I left you, Thomas and I had just gotten off the bus after a two-hour bus ride that we thought would finally leave us in the little town of Montezuma However, recent earthquakes and mudslides had left enough destruction on the road ahead that the bus could not go any further. We were instructed to walk through the woods and follow the rest of the passengers for about 2 miles until we came to Montezuma!
Now, I hate hiking and I used to say that before I went on any real hikes. Thomas loves hiking and in the past two years has bribed me into the woods along this pretty river or that to go �exploring� as he calls it and after those experiences, I can honestly say, I really don�t like it! But I will do it if it is necessary in order to get to my destination, if I have the right kind of shoes for the rain forest terrain.
On this particular trip, however, I had been wearing my beach sandals, an older pair of �Flip-Flop� material sandals with an adjustable Velcro strap across the tops of my toes and also around my ankles, and absolutely no form of traction on the bottoms! We�re talking seriously slick rubber here. And Thomas was wearing a pair of REAL Timberland sandals that had the bottoms of hiking boots! So, while this little unexpected hike added to his idea of an adventurous trip, it did not excite me a bit! To say the least, I was very angry that I had to walk up and down these steep, muddy, hills and climb over fallen trees and slide down rocks onto the path below! But, I truly believe that attitude is everything and that a positive attitude will always take you further than a negative one.
And I guess that�s why, when we came to a particularly slippery hill, I just completely lost my footing and slid down the muddy hill into an even bigger, and dirtier mud puddle! Everyone in the group of bus passengers chuckled but only after I started laughing at myself! What else could I do as I stood up with my back and rear end covered in mud? Only thank God that we were supposively getting close to the town!
After my �hiking tragedy� as I called it the rest of the weekend, we finally came to a real road! We turned right and walked about 300 meters and finally, there were a few little hotels here and there along the road! We could hear the ocean off in the distance to our left and finally we came to the main road that runs down the center of Montezuma! The first thing we did was to walk through town (which didn�t take long because it�s a very small town) and towards the sound of the rolling waves. We both had our bathing suits on so we set our backpacks down on our beach towels, ran towards the dark blue waves, and let Mother Ocean wash away all of the sweat and dirt and negativity of the hike. It was so refreshing and fun!
After a quick swim it was time for lunch. The first restaurant we found was called �El Sano Banano� or the Healthy Banana, but we hadn�t paid attention to the name when we decided to eat there. There were tables and chairs outside, but it was too hot, so we went inside where the one little window unit air conditioner was doing its best to keep the place cool. It wasn�t doing a good job, but the atmosphere was cute with big wooden tables and chairs and tropical plants all around. We ordered two beers and started to look at the menu. The waitress brought our beers and as we began to gulp them down, we realized that they were warmer than the room itself! The menu wasn�t treating us any better.
It turns out that this place is a vegetarian restaurant and there was not a speck of meat on the menu! When it comes to food, Thomas and I are, above all else, carnivorous creatures! We needed meat and preferably in the form of something on a bun with bacon and cheese on it! Unless we wanted to order Scrambled Tofu or a Tofu burger, it looked as if we were not going to find what we were looking for at the Healthy Banana. We paid for the warm beers and went in search of some kind of meat. However, we did return the next morning to El Sano Banano for a very delicious breafst of omelets, hashbrowns, and gallo pinto.
We left the restaurant and went back into the hear, although I must say that Montezuma was not quite as hot as another of our favorite towns, Jaco on Playa Hermosa. When I�m there, I feel like I�m back in Florida again! Montezuma had a nice breeze coming off of the ocean, but the sun was still somewhat sweltering.
The main road down the middle of town ended in a T with the ocean on the right and left. But we didn�t need to turn in either direction because when we got to the end of the road, Heaven was just sitting there, in the form of a big pink building, waiting for us! The sign said, �PizzaNet�Great Italian pizza and internet caf�!� We practically ran into the nice, air conditioned pizza parlor and immediately felt at home.
We sat in one of the long wooden booths across from the wall mural of a rainforest with beautiful birds and flowers and trees and ordered a large supreme pizza and two beers. This time the beers were icy cold and tasted so refreshing and the pizza was hot; cheese bubbling and pepperoni still sizzling! We ate and talked about what to do next.
Bellies full and thirsts quenched, it was time to find somewhere to stay for the night. After looking a lot of different hotels, we decided to stay at one that was set back from the road a little and wasn�t overly expensive. It was called the Pacific Del Mar and while it was a long way from the simple motel rooms in the States, it had a feeling that we loved and will retun to when we go back to Montezuma. The owner was very nice and gave us a great deal on the room. The room was simple with a full bed and twin bed, a big bathroom and shower WITH hot water (Im not kidding when I say that hot water is a luxury here and you will pay a little more for a hotel with it than you will for a hotel without it), ir conditioning(also considered a luxury!), and a refrigerator. There was no TV but in our opinion, who wants to stay inside and watch TV when you can do that at home? We took room seven which was upstairs and right outside of it was a big balcony overlooking the town, which had three tables, four chairs around each one. Right down the hall from our room was the little kitchen with the fridge and enough space for a hot plate if you wanted to cook a nice meal at night. The place was quiet and we fell in love with it right away.
It was afternoon now, so we decided to walk along the beach and try to find the big waterfall that all of the hotels displayed pictures of. We walked and walked, but we never did find it. We agreed that when we go back, we are going to rent the horses that are available for a pretty good price and make them do the work of walking to it! This is one of the reasons that I am so happy to be living here. If I miss something on a certain trip, I can always go back and do it again the next time.
We spent about 2 hours walking down the beach before we finally came back to the many beach facing bars of Montezuma. One bar in particular was playing 80�s music and I liked the song so we walked over and ordered two frozen margaritas. We sat at one of the stone tables that was outside the bar on the beach. The sun was about to set and it was really nice to watch the sky turn from bright blue to bright pinkish-orange, and then to black. No kids, no bosses, no animals, no chores. It was just the two of us and the music from the bar. Something we agreed we must also do again.
At night Montezuma really comes alive! All of the restaurants, hotels, bars, and shops along the main road have colored lights on the outside which makes strolling down the street a very pretty experience. The jewelry makers and hammock makers set up their candlelit booths along the sides opf the street. There were beautifully woven, colored hammocks of all sizes. Some were made of brightly colored fabrics with pictures of fish and sea turtles in oranges and purples. There were earrings, necklaces, and bracelets made of multi-colored beads, some made of stones like Turquoise, Amber, and Tiger�s Eye, and also jewelry made from the gorgeous sea shells that can be found on the golden brown sand of the beach. Thomas bought some red, yellow, green, and black beads that hung on a thin, black, cord at one booth. The man who sold them introduced himself as Mario and showed us all of his beautiful jewelry that he makes by hand. Next we stopped at one of the sea shell jewely booths and bought Summer the light pink sea shell necklace that she has been wanting for some time.
For the rest of the night we just walked up and down the street and went in and out of the little beach bars. We chose Pizza Net again for dinner because lunch had been so yummy! When the owner, Andres, saw us coming he immediately lit a candle at the table where we had sat for lunch and welcomed us in saying, �Su mesa est� lista.� (Your table is ready). We thought that was very nice and had a wonderful dinner of some of the best brick oven pizza we haver tasted. Second only to our favorite pizza restaurant in San Antonio, Escazu, where we used to live before we move to Angel Mountain in Santa Ana. The place is called Cerros and they give you this garlic oil to pour over your pizza, which is already delicious, and the restaurant is small and dark with the red and white checkered table cloths that I always accociate with the pizza restaurant, Napoli�s, that was my favorite when I was just a kid growing up in Findlay, Ohio. So, except for Cerros, Pizza Net�s pizza was the best we�ve had.
It was getting late. Pizza Net was opened until midnight and after drinking beers with Andres and eating A LOT of pizza, we decided to go back to our hotel. We left the restaurant and made our past the American guitar player who was sitting on the steps playing and singing while people gathered in a circle and threw colones (that�s the Costa Rican currency) into his guitar case, past the drunk surfers who were loudly announcing that the waves were all kinds of things without actually saying the word, �wave,� and right into a giant, black, curly furred, poodle! At first it scared me because I was watching the surfers and wondering if they were actually going into the ocean in their condition, but the poodle just licked my hand, enjoying the smell of pizza. All of a sudden, from nowhere a tall man with dark stringy hair under a dark red bandana came up to us and started petting the dog. He greeted us in Spanish in a voice that was gruff and hearty. He had very few teeth and wore dark pants that were cut off at the shins, a button down white dress shirt which only had the bottom button buttoned so that his massive, hairy chest was showing, and a long earring in his left ear. I thought to myself that this one of the last pirates! He only needed a big parrot sitting on his shoulder and a patch on his eye. He was a really neat guy to talk to. He told Thomas and I that he was a fisherman by day and a writer by night! What a coincidence! One of my fellow brood and he lives in Montezuma! Thomas told him that I was a writer and the weirdest thing happened. He looked at me for a second, looked right at me, almost in me, then he took my right hand, kissed it gently and said, �Yes, you are a writer and your wildest dreams will come true very soon!� I got goose bumps! Thomas said he did too. The pirate said that he wrote mostly fantasy stories and that he always wanted to publish them, but he had never tried. �Maybe someday, when there are no fish to catch, eh?� he told us. We said our goodbyes and �our nice to meet you�s� and declined his request to go have beers together. We had had enough and knew it. It was time for bed. We went back to the hotel and slept like babies. We had had a full day.
The next morning went quickly because buses still were not able to come into town due to the condition of the road that leads out of town and we knew we had another 2 mile ahead of us. Like I said, we ate a big, delicious breakfast at El Sano Banano and then went swimming in the ocean for a little while. The sun was out and it was hot. We laid on the beach for awhile before we both admitted that whether we liked it or not, it was time to go home. It was Friday morning and we hadn�t seen or spoken to our family since Wednesday. We called to let them know that we were on our way and then packed up the things we had in the room. We said goodbye to the owner of the hotel and told him that we would definitely be back and hopefully would get room # 7 again also. And then we began the hike out of Montezuma. This time, however, we decided to take our chances on the road; how bad could it be?
The road was pretty bad. I don�t even think a four wheel drive could have made it, but I only had to climb up one mud hill and I didn�t fall this time so that was good. There were huge chasms carved into the road; some as deep as Thomas is tall, which is about 6 feet 2 inches, but they were narrow enough that we could take a small running start and jump over them. Everyone asked us later, �What would you have done if one of you had fallen in?� But I guess we have learned from being together so long what each of our limits are and we just knew that we wouldn�t fall in. Honestly, I enjoyed the trek out a lot more than I had enjoyed the hike in! The bus was about to leave when we finally arrived at the part of the road where we had been let off the day before, so we were glad we left the beach when we did! That was the only bus out for the entire day and our money was running short!
We took a nice, long ride back through the middle of the rain forest and through several small towns and I slept most of the way. I guess I was more tired than I realized. The bus arrived at the ferry dock and we bought our tickets and waited to board. But this time, we took the smaller and faster Launcha. It simply means boat. It was smaller than the ferry most definitely, but I liked it because there was one bench on the bow, right below the bridge, and that�s where Thomas and kicked off our shoes and talked about the past three days.
It was a great experience and one that we have planned to do again in December or January. The things we did were things that I have always wanted to do, but we never seem to have the time. I think it was the best trip to the beach we�ve ever taken and that�s odd because there is still so much down there to do that we just didn�t get to do. Part of what made it so exciting and fulfilling was that we had no plans. I tend to plan everything in my life and hve decided to stop doing that so much. Who knows, I may not be around to complete all of those goals anyway. Living without a plan, at least for three days, was one of the best feelings I�ve ever experienced. It meant that whatever happened on the trip would end u being looked at as a good thing because we expected nothing. We just came and went and did what we felt like doing. It was a freedom that I can�t wait to dive into again!
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto!
So, Thomas and I had spent the night at Hotel Porto Belo and had had a good time. We were tired from our day of fun in the sun with the family so we had gone to bed early-ish on Wednesday night. Thursday morning, we made our way to the hotel restaurant that sits right on the water. It was a beautiful morning and it seemed that everyone with a boat was on the water. We ate omelets with bacon, cheese, tomato, and onion, fried sliced potatoes in Lizano sauce, toast, and Gallo Pinto. This is a typical Costa Rican breakfast dish of rice and beans that are fried in the skillet with garlic, onion, sweet chilli pepper, and salt and pepper. We drank coffee and talked about the day ahead.
Breakfast was delicious and since we had slept in (something that, anyone with two children can tell you, is rare!) it was time to check out of our room and head down to the big dock to buy our ferry tickets and set sail.
The taxi got us to the dock in the middle of Puntarenas early. The ferry was to leave at 10:30am so they wouldn't sell the tickets until 10:15. We killed time by shopping a little souvenir shop, looking for T-shirts with cool pictures that didn't say, "Costa Rica" on them, and hats and sunglasses. We were going to buy a big, beautiful hammock, but decided it would be too much to lug around and that it would be better to buy it on the way back home. I bought a disposable camera and a pair of sunglasses.
I used to have a really nice camera. Thomas got it for me for my birthday in 201 before we moved here and while I was still pregnant with Ariel. But we had a maid named Fatima in that first house we rented here in San Antonio, Escazu and one day she stole it ight out of my backpack. Maids are great to have, but I have been stolen from by both of the maids we have had. Then again, my mother-in-law had had her current maid for over five years and she has never taken a thing. SHe will find money around the house and actually give it to Thomas's mom. I say it like that, because in the 20 years or so that Thomas's family has lived here, his mom has had thousands of dollars worth of stuff stolen from her by maids that she has hired.
But I was not going to go to a place like Montezuma, with its beautiful beaches and refreshing waterfalls without a camera. Hence, the disposable.
So, finally it was time for the ferry ride. I had only been on a ferry one other time and that was when I was nine years old. I went to New York city and took the ferry from Manhattan to to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty. Not exactly a sea worthy experience! The ferry let all of the passengers on and then started loading the people who wanted to bring their cars on. I wondered why people would want to bring their cars on the ferry. I would soon learn! The boat began its journey across the ocean. The weather was beautiful. I would realize later on that evening that I got some great sun while sitting on the very top deck! We saw something that we are pretty sure was a dolphin jumping out of the water. The ocean had big, pretty rock structures jutting up out of it. It looked as if someone had gone out there and started to build something and then changed their mind! The only thing missing was my blue guitar. I decide that I am definitely not leaving it at home for the next beach trip!
So, the ferry docked and the ride was over. But, to our surprise we were not in Montezuma! We were actually in a small town 2 hours away from Montezuma called Paquera. We found out that from there we would need to take a two and a half hour bus ride if we wanted to arrive in Montezuma! So, we bought bus tickets and some fresh mangos and coconut milk for the trip and off we went!
The bus was hot, the ride was long, but you know me, I was inspired by the beautiful trees and birds and fruits and animals that I was seeing out the bus window. I grabbed the only thing I could find to write on(I'll never go anywhere without my notebook again either!) which was a magazine about Costa Rica that the Hotel Porto Belo had given us, and I wrote the first verse and chorus of a song that I am still working on. It's called, "Paradise Pretty." Thomas and I talked the whole way, like always, we passed a lot of the time just talking about how beautiful everything was and how great it would be too live out there. IN the middle of a big field we saw a small airplane with a small crowd of people around that affirmed our desire to one day own our own sea plane.
Just as we were thinking that we should getting close, the bus pulled over to the side of the road and came to an abrupt stop. Everyone began getting off and Thomas and I looked dumbfounded. There was nothing around except one little house! Where the hell were we. Thomas speaks perfect Spanish, thank God, so we asked the driver as he was getting everyone's bags out from underneath the bus. We were told that Montezuma was actually about 2 miles further up the road, but there had been bad earthquakes and a mudslide recently and the road was too torn up for any vehicles, even four wheel drives, to pass. He informed us that we would have to hike the two miles through the woods!
This was an interesting trip and thats why the posts are so long! I will finish the story tomorrow!
Breakfast was delicious and since we had slept in (something that, anyone with two children can tell you, is rare!) it was time to check out of our room and head down to the big dock to buy our ferry tickets and set sail.
The taxi got us to the dock in the middle of Puntarenas early. The ferry was to leave at 10:30am so they wouldn't sell the tickets until 10:15. We killed time by shopping a little souvenir shop, looking for T-shirts with cool pictures that didn't say, "Costa Rica" on them, and hats and sunglasses. We were going to buy a big, beautiful hammock, but decided it would be too much to lug around and that it would be better to buy it on the way back home. I bought a disposable camera and a pair of sunglasses.
I used to have a really nice camera. Thomas got it for me for my birthday in 201 before we moved here and while I was still pregnant with Ariel. But we had a maid named Fatima in that first house we rented here in San Antonio, Escazu and one day she stole it ight out of my backpack. Maids are great to have, but I have been stolen from by both of the maids we have had. Then again, my mother-in-law had had her current maid for over five years and she has never taken a thing. SHe will find money around the house and actually give it to Thomas's mom. I say it like that, because in the 20 years or so that Thomas's family has lived here, his mom has had thousands of dollars worth of stuff stolen from her by maids that she has hired.
But I was not going to go to a place like Montezuma, with its beautiful beaches and refreshing waterfalls without a camera. Hence, the disposable.
So, finally it was time for the ferry ride. I had only been on a ferry one other time and that was when I was nine years old. I went to New York city and took the ferry from Manhattan to to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty. Not exactly a sea worthy experience! The ferry let all of the passengers on and then started loading the people who wanted to bring their cars on. I wondered why people would want to bring their cars on the ferry. I would soon learn! The boat began its journey across the ocean. The weather was beautiful. I would realize later on that evening that I got some great sun while sitting on the very top deck! We saw something that we are pretty sure was a dolphin jumping out of the water. The ocean had big, pretty rock structures jutting up out of it. It looked as if someone had gone out there and started to build something and then changed their mind! The only thing missing was my blue guitar. I decide that I am definitely not leaving it at home for the next beach trip!
So, the ferry docked and the ride was over. But, to our surprise we were not in Montezuma! We were actually in a small town 2 hours away from Montezuma called Paquera. We found out that from there we would need to take a two and a half hour bus ride if we wanted to arrive in Montezuma! So, we bought bus tickets and some fresh mangos and coconut milk for the trip and off we went!
The bus was hot, the ride was long, but you know me, I was inspired by the beautiful trees and birds and fruits and animals that I was seeing out the bus window. I grabbed the only thing I could find to write on(I'll never go anywhere without my notebook again either!) which was a magazine about Costa Rica that the Hotel Porto Belo had given us, and I wrote the first verse and chorus of a song that I am still working on. It's called, "Paradise Pretty." Thomas and I talked the whole way, like always, we passed a lot of the time just talking about how beautiful everything was and how great it would be too live out there. IN the middle of a big field we saw a small airplane with a small crowd of people around that affirmed our desire to one day own our own sea plane.
Just as we were thinking that we should getting close, the bus pulled over to the side of the road and came to an abrupt stop. Everyone began getting off and Thomas and I looked dumbfounded. There was nothing around except one little house! Where the hell were we. Thomas speaks perfect Spanish, thank God, so we asked the driver as he was getting everyone's bags out from underneath the bus. We were told that Montezuma was actually about 2 miles further up the road, but there had been bad earthquakes and a mudslide recently and the road was too torn up for any vehicles, even four wheel drives, to pass. He informed us that we would have to hike the two miles through the woods!
This was an interesting trip and thats why the posts are so long! I will finish the story tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
....On a Three Hour Tour!
Much like the cast of Giligan's Island, my one day beach trip with the family turned into a three day mini-vacation for Thomas and I! A week ago today, I met Thomas and his sister, Crystal, at the mall after I got off work. They were with Summer who was excitedly trying to ffind the perfect bikini! Its the first time she's allowed to wear a bikini and she was very excited. Her aunt Crystal helped her find an adorable little bathing suit and then it was off to the grocery store to buy snacks and drinks for the next day's adventure. After that, we went back to Crystal's house and stayed the night. We were all pretty tired so the night was pretty unadventurous.
Except that I saw a picture on their refrigerator that Summer had drawn when she had been there last and it brought tears to my eyes. Crystal wasn't sure what it meant, but as soon as I saw it, I knew. The picture was drawn in pencil only, on a plain white piece of paper. It showed big, puffy white clouds at the top and said, "Puppy Heven." A big dog with long ears was floating in the clouds. At the bottom of the picture, grass had been drawn and it had flowers growing in it. Another dog, identical to the one at the top, but much smaller, was standing on the grass, playing with a ball. At the top, it also said, "I love you..." and at the bottom of the picture, by the smaller dog, it said, "...but I love you too."
When we moved here to Costa RIca, we had to leave behind our Yellow Lab/Golden retriever, Quartz, because he was too old to travel the vet said. We left him with a very loving family who had watched him for us on several occasions previously. Thomas and I learned a year ago that Quartz passed away at the age of 11. We didn't tell Summer because we were sure that she didn't really remember him, but for the past two months she has been saying things like, "I miss Quartzy," and "I can't wait to go back to the States and see Quartz again." She was saying these things all of the time so we decided we needed to tell her so that she could accept it and move on.
When we bought the yellow lab, our baby, Marley, that we currently have, we picked him instead of the other puppies because he resembled Quartz in the way he looks and the way he acts. He even talks in his sleep....just like Quartz did! I think it has really helped SUmmer to have Marley. The pciture that she drew assured me that she understands that she wont see Quatz again, but that she still loves and remembers him. Also that she has moved on and is able to give some of that love to Marley too. It is a great picture and Thomas and I are going to keep it when they are done displaying it.
Well Wednesday finally came and at 6:00 o'clock in the morning we finally had the coolers, the kids, and the maid, pack in the two cars and ready to go. It was Thomas's sister Allison, her fince, Eric, Summer, Ariel, and their maid, Ana, in Ali and Erics new Ford Explorer and then Thomas's sister, Crystal and her husband Wid, Thomas and I in their Bronco. The drive down was great but we were all anxious to get to Puntarenas and Hotel Porto Belo.
The weather was beautiful when we arrived. We spent the day laying in the sun, playing volleyball with the beach ball, walking on the beach, which Ariel loved, and listening to music by the pool. Summer used her snorkel and mask and had fun looking under the water. Ariel played in the little kids pool and had a great time with the beach ball. Thomas and I ordered Bloody Mary's at the restaurant and they were some of the best we've ever had. All in all, everyone had a great time and really enjoyed each others' company.
Ariel went home with Ali and Eric and Summer with Crystal and WId later on and so Thomas and I were there by ourselves for the night. We were supposed to go home the next day, but sometime during the night, I don't remember how, a plan was hatched to take the one and a half hour long ferry ride acroos the Pacific the next morning(Thursday) to the quaint little beach town of Montezuma! We were just looking for a little adventure and fun in a place where neither one of us had ever been before, but we had no idea what we were in for!
I've written enough for now. I'm sure your eyes are tired, so I will give you a break and finish the story tomorrow!
Except that I saw a picture on their refrigerator that Summer had drawn when she had been there last and it brought tears to my eyes. Crystal wasn't sure what it meant, but as soon as I saw it, I knew. The picture was drawn in pencil only, on a plain white piece of paper. It showed big, puffy white clouds at the top and said, "Puppy Heven." A big dog with long ears was floating in the clouds. At the bottom of the picture, grass had been drawn and it had flowers growing in it. Another dog, identical to the one at the top, but much smaller, was standing on the grass, playing with a ball. At the top, it also said, "I love you..." and at the bottom of the picture, by the smaller dog, it said, "...but I love you too."
When we moved here to Costa RIca, we had to leave behind our Yellow Lab/Golden retriever, Quartz, because he was too old to travel the vet said. We left him with a very loving family who had watched him for us on several occasions previously. Thomas and I learned a year ago that Quartz passed away at the age of 11. We didn't tell Summer because we were sure that she didn't really remember him, but for the past two months she has been saying things like, "I miss Quartzy," and "I can't wait to go back to the States and see Quartz again." She was saying these things all of the time so we decided we needed to tell her so that she could accept it and move on.
When we bought the yellow lab, our baby, Marley, that we currently have, we picked him instead of the other puppies because he resembled Quartz in the way he looks and the way he acts. He even talks in his sleep....just like Quartz did! I think it has really helped SUmmer to have Marley. The pciture that she drew assured me that she understands that she wont see Quatz again, but that she still loves and remembers him. Also that she has moved on and is able to give some of that love to Marley too. It is a great picture and Thomas and I are going to keep it when they are done displaying it.
Well Wednesday finally came and at 6:00 o'clock in the morning we finally had the coolers, the kids, and the maid, pack in the two cars and ready to go. It was Thomas's sister Allison, her fince, Eric, Summer, Ariel, and their maid, Ana, in Ali and Erics new Ford Explorer and then Thomas's sister, Crystal and her husband Wid, Thomas and I in their Bronco. The drive down was great but we were all anxious to get to Puntarenas and Hotel Porto Belo.
The weather was beautiful when we arrived. We spent the day laying in the sun, playing volleyball with the beach ball, walking on the beach, which Ariel loved, and listening to music by the pool. Summer used her snorkel and mask and had fun looking under the water. Ariel played in the little kids pool and had a great time with the beach ball. Thomas and I ordered Bloody Mary's at the restaurant and they were some of the best we've ever had. All in all, everyone had a great time and really enjoyed each others' company.
Ariel went home with Ali and Eric and Summer with Crystal and WId later on and so Thomas and I were there by ourselves for the night. We were supposed to go home the next day, but sometime during the night, I don't remember how, a plan was hatched to take the one and a half hour long ferry ride acroos the Pacific the next morning(Thursday) to the quaint little beach town of Montezuma! We were just looking for a little adventure and fun in a place where neither one of us had ever been before, but we had no idea what we were in for!
I've written enough for now. I'm sure your eyes are tired, so I will give you a break and finish the story tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
On Death and Dying
My greatgrandmother passed away on July 15th this year and since she lived in Ohio and I didn't have money for the plane ticket, I wasn't able to see her that one last time that I think is so vital in order to allow one to accept the reality that death has come for someone they love. My greatgrandfather passed away shortly after we moved to Costa Rica, back in November of 2001.
Since I hadn't seen either of them since Summer was 18 months old when she and I flew up to Ohio from Florida to visit them back in April of 1997, it still feels like they are there, gardening and going to church, making homemade vegetable soup and the best homemade pancakes I've ever tasted, playing the harmonica, and watching Wheel of Fortune.
But last night, my mom, who did get to go to my great grandmothers funeral sent me, with a warning in case I wasn't prepared or didn't want to see, a picture of my greatgrandmother lying in her casket. Some people might think me weird for actually wanting to see such a picture, but I needed to see her. She was so important to me in ways that I have only recently discovered and whether I wanted to or not, I had to see that she was definitely no longer sitting by the dim lamp in the living room reading the bible.
The really neat thing is this:
I found out that my great grandfather had paassed when I went to an internet cafe to check my email and my grandmother, my great grandparents' only daughter, sent me an email to inform me. A harsh way to find out, but since the house we were living in at the time had no telephone line, she had no other to reach me. So, I pull up that email and realize as I'm reading the details of my greatgrandfather's last days and the copy of his obituary that my grandmother sent me, that the internet cafe,who is always playing some kind of either Spanish or top 40 American music, was softly playing a beautiful version of someone singing Amazing Grace! It filled me with joy to know that God was sending me a message that my greatgrandfather was in heaven; safe and whole again.
That's not all:
My computer has a very slow connection and so while I was logging online and waiting for everything to load last night, I got bored and picked up my blue guitar. I began playing the song that I had recently decided I wanted to teach myself to play. It is the song by Colin Ray called, "If You Get There Before I do." I had no idea that in a matter of five minutes while I was pouring my heart into the chorus....
"If you get there before I do, don't give up on me, I'll meet you when my chores are through, I don't know how long I'll be, But I'm not gonna let you down, darlin' wait and see, 'cause between now and then 'till I see you again, I'll be loving you, love me."
....that I would be seeing a picture of my lovely greatgrandmother.
Now, of course if you know the song, you know that Colin is speaking about a man and woman in the rest of the song, but the fact that my greatgrandmother's picture came up on the screen as I was just singing my little heart out about getting "there" (Heaven) before I do, and the fact that she REALLY did look like she was just peacefully sleeping, was once again a reminder to me that my greatgrandmother had joined my greatgrandfather in Heaven and that they were counting on me to "do my chores" and become the published writer that I have said I would be since I was five years old, sitting on my greatgrandfather's knee in their kitchen while he drank his tea and my greatgrandmother flipped the pancakes.
I barely finished the chorus before bursting, literally bursting, into tears. I hadn't REALLY cried for either one of them yet because they were such a huge part of my life when I was younger and up until last night it felt like they were still here with me. I know now that they ARE still with me, just not physically. I wrote this poem right after I heard about my greatgranmother's passing. It was the first step on the long road of accepting death. After all, everything is not always sunny and warm down here in the tropics.
*******
On Death and Dying
I used to be able to say,
that I never knew anyone
who’d died
or been put to sleep.
That was a long time ago.
I’ve been surrounded by death for years now.
I’ve just never wanted to admit it before.
Sometimes I still don’t.
But today,
I have no choice.
People die;
alone,
together,
torn apart,
at peace,
unwillingly,
selfishly,
sacrificing,
disguising joy for pain.
And sometimes,
No matter how many times you try,
You can’t revive who they used to be,
Only their memories,
And who they were to you.
Besides,
giving false life
is a selfish deed,
done for the living,
by the living.
False life is just that,
false.
Death is real.
It comes quickly to those
who aren’t aware of its presence
each and every day.
But even when you’re aware
of its impending arrival,
it nonetheless shocks the hell out of you
leaving you cold,
trying to revive it
with false life;
for a few extra seconds,
just in case….
By Jessica Stanfield
Copyright © 2003 by Jessica Stanfield
Since I hadn't seen either of them since Summer was 18 months old when she and I flew up to Ohio from Florida to visit them back in April of 1997, it still feels like they are there, gardening and going to church, making homemade vegetable soup and the best homemade pancakes I've ever tasted, playing the harmonica, and watching Wheel of Fortune.
But last night, my mom, who did get to go to my great grandmothers funeral sent me, with a warning in case I wasn't prepared or didn't want to see, a picture of my greatgrandmother lying in her casket. Some people might think me weird for actually wanting to see such a picture, but I needed to see her. She was so important to me in ways that I have only recently discovered and whether I wanted to or not, I had to see that she was definitely no longer sitting by the dim lamp in the living room reading the bible.
The really neat thing is this:
I found out that my great grandfather had paassed when I went to an internet cafe to check my email and my grandmother, my great grandparents' only daughter, sent me an email to inform me. A harsh way to find out, but since the house we were living in at the time had no telephone line, she had no other to reach me. So, I pull up that email and realize as I'm reading the details of my greatgrandfather's last days and the copy of his obituary that my grandmother sent me, that the internet cafe,who is always playing some kind of either Spanish or top 40 American music, was softly playing a beautiful version of someone singing Amazing Grace! It filled me with joy to know that God was sending me a message that my greatgrandfather was in heaven; safe and whole again.
That's not all:
My computer has a very slow connection and so while I was logging online and waiting for everything to load last night, I got bored and picked up my blue guitar. I began playing the song that I had recently decided I wanted to teach myself to play. It is the song by Colin Ray called, "If You Get There Before I do." I had no idea that in a matter of five minutes while I was pouring my heart into the chorus....
"If you get there before I do, don't give up on me, I'll meet you when my chores are through, I don't know how long I'll be, But I'm not gonna let you down, darlin' wait and see, 'cause between now and then 'till I see you again, I'll be loving you, love me."
....that I would be seeing a picture of my lovely greatgrandmother.
Now, of course if you know the song, you know that Colin is speaking about a man and woman in the rest of the song, but the fact that my greatgrandmother's picture came up on the screen as I was just singing my little heart out about getting "there" (Heaven) before I do, and the fact that she REALLY did look like she was just peacefully sleeping, was once again a reminder to me that my greatgrandmother had joined my greatgrandfather in Heaven and that they were counting on me to "do my chores" and become the published writer that I have said I would be since I was five years old, sitting on my greatgrandfather's knee in their kitchen while he drank his tea and my greatgrandmother flipped the pancakes.
I barely finished the chorus before bursting, literally bursting, into tears. I hadn't REALLY cried for either one of them yet because they were such a huge part of my life when I was younger and up until last night it felt like they were still here with me. I know now that they ARE still with me, just not physically. I wrote this poem right after I heard about my greatgranmother's passing. It was the first step on the long road of accepting death. After all, everything is not always sunny and warm down here in the tropics.
*******
On Death and Dying
I used to be able to say,
that I never knew anyone
who’d died
or been put to sleep.
That was a long time ago.
I’ve been surrounded by death for years now.
I’ve just never wanted to admit it before.
Sometimes I still don’t.
But today,
I have no choice.
People die;
alone,
together,
torn apart,
at peace,
unwillingly,
selfishly,
sacrificing,
disguising joy for pain.
And sometimes,
No matter how many times you try,
You can’t revive who they used to be,
Only their memories,
And who they were to you.
Besides,
giving false life
is a selfish deed,
done for the living,
by the living.
False life is just that,
false.
Death is real.
It comes quickly to those
who aren’t aware of its presence
each and every day.
But even when you’re aware
of its impending arrival,
it nonetheless shocks the hell out of you
leaving you cold,
trying to revive it
with false life;
for a few extra seconds,
just in case….
By Jessica Stanfield
Copyright © 2003 by Jessica Stanfield
Sunday, August 03, 2003
Hurry up, Wednesday!
The beach trip is coming! The beach trip is coming! The whole family, my mother-in-law and stepfather-in-law, my three brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law, Thomas, Summer, Ariel, and myself will be leaving at 5:45 in the morning this coming Wednesday and we'll be headed off for a two hour drive south to the sea side town of Puntarenas and Hotel Portobelo for an entire day of sun, swimming, and all out Stanfield family fun!
We are going to take Ariel down to the beach for her first walk on the sand and Summer and Thomas want to look for sand dollars and build a sand castle. It will be quite fun, I think. But most of the day will be spent at the hotel in the pool! We are getting a room to keep all of the clothes and drinks and beach stuff in and then the girls are going home with Grandma and Pap and Thomas and I are going to stay the night and take the bus back to San Jose the next day! We're very excited about that part. We rarely get a chance to get away from the kids so it will be really nice!
Thomas and his family used to go to Hotel Portobelo when he was younger and his parents were still married. So, the hotel people know the family well and they give us excellent service. The restaurant sits overlooking the beautiful ocean and you can see all of the boats coming and going as you sit and eat your bacon cheeseburger or shrimp or any of the delicious food they serve there!
We haven't gone to Portobelo with the whole family like this since Thomas and I came down to Costa Rica in 2000 for our wedding. Then we had the worst time getting here that we have ever had in all of our trips back and forth! Thank God, we're in Costa Rica for good now and we don't have to deal with the craziness of airline travel! Back then, we were the last to arrive in Costa Rica and we arrived a day late due to a huge screw up by American airlines and so everyone had already gone to Puntarenas without us. Well, everybody except Thomas's sister, Allison and her husband, Eric.
They picked us up at the airport and we threw our carry-ons in the back of the Bronco and drove straight to the hotel to meet the rest of the family who were already enjoying themslves in the pool! Notice, I said, "carry-ons?" We had NO luggage at that point because American had switched us over to Lacsa Airlines to try to get us here faster since they had already made a mess of our connection in Miami and Lacsa had put US on the plane and left our luggage, including my wedding dress back in Miami!
So we got to Puntarenas and Summer and I had absolutely nothing to swim in. My father-in-law, his wife, Lisa, and their three boys had flown down from Illinois for the the occasion so my stepmother-in-law suggested that we take Summer and the boys into town so they could buy some souvenirs and Summer and I could buy something to swim in. Thomas was fortunate enough to have his younger brother, Jason, there and Jason had brought an extra pair of trunks so Thomas borrowed those for the day. We all had a good laugh when Thomas, who is very masculine (he wouldn't be caught dead in a pink dress shirt, for example!) came out of the bathroom wearing these navy blue trunks that had big, pretty, white tropical flowers on them!
I was really fat back then. One of the things I am most proud of is that since I have moved to Costa Rica two years ago, I have lost 80 pounds and now weigh 145! But back then I weighed about 225 pounds and in a country were 85% of the women my age are thin and beautiful, I found it very difficult to find something that would fit me. I couldn't find a bathing suit because you have to understand that we weren't going from store to store to look for bathing suits.
Here they sell things in little booths arranged next to each other on both sides of the street. It reminds me of a flea market, but here you can haggle with the vendors if the price is too high for something. So, there was no place to try on a bathing suit and it didn't matter because I could tell that none of them were going to be big enough for my very big behind! So, I had to settle for a thin cotton short set with a sleeveless top. This outfit got more laughs than Thomas's pretty swim trunks because it was black with huge bright red, green, and yellow pot leaves all over the front and back of both the shirt and the shorts! I kept the outfit because it always makes me laugh when I look at it! Plus, it helps remind me of just how much weight I have actually lost, but I have yet to find another appropriate time to put it on!
So, we spent the rest of the day swimming and drinking, listening to music and playing pool games. It was a lot of fun and I wish that my father-in-law, his wife, and the boys were coming with us this Wednesday, but they will have to settle for emailed pictures and stories told in instant messages. I know that we're all going to have a great time and I just can't wait for Wednesday to arrive! Although Tuesday night will be fun also because we're staying the night at Thomas's sister Crystal and her husband, Wid's house and we are going to have grilled chicken chalupas for dinner and swim in their pool.
The beach trip is coming! The beach trip is coming!
We are going to take Ariel down to the beach for her first walk on the sand and Summer and Thomas want to look for sand dollars and build a sand castle. It will be quite fun, I think. But most of the day will be spent at the hotel in the pool! We are getting a room to keep all of the clothes and drinks and beach stuff in and then the girls are going home with Grandma and Pap and Thomas and I are going to stay the night and take the bus back to San Jose the next day! We're very excited about that part. We rarely get a chance to get away from the kids so it will be really nice!
Thomas and his family used to go to Hotel Portobelo when he was younger and his parents were still married. So, the hotel people know the family well and they give us excellent service. The restaurant sits overlooking the beautiful ocean and you can see all of the boats coming and going as you sit and eat your bacon cheeseburger or shrimp or any of the delicious food they serve there!
We haven't gone to Portobelo with the whole family like this since Thomas and I came down to Costa Rica in 2000 for our wedding. Then we had the worst time getting here that we have ever had in all of our trips back and forth! Thank God, we're in Costa Rica for good now and we don't have to deal with the craziness of airline travel! Back then, we were the last to arrive in Costa Rica and we arrived a day late due to a huge screw up by American airlines and so everyone had already gone to Puntarenas without us. Well, everybody except Thomas's sister, Allison and her husband, Eric.
They picked us up at the airport and we threw our carry-ons in the back of the Bronco and drove straight to the hotel to meet the rest of the family who were already enjoying themslves in the pool! Notice, I said, "carry-ons?" We had NO luggage at that point because American had switched us over to Lacsa Airlines to try to get us here faster since they had already made a mess of our connection in Miami and Lacsa had put US on the plane and left our luggage, including my wedding dress back in Miami!
So we got to Puntarenas and Summer and I had absolutely nothing to swim in. My father-in-law, his wife, Lisa, and their three boys had flown down from Illinois for the the occasion so my stepmother-in-law suggested that we take Summer and the boys into town so they could buy some souvenirs and Summer and I could buy something to swim in. Thomas was fortunate enough to have his younger brother, Jason, there and Jason had brought an extra pair of trunks so Thomas borrowed those for the day. We all had a good laugh when Thomas, who is very masculine (he wouldn't be caught dead in a pink dress shirt, for example!) came out of the bathroom wearing these navy blue trunks that had big, pretty, white tropical flowers on them!
I was really fat back then. One of the things I am most proud of is that since I have moved to Costa Rica two years ago, I have lost 80 pounds and now weigh 145! But back then I weighed about 225 pounds and in a country were 85% of the women my age are thin and beautiful, I found it very difficult to find something that would fit me. I couldn't find a bathing suit because you have to understand that we weren't going from store to store to look for bathing suits.
Here they sell things in little booths arranged next to each other on both sides of the street. It reminds me of a flea market, but here you can haggle with the vendors if the price is too high for something. So, there was no place to try on a bathing suit and it didn't matter because I could tell that none of them were going to be big enough for my very big behind! So, I had to settle for a thin cotton short set with a sleeveless top. This outfit got more laughs than Thomas's pretty swim trunks because it was black with huge bright red, green, and yellow pot leaves all over the front and back of both the shirt and the shorts! I kept the outfit because it always makes me laugh when I look at it! Plus, it helps remind me of just how much weight I have actually lost, but I have yet to find another appropriate time to put it on!
So, we spent the rest of the day swimming and drinking, listening to music and playing pool games. It was a lot of fun and I wish that my father-in-law, his wife, and the boys were coming with us this Wednesday, but they will have to settle for emailed pictures and stories told in instant messages. I know that we're all going to have a great time and I just can't wait for Wednesday to arrive! Although Tuesday night will be fun also because we're staying the night at Thomas's sister Crystal and her husband, Wid's house and we are going to have grilled chicken chalupas for dinner and swim in their pool.
The beach trip is coming! The beach trip is coming!
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
My Website is Born!
Well, I have been on vacation from the, "bill paying job," and I got a lot of much needed rest and relaxation. Now I am back and ready to post!
Today, I created the home page for my website! I have a long way to go with it...as I have a lot of expectations for its success, but the homepage is the first step and I'll get there! I am fortunate that the people at the, "bill paying job" let me use the internet in between taking calls from our customers, otherwise I'd have no time to work on my writing career!
We are planning a day beach trip with my husband's family for a week from today! It will be Ariel's first time at the beach and we are so excited to see how she will react. We are going to walk along the beach and look for sand dollars, swim in the pool, and have a good time with Thomas's Mom, Step-dad, brother, two sisters, and their significant others!
Our new kitten, Zoey, is getting huge! She has practically doubled in size already! Both Summer and Ariel have become very attached to her which is great except that Ariel, who is just two and a half years old likes to pick her up. The problem is that she picks her up by placing both of her pudgy little hands around Zoey's neck and lifting upwards! We've been saying, "No kitty" for weeks now. The kitten is still alive and not traumatized so we are happy!
Jack and Prieta (Our two horses) somehow escaped from the place where we keep them on our property and showed up in the front yard this morning, asking loudly for their breakfasts! It was a pretty funny site to see. We live in the mountains so its normal to see horses walking around the "neighborhood" but they were right in the front yard!
I am feverishly working on my next book, but it is difficult because I have SO many ideas going through my head at any given moment that I sometimes have no choice but to put down what I am currently writing and work on one of the short stories, poems, or magazine articles that are waiting in the wings.
That's about all for now. From now on, this blog will be updated at least every other day!
Today, I created the home page for my website! I have a long way to go with it...as I have a lot of expectations for its success, but the homepage is the first step and I'll get there! I am fortunate that the people at the, "bill paying job" let me use the internet in between taking calls from our customers, otherwise I'd have no time to work on my writing career!
We are planning a day beach trip with my husband's family for a week from today! It will be Ariel's first time at the beach and we are so excited to see how she will react. We are going to walk along the beach and look for sand dollars, swim in the pool, and have a good time with Thomas's Mom, Step-dad, brother, two sisters, and their significant others!
Our new kitten, Zoey, is getting huge! She has practically doubled in size already! Both Summer and Ariel have become very attached to her which is great except that Ariel, who is just two and a half years old likes to pick her up. The problem is that she picks her up by placing both of her pudgy little hands around Zoey's neck and lifting upwards! We've been saying, "No kitty" for weeks now. The kitten is still alive and not traumatized so we are happy!
Jack and Prieta (Our two horses) somehow escaped from the place where we keep them on our property and showed up in the front yard this morning, asking loudly for their breakfasts! It was a pretty funny site to see. We live in the mountains so its normal to see horses walking around the "neighborhood" but they were right in the front yard!
I am feverishly working on my next book, but it is difficult because I have SO many ideas going through my head at any given moment that I sometimes have no choice but to put down what I am currently writing and work on one of the short stories, poems, or magazine articles that are waiting in the wings.
That's about all for now. From now on, this blog will be updated at least every other day!
Monday, June 30, 2003
Jessica and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!
I'm feeling a lot like Alexander, the main character in my favorite childrens' book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, who gets up one morning and has every single thing go wrong from the start of the day to its finish!
I got up at 4:45 this morning to take Summer to the doctor because last night her eyes were really puffy and dark pink and we thought maybe she had pink eye. So, if you want to see the doctor down here in Costa Rica you have two choices. 1) Be rich enough to afford the expensive, but fantastic insurance so you can be seen by expensive, but fantastic doctors. Or, 2) Use the country wide insurance called Seguro Social and see good doctors but you have to wait forever to get an appointment and to be seen.
Well, I am a struggling writer here folks, so guess which option is available to me? Yep, number 2! So I went down to the clinic that is by our house at 5:30 this morning to get in line. You have to get there early because the appointments for that day are given out on a "first come, firts served," basis and if you get there too late, you wont get an appointment, but you'll get to come back the next day and try again in the same way! So, I waited in the loooonnnngggg line of coughing, sniffling sick people to get an appointment to see the doctor, who I know personally now because I have had so many little things wrong with me in the past six months, she has become closer to me than my best friend! Finally, the clinic opens at about 7:10 and they start giving out appointments.
The lady gets to me and she has no more little paper numbers to hand out which means there are no more appointments! I was in the front of the line, but today one of the two doctors they have called in sick and so they only gave out half of the usual amount of appointments! How nice for me. :)
So, I proceed to talk to the doctor and in my best Spanish I try to explain what is wrong with my daughter. She was very polite and sorry but was also sick herself and said that there was no way I could get an appointment today. Now, I assumed when I got up this morning that I wouldn't be going to work because I had to take Summer to the doctor so I didn't shower this morning, I didn't eat breakfast, and I didn't put on appropriate clothes for the office either. I just got up and went. By the time all was said and done, I had to go home and tell Thomas that there were no appointments and that she'd have to go tomorrow. In the meantime the driver is waiting because now it is past time for me to leave the house if Im going to work and I have to find clothes, brush my hair, do the deodorant dance, and feed the cats. I manage all of this and run out the door (still no breakfast in my tummy.)
I get on the first bus and there is an accident on the highway so it took us forever to get to my second bus! And there were no seats when I got on it so I had to stand up through the whole 55 minute ride. But you have to understand that the bus keeps stopping for people even though there are no seats left so I had to stand in a long line of other people who had no seats either. It gets very crowded, hot, and loud when the bus is full like that and it gives me a type of passenger road rage that makes me wish I could just ride my horse to work!
The second bus just didn't come. I stood there and waited and waited. I mean it came but not for at least 30 minutes! In the States it's different. Buses only come about once every 45 minutes so a 30 minute wait wouldn't be bad. But here, A LOT of people dont have cars and so the buses come every 5-7 minutes, except the one I needed this morning!
I finally get to my third bus and we are on our way to my final destination - Mall San Pedro - where my office is located behind and across the street. The bus just gave out in the middle of the road and we sat for 15 minutes with cars honking and yelling Spanish curse words at the driver as he tried to get out of the bus and repair it. Bless his heart, he fixed it and we were off once more.
I finally get to work and look in a mirror, because I'm just not smart enough to carry one with me, :) and my God! I looked terrible! I ran back to my locker for my brush, hairspray, perfume, and my travel size toothbrush and toothpaste and ran straight past the door to customer service and into the Ladies room for some much needed grooming!
It didn't work! I guess I feel yucky, so I think I look yucky too! Like Alexander, I just want to go home, get into bed, and forget that this day happened! Tomorrow I will go stand in the line again and try to take Summer to the doctor.
Well, such is life in the tropics!
I got up at 4:45 this morning to take Summer to the doctor because last night her eyes were really puffy and dark pink and we thought maybe she had pink eye. So, if you want to see the doctor down here in Costa Rica you have two choices. 1) Be rich enough to afford the expensive, but fantastic insurance so you can be seen by expensive, but fantastic doctors. Or, 2) Use the country wide insurance called Seguro Social and see good doctors but you have to wait forever to get an appointment and to be seen.
Well, I am a struggling writer here folks, so guess which option is available to me? Yep, number 2! So I went down to the clinic that is by our house at 5:30 this morning to get in line. You have to get there early because the appointments for that day are given out on a "first come, firts served," basis and if you get there too late, you wont get an appointment, but you'll get to come back the next day and try again in the same way! So, I waited in the loooonnnngggg line of coughing, sniffling sick people to get an appointment to see the doctor, who I know personally now because I have had so many little things wrong with me in the past six months, she has become closer to me than my best friend! Finally, the clinic opens at about 7:10 and they start giving out appointments.
The lady gets to me and she has no more little paper numbers to hand out which means there are no more appointments! I was in the front of the line, but today one of the two doctors they have called in sick and so they only gave out half of the usual amount of appointments! How nice for me. :)
So, I proceed to talk to the doctor and in my best Spanish I try to explain what is wrong with my daughter. She was very polite and sorry but was also sick herself and said that there was no way I could get an appointment today. Now, I assumed when I got up this morning that I wouldn't be going to work because I had to take Summer to the doctor so I didn't shower this morning, I didn't eat breakfast, and I didn't put on appropriate clothes for the office either. I just got up and went. By the time all was said and done, I had to go home and tell Thomas that there were no appointments and that she'd have to go tomorrow. In the meantime the driver is waiting because now it is past time for me to leave the house if Im going to work and I have to find clothes, brush my hair, do the deodorant dance, and feed the cats. I manage all of this and run out the door (still no breakfast in my tummy.)
I get on the first bus and there is an accident on the highway so it took us forever to get to my second bus! And there were no seats when I got on it so I had to stand up through the whole 55 minute ride. But you have to understand that the bus keeps stopping for people even though there are no seats left so I had to stand in a long line of other people who had no seats either. It gets very crowded, hot, and loud when the bus is full like that and it gives me a type of passenger road rage that makes me wish I could just ride my horse to work!
The second bus just didn't come. I stood there and waited and waited. I mean it came but not for at least 30 minutes! In the States it's different. Buses only come about once every 45 minutes so a 30 minute wait wouldn't be bad. But here, A LOT of people dont have cars and so the buses come every 5-7 minutes, except the one I needed this morning!
I finally get to my third bus and we are on our way to my final destination - Mall San Pedro - where my office is located behind and across the street. The bus just gave out in the middle of the road and we sat for 15 minutes with cars honking and yelling Spanish curse words at the driver as he tried to get out of the bus and repair it. Bless his heart, he fixed it and we were off once more.
I finally get to work and look in a mirror, because I'm just not smart enough to carry one with me, :) and my God! I looked terrible! I ran back to my locker for my brush, hairspray, perfume, and my travel size toothbrush and toothpaste and ran straight past the door to customer service and into the Ladies room for some much needed grooming!
It didn't work! I guess I feel yucky, so I think I look yucky too! Like Alexander, I just want to go home, get into bed, and forget that this day happened! Tomorrow I will go stand in the line again and try to take Summer to the doctor.
Well, such is life in the tropics!
Sunday, June 29, 2003
The New Kitten
My seven-year-old daughter, Summer, has been wanting one of the kittens that were born almost two months ago down the road at our neighbors' house. They called on Friday and asked if we were ready to go pick one out! I guess Summer told them that she was definitely taking one. She knows her father and I though, so we weren't angry. We both LOVE animals.
Since we moved here to Costa Rica we have aquired a yellow lab named Marley, a big, black cat named Pouncer, two horses, Black Jack and Prieta, and now we have a new little baby kitten! Summer named her Zoe and is at home feeding her milk and playing with her new little toy! Zoe is black with a white chest and four little white feet! She has the biggest, prettiest blue eys that I have ever seen! I am soooo in love with her already! And we found out that Pouncer is the ONLY male cat in the neighborhood and it's funny, Zoe's face and eyes look just like Pouncer's! He is an inside/outside cat so Zoe could very easily be his baby! We think that that's adorable!
That is one of the best things about living up on Angel mountain where we live here in Rio Oro. We can have pretty much all of the animals we can afford! Our landlord is just as much of a freak about animals as we are. She actually gave us Pouncer when we moved in. He was about three months old and had been thrown over her fence into her yard by some loud people in a car about two weeks before we moved in. We were a little nervous to tell her that we were bringing another animal to the house, but she got all excited and said in her Spanish accent, "Jes, jou should get heem a frend!" So, now she can't wait to see the little baby kitten when she picks up the rent in July!
I finally got around to going horseback riding with my husband, Thomas, this past Thursday and Friday. I have loved the horses we have as pets but horses are BIG animals and getting up on one and bossing it around just wasn't my thing. Let's be honest, I was scared to death! But on Thursday I decided that if my seven-year-old can ride a horse on her own in the mountains, I should be able to do it also. And I did!
I can't wait to go horseback riding again! My vacation starts as of this Wednesday at 6:00pm (MST) and then I have three weeks off! I want to go riding at 4:30 in the morning and watch the sun come up. I think that will be great!
Since we moved here to Costa Rica we have aquired a yellow lab named Marley, a big, black cat named Pouncer, two horses, Black Jack and Prieta, and now we have a new little baby kitten! Summer named her Zoe and is at home feeding her milk and playing with her new little toy! Zoe is black with a white chest and four little white feet! She has the biggest, prettiest blue eys that I have ever seen! I am soooo in love with her already! And we found out that Pouncer is the ONLY male cat in the neighborhood and it's funny, Zoe's face and eyes look just like Pouncer's! He is an inside/outside cat so Zoe could very easily be his baby! We think that that's adorable!
That is one of the best things about living up on Angel mountain where we live here in Rio Oro. We can have pretty much all of the animals we can afford! Our landlord is just as much of a freak about animals as we are. She actually gave us Pouncer when we moved in. He was about three months old and had been thrown over her fence into her yard by some loud people in a car about two weeks before we moved in. We were a little nervous to tell her that we were bringing another animal to the house, but she got all excited and said in her Spanish accent, "Jes, jou should get heem a frend!" So, now she can't wait to see the little baby kitten when she picks up the rent in July!
I finally got around to going horseback riding with my husband, Thomas, this past Thursday and Friday. I have loved the horses we have as pets but horses are BIG animals and getting up on one and bossing it around just wasn't my thing. Let's be honest, I was scared to death! But on Thursday I decided that if my seven-year-old can ride a horse on her own in the mountains, I should be able to do it also. And I did!
I can't wait to go horseback riding again! My vacation starts as of this Wednesday at 6:00pm (MST) and then I have three weeks off! I want to go riding at 4:30 in the morning and watch the sun come up. I think that will be great!
Saturday, June 28, 2003
No Regrets, Constant Reminders
I have never regretted moving to Costa Rica, but I am constantly reminded of the things that I left behind.
Today my best friend, Michelle(who I met when I was a 13-year-old, goofy, unconfident, eighth grader and have known for 14 years) is taking that HUGE leap into the realm of marriage. I have been thinking about her all day and haven't been able to call her because I am stuck here in the office.
When we were younger we swore we would be at each others' big life events like weddings and births of children, but that was back when we had no idea that our lives would take the turns they have taken. She missed my wedding because my husband and I got married here in Costa Rica (a year before we actually moved here), but she couldn't make the trip nonetheless. And now, because I moved here and had no money or time for the trip, I've missed hers.
When things like this happen I think to myself that I know things would be a hell of a lot easier sometimes if we lived in the States, but I don't regret moving here for one reason: this journey has saved my life and made me a completely different person. I wouldn't change that even if meant being able to attend my friends' weddings and other important life events.
However, as I sit here in front of my computer in the office, waiting for another client to call, I am thinking that at this moment I would rather be with her...celebrating her new marriage and sharing in her joy.
Adjusting to life in the tropics has definitely been a bitter-sweet journey!
Today my best friend, Michelle(who I met when I was a 13-year-old, goofy, unconfident, eighth grader and have known for 14 years) is taking that HUGE leap into the realm of marriage. I have been thinking about her all day and haven't been able to call her because I am stuck here in the office.
When we were younger we swore we would be at each others' big life events like weddings and births of children, but that was back when we had no idea that our lives would take the turns they have taken. She missed my wedding because my husband and I got married here in Costa Rica (a year before we actually moved here), but she couldn't make the trip nonetheless. And now, because I moved here and had no money or time for the trip, I've missed hers.
When things like this happen I think to myself that I know things would be a hell of a lot easier sometimes if we lived in the States, but I don't regret moving here for one reason: this journey has saved my life and made me a completely different person. I wouldn't change that even if meant being able to attend my friends' weddings and other important life events.
However, as I sit here in front of my computer in the office, waiting for another client to call, I am thinking that at this moment I would rather be with her...celebrating her new marriage and sharing in her joy.
Adjusting to life in the tropics has definitely been a bitter-sweet journey!
