Author: Gary

In Celebration of Independence

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Photoblend by me. Images free for non commercial use

A State of Independence

The UK doesn’t celebrate its independence. The Romans left long enough ago that we don’t feel the need. Having said that I hear that some want the 23 June to be our day, in celebration of the exit from Europe. I don’t usually eye roll but I’m doing it now.

But plenty of countries DO celebrate their independence (quite a number FROM the UK). And rightly so.  I’ve never been a big fan of conquering anything. Not even mountains. I mean let’s get real, you don’t “conquer” Everest. You struggle up it (and I mean nothing but respect by that – it is one of life’s most amazing human achievements) and thank whatever deity you hold in your heart that you made it. You don’t get to keep it. Or take it home. Or tax it. Or throw its tea away. You simply acknowledge the experience and be grateful for it.

Today is Costa Rica’s Independence Day.  When they separated from Spain (along with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua) 196 years ago, they established their right to decide their own future. Governing a country more than 5000 miles away was a major pain in the arse anyway. Even today the cell phone bills alone would be atrocious, but back then the Spanish had become so exhausted fighting Napoleon (who probably wouldn’t have made it up Everest) that they actually said Hasta la vista baby and handed it over. Good on you Spain.

It actually took nearly a month for the news to get here from Guatemala. Probably because the lad bringing it on his horse kept stopping to drink coffee and avoid pot holes.

Celebrating by lamp light

It’s a nice celebration. On the evening of the 14th the children come out into the streets with lamps and celebrate faroles. Like an idiot I only realised last night that this was happening so I blew going to see it and taking pictures, but next year my friend. Next year.

The lanterns represent the message of independence being brought to Costa Rica. There is also a lighted torch that is carried by runners, (much like the Olympic torch) from Guatemala to Costa Rica’s colonial capital of Cartago.

Children Costa Rica Band Parade

Children practicing for the annual parades.

On the 15th (which is a national holiday) there are more celebrations during the day and the children come out again in marching bands. When I was in Atenas a few weeks ago I saw the school band there practicing. They were certainly jamming 🙂

With great power comes great responsibility

Costa Rica has done some good things with its independence. Free mandatory education for 6 to 13 year olds and free voluntary education for 13 to 18 year olds has meant literacy rates of around 95%, and education is considered of national interest here (there is no standing army and the money is used in education and healthcare). They take a pragmatic approach to it as well. In rural areas where children may not continue in school past 13 (as they may go and work on their parents farms), the government builds every municipality a library, in an attempt to keep education available to everyone.

The healthcare system is ranked by the UN in the top 20 worldwide, and No. 1 in Central America. There is constant investment in hospitals, training and facilities and Caja (as the universal healthcare is known) is affordable for low income families. Like all socialised medicine it has its issues (speed of care for some conditions being one) but apparently it does work and is effective.

I personally believe that we are impacting our planet, through our waste and pollution. Lots of countries talk about carbon footprints and achieving milestones such as those set out in the Paris Agreement. But in Costa Rica’s case it is actually trying. Could it do more, yes. But so could just about every country on the planet. And quite a few individuals as well.

According to a report in The Independent (no pun intended for this post 🙂 ) Costa Rica used renewable energy for approximately 98% of it’s electrical energy requirements in 2016. Now such figures don’t tell the whole story (you have to contrast this number with the fact Costa Rica imports 70% of its heating and petrol/gas as fossil fuel), and you have to take the relative power requirements of a country like this against a behemoth like the US, but it’s still a significant achievement.

Whether you subscribe to climate change or debate if it’s a Chinese hoax while getting your spray tan, how we treat our environment is important. And how we treat each other is equally important. In Costa Rica’s case they are trying on both fronts, and that is worth something.

I hope I do as well with my own independence.

LTPV!
Gary

 

 

Living the Pura Vida

Samara Beach, Costa Rica

I’ve had a habit for a long time of taking a “Gary Week” each year. The premise is simple. Head off somewhere random, with little to no plans. Spend time meditating and considering the months that had just passed and my place in them. What had I done well. What had I done badly. What could I improve. What should I accept. I was always alone for these trips, and that was really the point. Like the Buddhist hermit who heads for some remote cave to contemplate and meditate, I wasn’t trying to escape loved ones so much as trying to spend time with someone I should love.

One year it was Iceland, another Peru, a third Scotland. Sometimes exotic. And sometimes not. The destination was picked a few weeks before I was going to head out. With modern technology and a bit of good old fashioned self confidence, I rarely booked more than that flight, and maybe the first nights accommodation. Life was organised and scheduled enough. I could go a week without it.

Jasmine VW Camper 1979 Sage Green

Jasmine looking lovely our first morning together.

When I flew to Florida. I picked up a sage green VW Camper Van called Jasmine in St. Petersburg (interestingly the previous year I’d also been in St. Petersburg for Gary Week, but there they spoke Russian). She and I drove down to the Keys together, with me feeling like the hippy I never was, and her probably wondering why I was trying to take an engine and chassis from 1979 and make it handle like an Audi S5. Good times and I’m happy to report we both survived.

I ended up in a bar / restaurant by the sea in Clearwater. The place was pretty quiet (Gary Week was usually low season activity – I’m no tourist.*) and there was a guy sitting a few tables away. As we were the only two people in the restaurant I asked if he wanted to join me. This was my return leg (Jasmine alas was due back the following day) so I was heading back to “civilisation” and starting to feel more social.

We chatted. I’d had him pegged as Malay or Indonesian, maybe Filipino, and eventually worked out he was Indonesian (one of the joys of my career is that I’ve worked in all those countries and odd words can usually tip the nod).

We talked about the things people do when they first meet. Interests, family, travel. And then we turned to the subject of why we were where we were. For me it was a description I knew well (I gave it to you in the first couple of paragraphs ;).

And then Aditya (as he was now known) told me his story. Of how he had, through various misadventures, ended up as a maritime pirate. How he had never liked the life, or the brutality and killing, and eventually had saved enough money to come to America. How he was now the owner of a local bar and had 2 small children who screamed a lot and a wife who nagged him all day. He seemed incredibly happy at all this, and showed me pictures of them at Disney and on a boat his friend owned. I’ll admit he certainly looked like he had his sea legs in the boat picture. He confessed he was incredibly scared when he first came to America, and in the first few years often thought about returning home. But now he was so glad he had found the courage to change his life.

So yes. I’ve had dinner with an Indonesian Pirate.

Which brings me to Costa Rica. I’m guessing because it’s near the sea?

No. It brings me to Costa Rica, because I’ve met other people like Aditya here. Maybe not pirates, but certainly those who have made a choice to make a change in their lives and see what happens.

There’s Michele, who owns the AirBnB in Samara where I’m writing this. She moved to Costa Rica 3 years ago, lock, stock and barrel from Colorado. Her philosophy is to lead a simple life on the beach. She’s the first to admit it may not be for everyone, but she works as a massage therapist / aesthetician (let’s face it people like to pamper themselves) and “doesn’t have much”. She sees this as an advantage. When something breaks in Costa Rica (and it will break) then getting it fixed can be hard. It’s the way life is here and you have to onboard that.

But her “things” are her friends, the sea, the beach and just enough possessions she needs to have a happy life (and if any of us really thought about it, the things that truly make us happy can be easily named, and usually aren’t things but people). Michele was told by “everyone” she knew that it was a crazy dream and she “would never make it happen”. She defied all the naysayers and certainly seems like a happy woman as she walked her dogs the 60ft onto the beach this morning.

Mazlan and Ella

And then there is Mazlan and his Costa Rican girlfriend Ella. Mazlan is originally from Argentina and has lived in a few interesting places, usually moving from country to country every few years. But apparently Samara is now “home”. He runs a juice stall (amongst I am sure other enterprises) and says he wants to stay here now. Whether that is Samara or Ella, I cannot guess, but he was an engaging and happy chap who I enjoyed spending some time with today.

My feet on Samara Beach, Costa Rica

What Aditya, Michele, Mazlan and Ella all have in common is the desire to find their happiness. They didn’t have a concrete plan. Heck in some cases they didn’t have a plan at all. They simply tried.

Who knows were they will end up. Maybe where they are now is their final destination. Maybe it’s a stop on a journey. But they are deciding that. And when all is said and done, that is what’s making them happy.

*If anyone can tell me which action movie that phrase comes from without Googling it, email me and  I’ll find some kind of prize that you’ll probably forget 10 minutes after receiving it.)

LTPV!
Gary

The 10 Craziest Things About Driving in Costa Rica

10. The double yellow lines are a skinny motorbike lane.

I’m convinced that the double yellow lines are there so motorbikes have their own lane. Which is really nice. If you ride a motorbike. And really scary. If you like the paint on your car.

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9. If a random stranger asks you for money to park, you should probably pay them.

In some towns and cities you might see a guy with a bum bag / fanny pack. At first I thought this was some 80’s revival thing but it seems they are there to take a little money to watch your car ($1-2 seems to do nicely sir). Now this sounds like a scam, but in reality it’s part of life here. Car crime does happen (especially if you are driving here in a rental as they are all similar models and easily identified). But take heart – these are often good local guides and will set you up with some great ice cream or the location of the hatching turtles.

8. A lot of streets have no names. A lot of houses have no number.

I appreciate that to some this is a very foreign concept. Being told Mario lives 2km south of the blue nun statue in a pale green house with the banana tree is disconcerting. But look at it this way. You either find Mario, or you end up making a new friend who has bananas (I love bananas).

7. It’s technically possible to get an entire family on one motorbike.

I’ve yet to be in a position where I can safely take a picture of this. I mean let’s be honest, when you see Dad, the 4-year-old and his 11-year-old sister, Mum and the machete all trundling along on their Kawasaki, the last thing on your mind is your DSLR.

6. After 10pm red lights are optional

I shit you not. Article 108g of the Costa Rican traffic law states that between 10pm and 5am you don’t have to wait for a green light. I mean you do have to stop for other vehicles and pedestrians (see item 3 below) who have the right of way, but if it’s clear, burn on through my friend. Burn on through. (Note this one tightens your sphincter more than the mini motorcycle lane).

5. Trucks / lorries 15 years or older have only 2 speeds – stop and 20mph

I was trying to figure out the other day why I appeared to be in very slow-moving traffic. When I finally got near the obstruction, it was a small, 1990’s era van that was doing 20mph. At the time I got to him we were going downhill. Now I know that the mass of even a small van with no drive at all descending a 1:14 incline is more that 20mph. So he must have been doing it deliberately :). Pura Vida!

4. You need the reactions of a pilot to spot the exit signs

This ones a bit of a sore point if I’m honest. So basically you get ONE chance at the exit signs. Now if you happen at the time to be focussing on your banana split with extra ice cream, well, you’re sort of stuffed. But if you are lucky enough to be behind a 90’s era truck or a motorbike with 12 people on it, then there’s a good chance you’ll have time to react. Buena suerte!

3. Pedestrians don’t have any rights. Period

This is just a warning if you are a pedestrian. Here. In Costa Rica.

(I know this is a Top 10 for driving, but here’s the thing. If you have a modicum of kindness you stop for them. Then someone rear ends you because no one stops for a pedestrian. Just sayin’)

2. Potholes are as common as motorbikes on double yellow lines

I’m a petrol head. So I love driving. I love bends and slaloms. I love anything that challenges the roadholding and power of a vehicle and my skill (or lack of it).

So from my perspective the pot holes are deliberately put here to make me happy. You may see it another way. Especially if there really are 12 of you on that Kawasaki.

And at the Number 1, Numero Uno spot!

If you want to pass someone, go for it!

I’ve driven in some crazy ass places. India. Indonesia. Kentucky.

But even there, it’s usually accepted that if you are going uphill, on a blind bend, in the rain, at night, with one headlight, you don’t overtake another vehicle doing 60mph.

I mean I know. If you happen to be driving your 568bhp Aston Martin Vanquish with the AM29 V12 (see told you I was a petrol head) then maybe, just maybe you might be tempted. (Actually I would be tempted – see 2 above).

But if you happen to be in, oh, lets say a 2011 VW Passat with 3 kids, a dog and a surf board on the roof secured with frayed bungee cords, you may not be as confident.

Unless you are a Costa Rican.

In which case it’s like an arse tightening, can’t look but have to look, oh crap he’s not going to make it, holy hell he made it but I think his wing mirror is in the bushes kind of manoeuvre.

LTPV!
Gary

For the love of coffee

I met a new friend last week.

Ronny works for an IT services company here in Costa Rica, and we met over lunch near his offices in San Carlos for a chat.

The 2 hour drive from Escazú is a joy. Huge vistas of green and curving mountain roads that make you wish you were in an open top sports car.

I was within half a mile of the restaurant when the road stopped. So I stopped. The destination blinked at me on the map. For a moment the US Gary surfaced – had to be the wrong place? Who would put a restaurant in the middle of a field?

And then Pura Vida Gary kicked in.

Smiling, I took to the gravel in the general direction of my destination.  I figured worst case, the cliff I drove off would probably end in an amazing rain forest valley. Which had never been discovered before. And I’d spend the rest of my long life living off fresh pineapples and having my brow wiped by monkeys. I know. I have issues with my imagination.

And then there was a restaurant.

Las Hortensias (Eco Granja Sostenible Don Lolo) is such a nice place to sit, chat and eat. A small steakhouse perched (in a field) above San Carlos, it has a welcoming patron and staff. They bought a large stretch of land and started an organic farm with a couple of rental cabins (if you want to stay a while). Serving delicious self-produced cheeses and meats, it’s a recommended stop if you are in this part of the world. Ronnys’ seafood looked equally appetising and the fresh fruit juices are refreshing after a days exploring.

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We talked about family, business, and life in Costa Rica. Ronny had a stint in the US, but after one morning in Miami airport where a delayed flight had messed up all his connecting international flights, he realised that life doesn’t have to be a rat race. So he came back to Costa Rica and started a family.

Coffee Country

When Ronny asked if I liked coffee, I confessed that I did, but could take it or leave it. I don’t have a very addictive personality but appreciate that it’s a natural and required start to some peoples mornings.

Costa Rica is a small country, but is one of the best coffee producers globally. Known as the golden bean, coffee is a big part of Costa Rican life. Tico’s view it the same way the English view tea, and the Tarrazu region located high in the Talamanca Mountains produces Starbucks most expensive coffee, the Finca Palmilera.

If you are visiting and want to get some local coffee, I’ve heard you should look for the following on the label;

  • “Producto centroamericano cosechado en Costa Rica” (Central American product harvested in Costa Rica) or “Hecho en Costa Rica” (Made in Costa Rica) means it’s grown here.
  • “Organico” – yep. Organic.
  • “Calidad de Exportacion” (Export Quality) means it’s the best beans.
  • “100% Cafe Puro” (100% Pure Coffee) means the beans haven’t been cut with rubbish like sugar cane. Who want’s coffee that’s been messed with!
  • “Cosechado bajo sombra” (Shade Grown) beans apparently take their time ripening, and some believe this is a more flavourful product.

There are many blends available, and as I was heading to Arenal that weekend I considered picking up some “volcanic blend”. Some beans are grown on the mineral rich hills surrounding the local volcanoes apparently!

As Ronny and I were wrapping up our meal together, we pondered a very valid question.

Why in a country that makes some of the best coffee in the world, does the line outside the new Starbucks in Escuzu go out the door?

People always amaze me.

LTPV!

Gary

Living in America

So far living here hasn’t been radically different to the US.

Now by that I don’t mean it’s “like” the US or UK. It isn’t. But the culture shock has been minimal (I’ve lived in a few different places so maybe I’m a bad guide on this and you’ll have to make up your own mind). It’s early days and I’m sure I’ll update as sh*t happens.

Pros

  • There’s a McDonalds on the corner (and whilst I would be the first to deny McDonalds has anything to do with culture, having those golden arches appear down the road is strangely comforting.)
  • There are english music radio stations. Well the music is US / UK but the DJ’s and ads are in Spanish :).
  • You can buy cornflakes at the supermarket. I can list a lot of places I’ve been where I would have killed for a bowl of cornflakes. And you can buy a lot of US brands at the nearly Multiplaza Mall.

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  • Did I mention there’s a big Mall.
  • They drive (generally) on a consistent side of the road. This is a biggie. In some countries, the “road” isn’t nearly as well-defined (try Bangalore at rush hour and you’ll see what I mean).
  • They refuse to let people out into traffic (must have got their road manners from Chicago). You do the same thing here you do there – shove.
  • And there is internet, the great equaliser. We’re globally connected even in Costa Rica!

Cons

  • English isn’t the main language. People do speak english (some better than others, but it’s not always reliable so thank you Google Translate). Having said that it’s been better than in some other countries I’ve visited (I know for a fact a lot of French speak English, but they act like they’ve never heard the bloody language. Just saying.).
  • Addresses are kind of up in the air (some places have them, some don’t. You’ll learn how to use GPS co-ordinates or wander aimlessly for hours).
  • Roads are either modern, or not. And sometimes modern ends in not. Such is the joy of exploration.
  • You see a lot of homes with some form of physical security (gates, fences, people) and I’m still working on this one. I know it can be an issue but I’m working out how much of an issue.
  • People smile at you if you smile at them. OK, this is definitely dependant on where you are in the US, but I’ve found that if you smile randomly at someone in Chicago, they think you want money, are trying to pick them up or have the crazies. Here they genuinely smile back and it feels good. (I believe if you see someone without a smile, give them yours.)

So far I haven’t had to interact with any officials. The police I’ve met have been courteous and offered direction or advice but I haven’t crossed one yet in any other capacity. I used the bank ATM but haven’t applied for an account. I took a little tour of a city building (just walked around) but haven’t had to pay taxes or get a drivers licence. I’m sure there will be fun and games when it happens but there was when I moved to the US.

LTPV!

Gary

Cartago with a Capital C

Whatever the weather

I’ve been checking out the neighbourhoods. Trying to see where I’d like to put some roots so to speak.

Costa Rica is slightly smaller than West Virgina, and slightly larger that the European state of Denmark. As I’ve mentioned driving here is not unlike driving in West Virgina. It may not be a lot different to driving in Denmark now I think of it.  I really need to write that post to explain why at some point.

But unlike West Virgina or Denmark, Costa Rica has a number of microclimates which can vary a lot within a relatively small area. Whilst overall the country is consistently warm year round with temperatures averaging between 70 and 81 °F (21 and 27 °C), the daily temperature and rainfall can vary with both place and elevation depending on the time of year.

Ray and Sue over at The Costa Rica Guide have done a great job of illustrating these differences with their sunshine / temp and weather / rainfall maps.

So if weather is an important part of your decision-making, then there’s a little homework to do when moving here.

No place like home

The places I’ve looked at so far usually have a central “park” or community area, with shops and restaurants around it. They vary in size, from smaller “towns” such as Grecia, to larger “cities” like Cartago. These central areas are where locals and visitors congregate, catch up, hang out and people watch. Oh and get ice cream :).

Cartago (which used to be the capital of Costa Rica before it moved to San José in 1823) is situated at the base of the Irazú Volcano and has wonderful churches (The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles has some great architecture) and ruins (the Church of Carthage is the remains of the unfinished parish church of Santiago Apostle which was never completed due to a number of earthquakes).

So far I’ve only covered the areas around San Jose. Over the next few weeks I’ll be venturing further afield to places like Arenal, Nosara and the coastal towns. Maybe even visit a beach or two 🙂

LTPV!

Gary

The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles - Cartago

The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles – Cartago

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Ruins of the Church of Carthage – Cartago

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Central Park area – Atenas

 

Quote

Freedom

Inner freedom is above all freedom from the dictatorship of “me” and “mine,” of the ego that clashes with whatever it dislikes and seeks desperately to appropriate whatever it covets.

So being free comes down to breaking the bonds of afflictions that dominate and cloud the mind. It means taking life into one’s own hand, instead of abandoning it to tendencies created by habit and mental confusion.

If a sailor looses the tiller and lets the sails flap in the wind and the boat drift wherever the currents take it, it is not called freedom—it is called drifting. Freedom here means taking the helm and sailing toward the chosen destination.

Mattheu Ricard, Happiness.

When you can’t fit a spider in a pint glass

My sister managed to load Whatsapp on her phone recently.

For those of you unfamiliar, it’s a text, phone and video chat app that’s very popular at the moment. If you want to contact me here in CR it’s the best way.

It’s relatively secure and easy to use and helps me keep in touch with family and friends.

I use it to text chat and send pictures / videos as I travel. And today my mother had the first video chat of her life. I’m very proud of her. She only shouted at the phone for the first 30 seconds.

We did a little walking tour of the apartment, talked about shopping for food, the cost of housing here, the weather etc. It’s always good to catch up with family and find out what’s happening at home. My mum had recently had a pineapple from Costa Rica and approved of the quality and flavour. As my sister put it, “she’s happy now she knows Costa Rica can provide for her first born”. Admittedly I will have to eat more than pineapples but having the support of your family when you are off on such an adventure is fantastic.

Flora and Fauna

Rather randomly my mum asked if there were spiders in Costa Rica. According to some estimates it’s home to over 500,000 species (about 4% of the total species estimated worldwide), making Costa Rica one of the 20 countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. Of these 500,000 species, a little more than 300,000 are insects. And we won’t even mention the flora (20 species of orchid alone!). So I confidently answered yes, we have spiders. Why?

According to an article in the Daily Mail, there will be an “invasion” of spiders this bank holiday weekend in the UK (which is not generally known for its biodiversity). My mum has gone on spider alert, and my sister is apparently the “Aranea cum sicario disputabo” (Spider Assassin), called on when any are found within the walls of the castle (they live in a detached 5 bed but it was sounding more like Game of Thrones the longer we went on).

And then my mum, with all seriousness, told me one of her friends found a spider “that wouldn’t fit in a pint glass”.

So I now have a new challenge. I am going to find a Costa Rican spider that won’t fit in a pint glass. I don’t actually have a pint glass with me in my backpack but I’ll improvise.

LTPV!

Gary

Paperoplastic? Buying groceries in Costa Rica

Understanding how things are done is important when you are in someone else’s country.

When I first moved to the US (to Erie, PA) one of my first culture shock activities was buying groceries. I remember wandering up and down Peach Street (THE main shopping area in Erie) looking for anything that looked like a Tesco or similar (Tesco was the largest food retailer in the UK when I left there in 2004, but these days I have no idea as it’s been wracked by management wrongdoings).

I figured head to the Mall (Shopping Centre). But alas Millcreek Mall is full of clothes, sporting goods and Starbucks. Not a single tin of beans in sight. In the UK you will usually find grocery stores like Tesco in the shopping centres. So I was applying cultural context, but it was wrong.

Eventually I gave up, and the next day confessed my failure to one of my colleagues, asking for help. They smiled and said one word. Wegmans.

That night I drove up Peach Street until I saw it, up on a hill. The Wegmans!

How would you like to pay sir?

Walking in it was both foreign and familiar. Aisles of cereal, bins of fruit, fridges full of ice cream. But a lot of unfamiliar brands. And new things that would forever be imprinted on the consciousness of my sweet tooth. (As an aside Swedish Fish are the spawn of the devil but SOOOOOOO good. I dare you to try one and then seal that stupid packet back up. It won’t happen my friend. It won’t happen).

As I rolled my trolley/cart towards the register/checkout, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I’d come, I’d saw and I had conquered. Alright I still couldn’t find the bloody Digestives but I did at least have a chicken and some salad. I was a man of my own destiny and diet!

Then it happened. “Paperoplastic”.

The young woman at the end of the conveyor was looking at me, and from her expression whatever she just asked was a question.

“Excuse me?” I replied, watching her expression to try to gauge what the bloody hell she wanted so early into the transaction.

“Paperoplastic”. The word wasn’t one I knew. All my education. Extensive reading. Years spent writing professionally (I was a technical author early on in my career) were for nought. Thinking rapidly I looked for some clue or etymology in the word. Paperoplastic.

Paper. O. Plastic. Could it be? Paper or Plastic? Yes! Maybe, just maybe! And if so what was she asking me?

The epiphany

In a lightbulb moment I surmised she was asking me did I want to pay cash, or use a credit card. Yes! That had to be it!

“Plastic!” I said with complete confidence (the English may lack language skills in many cases, but by the gods we can sound confident saying anything).

Nodding, she began to bag my purchases. Cool. I didn’t even have to pack the stuff.

The next day I was chatting to my same teammate, and regaled him with the story. As he shook his head and told me that she was asking if I wanted the food packed in plastic or paper bags, I realised I had a long way to go.

And so, 13 years later.

Walking into a Masxmenos in Escazú reminded me of that experience in Erie. I’d found it by searching Google for “groceries near me” and been offered a map with directions to get me there (Google is our digital colleague now I guess). I walked the aisles of cereal, fruit and ice cream. Albeit the signs were in Spanish (and again Google Translate came to the rescue) and there was the familiar mixed in with the strange, but I had that trolley/cart of food 🙂

As I approached the checkout, the cashier looked up at me. I could see the Gringo detector come on in his eyes as he cheerily said “hello” instead of “hola”. I was slightly relieved as my Spanish is still minimal (that will change over time and I always have my mate Google with me if I get into a mess).

“Hola” I replied (I love to cause confusion don’t I).

As I looked at the man packing my bags, I’m relieved to see there was only plastic available.

LTPV!

Gary

When it rains it pours

They say there are two seasons in Chicago. Winter and construction.

There’s two seasons in Costa Rica as well. Dry “Summer” (verano) – January through April and Rainy “Winter” (invierno) – May through December. Now for you climatologists out there note that whilst Costa Rica does effectively “mirror” the typical weather of the Northern Hemisphere (our winter is the US / Northern European summer and vice versa), Costa Rica actually is in the Northern Hemisphere. I’ll leave you to debate this quirk of nature and move on with my point.

When it rains here, it typically pours. So far this has manifested itself as bright, sunny or slightly overcast mornings, with a steadily increasing cloud cover until eventually the heavens open. The Ticos are always ready with umbrellas. The tourists (such as they are this time of year) are more…variable (I saw a couple today who looked like drenched rats standing under a bridge. I was tempted to offer a ride but I’m borrowing a friend’s car whilst here and didn’t want to water soak his leather seats. Also there’s obviously the need to be conscious of ones personal security here and, in fact, in two thirds of the places I’ve ever visited).

The rain nourishes the land. The lushness and vegetation of this country never ceases to amaze me and is one of the main reasons I want to live here. I’ve always felt most at peace when nature is within reach and is abundant. In Chicago I was near the lakefront and had access to parks and green spaces, but compared to here that was like being in a desert.

I was driving back from Grecia today when it really let loose. The phone was in its holder and supplying the much-needed navigation (for context the apartment where I am currently staying in Escuzu is, according to Google Maps, on an “unnamed street”. I use GPS coordinates to drive home at night, and that isn’t unusual. I’ll post later on how navigating here is like asking for directions in the mountains of West Virgina).

My Nexus 6P has a neat little double tap on the on/off button that lets it switch to taking a picture / video. So there it was, safely in the holder, taking this video:

I’d paused under a bridge (well paused is a euphemism – the traffic was moving at 2 miles an hour) and was enjoying the waterfall effect in front of me. And yes, when I drove under it I cackled like a 3 year old on a roller coaster. What can I say. I love nature!

LTPV!

Gary