Exploring the Neighborhood

It was time to get back into a routine that includes regular excercise so the hubby and I decided to walk and hike some of the roads around our current neighborhood.

I met a lovely neighbor named Lilliana the other day.  Like all the other neighbors we have met thus far, she was very friendly.  After extensively discussing the water shortage problems and how to adapt, she shared with me that she has lived in this neighborhood all of her life.  Her siblings, including her parents all live in this neighborhood as well.  She encouraged us to walk some of the hills here to see all the views and beauty of the blooming plants and trees.

We hiked for over an hour and a half up one road yesterday that was mostly pretty rocky and rough.  We knew this road led to a motorcross course which made sense when we walked the terrain.  The toucans were abundant up the road as well as other species of birds.  We did find out something rather surprising about those pretty fruit loop birds....they are also carnivorous!  We were told that if the supply of fruits and berries are not ample enough to feed them, the toucans resort to pillaging the nests of smaller birds and will swoop in to eat baby birds.  Guess those big beaks are multi purpose.

This morning we walked over to a very nice gated community that is still being developed called Cerro Luna.  We introduced ourselves to the guard and the gate and asked if we could just walk up and back down.  I also mentioned our contractor's name since he is building homes in Cerro Luna.  Yeyo, the guard was very nice and even had a small bag of jamaica seeds for me when we came back down the hill.  I had noticed there were jamaica plants at the entrance and told him that the leaves were dried and used extensively in Mexico to make wonderful cold drink like iced tea, and tastes similar to cranberry juice.  The walk up the community was quite pleasant and I especially enjoyed seeing a Cortez tree in full bloom.  The tree blooms at this time of year and is covered with beautiful yellow flowers. 

The other day a man stopped by selling yogurt, cheese, sour cream and a garlic type sausage.  We purchased some strawberry yogurt and sausage.  The yogurt here is almost the thickness of a milk shake so I decided to make smoothies with it by adding frozen berries and ice.  

This afternoon we will be hosting some Americans we met last week that live right down the street.  We are in similar situations since Teresa, the daughter is living with and caring for her 80 year old dad.  My hubby and I have my 89 year old mother in law and my 82 year old dad living with us.  While we realize that it is a blessing to have them with us, there are certainly challenges to living and caring for elderly parents, particularly one with dementia.  Some days are easier than others, and we have realized that we have to take a small break periodically, even if it means a jaunt to the grocery store or to run errands in town.

Someone is shaking my bed!

Somebody is shaking my bed!

This morning around 1:10 a.m., we awoke to a shaking house and doors rattling thanks to a 4.9 or so magnitude earthquake.  My poor mother-in-law who has dementia woke up screaming, "someone is shaking my bed!"  She often thinks there are ghosts or intruders in the house (despite that the house looks like Fort Knox at night).  This time, though instead of running to reassure her no one was inside the house, I had to try to explain it was earthquake.  I am not sure she really comprehended the explanation since it was her first earthquake, but she went back to sleep.  Meanwhile, I headed back to the bed where my hubby and dog were both sawing logs, oblivious to all the activity.  It was only when I landed next to hubby on the mattress on the floor that we are temporarily sleeping on until we move that he woke up and I explained what had happened.  I think he was disappointed he missed all the mayhem.  It was a pretty surreal experience to wake up and see the whole house moving and hear the door rattling!

A few hours later, my dad and I were headed back to the big city of San Jose to finish up our immigration paperwork.  We had to stop by the Canadian Embassy to obtain verification of his Canadian Pension.  The experience reminded me of someone visiting a loved one in prison since you have to go through a metal detector and then are brought into a small room with two chairs, a plexiglass window with a slot below it and a telephone.  You wait in the small room for someone to come and assist you.  A few minutes later, paper in hand we were off to the photo place to get his pictures.  We found the exterior gate, rang the bell to be let into a stairway down to a basement room where the photography studio consisted of a one man operation with his camera and desk.  Ten minutes later we were headed to the lawyer's office located in Casa Canada. We took care of a few other errands, including a quick pit stop at the Auto Mercado, or high end grocery store where I was elated to find my Panko bread crumbs which I use to mix with pecans to pan fry our sea bass.  

Do you know the way to San Jose?

This past week has been eventful.  My dad flew in from Acapulco to join us here for an indefinite period of time.  It is nice to hav our family unit united again!

Today we had to venture into the big capital city of San Jose to get fingerprinted at the police station.  We arrived at the station around 9:00 am and proceeded to get in the long line outside the station.  My 82 year old father and my 89 year old mother-in-law, however were duly escorted to fhe very front of the line.  Costa Rica is very respectful in certain arenas towards seniors.  Before we could all get fingerprinted, we were whisked to a small enclave in front of the station to get our picture snapped....one man operation with a photo printer...quick background using the gray wall of the building and two minutes later, perfect almost passport type photos.  My hubby and I were taken to a holding area under the citrus trees with a bunch of other folks patiently waiting for their turn in the que.

Since our parents were finished processing and it looked like we were hours away from being done, we asked our companion from the lawyer's office to take them to the US Embassy to the Social Security document to be used for proof of income.  They were then taken back to the house while we waited patiently with the other 70 or so folks to be finger printed.  My fair skinned husband who is insistent on getting his 20 minutes of vitamin D in the sun each day did come home looking like a lobster since part of our wait was shade free so he got a week's worth of vitamin D!  The weather was very nice though...about 75 degrees.

I am continually astonished at how patient people are here and the sense of humor they keep when dealing with long lines!  We met two older gentlemen sitting next to us for hours who kept us in stiches laughing.  One man said his boss kept calling him asking him where he was...why wasn't he back at the office.  He said he wanted to reply, "because I am now at the beach, of course!"  You quickly learn here to just "go with the flow" and join the natives in laughing about things.

Since our taxi had gone back to our hometown, we decided to be adventurous and try the bus system since we have heard and read so many positive things about the bus system.  We took a taxi from the police station, after having a quick meal across the street of wonderful Carribean food,  to the Coca Cola station, which is the main bus station and not the Coke bottling plant.  We arrived and were told to walk straight through the open market where we were dropped off and ask on the opposite end of the market for the bus to Atenas.  The next bus was leaving in 10 minutes.  We hopped on and 45 minutes and $4.00 later we were back in Atenas. The bus was very modern, Mercedes Benz, and very clean!

My dad and I will make the venture back to San Jose in a couple of days since he was not able to get his Canada Pension paper today.  We are all pretty happy though the fingerprinting business is behind us so now we wait for Interpol to come back with a nice clean report on all of us so we can proceed with the approval of our residency.

Passion for Coconut

I love all things coconut!  One of my favorite memories of growing up in Mexico was eating coconut ice cream and paletas de coco or coconut popsicles.  Since there is an abundant supply of good coconuts here in Costa Rica, I determined it was time to learn how to make some coconut popsicles.

We really love the "pipa" water, or coconut milk as it s called here.  You see signs of vendors selling "pipa" everywhere here.  The coconuts are usually green, which is when the water or milk is tastiest and the coconut meat is very soft.  

I found this great, easy recipe on the Internet and just tweaked it to make the coconut popsicles even creamier.

1 can condensed milk

1 can coconut milk (straight from the coconut using the empty can of condensed milk which I dumped into the blender)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cream of coconut (optional...kind used to make piña coladas)

1 cup shredded coconut or throw a few pieces in of the fresh ripe coconut to blend (ripe coconut is hard in texture and has brown peeling).

1/2 tspn cinnamon

Toss everything in blender and blend well.  Then put in popsicle molds and freeze.  

I tried my first one this morning and was quite delighted with the outcome.  The popsicles were creamy, and had great coconut taste.

One thing I have noticed when I have traveled in the past to places that do not eat spicy foods that my tastebuds develop a deep yearning for some chile infused spice.  In Costa Rica, the cuisine is not spicy, and serrano peppers are not to be found.  However, I am grateful to find jalapeños so I will learn to make due.  The variety of wonderful tropical fruits and veggies make up for a few scarce items such as serranos and tomatillos.  Pinto beans are a staple in Texas cuisine, but not so easy to find here.  We did manage to find some at the fancy, gringo type grocery store.  Red and black beans are the staple items here so I am going to try to cook some red beans today.  Personally, I have never met a bean I do not like, so I am sure we will learn to get by with only having pinto beans on occasion.  

Yesterday afternoon while I was battling the shell of the coconut to remove the meat away from the shell, I heard a couple of nearby toucans.  I was quite entertained listening to them sing back to one another ....extra treat was that they were both quite close and visible so it was quite a treat.

Everyday while we sit out on the patio we watch for our iguana neighbor who lives above the pump house across the driveway.  He provides us daily, cheap amusement along with the other critters you get used to seeing at various times of the day.  I am uploading Mr Iguana's photo to share.

Love Hate Relationship With Motorcycles

If you have read some of my blog entries you can deduce by now that I am not overly fond of the loud motorcycles that roar through the neighborhood where we currently live.  However, I must confess that since we arrived a month ago, I have been on the lookout for a particular man on a particular motorcycle.  So know one misinterprets my intentions with Henry, the man in question, he is the  illusive Palmito cheese supplier.  I was going to call him "dealer" but that might sound like I am looking for some kind of a drug dealer!  Anyway, this morning I overheard my 89 year old, english speaking only, mother-in-law trying to converse with someone outside.  When I stepped outside, imagine my surprise when I see Henry, the cheese guy!  Our taxi driver, Walter, had introduced me to Henry several months ago during a trip to Atenas.  We bought cheese from him and found out he comes through town twice a month.  Poor Henry had a perplexed look on his face this morning when I smiled at him, and proceeded to say, "you are just the man I have been looking for since I arrived in Atenas!"  Anyway, I explained myself, and then bought some wonderful cheese and got his phone number so I can continue purchasing from him after we move to our own home.

I have accumulated a number of contacts here in Atenas as great resources such as Henry, the cheese guy.  There is Pablo, the attorney (everybody needs one in Costa Rica since the attorney does a number of things, to include facilitating purchasing a vehicle), Bernie the pool guy, Freddy the mechanic, Guido the lock tech, Charlie the gardener, Miguel the taxi driver,  Walter the aiport transport with a van, Wilson the tour guide, and Coca, our home builder.

I could not tell you any of their surnames, except for our lawyer's, but they are all programmed in my cell phone with their respective professions!

Addresses, specific numerical addresses are also pretty non existent here.  So, if you are going to find a place, you are provided markers such as bus stops, restaurants, other businesses, and then an estimated number of meters from there.  If a GPS is used then actual coordinates, rather than street names with numbers are given.  Essentially, it is like going on a treasure hunt!  I have also learned to use markers such as trees, cell phone towers, and homes as markers to get from point A to point B.

The next couple of weeks there is a festival in the nearby town of Palmares.  I read that the festival is expected to attract over one million people!  Wow, that is a lot of people, especially considering that there are only approximately 5 million people living in Costa Rica.  Today as we headed into town we noticed much heavier traffic headed in the direction of Palmares and noticed many people in town dressed in cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and plaid shirts.  For a minute, I thought I was back in Texas, except for the the lack of big "bubba trucks" or Dooleys!  One rarely sees big trucks here since the price of fuel is over $5.75 per gallon.  Toyota RAVs, Mitsubishi SUVs and Land Cruisers are more the norm.  The Palmares festival even has its own website as it considered one of the top two premiere festivals of the year.  

Dengue Watch

Even though we have not been doing very much the last few days it has been fun meeting people when I take my overweight Chihuahua for a walk each day.  While we are living on a large property that is fenced in, it seems my dog is like a little inmate always wanting to escape to see what is going on in the neighborhood.  Most of the dogs runs pretty much freely here so he kind of looks out of place on a leash.

A couple of days ago I met a neighbor who had lost his beloved parrot, Paquita.  He said she had flown away the day before and was wondering if we had heard or seen a tame parrot.  I don't know if he ever found he, but it does seem that there are a number of escapee parrots.

I find the differences in packaging of products from the USA and here quite interesting.  Whereas packaging is very important in the US, it seems that simplicity rules here.  Like in Mexico, you might often purchase a frozen popsicle in a plastic bag....no stick or Ziplock type bag, just a plain Jane plastic bag.  Ketchup, mayonnaise, tomato sauce are typically sold in bags as well.  Essentially, much less glass and boxes here for product packaging.  Even our oatmeal comes in a bag.  I think that this type of packaging seems to result in less trash as well, which is a good thing!  

Mornings are a favorite time of day as you get to hear all the different birds, interspersed with a loud motorcycle roar here and there!  I still cannot believe how loud some of these motorcycles are--could wake the dead!

Today we had an employee from the local clinic stop by to conduct a "Dengue" inspection.  Apparently, there have been a few cases of the Dengue fever reported in the area.  The inspector walked around looking for standing water and made a couple of suggestions of preventative measures such as not allowing any water to stand below the potted plants and also provided a list of symptoms to watch for to diagnose the Dengue. 

We had a repairman from San Jose drive to our home in Atenas to check out a drainage problem with the washer.  He seemed almost apologetic for charging us $30 for a service call, which we thought was dirt cheap since he had to drive over 30 minutes to get to our home.  He replaced a water pump, but did not ask to be paid immediately so I contacted him to see about paying the bill.  We were pleasantly surprised when he said we should wait a few days to see if the repair worked before paying him...what?  Really?  So, five days later I contacted him and told him all was well and he gave us instructions and a reasonable amount to pay him electronically.  We will be keeping his number for future reference.

Back to tackling challenges, Costa Rica style

The holidays are behind us so it is time to start dealing with the mundane, but necessary issues that must be tackled.  First up is finalizing the insurance policy for our home.  With 2012 recording twice the normal amount of earthquakes in Costa Rica, we decided it is best to buy some piece of mind.  After waiting for the official accountant to provide us a $90 letter with a fancy stamp that somehow proves we are not laundering money, but rather hard working individuals with legal sources of income, we are now able to pay our premium.  Frankly, I do not imagine "El Chapo Guzman's" launderers worrying about paying for a $500 insurance policy.  We are quickly learning to go with the flow.  Our insurance agent has turned out to be a great guy who also has something in common with us....we both love to shop with Amazon.com.  He even showed us a nifty way to purchase merchandise in the US and have it shipped via a company known as Aerocasillas.   While I was very intrigued, my husband would surely put the kabosh on any Internet shopping since I am constantlly being reminded we are now on a strict budget and living a minimalist lifestyle.

I have discovered that Amazon.com does have some ebooks that fit our budget...free downloads!  I had no idea you could get books for free online.  I love this plan since I have had time lately to rediscover the passion or reading.  Over the last few years it seems like I never made time to read and appreciate a great book.  It was much easier to turn on the television and let the mindless entertainment invade my dormant imagination.  Now,  I rarely watch TV and much prefer to lay in a very comfortable Mexican hammock (one of many we own made by one of my dad's acquaintances serving time in a Mexican prison) and read an ebook.

The other big accomplishment today was to deliver the second $90 letter to the bank to assure them as well that our source of income is indeed legitimate.  We were told this must be done annually until we obtain our residency.  We are hopeful that we will not have to purchase anymore of these letters.  

The errands accomplished today actually bring a sense of accomplishment.  It is weird how the smallest hurdles here can make you feel like you finished a 10k run.  You almost get an adrenaline rush from each task...even seeing our first package arrive at our newly acquired post office box.  We had secured a UPS mailbox before we left Texas.  The idea was to have them collect our mail and then forward it all once a month to us in Costa Rica.  We thought it would work until we were told the first envelope cost us $50.00.  When we opened the package today we quickly realized that 2/3 of the contents was junk mail, including mostly solicitations for credit cards.  Sorting through the envelopes made me realize how little I miss going through mail everyday.  So now we have gone to plan "b" to have mail forwarded to my brother's address in Texas.  He will scan and email anything we think is important.  I guess the $20 per year Costa Rica mailbox will serve some other unknown purpose.

The only other eventful things of the last couple of days was hearing mu poor dog screech like the pigs that my 4ft aunt in Mexico used to slaughter when something bit his back left paw while going for a walk yesterday.  Iam certain the entire neighborhood heard his piercing shrieks of pain.  I picked him up, whisked him home and proceeded to inspect the area.  No signs of puncture, swelling or blood.  I applied some Benadryl and within a few minutes he was milking the alleged wound for all he could.  

This morning as I was awakening I heard an odd clackety clack noise outside our bedroom window.  I jumped out of bed fo see two cattle of some sort (even though I lived in Texas for over 30 years I do not know a cow from a steer or whatever else they are called ) pulling the most colorful oxcart.  A few hours later, the same oxcart came by carrying a load of what appeared to be sugarcane.  It was such a nice refreshing sound and sight in comparison to the normal wide open exhaust roar we hear from the motorcycles throughout the day.