Remember, it's an adventure.

Tortuguero Jungle Cruise (by John)

In our last episode the dynamic duo had just checked into their cabin in the rain forest. In this episode they undertake two equally dangerous endeavors – the all-inclusive buffet lunch and a jungle cruise into the depths of the tributaries of Tortuguero National Park. The former was actually a perfectly adequate, by Costa Rican culinary standards, buffet lunch. Self-serve water, juice de jour and coffee provided hydration for our upcoming sit-in-a-boat excursion. Lunch, like every meal, included rice and beans along with typical buffet fare – salad of sorts, bread, veggies and two meat dishes. Our lunch dessert for day one was Tres Leches Cake.

On the Road to Tortuguero (by Cindy)

Now that we are somewhat settled, we wanted to start exploring our new country. September and October are the rainiest months of the rainy season here. With some research we found that the Caribbean side of Costa Rica is “drier” when the rest of the country is “rainier.” There are several options along the coast, but we decided to make our first trip at the end of September to Tortuguero. The name Tortuguero means “Place of Turtles.”

Tortuguero is located along the northern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It is somewhat remote and is not a place you go for a beach vacation. The beaches are dark sand beaches and are known for dangerous rip tides and sharks. Tortuguero is a place you go to see turtles and other amazing wildlife. September seemed like an ideal time because not only would it be drier and warmer there than Escazú, but it is one of the peak nesting months for Green Turtles.

This is the first post about our trip to Tortuguero – the journey, not the destination.

Frogger (by Cindy)

Anyone remember the old video game “Frogger” from the 1980’s? The objective was to move frogs across a busy road and then across a perilous river to their homes.

Frogger Game – “Frogger” complete with his 1980’s briefcase

Mid-Century Simple (by John)

Our apartments in Escazú came equipped with a mystery device shown in the photo below. I have no idea what it is but when I plugged it in and turned it on I discovered a very pleasant side effect. It expelled a broad exhaust plume that provided a cooling effect. I assume that the gas expelled is non-toxic because there is no warning label (and in Costa Rica they apply labels quite liberally as Cindy mentioned in a previous blog). Just to be safe I opened the sliding doors to our balcony deck to allow the exhaust a way out of our apartment. By playing with its controls I discovered a setting that dispersed the exhaust in a back and forth motion across the room. There was something quite comfortable about the sensation produced. For some reason it took me back to my childhood and afternoons at my grandmother’s house.

Home Sweet Escazú (by John)

We moved to Costa Rica from the U.S. 7 weeks ago. For the next year or so we are living in Escazú (San Rafael de Escazú) while we have a house built in a development called Bellazo near Nosara. Escazú is a suburb of the Costa Rican capital city, San José. Escazú is called the Beverly Hills of Costa Rica (also called the city of witches). We have decided to live without a car while living in the city but will need to purchase a 4 wheel drive when we relocate to Nosara.

Paw-a Vida! (by Cindy)

The first time I noticed Escazú’s city seal on a sign, I did a double take. The town seal has a real witch on it! It is a stereotypical witch – woman dressed in black with a cape, pointed hat, and riding a broomstick. And just to be sure you understand, it is also clearly stated on the insignia as well, “Ciudad de las Brujas” which means, “City of the Witches.” There are numerous witch stories in folklore associated with the city and the city seems to be embracing them.

Finding a Needle in a Haystack (by Cindy)

I was getting ready to go out to dinner a few weeks ago. We were meeting an old colleague of John’s that happened to be in town for a business conference. Our first US visitor! I pulled on a pair of my favorite slacks and took a look in the mirror. Hmmm, something didn’t look quite right with one of my pant legs. I bent over and examined it. Uh oh – the hem on that pant leg was unraveled. We needed to get going, and everything else I had ironed and put on worked with those slacks. I MacGyver’d the pant leg with scotch tape and hoped it would hold through the evening. (Yes, it did, thankfully…)

Cata Capers (by Cindy) (Working Title per John – Dante’s Inferno part dos)

We’ve been looking for cookies for a quick dessert or snack, and not finding exactly what we wanted at the places we usually shop – Walmart, the grocery store we sometimes frequent, or Pricesmart. It dawned on us that we could make cookies ourselves! After all, we’re retired and have made cookies before, so why not try?

Technología – Can’t live with it… pass the beer nuts (by John)

My post title is adapted from a Cheers episode. A classic Norm quote from season 8 was, “Women. You can’t live with them…pass the beer nuts.” Somehow I find it quite fitting with respect to our move to Costa Rica. I can’t imagine making the move without technology but, at the same time, it has been the source of “muy” frustration. I spent countless hours prior to our move researching various technologies related primarily to televisión, teléfono and música. Some of the research payed off. Some did not.

Staying Out of Hot Water (by Cindy)

Our hot water heater … isn’t. We only have a few but necessary uses for hot water – taking showers and doing dishes by hand. You could also throw in laundry (please!). When we turn on the hot water in the kitchen sink or in our showers, we have to turn the temperature knob all the way to the red dot, to get what we would consider even close to hot water.