We have been back for about 10 days, and we are getting ready to drive up to Duluth, Mn for a baby shower. This is an 8 hour drive that we have made many times. Neither of us feels like taking another trip, but we have family obligations, and so, off we go.
Deb's teeth are looking great. She had some discomfort initially, but each day her mouth has gotten more and more pain free. We're broke from the trip, and we'll have to be very careful over the next few months about what we do. But that is OK if Deb can eat without pain.
All of our luggage made it home with us. Deb has finished the laundry. I have been back to work and told everyone about the earthquake and dentistry.
It is good to be home.
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Traveling Home
We are sitting on the veranda, listening to the birds and sipping coffee. Today is a travel day. We are leaving San Jose airport at 1 pm, and will get into Chicago's Midway airport at 11 pm. We have a full day of airports, hurry up and wait. We will eat bad food that is expensive. We are hoping that they won't keep our luggage, again. But we both are ready to go home.
The Hotel Alta has been a refuge in a strange country. If you are in San Jose, consider staying here. We know most of the people who work here, and they are all nice.They go out of their way to make you comfortable.
If you want to get good dental work done, at a fair price, then see Dr. Marco and Dr. Cavellini. They made Deb's mouth look and feel like new.
We're packing and getting ready for today. I'll see some of you Monday. Hast la vista.
The Hotel Alta has been a refuge in a strange country. If you are in San Jose, consider staying here. We know most of the people who work here, and they are all nice.They go out of their way to make you comfortable.
If you want to get good dental work done, at a fair price, then see Dr. Marco and Dr. Cavellini. They made Deb's mouth look and feel like new.
We're packing and getting ready for today. I'll see some of you Monday. Hast la vista.
A Quake Follow Up
Costa Rica experienced a 5.9 earthquake that was felt all over the country. Very little damage was caused by it. Cell phone coverage was briefly interrupted.
On a personal note, the staff of the hotel shrugged off the whole thing. "If you live in Costa Rica, earthquakes are.." and then the shrug.
Don't worry, be happy.
On a personal note, the staff of the hotel shrugged off the whole thing. "If you live in Costa Rica, earthquakes are.." and then the shrug.
Don't worry, be happy.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Some background
I wanted to talk a little about the little details of life in Costa Rica. Because it is just above the equator, I had some expectations. The first is the temperature. Being in the tropical latitudes, I expected to have hot humid days. Actually, the temps are in the 70's and 80's and the humidity is only high right after a rain storm. It rains just about every day, and it rains hard. We look out over a valley, and can watch the storms move in. But most of the time, we have a nice breeze that is almost too cool for short sleeves.
We don't have many bugs and no mosquitoes. Most of the windows don't have screens. They simply through open a window when they want to let in some breezes. We've seen some big beetles that are like June bugs back home. They are clumsy fliers that settle on one spot and stay there.
Most of the animals we see are either birds, which seem to be everywhere, or common dogs and cats. The birds are different from home but not that different. We have seen an occasional bright green parrot, but mostly swallows, black birds and so on.
Most of the plants we see are tropical. Deb is constantly amazed at what is growing around here. We have palm trees, and big flowering shrubs. Every table has a delicate orchid that would cost ten times as much at home. Here they are inexpensive, elegant decorations.
We don't speak Spanish, except for a very few words. But we understand quite a bit more than we can speak. So far we have managed to communicate although we have gotten volunteer translators, occasionally. People in San Jose are used to foreigners mangling Spanish, and they mostly take it in good humor. We have been working on learning but it takes time and practice.
The buildings are all very Spanish, built with brick and tile. Just a couple of houses down the hill, workers have been building a second story addition out of concrete blocks. When they got ready to put on the roof, it was a metal roof, corrugated to look like roofing tile. Buildings are often white, or painted bright colors.
All of the homes have gates, and many businesses have armed guards because the police don't come right away. Crime is a problem and criminals target businesses that don't have guards and gates. You need to be aware of your surroundings, just like any large large city in the states.
Traffic is amazing. Don't drive in San Jose.
We travel everywhere in taxis. Many of the drivers do not speak English, but they are willing to try and understand you. Real taxis are red with a triangular sign on the side. They are driven by professional drivers who are all courteous. You need to know that gypsy taxis don't have meters and can over-charge you. We have heard of people getting beaten and robbed when they took a gypsy taxi.
Getting directions in San Jose is confusing. Our dentist's office is "300 meters south of the Pizza Hut on Passeo Colon." Houses don't have numbers and the mail only gets delivered to post office boxes, if someone has a box. Otherwise, well you have to figure it out.
You don't get mustard with your meals. The seasoning is good but not spicy. After a week and a half here, we finally got a jalapeno relish, on the side, with nachos. Do not worry about fiery surprises. You can get ketchup with your fries, if you ask. But you get little packets of it, or maybe a small dish with a spoon and it is sweeter than at home.
Seafood is fresh and excellent. They have shrimp, calamari, and fish. Beef, pork and chicken are also good. Black beans and rice seasoned with a special sauce, called gallo pinto, are like potatoes. Fresh fruit is always available.
The deserts that are available are all sweet. I am fond of 'tres leches' which means three milks. It is sponge cake, soaked in sweetened condensed milk with whipped cream on top. For some odd historical reasons, apple strudel is commonly available.
Coffee is excellent and is mostly drunk "con leche" which means with a generous dose of hot milk.
We don't have many bugs and no mosquitoes. Most of the windows don't have screens. They simply through open a window when they want to let in some breezes. We've seen some big beetles that are like June bugs back home. They are clumsy fliers that settle on one spot and stay there.
Most of the animals we see are either birds, which seem to be everywhere, or common dogs and cats. The birds are different from home but not that different. We have seen an occasional bright green parrot, but mostly swallows, black birds and so on.
Most of the plants we see are tropical. Deb is constantly amazed at what is growing around here. We have palm trees, and big flowering shrubs. Every table has a delicate orchid that would cost ten times as much at home. Here they are inexpensive, elegant decorations.
We don't speak Spanish, except for a very few words. But we understand quite a bit more than we can speak. So far we have managed to communicate although we have gotten volunteer translators, occasionally. People in San Jose are used to foreigners mangling Spanish, and they mostly take it in good humor. We have been working on learning but it takes time and practice.
The buildings are all very Spanish, built with brick and tile. Just a couple of houses down the hill, workers have been building a second story addition out of concrete blocks. When they got ready to put on the roof, it was a metal roof, corrugated to look like roofing tile. Buildings are often white, or painted bright colors.
All of the homes have gates, and many businesses have armed guards because the police don't come right away. Crime is a problem and criminals target businesses that don't have guards and gates. You need to be aware of your surroundings, just like any large large city in the states.
Traffic is amazing. Don't drive in San Jose.
We travel everywhere in taxis. Many of the drivers do not speak English, but they are willing to try and understand you. Real taxis are red with a triangular sign on the side. They are driven by professional drivers who are all courteous. You need to know that gypsy taxis don't have meters and can over-charge you. We have heard of people getting beaten and robbed when they took a gypsy taxi.
Getting directions in San Jose is confusing. Our dentist's office is "300 meters south of the Pizza Hut on Passeo Colon." Houses don't have numbers and the mail only gets delivered to post office boxes, if someone has a box. Otherwise, well you have to figure it out.
You don't get mustard with your meals. The seasoning is good but not spicy. After a week and a half here, we finally got a jalapeno relish, on the side, with nachos. Do not worry about fiery surprises. You can get ketchup with your fries, if you ask. But you get little packets of it, or maybe a small dish with a spoon and it is sweeter than at home.
Seafood is fresh and excellent. They have shrimp, calamari, and fish. Beef, pork and chicken are also good. Black beans and rice seasoned with a special sauce, called gallo pinto, are like potatoes. Fresh fruit is always available.
The deserts that are available are all sweet. I am fond of 'tres leches' which means three milks. It is sponge cake, soaked in sweetened condensed milk with whipped cream on top. For some odd historical reasons, apple strudel is commonly available.
Coffee is excellent and is mostly drunk "con leche" which means with a generous dose of hot milk.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Lazy Sunday.
Everyone talks about "The Multi" which is a huge mall and is the first and biggest mall in the whole country. Someone told us that a couple of other malls have been built, but I don't know where.
This one is huge by anyone's standards. And a lot of people go there to wander around, and maybe get something to eat. The variety of stores is impressive. We like the grocery store, and spent too much at the book store. The bookstore has an pretty large selection of English language books, for a Spanish speaking country.
We spent the rest of the day reading and just taking it easy.
This one is huge by anyone's standards. And a lot of people go there to wander around, and maybe get something to eat. The variety of stores is impressive. We like the grocery store, and spent too much at the book store. The bookstore has an pretty large selection of English language books, for a Spanish speaking country.
We spent the rest of the day reading and just taking it easy.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Adventure Saturday
So, we did get a snorkeling trip. The amount of arranging was pretty amazing. Snorkeling is not as common as zip-lining over the jungle, or touring volcanoes, or watching birds. All of these activities have small industries set up to get you out to the area, and guide you. But snorkeling is not common. So we had to figure out how to get to the coast, find a tour guide and get everything arranged.
We hired a taxi for the day. Our new friend Jason, drove us out to Quepos, (pronounced kay-poh), a little town on the Pacific coast. The drive was beautiful and nearly all of it was on new highways, so it went smoothly. The trees went from deciduous to palm trees, mixed with a few cactus as we came down off the plateau and into the coastline. The air went from pleasant, almost cool to tropical and humid.
We started at 5:00 am. Of course, this was the first night that neighbors in the hotel stayed up and were loud. Deb got very little sleep, and part of her problem, she admitted later, was worrying that I would get eaten by sharks. So she was not refreshed and energized at 5:00 am.
We stopped at a bridge, and walked out to peer into the river. The water is very dark because of the rains that wash sediment down from the hills. In the murky water, some logs made riffles in the stream. Of course, they weren't logs. This bridge is famous for its crocodiles. According to Jason, a local man is known as the crocodile man. He comes out and feeds the crocodiles. Looking down from the bridge, you realize the size of these animals, and the danger from one of them. Half a dozen animals waiting with their noses pointed into the current scares any reasonable person.
I believe I heard them whispering that they were only logs, silky smooth logs and absolutely not crocodiles. They would be a good place for swimmers to rest if someone fell off of the bridge. In their little dinosaur brains, they know that high places over a stream always have careless animals falling into the water. They only have to wait.
We had breakfast in a little open air restaurant. The food is in a case where it is kept hot or cold as it needs. I had scrambled eggs and "pinto gallo". Pinto gallo is the closest thing to a national food that Costa Rica has. Basically black beans and rice, flavored with a local sauce that is kind of like Worcestershire sauce, you eat it with every meal. Coffee is good and available nearly everywhere. But, I have new white teeth and I cannot drink coffee until Sunday. I was not cranky about that. I drank my coke through a straw.
By 8:00 am, we were at the office of Iguana tours. They were very obliging to us, and I got changed into my suit. We were out to the launch area, and on the Pacific Ocean. The bay is a mass of volcanic rocks, and getting into the water involved a lot of maneuvering over and around rough rocks. I finally got down to the water line, put on my swim fins, and eased into the water.
I am happier about this than I should be. I drank way too much salt water, getting used to the snorkel, got salt water in my eyes which really stings. I basically swam around the launch site, dived down to see some small fish the size of blue gills, hiding in between large rocks. I got pushed around by some small waves. I did not see any sharks, barracuda, sting rays, orca, jelly fish, killer snails or any other dangerous sea creatures. It was cool.
Then our guide, David, took Deb out in a two place kayak and showed her around the bay. Deb heard about the kayak, and was not going to get into one. She pictured an Eskimo kayak, with a closed top. She did not like being closed into a boat that she couldn't bail out of if it got into trouble. This was really a float with a groove on top and a couple of back rests on it. Once she saw that it was unsinkable, and easy to get out of it in an emergency, she jumped right in. David had her paddling in front, as he guided her around. Both of us spent time canoeing on the BWCA, so paddling was no big deal. The only change is that the paddles go in on one side and then another.
I got a chance to try it, and it was fun. We dawdled around some rocks, watching little crabs skitter around like cockroaches.
And then we went back to meet our taxi. Jason drove us through a winding road to the town of Marco Antonio. As part of the package, we had paid for a meal on the beach which I thought they meant a picnic. But we got a lot more than a picnic.We sat down in a nice restaurant to a big lunch. They served us a platters of delicious food, fresh seafood that was too much to eat. We were seated in an open terrace, under a root. A lot of people wandered by, being seen. According to Jason, on Easter weekend, the traffic here was completely grid locked. This was one of the nicest locations, near to San Jose. Apparently, this area is the marlin capital of Central America. You could see that a lot of money was in the area. We finished our meal and got ready to go.
One last task, on my punch list, was buying a beach towel. We were done with the beach, but I wanted to get one of those gaudy tourist towels, and I had noticed an open air market in Quepos. We went back, and found it. Jason waited in the taxi, keeping the air conditioning running while Deb and I looked at the stuff.
Deb found the required towels, and then she found this pipe. The pipe is basically bamboo covered in sculpted polymer clay. It has an iguana on the stem, with its legs wrapped around it. The bowel of the pipe has a whimsical face with a cap that opens up for your smoking material. We got it, but I have no idea of what she sees in it. Whatever she sees, we now have a pipe.
The trip home was uneventful. We climbed back up to the plateau, through sheets of rain and back to the Alta, with our packages of tourist towels and our pipe.
And then we napped like a couple of babies.
We hired a taxi for the day. Our new friend Jason, drove us out to Quepos, (pronounced kay-poh), a little town on the Pacific coast. The drive was beautiful and nearly all of it was on new highways, so it went smoothly. The trees went from deciduous to palm trees, mixed with a few cactus as we came down off the plateau and into the coastline. The air went from pleasant, almost cool to tropical and humid.
We started at 5:00 am. Of course, this was the first night that neighbors in the hotel stayed up and were loud. Deb got very little sleep, and part of her problem, she admitted later, was worrying that I would get eaten by sharks. So she was not refreshed and energized at 5:00 am.
We stopped at a bridge, and walked out to peer into the river. The water is very dark because of the rains that wash sediment down from the hills. In the murky water, some logs made riffles in the stream. Of course, they weren't logs. This bridge is famous for its crocodiles. According to Jason, a local man is known as the crocodile man. He comes out and feeds the crocodiles. Looking down from the bridge, you realize the size of these animals, and the danger from one of them. Half a dozen animals waiting with their noses pointed into the current scares any reasonable person.
I believe I heard them whispering that they were only logs, silky smooth logs and absolutely not crocodiles. They would be a good place for swimmers to rest if someone fell off of the bridge. In their little dinosaur brains, they know that high places over a stream always have careless animals falling into the water. They only have to wait.
We had breakfast in a little open air restaurant. The food is in a case where it is kept hot or cold as it needs. I had scrambled eggs and "pinto gallo". Pinto gallo is the closest thing to a national food that Costa Rica has. Basically black beans and rice, flavored with a local sauce that is kind of like Worcestershire sauce, you eat it with every meal. Coffee is good and available nearly everywhere. But, I have new white teeth and I cannot drink coffee until Sunday. I was not cranky about that. I drank my coke through a straw.
By 8:00 am, we were at the office of Iguana tours. They were very obliging to us, and I got changed into my suit. We were out to the launch area, and on the Pacific Ocean. The bay is a mass of volcanic rocks, and getting into the water involved a lot of maneuvering over and around rough rocks. I finally got down to the water line, put on my swim fins, and eased into the water.
I am happier about this than I should be. I drank way too much salt water, getting used to the snorkel, got salt water in my eyes which really stings. I basically swam around the launch site, dived down to see some small fish the size of blue gills, hiding in between large rocks. I got pushed around by some small waves. I did not see any sharks, barracuda, sting rays, orca, jelly fish, killer snails or any other dangerous sea creatures. It was cool.
Then our guide, David, took Deb out in a two place kayak and showed her around the bay. Deb heard about the kayak, and was not going to get into one. She pictured an Eskimo kayak, with a closed top. She did not like being closed into a boat that she couldn't bail out of if it got into trouble. This was really a float with a groove on top and a couple of back rests on it. Once she saw that it was unsinkable, and easy to get out of it in an emergency, she jumped right in. David had her paddling in front, as he guided her around. Both of us spent time canoeing on the BWCA, so paddling was no big deal. The only change is that the paddles go in on one side and then another.
I got a chance to try it, and it was fun. We dawdled around some rocks, watching little crabs skitter around like cockroaches.
And then we went back to meet our taxi. Jason drove us through a winding road to the town of Marco Antonio. As part of the package, we had paid for a meal on the beach which I thought they meant a picnic. But we got a lot more than a picnic.We sat down in a nice restaurant to a big lunch. They served us a platters of delicious food, fresh seafood that was too much to eat. We were seated in an open terrace, under a root. A lot of people wandered by, being seen. According to Jason, on Easter weekend, the traffic here was completely grid locked. This was one of the nicest locations, near to San Jose. Apparently, this area is the marlin capital of Central America. You could see that a lot of money was in the area. We finished our meal and got ready to go.
One last task, on my punch list, was buying a beach towel. We were done with the beach, but I wanted to get one of those gaudy tourist towels, and I had noticed an open air market in Quepos. We went back, and found it. Jason waited in the taxi, keeping the air conditioning running while Deb and I looked at the stuff.
Deb found the required towels, and then she found this pipe. The pipe is basically bamboo covered in sculpted polymer clay. It has an iguana on the stem, with its legs wrapped around it. The bowel of the pipe has a whimsical face with a cap that opens up for your smoking material. We got it, but I have no idea of what she sees in it. Whatever she sees, we now have a pipe.
The trip home was uneventful. We climbed back up to the plateau, through sheets of rain and back to the Alta, with our packages of tourist towels and our pipe.
And then we napped like a couple of babies.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Some time for Teddy.
Deb suggested that I could get 'something done', at the dentist. Putting aside the shiver factor of dentistry, I politely asked what she meant, and she suggested getting my teeth whitened.
Now I find that teeth whitening is an idea that I would never have had. But she thought that my teeth weren't as white as when we got married and this would be a good idea.
Then she told me that she had made me an appointment for Friday at 4 pm. For some reason, once she had made an appointment, then I was obliged to go through with it.
And then, she talked to the concierge at the hotel about setting up a snorkeling trip. Now, this is something I really did want to do. Ever since I first saw Jacques Cousteau, I've wanted to dive in the ocean. I used to swim under water every chance I could get. I'd swim underwater in lakes, and pools. I tried to hold my breath as long as possible and at one time, I could swim the length of a regulation pool underwater. The chance to go snorkeling in the ocean, the Pacific Ocean, was exciting.
I was looking forward to getting wet. BUT, we kept getting mixed messages about what was expected. On Thursday, we were getting discouraged about making this happen. We both got on the internet, and could find much information about tours and such. This looks sketchy at best.
OK, so Friday afternoon comes around, and I get in the chair. The technician starts loading my mouth up with something to keep my lips out of the way, gauze to protect my tongue, some sort of rubber that covers my gums and is hardened with her magic wand (really, a magic wand). I get high tech yellow sunglasses and the little hooky thing that slurps up spit.
And then she anoints my teeth with magic whitening fluid and brings in the laser.
Twenty minutes later, she comes in, adds more goo, and sets up the laser. Deb has finished her work for the day, so she comes in and tries to get me to talk. The oral fixation device reduces my speach to "Ungh, ungh." So she gets bored and leaves me in the dark.
Twenty minutes more of laser radiation, and I'm finally, sort of done. The tech hand me a mirror, and I can look into my death's head grin, to see my whiter teeth.
"Is good?" She asks, "Want one more?"
I agree that I am satisfied, and beg to have my mouth back. She just smiles and begins to unpack my mouth. After much rinsing, and gargling and removal of a really amazing amount of stuff from my mouth, I am released. Deb is waiting in the hall, and demands to have me smile. "Oh yes, that's much better. Come on." She grabs my arm and drags me over to her new friend Nickoletta. Nicky, as we now call her, is scheduled for whitening on Tuesday, and she wants to see my results.
"What's that white spot?" Nicky asks.
We agree that I had that spot before the treatment. And Nicky is kind enough to give her approval.
And so, now I have whiter teeth. Next time you see me, ask me to smile.
Now I find that teeth whitening is an idea that I would never have had. But she thought that my teeth weren't as white as when we got married and this would be a good idea.
Then she told me that she had made me an appointment for Friday at 4 pm. For some reason, once she had made an appointment, then I was obliged to go through with it.
And then, she talked to the concierge at the hotel about setting up a snorkeling trip. Now, this is something I really did want to do. Ever since I first saw Jacques Cousteau, I've wanted to dive in the ocean. I used to swim under water every chance I could get. I'd swim underwater in lakes, and pools. I tried to hold my breath as long as possible and at one time, I could swim the length of a regulation pool underwater. The chance to go snorkeling in the ocean, the Pacific Ocean, was exciting.
I was looking forward to getting wet. BUT, we kept getting mixed messages about what was expected. On Thursday, we were getting discouraged about making this happen. We both got on the internet, and could find much information about tours and such. This looks sketchy at best.
OK, so Friday afternoon comes around, and I get in the chair. The technician starts loading my mouth up with something to keep my lips out of the way, gauze to protect my tongue, some sort of rubber that covers my gums and is hardened with her magic wand (really, a magic wand). I get high tech yellow sunglasses and the little hooky thing that slurps up spit.
And then she anoints my teeth with magic whitening fluid and brings in the laser.
Twenty minutes later, she comes in, adds more goo, and sets up the laser. Deb has finished her work for the day, so she comes in and tries to get me to talk. The oral fixation device reduces my speach to "Ungh, ungh." So she gets bored and leaves me in the dark.
Twenty minutes more of laser radiation, and I'm finally, sort of done. The tech hand me a mirror, and I can look into my death's head grin, to see my whiter teeth.
"Is good?" She asks, "Want one more?"
I agree that I am satisfied, and beg to have my mouth back. She just smiles and begins to unpack my mouth. After much rinsing, and gargling and removal of a really amazing amount of stuff from my mouth, I am released. Deb is waiting in the hall, and demands to have me smile. "Oh yes, that's much better. Come on." She grabs my arm and drags me over to her new friend Nickoletta. Nicky, as we now call her, is scheduled for whitening on Tuesday, and she wants to see my results.
"What's that white spot?" Nicky asks.
We agree that I had that spot before the treatment. And Nicky is kind enough to give her approval.
And so, now I have whiter teeth. Next time you see me, ask me to smile.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Rainy Day
We are in the beginning of the rainy season, which means we usually get an hour or two of rain every day. It has been dry for the last couple of days, but now we are making up for lost time.
Back to the dentist's office, and waiting. Most of my time is spent waiting while painful things happen to Deb. I don't want to trade places with her, but I do get bored. Fortunately,today was only impressions, and fitting of temp teeth. While her permanent teeth are being made, Deb will be wearing a set of temporary teeth for the next few days.
We pass the time by introducing ourselves to other patients. One older couple, Eddy and Norma, originally came from Cuba. Norma still breaks into Spanish when she isn't thinking about it. Eddy says, "English, Norma, English." and Norma gives him an impatient look that means that she knows, quit bothering her. Norma is the one supporting Eddy, as he gets dental work done. Eddy is waiting patiently while Norma frets that they have forgotten him. Then she is concerned that he won't get the good doctor. "Don't worry, Norma," Eddy pats her leg. "They know what they are doing."
He turns to me, "I am the one who is easy going. She frets about everything."
"Well someone has to take care of this." Norma says, "You don't worry about anything."
Eddy just pats her leg fondly.
As we talk, Eddy mentions that he was captured by the Cubans and rode to prison in a semi-trailer along with 150 other men, packed in like sardines. "Thirty or forty of them died. I rode to prison, sitting on a dead man."
Two other guys are also from Cuba. One of them was part of an evacuation that brought children and left their parents behind. He was seventeen when he set foot in America. They kept offering him welfare, and charity, but he just wanted to get a job and earn his own way.
Deb is having a tired day. We both have found that we come to a point where the constant stress of being in a different country seems to catch up with you. Today was that day. We both are feeling tired. Deb napped for three hours in the middle of the day, which she never does.
Back to the dentist's office, and waiting. Most of my time is spent waiting while painful things happen to Deb. I don't want to trade places with her, but I do get bored. Fortunately,today was only impressions, and fitting of temp teeth. While her permanent teeth are being made, Deb will be wearing a set of temporary teeth for the next few days.
We pass the time by introducing ourselves to other patients. One older couple, Eddy and Norma, originally came from Cuba. Norma still breaks into Spanish when she isn't thinking about it. Eddy says, "English, Norma, English." and Norma gives him an impatient look that means that she knows, quit bothering her. Norma is the one supporting Eddy, as he gets dental work done. Eddy is waiting patiently while Norma frets that they have forgotten him. Then she is concerned that he won't get the good doctor. "Don't worry, Norma," Eddy pats her leg. "They know what they are doing."
He turns to me, "I am the one who is easy going. She frets about everything."
"Well someone has to take care of this." Norma says, "You don't worry about anything."
Eddy just pats her leg fondly.
As we talk, Eddy mentions that he was captured by the Cubans and rode to prison in a semi-trailer along with 150 other men, packed in like sardines. "Thirty or forty of them died. I rode to prison, sitting on a dead man."
Two other guys are also from Cuba. One of them was part of an evacuation that brought children and left their parents behind. He was seventeen when he set foot in America. They kept offering him welfare, and charity, but he just wanted to get a job and earn his own way.
Deb is having a tired day. We both have found that we come to a point where the constant stress of being in a different country seems to catch up with you. Today was that day. We both are feeling tired. Deb napped for three hours in the middle of the day, which she never does.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
We watched Survivor
After driving back a forth twice, we are at the end of a very long day. They did get water back, and we ended up staying at the dentists until late. The worked late to catch up with appointments that had to be delayed because of the broken water main. Many of the patients are medical tourists, and they have a fixed amount of time to stay, before they have an airline reservation to leave. Losing a day can really cause problems when you have teeth partly fixed.
The waiting rooms are fitted with large flat screen T.V. hooked up to cable. Deb is having her front teeth worked on. She has caps on them, and the dentist has recommended they be replaced. She worried about the pain to her teeth when they took off the caps, but that was actually pretty easy. While she was waiting around between steps in her treatment, we found Survivor, in English, on the TV. We have been following the latest installment from Nicaragua, just across the border. We were both pleased that today has been painless.
The waiting rooms are fitted with large flat screen T.V. hooked up to cable. Deb is having her front teeth worked on. She has caps on them, and the dentist has recommended they be replaced. She worried about the pain to her teeth when they took off the caps, but that was actually pretty easy. While she was waiting around between steps in her treatment, we found Survivor, in English, on the TV. We have been following the latest installment from Nicaragua, just across the border. We were both pleased that today has been painless.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Challenging the Chef
With Deb in bed, and sleeping. I finally had time for lunch. The Alta is really a great restaurant, with a boutique hotel in front. While the hotel is very nice, the restaurant has spoiled us. While I was eating, the owner, Michael stopped by.
Michael is an American who move to Costa Rica and built a great little hotel. On our last visit, he took a real interest in helping us. He asked about Deb and was concerned about her being so sick. He told me to ask the kitchen for anything that might make her feel better. "Challenge the chef," he said.
As Deb felt better, she got her appetite back, and I passed on Michael's good wishes and his suggestion to challenge the chef.
Deb got this distant look in her eye, and said, "Chicken pot pie. That would be just the thing to cure me."
Now, personally, I think that a chef should be challenged with something exotic. But she really wanted something comforting and easy to chew. So I walked down to the restaurant and talked with one of the waiters.
How do you explain chicken pot pie to a Costa Rican? I don't know if they have pot pie. And when I explained that it was chicken, potatoes, carrots in gravy in a pie crust, I could see him doubting that he understood me. Pies are sweet desserts, chicken and gravy aren't dessert food. Then he told me that he had to check with the chef. When he came back, he still looked doubtful, but he said it would take some time.
"Can we have it by 7:00 pm?"
"Oh yes, no problem."
He delivered our supper with a bit of a flourish and set up our meal on the veranda table.
Chicken pot pie, at the Alta is a ceramic ramekin with puff pastry top, chicken simmered perfectly in potatoes and carrots. A gravy boat comes along to give you enough of the gravy so you don't have to worry if the gravy was soaked up by the pie.
Deb was well satisfied with her supper, and even looked a little better after eating it.
Score one for our side.
Michael is an American who move to Costa Rica and built a great little hotel. On our last visit, he took a real interest in helping us. He asked about Deb and was concerned about her being so sick. He told me to ask the kitchen for anything that might make her feel better. "Challenge the chef," he said.
As Deb felt better, she got her appetite back, and I passed on Michael's good wishes and his suggestion to challenge the chef.
Deb got this distant look in her eye, and said, "Chicken pot pie. That would be just the thing to cure me."
Now, personally, I think that a chef should be challenged with something exotic. But she really wanted something comforting and easy to chew. So I walked down to the restaurant and talked with one of the waiters.
How do you explain chicken pot pie to a Costa Rican? I don't know if they have pot pie. And when I explained that it was chicken, potatoes, carrots in gravy in a pie crust, I could see him doubting that he understood me. Pies are sweet desserts, chicken and gravy aren't dessert food. Then he told me that he had to check with the chef. When he came back, he still looked doubtful, but he said it would take some time.
"Can we have it by 7:00 pm?"
"Oh yes, no problem."
He delivered our supper with a bit of a flourish and set up our meal on the veranda table.
Chicken pot pie, at the Alta is a ceramic ramekin with puff pastry top, chicken simmered perfectly in potatoes and carrots. A gravy boat comes along to give you enough of the gravy so you don't have to worry if the gravy was soaked up by the pie.
Deb was well satisfied with her supper, and even looked a little better after eating it.
Score one for our side.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Some Sight Seeing
Deb woke up Tuesday morning feeling a little better. She had kept taking pain meds during the night and that helped her sleep better. Once we were up and breakfasted, she felt ready to do something.
We decided to visit a wood worker who does artistic boxes from tropical woods. His work is beautiful.
Check out his site at: Biesanz Wood Working
And he has been working to re-forest Costa Rica. We looked up his address on the internet and went to the front desk to get a taxi.
Taking a taxi to a shop seems pretty simple. (Insert mocking laughter) Unless you are in San Jose. It seems that streets are unmarked, buildings don't have numbers displayed, and even taxi drivers call for directions. According to legend many directions refer to landmarks that have disappeared over the years, but all of the locals know where they used to be.
We got three different addresses for this place, all of them ended with something like, 'then drive 500 meters past the old church...' The distance ranged from 300 to 800 meters, and the actual church sat at a five way intersection.
But we got there.
The place has a nice front room filled with displays of beautiful wood working. I wanted to touch everything because it was so beautiful. Then we were offered a tour of the back lot, which had been an old dump. They have reforested it with tropical and medicinal plants. Just out the back door, they have a slice of rainforest . They have specimens of a wide variety of plants including a spiny palm tree. Our guide explained that the fruit of this tree is only found in Costa Rica and he likes it very much. He was very concerned when I got close to it. I spotted a huge spider and wanted a picture. As I maneuvered around the tree, he was really worried that I might brush up against the spines. I believe that the spines have barbs on them, and I would have had a trip to the hospital to get them out. But no harm done. Then we got a tour of the work shop.
I have read about techniques of making boxes and green turned bowls. But they have raised this to a new level. They have a room filled with partially turned blanks that are curing, waiting to be turned into finished bowls. Some of these are more than ten years old. In addition, they make boxes and other things all out of tropical wood. They are careful to only use fallen wood, because so many species of hard wood have been depleted. They handed us a piece of ironwood so that we could feel the density of wood that doesn't float. The workshop is a place where production of wood objects occurs. It was dusty and filled with ugly powerful machines, and pieces of wood going from chunks to finished silky smooth items. I loved it.
We bought ourselves a couple of little items. They will be shipped for us, and we are anticipating getting them next week, at home.
Deb had another session at the dentist that afternoon.
We decided to visit a wood worker who does artistic boxes from tropical woods. His work is beautiful.
Check out his site at: Biesanz Wood Working
And he has been working to re-forest Costa Rica. We looked up his address on the internet and went to the front desk to get a taxi.
Taking a taxi to a shop seems pretty simple. (Insert mocking laughter) Unless you are in San Jose. It seems that streets are unmarked, buildings don't have numbers displayed, and even taxi drivers call for directions. According to legend many directions refer to landmarks that have disappeared over the years, but all of the locals know where they used to be.
We got three different addresses for this place, all of them ended with something like, 'then drive 500 meters past the old church...' The distance ranged from 300 to 800 meters, and the actual church sat at a five way intersection.
But we got there.
The place has a nice front room filled with displays of beautiful wood working. I wanted to touch everything because it was so beautiful. Then we were offered a tour of the back lot, which had been an old dump. They have reforested it with tropical and medicinal plants. Just out the back door, they have a slice of rainforest . They have specimens of a wide variety of plants including a spiny palm tree. Our guide explained that the fruit of this tree is only found in Costa Rica and he likes it very much. He was very concerned when I got close to it. I spotted a huge spider and wanted a picture. As I maneuvered around the tree, he was really worried that I might brush up against the spines. I believe that the spines have barbs on them, and I would have had a trip to the hospital to get them out. But no harm done. Then we got a tour of the work shop.
I have read about techniques of making boxes and green turned bowls. But they have raised this to a new level. They have a room filled with partially turned blanks that are curing, waiting to be turned into finished bowls. Some of these are more than ten years old. In addition, they make boxes and other things all out of tropical wood. They are careful to only use fallen wood, because so many species of hard wood have been depleted. They handed us a piece of ironwood so that we could feel the density of wood that doesn't float. The workshop is a place where production of wood objects occurs. It was dusty and filled with ugly powerful machines, and pieces of wood going from chunks to finished silky smooth items. I loved it.
We bought ourselves a couple of little items. They will be shipped for us, and we are anticipating getting them next week, at home.
Deb had another session at the dentist that afternoon.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Our 'Five-in-One' Tour
 |
| Poor Man's Umbrella. One leaf could keep you dry. |
Sunday, we talked with the quiet young man at the desk and he suggested the 'Five-in-One' tour. This promised five beautiful attractions in one day. We discussed it for 10 seconds, and said, "What the hey, we wanted to see Costa Rica and this should do it." So we signed up. Now we would be picked up at 7:00 am, and off we would go.
We were both excited because we don't do these sort of guided tours. And yet, here we were indulging in completely touristy, pay your money and go along for the ride kind of sight seeing. We each laid out our morning plans, and Deb packed my knapsack with water, and other survival gear.
Of course, we were shocked when the room phone rang at 6:15 am. The driver was here, would we be ready in 15 minutes?
"No problem," I said. Follwed by scramble, stuff, grab, "Got everything?" "I think so...what about..."
After a mad dash, we got out the door. And met the driver.
After introductions, we started to chat. It seems that he had gotten back to the garage late, and fallen asleep. So when he woke up this morning, he had gotten a head start. Lucky for us!
He drifted through San Jose, pointing out different sights in town. It seems that they have a growing problem with illegal immigrants from Nicarauga and Columbia. They are very violent, bringing crime and domestic violence to Costa Rica. They take jobs from Costa Ricans. Deb and I nodded and said that we understood, while internally staring at this Costa Rican with his American concerns.
One of his gripes were the pretty young Nicaraugan girls who worked to catch the eye of a Costa Rican man so that he would marry them and give them a visa. Seems a buddy of his had married one of these girls, very much younger than he was, and now he was looking to introduce our driver to an eighteen year old girl! That is the other problem with those Nicaraugans. Once one of them shows up, all of their very big extended family shows up and expects help.
We finally got to the real tour bus, where we took our seats and said good by to our pick up driver. Then the real guide came on and we began picking up passengers from various downtown hotels.
The sights that are close to San Jose, are up in the hills. This is a nice way of saying that we would drive to the edge of nowhere and then begin walking. We drove up increasingly narrow bumpy roads until we reached a national park, and then walked up to the edge of Poas, a local volcano which grandly parted the mists to show a steaming lake of sulfuric acid.
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| Poas Volcano has an acidic, steaming lake of water that traps the worst of the fumes. |
Then the road became steeper, narrower, and in worse repair. Deb pointed out that no guard rails were anywhere. But we started seeing a yellow warning tape tied to sticks in the ground stretched along the side of the road which started us giggling. That wouldn't help a bus stay on the road, and the steep drop to a green hell was obviously dangerous.
La Paz Waterfall is a beautiful sight. We found an excellent lodge and carefully maintained paths that led down. First to a beautiful nature preserve with an aviary, a butterfly garden. Deb had a toucan land on her arm. We saw ocelot, margay, and jaguar. We saw capuchin and spider monkeys and they served us a nice buffet lunch. Then we began to walk down stairs and down steps, and even further down into the rain forest.
The waterfall itself is spectacular. But that walk was a lot of exercise. If you want to train for a vacation in C.R. I'd recommend finding a tall building and walking the stairs up and down all day. Because that is what we did.
The bus ride home was pretty quiet. Everyone was tired. We went to bed early. Tomorrow Deb has her first dental appointment. By spending the whole day on our tour, she didn't think about that until the bus stopped in San Jose.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Travel Day
We left Alden Il, at 9:00 am, via a taxi driven by "PK" an Indian from Punjab. He suggested "PK" as an acceptable way to refer to him, apparently his given name was too much for Americans to pronounce. He was a little fuzzy on our area, but once we got him to route 47, he knew what he was doing. We had a little time to talk, and Deb drew out that he had been in the States for 11 years. He was married and had two sons. He grew up on a farm in India, which was still a working farm, and he found that Woodstock suited him because of its farming orientation. He has been to Brooklyn, NY, and down town Chicago and he very much did not like it. We got down to Midway Airport in plenty of time to wait for our plane.
We got checked in by a busy man who kept getting calls for Delta Cargo. Since he was not a Delta Cargo clerk, and he was very busy, and the caller kept calling back as quickly as they could hit re-dial, he was getting kind of short with the caller. I can't blame him. But he did get us all checked in and we were off to security. Note: Delta doesn't have a Cargo area in Midway.
I have to say that the TSA, seems to be more of a full employment scheme than a real terrorist prevention squad. But we went through the whole drama. I wear suspenders, so I had to be wanded. The fellow who did was joking with me that I was lucky because this station was normally handled by a "BIG black girl. Real BIG. " I came back with "but she's sweet." and he laughed.
We finally got through, and after tucking our clothes in and putting on our shoes we ambled off to check it out.
Midway Airport is a nice little airport, on the south side of Chicago. Brick bungalows line the streets right across from the airport. Once, an airliner skidded past the end of the runway and collided with a car. It's that close to the neighborhood.
We ate lunch in Midway at a place that made hot sandwiches, and we both liked them. I noticed that several stewardesses, and pilots were eating there, so I think it was the best. I only mention this because in Atlanta we ate supper and were not happy. The joints in Atlanta all had expensive and not very tasty food. Deb had sweet and sour chicken, and I had a b.l.t. wrap. We both got stringy pieces of meat stuck between our teeth. Eating and waiting are pretty much what you do on a travel day. And that is what we did.
I avoid the airline free pop and coffee, because: a) I don't like using the bathroom while bouncing around. b) I don't like wearing coffee or pop. If I do get a drink, I try to chug it down, so that it can't spill.
Deb had a rum and coke and had a little trouble with it. She got half way through her drink, and started to feel the alcohol, so she didn't want to chug the rest. She is a real light weight drinker, by the way. When the plane hit a bump in the air, she got rum and coke all over herself, her book and her paper work.
Arrival in San Jose was at 9:05 pm which is one hour later than our local time which would be 10:05 PM. So after 13 hours of travel, we were both tired. We wanted to get our luggage and clear customs/ immigration. The Costa Rican government has the system set up very nicely. So, we did get all of our luggage, and cleared the official part of the trip without any adventures.
We grabbed a luggage cart at the baggage claim which helped immensely with our mountain of bags. But when we got to the exit, we had to give it up to a helpful young man who transferred our bags to another cart managed by "his partner." both of us were a little alarmed, thinking that this was the last we'd see of our luggage, but it was not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all, it turned out, because we were met by a driver from the hotel and this guy trucked our stuff out to the taxi. Deb had told me to change some money for colones and then told me to tip him, so I tipped him 20,000 colones. Too much? Too little? By that time I didn't care.
We did get to our room by 11:30 PM. Deb stayed up for a while with a drippy nose. I layed down, shut my eyes and took a deep breath.
Then it was morning.
We got checked in by a busy man who kept getting calls for Delta Cargo. Since he was not a Delta Cargo clerk, and he was very busy, and the caller kept calling back as quickly as they could hit re-dial, he was getting kind of short with the caller. I can't blame him. But he did get us all checked in and we were off to security. Note: Delta doesn't have a Cargo area in Midway.
I have to say that the TSA, seems to be more of a full employment scheme than a real terrorist prevention squad. But we went through the whole drama. I wear suspenders, so I had to be wanded. The fellow who did was joking with me that I was lucky because this station was normally handled by a "BIG black girl. Real BIG. " I came back with "but she's sweet." and he laughed.
We finally got through, and after tucking our clothes in and putting on our shoes we ambled off to check it out.
Midway Airport is a nice little airport, on the south side of Chicago. Brick bungalows line the streets right across from the airport. Once, an airliner skidded past the end of the runway and collided with a car. It's that close to the neighborhood.
We ate lunch in Midway at a place that made hot sandwiches, and we both liked them. I noticed that several stewardesses, and pilots were eating there, so I think it was the best. I only mention this because in Atlanta we ate supper and were not happy. The joints in Atlanta all had expensive and not very tasty food. Deb had sweet and sour chicken, and I had a b.l.t. wrap. We both got stringy pieces of meat stuck between our teeth. Eating and waiting are pretty much what you do on a travel day. And that is what we did.
I avoid the airline free pop and coffee, because: a) I don't like using the bathroom while bouncing around. b) I don't like wearing coffee or pop. If I do get a drink, I try to chug it down, so that it can't spill.
Deb had a rum and coke and had a little trouble with it. She got half way through her drink, and started to feel the alcohol, so she didn't want to chug the rest. She is a real light weight drinker, by the way. When the plane hit a bump in the air, she got rum and coke all over herself, her book and her paper work.
Arrival in San Jose was at 9:05 pm which is one hour later than our local time which would be 10:05 PM. So after 13 hours of travel, we were both tired. We wanted to get our luggage and clear customs/ immigration. The Costa Rican government has the system set up very nicely. So, we did get all of our luggage, and cleared the official part of the trip without any adventures.
We grabbed a luggage cart at the baggage claim which helped immensely with our mountain of bags. But when we got to the exit, we had to give it up to a helpful young man who transferred our bags to another cart managed by "his partner." both of us were a little alarmed, thinking that this was the last we'd see of our luggage, but it was not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all, it turned out, because we were met by a driver from the hotel and this guy trucked our stuff out to the taxi. Deb had told me to change some money for colones and then told me to tip him, so I tipped him 20,000 colones. Too much? Too little? By that time I didn't care.
We did get to our room by 11:30 PM. Deb stayed up for a while with a drippy nose. I layed down, shut my eyes and took a deep breath.
Then it was morning.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Opening Entry
We are preparing for our trip to Costa Rica. This will be a record of the adventures of the Deb & Ted Show.
Deb says:
I've had many trips to the dentist during my life. Root canals, crowns, bridges were the norm. I brushed, flossed, did what the dentists told me to do. It didn't help or change the deterioration of my teeth. After lots of medical tests, it's been determined that I have Sjogren's Syndrome. This auto-immune disorder can target salivary glands which reduces the amount of saliva in my mouth, with the resultant effect of tooth decay. Even the root canal teeth with crowns on them began to fail. It became apparent that I was about to have to have many teeth pulled, leaving not a lot for chewing.
After going to a periodontist who advertised doing dental implants, he informed me that he charged $2,000 per tooth. Then he tells me that I will need to go to an oral surgeon who extracts teeth, does bone grafts and sinus lifts. Nice. More thousands of dollars. THEN, I'm told that I'd need a restoration dentist to do the actual teeth replacements. Total of all dentists to replace 11 teeth was about $65,000. Totally not affordable and my heart sunk. I went on the internet and googled dental implants and began to see links for medical tourism.
That is what led us to undertaking a trip to San Jose, Costa Rica. I've researched about as much as one can on the internet. Found a business Medical Tourism of Costa Rica. A gentleman called Richard who had lived in Costa Rica and worked in the medical field, for a fee, recommends hotels, restaurants, and a dentist that he and his wife go to. It's
Deb says:
I've had many trips to the dentist during my life. Root canals, crowns, bridges were the norm. I brushed, flossed, did what the dentists told me to do. It didn't help or change the deterioration of my teeth. After lots of medical tests, it's been determined that I have Sjogren's Syndrome. This auto-immune disorder can target salivary glands which reduces the amount of saliva in my mouth, with the resultant effect of tooth decay. Even the root canal teeth with crowns on them began to fail. It became apparent that I was about to have to have many teeth pulled, leaving not a lot for chewing.
After going to a periodontist who advertised doing dental implants, he informed me that he charged $2,000 per tooth. Then he tells me that I will need to go to an oral surgeon who extracts teeth, does bone grafts and sinus lifts. Nice. More thousands of dollars. THEN, I'm told that I'd need a restoration dentist to do the actual teeth replacements. Total of all dentists to replace 11 teeth was about $65,000. Totally not affordable and my heart sunk. I went on the internet and googled dental implants and began to see links for medical tourism.
That is what led us to undertaking a trip to San Jose, Costa Rica. I've researched about as much as one can on the internet. Found a business Medical Tourism of Costa Rica. A gentleman called Richard who had lived in Costa Rica and worked in the medical field, for a fee, recommends hotels, restaurants, and a dentist that he and his wife go to. It's
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