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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Costa Rican Government, what can you do?

It's just after lunch, and we are back at the Alta. With Deb feeling much better, we went to the dentist's office. We were both waiting when the senior dentist came out and announced that they are working on a burst water pipe. Water has been turned off for the whole block.
"We don't know when it will be turned back on. The Costa Rican government, what can you do?" He said and shrugged. "You don't want to get too close to me. I haven't had my shower, yet."
He was obviously joking, trying to reduce our disappointment. After waiting a bit, we decided to go back to the Alta for lunch and to wait in a little more comfort.
Lunch was Wasabi Tuna and Fiery Shrimp. As we ate our very good lunch, Michael, the owner, stopped by and asked about Deb's health. He was very glad to hear that she was feeling better. Deb mentioned how much the chicken pot pie had meant to her. He said, "Oh, that was you that ordered it? The chef fixed two and I had the other one, it was really good."
He wished us well, and left us to eat our meal.
About mid afternoon we got a call to come back to the office, "We have water!"