Chicken Busses and Backpacks...77 days in Costa Rica,Nicaragua and Panama

IF YOU ENLARGE THIS MAP YOU'LL SEE WHAT WE'VE COVERED IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS

Costa Rica days 74/77 Mar. 20/25

A busy few days. Jim, Don and I went fishing on Sat. Jim has a beautiful 26' boat and his helpers, Francisco, and his young son Byron came ashore in the tender and picked us up in Carillo. We'd been unable to get any ice as Easter w/end around there is crazy. The beaches and campgrounds are packed. Francisco and Byron got us hooked up and the lines out and we headed North out of Playa Carillo.
About 20 minutes later Don got a Mahi. I've never seen one before and it was a gorgeous color. Fransico filleted it but unfortunately although we saw tuna jumping everywhere they weren't biting and we got skunked. Jim figured there was so much live bait fish in the area they didn't need to be biting on stainless steel. We did see a manta ray which surfaced a few times just off our starboard side. The waves picked up after a few hours. We were out from 11:30 until around 5 p.m. Coming in Jim was running about 1/3 throttle and that baby can move! He's got two 140 h.p. Johnsons on it.
After we got home it was into the pool for a quick one and then we sat down to an excellent supper of homemade pizza and cevise (sp) which is a raw fished in lime juice I think. Both were very good and their guests Richard and wife and daughter joined us.
We turned in around 10 p.m. after chasing an armadillo out of the garden who was intent on eating the roses, having already finished off the vegetables.
Sunday afternoon (our last day before leaving) we went down to check out the property below the house where Don and Marion are going to build. Jim had been working on his Cat all day clearing the bush and grass and locating the boundry markers. While there we spotted a howler monkey going up a tree. Imagine seeing wildlife like that right out your window!
Returning to the house Don and Jim were in the pool when I heard "Al, get the binocs and camera"! Jim thought he'd seen the panther again quite close to the house. I managed to get a picture of it and when zoomed in it was a coati. It climbed up a mango tree and took the whole fruit in it's mouth, climbed down and then went back up for another. They have the face of a possum (butt ugly) a body like a racoon and a very long tail with faint rings similar to a coon. When Jim's new fruit trees get bigger they'll be all over the place and other than eating fruit they'll be nice to watch.
That night Don and Marion took us all to a great BBQ place right on the beach. We had a great meal, margarita's, and wine on the huge burl table. The bbq is pretty unique in that the fire is elevated with a chute that the coals come down to cook the food.
Everyone got a little tiddly which lends itself to a fun ride home. (you could be dead drunk and you still wouldn't come close to the way the Tico's drive).
Monday morning came early thanks to some parrots outside the bedroom window. Don and Marion were going to drive us into Samara to catch the bus for the 5 hour drive to the airport in San Jose but the taxi we'd made a previous appointment with and then cancelled showed up promptly at 7:30 so it was a quick goodbye and we were off (including a cooler that had been sitting near our bags out in front).
We were both very appreciative of the hospitality shown us by Jim and his wife Patty and it was great to meet Jo's brother in law Don. I'd met Marion last Spring when she visited for a couple of days. It was a fun three days and far too short but it was exciting to be thinking about getting home and seeing the kids again. That was the one thing we both missed and it's too long a time to be separated from your family and grandchildren.
We had reserved seats on the bus and it left right on time. A very long bus ride which was slowed even more by a bad accident which was on my side of the bus. Some car on a long straightaway was laying upside down beside the road. Shortly after that we came across another wreck on the opposite side of the bus. I'm thinking if you need to go somewhere in Costa Rica pick something big (like our bus) or a monster truck. Maybe even a tank might save your butt.
We arrived at the Santa Maria airport and paid our $26 each so we didn't have to do it the following morning when it would have been busy. We found there was no place to eat until after you'd passed the check in point except for a fried chicken kiosk. We hadn't eaten all day but we needed a meal so we took a courtesy bus to the Casino/Denny's/Hampton Hotel and had a great supper (albeit quite pricey for what we had). Patty had suggested we stay at the Hampton overnight instead of at the airport as they had rooms for $30. Our flight left quite early and we had to get there around 6 a.m. but unless you wanted to doze on a slab of marble with all your bags it was a bad idea. I checked out the Hampton and the other hotel next door and the cheapest room they had (and a smoking room at that) was $182.00! Maybe you got to keep it or became part owner in a time share or something.
As we were leaving we were standing outside waiting for the shuttle to return to the marble slab when some guy asked us if we wanted a lift to the airport. He was wearing airport i.d. so we climbed aboard. After telling him we would have to stay overnight at the airport he told us of a place in nearby Alejuela for $36 a night. Now that's more like it so off we went and he didn't even ask for payment (although we paid him). That's indicative of the great people down there.
Wow it even had pc's for our use! We got a "cozy" room with a balcony right over the Indianapolis speedway! I closed the windows but it seems the only braking source they have are Jake brakes which they use with glee. All the other traffic were motorcycles on their way at high speed to the nearest muffler shop which must stay open 24/7.
We'd set our alarm clock for 5 a.m. but that was just wishful thinking and we gave up and got out of bed early. We got our bags and I headed to the lobby to get someone to call a cab. It was blacker than Toby's ass and as I walked into the darkened reception area a voice said "buenos dias". Scared the hell out of me as an apparition rose up from the couch. Guess this guy works 24/7 as he's the same guy from the day before sleeping there under a blanket. He called a cab which was there in minutes and off we went for the 5 minute ride to Santa Maria.
We checked our bags, cleared customs (that's another story but due to possible jail terms it will have to wait), and picked a place to people watch. All our flights left on time, the longest one being from San Jose to L.A. which was 5 or 6 hours depending on how much you paid for your watch. The flight from L.A. to Seattle was a bulkhead seat which gave us some extra room.
We arrived in Kelowna, cleared customs again (they didn't check our bags) and Paul was waiting for us. He was driving "Rambo" the never say die pickup truck. It got us home by 11:30 p.m. and we hit the sack by midnight. It was a 20 hour day but great to be back.
Paul had put some provisions in the fridge for us and been checking the mail so we were in good shape.
That culminates this blog. It has been a trip of a lifetime. We didn't try to kill each other, saw everything and more than we'd hoped for, met some great people, didn't get robbed and I've got over 6,000 pictures! Jo kept a very comprehensive journal and we've thought about putting it all together in a book format. That remains to be seen as there's lots to do now including getting the boat ready for tourist time.
Many thanks to all of you who followed our adventure. I only wish I'd made a guestbook or put a tracker on the blog to see how many of you there were.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32022&l=1ff06&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 73 Mar. 21/22

Crossing the river in the taxi to Jim and Patty's house


Yesterday we said our goodbyes to Tone and Jaime and took a cab to Jim and Patty's house. Passing the beach at Carillo it was packed with people who were visiting the beach for the long w/end.
We arrived at the house in Islita and began to unpack. Then we hit the pool with it's refreshing fresh water. Jim and Patty, Don and Marion arrived from San Jose about an hour later. This was the first time I'd met Don and Patty. They'd been working hard in Hawaii for their pubs St. Patricks day celebrations. It was their 2nd best year ever after doing it for 20 years.
Patty made some incredible mango margaritas. We sat in and around the pool and had a few drinks and some tortillas made by the caretakers wife and some nachos and guacamole dip that Patty made.
For supper we had chicken, dried fish and rice and a veggie dish. After supper as it began to get dark we had wine, port, and cigars. The full moon came up to our left and was partially obscured by clouds which dissipated to brighten up the surf and the patio where Patty had lit some torches on the deck. Off in the distance we could see lightning flashing on the horizon behind the clouds. It was a beautiful evening and we turned in around 10 p.m. Shortly before turning in we heard a strange sound coming from beside the house. Jim new immediately what it was and took off at a run. Damn things he said. We all followed to see what it was and it turned out to be an armadillo who'd been eating the roots of the plants and roses.
He escaped and we heard it again as we were going to bed. How do you catch an armadillo? That remains to be seen.
It was very quiet and the only sounds were a few birds and the surf off in the distance. No chickens or dogs barking!
Jim got up with the dawn and headed for the beach to get in a few hours of surfing which we could watch with binoculars from the deck.
After a great breakfast Jo and Marion headed for a walk on the beach. In a few minutes Jim,Don and I are heading into Carillo to take the boat out to catch some yellowfin tuna that will (hopefully) be bbq'd for a small party tonight in the palapa. Looking forward to getting out on the water even if I don't catch a fish.

Costa Rica day 69 Mar. 17

This is a sketch Jo did while laying in the hammock. The iguana came along and sat there with perfect timing. I'd like to make a print of this as it's one of her best and very accurate.
A two hour hike along the beach and through the town and then a 2 hour stint on the beach and some hammock time. Jo crashed in the hammock in the yard and did a beautiful sketch of one of the palms complete with a philadendron and an iguana that happened along. She did a great job and I'm sure we'll be blowing it up into a picture. For supper we went into town to a new place for a cascada with pork. It's a typical Tico dinner and very good. On the way to this restaurant there was a vendor selling hammocks which we've been looking for. The local tourist stores wanted $30 and we got the first two in San Jose for $14. This guy had the kind we want and he wanted $25. I asked him how much for 4 and the price came down to around $20. I told him I had to go to the bank in the morning (we need enough to get home plus rum, cigars etc.) so he said he'd be there by 8. The bank opens at 8:30 and I'll be there as I don't want to have to wait all day to get out of served. This will pretty much wrap up our shopping. We also need to make arrangements for a bus to San Jose on Monday and a bus or taxi to get us to Islita on Friday. Only three days left here in Samara and it will be tough to leave.
We had just sat down at the restaurant when we saw Tone walk by on her way to check the internet. She joined us as we were finishing our supper and then we went to the fruit stand where they have ice cream. We pigged out there and then walked some of the backstreets in the dark and checked out some of the other restaurants as well as bars. Tone treated us to a drink. She ordered a sunshine which came green (St. Patricks day). Next door was another bar and it to was on the beach. They had a guy twirling fire so we watched in anticipation but he didn't set himself on fire. I got a video of it and he did pretty good. It was a great evening as we walked back down the beach (which reminds me I need to put some anti blood sucking, man biting, vampire insect spray on. Just thinking of them makes me itch.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31235&l=c9572&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 68 Mar. 16

It was breakfast in town this morning at the internet cafe. Earlier in the week we'd been there and heard a cd playing that we enjoyed. This morning we borrowed it while we ate and made a copy. We also picked up a few more blank cd's. After returning home to drop the mac off we went for a walk down some of the backroads to the East of us. Came across a huge brugmansia (trumpet flower) plant. I got some pictures of it with it's hundreds of flowers. Unfortunately it was surrounded by garbage and a junked truck. After that we walked to the West End of the beach again. It was more crowded than yesterday. Being Sunday all the local Ticos were there with their families.
I hit the beach about 10 a.m. again for 2 1/2 hours and then retired to the hammock for another couple. Jo worked on ideas for quilt designs and updated her journal. We're now working on portioning out our food and coffee as we'll be leaving here on Friday morning. Tues. we'll hit the bank one more time. Fridays and Mondays are good days to avoid going there unless you pack a lunch. We need to make up a list of what we yet have to buy so I know how much to get out. I know it's $26 each to leave the country. I wonder what they do if you don't have it? I'll have to ask.
No monkeys at the Monkey Mansion today although we heard them early this morning and again around 5 p.m. just as the cicada's were warming up for their symphony. It's 10 to 8 now and getting close to time to crash. Jo's already there.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31233&l=a92e3&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 67 Mar. 15

COSTA RICA AS SEEN BY AL
Went into town about 8:30 to get stamps but they're closed until Monday. We'd been awakened by two huge blasts which we've heard several times since and in volleys of two. Probably some kind of fireworks as they like to make sure people are up and about. We then picked up a couple of cd's so I can burn an album for Jim our landlord. When we got back I took care of the cd which he really appreciated and played it off and on all day. I hit the beach at 10 a.m. for 2 1/2 hours and got nicely toasted and then retired to the hammock where I listened to one of my audio books. Jo spent some hammock time down by the beach and got caught up on some sewing and journalism.
Tone invited Jim, Jo and I for supper in the yard for 6 p.m. which is just after dark. She made lentil soup, with blue cheese, and fresh bread backed up by a bottle of Chilean Red. Jo brought a plateful of cut up fruit, and I took a bottle of rum and some coke. We even had a white table cloth (part of Jo's sewing stuff) and a candle. About 8:30 we called it a wrap just as it began to shower. The power had gone off while we were eating but it was quite nice as there was a bonfire on the beach next door where they were burning all the leaves and palm branches they'd raked up during the day making the place ready for the owners over Easter.
This is the third sign of rain since we've been here and it only lasted for about 20 minutes. It was nice to sit out on our balcony under the wide roof and listen to it bouncing off the tin roofs. (Every roof down here is corrugated tin).
We turned in around 9 which is late for Jo, and I began to pay the price for not spraying my feet with Deet. The no see ums but sure feel ums had been eating me while I was enjoying supper. I finally dozed off after several hours of an extreme itch. Fortunately the itch disappears by morning.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30904&l=b4f97&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 66 Mar. 14

Same old, same old.. Roosters at 5 a.m. closely followed by grandpa howler who sounded like he was in the bedroom with us. The noise of the surf outside was also accompanied by the cicadas or whatever it is that lives in the trees and sounds like a turbine screaming. I got up (sleep was impossible by now) and filmed the morning symphony so I have the sound track for future use. It's daylight now at 6 a.m. and I've been typing out on the balcony. The dawn begins to appear at 5:30. It's amazing how the howlers know when it's exactly 5 a.m.
Last night I was plagued by no see ums who managed to each take a chunk out of me. I think I wore down my fingernails scratching. Tonight they'll go hungry as I'll paint myself with poison and see who dies first, me or the bloody bugs.
The local squirrels are out in the trees over our heads doing their acrobatics. These squirrels are bigger than ours and are a rusty color on their backs with huge bushy tails. They seem to take delight in cheating death while jumping onto branches that shouldn't be able to hold them. They also enjoy eating the almonds and then throwing the nuts down onto the tin roofs. Well it's time for a breakfast of granola and yogurt. The monkeys have shut up and now they're probably on the move to find a place to rest for the day being as they've managed to wake up the whole world. It's amazing how noiselessly they move through the trees once they've finished howling. You could walk right under them and never know they're there (until they pee on you).
After breakfast we walked down the beach to town and then through town and down some of the backstreets rounding the West end of the beach and then headed East back towards the beach where we were yesterday. The tide was much higher this time. Met a lady from Victoria and chatted with her for a while and then walked the beach back to Samara. We checked out some of the souvenir shops and then went to the fruit stand on the way back. Picked up some fruit (pineapple, limes, coconut and guacamole) and as we were leaving the kid there was squeezing oranges into juice. Now that's real orange juice not the stuff they sell down here which tastes more like orange pop. We each had a large cup of that and I think next time we'll buy it from him as it's the real thing. I also noticed they had ice cream! That's now on my list.
We haven't had a coconut since we've been here and they're laying all over the place. I borrowed a rusty machete but ended up cracking it open on a rock. Jo drank the juice and then I began prying out the meat. mmmm it was great. Next time I'll use the machete and open some from the ground.
Jo just read in a book that the tides lately have been between 6 and 8'. That's a lot of water and the beach is so flat that it represents a few hundred feet! She also read that no alcohol is sold from Mar. 20 to Mar. 22nd (Easter?) Now that's important! We've been planning what we'll need to bring back home so we'll need to stock up before we leave here next friday morning. We also need to pick up some souvenirs which needs to be done before then.
For supper we walked down the beach to Shake Joe's and had a burger and a beer while I contacted a few of you via skype. Fun talking to the kids especially Isabella and Diego when we can actually see each other.
Before leaving Shakes we put on some bug repellant as the sand fleas really attack with a vengeance after dark. Seems to have worked as I'm not scratching tonight.
Behind us and below our bedroom window are a family of Ticos (locals). They get up at dawn and the little guy gets picked up by a van to go to school at 6 a.m. In the afternoon it's siesta time and then they eat supper around 8 p.m. The lady has an outdoor kitchen and does her laundry and washes the dishes outside. Not sure how many live there but there seems to be quite a gang of them from Mom and Dad (grandparents?) to daughter and a couple of young ones. She has a beautiful garden of flowers and a variety of palms. They also have a young dog which the little girl looks after. We've also noticed a lack of cats around here. That's no loss for me. Most of the dogs have owners which is something you don't see in San Jose where dogs live off the streets. There are some resident chickens which I guess you'd call "free range' if you can call garbage free range. Garbage pickup here is pretty random. We put our edible scraps in a container only accessible by chickens and birds. Everything else is put into plastic bags (including toilet paper) and they pick it up when they get to it. Today was the day and just in the nick of time as it was starting to pile up.
For any of you who have a computer and haven't already done so download skype. It's free and you can call anywhere in the world for .02 a minute and if you call another computer it's free and if you have a video camera you can see each other. Best thing we've done and I highly recommend it.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30899&l=9d2bb&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 65 Mar. 13

We were again awakened around 5 a.m. by the howlers who were right outside our window again. There is another trooop about a quarter of a mile away and they seem to wait until they hear the howl of the other troop before responding. I guess it's a way of saying "we're over here so you guys stay there". There are around 5 or 6 of them including 2 very young ones, an adolescent, parents and an old guy. They all seem to keep an eye on the young ones while they're playing and even the old one carries the young ones on his back when a big leap from tree to tree is required. I filmed them for quite a while and then went down on the ground to get them from beneath. Jo was also down there and all of a sudden without any warning they all peed at the same time. It was a regular shower and just missed Jo. This isn't the first time this has happened to her and the first time it happened they were a better shot. This was quickly followed up by a mass pooping of the troops which also missed the mark. They hung around for the better part of the morning in the trees surrounding our rooms. Some of these trees are almond and papaya so when they're not eating they're sleeping (or practicing their marksmanship). It's too bad they're such poor shots (well not for Jo I guess) as it would have made a memorable story and picture for the kids.
We headed into town for breakfast to our usual eatery where they have internet. They don't charge us anymore because we spend money there. After breakfast we walked to the post office and Jo picked up two aerograms so she can send letters to the kids. Problem is now we don't know if they include the postage or not.
We also picked up some fresh fruit at a roadside stand. You could smell the fruit from out on the street and it was enough to make your mouth water.
The afternoon was spent with Jo in the hammock and me in the water. After that I dozed for an hour or so in the hammock on the deck and killed a couple of rum & cokes and a stogie. We've also found that the r&c are good with a little orange juice mixed in.
Just before our supper (sandwiches) I went back to the store and picked up some more supplies (rum, coke, yogurt, and a pen for Jo who's burning up the pages with her journal).
She has been drafting an idea to write our story. Some of the titles were "77 days in Costa Rica" and "Pura Vida" which is the national slogan of Costa Rica meaning "Pure Life". I'm in favour of "Chicken Busses and Backpacks" so we'll see who wins. Your suggestions and comments are welcome.

Costa Rica day 64 Mar. 12

Wow less than 2 weeks to go. Today we walked to the West end of the beach to hopefully do some more snorkelling. Nada. The water was pretty rough and there were a lot of rocks in the way to get to open water (and I have tender feet.) Low tide was at noon and we had left at 9 so we wandered back after Jo spent an hour looking for treasures in the tidal pools. Came home with some abalone shells and a blue crab sighting. Made a quick lunch and then it was into the water for me for an hour or so. Waves are still pretty big. Jo sat in the hammock and updated her journal. The power was off today from 8 a.m. until about 3:30 so I dozed in the hammock. I've been getting about 4 hours a day in the water and sun which is enough at one time. I should be back to my black self by the time we leave here.
This was our night out for supper so we asked Tone (the Norwegian translator) to join us. She suggested a Mexican restaurant about a quarter of a mile East on the beach. Had a great meal and a couple of beer and then came back by way of the beach. The tide isn't quite so high tonight and we'd put on bug spray to ward off the sand fleas (or the bloody man eating cockroaches that come out at dusk). Last night on the way back from supper they tried to eat my feet off. Talk about an itch! They went hungry tonight and we came back all intact. It's now 8:54 p.m. and time to call it a day.
Jo and i were talking about what a great place this would be for the kids and grandkids to see. We were also wondering what will we do next year. We've seen pretty much everything Costa Rica has to offer and although this is a great place I think I'd get bored just laying around here for an extended period of time. One of my dreams has been to see the Tonga Islands via boat.. Maybe that's an option for next year. Rent a sailboat and cruise the islands. Live on the boat, snorkel all day and explore the islands. We'll have to look into that. It would also mean getting an underwater housing for my camera as the water and reefs there are supposed to be incredible. We haven't found calm enough water here for good snorkeling. It just occurred to me that I've been spelling snorkeling wrong for the last two months. Forgive me for those of you literate enough to have noticed.
Well that's a wrap for today. Tomorrow is a shopping day in the village and then some more of the same.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30765&l=7ed6a&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 63 Mar. 11

We were awakened this morning around 5 a.m. by a combination of roosters (some must have missed the soup) and howler monkeys. We've been hearing the monkeys every day but they were some distance away. This morning it was obvious they were getting closer. Well while we were eating our breakfast on the balcony they appeared in the tree right over our heads. Two of them crossed the roof and from the kitchen window you could see their fingers gripping the roof edge less than 3 feet away. They continued heading east through the tree tops. There were about 5 of them including two babies. About an hour later they came back and rested in the tree about 20' from our deck for a while. Got some good shots.
I had mentioned to Jim that I'd tried to buy some stamps yesterday for souvenirs but the guy didn't seem to understand what I wanted so Jim called him and explained it to him so he's got some ready for me. Guess we'll head into town and pick them up. I have some from Nicaragua and Panama as well as a few coins from each country. Jim also brought us up some coffee he just ground from Tanzania and blended with Costa Rican coffee. Can't wait to try it out.
Went for a swim this afternoon while Jo hammocked. Can't believe how warm this water is. I snorkelled this morning for over an hour down at the East end of the beach. Water is very clear and the reef is mostly rock and quite shallow. Saw two puffer fish but couldn't catch them w/o having fins. I swam back towards our place and Jo was following on the beach. Then it happened! She couldn't see me (I was a long way out) and she saw a school of fish jumping out of the water. She thought they were eating me or something and ran for help. The first person she came to was the mngr of the first place we stayed at and he told her to go and get one of the fisherman down the beach. In the meantime an ambulance was heading down the beach with his lights flashing but she couldn't catch it (thank god). By the time I got to shore I couldn't see Jo so I walked back to where I'd gone in an hour before. There she was climbing out of a fishing boat. I'll let her add her version to this story.
So here it is...actually, that's just about exactly the way it happened. I was checking every two minutes or so, keeping an eye on Al's whereabouts. When I lost track of him, but saw another diver in wet suit and yellow with black fins in the same area, diving in and out the water... I was certain Al was in trouble and this fellow was trying to rescue him. The diver actually stood up at one point and then dove back down in a hurry. Then I saw what looked like a fish or a few fish jumping along the water. Well...you can imagine...I thought Al had been attacked and was being carried away in pieces. I was so grateful when I saw Al walking down the beach toward the fishing boat I was in (to go rescue him) that the young fisherman was probably paid a full day's wages as a reward for wanting to help. (10,000 colones = $20.00) It took me the rest of the day to "snap-out-of-it." JO
Tonight we were going out for supper to the internet place but it's closed on Tuesdays so we went back to the beach to a place called "Shake Joe's". This place is really neat. They've got burl tables out on the beach under the palms and instead of chairs beside most of the tables they've got what look to be beds but about half the length. Like a wide ychesterfield with a headboard. They're complete with a cover and pillows for your "whatever pleasure". I'll have to get some more pics of this. They've even got an outside pool table. We ordered a burger each and a beer and when we finished the lady at the next table was sitting there with her mac out. (her computer). We asked her if they had wireless and they did, so nothing do but order another beer and get on line. Our total bill for two burgers with fries and three beers came to 4600 calones. That's about $9.00. Geez and free internet as well. We'll have to hit this place again and it's even closer than the old wifi place and right on the water. The tide was high again tonight and coming into the tables while we were eating. The surfers were having a ball.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30653&l=f8331&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 62 Mar. 10

Jo slept in this morning so when she finally got up we headed into town for breakfast which is our plan for every 2nd day. In between we'll walk in and have supper. Breakfast here consists of granola, yogurt, and fresh pineapple & bananas. Lunch and supper is sandwiches laced with peppers, guacamole etc. We ate at the internet cafe and after calling Lance, Maggie and the kids on skype I updated the blog and facebook, left Jo with the computer and then headed out to do the shopping. First it was groceries, then cigars (which I found cheaper than I'd paid in the past), then it was to the bank which is something you don't do on a Monday morning. That took care of an hour. I mentioned to Jim how inefficient they were and he said he didn't mind as last year there was no bank and they had to go all the way into Nicoya to do their banking. Good point. I'll never bitch at the credit union again. Leaving the bank I headed out to find some dvd's so I could download my pics as a backup. Lucked out and got two for $1.50. I now have about 6 or 7 dvd's containing backup for all my pics and I keep them in a separate backpack in case the mac gets stolen.
I got back to the internet cafe and Jo was still there plugging away. We headed back to the room with our groceries which had since reached their expiry date and had a rum and coke and a little hammock time.
By 4 pm the tide had really started to come in. By 5 pm the dry creek bed next door was filled with tidal water and the dead palm branches were all bobbing. I've taken some pictures of the high tide and it's my goal to take some more in the morning from the same vantage point showing low tide.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30652&l=72b03&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 61 Mar. 9

After breakfast we went for a long walk to the East end of the beach. The tide was a long way out and I paced it off from the water to the high water mark from last night. 150 paces and it went out farther as we walked. I wish I'd taken the mask and fins with us as with the tide being so low it would have been good snorkelling. We didn't bring the fins as they were excess cargo in our backpacks. At the far end of the beach was a large fishing trawler that had come in. They had just unloaded their catch into some large stryofoam tanks on the back of a truck to be taken to market. The tidal pools donated some brittle starfish to the collection and another couple came across a large beautiful shell. That convinced me that tomorrow I'll take the mask in the hopes I can find something offshore. The walk took about 2 hours and it was time for lunch by the time we got back. It was again time for a hammock and a cold one. I showed a slide show to Tona from Norway and Jim our landlord and he enlightened us on Costa Rica having been born here and educated in the U.S. He's been here for about 20 years but doesn't own this property just the buildings. He has 8 year leases. That''s quite an investment for such a short lease.
After the slideshow we went to check out the tide which was now quite high. Like really high and washing around the log we used for a bench. It's supposed to get even higher tonight so we moved the log so we'd have it for tomorrow.
Lots of bats out tonight and the familiar sound of what I guess to be maybe the grasshoppers in the trees. As soon as the sun goes down they start their song. It begins as a vibration that builds in intensity and becomes almost a loud whistle which lasts for about 30 seconds. I've never heard anything like it before. It goes from a one cylinder engine trying to start to a full out turbine!
It's hard to believe we only have another 2 1/2 weeks left but this is a great place to become beach bums after all the miles we've covered. It's nice to go to bed and know we don't have to haul our packs to another bus station and head off once more.

Costa Rica day 60 Mar. 8

Same old today. Beached it until it got too hot and then retired to the hammocks with a couple of rum & cokes. The water was calmer today so I put on the mask and snorkel and ventured in for an hour. Not a lot to see although the water was quite clear. Turned in early. We'd left the giant grasshopper on a shelf over the kitchen counter. Bad idea! Jo got up shortly after retiring for a drink of water, turned on the kitchen light and lo and behold every huge ant for the surrounding 3 miles was trying to steal our prize! It started out as a small squeal that quickly turned into a "Al, get out here!" I've never seen so many ants in one place and these guys were big! Out came the bug repellant and pretty soon they scattered everywhere. On the floor, walls, counter, some even headed for a swim in the sink. There were so many we had to sweep them out the door. There was enough repellant in the kitchen to have killed us all by morning. No doubt the ones that did escape must have had a helluva hangover this morning. That done we returned to bed. Then I started to tell Jo some ant stories. How they were probably army ants that eat everything in their path and now the grasshopper was gone (in a ziplock in the freezer) and they couldn't open the fridge door, that we were probably next on their menu. Closing the bedroom door wouldn't work because they'd chew through the wall. The good news was they work in shifts. A day shift and a night shift. We may still be partially alive by morning and they'd be full by then but then the day shift would come on and they'd be real hungry. I think Jo scratched all night. A great bedtime story.

Costa Rica day 59 Mar. 7 Samara

We ate a quick breakfast, got packed and called a taxi as we were anxious to get to our new place. It's really nice and Jim again made us familiar with everything we needed to know. The place is quite large and has shutters on all the windows. The safe is under the master bed but too small to be of any use to us other than our passports and money (if we had any)
We unpacked and began making up a shopping list. We then hung one of our hammocks up on the deck where there is a nice breeze. You can't really see the ocean from the balcony due to the trees in front which provide shade but you can certainly here the crashing waves as it's only about 100'.
I introduced myself to a lady about our age who rents the only other unit. She is Norwegian and is translating something from English to Scandinavian. She's been here about two months and speaks very good English
About noon we headed down the beach for the 10 minute walk to the grocery store. I took one of the backpacks as we had quite a list. Now that we have the fridge filled up and a new bottle of rum we're all set. Tomorrow I think we'll head into town and have breakfast and then go to the wireless place to get things caught up. It's very quiet here so far and everyone speaks English. Col. Klink and his buddies will have to find someone else to irritate now.
We went to the beach around 4:30 but from here the actual sunset isn't visible although I still managed to get some good pictures. By six pm it's totally dark so we came back, made a sandwich and then listened to a few more chapters of the audio book I'd downloaded before we left. Jo lasted for about a half an hour and then it was lights out. She didn't sleep very well last night as the nazis were making a racket and kept her awake. They're worse than the dogs. We'll see what tonight holds in store
LINK OF THE DAY
Show people this album by sending them this public link:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30164&l=4f7e7&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 58 Mar. 6 Samara

We headed down to the other end of the beach this morning. The tide was a long way out due to the nearly full moon and there were pieces of coral littering the beach. In places the beach had to be 200' wide. We stopped in Samara on the way back and checked our email. Nothing but junk. We then headed over to the grocery store and picked up some coke, water and limes. Next door is a coffee shop so Jo had her fix and I had a coke. On the way back to the beach we stopped at a small bakery and while waiting outside I noticed they had a sign wi fi. Yahoo and it's fairly close to where we're moving to tomorrow and it's free. The other place we went to were charging $3.00 an hour! Crooks.
This place we're in is nice but so full of Germans I feel like I'm in Hogans Heroes and Klinks are everywhere. I guess we should have guessed that with a name like Kunterbunt Cabinas. Really looking forward to the place tomorrow as it's a beautiful two rooms overlooking the ocean and the mngr/owner Jim seems like a pretty nice guy and speaks English. It comes complete with two fans, hammocks, a fridge, and a safe in the room so I can lock up the mac when we leave. It's also about 10 minutes closer to downtown so we can bring groceries back to the room and keep them cold without having to share a fridge with Col. Klinks buddies and a bunch of dirty dishes.
We watched another beautiful sunset tonight and I'm not sure we'll be able to see it from the new place. It clouded over this afternoon but it was still stifling hot. It doesn't start to cool off until 4 p.m. when a bit of a breeze comes up. We should get more from our new balcony as this one is at right angles to the ocean.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30163&l=ba46f&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 57 Mar. 5 Samara

Last night we had a great sleep until the 4 a.m rooster got going. That woke up the dogs who woke up the birds and that was the end of the sleep.
We skipped breakfast and headed down the beach towards Samara. We passed a couple of hotel/cabinas for rent and inquired at the first one. $85.00 a night. We got out of there fast. The next place was about 200' farther down the beach. It looked like a nice place and the manager was busy painting pictures which he sells as a sideline. He also wanted $40 night but we thought we'd take a look. It was up over the office and was beautiful! Two rooms finished in hardwood. Three beds, a separate room with a fridge, table, and a coffee maker. No cooking facilities but with a fridge we can make sandwiches and have our granola and yogurt for breakfast and make icecubes. It also has a balcony facing the beach which is 100' away from our room. It's very nice and he mentioned that the local roosters were now soup. We also didn't see any dogs. They're probably also in the soup. This is a good sign! One of the dogs that woke us up is the same breed as the neighbours dog back home. Small a yappy says Jo. They should be used as dog food for good dogs. Too bad they don't have anti freeze down here.
We went on to Samara and hit the bank and the grocery store and had breakfast at a nice place in town. We stopped at a hotel that advertised wireless to see if we could rent some time but the owner said it was for guests only but that the other two places in town also had wireless. Our new place is only a few hundred yards from downtown so it will be very handy as well as close to the grocery stores.
After we got back here we walked the other half of the beach which is covered with bits of coral from the offshore reef. The surf has been high since we got here and no good for snorkelling although there were some surfers a long way out who were really doing well.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30162&l=460da&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 56 Mar. 4

Our bus didn't leave until 9 a.m. so we had breakfast and then headed to the bus station 4 or 5 blocks away. What we thought might be a 4 or 4 1/2 hour bus trip was taking much longer and it was an hour in a traffic gridlock before we even got out of San Jose. There was a pit stop about 11:30 and we weren't even near the halfway point. About 2:45 pm we stopped at a roadside busstop to let someone off when we saw a hwy. sign indicating Nicoya. We were headed to Liberia where we'd planned to catch another bus back to Nicoya. Jo asked the driver about it and we jumped ship and crossed the road to catch the Nicoya bus. This ultimately saved us at least two hours and probably more. The third bus to come along about 3:30 took us into the Nicoya bus station where we caught another bus to Samara about a half an hour later. Our first stop in Samara was to the bank which had closed 5 minutes earlier so we went to a restaurant and had supper and then picked up a bottle of rum and some coke. They called a cab for us but it never showed up so they got a friend to drive us to the "hotel". We're about 3 miles out of Samara and across the street from the water. The other half of the hotel is directly across the street and is on the beach. There are tables and chairs out on the beach side as well as a couple of hammocks. When we checked in we were told the room is $40 a night (exactly twice what the 2007 book said) We'd expected to pay $20 and were hoping to stay for the remainder of our time here but I don't think that's going to happen now. We're booked for three nights and will spend some of that time looking for a cheaper place maybe closer to town. It's only a 20 minute walk along the beach and we can go in there to get some groceries as this place has a fridge and hotplate downstairs that we can use.
Update ..... we found a place on the beach closer to town. It's the same price but it's beautiful. It's an upstairs 2 room suite with a fridge! Yahoo icecubes and cuba libras,
The manager is a hippie about my age who paints as a sideline. Originally from California he's seems like a great guy and he didn't give us the same flak we got here as far as maybe not being able to stay due to bookings coming in for Easter. We are the only ones upstairs and have our own balcony, hammocks, and a coffeemaker. It's right on the beach and we should be able to see the sunsets from our room. We move in on the 7th and have booked it for the full two weeks until we meet up with Jim,Patty, Marion and Don in Islita until we leave on the 25th.
This beach is crescent shaped and directly North of one of the other places we've stayed. There's also a reef out in front so we may be able to get in some snorkelling, something we haven't really been able to do to this point.
The alarm clock here starts to crow at 4 a.m. quickly followed by the howler monkeys and then the dogs chime in. By 7 a.m. all the Germans who are staying here start coughing in case we managed to sleep through the earlier cacaphony. They were out at the tables last night and seemed to be having a race to see who could smoke the most. One nice thing about this place is that they sell beer and will make you breakfast for $6.00. We'll probably pick up some granola and yogurt for our breakfast. There's also internet in town but unlikely to be wireless. I'm not sure how theft proof this place is so for the next little while I'll carry my laptop with me.
It's nice to be near the water again and we're looking forward to soaking up a few rays and getting in for a swim.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30161&l=0b4a4&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 55 Mar. 3

It was a long day today. We got up at 5:30 and after a glass of orange juice we packed over to the bus station. The 6 a.m. bus left promptly at 5:55. Too bad if you were late. It was first gear for the next 15 minutes while we crept through the sleeping village picking up people as we went. Initially there were about 10 on the bus but by the time we reached David an hour later it was full. We bought our tickets to San Juan and left a half an hour later. By 9:30 we reached the border. More chaos. First it was over to get our passports stamped. We then got into another line to turn in our entry permit that we recieved 5 days earlier. Then it was into a room with our packs and a drug sniffing dog did his thing. Next we put our packs on a table for inspection. All this was just to get out of Panama. We then took our packs back to the bus which had disappeared. We found him about a block away and loaded our packs back on the bus, drove a hundred yards and started all over again on the Costa Rica side. This time we gave our passports to the driver who took them somewhere while we waited in a compound. When he returned the customs guy had our passports and called out names to come and pick them up and show him your bags at the same time. He didn't even open ours. Guess they trust Canucks. That's the last border crossing for us until we leave in three weeks yahoo!
The whole process took about an hour and a half which is better than some we've been through. The next stop was at the midway point at the summit of the mountains we'd been climbing. We had a half an hour to grab our first bite of the day so we bought some chicken, rice, and salad with a couple of cokes and some pineapple and watermelon. It was very good and was under $10. We saw some beautiful sites en route. Mostly fields being prepped for pineapple cultivation and in various stages of growth. We were on the opposite side of the bus so the view was different than on our trip down. We followed the Rio Grande for many miles.
Arriving in San Jose at 5 p.m. we were ready for a shower and a beer. First we walked to the bus stop (a different one) and bought our tickets to Liberia for tomorrow. It was about $4.00 each for the 4 1/2 hour ride. We had our room booked at the Classic Hotel B&B for the 4th time and ate some supper and had a beer. Then it was onto their computer to see if we'd rec'd an answer back to our email of last night attempting to book a room in Samara. It was there and we're good to go. It's a cabina a short way out of town and not far from the beach. This will be three weeks of basking and no travelling!
While eating our supper in the lobby of the B&B we overheard a guy from Seattle telling someone he was having all his dental work done here over the next week. The dentist speaks English and has some very modern computerized xray equipment. He was going in to get three caps done and ended up getting 10 done for $50 each! That sure beats the $1,000 each our crooks charge. So I'm going to check it out in Samara to see what I can get done. Hell for $50 he can use a chisel on me.
Our bus doesn't leave until 9 a.m. so we've got time to enjoy the complimentary breakfast that we missed on our last stay. We can even sleep in. It's been a long day with 11 hours on a bus so the shower and sleep are welcome. Hopefully we can find a wireless outlet in Samara. We know we can get money there as we hit the bank there a couple of months ago. Thats our day
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30159&l=b714d&id=680056043
Al & Jo

Panama day 54 Mar. 2

After breakfast this morning we caught a ride with a guy who took us partway to the Cascada (the waterfalls). We then flagged down a taxi (actually it was an old van) who took us and every other person he could pick up towards the falls. It cost us .50 each so no one complained. We then walked back the 4 or 5 km. to town along the river. Lots of coffee plants along the road so Jo was busy stealing beans. We've got enough now to start a real crop if we don't end up in jail first.
We'll be offline for a while now as we leave very early tomorrow morning to catch the bus back to David where we catch our next bus for the 10 hour ride back to San Jose. We'll stay at the same B&B as the other 3 times and then catch a bus on Tues. morning to Samara on the Pacific coast.
We tried to make reservations in San Jose for tomorrow night but we needed a phone card to do it from the office so we took the mac down there and used the skype to do it. Voila no problem. This thing is really working for us. Thats it for today.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29708&l=b4d3c&id=680056043

Panama day 53 Mar. 1

We left the hotel around 9 a.m. and walked for a half an hour out of town to a 90 year old guys house called Mi Jardin y Su Jardin. My garden is your garden. It's free to walk in and the flowers were magnificent! Bougainvillea were everywhere as well as ponds full of Koi. We spent about an hour or so there and then headed back into town, crossed the river and headed up a road that paralleled the river. About a half an hour later we came to the fair grounds which we can see directly across the river from our balcony. It closed at noon and by this time it was 12:30. There was a lady there who let us in for $1.00 so we wandered around and checked out the flowers for a while.
Leaving there we headed further along the road which wound up the hill at a steep angle and encountered many switchbacks. In some places the road had collapsed into the valley far below us. Needless to say I got my butt over to the inside of the road. I can't imagine the people who live below the slide area as it's a very long way down!
We walked for about an hour and a half uphill until we came to a place with a great view of Boquete. The hike was made easier due to the constant mist and stiff wind that was coming from the clouds over the volcano even though we were in the sunshine for the most part. The wind at the top was really strong! No place for a panama hat as I had a hard time keeping my Cat's Ass hat on. Got a few shots there and then Jo climbed under a fence and borrowed some coffee beans. We now have enough to begin the Okanagan Coffee plantation. Gerry rip out your grapes.
We then headed back down which took us 45 minutes at a brisk walk. Altogether we were walking for 5 hours and covered about 5 miles. I'd better go for my medical checkup when I get back while I'm still so healthy.
Last night was our first time hooking up the skype with Lance and Maggies computer. After a little fiddling we were able to see them which was a real treat! We also talked to Gerry who's now officially retired. (again).
The wind howled again for most of the night but it didn't seem as cold. It doesn't take very long to warm up in the morning though.
Today (Sunday) we're going to check out a waterfall that's a few miles out of town. Like I need the exercise.
LINKS OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29706&l=513b0&id=680056043
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29704&l=25e9b&id=680056043
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29702&l=fb22b&id=680056043

Panama day 52 Feb. 29

We cleared out of David this morning at about 9 a.m. (or what we thought was 9 a.m.) Turns out there was a clock at the bus station that told us we were out by an hour as it was closer to 10.
We boarded the old school bus for the one hour drive to Boquete. I think it cost $1.50 each. The drive was mostly uphill all the way and the bus stopped wherever anyone wanted to board it. At one point it pulled over under a orange or lemon tree and as it pulled away a branch flew in the upper half of the windows. As it passed me I was treated with some fresh fruit that got knocked off. We disembarked at the town square which is only two blocks from where we'd made reservations so it was no hike to get here. The place is beautiful! Our room is close to the river which passes by our balcony. There are flowers everywhere and the river flows at quite a clip. It's also cooler (in the 70's) and very windy. We went for a walk after settling in. Lots of art and souvenir shops. We also saw some huge cactii. Stopping for lunch we had a great meal of a B.L.T on pumpernickle bread. We then found a wireless internet about a block away which is free. Tied the skype but no one was around. We also bought a 26'er of rum for $7.50! Yeehaw. I've died and gone to heaven. Beer is $1.00 a bottle.
When we got back to the room I turned on the mac to download the days pictures and lo and behold we've got free wireless here! Now I can have a cold one while I type.
Tomorrow we're going to a coffee plantation (so I can boost some coffee beans to bring home). Then maybe a hike up the hill across the river. We've also heard there's a bus that will take us near a waterfall which we want to see and it's only a 4 km. walk downhill to get back. That's it for today. This is THE place!
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29520&l=ba8d9&id=680056043

Panama day 51 Feb. 28

Well David isn't much more than a big noisy city. Other than the city park across the street there are countless clothing and shoe stores. We were able to find a bank that would accept my m/card so we got enough U.S. funds to last us through our next stop and get us back to Costa Rica. We've booked a place in a small village East of here called Boquete. The population is only around 1500 which will be quite a change from here.
We took a cab to the bus station this afternoon and picked up our tickets for Monday morning. The bus leaves at 8:30 a.m. so we have to leave Boquete very early in order to catch it. That will be a long day for sure. We'll probably stay in San Jose again and then take another bus to Liberia where we'll catch another one in the direction of Punta Islita where our third bag has been stored at Jim and Patty's.
There was another concert in the city park across the street tonight. We missed a bunch of little girls all dressed up in traditional clothes. They must have been dancing. There was also a young guy about 17 singing. He had an incredible voice like that of an opera singer which you'd never figure coming from such a young man. During the concert we were standing down on the sidewalk with parked vans behind us on the street when all of a sudden they started letting off fireworks on the street side of the van. These were skyrockets and going off right over our heads which was a little unnerving to say the least.
You'd think that would be the excitement for the day but as we lay here listening to the audio book on the computer there was an earth tremor! We were shaking and vibrating for several minutes. Hopefully that's over with. I thought someone was under the bed for a minute there.
That's about our day. Looking forward to leaving in the morning as this is just another big noisy city. Every driver is in love with his horn and the car alarms only work when someone is singing in the park. When we made our reservations this morning for the next three days Jo talked to an American who was on the other end and he described it as a beautiful place with a veranda facing the river and very quiet. There's also a lot of jungle trails with wildlife according to the travel book which is our constant companion. It will be nice to get back to the piece and quiet of a small village. Guess we're still hicks at heart.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29514&l=6af3b&id=680056043

Panama day 50 Feb. 27

Well last night was an experience to say the least. Our room was nicely equipped with 3 bunkbeds. period. We both took a bottom bunk and after covering the windows with blankets we listened to another 10 chapters of an audio book I have on my computer. That usually puts us to sleep (and then we have to replay the last 3 chapters the next night).
Jo was the first to wake up freezing as it gets cold in San Jose at night. She grabbed an unused blanket and I toughed it out with the sheet which still had three threads to the inch left in it. The next wake up was when someone turned on a light in the hall and it illuminated the whole room. I thought someone had come in but if they did they found it was too cold to spend time robbing us and left to find a warmer room.
We got up just before 6 and skipped the breakfast and headed with our packs to the bus station which the travel guide book said was just three blocks away. Well they got that part right but the bus we needed had moved to a new facility 2 km. away so we cabbed it. Nice new facility and we got our tickets and left promptly at 7:30 after picking up a sandwich and some drinks for the ride. We stopped around 9:30 for a pee break and then hit the road again. The bus wasn't full and because they gave out claim tickets for baggage we'd stowed our packs underneath which gave us some leg room for a change. We stopped again around noon at a nice place and had a pork chop, rice and salad for lunch. We left there after about a half an hour only to stop about 15 minutes down the road. We waited for another 20 minutes while the yahoo who'd missed the bus leaving caught up to us by cab.
The Pan American Highway climbs for the first two hours of the trip out of San Jose through beautiful country with a good highway, pullouts for slower traffic, and many switchbacks and hairpins. It's hard to get pictures while speeding along and invariably there'd be a blurry tree in the middle of every picture. We were on the wrong side of the bus to get pictures of the clouds below us and the river we followed. We went through a cloud forest and dense jungle and on up to where the trees were very low to the ground and scrubby. This was all a protected game reserve which is really nice to see that land has been set aside to be saved as is.
As we neared the border the trucks began piling up beside the road. It also began to thunderstorm very heavily. Fortunately the exit to Costa Rica was under cover and all we had to do was get our passports (which we now know the number to) stamped. I think that cost about $2.00. We then piled back in and headed to the Panamanian side. First we got our passports signed and turned in our lies about not bringing any plant material into the country. Then we went to another wicket to pay the $10.00. Then we retrieved our bags to be inspected. When I picked up our packs there was a guy sitting in the baggage compartment who wanted a dollar. I asked him what that was for and he said for watching our bags. So much for needing a baggage claim check as he didn't know me from his illigetimate kids. I told him to see my business manager who was still getting something stamped. Next we took our bags into an inspection area where he did a less than thorough job like pulling out Jo's emergency toilet paper and dirty laundry. (It's all dirty at this point). Then the guy who showed us how to fill out the entry forms wanted a dollar for not robbing us. Jo's a soft touch and paid them both. I'd have just played dumb and told them I'm American and don't savvy the lingo.
At last we were back on the road after they finished spraying down the bus to kill the Northern roaches, soon to be replaced with Southern ones. The first thing we noticed in Panama was how clean and well kept everything was. It was obvious that they are a lot better off than either the Nics or the Ticos. It took about an hour or so to reach David (that's pronounced Duh veed not David.) That's so they can tell the tourists from the Latinos but we fooled them by practicing earlier on. We caught a cab right away for $1.00 who brought us as close as he could get to the Hotel. It's across from the central park which was blocked off due to a bunch of local garbage trucks who were having a parade with all their equipment. Really! This was accompanied by lots of horn honking and fireworks. After they all left there were some singers and dancers in the park which we watched from the balcony of our hotel. It was quite entertaining and the singers were really good. My favorite was La Bomba and I think Ritchie Valens is alive and well.
We checked out another hotel for tomorrow which is just around the corner and $10 cheaper. This room has two single beds and the one I'm on creaks if you look at it. It's a nice clean room though and has a/c which will probably give Jo a cold again if we leave it on. Her cold by the way has gone thanks to the antihistimine we got in San Jose. We picked up some more before we left just in case. Actually I think it's draino in a tablet form as it sure worked fast on her.
We have hot water in this place so it was a great long shower for both of us. This is a very modern high tech city. The internet in the foyer only requires you to insert a dollar and then your good to go for an hour. Tomorrow we may look for a wireless place. That's it for today. We're looking forward to seeing the downtown core but other than that I don't think there's a heck of a lot else to see so our days here are numbered and then it's on to Boquete which is East of here and higher up and thus cooler.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29513&l=a981c&id=680056043

Al Cotton

Costa Rica day 49Feb. 26

What a day! We took a cab from the central park to the Transnica bus station. The cabs here will pick you up even if they have passengers so we stopped off at two schools to drop some kids off and then off to the depot. That was like driving in a demolition derby. Bicycles either have the right of way or a death wish as they ignore the horn completely. We got there at 7 a.m. and I went to get some orange juice for the drive. We already had 3 large sandwiches which we bought yesterday and they sure came in handy. The bus left promptly at 8:30 a.m. and two hours later we were at the Nicaraguan border. The bus drivers helper took our $8.00 each along with our passports and headed to wherever they stamp them. We had to wait outside the bus in the dust and wind and the beggars (buggers) until he came back and then we were able to board (1 hour gone). We then headed across the border to the Costa Rican side. Everybody off along with our packs while we waited in line for an hour to get them stamped again. How could it take so long to get your passport stamped when the guy doesn't even look at your face? There were at least 150 and probably more, people standing outside waiting there turn to go in. We then went back to the bus to be told we had to get in another line to have our baggage inspected. Great but there was no one there to check the bags. The inspection area consisted of two long benches that we threw our bags on and waited for a half an hour for the guy to show up. When he saw we were Canadians by the flags on our packs he waved us through. Thank you God! We finally got under way at 12:30 only to be stopped at 1:00 pm for a roadside check where we again had to show our passports. You've never seen a border crossing like either one of these and it's a major deterrent to stay out of Nicaragua.
I noticed when we boarded the bus that it had music and movies. Yahoo. Ever watched the same Claude Van DAMN movie three times in a row? Geez by the third time I new the lines. The music was old 60's stuff from much music which beat the hell out of C.V.D. We gradually began to climb over the mountains only to get stuck behind every tractor trailer in Central America which were having a helluva time making it up the hills. The bus seats were becoming like cement blocks as were our asses. We stopped for 15 minutes to let the blood begin to circulate in out butts again. Jo went to the can which was a good thing as the bus didn't have a bathroom. Fortunately I'm like a camel but the thought did cross my mind "what if?".
When we arrived at 6:30 we found that this bus station was only about 4 or 5 blocks from the B&B we'd booked last night by email. Same old story. They didn't get it so there was no vacancy but then he offered us a backpackers room in the rear. It has three bunkbeds and a shared bathroom and shower. For sound effects we have to people on either side of the building coughing up chunks of lung. Fortunately we have the room to ourselves so we have lots of room. We'll both pass on having a shower here. The room is $10 each and the tv doesn't work and there's no fan or a/c but that's ok. We had to make the beds up ourselves so we got to pick the best mattresses. ha. We also had to cover the windows with the blankets or we may as well have slept on the sidewalk. I'll have to take a picture of the room with the blankets adding the ambience. It's a good thing I've lost some weight or my butt would be touching the floor on this mattress.
We'll skip breakfast tomorrow and get over to the other bus station as early as possible to hopefully get a ticket to Panama. It was too late today to go over there and get a ticket so we'll see how that goes. That's it for today. Another long day coming up and hopefully the border crossing will go better.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29511&l=3f2bc&id=680056043

Nicaragua day 48 Feb. 25

A rest day. We had breakfast and then went to the bank to get enough U.S. to get us to Panama. We also went to the farmacia to get Jo some more antihistamine and then went looking for the post office. Bought a set of stamps for the Nic. album and we have a few of their coins to be included as well. We also went to a new internet called the Garden Cafe which was wireless and free! Brought the blog and facebook up to date and then tried out Skype again. Talked to Lance, Tony, and Jo's mom and her sister in Hawaii. I'm going to like this cheap calling. We talked for over an hour and think we used just over $1.00. I had hoped to catch up with Lance again around 3 pm to see how the Skype computer to computer worked but the two wireless internet places were both closed by 3. Bummer.
We have to be at the bus station tomorrow by 7:30 a.m. which leaves at 8 for the 10 hour trip to San Jose. Two of those will be messing around at the border I imagine. We're using the transnica busline for the first time so we'll see how that goes. At least we have reserved seats. If the bus isn't full maybe we can put our packs on another seat instead of on our laps.
We also picked up 3 sandwiches to tide us over until we reach S.J. Jo sent the B&B there an email to reserve a room for us. This is the same place we've stayed twice before. Hopefully they get it as it's close to the other bus station we need to get to Panama. I think that may be a long trip to and so far we don't have a place to stay down there so we may have to wing it.
There are some street entertainers here every night. One is dressed like an 8' tall lady and a little guy dressed llike a dwarf man. They're accompanied by two small kids who can really beat out a tune on their drums. I got a video of them the first night and was hoping to get a photo tonight before we leave but wouldn't you know it, they're not out today for the first time.
Well that's a wrap from Nicaragua.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29510&l=b133b&id=680056043

Nicaragua day 47 Feb. 24

We made our own breakfast today consisting of granola, yogurt, bananas, pineapple and watermelon and then went and joined up with Claude and his wife Nicole for coffee. On the way back we stopped at another internet cafe and had a coffee while I tried to get on line. Yahoo it worked and it was free. Two hours later we headed back to the hotel. I was able to get skype working and called Lance and Maggie but no one was home. Next I called Paul and Dana and Dana was there. It seemed to work good but we'll need to get a mike and an earset. Not bad for .02 a minute! I bought $10.00 worth of time which should last a long time so we'll see how that goes. Should have done that a long time ago. It will also be handy on the boat this summer.
We're pretty low on cash and the banks were closed today (sunday) so we'll hit them tomorrow and get some U.S. money as we'll only be here for tomorrow leaving on Tues. at 7:30 a.m. for San Jose. Then it's off to Panama and changing our money again, this time to Balboa's. The money here is in Cordoba's and in Costa Rica it's Colones. Here in Nicaragua you get 575 cordoba's for $100.00. In Costa Rica it's about 500 to a $1.00. Either way if you do the math that's a helluva pile of bills that aren't worth much. The guys at the border had stacks like 4 or 5" of bills they were willing to exchange for Colones or U.S. dollars. We stayed with the bank. The cost to leave the country is $2.00 and the bus is $15 each. It also means another few hours messing around with the immigration/customs guys.
We had pizza for supper tonight. I had a medium and Jo had a small for $8.00 which left us with about $4.00 in our money. We don't want any Nicaraguan money left over except what I'm bringing home for my album and that's why we'll be getting U.S. dollars at the bank tomorrow.
Only took a few pics today mostly of a bullet pocked wall down the street. Must have been a real blood bath here at one time.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29209&l=6f9e1&id=680056043

Costa Rica day 46 Feb. 23

Slept in this morning until 7:30. Jo had a good night so the antihistamine did it's job. We had breakfast at a waffle house. 3 egg omelette with ham and cheese for me so I can get the cholesteral back up. Jo had a huge waffle and managed to eat it all. We joined our neighbours from Quebec and after that they were going to Masaya to the market so we joined in. It was about a half hour bus trip and then we walked for a mile or so. We came to an old fort which had a craft market so we spent some time in there. Lots of neat stuff and they will haggle with you but we didn't buy anything (most of it is too heavy to carry). We then walked another half an hour to the real market. Gag a rat! It was all enclosed so no breeze. A million shoe stores, & stifling hot. Then came the good part. The fish (fresh?) . Geez even the flies were staying away. It had to be 95 degrees in there and these fish were about to be cremated! We got out of there pretty damn quick. We then backtracked to where we caught the bus. Neat bus. Two seats on one side & one on the other and when they were full they folded down a 4 seat to fill up the aisle. The person at the back invariably needed to get off first so everyone on the aisle seats had to find a place to crawl while they folded up the seats and made for the door. The drivers helper stood in the open door as we sped along hollering to pedestrians that there was still room for one more. When we passed a bus he'd lean out and wave at the other bus driver and at one point he nearly had his head taken off by the other busses rear view mirror! He didn't see it coming because he was looking back. I figured what was coming and started to get my camera out but he spoiled my day. This would have been a picture for the Enquirer too!
We got off the bus early and walked to the bus ticket office and got two tickets back to San Jose for Tues. morning. We'll spend a night there and then jump a bus for David in Panama and spend some time there. There's lots of history here in Granada but how much history can one person take. I've got enough trouble remembering the '50s let alone going back to the 1500's. This place is full of churches but most of them are pretty run down. Jo went up to the bell tower in one of them and got some good shots. Too damn high for me. That was a sure nosebleed.
I did get a good shot of a horse pulling a cart with a refrigerator on it. The fridge weighed more than the horse! Also some good shots of ladies carrying loads of fruit on there heads in a high wind. No action there either.
We picked up a dozen beer on the way back and made a good dent in those before going across the street for supper. I had a footlong hot dog that probably was what it was. Jo was more conservative and had a BLT. Jo just read this and steamed her glasses up. Something to do with my poetic license I think . We came back here for another beer and I ran a slide show for our neighbours of the wildlife (animals) that I've taken pictures of.
Tomorrow maybe we can find an internet. I say that every day but something always comes up which is a good thing as I'm getting an education which is a helluva lot more than I got when I was younger. (Teachers always misunderstood me). Well I'm all typed out so that's a wrap.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29207&l=442bd&id=680056043

Al Cotton

Costa Rica day 45 Feb. 22

We slept pretty good last night although Jo is still suffering from severe head cold. We went for an early morning walk to the waterfront down the street but there wasn't much to see. It was getting quite hot by the time we returned to the hotel to see if we could see the room we wanted but the people hadn't moved out so we went for another walk towards the market where we bought some fruit and something for Jo's cold. Sinutab down here cost about .20 each! She couldn't get any at this drugstore so they gave her an antihistamine which really seemed to do the job.
The market was something to see. People everywhere and selling everything imaginable. They take their goods to the market by horse drawn carts and then the poor horses have to spend the day standing by the curb in the sweltering heat. We stopped for a smoothie I think its called. Banana, strawberry, and orange juice with a bunch of ice and then blended. It was excellent. We'll have to make some of them when we get home.
Our new room on the second floor is quite small w/ no a/c but it has a fan and a private bathroom and it's only $13 a night. It's much cooler up here as it catches the breezes. It's also quieter as we're not so close to the street or the main lobby.
We met an older couple from Quebec who spend most of their time here and in Costa Rica. He advised us of things to see, places to go and where to eat. They joined us for supper and a few beer. He also gave us the name of a place in Panama called David which he says is really nice and about a six hour bus ride from San Jose which costs about $15 so that could be our next target although we have to get back to San Jose and spend a night there in order to catch the bus which leaves at 7:30 a.m.
I found a wireless internet this morning and it was working fine but all of a sudden it just lost the signal and I couldn't get it back. I'll try again tomorrow. It was very hot this afternoon so we sat around and drank beer until it was time for supper. There's a lot of disrepair around here but there's also a lot of improvements going on at least on the street right out in front and continuing to the waterfront.
All the store fronts are very low key. They are right on the sidewalk but no windows only a door that opens. You have to look in to see what they sell. Most have a courtyard inside where you can sit and have a drink or something to eat. The restaurants all have tables and chairs outside but depending on where the sun is most of them are too hot to sit outside. There's a building down the street and the wall is pockmarked with what appears to be bullet holes. I asked the Frenchman and he agreed they're probably left over from the last war w/ the Sandinistas. He said most of the places have been replastered but this one seems to have been missed. I'll make a point of getting a picture of it.
That's about our day. We paid for another 4 nights so we'll be here until at least the 26th which I think is Tues. Hopefullly tomorrow afternoon when it's too hot to do anything else I can get the blog and facebook updated.
LINK OF THE DAY http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29097&l=4aada&id=680056043
Al Cotton

Costa Rica day 44 Feb. 21

We ate breakfast around 7 a.m. at the Guanacaste Hotel where we boarded the Central bus to Nicaragua. About 2 hours later we arrived at the border and traffic was lined up for a long way and that was just to get out of the country. We took our visas and paperwork and walked ahead to the immigration office and got in line. About a half an hour later we had our passports stamped and reboarded the bus which took us about a mile where we again disembarked this time with our bags and went to the customs office. We were 2nd in line as we had our packs with us. After waiting for about a half an hour a customs guy showed up and he had a button to push similar to those in Mexico. Green light you vamoose and red light assume the position. Jo and I got a green light which didn't make much difference as we went back to the bus only to have to wait outside for the busdriver to bring our passports back. He'd gone off to get them stamped. He finally showed up and we were able to board again and take our packs off. Lots of beggars in the bus station.
This was a great bus compared to what we're used to. Air conditioning, music (50's rock) and reserved seating. The driver was inside a windowed compartment and the whole front of the bus was blocked off with curtains that prevented us from seeing where we were going. Then a door was closed and locked so we were captives. As we left the bus station we were told to close all the curtains. The drivers helper came through minutes later and I asked him if we could open them. He said sure. Don't know what thaat was all about but at least we could see out the side.
The scenery was very flat farmland and the highway was paved (it's the Pan American Hwy.) Off in the distance we could see some very high volcano's and Lake Nicaraguea which is the largest lake (and polluted) in Central America. The whole trip took about 5 hours but at least two of those were spent at the border. No problems just bloody slow and disorganized.
We got off the bus at the bus station in Granada. We hadn't heard back as to whether we had reservations or not so we hoofed it forever to the hotel only to be told that there was no vacancy and that theyd changed their email address and don't check the one we used. We got the address out of a 2007 book on Central America. I think he was handing us a crock but all of a sudden he remembered a room w/ air and tv for $30/night. When I told him we had wanted to stay for a week a single cheaper room became available tomorrow for $13 a night. We'll move into it tomorrow.
This place is right in the heart of Granada which is very picturesque. Lots of old buildings and churches and quite close to the water where we can catch a ferry to head up the lake in a few days. The streets are cobblestone and there are lots of horse drawn carts. buggies, hotels and bars. We went to the bank and got $100 worth of cordobas. Not sure how long that will last but it will get us going. On the way back we found a place that claims to have wireless. We'll get back to that. We then went for supper across from the hotel at a place with an open window facing the street. We each had a cheeseburg and several beers for $13.00 or 2800 cordobas. These burgers were huge and mine came with jalepino peppers. I was going to order a double as we hadn't eaten since breakfast until I saw that a double was a pound of meat! The single was a half a pound and was very good even if it was dog meat. It also came with cole slaw and home made potato chips.
Lots of homeless and very poor people but the town is relatively clean compared to what we viewed on the way here from the bus. I'm sure we will be able to spend several days here. Great place to take pictures.
We checked out the internet place after supper but couldn't get the mac to work. It didn't even show a signal although the kid running the place had internet access with his blackberry. That was our day. Good to be off with the packs and the shoes. Tomorrow we'll scout around. It's too bad it so hard to get pics from a moving bus as we saw lots of scenery plus a huge truck full of bananas with the guys sitting on top of the load going along for the ride. The temp here is in the high 80's and the country is very dry although the humidity is quite high. Nice breeze off the lake which by the way is home to the worlds only fresh/saltwater sharks. We won't be swimming though as it's supposed to be very polluted.
Last night I took a picture of the full moon from our balcony but didn't find out until today that shortly after I took the picture there was an eclipse. Jo's fast asleep already and it's 7:30. That's what backpacking does to you. I sweat off another few pounds walking here. Should have taken a cab but didn't realize how far it was. Good exercise anyway.
LINK OF THE DAY
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29095&l=249bb&id=680056043