The Rainy Season is Just Beginning..

Quepos was flooded last Saturday, all the locals walked around in ankle high water, but I was in San Jose looking forward to a day at the Canadian Embassy to replace my stolen passport. Surprisingly the process was fast and very simple, all except the 10 block (short walk) jaunt to have my picture taken again. Anyway, it's done and I wait, luckily I am not a temporary visitor looking forward to a real cup of Tims coffee (CR coffee makes Tims taste like the dishwater it really is). Used the Grayline bus service to go to SJ and return, 3.5 hours each way, nice air con shuttle bus with only 2 other passengers each way. Stayed at the Don Carlos again and they even gave me old room #14 again in the basement level....comfortable, not fancy, but the bed was comfy and the breakfast very nice with eggs, fruits and real toast! Back here in Quepos, the new cat in my life has decided to climb a tree and sit there...its been 2 days now and hunger hasn't motivated her enough to come down, and so I wait. Herman Meza is making a return visit, I need his translation skills to settle a little feud with Banco CR in town, as they have limited my interac w/ds to $100US...not very practical when the service charge is a couple bucks....so Herman can state my case for me. Layla, my chef and housekeeper has made a great meal for me again with the chicken empanada that she does so well. Not much to complain about other than the humidity, but the pool certainly deals with that. So for now life rolls on and I have work to do to pay the rent...and the deals still come. More to write later, as this is a work in progress. Ciao

The Story So Far

Each day that passes I realize I am "not in Kansas anymore", as the rhythm of the day progresses..calm in the early hours...heat rises and settles in at 8-12...then a period of breezes cool things down....more calm in the afternoon...finally the rain that roars on into the night. temperatures rarely stray from 24-28 degrees. Sunday tends to take on its own calm, as not much goes on in town, all the shops and businesses rest and the Catholic churches fill. I have taken in a cat from the Animal Rescue League, a female mostly calico of about 8 months of age, she kept me awake last nite as she tries to understand who I am. The food and water will help her adjust, and she is stretched out on the couch (little more than some cloth covered foam that hides the odd scorpion) and sleeps the warm afternoon away. I still haven't adjusted to the heat and humidity, but time will tell. I don't use the air con in the house, as it was designed as a Tico house with lots of open windows and doors. Yesterday I watched in amazement as millions of dragon flies flew over me, up the valley and on to who knows where...today it was red harvester ants that paraded in front of me and marched off into the grass. Didn't receive a bite as I guess I was too large a meal to drag with them. Still find lots of colourful butterflies, some yellow, some orange, some iridescent blue, and birds of amazing reds and greens. For the first time on my walk down the rock road of hell I took the time to look at plants with leaves of all shapes and sizes...strange to a city boy from Ontario.Things will be better when I get the old suv, cash being the determining time...business is progressing, and life is still pretty good. This is a work in progress..

A Life Here So Far

Well, despite what we (North Americans) think, the mosquitos aren't big enough to carry us off, and with the exception of a small scorpion, and 2 nasty looking but harmless spiders (as big as your hand spread out) I haven't encountered any super bugs. Waking up each morning is fun as I have usually been nipped by one or two, but I sleep deep, there's so much oxygen in the air. The roosters start about 4, and after 6 there isn't much point in staying in bed as the heat begins to build. But all is not well as I had my prized laptop stolen, all my pics and pirated music, mortgage files and personal notes....all gone...plus, the perps wripped the safe from the wall and got my passport ($150.00 and a trip to San Jose please..), my deactivated blackberry (Rogers...$1568.00 please...) my bus ticket to Panama for my 72 hour reentry to CR, my real Seiko, pics of B and S, and misc stuff...PLUS $2800.00US I had been squirreling away to bu a truck/suv!....ouch!! Visited the local equivalent of the FBI (I can't pronounce them...O-E-Hoto..) who took a statement and visited and took pics AFTER the door locks were changed and a new safe installed. This time I will fill it full of rocks and trust my "stuff" elsewhere, maybe dig a hole in the yard. Herman and Ana visited, was nice to have a little company, drinking caffeine again, and enjoyed a bunch of nice CR cigars (shop guarded by a tiny Chihuahua..."Cubee"). Doing a lot of reading, trying to blend in with the 5 foot 5 average and not dripping from the armpits Tica and Ticos, not doing a good job, but I was asked for directions...and of course it has finally sunk in that I am here for gallo pinto until December...and enjoying a less stressed sans Crackbery life. Those of you thinking about living away from your comfort zone, just do it and find that part of who you are that you have forgotten about. Miss a few like crazy,...you know who you are...not interested in finding a new "significant other" down here, but they are always trying, a little flattering, but sad. Going to hit the road when I get my 1988 Izusu Trooper next week, 5 speed with the crappy 2.6 Mitsubishi motor I sold at Chrysler, but seems to run OK, and at $3500.00 it was a bargain, as stuff costs 3-4 times what you're used to.
 Back to the web to work a new deal, I pray all of you back home stay well...me?,...I think the pool first!
This is a work in progress

Days 1 to 12

Decided to spend a few days in San Jose, met up with my good friend Herman Meza (super guide) and we toured the town, and went to Castros with a few friends and karaoked the nite away. I was still in a delayed shock as I finally realized this would be my home/host country until year end. The city of San Jose is beautiful, full of architectural treasures, lots of good food and places to eat, a few places to be wary of, moderate weather (never goes over 30), and opportunities abound. I had rented a home on the hill in Quepos, said good bye to Herman, and took a NatureAir flight on Sunday Aug 1st. Thru the rain, over the mountains, and a safe landing where I met Tom Barron, my new property manager. He was good enough to get me settled, up a long rock road, to a comfortable tico home with a small pool, sporadic internet, and now Layla to cook and tidy up allowing me to concentrate on the future. The problem is...I don't know what I want the future to look like, but then again, if I could read the future I would be at the track. This blog won't have any real revelations I think, but perhaps a few suggestions to other 50 somethings planning to set down roots. So far, pretty good, coffee's great and addictive, cigars more so, and I think it's time for a swim. More later, this is a work in progress.