Lazy Days

Toronto is freezing in the dark - literally!  Devastating ice storm, 250,000 homes without power - all the weekend before Christmas - sounds really Grinchy to me.

So I hate to rub it in but ...

Yesterday (Sunday) was the most glorious day since we arrived.  You could tell the air was different first thing in the morning - the sky was clearer - it was warmer - there was a breeze from the ocean. The first full day of WINTER!! What better thing to do to celebrate the start of winter than a day at the beach.

10 am arrival and there were already 20 friends and neighbours there and more arrived later.  Quite the gathering of bright umbrellas and coolers, colourful clothing  boisterous conversation, beer and nachos

Just another day at the beach

Lisle squinting in the sunlight

 Off for a swim

Karen and the dogs going boogie boarding

 Sorry - one last dig!

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

So, we bought a nice little piece of land in a remote part of Costa Rica!  Peace and Quiet - Nature and Seclusion.

Well, since then, Ojochal has been booming - written up nationally and internationally as the hot destination within Costa Rica - great for foodies - fabulous beaches - even surfing!!

And our little corner of all this - a bit of the mountainside - a dead end road with 6 small lots will soon have 4 homes - and another 3 within shouting distance - - all out of 104 lots in the area.

The newest ones - the ones who were chainsawing at 6:30 Monday morning - 2 tween daughters - seem like nice folks.

Not complaining but our little slice of paradise is just a little less remote.

The house at the end of the road - will be done in April

The other house will level the site for building at the top of the hill in January and likely be done by next Christmas - the family is already living down here - renting in the village 

It Stopped

Raining - that is!

It has been almost continuous since yesterday morning - - doesn't look like it has stopped everywhere, or that it will last!!

Hello!

Well - I just realized it has been a long time since I posted something - actually since we were last in Ojochal - so here we are again in paradise!!

December 15 was a very long travel day - up at 3 am - limo at 3:30 - check in for the flight to Miami - delay due to idiots who don't know to get up early enough to get to the airport to go through customs - delay due to de-icing - - 40 minutes late into Miami leaving 20 minutes to make our connection - run through the terminal - 5 minutes to spare - everyone is standing around listening to the delay announcement - an hour later on our way - land and through customs and baggage easily - newbie at the car rental took way too long - - finally on our way at 3 - stop for coffee, stop for groceries - stop for dinner - in the driveway at 8.  Anxious for a good night sleep.

Costa Rican mornings are filled with the sounds of nature - birds, monkeys - at 6:30 we were awakened by the local motosierra - a chainsaw - with our neighbours clearing their lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing some coffee can't mend.

Spent the day unpacking - getting supplies - setting things up the way we like.

By the end of the day, ready for a swim at sunset and a glass of wine - CHEERS!

What a Spectacular Day

The sun is bright and hot (34C by the outdoor thermometer).  While there are some clouds over the mountain top, they are mostly bright, and the rest of the sky is blue streaked with white wisps.  The ocean is glistening in the sunlight and is still.  There is a breeze from the ocean that cools the intensity of the sun.  I have retreated from the patio sofa as the late afternoon sun has reached it and both the heat and the brightness make a continuation of my reading impossible.  A complete change from the mist, clouds and torrential rains for the past 3 days - a day that - except for the mountain clouds - is more like February than August.  The only such day since our arrival 5 weeks ago.

We are dog-sitting for David and Helene, and Deezle has found a cool, shady, breezy place on the patio tiles to sleep.

 This morning we visited our friend Judy.  She has lived here almost 12 years, having bought property across the valley with her partner (now back in the states due to illness).  She has a wonderful if modest house (much more like a Tico home than ours) on 6 acres of hillside with a stunning view of the ocean and the entire village of Ojochal.  She knows how to live with the locals and get things done - a treat to visit with.  We sipped ice tea and gossiped.

Great view of our house from her front patio!

Reading the new J.K. Rowling's mystery - interesting

An hour in the pool chatting as the sun loses its intensity readying to set.

A cocktail listening to the howlers in the distance

Sunset!!

 

Dinner of chicken breast and potatoes with a good glass of wine.

TV, wine, the sound of the frogs and crickets

A great day.

Food and Flight

Two MUST's

FOOD - Ylang Ylang

https://www.facebook.com/YlangYlangRestaurant

Just off the highway in Ojochal, but way up a mountain road is an Indonesian hideaway.  Hans and Caroline offer a spectacular dining experience.  There are only a few tables in the open dining room (read someplace they only serve 10 people each evening), so reservations - even in green season are required.  The owners are engaging - Hans out front and Caroline in the kitchen - explaining how the food is made, what the ingredients are, why the different regions of Indonesia have different foods.

Appetizers (pork skewers with peanut sauce and shredded beef formed into a log, surrounded by sticky rice and cooked in a banana leaf) were just the introduction to the amazing flavours.  The main course is served family style and consists of two 'protein' dishes, vegetables and rice.  The choices are named after the regions they come from - we ordered BALI - cubes of pork in a spicy sauce (tender with just a hint of heat) and thin strips of beef in a tamarind and sweet soy sauce (sweet and savoury - flavor beyond belief) with spicy green beans, mixed vegetables in coconut milk and yellow rice - - YUM YUM YUM!!!!

A little expensive compared to other local fare - but a delicious meal with exceptional hosts.  They even offer cooking classes and sell the spices!



FLIGHT - Superman Zipline at Osa Mountain Village

At 2.1km from beginning to end, this is billed as the longest in the world.  Add to that a descent of 300m (1000 ft) and speeds that have been recorded of 120km/hr make this adventure an exhilarating 90 seconds!

http://supermandeosa.com/

Osa Mountain Village is a sustainable community development in the mountains about 15 miles south of Ojochal.  There is already home development, a community garden, a butterfly garden, and animal sanctuary and a zip-line canopy tour - SUPERMAN is the latest addition.

Unlike traditional zip-lines where you are 'seated', Superman lets you fly - you are face-down in a sling-like harness.  The sensation is so unique, you hardly have time to take in the amazing surroundings as you go from the top of the mountain ridge (3,000 ft) to the base camp (2,000 ft) that include trees, streams, waterfalls, gardens and the restaurant.

At the end there was food - nachos, ceviche, fruit, juice and pop - then a quick trip to the restaurant where you can celebrate by buying a beer or two before the trek home.

Oh, the trek - yes - the drive in from the highway and back out is NOT for the faint of heart - steep and rocky - we encountered a slide on the way up that was just muddy ruts to traverse - you really need a 4x4, and not a BEGO!  Take their shuttle - it is worth it and the guides are great fun.

The outing took about 4 hours for our group of 10 from the pick up in Ojochal to return.  At $95 per person, it is pricey, but like nothing else you will experience here - - I expect the price will drop or value adds will be introduced.

Pineapple Production

Dole Beware!!

We have had 4 pineapples (one got eaten by a Pizote).

Small (about the size of a large grapefruit) and sweet!

Took two years for the plants to bear fruit - maybe 12 of them growing.  Somehow don't think they will halt the trading of Dole stock on the markets as a result of this news - yummy all the same!