In the Sunny South - - well the South

Actually little sun since I arrived yesterday.

Flight was uneventful except for the fact there were only 60 passengers on the plane.  Landed about 11:20 am

Immigration at San Jose airport was a zoo - about 1,000 people zigzagging the maze - - took an hour - grabbed the luggage and Lisle was there to scoop me from the curb.  12:40 and on our way home.

Drive was fine except for a delay from the slide on the highway

By the time we were heading home they had cleared one lane - about a 30 minute delay as they switched traffic back and forth.

Not long after it started to rain - on and off all the way home and most of the evening.  Oh well, nothing stops a welcome home swim!

Indonesian dinner - cooked by Lisle - yes he is taking lessons here! YUM YUM YUM!!

Today was a slow day - settling in - sun this morning disappeared by about 11  - overcast by no real rain.  

All the neighbors have been by to say hello - all the stuff unpacked - all the sights on the property seen - - - all seems right with the world - - time for beer and a swim!

When life is that simple it is ok if the sun takes a break!

Return to Winter

January 18 arrived - nothing we could do to stop it!

The drive back to San Jose was simple – left at 6:40 am - a few slow point with vehicles, but made it to Avis in 3 hours 20 minutes and were through customs by just after 11.

Apparently American Airlines doesn't have a business class lounge in San Jose so we found a couple seats in the corner and read and internetted etc.

Flights were fine – both arriving early – but Miami airport - - OMG!

They weren't clear on where to send us for passport clearance – US citizens here and everyone else there (a line that had 3,000 people snaking in a room and another 3,000 in a line down the hall) – 3 minutes later – US and Canadian Passports here and everyone else in the long line.  So out we come for the line of hell and into an area with electronic kiosks – through in 10 minutes – then baggage – not a problem but really slow (ours were first out but almost 40 minute wait.

Now to the customs line – 2 exits with 4 customs officials each and about 10,000 people – the lines we so long that the ends of both lines (from opposite ends of the hall) merged in the middle and there were almost fists thrown as people jockey’d to move in one direction or the other - - an hour to get through that!!  We landed at 5:20 and finished with customs at 7:20 – lots of time for the next flight but 2 hours of my life I will never get back! No fun at all.

Walked in the door in Toronto at 1 am - - a very long day

Cats are happy and seem well cared for - - very interested in some petting and purring

So for the winter issues - Just as we were leaving Miami James texted – he was at the house – the outdoor faucet in the backyard had burst and was spraying water – the neighbour noticed it and called him – he came and turned off the inside valve – some water in the basement and next door’s as well, but apparently no real damage - - - such fun!!

Then - Polar Vortex 2.0 - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - high of -22 to -17 before windchill. Experiencing a 55C shift in temperature in 2 days is no fun!!

Today and tomorrow - we are supposed to get snow

Miss paradise already - 34 days is very attractive!

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 

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!

Bird's Eye View

When Lisle was in Ojochal in May, he decided to take an Ultra-Light flight.  They take off from a strip just south of Uvita and go wherever you want them to. He asked them to fly over the house.

Beside spectacular views of the coastline and beaches, this is our house from above.

And the whole neighborhood