Seinfeld

Sort of feels like this is a story about nothing - just our life as is unfolds.

10 days here have been filled with the bank, ICE for changes to the cell service, some legal stuff with the property taxes, and getting the Riteve (mechanical certification) on the RHINO.  Then there was the sorting of the media files, hooking up the AV stuff ok and such.

Then there is the catching up with friends - Jan and Sonya came by, as did Keith and Karen.  We went to Dean and Michelle's for a glass of wine, and Sebastian invited us for fish dinner (trying to keep his sanity as he is with Mila while Liz and Nolan are in Toronto).

Yesterday we went for a quad ride with Dean and Michelle - this is my first.  Yes I have driven the RHINO around the village, but this was up into the mountain to Pejibaye (a little town in the middle of the mountains).  A beautiful day (the first without rain) but the road was little more than a track, and there are many folks living up there - Ticos on farms and in little clusters of homes, and ex-pats with gated compounds.  Huge tracts of mud and ruts - steep and rocky and slippery.  It was great fun.

You drive a bit - stop and see the vista or a waterfall or interesting vegetation then drive some more.

Pejibaye is a real town - a soccer field, school, many businesses and restaurants, a supermercado etc.  We ate at the pizzeria - great pizza, thin crispy crust and fresh toppings - very yummy.

Then back - over two ridges and through valleys.  Celebrated a great day with beer at Nani's.

They often do this in large groups (16 or so)  Just the 4 of us was nice for a first time.

Good thing we did that yesterday - it was raining heavy before sunrise, and hasn't stopped all day - dropped in intensity this afternoon, but still like sitting in a cloud.  Is just clearing a bit - a hint of orange on the horizon as the sun sets.

The waterfall at Pavon - there is an egg shaped rock sitting in the middle of the crevice - the tree camp down recently in front of everything - great swimming hole!

 You can see our homes on the left side of the photo - just above the one tree that is sticking up

 great waterfall

 Lisle explaining something

Don't I look butch with my Quad!

See!

Like I said - rainy days provide beautiful sunsets - - this one from the pool patio at El Castillo!

Another overcast day - can't really see the ocean - but no rain yet!

Silence

It is funny how when the rain stops it is so silent!

The rain is so loud - especially the heavy tropical rain like we just had - and yet suddenly it stops and all is silent - and very still.  The birds aren't chirping, and trees aren't moving, and there is none of the usual breeze.  Bits of cloud hang in the mountain valley barely moving.

Doesn't last long - 5, maybe 10 minutes - then the birds start - a call here and there - soon it is back to the normal chatter.

Today was a rainy one - was over cast when we woke up, started raining around 10 and just let up now - 1:15.  Good heavy rain - Lisle moved the car out of the carport so it could get the dust rinsed off!  Brighter over the ocean now - hopefully a better afternoon!

It has rained almost every night this week - mother nature seems to be fighting off the dry season - the rain isn't a bad thing - keeps everything green - but is keeps the humidity up as well.  The good thing about overnight rain is that the horizon starts to cloud over late in the afternoon - while you don't get to see the sun slip into the ocean, you do get spectacular sunsets.

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!!

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.

Still no Water

Mañana!!  That seems to be the continuing answer - apparently the capacitor needed to be replaced, and then the pump shaft failed - parts from San Jose - maybe later today.

That leaves me thinking about water from other sources - rain is a big deal here and was keeping the pool full.

Monday was a beautiful day - sunny and hot - high clouds and threatening clouds over the mountains, but no real rain (sometimes get a gentle mist for a few minutes - hardly notice it except for the drops in the pool).  As we went to bed Monday night, there was the strangest mist across the valley - lights glowing in it - almost ethereal!  Laying in bed, I said, is that rain?  Lisle said it isn't raining, but that sounds like it coming.  For 20 minutes we lay there listening - it was really strange because usually when you can hear it coming, the rain moves in very quickly, but not this time.  After almost 30 minutes it was drop, drop on the roof - and then downpour - heavy deafening rain.

That lasted most of the night and Tuesday was grey and wet on and off through the morning.  Then the sky cleared to a beautiful sunny afternoon and a wonderful sunset.  We went for dinner to Villas Gaia - on the way back the sky was clear - the moon shone and the stars were everywhere - a spectacular night sky!

Today has been clear so far - blue sky and puffy white clouds, but the mountains are graying!

The great thing about this time of year is that the sky is seldom clear - and the sky is the most amazing thing about this place - light and clouds on the mountains, or the ocean - and sunsets through the clouds that are unbelievable - - these are from the last few days!

Cloudy with Chance of Meatballs

Seems like an apt headline for today - it has been raining on and off since this morning - very overcast - meanwhile the meatballs are in the fridge and the tomato sauce is simmering on the stove.

This has been a very wet couple of weeks - with the exception of a couple of very nice days, there has been substantial rain every day - early morning, stopping for a couple hours and starting again - overnight with a sunny morning but rain again by 9am (today) - unusually wet.

Yesterday was the rain that was coming down so fast it was slopping over the eaves!  This morning was almost that again, but now is a gentle but steady shower.

With the rain comes the clouds.  Sometimes you are right in them and can't see past the hedge 20' away.  Other times, like today, they are higher up.  Things are misty in the valley and the clouds dance on the tops of the mountains - sending swirls down along the ridges that suddenly disappear - all the while it is clear over the ocean.

Sunset has not been much of an event, but sometimes when the clouds are cooperating you get wonderful sights.