Fly Away

So here we are - all set to go!

I am excited, nervous, tense - full of anticipation.

What happens now is pretty straight forward

• Thursday fly to Costa Rica - spend the night in Santa Ana (just outside San Jose) - a great dinner at Bacchus is planned
• Friday drive to Ojochal with a stop in Manuel Antonio for lunch - staying at The Lookout at Playa Tortuga - beer at Bocas and dinner at Stephan''s
• Saturday - 10 am - go to the house for the 'unveiling'

What happens next?  Who knows?!

What are Friends For?!

5 days and counting, and our friends continue to keep us up to date on the progress being made - like this note received today!

"Hi

Just came back from your house where Sheila and crew are setting up.

Love the purple crushed velvet sofa!  And who would have thought lava lamps would come back in style.  And you just never get tired of the dogs playing poker painting that will hang in your entryway.  Looks great!

Cheers

Karen"

HA HA - - Lisle is already plotting the payback!

Packing

The 3 traditional brown soft-sided luggage set is packed - large, medium and weekender - each weighs 50 lb!  No it's not clothes!  Or shoes!

The food processor, hand mixer, sundry gadgets, some plates (nicely packaged), the wine opener, a first aid kit, computer gadgetry, DVDs ...

Still need to do our toiletries and sandals, and the 4th case is nearing full without that!  Hopefully Steve and Claudio have some spare capacity to accommodate bits and pieces.


BTW - the pool is full and warming up for our arrival!  Six days and counting.

Don't Forget the Bikini!

No Board Shorts or One-Pieces Allowed!  Speedos and Bikinis only!!

Looks like it will soon be pool time!!  Cummon - take the plunge!

Cinder Blocks

It is somehow amazing what simple block of cement can become - a wall - a shower - a planter - for all their squareness, they can suddenly become a curve - or so Christian is showing us.

The landscaping around the pool is creating two additional outdoor rooms and a shower.

Tonight's conversation however is all about details - deciding on the stone finish and the composition of the pathways - two weeks left, so we are right down to the wire!

But progress is being made - I just love the red orange and yellow tile border in the pool!

So, the shower - painted bright orange with a great stone pattern on the upper patio

Pool area will be done in time for our visit - then on to the drive and the walkway into the jungle!

Paperwork, Documents and Process

There is a saying that goes something like "While the English invented bureaucracy, the Spanish perfected it".

The past few weeks have been full of paperwork details.  Those organizational things that that you can't live without, but would rather not have to deal with getting in place.

Internet service - actually this was not so bad, once we understood the options.  The aggravating part was trying to get people to respond to our enquiries - need to turn off the North American expectation of instant response.  But you would think what appear to be large companies would have customer service and sales staff.  Guess not! The local guy was responsive, checked out the lot and reception and is arranging for installation.

Insurance - Ah yes - never an exciting topic and never easy to deal with.  Insurance is a monopoly (not sure if it is actually state run, but the only choice).  We have heard that they are not the most customer focused and some people use a broker to liaise with the company - others say it doesn't matter - and some say it just isn't worth it and go without!  We choose to use the ARCR (the Association of Residents of Costa Rica) a group that supports expats - emails get us the policy information.  A few more clarify the documentation needed - passports, corporate documents (we put them someplace safe - where was that?!?!?!), house values, listing of all contents valued at over $750 (that is almost every item).  Often seems like broken telephone with repeated emails on the same topic, but I think we now have insurance on a monthly billing plan! 

Guess it was easier than the cellphone!

Electricity is in place and will be transferred over to us - I think the last piece is property management - hopefully that is a breeze!

The Excitement Builds

3 weeks today!  The official 'unveiling'!  While landscaping and details will continue for a couple of months, this is the ceremonial end to a very long process. 

Last week I noted we hadn't seen photos of the progress for a few weeks - this week there was a flood of them - construction and landscaping.  Each piece is moving the project closer to completion.

Take a look!!  April 16 cannot arrive too quickly.

The pool deck and patios take shape - the curved structure in the middle of it all is the outdoor shower.

Kitchen and bathrooms suddenly become a reality

The staircases look like sculptures instead of raw metal

Light fixtures appear inside and out

Windows and sliding doors are in place

And the front door is stunning!!