A Tasty Place

Certainly Ojochal is remote - especially in a Canadian context - but I like to think that it is the perfect mix of cosmopolitan living off the beaten track.

A good example - A Taste of Ojochal!!

9 Chefs and an 8 course meal - believe me this will be a spectacular evening as we have eaten at almost all of the participating restaurants - too bad we will miss out!

A great example of how much this little village in the middle of nowhere has to offer.

Leader of the Pack

4 weeks today we will be back in Ojochal - so of course, the packing conversation has begun!

Given the prices and availability of seats, we ended up buying business class tickets - so we get an even BIGGER luggage allowance (4 cases at 70 pounds each - not sure that is actually a good thing).  What to pack, what to pack???

Actually clothes and toiletries for both of us will fit into one suitcase at no more than 50 pounds - so the question is, what to do with the remaining 3 cases and 230 pounds (and that is before carry-on)?

There is the bottle of rum from Cuba, the seashells from Veradero (the best thing about the beach there) and a set of bongo drums I bought from a street vendor, Various kitchen gadgets that have been accumulated in the past 4 months - did you know there is such a thing as an avocado slicer?  The walking sticks I bought for Lisle's birthday will fit in.  Some computer stuff as well (hubs and wireless bits).  Then there is art work - we have some interesting pieces that are packed away that would really do well in the house - native american from British Columbia - folk art from New Orleans - paintings fashioned after 1940's movie posters - Mexican folk art.

Every time we go, a little bit more goes with us and stays - an interesting transition!

Pool Blues

Since the summer we have been working to resolve problems with the pool finish.

It seems that your typical painted pool has very little longevity in the tropics - not sure why that is - we re not the only ones with an issue, pool finishes are a common topic of discussion.  

As we were faced with the need to apply the 3rd new finish in a year, we decided paint was not the way to go.  That leaves tile!  Ok, so lets pick a colour - - well there is blue, blue and blue!  At least that what is readily available - your typical public pool turquoise, or a dark blue.  Not impressed!

So we began the search for other tiles in the colour we wanted that we could afford and that we available in Costa Rica.  With the help of Christian www.horizon-plan.com/tropics.html we found Ezarri tiles www.ezarri.com/home.php.  Of course they are in Spain and ship as needed to Costa Rica - after much back and forth, we determined they had the tile we wanted in the country in sufficient quanity so they didn't need to order it specially.

Once that fell into place, the rest has been amazingly simple - payment, delivery, installation - - Christian and Robert have been fantastic.  While we have yet to see the final product the reviews from the neighbours have been very positive.

Hopefully a permanent solution to this - we'll see when we arrive Dec 23!!

Pics of the tile and the work in progress

BTW ...

When Keith and Karen, Jan and Sonya came to see me off on Saturday, they surveyed the damage from my fall off the wall!

Conclusion - Yes, I am stupid!

But they spotted my glasses sitting in the broken ginger!

YAY!!

Catching Up

So I am home safe and sound.

The drive to San Jose was uneventful until I got near the hotel and found they had closed the highway from the airport to the city and all traffic was being diverted right to where I was headed!  An hour later and several detours (thank God for GPS!) I managed my way into the hotel the back way.

Checked-in, I threw myself on the bed and took a deep breath of cold air conditioned air - yuk!  I looked around and suddenly felt very closed in - I need to be outside!  so I went for a walk, and to get a beer at the hotel bar by the pool.

Soon it started to rain - lightly, then heavy, then torrential, then lightning.  I watched the bolt come down just past the hotel, in the golf course - the flash and crack were simultaneous - the ground shook - that was close!!

They have renovated the common areas of the Doubletree Cariari - much more modern - clean lines and taupe.

Good beer, good dinner,  fell asleep before I could drink the wine I had brought with me - breakfast to fill me and off to the airport.  Upgraded to Business Class, I settled into the VIP lounge with little pastries and coffee  - nice place - white pleather seats, contemporary, looking over the runway - better than the one in San Salvador - Lisle called it the Tacky Tacky Tiki Lounge!

Home is very strange - no sounds except for machines - buzzing of the lights, wooshing of the air conditioning, hum of the fans, screech of tires and the rumble of the streetcars!

Work - well that never changes - right back to where we left off!!


18 months!!!!!

The Evidence Is Clear

I'm stupid

Not sure that patch of ginger will survive, but it will grow in quickly enough.  I forgot how much fun it was trying to stand up amongst the pineapple plants!!

No sign of the glasses!

Stop The Bickering

They are coming - and there are a bunch of them! 

RAAAK  RAAAK  RAAAK!

I lost track at 30 - a flock of parakeets - over the hill from the south, circled over the pool and into the tree behind the house where they sqawked and yelped and flapped and were joined by more every few minutes - for about 30 minutes before they left - always in pairs and yapping at each other like bickering spouses!