A lot has happened since we wrote a month ago. We have stayed very busy doing God knows what each day, but each day is full!
We did get the house phone line as promised but less than 10 days later we lost it for 4 days! Even though we got dial-up for the internet we couldn't use it while the phone was down and we found we were unable to make SKYPE calls even when the phone was working! No doubt about it - we were spoiled by having cable in Maine and we are thankful that we have friends with wireless!!!
After exhausting ALL possibilities, we found out that neither DSL or cable is possible here for internet. As a result, we are the proud owners of a new 2.4 meter diamter satellite dish which was installed last Wednesday the 14th. We have been told that DSL and/or cable will be available here SOMETIME in the future, when that happens we have faith that there will be a market for the dish. Needless to say, we moved fast to have the office up and running so we could start trading again!!! We have been 'down' for a long time - it will feel good to work and have a regular schedule again!
We have had mail challenges since coming to Costa Rica. The USPS decided to abbreviate our forwarding address in their computer so we didn't get ANY mail in February! With Pam's assistance and her knowledge of who to call at the post office in Portland, we are now able to get mail, as SLOWWWWWWWWWWWW as it is!!! Of course February's mail is still AWOL complete with debit cards, bills and bank statements!
Our dear friend, travel and house mate Pam, left to go home to Maine on Tuesday February 13th.
We did some traveling/exploring with her before she left. We all enjoyed the time off and to act like tourists!!!
We spent 2 full days at Volcano Arenal, an active volcano about 2 ½ hours away. We had perfect weather. We actually got a chance to see the lava flows at night and hear the eruptions throughout the day. An absolutely incredible experience. Dave and I took a wonderful tram ride above, through and under the primary and secondary rain forest and had some time at the top just to experience the volcano itself, see Lake Arenal and see the top of the 4,000+ feet of zip lines. Pam went off by herself on an all day tour to experience the hanging bridges, waterfalls, lava fields and hot springs. Together, we saw Coutimundis, Howler monkeys and multiple species of birds we had never seen before like the Montezuma Oropendola.
We also drove to Zacero, a well known town for the topiaries that have been formed in the park in front of the church. The same man has been sculpting them for over 40 years!!! Because of its altitude and the German heritage, this town has a Bavarian feel with both the cooler temperature and the architecture (very strange to see some A-frames again and chimneys jutting out of some roofs). See and hear the NPR story about Zacero online here.
The ferria or farmer’s market is HUGE and is held every Friday and Saturday year round! Dave and I go every week to get our fresh fruits, vegetables and CHEAP tropical flowers!!! (Heliconia, ginger, birds of paradise, antheriums, etc.)
We routinely yell “hola” or “buenos dias” to neighbors as they pass by our ‘casa’. They are VERY quick to speak and wave back. I am sure that the gringo and gringa are the talk of the town (as we are most likely the ONLY gringos in this town). Some of our immediate neighbors have introduced themselves and speak quite good English. Some of the other adults want to learn English and come by for their interactions via ‘dictionarios’. We even have one guy that always yells “goodbye” with a big smile on his face and waves every time he passes the house! (I imagine that is the only English he knows, but is very proud that he can communicate). There is a LOT of children around. We see and hear them daily from early morning to dusk playing futball (soccer) across the street. They are very interested in us (especially the one that shares names with David) and have posed on the fence in front of our casa for a mass picture!!! I don’t know how many posed, but I counted 14 on the street that day!
One day, Pam saw a large iguana eating orange flowers off the vine on the fence. He/she was gracious enough to let us take a picture or two before he/she scurried off!
I have rambled on long enough! It was great sharing what we have been doing. We miss YOU but not the cold and dampness!!!
Dave and Raylene
