Operation Guest House- Playa Chiquita, Costa Rica

The Calm

2009-09-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

September in Playa Chiquita is a blessing. July and August- with their hoards of honeymooners, European family vacations, constantly changing weather, and general busyness- leave us, and the rest of the coast, happy to indulge in glorious September. The sea grows still, clear as the desert sky. The rain ceases for the most part and when it does decide to dampen us spills only enough to feed the thirsty plants and make everything more green and cool. The sun quickly breaks through the clouds and the water reflects turquoise again. The delicacies of the tropics enjoy the weather as well and some of the most exotic trees begin to fruit. Unique and delicious mangosteen and mamonchino fill the Saturday market.

The honeymooners are figuring out what it’s like to just be married, the European family vacationers are back to school and we are on the beach admiring the beauty and tranquility of Playa Chiquita. We cannot see another person along the winding stretch of golden sand. Business may be slower but we have time to appreciate where we are and what we are doing. We have time to get things done. We think about our progress and imagine the future. We go out to diner with friends and sometimes even guests. We write blogs. I think I’ll go snorkeling tomorrow.

Ginger

2009-06-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Meet the newest member of the Tierra de Sueños family.......

Ginger!

We were expecting some puppies in the neighborhood after seeing Cody, our big jungle dog, having his way with our neighbor's dog in the middle of the road (this is the way things are done here apparently). Two days ago Brendan went to pay his respects to the off-spring and ended up coming back with one of the puppies in hand. How could he resist? She is insanely adorable and I, who never even liked dogs, am completely madly in love! Ginger is of course a huge hit with the guests and is proving to be a perfect addition to Tierra de Sueños.

First morning in her new home.

Enjoying her favorite past time.

First trip to the beach with dad.

Life is good!

A Trubute to Mothers

2009-06-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

May is the month when leatherback turtles come to the shores of the Carribean coast and lay their eggs. The neighboring wildlife refuge (Manzanillo-Gandoca) is home to the leatherbacks and serious efforts are being made to protect these incredible reptiles. According to the Leatherback Trust, in 1980 there were more than 115,000 female leatherback turtles and now less than 25,000, even becoming close to extinction in the Pacific. Unfortunately, the turtles have a rather beautiful shell perfect for making costly jewelry and the eggs taste pretty good as well so we humans have had made our impact and only in recent years have regulations been made. These impressive creatures out date humans by a million years and know what the earth looked like with dinosaurs running around. Needless to say, we were all excited with the possibility of seeing one of these beasts.

We decided to make a day out of it and piled our friend Denise, her 4 year old twins, boyfriend Matias and Adam Harr who was visiting from DC into the rumbling Galloper for a rainforest adventure. For a pretty penny you can take a 30 minute boat ride from the town of Manzanillo to Gandoca beach, but we decided to drive up around and down on bumpy roads to get there.
Next time we’ll take the boat. We stopped along the way at the BriBri water falls. The twins had never been to this rather large waterfall and after much excitement and anticipation when we finally reached the massive falls (you have to hike for about 30 minutes in the jungle) the girls started screaming and crying not wanting to go near it. With a little coaxing we got them to get in with us and the screams of fear turned into screams of laughter. It was adorable.

Back in the car we continued to the border of Panama where we dipped back in towards the sea. The viewing of the turtles is all very official since this is a preservation project and so we hired our guide, put on our black clothing and walked into onto the dark beach to begin our search. The turtles come in at night so it is best to go out after 8pm. Our guide was a cool young guy who had a lot of information about the turtles and the area and told us about how they are collecting the eggs after the female comes and lays them to put them in protected incubators (buckets) in a sectioned-off part of the beach that has 24-hour surveillance. He took us down to show us the project and there were about 10 young teens with “staff” shirts on hanging out. They were all local volunteers which was nice to see since those where the same kids eating the eggs last year. Some of the buckets were placed under the shade and others in the sun. Apparently sun or shade, in other words temperature, decides the sex of the turtle. A volunteer came around saying there was a turtle a ways down the beach and so we trudged down and lo and behold there it was! A 6 foot long, 4 foot wide turtle digging a large hole in the sand in preparation. We crept up behind her trying not to get in her field of vision and watched in awe as the ancient reptile worked. The guide told us that she still had some time before actually laying eggs and that there was another turtle further down that we should go check out.

Down the beach another massive turtle was flapping those powerful flippers, heaving her 1500 pound body across the sand in search of a good spot to lay her eggs. The guide explained to us that the tide had been weird that week and the water level was different than usual so the turtle kept finding water as she dug and she would not lay her eggs in water. She began to painstakingly head towards the sea when at the last minute, she started back towards the sand. Our guide thought this turtle was crazy. "Tortuga Loca!" It was clear she did not want to give up that night. It is hard to describe how enormous these turtles are and the struggle it can be for the females to perpetuate life. And still after years of traveling far distances in the sea they come back to the very same spot they themselves hatched, an intuition nobody fully understands, and continue the life cycle that has been going on for a million years. We were on the Gandoca beach with the great leatherbacks on Mother's Day, a spectacular tribute to motherhood indeed.

Sorry, no photos are allowed to be taken of the turtles so you will have to come experience the wonder for yourselves.

Manzanillo

2009-04-06T12:41:00.001-07:00

No visitor can leave Tierra de Suenos without experiencing the Manzanillo Wildlife refuge. This is one of our favorite places on the Caribbean coast. With its sweeping views, secluded beaches, and lush jungle paths you feel like a real pioneer stumbling upon something incredible. The three mile bike ride getting to Manzanillo is an adventure in itself, toucans and butterflies lead the way. The town outside the refuge is about as slow moving as a place can be with friendly locals and not many tourists. Maxi's, the restaurant/center of Manzanillo happenings, is not only a fun local hangout but happens to have the very best Caribbean food on the planet (I suggest the grilled whole red snapper!) Thousands of acres of protected rain forest and glorious Caribbean sand at just a quick ride away. Come see for yourself......

Recap #2 One Year

2009-03-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

We blew through our one year mark without really even noticing. Our bungalows were totally full the entire week and we were too busy to pay attention to the fact that a year had crept up on us. Looking back at our books, the first week we came down we had one bungalow occupied (luckily by a sweet and excited couple from VT). A year later during the same week, not a room to spare. This is encouraging!

We were not sure if our friends and family would keep rolling in at such speed and numbers after the first 6 months but indeed they did, more than we could imagine. The time has come to give thanks to the wonderful people who have traveled far to give their support and be a part of our adventure. Where did we leave off??? Oh yes, September....

Piotr, Brendan’s old roommate from a summer in Burlington, came with his sister Margo and her boyfriend Jacob all the way from Poland and Ireland. It was great fun! Three Polish people who had never been to the tropics, need I say more? Andy, who just finished our awesome new website, came with Brooke and chased their two year old son Jack around the jungle for a week. Adam Lukens entertained us with stories of the film industry in NYC, our favorite being the one about Steven Segal kicking his stunt-man in the balls to see if he’s wearing a cup. Dotty, Evan and Molly, friends from the Cape, came in search of “the most beautiful beach in the world”, and found it. Charlie and Caitlin brought stories of life on the Obama campaign trail in Nebraska and we celebrated the new winner. Good work Charlie!! The insane November rains started and my step cousin Christine and husband, Ted, newlyweds on their honeymoon, barely made it through the flooding roads to reach Tierra de Sueños where they spent the week in torrential rain. Brendan’s entire family reached us a couple of days later under similar circumstances. We celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas in the same week and managed to have a good time even though it never stopped raining. One day was spent getting drunk on chocolate, a highly recommended activity. My sister Samantha and cousin Becca almost got us arrested and Sammie braved dental surgery in San Jose, quite an experience in itself. Adrienne and Peter came from DC with their friend Kevin and were exposed to some of the wacky members of the community at a wild Manzanillo party. The old, long white-bearded man who we usually see bathing his white horse in the ocean in his underwear was there showing off his moves on the dance floor. Pete carried an ipod karaoke machine along with him to the beach everyday, just a side note. Also coming from DC, Evan Smith a childhood friend of Brendan’s, shortly followed with two work friends, Jeff and Kate. Evan may have won the award for most sunburned but we couldn’t give him too much grief because he did go to Best Buy at 10pm the night before his early morning departure to purchase an emergency laptop to quickly replace our stolen one. What a friend! Then came the impromptu college reunion which couldn’t have been more fun. My old roommate from all of the college years, Jess and her dear friend Suzanne came with their boyfriends Nate and Mike, Adam for the second time around, Sean and Nick also friends from the very beginning of freshman year and a new-comer friend of Sean, Erin. Rum Punch is all I can say about that. Sarah and Mary happily came in the middle of Februrary all the way from South Dakota and Etta from the Cape as well. We just said goodbye to Jess, Melissa, Gabe and Chris from Vermont and the week was nothing less than hysterical. Friends from DC, Fareha and Chris, are riding bikes into town right now and the day they leave, Andew Baxt arrives, shortly followed by Abigail with her boyfriend Ted who I am just dying to meet and so on and so forth. There is no sign of it letting up!

The steady flow of friends and family has completely blown our minds. When deciding to embark on this journey never in our wildest dreams did we think we would be graced by the presence of so many people we love. Thank you all for coming and sharing our dream with us. Keep coming!

No Pets Allowed

2009-03-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

Several months ago a woman called asking if we allow dogs. Well, we might, depending on what kind. This policy hasn’t been established yet. I can see why it wouldn’t work out, but we like pets. We have a big dog who tends to get excited when someone approaches his porch. Especially if there is food in his bowl. Also his brother, who belongs to a neighbor, spends most of his time here. Together their passion, other than guiding people to Playa Chiquita, is building and maintaining street rep. This means that they urinate on as much as possible in the area including idling cars, bikes. And, sometimes, they fight. The woman said the dog was a nice indoor poodle, that there shouldn’t be any problems. Okay, if you’re willing to risk it then so am I. We can use the business.

When faced with the indoor poodle Cody and his brother Drake sniffed curiously and laid back down. No threat. No excitement. Better to save energy for re-marking all the spots from the previous night, maybe see if Sparticus and Buenos Dias down the road want to brawl, or if Domer has any plans. The first night went smoothly.

The second night the couple came into the reception around 9pm to say that they would be going out to dinner, leaving Nelson in the bungalow. Sure, no problem. As soon as we hear their car pull away Nelson works himself into an indoor poodle tizzy and starts yapping his face off. Uh oh. We aren’t sure what do if this doesn’t stop. You can’t have a poodle yapping in one bungalow with people trying to sleep next door. It’s already 9pm so there’s no way the couple will eat and be back before at least 11pm. I want to crush up an antihistamine, put it in some left over food, put Nelson’s ass to sleep. I’m tired myself, don’t want to wait up with Nelson, the indoor poodle, until the owners get back. We can’t decide what to do. Uh oh, here comes a guest, Hank, father of a 1-year-old, with his shirt off, sleep in his eyes. Can you do something about that dog? Yes, Hank. Something must be done.

It never even occurred to me that Nelson might be upset about some stranger coming in to the bungalow. I was picturing a wagging tail, a quick trip to the reception, maybe a little over-the-counter cocktail for Nelson and bed for me. When I opened the door Nelson took one look, jumped up on the bed and raised the volume on that yap. I started to talk him down. It’s okay, we’re just going to take a little trip, wait for mummy and daddy to get home. He sat, yapping, allowed me to touch his head. It’s okay, buddy we’re just going to take a little trip. YAP, YAP, YAP YAP YAP. He wasn’t really calming down, so it seemed the only way to get him out would be to grab him by the scruff of the neck. I went for it. He snapped. Nelson, you scoundrel, you tried to bite me. Hank has to be wondering what’s taking so long at this point. Nelson is clearly upset and I’m realizing that it’s all or nothing. I tell Nelson a little bit more about the plan, touch his head, grab him by the neck with both hands and scoop him up. He manages to get in a few bites on my forearm, makes an insane death cry, pees all over the bed and me.

I make it out of the bungalow where Cody, Drake and Hank are waiting. Did he bite you? He bit and peed, but there’s no blood. I’ll keep him quiet. Angie waits in the reception house wondering what that sound was. I tell her that the bastard bit me and let the bastard go thinking that he would stay put fearing what lies beyond. Clearly I do not understand the indoor poodle. Nelson makes a break for it immediately. Out into the jungle. At first he heads to the road. Great. How will we explain that we lost their yapping dog? He quickly realizes that there are any number of things that would make him dinner and returns to the bungalow. I head back with rope this time. Nelson doesn’t feel so brave on the porch, is staying low profile, not yapping. I talk to him for a while longer, mention that he should not have bit me, throw a noose around him and take him to the reception. Luckily his owners came back around 10:30pm. They saw Nelson tied to the chair and began to apologize. I guess you won’t be allowing pets anymore? No pets allowed.

February showers bring March flowers

2009-03-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

A glimpse of what happens after the rain....

Mr. Numbers

2009-02-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

I picture an accountant as hyper organized, all about details, perhaps with a shirt pocket full of pencils and a calculator in hand. I don’t picture someone who travels with a few folders in a plastic grocery bag, gives props when you see him, calls you “brudda”, listens to your business questions then asks to borrow a pen and scratch paper, writes a few notes, folds the scrap and adds it to the concerns of others in his wallet. The latter is who we, as well as just about everyone we know here, work with. He grew up in Limon, the biggest town on this afro caribbean coast, speaking English at home . This is crucial since you don’t want to have a language barrier between you and the ever confusing accounting principals of Costa Rica. He is an incredibly nice guy and from what we can tell he makes sure that you pay the right taxes at the right time. Other than that he’s more like a friend who stops by looking for a game of chess every now and then, hoping you have some tasty treat in the oven, rather than a trusty accountant.

The first time we talked he returned our call at 9:30pm. That actually seems to be the time that he sets aside to make business calls. He lives in San Jose but travels to Puerto Viejo about once every two weeks to meet with clients. He’ll often call on, say, Monday and leave a message that we should meet him, oh....around...... Tuesday at 9am at a restaurant in Puerto Viejo, which entails a twenty minute jaw crunchingly bumpy drive from Playa Chiquita. He knows that we serve breakfast here everyday making that pretty much the most difficult time to leave. That doesn’t stop him the same way that he’ll drop in unannounced at Jungle Love, the restaurant down the street, at 5:45pm knowing that they open at 5:30pm. All of his clients know the feeling of showing up to give him your receipts ready to tell him that if he doesn’t *&%$^%! call sooner next time you’re going to $%#%. But then he smiles, reaches out for that hand shake/hug, says “hey brudda, wha appenin” and you remember that this is part of what makes the Caribbean the Caribbean and one of the reasons you moved here.

A special moment was when he was helping us open a bank account. In Costa Rica they want letters of recommendation from your neighbors saying that you make a certain amount. They want an accountant to say that you make a certain amount and for you to have papers filled out from several hard to reach national agencies. We had tried various times on our own to get our ducks in a row, but we were always missing something. When we walked in with our numbers man we felt like there was no way we were walking out without an account. This is what he does. He knows all the tricks. He spends his time keeping up with the ins and outs of financial regulation. The interaction with the young female teller went something like this:

They greet each other. The accountant calls her by the wrong name. He’s always calling people by the wrong name. She corrects him. He compensates by commenting on her well put together uniform and then begins to cough uncontrollably. She gives him a home cold remedy. He asks if she’ll be his nurse. They start exchanging all the necessary papers for the new account. She’s naming them and he’s handing them over. It was great until she gets to the last one, a declaration of some sort from the ministry of finance. What? That’s new, they didn’t used to ask for that. He pleads. Just this once. She’s sorry but can’t set it up without it. We stand up, slightly amused and not surprised at all, but then the accountant seems to have a final card up his sleeve. Some pressure he can put on to get what he wants, maybe a little bribe. He leans back over to the window and whispers. “How about you give me your home number. I might forget that cold remedy.”

2009-02-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

Tierra de Suenos just organized our first charity effort. The flooding in November ended up displacing approximately 4,000 people and destroyed one of the largest banana plantations in the country which means loss of many jobs and security for a lot of people. This area is already one of the poorest in the country so damage like this is incredibly difficult to bounce back from. A few months ago we joined a group called AHCR (Adventure Hotels of Costa Rica). The goal of the organization is to work together to create more business for everybody in the group by recommending other AHCR hotels to people traveling to other places in the country. We have received 2 different couples sent by another member hotel so the membership has already paid for itself. This is a fairly new association which is nice because we are all, well the hotels interested, participating in how it's going to work. Brendan and I signed up for the "charity committee" as each hotel was asked to join one of the 10 committees designed to help organize the members.

The damage done to our Talamancan neighbors deemed a perfect cause so we tried to inspire AHCR members to donate money, food, clothing and other supplies to the area. The awesome local association, ATEC (Talamanca Ecotourism and Conservation Association) was quite helpful in giving us a direct place to send these items. It took some teeth pulling but eventually we managed to raise quite a bit of money as well as food and clothing from the other member hotels. I spoke with Alaine, co-founder of ATEC, the other day and she says that the majority of the money donations send to her by AHCR members is being used to purchase school supplies that were lost in the flood. I can't imagine better spent money. Although this is just a start of the kind of work we would like to be doing, with and without the AHCR group, it's a good start and we are excited about all the possibilities for community building and service. I do encourage any of you interested in traveling to CR to check out the AHCR website, www.adventurehotelsofcostarica.com, and look into staying at one of the hotels listed. You get 10% off if you tell them we sent you!

On a side note, much to our disappointment and horror, our laptop was stolen recently which is a major setback for us. It really couldn't be worse timing since we have entered the busy season and are getting consistent reservation requests via email every day. Not to mention the fact that ALL my photos of our first year down here are gone. Anyway, lesson learned. On the up-side, we are super busy and everybody loves the place. This month will be our best by far.

Rare photo op at Tierra de Sueños

2008-12-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

We spotted a rare Costa Rican tree frog in the door way to our bedroom the other day. While sleeping it tightens it's body into a thin sliver so that you can barely see the lines of it's limbs, eyes, or feet.

With a little poke it awakens and red eyes expose themselves as well as an orange toe or two.

Another poke and it jumps showing off its incredible speed, flexibility and colors.

One more scare with the lens of my camera and the little fellow makes the daring decision to jump from the second floor onto a huge hanging leaf but he misses the leaf and splats onto the ground.

He survives the landing and hops back into the jungle.

I think he's done this before.

Dark and Stormy

2008-12-03T16:56:00.000-08:00

We just survived our first tropical storm.... barely! The storm was in fact the worst anybody can remember. The amount of rain that fell out of the sky over the period of 9 days was more than fell in 6 weeks of rain 13 years ago. Neither Brendan nor I had ever seen anything like it. Buckets, just buckets! Sheets of rain so thick you could not see across the street.

A few days before the rain started we were woken up from our jungle slumbers to a terrifyingly swaying bed. It took a moment to realize what was happening, earthquake! Being from Washington DC and Vermont this is not a sensation either of us are accustomed to and it is certainly shocking. What does one do when the earth is moving beneath them, threatening to take down your house with you in it? It was too late to make any decisions when the rumble stopped leaving us both too excited to fall back asleep. It turns out the earthquake was a 6.2 with it’s center in David, Panama which is a good distance away from us. So for us it was only the aftershock, poor David was pretty bad off.

A couple days later while serving breakfast to the southern invasion (an entertaining group from Atlanta filled up the bungalows for one night after making it to the finish line of an insane mountain bike race that ended near us) we heard a loud crash. We assumed it was the neighbors who had been cutting down some trees the other day. We forgot about it until I walked dawn the path towards our house and was completely shocked seeing one of the largest trees on our property had ripped out of the earth leaving a massive hole where the roots had once taken hold. Lucky for us there was no human or house near it. The day was strangely crisp and clear yet gusty and there was definitely something brewing. That evening was the last bit of sunshine we would see for 8 days.

The rain started that night and it was to create disasters this part of Costa Rica hasn’t seen in years. Tierra de Sueños faired very well. There were some moments we got nervous watching our gutters turn into rivers overflowing the paths and rushing under some of the bungalows an inch away from the floorboards. Thankfully the bungalows were built on stilts as was our house. We watched our gutters flow out into our neighbors property who were totally flooded. The road was flooded with rivers coming up over bridges preventing any crossing. The ocean rose faster than anybody could believe and soon took out trees, flooded houses and dragged out what once was vast stretches of sandy beaches. On the fourth day of rain, the news traveled to us that a major bridge entering Puerto Viejo connecting us to the rest of the world was flipped on it’s side. There was a mad rush to grocery stores to collect supplies, nobody new when we would get support down here. We were expecting friends that night and had no idea if they would be able to cross. They did eventually show up after sitting in a bus with water up to the wheel well and an indecisive driver. They crossed the sketchy bridge by foot and made it to us to celebrate their honeymoon in the worst torrential rainstorm in Costa Rica’s history.

By day 6, Brendan’s family had arrived to Costa Rica to celebrate Thanksgiving with us and ended up sitting at a road stop half way between here and San Jose trying to figure out if they could get to us. The flooding was growing worse by the minute and landslides were preventing cars from passing on the main highway between San Jose and Puerto Viejo. They managed to find a rustic lodge whose owner, Cheeto, enjoyed wrestling a massive crocodile in his spare time and waited out the rain there until the morning when it was declared safe to cross.

The worse seems to be over and although we stayed relatively high and dry, many people in this area did not. Indigenous communities in the Sixiola valley experienced severe damage. We read that 4,000 people lost their homes last week and some areas are still completely flooded. If anybody is interested in helping these communities you can go to greencoast.org for information. We have been donating canned goods but I know they are accepting donations as well.

Amazingly, the coast is on its way to a speedy recovery. Yesterday the sun was shining and the water had retreated significantly. There is a temporary bridge allowing people in and out of the area and now more than ever we need tourism to return and help restore the flow of life in this little piece of paradise.

Nature showed us her strength and power yet again. We have a lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving.

Playa Chiquita's clutch man

2008-10-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

On Monday we published the Pedro blog. Now it is Wednesday and two comments that were made are even more relevant:

"If Pedro tells you you’re getting a shipment of wood in September only he knows when you’ll actually get it."

Yesterday Pedro brought the wood that we've been waiting for since June. Actually, he brought half of it, but it seems the other half should arrive soon.

"If you decide not to listen to Pedro as much because you can’t be sure what he really knows you will find that Pedro is usually right and you should just listen to him."

Pedro told us in April that the new sign post we put on the road hangs out too far, that someone with a truck will surely smash into it while trying to avoid one of the monster pot holes. We didn't listen to him, but we should have. Yesterday someone, surely with a big truck, smashed into our sign post breaking it and the sign in two. Luckily Pedro was here and the damage was repairable. The sign post is back up, this time not so far into the road. It has a crack in it and a rope anchoring it so it's more Tico-style than it was, but it's up. Today we will hopefully get the sign back together as well.

Also, please note a comment on Monday's blog by a faithful blog viewer: "If Pedro and Chuck Norris meet on a hot summer day,THAT will definitely be the battle of the century :P"

Right you are, Enieda. Right you are.

Pedraso

2008-10-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

While these pictures of Pedro may be worth a thousand words, that would only help to break the surface on what he means to Tierra de Sueños. He’s primarily our gardner, also our general fix-it man, the first person we call when we’re in a jam, a fountain of ideas on how to improve our place, occasionally our mechanic or butcher and the source of a few headaches. We met him when we came to look at Tierra de Sueños for the first time. He showed us around pointing out all the different fruit trees, admiring the handywork and quality wood of the bungalows and showing us the property lines. Without his enthusiasm we may not have embarked on this project and there’s no telling where we’d be now without his help along the way.

It’s hard to sum Pedro up, so here are some thoughts, accomplishments.

At first glance we admired and respected his outfit- a mesh tank top, shorts, rubber boots and a baseball hat. It turns out that this is his uniform and it’s unique to him.

Pedro knows a bit about everything and if he doesn’t know he will just give you an answer anyways.

If you decide not to listen to Pedro as much because you can’t be sure what he really knows you will find that Pedro is usually right and you should just listen to him.

It took Pedro 20 minutes to dig up our old sign post that was cemented into the ground after Larry, Jack (Angie’s dad and brother) and I had spent a good hour and a half at it with no luck.

If Pedro tells you he’s going to bring you half of his pig in a wheelberrow on a Tuesday, you’re getting half of a pig in a wheelberrow on Tuesday.

If Pedro tells you you’re getting a shipment of wood in September only he knows when you’ll actually get it.

Pedro loves most plants and animals. He is often stunned by the beauty of a flower and has to stop, stare and make baby noises at it. Women of all generations, shapes and colors have the same effect on him.

Pedro’s idea of a compliment is telling women they’re fat, which he tells Angie whenever she stays around long enough to hear it.

If Pedro challenges you on your tree climbing ability it’s not because he’s talking trash, it’s because he can climb better than you.

Pedro can always find a sloth in the trees.

Pedro’s favorite dish is pollo en salsa (chicken in sauce) with patacones (fried plaintain chips), which is convenient because in Costa Rica, that’s what’s for dinner.

If your car battery’s low Pedro will be happy to tow you behind him while you pop into gear. If this doesn’t work he’ll switch his battery with yours, start the car, take his battery out while your car is running and put yours back in. When you get back from wherever you were going you may have to tow him while he pops into gear because you drained his battery getting your car started and then drove off.

If you have a flat tire Pedro will drive into town and fix it long after work is over.

Pedro's son, Dennis, has not yet earned the right to a mesh tank top, but he's got the boots and he doesn't have to wear pants.

6 Month Recap

2008-09-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we just passed the 6 month mark of our time here at Tierra de Suenos! Wow! Half a year come and gone and what a whirlwind it has been! We survived Samana Santa (the busiest week in Latin America), May (the most painfully slow month), a broken water pump and washing machine, termites, mold, stained sheets, broken bikes (8 of them), dysfunctional neighbors, wonderful neighbors, and most importantly, each other!

We have entertained, and more often been entertained by, an impressive number of friends and family. The entire Boymer crew showed up just in time to help us butcher half a pig we bought from our gardener. Cheri, from Seattle, has yet to recover. My brother jack was here on termite duty for 6 weeks. Carol and Marty came from Vermont to shed some light on composting and frog catching, Laura DiCicco came and her brother, Peter, shortly followed with Erin Hurley. We spent most evenings keeping the neighborhood awake with loud renditions of Mr. Big’s “I’m the one who wants to be with you." Katie and Nona came all the way from London, and Chuck Esteves helped design a grill that is still sitting unfinished on our patio. Pete Mesavage came to celebrate the arrival of John Hurley, our partner, who stayed to hold down the fort while we went to a wedding back in the States. Jonny Johnston and his new wife Natalie came to visit us from Oklahoma, we hadn’t seen him since our Sophmore year in college. Ethan and Ashley stayed for a while, Brendan hadn’t seen him since his abroad year in Spain. Drew Gardiner taught me and his girlfriend, Cris, how to play Bridge, I'm still trying to figure that one out. Owen McCreight got really sunburned trying to surf, and John Heltman is here right now hiking in Cahuita with some new friends, Ursula, Kathy and Sachen. Tonight Sachen is cooking us a Hindu feast!

If I missed anybody, please forgive me. Each one of our friends and family members has helped shape this last 6 months, bringing encouragement, support and great fun. It appears we chose a good spot for getting visitors! The line-up is already looking good for September and October.

We initially began thinking about running a guesthouse because we wanted find a way to settle down yet continue to have an international experience, spending time with people from all over the world. We can honestly say that in the last 6 months this was accomplished. We have hosted guests from Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, States from east, south, north and west, Canada, Scandinavia, England, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, China, Philippines, Israel, the list goes on! It is an incredible experience to have a place where people from all different backgrounds and cultures can unite and celebrate our differences and similarities. Our lively mornings are a time of conversation and most often laughter. After all, everybody is on vacation!

So, I’d say the first 6 months of our attempt to run an international B&B have been a success. We finally met with an accountant, Marco Hamm, the only one available in the area, who carefully wrote all our important information on a scrap piece of paper and gently placed it in his wallet. Needless to say we are still getting used to the way it works down here and although at times frustrating, all it takes is some good Caribbean food, a pina colada and dancing to a local calypso band to remind us why we’re here. We are still trying to figure out how to eat all the various fruits on our property and the best marketing scheme to get people to come, but that, after all, is the fun of it.

The Deceptive Poo Sucker

2008-08-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ironic that it was Yamu who gave the septic man that name. It was he afterall who when I asked advice about our overflowing drainage tank from the kitchen sink told me not to get a septic company involved, but to clean it myself. And yet, when an enormous septic truck showed up later that day it was Yamu who had flagged him down on the road and sent him to Tierra de Sueños. And then it was Yamu who when hearing our reaction to the septic man coined him the Deceptive Poo Sucker.

As soon as the Deceptive Poo Sucker, otherwise known as Marcos, stepped onto the property he gave off the con-man vibe. You know, like he was having to gear himself up in the truck to play his part before he approached us. After he got done telling us how lucky we were that he happened to be passing by and that we should take advantage of the situation, he asked to see our septic tanks. I figured I’d show him the kitchen sink tank, the one to the reception house, which is 10 years old and the one to our house of about the same age. After looking at the kitchen sink tank he said he could take care of it, but was vague about the process. The reception house showed an almost full tank. That was the first time he said, “there’s no need to lie to you”. Our house showed the same result and inspired the same truth validating statement. He asked what time he should come the next day as it was already getting late. I said I wasn’t sure and that I was curious about the price.
“Oh, that I wouldn’t be able to say.”
“Well, just give me an idea.”
“What time should I come tomorrow?”
“I don’t know. How much will it cost?”
“There’s no way to know until tomorrow. Should I come early?”

At this point his con-man status was solidified in my mind and I was finding the exchange fairly amusing, but also a little troublesome as it appeared that we did require his services. We decided that he would come around 10am, after our guests would be out for the day and that we would agree upon a price then.

That night we went to Jungle Love, the wonderful restaurant down the road owned by Yamu and Papi. I told them how I felt about the walk through with Marcos. Papi then relayed their experience of getting their tank emptied twice their first year here, the second time being twice as expensive as the first and then not emptying it for the next three years. Apparently the septic guys drive around after long spells of rain, which we had had, and ask to see people's septic tanks. The tanks fill and empty to some degree through the earth and so the unknowing suckers get their saturated tanks emptied by the Deceptive Poo Suckers. Back home I called our trusty gardner, Pedro who merits his own blog entry, and asked him to come check out our kitchen sink the next day. We unclogged the grease that was causing the overflow and it has been fine since. When Marcos showed up at 10am I met him on the road and told him the only thing that I could think of that would be quickly understood. “We checked our financial situation last night and we are broke, we’ll call you when we can afford it.” It seems that we have avoided one scam. Phew.

Fruit tree galore!

2008-07-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Tierra de Suenos could just as well be an exotic fruit farm. It seems everyday we discover a new tropical fruit tree just waiting to explode with some colorful, tasty, or not so tasty, edible. We enjoyed the ackee when we first arrived. This Jamaican fruit was a delight to us not only because of its delicious flavor but because it attracts Toucans. We are lucky to have the ackee hanging over our patio; a perfect spot for the collection of fruit and bird watching! We discovered a new citrus tree the other day. We already have three others bursting with the most delicious limes you've ever tasted.

It's hard to know what to do with 3 massive guanabanas at the same time. This very large fruit is great as a beverage but time consuming and messy to deal with.

We're looking forward to the water apples, that tree has yet to fruit for us, and the two avocado trees which have yet to produce. A grapefruit tree has recently been pointed out to us, it was being strangled by the jungle, hidden in vines. Pineapples were a delight a couple months ago and we're still waiting on another papaya. Jack fruits hang heavily from the trunk of a tree that actually goes right through the roof of a bungalow and star fruits are falling by the dozen. Our neighbor is quite jealous of the Mangostien tree he saw behind our storage house. Apparently this is the most delicious fruit in the world and with a little love, ours should be sprouting in no time.

We decided to give planting a few a shot and recently transplanted air-layered mamon chino, a soft spiky skinned grape thing, bayrum, and peanut butter fruit, a shrub that produces creamy little balls that actually taste like peanut butter. They all seem to be doing well so far.

We're trying to save our cacao tree from a blight and it's looking better. We just roasted our first chocolate beans! The insane amount of bananas are overwhelming but they are best bananas we've ever eaten. The list goes on and on and I haven't gotten to the herbs, vegetables and melons!

Beep....Beeeeeeeep

2008-07-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to know where to start this story. It could be when brown/black liquid started spraying onto the windshield of our Galloper, or when Hernan said to call El Cubano, or with the condition of the road and the thrice broken hinges to the hood. We might as well start with the malfunctioning horn that honks at will, usually when slowing down.

Since the road is in a constant state of disrepair we slow down often and as a result do a lot of unnecessary honking. Hernan, the tattooed pierced Argentinean real estate agent that John and I were driving around with the other day, thought the honking was great. In a thick accent he says- “You know, it’s like ‘hello we are coming, it’s nice to see you’.” That is, until the horn wouldn’t stop. We turned the engine off, but kept right on honking. It’s not even our real horn, it’s the alarm horn that we don’t use, don’t want. We carefully opened the broken hood, found which horn was making the noise and tried to disconnect it. Mind you, it’s not easy to concentrate when you are being blasted with such noise. I grabbed the yellow wire, Hernan held onto the box it was connected to, and we pulled. We unplugged two boxes but failed to disconnect the wire and, in the confusion, dropped one box into the engine. It was visible and I was able to reach an arm down to get it. Reconnected, the horn was silent. I jumped back in the car leaving John to put the hood back down. He lowered the stabilizing arm, brought the hood half way down, and as you normally would, dropped it. Because the hinges were broken it fell askew and didn’t close. Having done this myself I hopped down and helped it shut. Back in the car, the engine starts no problem and we’re on our merry way. That’s when brown/black stuff spews onto the windshield. I say oil, Hernan says mud. It gets worse so I look onto the hood, which is covered in black and then see the oil light brighten on the dash. We pull over immediately and that’s when Hernan says to call El Cubano. We needed to call somebody. The Galloper looked like it had barfed oil.

In 15 minutes El Cubano shows up with a helper in their own Galloper. Being in Costa Rica and hearing the name El Cubano I was a little surprised when he and his friend ended up being two rednecks from Florida. El Cubano is missing all his front teeth so his tongue curls to one side when he talks. He’s somewhere between 35 and 50. In two seconds El Cubano said it was the intercooler. The latch from the crashing hood had punctured it, and since it is high pressure, it needs to be welded with aluminum, something that can only be done in Bri Bri about 30 minutes away. El Cubano said it would be $90.00 to tow it to our house, have the intercooler welded in Bri Bri and re-weld the hood on site. This, compared to what it costs at our mechanic for a days work, seems like a huge rip-off; but what are our options? We’re immobile, don’t know anyone else who will tow us and do the work in any kind of reasonable time and need the car again within two days.

With the Gallopers hitched we head down the road towards home when, a little predictably, El Cubano wings an empty can of Imperial (read Bud Light) out the window. In the driveway he and his helper, who’s main job was to buy beer and fetch wrenches, work steadily at finishing a six pack and taking out the Intercooler. They then headed to Bri Bri, John along for the ride, guzzling Imperials the whole way, to get it welded. They were successful and after El Cubano reattached the Intercooler with much effort to compensate for the quantity of Imperial consumed, they were gone. He came back later in the week to weld the hinges himself and have a few more Imperials. Everything is working well and now we know another Puerto Viejo character who happens to be a traveling mechanic.

Just another day at Tierra de Sueños

2008-07-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Brendan and I have been taking advantage of the slow season and going to yoga classes at the Gaia Center next door. A few days ago we walked the 3 meters to our class and Ish, the awesome instructor, stopped us at the front gate saying there was a private “session” going on. He asked if we could move the yoga class to our studio (Tierra de Sueños was originally a yoga school and the property has two beautiful studios). We were delighted at this because we had yet to use our yoga facility and were happy to have people enjoy it. So the class of about 6 began breathing practice when screams came from the Gaia Center. A dramatic gust of wind, thunder shortly following, came blowing through the studio and the screams grew louder and more urgent. The quick down poor cleared and as the screaming subsided, the faint sound of a baby’s cry made its way to us. We learned later that morning that during our uncomfortable back bends and downward facing dog, a baby was born. The day turned into clear blue skies and sunshine, a perfect first day in this world. Throughout the day we listened to the sounds of a one day old through the trees: just another day at Tierra de Sueños!

While we were gone...

2008-07-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

Angie and I just returned from a two week whirlwind tour in the states. We saw my parent’s gorgeous new house in Maine, went to Brian Becker’s wedding on Martha’s Vineyard and visited with friends along the way. Our partner, John, was at Tierra de Sueños while we were gone. The adjustment from Pleasantville to Puerto Viejo has been a bit shocking. We never could have imagined the changes that would happen in being away for such a short time.

Several of the dirt roads in Puerto Viejo are now paved. The rumor is that they will be coming down our road soon. Great for the car, tough on pedestrians as the drivers will go as fast as possible.

Where five months ago there was a parking lot, there is now a palapa roofed wireless internet spot with 6 laptops. This is the most shocking change. It’s right down the street from Tierra de Sueños and directly across from the entrance to Playa Chiquita. Internet has been a tough subject for us so far. There are constantly rumors about someone getting wireless that they will sell at a monthly rate or that ICE, the national electric company, will lay a cable for ethernet soon. For now we’re still on dial up, but with change happening so fast it’s hard to imagine that lasting very long. Then again, it is Cost Rica.

Our neighbors a few doors down sold their property two days ago. They have four small houses, so it may be run as a lodge or B&B. More competition and recognition for Playa Chiquita.

There is a huge poster on the stable down the road advertising luxury villas built to Italian standards. We’re not exactly sure where they’re going, but it’s somewhere in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately some kids have figured out that spray paint is fun. They tagged our beautiful sign, wrote on C & J’s supermarket down the street and the house across from them. They also took the old Tierra de Sueños sign that we had leaning on the gate to our parking spots. We should have the good sign painted and back up by tomorrow.

It’s hard to digest the area changing so rapidly and to imagine what the Talamanca coast may look like in 10 years. The best change was realizing after returning that we do have a quite a few friends around. It took 45 minutes to walk 100 meters on our first morning because we kept stopping to talk to people. The sloths and monkeys are still here. Our gardens are blooming more and more. All in all, it’s good to be back in the jungle.

Where we live

2008-06-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

-Sorry about the drought, folks. Now we're blogging.

We wake up every morning with the birds, many of them. Becoming more knowledgeable everyday about which bird is making which sound, we have impressed our recently visiting friends with our new ability to discern the chirp of a toucan, follow the sound to a neighboring tree and then spot the colorful beak hidden in the leaves. When our ackee tree was in full bloom toucans would frequent our very own patio which made this practice much easier! Hummingbirds are not so difficult to find, however. In fact you must watch yourself for they will plow right into you if one of our peach colored hibiscus blossoms is on the other side. At least one hummingbird a day flies into our kitchen, in the front door, out the back. Scarlet rumped tanagers are constantly trying to seduce the not so attractive females by showing off their full inflatable red puff while the white-necked puff bird watches quietly. The morning excitement is quite outrageous and makes rising a delightful experience, unless of course we have the opportunity to sleep in which is pretty much impossible.

If the bird sounds are not enough, once out of bed and down stairs to our open air living room, we are quickly reminded that we live in the jungle. Some mornings it seems as though everything grew over night. Massive leaves hang heavy with dew and some bright new blossom shows its brilliant colors. If it rained during the night the jungle may appear to be devouring our house, something it would gladly do if we did not keep up the battle. Heading to the reception house where we serve breakfast we are encouraged by a pink and black butterfly through the narrow jungle path. Everyday without fail this butterfly shows us the way. We've barely made it to the reception house and as one of our friends put it, we feel like we're on an episode of Lost!

Brendan and I have also become quite adept at finding sloths. These adorable little tree bears love certain trees on the property and can be spotted hanging about quite frequently. They climb down to the ground once a week to relieve themselves and this is the best time to catch a close-up glimpse of their permanently smiling faces. Howler monkeys you may not see but will definitely hear! We thought the novelty of these loud monkeys would wear off but hearing the wild roar throughout the jungle still brings a sense of excitement and rawness.

Speaking of rawness, I will try to paint a picture of the beaches across the way from us. Golden sand unites the jungle with the sea. The crystal clear, green tinted water creates a lagoon feeling. While swimming in this salty lagoon gazing out the jungle cliff back drop it is easy to lose sense of time and place. You can walk along the beaches for miles and see no houses, hotels, restaurants and often no people. Each corner unveils a new cove or stretch of beach different from the previous. The beauty of this coastline is honestly breathtaking.

I felt it was time to attempt describing our new home in terms of beauty. In my mind this blog is no exaggeration. I am amazed at the raw beauty of this earth. It is beyond humbling to be in a place where nature is so powerful, enchanting and mysterious. I feel overjoyed to not only be a part of it myself but to have the means to share it with you......

It's a Dog's World

2008-03-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

We’ve met two of our neighbors through dog fights- unorganized ones. The first time I was taking the garbage out to the street when I heard our neighbors start up their four-wheeler. Having already been reprimanded for our dogs, Cody and Drake, being tire-biters, I held them in an effort to maintain our reputation as slightly annoying, but well-meaning neighbors. They shouted an exaggerated good morning as they passed to make up for our relationship getting off on the wrong foot. I returned the salutation, glad that I was holding the dogs, and then let them go. That was it. They saw the neighbors dog outside his gate and immediately rushed him, bowled him over and attacked, viciously. I ran over and pulled our dogs off. The neighbors, who had heard the commotion, reversed the four-wheeler shaking their heads disappointedly and called their dog who ran off. Later that day the same neighbor saw me at the supermarket and said their dog was bleeding after the scuffle, that we have to do something about our dogs.

The next fight was different. This time I had one dog, Cody leashed. He was waiting patiently outside the neighboring supermarket as I picked a few things up for breakfast. Up walks a guy with three dogs, one of whom rushes Cody, bearing teeth. They go at it and it seems pretty even. The first time I had been able to get ahold of our dogs once they had taken the other one down. This time there was no good way to get in the middle. The other owner wasn’t moving either. The grocer, Chris, leapt over the counter clapping, shouting, running at the dogs and telling the other owner to control his. They stopped, the other owner pulled the chain around his dog’s neck and I grabbed Cody. Needless to say, adrenaline was pumping. Chris was mad that, James, who I shook hands with for the first time moments later, didn’t pull his dog off. James said he’s not getting in the middle of a dog fight. I was surprised again at how fast it happens and hoping that it wasn’t Cody that had started it. James apologized, I introduced myself as a new neighbor, we bought groceries holding our dogs close.

We inherited Cody with the property. He’s a year old and must way at least 60lbs. For all intensive purposes, we also inherited his brother, Drake, who is smaller, more aggressive. They’re from the same litter, different Dad. Drake really belongs to our neighbor, Liam. He sleeps and eats there, but spends his days here while Liam is off working in town. For being puppies they’re really good dogs. The most annoying thing they do is fight each other over our affection, Liam’s, the guests. They’re both leaners because otherwise there would be room enough for the other one to sneak in and steal some caresses. When you pet Cody, Drake comes over, bites his leg and tries to get between you and vice versa. Usually you end up with the dogs, haunch to haunch, both leaning against you with you bent over rubbing their bellies. Fair is fair. They come when you call, mostly, sit, shake and only bark occasionally when they don’t know someone.

At first we thought everything has hunky-dory with the dogs. Sometimes they were here, sometimes they weren’t. They go to the beach with the guests, who love them for it. Then the neighbors complained about their tire-biting habits and there were the fights. We started asking around, investigating our dog’s reputations and the general habits of the neighborhood dogs. We bought Cody a leash a few days ago to see if we can keep better tabs on him. After our survey and taking Cody with us everywhere it seems that our dogs are just like everyone else’s. If you’re on our property, or in front of it, you have to recognize Cody and Drake’s territory. When they are out of their territory it’s the other way around. We like having them here as they are warning against unexpected visitors. Liam told us that they have had problems with petty theft, which we have avoided thus far probably owing in large part to everyone knowing that we have dogs. Our guests find them endearing, part of the experience. We’re doing our best to keep them from running too wild, but after our investigation it seems that chasing a moto, drawing a little blood is just part of being a dog in the neighborhood.

When a dream becomes reality.....

2008-03-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

The transition from backpacker with no responsibilities to bungalow lodge proprietor has been nothing short of surreal. Wake up every morning at 6:30 to the loud sounds of the jungle (we probably couldn’t sleep in if we wanted to) and get to work. Put on a pot of coffe, organic, free trade produced by a local indiginous group from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, by the way, and prepare to make breakfast for our guests. We put on some good tunes with our sophisticated music system, an ipod with mini travel speakers, and start cutting pinapples and mangos. When breakfast is through and the guests have had enough chatting, we are left with a messy kitchen and a list of things that need to get done so long it is almost laughable. Trying not to allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed we just dig in. Chosing a task is never very difficult because inevitably something crucial to the functioning of the business malfunctions, breaks, or doesn’t show up.

Our first day on the job, the very sweet couple from VT with thier UVM attending daughter came to us after breakfast wondering why there was no water in their bungalow. Our responce? “Hmmm, we don’t know.” So we all traipsed through the jungle to the shed/washroom and examined the two water pumps. Playing with the pumps and electrical boxes proved to be useless and we all looked blankly at eachother. We couldn’t help but chuckle at the situaiton and thankfully the good ol’ Vermont gang found it quite amuzing as well. The water kicked back on shortly after so it ended up being pretty harmless. We have had this issue a few times and not until three days ago did we actually get a knowledgable person over here to explain how our water system works. Few, that one’s in the bag!

Rule number one for running a business in Costa Rica is- Laugh! If you don’t find it somewhat humorous that the government decided to change all of the phone numbers in the entire country during Easter week, hands down the busiest travel week of the year, you're probably not gonna make it. Water problems on the first day, HA.

Russ to the rescue

2008-02-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/opguesthouse/NewAlbum22908242PM/photo?authkey=osA-9_8zwXk#5172490850305381490
(highlight this link and paste in new window to view picture)

We hoped, as we exited baggage claim in San Jose with a few hundred pounds of luggage, that someone would be waiting for us with a sign bearing our names ready to take us on a car search. No such luck. We piled our stuff against a pillar outside the airport and waited. After about 10 minutes a guy with a handle-bar mustache, sporting a hoop earing showed up to the gate with "Angie" written on a white board. "Angie" didn't believe that it could be her, but after some urging approached and found that, in fact, it was Russell, who we had exchanged several emails with in an effort to hire him as a car expediting service. We shook hands, relieved and Russell pulled the car around. Thankfully, it was big one. We spent the rest of the afternoon between three dealerships that bring used cars straight from Korea test driving Hyundai Gallopers.

The first dealership we went to was washing the vehicle we were to test drive as we pulled in. The engine was immaculate, new hoses, everything wiped down and glistening. The inside was the same. We took it for a drive and found that, in general, it rode quite well though the shocks and steering felt a bit loose. I figured that this was going to be how the rest of the day would go: looking at recently cleaned and touched up 11-year-old cars, not knowing where dents and dings had been and then being surprised when the sloppy ride didn't match the slick appearance. It didn't end up that way.

The second car we drove, at a different dealership, ran out of gas halfway up a hill on a narrow road with a bridge at the bottom. After the salesman tried for 15 minutes to get it going again we walked back to Russ's car and went to the next dealership. We found a couple suitable cars there, and after the mechanics tried several batteries in each one, test drove two. The others we wanted to test drive they couldn't start. Apparently, these cars haven't been used in at least a month and the dealerships don't like to put gas or good batteries in them in case someone tries to steal them. That's all well and good unless you're trying to buy one and can't test it because it won't start or drive for more than a few blocks. Russ dropped us off at our hotel planning to get back at it the next morning.

Russ picked us up around 8am. We headed back to the dealer and spent the next three hours test driving cars (20 minutes) and waiting around( 2hours, 40 minutes). Once we decided on one we liked, a '96, Russ took us around to the bank, the lawyers and back to the dealers. Yes, you need a lawyer to buy a car, and a phone and pretty much everything but groceries. Russ dropped us off at the hotel again around 6pm with a plan to pick up the car on Monday afternoon or Tuesday after it passed inspection and got temporary tags.

The car wasn't ready by Monday. They told us Tuesday by noon. We closed on Tierra on Monday with John there. Everything went smoothly. Russ showed up at the dealers at 8:30 on Tuesday to see how things were going and push them along. He spent the whole day there mostly waiting for paint to come so they could touch up rust spots. Our plan was to find a futon and leave around noon to get to Tierra by 4pm. We found a futon, which Russ loaded into his vehicle along with all of our other luggage and headed over to wait at the dealers. We drove out in our new/really old Galloper at 7pm, got lost for an hour and a half and then headed for Tierra. We got to our new home around midnight and went straight to sleep after unpacking. Tuesday we woke up at 7am and cooked breakfast for our first guests. So far, so good and a big thanks goes out to Russell who made the Costa Rican car buying process go as fast and smooth as possible.

Loose Ends

2008-02-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks have been a buzz of excitement as we try to get as much as possible done before heading to Costa Rica next Thursday. We finished our business plan, revised it a few times, opened a joint bank account, purchased a domain name and some hosting space (www.tierradesuenoslodge.com), created business cards, got a skype number (802-659-0336) that acts as a regular US number but connects to our computer anywhere in the world, researched cars and hired a car buying service, started accepting reservations from the website and drove through NYC to Vermont for a last goodbye. Now we're back in DC for a week, then it's off to San Jose.

We're being picked up at the airport by a car buying service who will take us around to trusted dealerships where we will drive diesel Hyundai Gallopers (fairly large SUV's) and hopefully find a suitable one in our price range. They're imported directly from Korea where, supposedly, they were driven on good roads through urban areas as opposed to long miles on bumpy Costa Rican roads. We decided SUV so we can haul passengers and supplies, diesel because it's cheaper and there is the option of using biodiesel. The possibility of driving around on recycled vegetable oil while smelling like popcorn is very exciting.

With or without a car we have to travel 4 hours to Puerto Viejo next weekend to walk through the property one last time, make sure everything is still there. John, our partner, is meeting us in San Jose on Sunday so we can all be present at closing. Tuesday, John flies back stateside and we head to Tierra de Sueños, hopefully in a car with a new futon in the back so that we can furnish the top floor of the "Zen Garden" bungalow for a family of three due to check in the next day. The current manager will give us the keys and then we're on our own. On Wednesday morning we have to cook breakfast for at least 6 guests, hopefully more.

We're excited, scared and very curious to see how this all goes. We hope you stay tuned as we get things going and come visit soon!

Back in Business

2007-09-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

We apologize to our faithful blog viewers for the long pause and warn you, this is a long one! Brendan and I have been back in the States more or less since we returned from Mexico in late July. Much has changed since then! In regards to Los Adobes, the Puerto Escondido find, we decided it was not in our best interest to join a partnership with two Mexicans we didn't know. Yes, many of you may have thought us crazy for ever considering it to begin with and in retrospect it was a bit ridiculous. What we learned from that experience is priceless nonetheless.

We were living in Vermont during this time of decision making and renting a small but very cute studio apartment in the tiny town of Bridgewater. Brendan enjoyed his first true rural Vermont living experience. I think it seemed even stranger to him than Nicaragua! In November, the spectacular wedding of my cousin Sarah Turner, now Sarah Lidz and her man, Jono brought us to Puerto Rico for a week. We took advantage of the trip and looked at a small lodge in El Yunque, the tropical rainforest on the east coast of the island. We thought it was a very interesting place and liked it enough to pursue the idea of buying it and went home with intentions to make something happen there. The holiday season was coming at us full force however and we found it nearly impossible to communicate with banks in Puerto Rico. As a result we found ourselves drifting from the place and lost some level of interest. Brendan returned home for the Holidays and I joined him shortly after to bring in the New Year in Washington DC.

As the excitement of the holiday's came to an end, we found ourselves at a loss for what the next step should be. We had been using up the last bit of our savings and were pretty much tired of living out of our backpacks. It seemed it was almost time to put the guest house search off for a while and behave like most people our age, jobs, apartments etc. A frightening thought, I know! As usual, I was spending my morning browsing real estate websites when I stumbled upon what looked like an incredible bungalow lodge for sale on the Caribbean coast of Coast Rica. The place had been built that year and, according to the ad, needed to sell quickly due to family issues. So, with nothing to lose, Brendan and I decided to fly down to Costa Rica on a last ditch effort to see Tierra de Suenos.

A wise decision indeed! The flight to San Jose was quick and easy and we raced to make the last bus going to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast. The beginning of the drive was beautiful, up and over lush temperate mountains. The sun went down once we hit the lowlands close to the coast and we drove through miles of banana plantations in wild anticipation as we inched closer to Puerto Viejo.

As the warm evening breeze of the humid Caribbean touched our skin, we remembered some of the reasons we started this search to begin with. Sounds of reggae music poured out onto the streets and a wirey dread locked man approached us asking where we were headed. We told him Tierra de Suenos in Playa Chiquita, trying to hold back our excitement. He wasn't sure of the place, but fetched us a cab. The drive out to Playa Chiquita is only 6 kilometers from Puerto Viejo but feels a bit longer due to the slow and bumpy dirt road. Making our way to the end of Playa Cocles, a long surf beach that that precedes Playa Chiquita, the road began to narrow and lush jungle took the place of any hotels or restaurants. This rural stretch lasted for a few minutes, then we spotted the glowing sign peeking out from the lush garden , Tierra de Suenos! The manager greeted us at the front entrance and walked us on a well lit path through the rainforest to our bungalow titled "Orchid Oasis." We stepped into the beautiful bungalow and knew in a second this was the place!

Tierra de Suenos is made up of six 1 year old bungalows, a two bedroom owner's house, a reception house with full kitchen and a palm roofed yoga studio. The grounds are stunning, overflowing with birds of paradise, palm trees, banana plants and a hundred others who are not yet familiar to us. There are five adorable sloths that live on the property as well as butterflies, hummingbirds, toucans and more. Each bungalow is made from beautiful hard wood, has its own deck with hammocks and adarondack chairs. They are situated close together in a U shape to maximize the amount of forest on the land. Everything in the bungalows is handcrafted, including the bedframes and mosaic showers.

Tierra de Suenos enjoys the best of all worlds. Playa Chiquita is a quiet village with three restaurants and two grocery stores as well as a community center that offers yoga and capoeira. It is a quick bike or taxi ride to the lively town of Puerto Viejo where there are bars, clubs and a variety of restaurants, but far enough away to not be bothered by all the noise . It is smack dab in the middle of all the best beaches in the area including the darling Playa Chiquita itself which is a 3 minute walk from the lodge. The area is considered the most diverse in Costa Rica with it's mix of Afro-Caribbians, Hispanics who have moved from more urban areas and indigenous people of the area. Ex-pats from all over the world have begun to flock here as well. The most incredible aspect of all this diversity is the very mixed nature of the groups. People in general live in harmony and honor the true meaning of the Costa Rican phrase, Pura Vida.

We recently signed a buy/sell contract and plan on closing the deal on February 25th. A friend of Brendan's from DC, John Hurley is funding the project and will be our partner in this endeavor. We will be moving down there to live and manage after close. The closing date is exactly one year and one day from the time we started this search last year. This seems to be an auspicious time of year for us! We imagine that we are going to run into countless obstacles as we learn the ins and outs of the business and plan to maintain this blog through it all.

Tierra de Suenos already has a website that we will change a bit to make more our own, but please check it out: www.tierradesueno.com For the best viewing of the photos in the upper right hand corner click on them, then click "view album", then "slideshow"!

After The 25th, reservations are open. Come visit us and see what it's all about!

Los Adobes

2007-07-18T16:31:00.000-07:00

Mazunte is a small layed-back town on the Pacific coast. The water is blue-green and clear as can be. One can easily forget what year it is by the amount of hippies floating around. A typical night in mazunte consists of sitting under an umbrella, toes in the sand drinking Corona and eating an unbelievably delicious Pescado Empapelado (fish in a bag,) grilled to perfection by one of the sturdy El Pescador family girls! We Stayed at a place called El Posado Arcitecto, designed and run by an Italian guy. Our room with a view was built into the cliff directly in the center of the two beautful beaches. The room had some unique features including a swinging bed, proving to be more interesting than comfortable! We played a nightly game of vollyball against some very impressive five foot tall mexican girls...they beat us everytime! After spending a couple lazy days in Mazunte, we headed an hour north to the hot-spot Puerto Escondido.

Once a small fishing village whose economy was enhanced greatly by selling turtle meat and shells Puerto is a now a popular tourist destination for surfers and beach goers alike (and a safe haven for turtles). The Puerto Escondido area consists of five beaches. Playa Zicatela, where we stayed, is famous for the Mexpipe, a world renowned wave. Only the most experienced surfers or experienced idiots dare to risk their lives for an incredible ride. Surfing has quickly become my favorite spectators sport.

Just as our trip was nearing an end and we were still not completely sure of our next move, an opportunity presented itself to us here in Puerto. A small hotel called Los Adobes was recently put on the market. A middle aged couple bought the land and built this quaint hotel with a swimming pool and garden 10 years ago. They made improvements little by little and maintained it beautifully. Unfortunately, the couple has been plagued with health problems over the years and the wife has recently passed away leaving the hotel in the care of her children. By happenstance we arrived to see the hotel just before the children came down to sort out loose ends and prepare it to be sold. We had a chance to stay at the hotel for a week, meet with the children, who are both in their 30's, several times and also with the real estate agents(two Americans that have been living and working in Mexico for 20 years).

This small hotel is what we have been searching for. It has an excellent location just a short walk from the beach, restaurants, bars, internet and shopping. It is beautifully designed with adobe walls and a palapa (palm) roof. With a few touches and a lot of energy we know we can have Los Adobes overflowing year round.

We are moving ahead with the support of the family, the real estate agents and the hotel staff (Estella, who has worked there for 9 years) to raise the money and take the necessary steps to be the new owners.

From here we're stopping in a mountain town called San Jose on the way to Oaxaca where we will reunite with Abigail, Angie's dear friend from home. After a few days there we are going to Mexico City as our last stop before two back-to-back family reunions in Colorado. We'll be fine tuning our business plan along the way and keeping in close contact with the family and real estate agents. Keep your fingers crossed for us and before you know it you may be relaxing by our pool in Puerto Escondido!!!!

Mexico!

2007-07-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

At last we are in Mexico! In Tulum we got our first glimpse of the Yucatan`s Caribbean coast and we were blown away. The sand is whiter and the water brighter blue than we have seen. Our Experience here, however, was quite bitter sweet. The long strip of gorgeous beach had a number of overpriced, poor quality bungalos. We opted for the cheapest one and that was a mistake!

Our bungalo was the most atrocious excuse for a hut we had ever seen. It mainly consisted of sparsly arranged sticks leading to a poorly made palm roof and a half sand, half concrete floor. We thought it was pretty bad but decided to ruff it for the night. The worst was yet to be discovered when we payed the twenty bucks, more than we had payed almost anywere else in all our travels. Before bed we scoped the place out for whatever strange animals may be lurking, blew out the candles and it began. Smack, smack, smack! We were under attack! Mexican mosquitos were shockingly persistant. No amount of deet could desuade them from their feast. Not even the sand storm blowing in from the spaces between the sticks could distract them from their mission to devour us! Instead of sleeping, we spent the entire night fighting for our lives.

The following day we deliriously viewed the impresive ruins of Tulum. Those Mayans sure knew how to pick a spot! The rock temples look out over drastic cliffs onto stunning turquiose water. Iguanas sunbathe all over the ruins keeping a watchfull eye and giving an even more ancient feel to the splendid sight.

After exporing the ruins we high-tailed it out of there on the first bus to Mahahual, a rapidly developing fishing village. There were few tourists but apparently during the high season three cruise ships a day stop and fill the place with thousands of people....glad we weren`t there for that. The day we arrived there was a fishing tournament and Mexican families filled the restuarants and beaches, drinking, eating and having a good ol´ time. Men were posing with giant sword fish and various other beautiful fish while others cheered. We watched one woman impress her family by opening a beer bottle with her teeth. We happily joined in with margaritas, tacos and even a shot of Tequila on the house! We spent two relaxing nighs in a very comfortable, clean, mosquito free bungalo and took an over-night bus to Palanque.

Palanque is said to be the most amazing of the Mexican Mayan ruins. Tourists have been coming for years so it is very well set up. The town itself is 8 klm from the ruins and is typical with street food, a popular central plaza called a ¨zoculo¨ in Mexico and people out and about everywhere. We stayed at an old hippie/backpackers spot on the edge of the ruins called Panchan. Panchan is a group of bungalo operations set in the jungle. Our second floor bungalo was screen on all four walls with a deck and jungle surrounding. We observed two beautifully colored tucans chatting with each other for five minutes on a neighboring tree.

We Spent an entire day climbing temples and catching blurps about where we actually were by nearby tour guides. The ancient city of Palanque is actually 15 square Klms but only 7 have been escavated and made availabe to viewers. Although very touristy, one feels set back in time while experiencing the spectacular crumbling buildings set deep in the jungle.

We toured some of the areas incredible waterfalls en route to San Cristobal de las Casas. The drive was five hours up very winding, steep roads. San Cristobal is in the heart of Chiapas. High in the mountians, the town is buzzing with a young, excited crowd. The constant music and art create a very colorful atmosphere. San Cristobal has a wonderful indiginous market with beautiful hand-weaved blankets and other crafts. We have spent most of our days walking around taking in the rich culture and drinking the region´s famous hot choclate. We have also spent many hours philosophizing with a group of recently inspired Isrealis. The three of them just completed a four month yoga/meditation retreat in Guatemala and are full of very interesting concepts about the earth and it´s people (everyone will instantly attain enlightenment sometime after 2012 once NYC is buried under water). Two of them are joining us on the 12 hour bus ride to the Oaxacan coast tonight. Back to the heat!

Road Trip

2007-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

View of farm in the Azuero.

Church in Chitre.

Rush hour in the Azuero.

The taxi to Isla Caña.

The hired car watchman in Laguira, the launch town for Isla Grande.

The view from Isla Grande.

Portobello locals.

Portobello.

The fort and customs house of Portobello.

We spent the last week cruising around in a rental car with Stuart, an Australian we met in Nicaragua, Bridget, his Panamanian girlfriend and Bram an American friend of theirs who´s studying in Panama City. Stuart was traveling down from Mexico handing out flyers for the hostel he owns in Panama City when we met and discussed our plans. We decided to team up, rent a car and explore beach towns that may be in need of a good guest house.

The driving was great thanks to the good roads in Panama and the beautiful scenery. We saw a good deal of the Azuero Peninsula which is known as the heartland of Panama with its frequent traditional celebrations and Spanish colonial architecture. We stopped in various towns on the western side of the peninsula often turning down side roads to check out the beaches. Aside from the occasional surfer they are pretty empty with nice views of nearby islands and long stretches of a black, brown or baige sand.

We spent one night on Isla Caña searching for sea turtles who come annually to bury their eggs in the sand. Unfortunately, it´s a little early in the season and we weren´t lucky enough to see any. From an island in the Pacific we drove all the way to an island in the Caribbean. It was a long day, but the beach waiting for us on Isla Grande was well worth it.

On our last day we wandered around Portobello and Nombre de Dios, two of the first settled areas in the Americas. Portobello has several pieces of an old fortress that sit right on the water and an old customs house that saw much of the gold collected in Panama before it was shipped to Spain.

For now we are on to Mexico, but we are content to know that Panama has some great possibilities.

Órale.

40 Years Later

2007-06-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

We experienced some annoying set backs over these last couple of weeks because Brendan and I both suffered bouts of illness. So we have spent way too much time laying around and not nearly enough time exploring. However, by some miracle if you ask me, Brendan´s dad tracked down a Panamanian man he met in gradschool and traveled in Europe with forty years ago! We have yet to meet the actual man, José Raul, but we have spent some serious quality time with a number of his children and grandchildren. The family we have met so far has been beyond generous to us. We first met up with Jose´s Daughter, Ana Matilda and her three sweet, highly energetic pre-teens. They hosted us in their luxurious country home in El Valle, a lovely mountain town where many successful city dwellers own houses, and nice ones at that. We were astonished at the number of beautiful homes with lush gardens, spring fed pools, and mountain views. El Valle is definitely not your typical country town in Panama. After lounging around here for a few days, we decided we rather enjoyed having a maid to clean up after us and so decided to take up their offer to stay at their home in the city.

So here we are in the bustling, metropolitan city of Panama. The day after we arrived, Ana Matilda and company actually departed for a two week cruise and left us their home. So far most of our time in the city has been spent relaxing and trying to get healthy but we did manage to take a day trip to the Caribbean coast, which was an amazingly short hour and a half drive through jungle, where we walked around an old Spanish fortress sacked by the Pirate Henry Morgan. The ruins stand on a cliff looking onto the ocean at the mouth of the Rio Chagras where boats enter the canal heading towards the Pacific. We enjoyed watching a few huge ships pass through the Gatun Locks, the first on the Caribbean side of the canal. The enormity of the canal and it´s process was entirely fascinating. We learned some financial tid-bits that surprised us. First, the largest sized cargo ship pays 280,000 dollars to pass through the canal carrying 3,000 containers, and second the Canal grosses an average of 1.5-2 million dollars in one day! Not Bad!

Our most delightful day in Panama City was spent strolling around Casco Viejo, the old colonial part of town. The colorfully painted buildings with balconies and courtyards are reminiscent of the French Quarter. This city is the oldest on the Pacific coast of the Americas first established by the Spanish and later developed by the French who came to work on the canal. Today there is a mix of cultures and a strong Afro-Caribbean vibe. Although, very run down with a long history of poverty and rent control issues, it is undergoing serious renovation and the mix of old and new has undeniable charm.

Campesinos Locos

2007-05-22T08:10:00.001-07:00

"Campesinos locos, matando la selva". Crazy farmers, killing the forest. That´s what Edgar, our guide would say when we passed another place where the indiginous Ngobe Buglé had slashed and burned a section along the road from Santa Fe to the Caribbean town, Calovebora. It´s also what he called our group as we stumbled through our trip as only imitation campesino gringos can. The Ngobe Buglé are clearing patches of forest to build houses and plant bananas and plaintains. According to Edgar they can live on that alone and they require virtually no maintenance.

Between the president Torrijos rushing to finish the road through to the Caribbean where he owns tracks of land and the Ngobe Blugé slashing and burning along the way, it seems that the town of Calovebora, it´s surrounding coast and the journey to get there is going to change quickly and drastically.
We took advantage of our timing and set out on horseback with Edgar and Etienne, a French-Canadian we met at the hostel, to make the two day trip up and down hill after hill and through several rivers to Calovebora. The first day was 12 hours on horseback. Ouch. Etienne had never been on a horse and refused to urge his on with anything but kind words. He stayed behind. Edgar´s mule refused to move an inch unless one of the other horses went in front so it was up to Angie and I to take the lead. About an hour into the ride I got sick on the side of the road and felt woozy for the rest of the day. Halfway through the day Angie´s horse decided it had had enough of going slow and began galloping through the bottom of every downhil with her hanging on for dear life. Edgar decided to tie her horse to his mule. When we finally reached Rio Luis, where we would stay for the night, we stopped to wait for Etienne. After a while his horse came over the top of the hill without it´s rider. Not a good sign. It turned out that everything was fine. The tarp protecting Etienne´s saddle (it rained for the last 4 hours) had fallen off and when he dismounted to get it his horse decided to finish the trip without him. Needless to say, we were extremely relieved to get to our resting point in one piece. We stayed at a family´s house where we were given beds and hot food and were stared at by their children.
The next morning the four of us and a driver piled into a huge dug-out canoe with all of our bags and headed for three hours to Calovebora. The ride was exciting with lots of little rapids. The scenery was lush green virgin hills. We had to get out a few times to let the driver navigate some really shallow spots. That was fine with us. Sitting indian-style on a wooden seat after an all day horse ride is not comfortable. When we got to Calovebora Edgar set us up in a wooden house that cost $5.00 per night, total.
We spent the next three days swimming, fishing, relaxing, resting our backsides and listening to Edgar resite the sceintific and popular names of all the bugs, frogs, butterflies and birds that we saw or he tracked down.
We ate breakfast and dinner at a family´s house where we were served yams, another unknown root and fried fish for breakfast and then fried plantains, rice and fried or stewed fish for dinner. 75 cents per plate.

The town itself is very quiet. It sits on a hill overlooking the Caribbean and at the mouth of a river. They have no electricity, their water runs from a spring. About 200 people live there and, from what we saw, they do a whole lot of nothing. When the conditions are right they run out and haul in a bunch of fish. If they catch one big enough someone in the next town will hear about it and may bring their boat over to buy it from them. They eat plaintains, bananas and various roots, no greens or other vegetables. They have a school and a small health center. The beach is untouched. Since it´s the beginning of the rainy season the muddy water from the river made the rest of the coast murky, but it was still beautiful.
The journey back was less eventful. We walked to Rio Luis as the river was too low to go up, spent the night and then got back on the horses. Our horses knew they were going home so didn´t need much encouragement and we did the trip in 10 hours. For now we are going to continue searching, but, so far Santa Fe is at the top of the list.

Santa Fe

2007-05-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

We took a bus ride over the entire width of Panama from the Pacific to the Caribbean coast in a total of four hours! The ride was up and over lush, barely touched mountains. Isla Colon, the largest of the many islitas of Bocas Del Toro overwhelmed us with the amount of Gringos, so we spent our time on Isla Bastimentos, a jungle rich island with beautiful empty beaches, no roads and a tiny town. We walked for entire days exploring beaches and the jungle interior. One day was spent kayaking to another small island where we snorkeled and relaxed in a cute little white sand cove. After a few sunny days and one tropical rainstorm, we headed back over the mountains to the Pacific coast where we spent a day in Las Lajas at perhaps the longest, widest beach either of us had seen. The waves were huge and powerful but nobody was surfing because the place was virtually vacant, a strange phenomenon. Houses are beginning to go up however and we were told by a guard that one of the new foundations belongs to a cousin of Steven Segal!

From there we took a bus to the glorious

mountain town of Santa Fe. The Small village is surrounded by green mountains and a plethora of rivers and waterfalls. The number of hikes is endless. There is a refreshing swimming hole a twenty minute walk down a steep hill from our Hostel. On the walk you pass a coffee factory producing the local coffee, Tute.

An incredible view is at every turn of every road and the climate is like summer time in Vermont all year round!

Yesterday we walked straight up hill for two hours to a tiny village called El Salto. The village is basically one large family, five small houses. We stopped at one of the little houses and asked about going to the waterfalls. Two cousins, Rosa and Jorge age 14 and 15, offered to take us. The hour walk was incredible. Each waterfall was more impressive than the last. After trusting our lives with these children, scaling rocks and climbing into caves, we were relieved to make it to the final and most stunning "charo" of them all. This waterfall was pouring out of a gigantic cave and when Jorge threw a rock at it hundreds of bat like birds flew out and into the valley like maniacs. We couldn´t figure out if they were in fact bats because of the white collar around the neck but they sure sounded like them. After swimming and hanging out for a while at one of the water holes we went back and ate lunch with the family. Typical rice and beans and a fried egg. They Successfully stuffed us with ridiculously juicy oranges from their tree and sent us on our way.

We are delighted with Santa Fe. It is a sweet town with friendly people and amazing surroundings. Tomorrow we are embarking on a seldom traveled journey by horseback and canoe to the Caribbean from Santa Fe.

Cerro Punta

2007-04-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

We´re very excited about the guesthouse posibilities here in Panama. From what we have seen so far the people are refreshingly freindly and open. We have talked to several expats living here and they say that they are comfortable in the community. That is something that we were never sure of in Nicaragua. We are also excited about the nicely paved roads and the fact that you can drink the water almost everywhere.

The small town we are in has grocerie and hardware stores and the internet.......and few options for lodging. The biggest attraction is the numerous lush cloud forest national parks that surround the valley, one of which includes Volcan Baru, the highest point in Panama. If you´re lucky, on a clear day you can see the Pacific and the Caribbean from the Volcano. We only had the chance to explore Parque Amistad where we saw the beautiful waterfall and the panamanian tour group you see in the pictures. We hoped to see the Quetzal, allegedly one of the most beautiful birds in the world but our search will have to continue.

Aside from the nature the area is known for its produce, especially black berries and strawberries. Throughout the hillsides there are swiss-style houses with beautiful gardens thanks to a migration generations ago. Along with their architecture they brought great yogurt and cream. The main road is littered with stands selling the local specialty, strawberrys and cream. We could hardly believe how delicious it is. Our feeling about this place is good enough that we spent the last couple days exploring property with a real estate agent. She showed us some interesting prospects. For now, we will continue our search by hiking around the volcano to Boquete and keep Cerro Punta in mind.

Parque Corcovado

2007-04-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

We're writing from Panama, where we arrived yesterday after breezing through Costa Rica with a quick stop in Parque Corcovado for some jungle trekking. In La Palma, one of the launch towns for treks in Parque Corcovado, we met Thomas and Tau, two friendly Danes. We quickly established that we were going on the same route and decided to join forces. Three days, many miles, animals and laughs later it proved to be a good match.

After getting pretty much no sleep thanks to our convenient location right next to the neighborhood earplug-defying disco we left at 5am in the back of a pick up bound for Los Patos, the first ranger station. The Danes were slightly disheartened because their attempt at making hammocks from plastic fencing and pvc piping hadn´t gone as planned. When they tested them, the plastic stretched and began to tear. They figured they might get half a night out of them before crashing to the ground.

The walk was about 10 miles through lush, noisey, very much alive jungle. We saw three different kinds of monkeys, tons of birds, countless little lizards and a few snakes. The walk was pretty flat and always shady. When we got to La Sirena we were ecstatic to find a covered camping platform and running water. The Danes lucked out and never had to put their hammocks to the test.

That night we devoured a large can of Sardines and several packs of crackers while the Danes mixed a tin of tuna with some refried beans. The next day we woke to the sound of howler monkies so loud that you can´t help but picture huge beasts fighting for their lives. After breakfast we watched a poor dragon fly land in the web of an enormous spider. The spider quickly ran over, bit and paralized the drafon fly, spun more web around it, cut it from the edge and brought it to the heart of the web. Later we walked over to the river Sirena to try and see the Bull Sharks that swim upstream at high tide. No sharks appeared, but we did see two big crocodiles floating in shallow water. In the afternoon we swam and hung around the station watching as various big rodents walked through the clearing. In the middle of the second night the whole camp awoke to what sounded like two Danes being attacked by a wild boar or poisonous snake. There was foot stomping and lots of yelling, something that sounded like "Uhl". They said everything was ok, maybe just a nightmare, they weren´t even really sure. In the morning if was the talk of the camp, the guides kept asking where the Anaconda was. Some of the truth surfaced when Tau told of a night in Rome where his girlfriend woke with a bruise on her leg after dreaming that an enormous gladiator was kicking her from the Collesium and he dreamed that there was something in his bed that he had to get uhl (sp?), out in Danish.
Day three was a long, hot hike on and off the beach to La Leona, the last station. The view was mist rising from black sand, large rocks off the coast and a hillside of virgin jungle. The Danes saw a very large orange and black snake. We all saw an Ant Eater and then more rodents, monkies, birds and lizards. We were totally wiped by the time we got to the end and then spent two bumpy hours in the back of a pick up to get back to civilization. We celebrated with a shower, hot meal and our jungle bed time, 7:30.

Little Corn

2007-04-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

The panga ride to Little Corn was smooth sailing over pristine blue-green water. We couldn't believe the tiny spot of paradise as we jumped off the boat onto the white sand. No cars, motorbikes, engines, only sounds of water lapping onto the shore and chattering voices of the Caribbean. We followed Jefferson, the Alaskan fisherman/hunter who spends a couple months of the year as a fishing guide on Little Corn, down the sandy path through palms and jungle to the other side of the island. A twenty minute walk later we found ourselves at Carlito´s, Sunrise Paradise. We immediately fell in love. Our green palm-roofed bungalow looked directly onto the turquoise sea, and the constant breeze made for delightful weather.

The staff at Carlito´s became quick friends. Brenda, with her adorably naughty one-and-a-half-year-old, Julisa. Tamara,

the darling, silly Little Corn teen. Erwin the maintenance boy who wore a constant smile. Pablito, the wonderful flambouyant chef who loved having heart-to-hearts with me and Brendan, his new confidants and Carlito, the man himself, the king of Little Corn!

The Group became like family and a month later we were still spending our days relaxing in hammocks, snorkeling, swimming, playing dominoes, being true beach bums. Carlito´s bungalow operation was beginning to look like a commune. Our one neighbor, Leo, had been there for a year-and-a-half selling handmade jewelery from coconuts. Gregor, a real Scott, who honestly missed Haggis, stayed at least six weeks. And then there was the Swedish invasion. The island was hopping with an astounding number of Swedes, a country that must be full of kind, fun loving, easy going people. Sophie, Ana, Ana and Jonas were friends from the start. They too were struggling to move on. In fact Ana and Jonas got all the way to the airport at Big Corn, sent luggage through security (which wasn´t much) and right before the plane took on passengers realized they couldn´t possibly leave! They rushed to the front counter to retrieve their luggage explaining to the clerk that they had forgotten something very important on Little Corn and surprised us all with their completely irrational return.

The inexorable peace and beauty, friendly locals and dear friends this incredible island supported made it nearly impossible to leave. We´re not sure we´ll ever find another place quite like it.

Soon Reach

2007-04-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

You can get from Managua to Little Corn Island in a night and a day´s time by bus and boat, theoretically. Most people choose to take the hour and a half flight. We figured we would go the local route, enjoy the journey. It took us three days and two nights.

Our trip began in Granada with an easy hour to a bus stop in Managua. From there we took a cab through neighborhood after undistinguishable neighborhood of Managua sprawl to the bus station for Rama. We were delighted to see a modern bus waiting, surely equipped with a/c and reclining seats, both necesities for eight hours of night travel. We waited happily and watched as the English speaking Carribean people gathered. The scene was entertaining until everyone started loading on to the bus. We joined in only to be told that we were on bus #2. I had seen it sitting there outside the station, full of all those field trip memories, and chosen to ignore it. They can´t expect people to sit for 8 hours on one of the knee-mashing old Blue Bird school buses that carried American children to and from school until they were old enough to be decommisioned and given to Nicaragua. We asked, and, that was percisely what they expected.We were able to at least take comfort in the fact that the bus had been carefully repainted, adorned with blinking disco lights and streamers running through the inside and had a large disclaimer pasted on the front: "Yo manejo, Jesus Me Guia" (I drive, Jesus Guides Me). It´s always nice to know that God supports your trip, but we would rest easier knowing that the driver feel personally responsible for the safety of his cargo. There was one real plus: the knee-mashers had been replaced with reclining seats, but then, ours were broken. We drove up and over the mountains where occasionally the driver lent the wheel to Jesus who tested our faith by taking corners way to tight and scaring the $%&/ out of us and eventually landed safely in Rama.

The boat ride from Rama to Blufields is incredible. Three hours of smooth riding down a narrow river with virgin tropical forests on either side. We arrived in Bluefields ready to hop the ferry to Big Corn. Several people we talked to in Granada before we left told us bus schedules and had various suggestions of how to make our trip more comfortable. No one mentioned that there are only three ferrys a week from Bluefields to Big Corn. The next day we got our things together early and headed down to the peir where we waited for the 8am ferry to finally leave at 1pm. At that point we still had a chance of getting to Big Corn in time for the last panga (skiff) over to the little island, but what we read is a 5 hour ferry actually took 9 hours. People on the boat kept saying "soon reach, soon reach". We spent the night on Big Corn and took the first boat over in the morning. Paradise was waiting and well worth every minute of the journey.

A quick look at Granada

2007-03-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Sunset over the cathedral.

The main street leading to the market.

The market at sunrise.

Early bird catches the worm. He was the first one to have his booth setup.

Homestay in Granada

2007-03-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

Julito picked us up after our second day of Spanish school to take us to our new host family. As soon as we got in our cab he spun around and started talking a-mile-a-minute. He excitedly mumbles a colloquial spanish and if he wasn´t inclined to repeat himself three or four times, I´m not sure we could communicate. It took a few tries to get that he works for the host family. Memo, papá, owns a stall in the market where he works every day of the week. Lucila, mamá, is a lawyer, but we haven`t seen her go to work besides to sell her homemade sweets out of the front door. Maria Auxiliadora, who is named after her elementary school where she attends the second grade, walks around the house all day clutching her 5-week-old puppy.

The house chain of command is clear. When Memo is hungry or thirsty he says so and Lucila serves him. When Lucila needs something done, she calls for Julito. Maria Auxiliadora gets what she wants from whoever´s closest.

Whenever Lucila has something to tell us she prefers that Julito relay the message:
"Julito tell them they can eat these mangos after lunch"
"Yeah, yeah, okay, okay, okay." Julito then waits and, as if he has just thought of the perfect translation, begins- "Lucila says you can eat these mangos after lunch. Mahn-Go, Maahhhn-Goo, mangos. The mangos are sweet and delicious. Nicaraguan mangos, you can eat them after lunch. Sweet mangos. Mahn-Go. Maaahhhhn-Gooo Duul-Sayy. Mangos."

At one point I thought Julito had started to call me Mango, but then it sounded like Marlo. Maybe Marlo´s a local term for "buddy", I thought. Then Julito said Marlo Brandon and it clicked that Marlo is an attempt at Marlon Brando. Close enough.

The family is very sweet. Lucila is a great cook and, to our delight, serves fried plantanes with every meal. Sometimes in the afternoon we pull chairs out to the back patio to watch the personal zoo. They have a green parakeet, two talking green parrots (who can say mango), a big red macaw, a tucan and two whitefaced monkeys. Very entertaining if a little noisey.

Tomorrow we will rise with Memo at 5am to see how the market starts its day.....

Ometepe

2007-03-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

After a tipsy ferry ride across the enormous Lago de Nicaragua and an hour bouncing along a dirt road in the back of a pick-up, we found ourselves at Hacienda Merida; camp for grown-ups! The beautiful refurbished hostel was once a vacation home and working coffee plantation of the Somoza family who ruled as dictators for three generations before being driven out by the Sandanista revolution in 1979. Now it sleeps about fifty, serves delicious buffet style meals and is comfortable enough to feel like home after a few days.

The grand Isla de Ometepe is home to two volcanos, Concepción and Maderas. Concepción is an active, steep, arid, perfect cone while Maderas gets steadily more lush the higher you go with monkeys and birds in the trees and a lagoon that fills the crater on top.

We relaxed and took in the sceneray for a couple of days and then made the ambitious decision to climb Maderas- five hours up, four down. We took to the mountain with a Norwegian couple, Paal and Ilene who hiked in sandals, an Aussy, El and a rediculous couple from Brooklyn and Connecticut. Tiffany is a self-proclaimed Yoga instructor who smokes like a chimney and sounds eerily like the Nanny and her boyfriend, Kai wears a knit cap in the 90 degree weather, even while hiking. Much to our disappointment, they turned around a couple hours into it. The hike was insane. We were up to our knees in mud, swinging from vines like a bunch of monkeys.

As we reached the top the scenery grew more and more beautiful. Moss coverd every surface and a dense cool cloud blew through as we climbed in and above the canopy. Reaching the crater lagoon was quite a feat and well worth every step. Afterwards we enjoyed Toñas (local beer) with Paal, Ilene and Rick from Canada who was pretty much a camp counselor by the time we left.

We left plenty to be explored on Ometepe and can´t wait to return. We will miss Paal, Ilene and Rick who were our travel companions for a week and can´t wait to see them again.

San Juan Del Sur

2007-03-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

So far Nicaragua has been good to us. The food is tasty and cheap. It´s about $2.50 each for dinner and a beer. Lodging seems to run about $10 for a room. This is our trip up until now....

After a shockingly warm night in Managua we headed straight for the beach. We stayed a couple nights in San Juan del Sur, a sleepy little fishing village turned surfer getaway and then a couple nights in a little hostel right next to the main surfing beach, Maderas. We took a day of surfing lessons and can both see why people fall in love with the sport. This seems to be a great place for beginners and the more advanced.
The surfers come to Maderas in truckloads everday from San Juan del Sur. Neither of us have ever been to a place that needs another guest house more, but, having said that, we are not jumping to open one up here. We can´t figure out why there isn´t more business on this string of beaches, all beautiful and all fairly private. For now we´re going to sleep on it and go check out Ometepe, an island made up of two volcanos in Lago de Nicaragua.

Heading south at long last!!!

2007-02-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

Nica, here we come.