Last Saturday rolled around like any other day here in Barva. Mike and I made our way over to the Delgado’s to have some lunch at about noon and chat up the family a bit. Little did we know that Gerardo had other plans for us. By the time we got to the house, Agnes (one of the daughters) had told us lunch would be ready in about an hour. Gerardo seized this opportunity to convince us to go to the bar with him for a beer while we waited. I was hesitant at first, knowing full well that he meant [View Full Entry]

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Yesterday was a good day. We had a 10am meeting with the lawyer who would send us with his driver, Brian, to get our driver’s licenses. Brian is the same guy who worked with us on getting our fingerprints and paperwork from the police station when we were working on our residency so we were already familiar with him. He’s a good guy of little words, probably late 20’s but definitely knows his way around town and the systems of CR. The bus ride into San Jose was longer than normal. I’m still not sure what the hold-up was because we [View Full Entry]

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The past few days have been an education to say the least as we have been driving all over Costa Rica in search of the perfect truck. So far we have been to Grecia, Sarchi, Escazu, Santa Barbara, Guadalupe, Palmares, San Ramon and San Isidro. Some of these places are up to an hour away. Purchasing a car here is very different that buying in the States. There are basically three places to buy cars here: the large dealership, the small dealership and individuals on the street. Large dealerships are a lot like those in the States but not nearly as [View Full Entry]

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Our lawyer is located in San Jose only a few blocks away from the Costa Rican National Museum of Art. Since Mike and I don’t have a truck yet and aren’t on any real schedule, we figured we’d make the most of our time in San Jose and check out some of the museums in the area. We still plan on visiting the Serpenterium (figured it was good to know which guys to look out for) and the Gold Museum, but for this trip, we decided to check out the art museum. For $5, you can see 2 floors of Costa [View Full Entry]

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Mike and I arrived in Costa Rica on July 27th, tired from all the running around we did in the States during our last two weeks there but very ready to begin our new adventure. Our flight was due to leave Philadelphia at 6:30am which meant a very early wake up call at 3:30! Thankfully my folks drove us to the airport and saved us a costly cab ride. Once again, the airlines tell you to be 2 hours early for your flight, yet the lines are not even open at this time so we waited patiently, still half asleep until [View Full Entry]

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While sitting in the airport during our 4 hour layover in El Salvador on the way back to the States, looking up, I noticed a small bat on the ceiling. I have no idea how this poor fella had gotten into the airport but I can imagine the bright lights and the loud speaker going off next to him weren’t exactly pleasant. Considering I wasn’t sure how the airport police in El Salvador would react if I told them about the ceiling bat, I opted to let this little guy fend for himself and get himself back outside quietly. Besides, the [View Full Entry]

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I’ve recently learned that Heredia is not just city living. Gerardo had mentioned that he wanted to take us to his cousin's farm up in the mountains of Heredia. His cousin, Rigo had a wood burning stove and Gerardo wanted to take him some scraps of wood he had left over from his shop. Tejoncito is the perfect vehicle for this type of road trip. We had 7 people, yes 7 - in the truck along with multiple bags of wood on the roof. Kudos to Toyota for making such a fine vehicle. While waiting for Tejoncito to be loaded up, [View Full Entry]

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Everyone has weeds both here and in the U.S. Some of us have had to pull weeds, put chemicals on them to kill them, put down special “weed barriers” to stop them from growing, etc. Costa has weeds as well. At times I’ve seen Ticos outside with their machetes chopping the weeds back, ensuring they stay in perfect form and don’t get too out of control. The only difference between here and the U.S. is that I don’t think that Ticos mind so much when their weeds grow back. Check out their weeds - would you mind!? No one has planted [View Full Entry]

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Good Neighbors A day hasn’t gone by since we’ve been in Costa Rica where the people haven’t simply amazed me in some way. I’ve never been around folks who seem so completely genuine, who love to converse, and who take a vested interest in the wellbeing of others. Matthew has some really amazing neighbors. Ana, Juan Carlos and their children Gaby and Carlos, have welcomed us into their home as though we were family. I’ve mentioned “Sombra” before - she is their faithful dog. The first day Michael and I were at Matthew’s house alone, Ana [View Full Entry]

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Costa Ricans really seem like amazing neighbors. Upon our arrival here in Barva, Mike and I ventured over to the Delgado’s to check in. We found Roy, the youngest, in his workshop, busy cutting wood for the many interesting handmade products this family makes and sells. They make everything from cutting boards, to authentic Costa Rican coffee makers to wooden spoons, trivets and hangers. It’s really amazing to see what they are able to make by hand. Roy immediately stopped working in order to prepare us some lunch. The family lost their matriarch, Flora, 3 months ago and since t [View Full Entry]

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