The big 1-6

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Geo: 9.87991, -85.5715

Yes, Kate has finally made it to 16 and got to start the day with "panqueques." We bought three small packages of pancake mix at the store the other day and Dad prepared them complete with the "baila de los huevos" and presented them with a candle.

We arranged with our property manager to send a taxi for us at 7:30 because we had been having bad luck with taxis here in Buena Vista. Alas, our streak continued. We walked down to the intersection of two dirt roads where there is a kind of mini mart and waited again. Once more, no taxi. We think the locals all must be laughing at the gringo family that comes down in the morning to stand around for 45 minutes for no apparent reason. Instead of hoofing it back to the house, we went into the store and asked the proprietress if she had the number for a taxi. She lent us a card and sold us some drinks. Mom called and got a guy to actually show up. Progress! He drove us into town where we attempted to take a kayak/snorkeling tour out to the "big rock" with Choco.

The general consensus on the beach was that it was not a good day for snorkeling. Oh well. Kate and Alex took out surfboards for 90 minutes or so. When we tried to pay for the rental they told us that they could have 5 hours free since they took a lesson the other day. Nice! Josh and Dad went down the beach to just rent a kayak for an hour. They had a great time plowing through the surf and paddling around out where the waves were not breaking. They got flipped a couple times, but it was all fun. Then the kids played in the surf for a while. When they got tired Dad invented a new game where you put two sticks in the sand about 3 yards apart. Each person stands behind his stick. Then the players take turns chucking a coconut at the other person's stick. If you knock the stick over you get a point. If you don't pay attention while the other person is throwing, you get hit by a coconut. This is clearly a Dad game because it involves a level of personal risk. The kids absolutely loved it, especially the boys.

Kate took over the wares at a jewelry maker's table on the beach. Since we are birthday-indulgent parents, we let her pick out and purchase some things for herself and friends. Most of them were woven pieces that worked in sand, shells or polished stones. The jewelry here seems to go with the eco-friendly vibe that the Ticos try to cultivate.

Kate wanted pizza so we found a cafe in a hotel that served it. It was OK, but nothing to blog about. The name of the restaurant was Pizza & Pasta a-go-go. We managed to track down our cab driver from the morning and he brought us home. For a while he was listening to some Spanish music. Mom tried to "Shazam" the title of the song with her phone, but at just the wrong moment he turned down the song to answer his phone. When he turned it back on again, his radio was playing "Jump" by Van Halen. Of course the phone had no trouble identifying that song, but I already knew what it was. The kids started singing along so the driver turned it up. There we were, bouncing along dirt roads, passing guys driving cattle with sticks, jamming to David Lee Roth. In several of the cabs here I've noticed that there are slots for USB drives in the radio so that you can just plug your tunes directly in. I like that feature a lot.

When we got close to home our driver pointed out the road to a very nice, white-sanded beach. We'll probably go check that out tomorrow.

Back at the house we had a rousing game of Marco Polo (aka Marco Pollo in Costa Rica). Then everyone was ready for a break before our special birthday dinner that Mom & Dad arranged with Elizabeth at the Flying Crocodile Restaurant.

Elizabeth greeted us like old friends with hugs and kisses and escorted us to our table. She then gathered the few other patrons together to sing as she presented Kate with a doughnut on a plate that supported a candle and was surrounded by beautiful tropical flowers.

We dined on "chicken tropical" which was a chicken breast with pineapples in a light sauce, served with steamed vegetables and rice. For dessert we all had crepes with various fillings. We met a German family at the next table and Mike spoke with them about fishing. They may meet up tomorrow to try their luck together in the lagoon. All in all, Kate seems very pleased with her day.

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Photos

Josh and Dad tackle the waves
Dad got a waterproof camera for his birthday and we have been using it quite a bit on this trip.

Coconut bowling
First to five points wins.

Kate's birthday dinner
Sure, we had one in Virginia, but we had to have another in Costa Rica. Elizabeth at the Flying Crocodile helped us make it special.

Birthday pancakes.
In Costa Rica: panqueques

Two of Kate's purchases
Kate wearing a bracelet and necklace she bought today and making a silly face.

Birthday wish candle
Elizabeth let us know that Kate is now old enough to get married in Germany.

Waiting for the taxi that will never arrive
Luckily, the mini mart has benches. The alert viewer will see a very sad looking dog under the bench.

Coconut game
If you play this game, you can send us royalties.