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Published: June 18th 2007
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Wow! We had quite the thunderstorms here in San Ramon last week. Last Wednesday we had a storm that was the most violent I’ve seen since living here. I was sitting out on the patio with some “Boomers” tour guests just watching the light show in the valley as the rain poured down. Then (and it seemed like it came out of nowhere), this massive lightning bolt hits very near to the house—in fact I think it hit the telephone pole next to the house—and sparks are flying out from the pole! Of course, we lost electricity right away. In addition, it blew out a light on the side of my house, the DirecTV box, and the phone line. So, I had no phone, no Internet, and no TV. What could be worse? Fortunately, the electric people are very good here about restoring power. In fact, as I was heading into town for dinner with clients, the electric company truck (“ICE”) passed me and power was restored in no time. Frankly, I’ve had less power outages here than when I lived in the states.
Besides the massive downpours, incredible electric storms, thunder louder than I’ve ever heard, and few
leaks in the roof, it was still fun to watch! Apparently there was a tropical front over the country last week and this caused the storms. As I write this blog, however, tonight’s fare includes an amazing sunset and no rain!
A day away….
I’ve been so busy between the B&B, tours, and real estate that I’ve been going non-stop for three weeks with not even a partial day’s break! That all changed when clients left on Saturday evening and it provided me with an entirely open day on Sunday and nothing to do (or nothing I really wanted to do!). I’ve been itching to go the beach and I haven’t been since March! So, my friend Preston and I hit the road Sunday morning and headed to Punta Leona, a nice beach area about a 1.5 hour drive from San Ramon.
One of the most exciting things for me—and I feel this way every time I do it—is to come out of the mountains and hit the Pacific coast. It’s just an amazing feeling that I live so close to the coast and I can go to the beach anytime that I want to as it’s
almost always warm. Unlike New England where beach time is generally June to August, in Costa Rica it doesn’t matter what time of year you go!
On the way to the beach, I always stop at “Steve & Lisa’s,” a restaurant known for its great breakfasts. It’s a perfect stopping off point. Now, I’ve never met Steve and Lisa, but I’d sure like to tell them how much I love their breakfasts. If you are heading down the coast between Puntarenas (or Orotina, if coming thought the mountains from Atenas) and Punta Leona, you cannot miss it on the right side of the road, right off the beach. Their “huevos rancheros” are excellent. Basically, huevos rancheros are eggs, salsa, and cheese in a soup bowl!
Punta Leona is an expensive beach resort with a hotel and condominiums. You cannot miss it if you are traveling down the coast as the entrance is massive and it alone probably coast more to build than the value of my B&B! In any event, if you pass the resort and take your next right off the highway, you’ll follow this winding dirt road, then pass through a Costa Rican planned community and
eventually end up on a narrow dirt road. You can park on the side of the road and walk a short distance through the woods to a very quiet and stunning white sand beach. I tend to like calm waters for swimming and this is the perfect beach for that.
Jaco is only a short distance down the road from Punta Leona so after some time at the beach, Preston and I headed there for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, the “Taco Bar.” An open-air restaurant, I think it serves the best soft shell fish tacos in the entire country. Their beef tacos are great too and they make terrific lemonade. It’s right off the main drag in Jaco—you cannot miss it—or just ask someone.
We also spent some time at a combination butterfly/frog/snake farm and saw quite a few of each. We were a bit disappointed with the number of butterflies, however, as Preston commented, “We have more butterflies on our property in San Ramon!” We did see, though, some amazing frogs, including some only found in Costa Rica (see the pictures). We also saw more poisonous snakes than either of cared to see. In
fact, one species of snake, a boa constrictor, can eat a small five-year old kid, and one did a few years ago in Columbia. Not a nice way to go!
This is one of the things I really enjoy about living in San Ramon. You can take off virtually anytime and be within two hours of great beaches, rainforests, hotsprings, volcanoes, and many other attractions. And, the best thing is, that by working less and enjoying life more, you can do it anytime—on a Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday—it just doesn’t matter when you live in Costa Rica. We work so hard most of the time that having a chance to get away to somewhere stunning really re-charges the batteries and keeps us going until the next time we have a break!
More visitors….
This past weekend, my cousin Pete and his wife Laura visited. It’s such a great time having friends and family visit! I think they got a good feel for Costa Rica, and San Ramon in particular, and it was great to catch up with them. I find that for every one friend or family member who visits, 2-3 more end up coming within six months.
Friends and family are definitely one of the best ways to advertise Costa Rica!
Finally in the 21st century…..
While I was in my “I hate Costa Rica sometimes” mode for a few days when I was without television and a telephone (and hence, dial up Internet), it all worked out just fine in the end. Last week, we finally got high speed Internet at the B&B! I had a new service, called “WiMax,” which essentially is “WiFi” but over long distances, installed at the B&B. The speed is better than DSL and I set up a wireless network in the house so guests and friends can bring their laptops and surf the Internet while sitting on my front patio. Not a bad life, I’d say!
Thanks for reading and for your comments. More soon!
Pura Vida!
Andrew
andrew4cr@gmail.com
www.CRCommunities.com (real estate and more!)
www.BoomersInCostaRica.com (4-day/3 night relocation/retirement/real estate tour!)
www.CostaRicaRealEstate.typepad.com (Boomers’ Real Estate & More Blog!)
www.AngelValleyFarmBandB.com (the B&B!)
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Debi
non-member comment
Hey You!
Andrew - I miss you! The storm sounded wonderful! As long as everyone is safe.....Bill and I will be out at some point - We talk about a land purchase a lot! xo Debi