We’re at the end of week three in a month or more long road trip, our last before returning to Canada from Costa Rica, where we’ve lived now for almost a year.
It’s hard to believe it’s almost over and as the clock ticks, there are moments where I feel nostalgic and others when I just [...]
Archive for the ‘Costa Rica’ Category
Hotel Hopping
Posted in Costa Rica, travel, tagged cloud forest, Costa Rica, Lands in Love, Monteverde, Palmeras Hotel, Playa Carrillo, Samara, Selvatura, Tamarindo on May 26, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Opposite land
Posted in Costa Rica, Self discovery, tagged banking in Costa Rica, opposite land, Scotiabank in Costa Rica on April 9, 2009 | 6 Comments »
My friend Mary calls Costa Rica opposite land.
It’s a good description because often the way things are done or happen are completely contrary to the way you’d expect.
For instance, if a Tico has his house for sale and has not had a nibble in a year, he will raise the price rather than lower it. [...]
Random thoughts
Posted in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Self discovery, tagged bilingualism in canada, guns in costa rica, guns in nicaragua, learning spanish in costa rica, problems with Continental Airlines, seasons changing in costa rica, winter in costa rica on April 1, 2009 | 4 Comments »
While cruising the CR classifieds on a Yahoo group the other day it was a bit jarring to see a ‘for sale’ ad for a Glock, as in the gun preferred by most North American law-enforcement agencies. It is apparently legal to pack in Costa Rica but like most things, nobody can be bothered with the paperwork. [...]
On the road: part two
Posted in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, kids, travel, tagged Costa Rica, Granada, Hotel con Corozon, Nicaragua, wind turbines on March 21, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Nicaragua and Costa Rica are starkly contrasting countries, as much for their respective landscapes as for their inhabitants, history and culture.
While Costa Rica is a well-developed paradise for sun-seekers, it is mostly bland in local colour. Nicaragua, meantime, offers a less developed tourist infrastructure but is teeming with native culture and unexplored adventure opportunities.
Despite its [...]
On the road again
Posted in Costa Rica, travel, tagged Costa Rica, driving, fees, Granada, Liberia, Penas Blancas border crossing on March 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Three days. Hundreds of kilometres. Two border crossings. Two minor swindles. Two incredible cities. Two sick kids. One gem of a hotel. One incredible smoldering volcano. Swimming in one spectacular crater lake and one positive close encounter with Nicaraguan policia.
Phew. That was fun, I think.
In truth, our trip to Granada was amazing despite a few bumps [...]
Going to Granada
Posted in Costa Rica, tagged border crossing, Costa Rica, Granada, Masaya, Nicaragua, visa run on March 13, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Every three months since we arrived in Costa Rica we’ve made the obligatory three-month “visa run,” leaving the country for the requisite 72 hours and buying ourselves another 90-day tourist extension.
Outside of obtaining resident status, a complicated and usually expensive process, this is the only way to legally live in this Central American country.
This is [...]
To school or not to school
Posted in Costa Rica, family, kids on March 7, 2009 | 5 Comments »
We put our kids in a local school almost a month ago.
The almost six-year-old is in prepa, the equivalent of kindergarten, while the almost four-year-old is in preschool.
It’s their second time attending school since we came to Costa Rica last August. Their first was a private international school of some repute just outside the city of Heredia, where [...]
Bye, bye beach house
Posted in Costa Rica, tagged beach, beauty, car jacking, corruption, Costa Rica, Pacific, Punta Leona, Pura Vida Waterfalls on March 2, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Our month of having a beach retreat for weekend escapes has come to a bittwersweet end; like all things in life pleasure never comes without pain.
Let me explain.
We set out earlier than usual on Friday on account of the kids having a day off school. The drive to the Pacific coast from our mountain town is [...]
Old habits die hard
Posted in Costa Rica, Self discovery on February 27, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I need an intervention. Maybe even rehab. I’ve fallen off the wagon, and in a big way.
The boots called out from the window of the store, begging me to try them on and taste again the sweet but fleeting feeling of wearing something sexy and new.
I’ve written multiple times about the importance of the concept [...]
A day at the beach
Posted in Costa Rica, Self discovery, travel, tagged beach lifestyle, Costa Rica, crazy, crime, dengue, drugs, marijuana on February 25, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Welcome to dysfunction junction, where the abnormal and the aberrant meet.
It’s also known as beach life, where motivation goes to die and inspiration is sparked with a spliff.
On the continuum of Costa Rican weirdness, the beach is at one extreme. And I’ve learned that I’m not, at the extreme of weirdness, I mean. Just resting comfortably somewhere between [...]
