During our past trip to Costa Rica we made a few pleasant discoveries that were very easy on the palate. You can find some of the most delicious food in the most remote, unexpected places! Our first find happened very close to our home site which will come in handy over the years to come.
Fred and his wife Amy introduced us to the lovely restaurant Las Orquideas where the adorable Columbian chef Alphonso will cook you anything you heart desires. This enthusiastic, delightful man aims to please with his creations and he will check up on how the food tastes and take suggestions on how to the the perfect dish. He is also excited about us moving down in his neighborhood and says that he'll help us with our Spanish if we help him with his English. His outdoor patio overlooking the lush climate is the perfect setting for enjoying the nice cool breeze over some ceviche and a cerveza.
Our next great food find in Costa Rica happened while we were down in Playa Copal after our kiteboarding lesson. This area of the country made me think I was in a small Tuscan village. Not only was our kiteboarding instructor Nicola Italian, but the owner and chef of the Copal Restauarant was from the same village in Verona and were old family friends. It seems that all the architecture in the area has an Italian feel to it and there are lovely stone walls and archways everywhere.
I nicknamed the owner of Copal Restaurant Papi, because he was just like an adorable grandfather who was crazy about food and crazy about his guests. I had a lovely salad and Joe had the most delicious caprese to start out with. I don't think any other place in Costa Rica has Italian wine, and Papi made sure that my glass stayed full. For our entrees, I had fish and Joe had lobster. I'm not sure if you can get lobster anywhere else for $15, and Joe was ecstatic. It was my first taste of the stuff before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially when Papi was teaching me how to use the lobster cracker. He was adorable when we ordered them, and told us that they were caught fresh that day, and they even had names. I was to dine on Julio that night and Joe was going to eat Carla. They were both delicious.
We ended the evening in the true authentic Italian way with a lemon liqueur cocktail. With my three glasses of wine, I was getting a bit clumsy and spilled half of mine. Papi was such a dear he refilled my glass with a smile and a laugh. He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek as we were leaving and I told him we'd be back to see him again in May.
Little Italy on a lonely Costa Rican beach! Who knew it could be possible? If you are ever in the Playa Copal area, be sure to check out the restaurant there. You will not be disappointed!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Pictures from our future home site
Without a memory card, our little camera is only good for a dozen pictures. Here are a few we took from the top of the hill where our future home will be built. The views of the valley below is almost due north, looking over the Caribbean Plains and into Nicaragua.
On the back side of the hill is a small banana grove, about a dozen trees in total. Just outside the front door is a mature mango tree and a few papaya trees. On the west side of the property is a rain forest reserve, where Tapirs, Jaguars, Howler Monkeys and hundreds of of tropical birds reside.
A view from the top:
Another angle:
Where the wild things are:
You can find the rest of the land pictures in our photo album
On the back side of the hill is a small banana grove, about a dozen trees in total. Just outside the front door is a mature mango tree and a few papaya trees. On the west side of the property is a rain forest reserve, where Tapirs, Jaguars, Howler Monkeys and hundreds of of tropical birds reside.
A view from the top:
Another angle:
Where the wild things are:
You can find the rest of the land pictures in our photo album
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Kitesurfing and the Blue Dream
As Joe has stated before, days 6 and 7 were an unexpected series of enjoyable events! We originally had planned to head over to the coast were we would try our hand at surfing. We soon realized that we would rather head North instead of West to avoid all the crowded beaches near Tamarindo and other high traffic areas.
The largest city in the Northwest part of Costa Rica is La Cruz and we took a one hour bus ride there from Liberia. From there, we found a taxi and asked him to take us to a hotel at the nearest beach.
Our driver first took us to the Blue Dream Hotel yet we were anxious to see the ocean so we asked him to drop us off at the beach (Playa Papaturro) which was located about 150 meters away from the hotel.
While we were swimming, we couldn't help but notice that it was extremely windy. In the distance we could see several people that were kitesurfing further down the coast. Soon enough, we decided that we should better find lodging and we walked back to the hotel.
After getting through some communication barriers and a bit of negotiating, we were lucky enough to get a room because most people had to reserve in advance. We quickly settled into a small cabina between two other couples. Upon meeting them and everyone else we came across in the hotel, we learned that the sole reason they were there was because of the kitesurfing. It was claimed to be the best in the world. Everyone also looked extremely happy all the time as well as extremely fit. We knew that we just had to give it a try.
That night we met Nicola, a nice Italian man who seemed to wear a perpetual smile. He was one of the instructors and he also ran the hotel. We gave him the rest of our cash and he scheduled us for three hours worth of lessons the next day.
The next morning, we woke early and had a good breakfast and soon enough we were down at the beach were there was already another group enjoying the water and wind. We situated ourselves further down the beach and began our lessons.
Accompanying the three of us was another woman whose boyfriend was an expert kitesurfer and he was already out on the ocean catching some air by the time Nicola got us through an introduction.
The first part of the lesson we used a 2 meter wide trainer kite to get the feel of how it worked in the wind. To start the day we learned how to steer the kite and how to make it swoop down and gain speed. Next was learning about the window of wind and where the power zone was. Then we put on the harness to gain an understanding of how the kite can pull us around. After simulating being in the water and being pulled up on our board by the kite, it was time for lunch.
The second half of our lesson involved learning how to work with the larger kite which was 9 meters wide. We learned how to attach the kite to the harness and how to get it up in the air. Then we proceeded to a sand bar to learn how to work with the kite without being in the water. We each took our own turns sitting on the ground hooked up to the kite in a harness. Joe was first and he did very well. It seems that his experience with paragliding was beneficial to his learning experience. Soon it was my turn.
I sat down and planted my feet firmly in front of me. Nicola kept a firm grip on the back of my harness as he guided me through the movements. The enormous kite yielded so much energy and before I knew it the kite crossed over through the power zone and I was being lifted off the ground with Nicola hanging on to my legs yelling commands at me to get me back down again. In my panic, I drew the control bar closer to me which made me go even higher. Nicola lost his grip on me and finally his words sunk in and I released the power bar completely, which landed me quite abruptly back onto the ground again. The kite dragged me a few feet across the sand upon my descent and I got a nice little sand rash from it.
Needless to say, the whole event shook me up quite a bit and I didn't think my heart would stop racing. Still, Nicola being the good teacher he is, wouldn't let me quit and in his words I "got back on the horse" again. This time, I handled the kite perfectly, but I was still shaking by the time I finished that I couldn't suppress a few tears of tension from slipping down my cheeks. Luckily, the dark glasses that were protecting my eyes from the wind and the sun also hid the redness that would have been apparent.
By the time Brian's turn with the big kite, our lessons were over. They had been well worth it, and even though my experience was a little more than I anticipated, I can't wait to try it again and really get the feel of the sport. What a wonderful way to spend some time while we are living in Costa Rica! I can see a lot of windsurfing in our future and many more nights spent at the Blue Dream Hotel.
Thanks Nicola for the great lesson. See you again in May!
The largest city in the Northwest part of Costa Rica is La Cruz and we took a one hour bus ride there from Liberia. From there, we found a taxi and asked him to take us to a hotel at the nearest beach.
Our driver first took us to the Blue Dream Hotel yet we were anxious to see the ocean so we asked him to drop us off at the beach (Playa Papaturro) which was located about 150 meters away from the hotel.
While we were swimming, we couldn't help but notice that it was extremely windy. In the distance we could see several people that were kitesurfing further down the coast. Soon enough, we decided that we should better find lodging and we walked back to the hotel.
After getting through some communication barriers and a bit of negotiating, we were lucky enough to get a room because most people had to reserve in advance. We quickly settled into a small cabina between two other couples. Upon meeting them and everyone else we came across in the hotel, we learned that the sole reason they were there was because of the kitesurfing. It was claimed to be the best in the world. Everyone also looked extremely happy all the time as well as extremely fit. We knew that we just had to give it a try.
That night we met Nicola, a nice Italian man who seemed to wear a perpetual smile. He was one of the instructors and he also ran the hotel. We gave him the rest of our cash and he scheduled us for three hours worth of lessons the next day.
The next morning, we woke early and had a good breakfast and soon enough we were down at the beach were there was already another group enjoying the water and wind. We situated ourselves further down the beach and began our lessons.
Accompanying the three of us was another woman whose boyfriend was an expert kitesurfer and he was already out on the ocean catching some air by the time Nicola got us through an introduction.
The first part of the lesson we used a 2 meter wide trainer kite to get the feel of how it worked in the wind. To start the day we learned how to steer the kite and how to make it swoop down and gain speed. Next was learning about the window of wind and where the power zone was. Then we put on the harness to gain an understanding of how the kite can pull us around. After simulating being in the water and being pulled up on our board by the kite, it was time for lunch.
The second half of our lesson involved learning how to work with the larger kite which was 9 meters wide. We learned how to attach the kite to the harness and how to get it up in the air. Then we proceeded to a sand bar to learn how to work with the kite without being in the water. We each took our own turns sitting on the ground hooked up to the kite in a harness. Joe was first and he did very well. It seems that his experience with paragliding was beneficial to his learning experience. Soon it was my turn.
I sat down and planted my feet firmly in front of me. Nicola kept a firm grip on the back of my harness as he guided me through the movements. The enormous kite yielded so much energy and before I knew it the kite crossed over through the power zone and I was being lifted off the ground with Nicola hanging on to my legs yelling commands at me to get me back down again. In my panic, I drew the control bar closer to me which made me go even higher. Nicola lost his grip on me and finally his words sunk in and I released the power bar completely, which landed me quite abruptly back onto the ground again. The kite dragged me a few feet across the sand upon my descent and I got a nice little sand rash from it.
Needless to say, the whole event shook me up quite a bit and I didn't think my heart would stop racing. Still, Nicola being the good teacher he is, wouldn't let me quit and in his words I "got back on the horse" again. This time, I handled the kite perfectly, but I was still shaking by the time I finished that I couldn't suppress a few tears of tension from slipping down my cheeks. Luckily, the dark glasses that were protecting my eyes from the wind and the sun also hid the redness that would have been apparent.
By the time Brian's turn with the big kite, our lessons were over. They had been well worth it, and even though my experience was a little more than I anticipated, I can't wait to try it again and really get the feel of the sport. What a wonderful way to spend some time while we are living in Costa Rica! I can see a lot of windsurfing in our future and many more nights spent at the Blue Dream Hotel.
Thanks Nicola for the great lesson. See you again in May!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Trip report: Costa Rica, part 2!
"You each will receive free lodging and a three hundred and fifty dollar credit towards a future flight."
"Okay!"
We lucked out a lot on this trip, scoring an extra day in paradise on Continental Airlines dime. Not to mention the $350 credit we each received. The Piña Colada's could have been better, but drinking them in the swim up bar of the Hotel Resort we were staying in that night made them go down smooth and quick.
The rest of the week was not as plush. We started off our trip by spending a night in Liberia, the 2nd hottest city in Costa Rica. La Cruz is the only city that is hotter. We didn't spend any time in La Cruz, instead spending nights 6 and 7 about three hundred feet from the beach and scoring a room that should have sold out months in advance. Luck was definitely on our side. After our taxi driver dropped us off at a deserted beach, we quickly did the only thing we could think of and went skinny dipping in the pacific. While getting dressed I was stung by a large cow wasp, my finger swelled up a bit, and the rest of my arm tingled, but I survived.
Between Liberia and La Cruz, we spent three nights near our land in Cabanga. The point of this trip was to pick out our specific land, our home site, and see if we couldn't come up with a design for our future house. The trip was a total success and we found a ridge top location with views of Guatuso as well as the town of Rio Celeste. The home site has 270 degree panoramic views of the Caribbean plains below, witch bring a consistent 5 - 7 mph breeze up the hill side whenever the sun is shining. At nights, the temperature drops to pants and long sleeve shirt weather. This is something similar to what you would find on a clear late summer night in Utah, which is just cold enough to bundle up, but not cold enough to roll up the windows or put the top of the jeep on. The nearest paved road is about fifteen miles away. Paradise found.
Over drinks in Tilaran we came up with our floor plan for our new place. The ground level will have a living room that doubles as a dining room. Take two steps up and you will find our kitchen and bar. To the right of the kitchen will be our Art and Music room. Behind the kitchen will be our mud room, storage space and a small bathroom. The 2nd floor will be our private living space which includes a large master bedroom and master bathroom with 360 degree panoramic views. The top floor will be oriented 90 degrees off center from the bottom floor. The extra roof space will become two outdoor patios. With temperature's year round in the mid 70's to low 80's, we will be spending a lot of time outside. We will have a screened-in porch downstairs that will facilitate room for a few hammocks, a pair of rocking chairs and a small table to hold our drinks. Out back from the mud room will reside our garden and various fruit trees will be planted all around the house. There is already a large mango tree and a few papaya trees just steps from our future front door.
Down the hill and toward the river will be Heather's yoga and belly dance studio. This will be the first building to be built and will double as a guest cabana once our main house is built. Until that time, this will be the place we will call home. A small bathroom, kitchenette and open air deck will be the only features besides a large space for dancing and yoga. Imagine a studio apartment floating in the air just feet from natural rain forest and sounds of the river hidden within. One of our first projects will be to build a natural swimming hole in the river and a path that leads us to and from the jungle.
Thats all for now, I'll have Heather post about our kite boarding lessons in the next post. I think we have found a new sport that can be our Costa Rica replacement for snowboarding...
"Okay!"
We lucked out a lot on this trip, scoring an extra day in paradise on Continental Airlines dime. Not to mention the $350 credit we each received. The Piña Colada's could have been better, but drinking them in the swim up bar of the Hotel Resort we were staying in that night made them go down smooth and quick.
The rest of the week was not as plush. We started off our trip by spending a night in Liberia, the 2nd hottest city in Costa Rica. La Cruz is the only city that is hotter. We didn't spend any time in La Cruz, instead spending nights 6 and 7 about three hundred feet from the beach and scoring a room that should have sold out months in advance. Luck was definitely on our side. After our taxi driver dropped us off at a deserted beach, we quickly did the only thing we could think of and went skinny dipping in the pacific. While getting dressed I was stung by a large cow wasp, my finger swelled up a bit, and the rest of my arm tingled, but I survived.
Between Liberia and La Cruz, we spent three nights near our land in Cabanga. The point of this trip was to pick out our specific land, our home site, and see if we couldn't come up with a design for our future house. The trip was a total success and we found a ridge top location with views of Guatuso as well as the town of Rio Celeste. The home site has 270 degree panoramic views of the Caribbean plains below, witch bring a consistent 5 - 7 mph breeze up the hill side whenever the sun is shining. At nights, the temperature drops to pants and long sleeve shirt weather. This is something similar to what you would find on a clear late summer night in Utah, which is just cold enough to bundle up, but not cold enough to roll up the windows or put the top of the jeep on. The nearest paved road is about fifteen miles away. Paradise found.
Over drinks in Tilaran we came up with our floor plan for our new place. The ground level will have a living room that doubles as a dining room. Take two steps up and you will find our kitchen and bar. To the right of the kitchen will be our Art and Music room. Behind the kitchen will be our mud room, storage space and a small bathroom. The 2nd floor will be our private living space which includes a large master bedroom and master bathroom with 360 degree panoramic views. The top floor will be oriented 90 degrees off center from the bottom floor. The extra roof space will become two outdoor patios. With temperature's year round in the mid 70's to low 80's, we will be spending a lot of time outside. We will have a screened-in porch downstairs that will facilitate room for a few hammocks, a pair of rocking chairs and a small table to hold our drinks. Out back from the mud room will reside our garden and various fruit trees will be planted all around the house. There is already a large mango tree and a few papaya trees just steps from our future front door.
Down the hill and toward the river will be Heather's yoga and belly dance studio. This will be the first building to be built and will double as a guest cabana once our main house is built. Until that time, this will be the place we will call home. A small bathroom, kitchenette and open air deck will be the only features besides a large space for dancing and yoga. Imagine a studio apartment floating in the air just feet from natural rain forest and sounds of the river hidden within. One of our first projects will be to build a natural swimming hole in the river and a path that leads us to and from the jungle.
Thats all for now, I'll have Heather post about our kite boarding lessons in the next post. I think we have found a new sport that can be our Costa Rica replacement for snowboarding...
Monday, February 4, 2008
A snowboarding & Costa Rica update!
Sorry for the lack of posts this week, mother nature dropped over 100" of powder since our last update and we have been spending every free minute trying to play in it.
Today was the ultimate powder day. 38" of snow has fallen in the last 48hrs. Yesterday, due to high winds, the Great Western lift was closed. After a few quick runs off Milly's, Heather and I made our way to the Great Western to find the really deep stuff, and we did.
Heather did her first real black diamond run today. By the end of the day she had at least a dozen black diamond runs under her belt.
A quick Costa Rica update, we are headed down from Feb 11th to 18th to pick out our land! YAYAY!
Today was the ultimate powder day. 38" of snow has fallen in the last 48hrs. Yesterday, due to high winds, the Great Western lift was closed. After a few quick runs off Milly's, Heather and I made our way to the Great Western to find the really deep stuff, and we did.
Heather did her first real black diamond run today. By the end of the day she had at least a dozen black diamond runs under her belt.
A quick Costa Rica update, we are headed down from Feb 11th to 18th to pick out our land! YAYAY!
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