Learning New Foods in Costa Rica

I am having a ball discovering new foods here. There is broccoli, rice, beans, lettuce (not Iceberg) and potatoes but not much else I recognize. Luckily, many of my friends have lived here for a while, and they know what everything is. Plus my Tico friends have been helpful, too.

Fruit....Anyone know what this is?

When I first saw it I thought it was so interesting and I loved the color, but I could not imagine how you would eat it much less if it was fruit or vegetable. This is a Mamon Chino. A delicious fruit! It is very easy to peel and the reward is delicious! This fruit is very sweet. It reminds me of a sweet plum. I had seen them on the back of trucks that are parked on the street with a farmer selling his produce. I was scared to even ask. My friend, Nancy's, father taught me all about them at a party.

How about this?

No, not oranges! They are limes. When they turn orange they are ripe. They are also orange inside. The smell on the rind is amazing! Just a bowl on the table makes the whole room smell wonderful.

Now for biggest surprise of all. I actually cooked. For a girl that used her oven for a place to store paint for years this was a big step! My friend, Randy, has a man that comes to their neighborhood with shrimp and fish fresh out of the ocean. I put my order in, and I was not disappointed. These shrimp are huge. Not to mention 1 Kilo was only $30.00. That is almost 2 1/2 lbs. fresh from the ocean. I cooked a few, went outside and picked a lime from my tree to squeeze in the butter and over the shrimp. Delish!!!! You may still want to wait a while before letting me cook for you though. Learning!

There is a special advantage to living with your doors and windows open. Number one, the people of Costa Rica are the warmest most thoughtful people you will ever meet. This weekend I was in my house and heard, Julie, my neighbors housekeeper yelling my name. I walked out and she was standing there with a fresh made Cheese Empanada in her hand for me! She had just finished cooking a snack for the family. It was so tasty with a glass of the fresh squeezed orange juice I had just made!

Pura Vida!

Mopping Floors in Costa Rica

I have learned the most wonderful trick for cleaning floors of all kinds. I have used it on my tile and wood floors here in CR. It is one of the GREATEST inventions ever.

Where do you find a mop that cleans better than any store bought one you have ever purchased in your life? You make it! I cannot begin to tell you how great this mop cleans. No streaks, no cleaning out and redunking, and you already have everything to make it.

All you need is a broom shaped like most Americans use outside to sweep. You do not need the really wide size. Just find one 12-16". Wide will work if you have a large area. One cotton towel cut in half. Vinegar and water.

Cut a cotton towel in half then cut a hole in the center

Wide Broom

Put broom handle through the hole in the towel and drop in over the broom.

When you are finished slide towel off the broom and wash it with your towels!

Honestly, try it. You will not ever use another regular mop as long as you live.

Copy and paste this link to see how my homemade broom works!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI_DiCWmggg&feature=youtu.be

Pura Vida!

Trip To Jaco

It has taken me weeks to get my paintings hung in my home. The walls in the house are cement, and I could not hang them by myself. I knew once I got them hung I would finally be settled and ready to start exploring Costa Rica, so today 3 friends and I drove to Jaco for lunch and a bit of sight seeing. The drive is about 1 hr. and 10 mins. if you do not run into some big trucks hauling things. We did run into a few this morning, but the company, the sunshine and the adventure made it seem like nothing.

Jaco is a beach town on the Pacific Ocean side. The views going there are beautiful. High mountains, amazing ocean views, rivers with crocodiles, Macaws in the trees and great road side vege/fruit stands were perfect.

The town of Jaco itself is so cute with many great shops. Soon as you drive into it you feel the excitement in the air. It has a wonderful vibe. We were not there very long as our main reason for going was just to have lunch. With all the amazing things we saw along the way it was much more than just lunch.

I had my first Chiliguaro shot! It tastes like a perfect Bloody Mary. It is made with Cacique-Guaro, the national liquor of Costa Rica. We went to a darling Tiki bar on the beach to have them. The sound of the waves breaking on the sand, the great Costa Rican music playing and these three fun friends made for a great memory.

Pura Vida!

Total Eclipse of The Sun

Everyone everywhere seems to be so excited about the eclipse of the sun today. My daughter, her husband and his parents rented a Winnebago type vehicle and drove to Nashville to watch it. There will only be a partial eclipse in Costa Rica. The clouds are starting to roll in since it is the rainy season, so we will probably not be able to see any of it.

When I was in grade school at Lamar Elementary my friend, Liz Montgomery's father, smoked pieces of glass for Liz, Brenda Reeves and me to watch the eclipse. I will never forget it. It was such a big deal for three little girls to experience together. I wish I had a picture of the three of us that day. People just did not take many pictures back then. This was taken of Brenda and me at my 6th birthday party. I am on the left and Brenda is on the right.

God bless everyone today, and remember to use the correct eye protection!

Pura Vida!

Handling Mold In Costa Rica

I am not writing this to complain or boo-hoo. It is just some good information I am learning as I go into each new day.

I had a terrible cold about 4 weeks ago. I am still coughing my lungs up! Sometimes it feels like I will suffocate before I can stop. Little unknown fact to me....Did you know some people are allergic to mold? My friend, Kristi, was suggesting to me yesterday that this might be the problem. I told her it keeps forming on my leather jacket! Then there's the question, "Why did I bring a leather jacket to Costa Rica?" Learning....

This is the rainy season, and since windows and doors stay open most days because there is no air conditioning there is a lot of moisture all around. It does not feel humid. It is just that it rains almost every afternoon for a little while, so mold forms. Once December gets here and the rainy season is over this problem should go away.

Kristi told me to use vinegar and water and get after my house and anything that looks funny. Mold here is like greenish dust. I got my little bucket out this AM and poured the vinegar (had to buy it yesterday while in Escazu) and water into it, and I went after it. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the wood floor upstairs. I had seen a tiny bit of the greenish dust, but I had no idea it was mold! Hopefully, with this and the inhaler I got yesterday (mine was almost out) I will finally stop all this embarrassing coughing.

That's the other thing! I walked into the pharmacy yesterday and handed them the inhaler I had brought from the States from the last time I had bronchitis. The guy just went to the shelf and got me a new one. I paid and out the door. Again, no doctor visit to pay for and no prescription. I love it here!!!!

Moral of the story....if you are allergic to mold you will need to take some extra steps when you get here.

Pura Vida!

Finding Fun and Friends in Costa Rica

One of the things I had worried about when moving to Costa Rica was what my social life would look like. In my life I have always been blessed with many friends, and have always been socially active. That was one of the things that made my decision to move to Costa Rica a hard one. Leaving my family and friends.

Well, I have not taken many breaths since arriving here. Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. So far, in my two months in paradise I have been to 4 dinner parties, Father's Day celebration with my Tico friends and their family, dinner and a movie on Monday nights at Carol's home, several lunches, 2 trips to San Jose with friends and last night the pièce de résistance...The 50th Anniversary of The Summer of Love party.

My new friend, Carol Berman, is from San Francisco. She had been home for a visit and had seen on the news about plans for the big celebration of the anniversary. She came back to CR with the desire to throw her own party. What a blast we had getting together with a small group and planning it. Last night the party was a huge success. Everyone came dressed like they were hippies in the late '60s. We provided an accessory table out front, so if anyone needed help enhancing their costumes it was there. Since I still dress in the fashion I did not need to go shopping for a costume or jewelry. Our friend, Roland Klein, made a great music video of the bands from the day, and he also made videos with the words for a sing along! Everyone participated, and it was just the best. We ended the party with hamburgers, hotdogs and all the goodies. Lots of brownies for dessert! Not Alice B. Toklas, but yummy none the less.

Never let it be said that you will not find friends, be lonely or have nothing to do in Costa Rica. Life is what we make it, and Costa Rica is a very good place to do just that.

Pura Vida!

Learning To Drive A Costa Rican Car

I bought a car about 2 weeks ago. I picked up my friends Cathy and Roland, and I was not able to make it up the steep hill with my car. They had to get out and walk up the hill so I could get us out of there! Roland thought maybe I needed a new gas filter or possibly a new pump.

Last week I took my car to the shop of a wonderful young mechanic named Kevin. He had tested the car out for me before I bought it. I told Kevin what happened and his reply was, "Perhaps you do not know how to drive on mountain roads." Well, truer words were never spoken. Not only have I never driven on mountain roads I have not driven a standard shift with a small engine in at least 30 years, and that was on flat Texas streets. So....I made an appointment to come back to Kevin's shop today.

I arrived precisely at 9:30 for the appointment. He was still tied up under a car, so I stood outside where another American walked up to get his car. He and his wife had moved here in April from Round Rock, Texas. So much fun meeting other people that are making Costa Rica their home.

When Kevin finished with the car he came to me and said, "Let's go for a ride." We went back to the hill I could not get up, and the other American rode with us to put the extra weight in the car. Not a problem. Up the hill we went. A little slowly but up. That is when he told me he would be giving me a driving lesson. I just died laughing! Yes, it was I with the problem not the car. He talked to me about torque and where my engine should be revved to when approaching a hill. All righty then! I love "free" advise!

Another challenge and lesson learned in Costa Rica unless there is the small truck rocking along in front of you with 2 cows in the back.

Pura Vida!

A Lost Two Weeks

I am sorry I have not posted in a couple of weeks. I got my first Costa Rican cold. It was really not fun. I did get to meet the doctor that everyone uses here, and I did really like him. I have no idea what kind of anti-biotics he gave me, but I've never had one work so fast. I'm still fighting the cough, but at least I feel alive.

Things are so different here. The doctor gave me my prescriptions. I took them to the pharmacy, and they gave me packets in foil like allergy pills come in. Not a bottle of medicine like we are used to. I do not have insurance here yet, so my antibiotic, med for my lungs, and cough syrup cost me $30.00. The antibiotics in the States would have cost me more than that without insurance!

Last week I went back to the pharmacy. I have fibromyalgia and take pain medicine and muscle relaxants for it. I walked in the pharmacy and handed her my bottle of Hydrocodone that I have to go to the doctor every three months in the States to get, and then am handed 3 prescriptions where I go to the pharmacy each month to have those refilled. When the 3 months are up it's back to the doctor and another doctor's bill for something I have been taking for years. The lady in the pharmacy here told me they did not have hydro, but she could give me 500 mg. Codeine with 30 mg. acetaminophen. No prescription needed. Are you kidding me? No doctor visit to pay for and no prescription.

For the exciting news! I bought a Suzuki Ignis made for the Latin American market from the Veterinarian everyone uses here. It's little, but it gets me from point A to B. Costa Rica has a great bus system. They set the country up for bus travel. It only costs around .95 to go from Puriscal to San Jose. Very inexpensive. The bus runs by the street I live on and takes you straight into Puriscal. I am less than a mile from town, but on a two lane windy mountain road, it is not the smartest thing to walk. Well, lucky me! There are some mean dogs between me and the bus stop, so I was advised not to make the walk to the bus stop. Thus my auto purchase. I would rather not have the expense, but it became better for me. You cannot imagine how free I feel! If you move to CR my suggestion would be to live right in town, or live on a road with no mean dogs. I love where I live, but economically I would have been a little better off living in town. Not as happy, but more economically sound.

Pura Vida!