First two days of the grand Costa Rica adventure:

Flights were uneventful and getting through customs, etc. was a snap. Edmund (B&B owner) picked me up at the airport, then we had a three hour drive to the B&B. Conversation was easy. We stopped at a grocery to pick up some things, so I got to experience that.

Arrived at B&B and I’ve been in full on learning mode ever since. In the first two days I learned: the lay of the land, the process for preparing for guests (no one booked as of now and the rainy season is very slow and just getting started), went to “coffee college” and learned the commercial grade coffee/espresso machine and how to make espresso, cappuccino, lattes, mochaccinos, Italian sodas and smoothies, had a baking lesson and learned to make the famous Rhodeside Cinnamon Buns, went to “pool school” and got the lowdown on pool maintenance and cleaning. I fed and watered the chickens, picked eggs, walked the property to learn where all the fruit trees are and the personality of each (ie-this banana tree produces large bananas that have a strong banana flavor but aren’t sweet – good for baking.) Met a handful of Americans – Butterfly Mike (a Harvard trained bug guy who traded in his extermination business in The Hamptons for a butterfly farm in CR) and his beautiful seven-year-old daughter Michelle, a vacationing family of three who came for a horseback ride and smoothies, and Tim, an electrician who was in the area to pick up his girlfriend, who lives at the top of our mountain.

In just two days, I sweated more than I imagined possible, skinny-dipped in the pool (as is recommended every night before bed so that you might cool down enough to sleep), killed more ants than I have in the entire previous portion of my life, wondered what the hell I had done moving here, was grateful and excited I had moved here, removed gecko eggs from my bed, brushed spiders off of me as I drifted to sleep, saw the biggest toad that ever lived, made peace with having a critter and bug-filled life, and slept like a baby every night. And I earned the nickname from my husband, Dave – Jungle Pioneer Woman. I’ll take it!

Day 3: Monday

Today I met the first neighbor, Bill. He’s an old surfer with thin tanned arms and legs,  long gray-blond hair and the most piercing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Although you’ve really got to pay attention to get a glimpse of them, as Bill’s not big on eye contact. Mostly he scans the ground as you chat – about the land, the horses, the “bullshit government” or what a hoax global warming is. When I greeted Bill I said, “Nice to meet you Bill.” He said, “OK”. Gwen scoffed, “Bill, come on, that’s not nice.” Bill replied, “Well, I’d don’t know yet if it’s nice to meet her.” That’s Bill.

Jonathan the gardener was here today – he comes two days a week to keep the place looking nice. He showed up in a downpour, on a dirt bike. Hopped off, completely unfazed. After a few instructions from Edmund, “Mundo”, he got to work. The pace is slower here, compared to the US, and it takes some getting used to. But when you are here for a few days and experience the lethargy that comes from the heat and humidity, you begin to understand why no one is in a hurry. Plus, it’s just the culture here – which is refreshing.

Finally got to hear and see the famous howler monkeys. HOLY MOLEY!!! Have you experienced this sound? If not, you must. But be prepared – it is LOUD!!! They are awesome and when you see one you’re shocked to find that sound is coming from such a small creature. No more than 2 feet tall, they are the loudest monkeys in the world.

Day 4: Tuesday

Got up and got moving for a 4 hour trip into the city. I learned that San Jose is the only “city” in the country, so it literally was a trip into THE city. Everything else is a town or a village, pueblo. I did not do the driving, thankfully. To get from the B&B to the nearest town means traversing the most winding, bumpy roads I’ve ever experienced. And you go up and over two different mountains, so there is a lot of up and down. In a manual transmission, this is pretty exciting. An hour into the trip and we made it to pavement. Hooray! Another 3.5 hours of travel through small towns, on roads that are often single lane, passing big trucks which would cause even the most unreligious to offer up a silent prayer. Everyone seems to own a restaurant, a hotel, a grocery or a fruit stand. In rural areas, there are not a lot of other options for income. It seems to be less about “What do I want to be when I grow up?” and more about, “What is needed and can I learn to do it?”

We made it into San Jose, got checked into our hotel (where we were totally spoiled with cold air-conditioning) and headed into town for some lunch at wonderful restaurant – Jalapeños, run by a wonderfully sweet American guy, Norm. Loved it there. I had one of the best burritos I’ve ever had and their guacamole was perfect. Next, we drove up north a ways to Doka Estate coffee plantation where the coffee we use in the B&B and cafe comes from. It was special to be able to see the coffee growing, smell it roasting and meet the people making it all happen. Now when I make a beautiful latte for a guest, I will think of those hill top coffee plants and all the wonderful people who have a hand in its delicious perfection.

Next up, Pricesmart. This is Costa Rica’s Costco or Sam’s Club, unfortunately minus the bedpillow-sized bags of “healthy” kettle corn I find myself addicted to. Not nearly the selection as you would find in the US and the prices ranged from a bit, to a lot, higher on everything. That’s one surprise so far – just how expensive everything is. I have always thought of Costa Rica as a place to retire on a budget. And you can do that. But luxuries like bulk Captain Crunch, mixed nuts and air conditioning are going to eat into your budget very quickly. I managed to keep my bill under 100,000…colones. 🙂 Or roughly $200. But I did have to leave the Crunch Berries behind.

Day 5: Wednesday/Day 2 in San Jose

The day started off bright and early with a drive through the city traffic. Not bad, really. I hear Austin was just crowned with the second place award for worst traffic in the US. As a result, I wasn’t fazed. A lot more moto’s (motorcycles) on the roads, and they definitely have their own set of rules they follow/make up. So one must be vigilant at all times so as not to squash one. Otherwise, uneventful driving. I do admit, I am making these claims as the passenger, so check with me again after my own first city driving experience.

First on today’s agenda was a trip to the US Embassy. A first for me. Have you ever been to one? We were there to pick up a passport for Tad, the American expat who raises pigs up the road. (When you live in a remote area, it’s expected that you will call around and see if anyone else needs you to do anything or get anything for them while you are there.) Screening to get in to the Embassy was a bit of a challenge – they insisted I had a USB drive and a fingernail clippers in my bag and I kept telling them I did not. Oops, after a bit of digging, there they were. Good thing they found them too!  Have you seen me with a fingernail clipper? I don’t want to boast, but I’m pretty vicious!

My favorite part of the Embassy experience is it’s proximity to a Jack’s factory. This is where most of the packaged cookies and treats in Costa Rica are made and the air is fragrant with sugar and artificial flavors…yum! Crunch Berries…why did I abandon you?

Next stop, Automercado. Because one can never go to too many grocery stores when on a trip to the big city. I dropped another hundred or so, but left feeling confident I would not starve any time soon. And I bought some white wine – so life was good.

Gwen had an appointment with her dermatologist (a visit that would have easily cost her 5x as much in the US). Medical tourism is a really big deal in CR. And not just the procedures to make some parts smaller and other parts bigger. Hip and knee replacements, hernia surgery, sinus surgeries – you name it, a doctor here will do it, for much less and often with much better care than in the US.

After a quick lunch, we were back on the road home to the Nicoya Peninsula. We made one stop along the way at the most picturesque mountaintop coffee shop. It was spectacular and the coffee was great.

Day 6 Thursday

Pool School testing day. Thank goodness, I passed! I can officially keep a pool full, clean and chlorinated. Woo hoo!

Next up, driving lesson! I knew how to drive a manual transmission car prior to arriving. In fact, I owned three of them in my life. I had never driven a 23-year-old four-wheel drive vehicle up steep and rugged terrain, however, so I needed to learn. Poor Edmund must have drawn the short straw and I felt like I was 16 all over again – learning to drive. Some of Edmunds lessons: Let out the clutch. LET OUT THE CLUTCH!!! You sure you are ready for 3rd? If you have to stay in 1st to get up the mountain, that’s OK. Don’t ever be in a hurry to get anywhere around here. Don’t worry about which side of the road to drive on – you need to drive where the road is in the best condition. 

He was a great teacher and I am proud to say I never stalled the car once! (That was my one secret goal.)

Several of the expat neighbors who have known Edmund and Gwen for many years threw them a going-away party at a new beach bar a friend of theirs opened called Locos Cocos. It was a great day – with a nice cool breeze coming off the ocean. It was my first walk on the beach since arriving, and I was pleasantly surprised. Mostly empty and pristine. Nothing at all like the beaches in Mexican tourist towns I had half-expected it to resemble. Quiet, clean and the sand felt great in my toes.

One thing I hadn’t anticipated was having to experience the emotion of goodbyes all over again. I did plenty of that in Austin before leaving and it was tough. Really hard, actually. I am blessed to have made some incredible friends in my two years in Austin and you just don’t realize how much people matter to you, and you to them, until you have to say goodbye.

Witnessing the goodbyes, though they weren’t my own, was emotional and I really felt for Edmund who had come here 15 years ago and built his home from the ground up, with the help of friends. To leave that behind must have been so hard. For Gwen too. This is the home Edmund built for her, filled with memories and love. But when you’re ready, you’re ready.

Day 7 – Friday.

I got to meet the cleaning girls and they worked all day doing a deep clean on the property. Gwen and I both had spent all week sweeping, washing dishes and laundry and keeping counters clean. But when you live in the jungle, it’s a constant battle keeping up with the maintenance, keeping things tidy and keeping the wildlife at bay.

Edmund went out for a final horse ride in the morning with a few local men who had become his best friends over the years, almost like brothers. They were gone all day. And when he returned, he had some tough news – he sold the horses. Even though she knew it was going to happen, Gwen was overcome with emotion and she, Edmund and their horse coach, Mel, who bought the horses, all went out to the pasture to say their goodbyes. Gwen brought her baby, Lucky, a special treat of watermelon and all three came back with tear-streaked faces. Even when it’s the best outcome possible, saying goodbye to someone or something you love is never easy.

Once the tears had dried, lucky Edmund got another opportunity to experience my driving when we took a trip to the fishing village to see if they had anything for me to buy. We made it there, no stalling. And, they had some beautiful fillets of Red Snapper that I picked up. Finally found a bargain in CR! 5,000 colones for 1 kilo (or under $10 for 2.2 pounds). For a fish that had been alive that morning – pretty awesome! The fishing village is an interesting place. I will be investigating further and will write more about it another time.

Since Gwen and Edmund were hitting the road bright and early the next day, I offered to take them out for a final meal, anywhere they wanted. We went back to the place we went the first night – Laguna Mar, and enjoyed a lovely meal together. Conversation was subdued, each of us with minds filled with thoughts of what the next day would hold. Edmund shared some stories of his day spent on horseback, which turned into stories of other, similar days riding with his friends. There was a light in Edmund’s eyes as he recalled these special memories. Though I imagine he had no idea at the time he was making a special memory. Isn’t that how it usually goes? It’s only looking back that we can see just how important the time was. I suppose that’s a good reminder to be in those moments fully. That way when you are reliving it some day in the future, the images will be rich and vivid, because you were truly there.

People keep asking if Costa Rica is what I expected. The answer is no. But the truth is, I had no idea what to expect. The landscape and the people are more diverse and beautiful than I could have imagined. The people, like the weather, are warm and enveloping. There is a sense of community here – out of necessity, but also out of tradition and desire. People know each other. They know a gringa is coming from Texas, weeks before she arrives. And when she gets there no one wonders who she is. They can now put a face with a name, but she is already known. I am the white girl who lives at Rhodeside – or Casa de Mundo (Edmund’s house). Hopefully I will endear myself to them, as time passes. But I already know they will look out for me and help me however they can.

This place that picked me, more than I can really say I picked it – is beautiful, rugged, and rural and will make for both a simple and complex life. Nothing in my new life even remotely resembles my old life. But that’s why I’m here. It’s what I signed up for. It will get easier. It will get more familiar. There will be good days, and there will be bad days. Good hours and bad ones. But overall, it will be an adventure and it will leave me filled with wonder and appreciation. I will miss the things and the people I know, and I will learn to love and embrace all that is unknown.

Let me know what you think of this wild adventure. It’s a little lonely here, so if you have a moment, please leave me a note. Ask a question, give me a suggestion, tell me what you want to read more about, give me your best tips for keeping chickens off the porch. I’d love to hear from you. Also, share this with your friends if you’d like – the more the merrier!