Thanksgiving at Carillo Beach/Playa Samara

Despite the jellyfish stings (ouch!) we had a gratitude-filled Thanksgiving.  After our faux-turkey (smoked chicken!) here in Escazu with some fellow teachers and their families, we ate fish every night at a hidden restaurant in Playa Samara.

The beach was gorgeous, but too placeid for boogie boarding.  Lovely for floating, though!  This time, we brought along white vinegar, Advil and Benadryl for the jellyfish stings....   Beats pee!

We enjoyed the cool, saltwater pool and yummy breakfasts at Samara Pacific Lodge (very reasonable, and a French owner, mais oui!)

For lunch each day , we made easy, portable
Tico Tacos (also known as Beach Burritos):
      Flour tortillas filled with:

• squeezie beans (Lizano brand)
• sqeezie salsa (Natura's criolo or ranchero red sauce)
• ripe avocado

We gobble-gobbled 'em up!

Guy Fawkes Comes to Costa Rica!

Who brought the marshmallows?   This last weekend we celebrated the family-friendly Guy Fawkes weekend on Jaco Beach.  The fun and games culminated with a fireworks display and a burning in effigy of the British rebel, Guy Fawkes.












In an astonishing show of over-competitiveness, the Blatt Longs swept the competitions.

Ilana won (yes, won!) the entire darts competition (which is pretty amazing considering more than one dart flew mysteriously into the bushes---but she had some kind of magnetic connection to the bullseye at other times.  Then Steve, Benji and Marina played Rounders, it's a lot like baseball, but muddier. Steve was MVP for adults as he hit two back to back bases loaded homeruns!  Benji was the kid MVP, for amazing work as the catcher opposite his dad, the pitcher.  Marina was the winning team's captain for the Rounders game. She put almost all of the grown ups and older kids on her team, including Benji and Steve. Go team Fighter Knights!

The boogie boarding on that beach was fairly good.  And the pool and general environment of Club Del Mar, with the scarlet macaws flying overhead, was lovely.  Thanks to John, the organizer and the Brits who forgave our insurrection a few years after Guy Fawkes attempted his. 

Ilana wins the Darts Championship!

Truth or Dare... Hmmm

Pristine Pines in Prusia

We hardly expected to find a pine forest, hallucinogenic mushrooms and towering eucalyptus trees just an hour away from our home in Costa Rica at Prusia National Park, part of Irazu Volcano Park.  It was hard to believe that we two families from the Pacific Northwest were not right back in the western USA!

After a bumpy drive up a potholed road, we meandered on the trails for several hours, enjoying the bird songs, picnicking on Pricemart chicken in a lovely glade, checking out the rotting, dead armadillo,  peering in the hummingbird's nest and posing with(but not eating) the gorgeous mushrooms!

At the trail head with fellow teachers, the Macombers.

Directions:  Drive toward Irazu.  After you pass Cartago, go past the onion fields and cow pastures, and turn left on the road to the old Sanitorium.  (Finca Sanatorio).  You'll drive right in to the park on that same road.

Prusia National Park is unexpectedly and pleasantly cool. Bring a jacket and rain gear (Thanks, Mom..)

Eucalyptus standing sentinel 

Eat me and die.

Alice in Wonderland's Amanita Muscaria

This hummingbird nest was so tiny and delicate: the size of my fist!

Tico Tremors and Horrors in Hacienda Del Sol

Romeo and Juliet (both long deceased)

Dead Cheerleader

Pumpkin Pi

And darkness fell across the land; the midnight hour was close at hand.  The Halloween Day began with a 4.7 magnitude earthquake, followed by a couple more shakers in the morning.  That evening we went to an epic Halloween party, replete with pounds of trick-or-treat candy, doughnuts dangling on strings, bobbing for apples, scary foods, and a costume contest in which the Blatt family put their best face forward.
Marina dazzled as a dead cheerleader.  Benji was as punny as ever as pumpkin pi.  And Ilana and Steve gave a rousing rendition of the final scene of Romeo and Juliet. Ah, our classical education pays off again.  Benji took first place for kids, Marina got honorable mention, and Ilana and Steve took 3rd place for adults, just behind Danny and Sandy (Grease) and Elvis.  You can never beat the King.

Marina and Benji's 13th Birthday!

It was birthday-o-rama around here this weekend, with one birthday bleeding into the other twin's.  After 12 hours of smeared icing, cheesy pizza, games, movies and an unfortunate bout with a shattered glass door, both kids graduated to teen-hood unscathed.

 Only 364 more days til we do it all again!

Up Close and Personal with a Sloth

The sloth had come down to the lowest branch on the tree.  When we looked up, it was right above out heads!  

We sure enjoyed relaxing, swimming, eating, and watercolor painting at Manuel Antonio with friends, human and animal.

Muddy in Monteverde

Benji and Marina explore nature as budding botanists at the Fit4Earth Science Camp in Monteverde.

Turning Cartwheels in Sarchi

How a wheel is made

We rolled into town and saddled our horses in the Sarchi town square--Taking in the  giant, painted oxcart---big enough to fit the Jolly Green Giant and be pulled by a team of behemoth oxen!   The World's Largest Oxcart (a Guiness book title that has surprisingly never been challenged) was painted at the Fabrica de Carretas Eloy Alfaro, a hundred year old warehouse where the wheels are designed and painted with the deepest care.

We marveled at the intricate work by painters and struck up a conversation with Henry, who offered to show us how the factory has worked for a hundred years.   That is when the magic began.

 

Henry told us that the wheels were not designed from a round piece of wood, but rather from 16 triangles of wood, set in a metal frame.

Each wheel is so strong that it is guaranteed for 50 years (or, as Henry joked, 100,000 miles!)

The sound the cart makes as the wheel turns on its axel is important music, says Henry, and he takes pride in knowing that the oxcart driver will hear it on each revolution.

 

But most spectacular was the power system in the plant.  One hundred years ago, a water wheel was installed which powers everything from the drills to the saws and to the air pump, which cools the forged metal.  It was wonderful to see the pride that Henry took in describing the fascinating workings of the factory.

We went to the botanical garden too, where the spiders perched right near the playground equipment.  There were some pretty flowers and dangerous swings.  But the factory was really worthwhile.  Also recommended:  Soda Rustica for lunch. 

Only about 45 minutes from San Jose, near Grecia, this place is a treat for a day trip!

Orosi Valley and Tapanti National Park

Holy hand grenades, Blattman.  This spectacular valley is just outside of Cartago--a hop, skip and a jump away from San Jose!

We drove into the sleepy, rural town of Orosi, just past Paraiso and noticed a poster on the bakery bulletin board.  We were just in time for the rodeo!  We headed back toward Ayala Campo, where the grounds host weekly events, and spent a rip-roaring couple of hours enjoying down home bronco ridin'  and horsey musical tires.  Then about a hundred or so crazy locals got into the ring with a charging live bull---yes, just for kicks (literally).  We enjoyed the whole evening until the ruthless wrastling of one unfortunate bull.  That was when we'd had enough...

Early in the morning, we headed into Parque Nacional Tapanti, where we meandered along the verdant trails that wended toward the green river.  We played all day on the rocks and jumping into tranquil pools of pristine, cool water.

Before we headed home, we checked out the Mirador.  Wow, what a view.  We loved this area, and we'll definitely be back soon!