Hail, Earthquakes and the Music from the Carpio Barrio

Giant, golf ball sized chunks of hail rained from the sky at the end of our school day yesterday.   Most residents here say they haven't seen such a thing in 10 years!  Global warming or the precursor to the ten plagues...You pick.

The weather has been hot and humid, with downpours in the late afternoon, but most startling are the little tremors that we have become more accustomed to.  The other night, we woke to a 5.0 on the Richter.  (Well, Steve woke, and hence WE woke.)

Steve ran in the Cerros de Escazu, a 10K race almost entirely uphill!  (Well, eventually he had to come down!)  He took 3rd place in his age range---his first time placing in a major race.  Way to go, Steve!

I had the eye-opening experience of visiting the poorest area of San Jose, the Carpio District, only 20 minutes from wealthy Escazu.  Most of the tiny, one-room homes are built from cement with corrugated tin walls and roofs; so far from our fancy high rises just a few miles away.

Some of the luckier kids here are part of an amazing music program, where kids with little opportunity are given instruments and music lessons.  The 19 year old head of the program is a genius both musically, and for his ability to teach these smiling kids.  Our synagogue choir has been practicing for our May 10th performance with their orchestra.

We said farewell to our wonderful rabbis, Daniela and Rami before they leave for their new posts in Lancaster, PA (They aren't actually leaving yet.)  When they do, we sure will miss their kindness, humor, honesty, and our language exchange class that we have with them each week.

No matter the hail,humidity, earthquakes and torrential rain, you still can't beat the sunsets from our condominium's  parking lot!

Beaches of Northern Guanacaste: Playa Coco, Ocotal, Hermosa, Flamingo

On our first night, Grandma Evey was stung by a giant centipede in her bathroom.  Those things can sting! How does one soothe a centipede bite?  The answer; soak your foot in hot water, (according to Mr. Wikipedia and Chief Researcher, Benji Blatt.)  It seemed to work.

The next night, Steve had to kill a four-inch scorpion in our bathroom.  We wore shoes after that.

The next morning there was a snake in the pool and a dead dove on our patio.

 

But really, how can you go wrong when howler monkeys hang out in the trees and we spend our days hopping back and forth between the condo pool and the beach, just a block away.

At Playas del Coco, Grandma Evey and Papu dug their toes into the sand and waded in the water while we Blatts couldn’t get enough of the cool sea water;  too placid for boogie boarding, but perfect for swimming… 

 

Playa Ocotal, just a 15 minute drive south of Coco had some pretty snorkeling and clear waters.

We took a 50 minute side trip from Playas del Coco along a bumpy road to beautiful Playa Flamingo.  Blessed with bright blue waters and ample boogie boarding opportunities, this long stretch of white sand beach was packed with tourists over the Semana Santa week.   We loved romping in the waves and trying to duck under the giant crashers.

Playa Hermosa was a pretty, brown sand beach, and we enjoyed some calm boogie boarding, there.  Our last evening, after a lovely Playa Hermosa sunset,  we were lucky to find the terrific restaurant at that town’s hilltop Hotel de la Finestre:  Happy Hour from 4-7 with a $7 whole, red snapper with salad and 4 buck drinks.  Fantastic!   Hermosa, by the way, lives up to its name:  Beautiful!

Papu Iguana

No such thing as a free lunch?  There is if you go to a canceled time-share presentation!

Rincon de la Vieja National Park

Boiling mud pots, mini volcanoes, waterfalls and hot, hot, dry weather; that’s what you get at Rincon de la Vieja.   We spent a few hours hiking the rooted and rocky trail here and saw some interesting volcanic activity, but it ain’t no Yellowstone!

We did see some white faced capuchin monkeys here, hanging out in a troupe and jeering at the visitors.

Many folks come here for the zip lining, horseback riding, tubing down the river, hiking to the refreshing waterfall; but we just enjoyed the arid, natural beauty.  

It was a bit of a schlep, and we were smart to bring a lot of food and drink into the park.  Entrance fee:  $2 for residents, $15 for non-residents.

Llanos del Cortez Waterfall near Liberia

Hooray!  Grandma Evey and Papu Al are here visiting!   We all met up in Guanacaste near Playas del Coco to swim, boogie board, and enjoy our week off of school for Semana Santa.

We headed to the waterfall about an hour  inland from the beach.  It was a very short walk down a rocky trail, and we were quickly rewarded by the crisp, cool, shallow-waters of the cascade.

We played on the rocks, under the showering veil, and even explored the mossy overhang behind the curtain.   Que rico el agua!