Costa Rica - Ghost Town

Didn't I Just Leave?
Back for work for ten days, not exactly happy about it.  Doesn't help that everyone is gone - probably to the beach for the holidays.  The streets in my neighborhood, Barrio Escalante, are completely empty.  All the stores and restaurants are closed.  My favorite cafe is hermetically sealed - the elves are taking advantage.  I drive into the heart of downtown hoping for a breakfast in the central market.  If there is a sadder downtown in the world, I've not seen it.  It's a weather beaten cinder block gulag that even the devil himself has abandoned.  On every corner a clutch of equally weather beaten humans eye me hungrily as I pass.  Central market - closed.  I am starving by this point.

Adirondacks - Snowbound

Skiing for Dummies

Black ice stretched our Syracuse to Speculator drive from two hours to four.  As we crawled along behind a trail of cars we saw an overturned cable van and a truck that was wedged into a wall of trees.  We were lucky to have escaped - it was slow going and almost dark by the time we arrived.  We were there to ski (men) and snowboard (women) and we awoke early the next morning, bought ski pants and headed over to Oak mountain for our "intro to" classes.

Syracuse - XMas

All the Fixings
The Chans got the full Christmas treatment.  Tree trimming, light hanging, present wrapping, stocking stuffing, egg nog drinking, fire in the fireplace starting and a lot more....

Brooklyn - Family Visit

Surrounded by Chans

Two of Jean's cousins arrived for the holidays.  They are the kids of Jean's mom's sister: Sijia and Yiquan.  Sijia is a big traveler and had been to NY before.  Her brother had never been out of Asia and was most worried about the cold.  My landlady, who is in Florida for the winter, offered them her apartment.  We hit the ground running - a fancy lunch at Bouley where none of us took pictures, to my surprise.  Then a basketball game - Brooklyn Nets vs. the Golden State Warriors.

Manhattan - Culture

Nutcracker

Sal bought us tickets to the Nutcracker in Lincoln Center.  We gladly left work on a frigid Thursday night at 6pm sharp, hopped on the 1 train for three stops and stepped into the Koch theater on Columbus and W. 62nd.  The theater is grandly built - a jewel in a jewel box with a large marble anteroom and suspended walkways leading to the theater's inner tiers.

Costa Rica - Food

Good, As Usual

My Tico colleagues (Tico is the word for a Costa Rican person) are constantly surprised that I eat like a local.  I'm not sure why, the food here is tasty.  Rice, beans, veggies and a meat, usually pork.  What's not to like?  Even at work, the standard is high.  This is from our cafeteria - so nice to get a solid lunch with real plates and silverware.

Costa Rica - Hiking

Tapanti National Park
Tapanti, a few kilometers from where I was staying, is recommended for those looking to escape the crowds.  It's no surprise, given the roads that lead to the entrance.  Broken black-top gave way to gravel and bridges barely wider than my car.

Costa Rica - Coffee

Growers, Not Roasters
I was out early to drive to the nearby coffee plantations.  The views were stunning.  Folks from Cartago are very proud of their home province and I can see why.  Of course, the flip side is the amount of rain needed to create this greenery.

Costa Rica - God Bless the Sun

I Agree with the Incas
When I opened my eyes at 5:45am, it was already light out.  The sun was pouring in and the curtains were dancing in the breeze.  The birdsong was deafening.  I'd awoken from a bad dream.  I popped out the bedroom door and got my first look at paradise.

Costa Rica - Out to the Mountains

Coffee Growing Country
In the mountains southeast of San Jose the coffee farms dominate.  I booked a room through AirBnb in a small town called Rio Macho, on the edge of Tapanti National Park.  I was interested to learn more about coffee other than how I like it served.  On Friday afternoon I told my Costa Rican colleagues my plans and they all looked at each other quietly, as if to decide which of them would deliver the bad news.  "It's only 38 kilometers away" I said.  Carlos, the boss of our operation in Costa Rica, responded "on a Friday night in San Jose, 38  kilometers may as well be three-hundred and eighty!"  Friday is pay day here and the locals cash their checks and party, clogging the roads in every direction.

Brooklyn - Foreign Languages

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
It's a hobby, my language study.  Earlier in the year I was studying French, Spanish and Japanese at the same time but have taken a break from French.  It was too much.  I have a tutor for both Japanese and Spanish.  I meet them once a week (virtually and otherwise.)  Each country gives a series of tests you can take to prove your proficiency.  Spain has 6 levels and I am studying for level 3.  Japan has 5 levels and I am studying for the first level.  Strangely, Japan is the only country that doesn't test your ability to speak.