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.

Manhattan - Back Again

Politics Takes its Toll

Due to politics, my boss got kicked out of our building in Long Island City.  He moved to one of our buildings on 52nd and Broadway and asked that I go with him.  I managed to negotiate keeping my office in Long Island City and getting another by him.  I will go to LIC in the mornings, workout in the gym there at lunch, eat in the cafeteria and then take the train to Manhattan.  My new office looks out onto Broadway.

It's weird, I am back in the building that was in when I first joined the company in 95.  Strangest of all, I am now in the same building as the ball and chain.  She is on a higher floor, of course.  Double trouble!

Costa Rica - Fancy

San Jose's Beverly Hills
Escazu is in the southwest corner of San Jose.  It's the fanciest neighborhood I've seen so far - lots of Argentinian steak houses, manicured lawns, skinny babes in yoga outfits and shiny new malls.  I visited one so new that not all the stores had opened yet.

Costa Rica - Eruptions

Thar She Blows
Turrialba is her name, she's about 40 miles east of San Jose.  Not a full eruption, but enough to close the airport for a few days and annoy the hell out of everyone with a constant coating of ash.  You feel it on all surfaces.  As soon as you clean it off, it's back an hour later.  Keeps the outdoor cafe people pretty busy wiping down tables.

Costa Rica - Back Again

Two Weeks of Work, Some Golf Thrown In
Flew down Saturday night and woke up early Sunday to play a round of golf.  The course is an Audubon-certified wildlife sanctuary, for what that's worth.  I saw a wide variety of birds, many floating around on top of the hundreds of small lakes dotting the property.

Costa Rica - Memories of the Shroom

Gonna Miss It

Andre has the shroom on the market - for $300k.  If he can sell it he plans to move to the south of France - since "they take better care of the elderly there."  He said he hasn't gotten one bite in a year and even if he can sell it for the list price, he would lose money on the deal. Seems like it's over-priced by half but what do I know.  One thing is for sure - it will require a unique buyer - one who is willing to buy a hand-made house.

Costa Rica - Escalando una Catarata

A New Experience
Directly behind the crowded neon streets of Jaco, wedged between sharp mountain, lay the rice fields of Herradura, They sparkle and sway in the sunlight like a jade carpet.  We drove through them on a muddy clay road, the original road to San Jose prior to the highway, with our guide Josue.  We were headed up to the mountain peaks.

Costa Rica - Manuel Antonio

Hiking and Beaches all in One

Manuel Antonio national park is a two hour drive away and promised hiking, animals and beaches.  We hopped in our car after breakfast and headed along the coast on a two lane highway.  The sixty miles took twice as long as the hour they should've, mostly due to trucks struggling on the uphills.

Costa Rica - Local Flavors

Street Side Refreshments

A mile down the road from Andre's, where the dirt road becomes tarmac, we tried a local delicacy - un granizado.  It's a cup half-filled with milk powder, topped with shaved ice and a gooey flavor of your choice.  I picked root beer though I didn't know that until I tasted it.  You let it slowly melt and mix together.  They give you a spoon and a straw so you can attack from above and below.  Very sweet!

Costa Rica - Breakfast

At the Top of the Shroom
Our host Andre is French.  He spent 25 years in Africa as a hotelier then left 20 years ago to resettle in Costa Rica.  He built the mushroom ten years ago.  He is retired now and only started renting out the middle of the shroom  8 months ago.  He was surprised by the success of it.  He is booked 20 days out of the month during the low season and during winter he is fully booked from Dec to Feb.  He donned his chef whites to make our breakfast, as any self-respecting Frenchie would.

Costa Rica - Out of the City

First, A Brief Conference Call
On Thursday night I switched to the fancy hotel by the airport so I could pick up the Dough that night.  Her flight was three hours late due to bad weather in Newark.  By the time she got in it was close to midnight so we crashed.  Next morning, I didn't go to the office - the benefits of technology - we "worked" by the pool...

Costa Rica - The Quirks

Strikes, Daylight Savings, Traffic

I'm back in Costa Rica, my mind churning as it usually does, wondering "why don't I like this place?"  It's a mild dislike, similar to what I feel for tequila.  Costa Rica is a quirky place.  It seems better on paper - no army, democratically elected government, diverse geography, two oceans, mountains, etc.  When I got here the taxis drivers were striking against Uber, driving slowly and blocking traffic.  The violence of the response seemed to be out of proportion - police in riot gear cracking heads, making arrests.  Then again, after driving around San Jose for a few days I began to understand.