What are we doing in Costa Rica?

Fun sighting at the playground today! These purple grasshoppers have vermilion wings! I could have kicked myself for not having my camera. You’ll have to settle for this one:

Follow it up with homemade ice cream from the lecheria and you have yourself one heck of an outing.

Poison dart frog, seen hopping through the jungle this morning.

Today was a good day. We hitched a ride into town with our hostess Pamela and bought produce and a chicken at the farmer’s market, then visited the grocery store. Being able to purchase more than just a bike basket’s worth of groceries was very liberating. We must guard against getting too pampered. Later, Zach took Dean into town on my bike and its chain broke once and for all, but he was able to trade it out for a fresh one that appears to be in better shape (and it’s still pink!). Graham still says he doesn’t like Costa Rica, but he was in a good mood almost all day, and that made things much easier.

Dean is getting really communicative. He has added two words to his vocabulary since we got here (ball and Dada), and he points things out to me all day long, providing commentary that is both witty and insightful. He is managing to perform all sorts of daredevil stunts in our jungle home, and he cracks himself up on a regular basis. Our boys are such charming little people.

Both boys (and their parents) got a couple of real thrills today. We had two visitors from nature make their way into the house today. First, I found this little fella under our draining rack!

What lures a crab into a jungle house?! I should mention that we are across a street and through about 5 minutes of jungle roads from the beach — very mysterious! However, finding a crab in the sink was about the most exciting thing Graham has ever experienced. We trapped him in our bug jar and set him free in the jungle. It was awesome.

And if that wasn’t thrilling enough, this evening we found the biggest frog/toad I’ve ever seen under a stool in our living room! He hopped into our bedroom, where he was kind enough to stand still (aka, be terrified into immobility) for some photos. It took some doing to get him out, but I finally managed to coax him with our dustpan. Off he hopped into the safety of the foliage. The mystery here is how he got in in the first place…

Thus concludes another day at Casa Jungla Thomas. I leave you with a little slideshow. Hasta pronto!

We owe you some photos! Here is the view walking up to our house. When I saw a similar photo before we came here, I assumed this is the short side of the house. Noooooo, this is the long side.

And here’s a view of the front, through the jungle flora.

Here’s my “office” upstairs. Watch out for low-flying jungle birds!

We did find bikes. Here’s Graham modeling the one equipped with a special seat for him.

Until yesterday, that is. I went out by myself to meet the director of Birth Without Boundaries at her home in Cocles (more on that later). It’s about a 30-minute bike ride, which is pretty easy going aside from the insane potholes. One can bike over some pretty darn deep craters and large rocks without unseating oneself, thank goodness.

On the way home, my bike’s chain popped off the gears. I pulled it over to the side of the road and started trying to slip it back on. That’s when Roberto arrived on the scene!

Ticos are a friendly and helpful people, and I suppose I pretty much screamed “gringa in distress.” He immediately took charge of the repair, and I got to have my first full conversation in my (pathetic) Spanish. He succeeded in fixing the bike and then invited me to go to the discotech with him. I told him I was married with two children. He reacted with surprise… and then I think he might have suggested that I could still go out with him despite being married… I decided not to try and understand that part.

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The jungle has its ups and downs. I continue to feel like a wilty flower from 11-3 every day. Texas has nothing on this place for humidity. The first thing Graham said this morning was, “I don’t want to stay here!!!!” Dean is somewhat easier to please, but he’s also having a lot of meltdowns. I am covered in bug bites and have been warned to treat even a paper cut with neosporin, etc., so that we don’t get flesh eating bacterial infections, YIKES.

On the other hand, it’s beautiful. The flora is incredible. It feels like plants rule this place and we just try to stay out of their way. There are tons of hummingbirds and butterflies and other pretty creatures. And every day we’re seeing or doing something new. Today is Zach’s 33rd birthday; we shall celebrate with going out for homemade ice cream, dinner at the Loco Natural Restaurant, and perhaps some family bike riding.

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One more note:  This morning I had my first encounter with a scary jungle creature. I unknowingly squished a scorpion under my cutting board when I was making breakfast. EW.

Today is our first full day in our jungle home. As I write this, day is slipping into dusk. It’s amazing how much you can feel and hear the cycle of the day. The temperature, humidity, the movement of the air, and the animal songs all change according to the hour. At dawn the air is cooler and drier. By 10:30, your shirt starts to stick to your skin. Right now the dimming light and the breeze make for a kind of dreamy tranquility.

Today was a work day, so I set myself up in my office on the second floor. I have a floor under my feet and a roof over my head, but otherwise I am outside. Pretty different, and pretty cool. I even got some things done. I had a phone conference with my project manager in Austin and my client in Atlanta. Except that Skype disconnected me twice while I was on the call, you wouldn’t have known I was in the jungle.

Speaking of Skype, our fancy phone did not survive the trip to San José. I have no idea why, but the base station just refuses to get online. It worked perfectly back home. This is a huge drag because it means we can’t receive calls unless one of us is sitting in front of the computer, logged in to Skype. The damn thing wasn’t cheap either.

Let me tell you a little about our house. This is just like camping, but with flush toilets and high speed internet. On each of two floors we have a bathroom and a bedroom that can be considered indoors. Each floor also has a covered porch that triples as living room, dining room, and kitchen. The house was beautifully built by our host, with rich local hardwoods and painted tile throughout.

We are happy, but we still need to get into a routine. The morning is easy: wake up to the birds, then make coffee! After that it gets tricky. What we decide to do invariably depends on which of our children is crying and how much. They get tired and then all bets are off. I intended to go into town today and rent a bicycle, but Graham needed some time away from Dean, so he and Elizabeth went upstairs, and Dean and I toddled around down here.

Tomorrow: bicycle or bust!

We’re here in our jungle home! But first, here are a few pictures from our Saturday at the Hotel Bougainvillea. Highlights of the day were a family adventure around the grounds, including a leisurely jaunt in the hotel’s very own maze(!), and a bug hunt in the hotel room with Graham (pictures are dark because Dean was asleep).

On Sunday morning, we took a 3 1/2 hour van ride to the eastern coast — our home for the summer. It was a little sad to leave behind the perfect weather of San Jose (75 and sunny, with an afternoon shower each day) for the hotter, intensely humid Puerto Viejo. The roads were surprisingly good almost the entire way. Except for the occasional (but impressive) pothole, it was a smooth ride until we got to the last 10 km or so, which is unpaved.

Upon our arrival I felt about 60% excited and 40% freaked out. It was so wet and sticky yesterday afternoon I felt like I was one of Tennessee Williams’ more tawdry characters, but when a brief thunderstorm finally brought some relief. The house is completely open, so we are truly living outdoors — there aren’t even screens on the windows. A series of things that I knew intellectually (the bugs, the no a/c, the two-burner stove and no oven, etc) hit me all at once, and I imagine there will be some adjustments for all of us. I was so focused on the transition for Graham that I forgot I, too, was having an adventure! I’m now only about 10% freaked, so progress has been made.

Back to yesterday. We settled in, explored the property a little, and then Zach walked to town while I unpacked us. There’s a small supermarket here that carries all the basics (including diapers, making the insane amount that I packed seem a little silly). After a late lunch, we walked to Playa Negra for some late afternoon sand castle building. The beach is beautiful. The black sand is super fine and soft. Graham dipped his toes in the ocean, but Zach and I each had a quick swim. Dean fell asleep on the way, so he just snoozed through the whole thing. I think he’ll really like it when he’s conscious.

After the beach we all walked to the supermarket. As I said, it’s small — I can only imagine how lavish our local HEB will seem at the end of the summer. Zach says the Ticos don’t understand the power of passionate shopping (that’s the slogan of the San Marcos outlet malls, not just something scary he came up with). I say Bueno! The walk home with a couple of heavy bags and heavy children felt long, but we managed it ok. We will be looking into bicycles very soon.

Last night we all slept in the downstairs bedroom, which I think will be the norm while we’re here. It’s very dark, and the jungle is musical all night long. The sun came up starting around 5, I think (no clock), at which time the bug song gives way to birds.

One more note on jungle living: the bugs are a huge fact of life. The walls here are nominal, and the ants come marching in for even the smallest crumb. I sweep a lot. There are myriad other bugs, too, including the biggest grasshopper I’ve ever seen and other mysterious creatures. No monkey or sloth sightings yet!

I’m blogging this on our teeny tiny computer, so I’ll have to upload pictures to Picasa later. Hasta pronto!