What are we doing in Costa Rica?

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!

We just got sooo lucky. Our hosts at Loco Natural recently finished building a beautiful new house, and we got to switch our booking to it! Take a gander at the Bird House.