What are we doing in Costa Rica?

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!

This entry was posted on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at 11:55 am and is filed under Bird House, Culture Shock, Puerto Viejo.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.