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Parismina Advice

Jackie wrote asking advice for her upcoming trip to Parismina:

Hi Sara,

How are you? I have been reading your CR blog the past few days and I just wanted to let you know its great. I lived In Quepos, CR for several months and loved it. I traveled all over CR and I am planning on returning soon. I have emailed Vicky about volunteering in Parismina for a few nights. I am very eager to see the turtles and do what I can.

I was reading your blog about . . . → Read More About Parismina Advice

“Obras, No Palabras.”

"Works, Not Words." On the last jungle weekend of Camp Jungle2Jersey, the boys and I visited Barry and Nanci at The Bridge located a hair to the north of Puerto Viejo. I will try to write about The Bridge and our day there without using the words incredible, amazing, inspiring, beautiful, moving, overwhelming, unbelievable, but it will be awesomely difficult to do. Interject these words at will while reading… it won’t be too much.

I’d heard of The Bridge from other blogs. And Barry, co-founder along with wife Nanci, is . . . → Read More About “Obras, No Palabras.”

Puerto Viejo & Points South

This trail picks up at Limón, just after the ferry ride from Parismina. From that small port (and I couldn’t find this place on a map if my life depended on it), we took a local bus into Limón. Which was not that easy to catch… At most bus stops, like 90% of them, there isn’t a sign announcing a parada de bus [bus stop]. You learn to spot them from the clues. The biggest clue being a bunch of people standing in a pack staring down the road.

There were no other people standing anywhere around . . . → Read More About Puerto Viejo & Points South

Thievery From Every Perspective

July has been quite the month for lessons on crime.

On Day One of Camp J2J, we were stolen from. At our first cabina in Puerto Viejo, I was accused of stealing, lying and poor parenting. When I got home, I discovered we’d had an attempted break-in at our house. Thievery from every perspective.

On being accused: I chose our first cabina in Puerto Viejo because they offered wireless internet. I like my internet. Being able to blog about what’s happening while it’s fresh is the best.

We arrived in PV 6pm Wednesday, planning to be there . . . → Read More About Thievery From Every Perspective

Hot Like In Hell

Our little Royal Family was not happy in Parismina and we left as soon as humanly possible. The day after our forced march, we were so exhausted that doing a patrol that night was out of the question. And this first day, our only full day there, we were stolen from left and right. Very discouraging.

But the straw that broke the camel’s back and drove us from Parismina was the heat.

I’m a Straw-That-Broke-The-Camel’s-Back kind of gal. There may be loads of reasons to do or not do something, but there is always that One Determining Factor: . . . → Read More About Hot Like In Hell

Stealing For Sport

Hal spent a year in Germany in his youth. During that year, he traveled all over Europe. He said in every country but France, you could hold out your hand with money in it to pay for something and get back the right change. They’d count it out so you’d know.

Do NOT do that in Costa Rica. At least not in heavily touristed areas, like along either coast. You will NOT get back correct change. For the first time in Costa Rica, we had money flat out stolen from us, starting with that cab driver. Over and . . . → Read More About Stealing For Sport

A Good Walk Completely And Utterly Spoiled

The Parismina posts are a tad humiliating to write because the complete and utter depth of my APness is painfully obvious. AP is JAP without the Jewish. Being a materialistic pampered little thing is certainly not reserved for a people. I can tell any lawyer joke without batting an eye. But in the pre-PC-JAP-joke days, I always had a hard time laughing because I could empathize. What’s so funny about making reservations for dinner? I so understand Janice. We must be twins separated at birth. Who in their right mind would touch something icky? And if there’s . . . → Read More About A Good Walk Completely And Utterly Spoiled

Conquering the Mighty Pacuare

The Fearless Four along with Hal the Driver are on the way to doing just this when our car breaks down. Two days before, Hal had picked it up from the shop where it’d been for a week. Driving these roads does a pretty thorough wear and tear job on your suspension… Since we’d had no major work done in over a year, we figured it was time. Well, apparently, they missed something.

We were an hour or so outside Cartago, two hours from home and twenty minutes from the rafting company . . . → Read More About Conquering the Mighty Pacuare

A Few Stolen Moments

It is Sunday afternoon and the boys are finally having their surfing lesson! We’ve been thwarted every single time: stranded the first time and unable to make our date, waves too big the next time, waves too small the next time, then we thought we were leaving and decided not to try again. Then we didn’t leave and, this morning, we ran into Topo at breakfast and everything fell into place for this afternoon 2:45. They just left.

Mo is gung-ho on surfing (he’s done it before), Jacob seems interested and a tad excited, having caught some of . . . → Read More About A Few Stolen Moments

A Month On The Caribbean Side

David is a regular Costa Rica Living Group contributor. He and his wife, Charlotte, recently spent a month on the wild side. Yesterday, he wrote to the group about it. Since my family has not been, I was captivated by his story. Can’t wait to go – as soon as the play is over…. After you read this, you will want to come too…

Charlotte and I went to the Caribbean coast and spent a month in Puerto Viejo, and this is my trip report. First a bit of background for those of you who do not . . . → Read More About A Month On The Caribbean Side

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