The Cow and his gift!

I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but the cow is great at selecting gifts. This year my birthday fell during vacation. I have to admit, the vacation was plenty; however, the cow created this great map and description of the various gift certificates that he had waiting for me at home. He packed up the map/note in a nice envelope and gave it to me at dinner on my big day. It is like the gift that keeps on giving. I just made my appointment for my "Sweet Feet" treatment and in a few days will head over to the NW to do some shopping at Lucy (sportswear) and Anthropologie (girly clothes) with a cup of coffe at Peet's in between. Lastly, he has a surprise dinner location for yet another evening of enjoying my birthday and my best-friend. Thanks Mr.Cow.

Costa Rica - On the move

We were on the go in Costa Rica. On any given day you can expect an encounter with a church, a place to bed down, a roadside soda for ceviche and a beer, sometype of weather pattern (usually sunny in the morning and storms by late afternoon) along with phenomenal scenery.

We put many miles on our Terio (second from left). It was not the most comfortable machine but it survived everything the cow dished out. We traversed the country starting in Alajuela, which is a suburb of the capital - San Jose, and drove north to Fortuna where Volcan Arenal looms large above the town. After two perfect days in Fortuna we drove around Lake Arenal to the small village of Junta. This village was off the beaten tourist path and had mineral hot springs which we were able to enjoy all by ourselves. We then traveled to the Nicoya Peninsula and southwest to the beach community of Samara. Great location, small village with all the amenities and an extraordinary beach. Stayed at Villa's Kalimba across the street from the beach and enjoyed a couple of wonderful nights on the coast (amazing weather, not sweltering at all). We wanted to stay another night but the hotel was fully booked so the cow drove us north to the coastal community of Nosara (many norte's here). We stayed one night at the Lagarta Lodge which had a spectacular open air restaurant on top of a hill overlooking the ocean. We partook watching a multihued sunset and a spectacual three hour lightening storm while dining on a great meal. The next morning we were up and back in the Terio for a bumpy, stormy, rainy day with mass amounts of lightening as we drove back into the highlands of San Jose.

We ended our trip in the Orosi valley which is filled with coffee finca's. It is a great small village and a wonderful place to slow down and enjoy the sounds of parrots flying overhead. Driving back to San Jose we stopped at the Irazu volcano. You actually drive up to the crater and look into the toxic water down below. It is the highest active volcano in Costa Rica.

Home at last but still wishing I was listening to the waves crash in Samara.

Costa Rica - Eating & Drinking

Drinking and eating in Costa Rica proved very satisfying. Pictured are just a few examples of our favorite items. As you can see there was various types of liquors consumed. Imperial is the Costa Rican beer, the cow drank quite a bit and needed to pee quite often. The cow also took a liking to the Anejo Centenario Rum. I have to admit it was very smooth. I stepped out a bit and drank the nations moonshine. It is called Guaro. I drank Guaro sours, Guaro and pineapple, Guaro anything.

Tropical fruits were abundant! We had mango, starfruit, lychee (although they don't call them by that name), watermelon, papaya, bananas and my favorite the PINEAPPLE.

Ceviche, fish dishes and seafood are the main staple foods. We ate ceviche in every form and fashion. From fancy restaurant to cheap street vendors it is a food of choice. If you look closely at the pizza picture you will see shrimp, lobster and other crustaceans. This was a strange combination for us.

PATACONES reigned supreme! These are plantains mashed into a type of pancake form and then deep fried until firm and crispy. They are served with pureed black beans and guacamole. Fabulous simple food.

My 41st - Birthday Dinner

I seemed to have confused some of you with my prior e-mail regarding my birthday. I do not want, in any way, to misrepresent my age. Therefore, I need to let you know that I turned 41. Some of you thought that I was turning 40- but I made that leap last year.
My 41st birthday dinner was fabulous. The cow and I arrived at Samara, a beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula, in the afternoon. We sat at bar on the beach and had drinks. We stayed at a property called Villa Kalimba which was right across the street from the beach. The owner was Italian, Roberto, and cooked and served dinner at his outside kitchen patio a couple of times a week. We were lucky enough that he was preparing a seafood grill the night of my birthday.
We started with a lovely bottle of Pinot Grigio. The appitezers were four types of bruschetta: smoked tuna, traditional, sundried tomato and shrimp with a nice piece of grilled eggplant in the center. Secondo, was a calamari salad that was delicious, light and fresh. Primo piatti was grilled everything - one plate was all vegetables: tomato, eggplant, peppers, squash and onions, the second plate was all seafood: lobster, marlin and tuna. Everything was grilled to perfection.
Dolce was lovely. The cow was excited because Ricardo had quite the selection of grappa's. I enjoyed a wonderfully chilled glass of limoncello to go with our carrot cake.
We dined alfresco with absolutely beautiful weather.

Costa Rica - Things

1. Our new friend the gecko.

2. Alajuela Cathedral

3. Red bananas

4. Rain near El Castillo

5. Prickly tree

6. Toxic worms

7. Owl butterfly

8. Large beetle

9. Electroshock shower

10. Our mini-music player

11. Junta village store

12. Le Amistad bridge

13. Crabs

14. Game - Pachisi

15. Soccer

16. Flowers

17. Coffee and Banana plants

18. Coffee beans

19. Torrential downpour

20. Country motto: Pura Vida

21. Trash collection baskets

22. Above ground burials

23. Varmint

24. Big ass leaves