Japanese Squat Toilet

After experiencing toilets with so many features (including music), I was surprised to discover squat toilets in a few places. Not so cool as the others and certainly not so good for a guy with bad knees.

We are in our last two days of our visit to Japan. We had a fun-filled weekend with Sean and Makiko and Julian and spent the day on Sunday in Kyoto with Makiko’s parents whom we met once before when they came to Canada.

Greeting Makiko's parents in Kyoto

We traveled to Kyoto on Sunday by bus which took us about 90 minutes. Makiko’s parents met us in Kyoto which also took them about an hour of travel time from their home. We visited the Kiyomizu-dera temple which is high up on the side of thickly treed hills. There are so many temples in Japan but each offers something unique and beautiful. There were a lot of school children on school trips so it was a bit crowded but still fairly easy to see everything.

Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto

After walking around the temple grounds we stopped to get a drink of water. This is no ordinary water. Just by drinking it, you will live a long healthy life. I had a full glass and Marilyn had a half glass just to even out our age difference in our longevity. After visiting the temple, we all went to a beer gardens on top of a tower in Kyoto where we could eat and drink as much as we wanted. At some point we decided we didn’t need to do much more walking around.

Beer gardens high above Kyoto

All you can eat and drink high above Kyoto

We’ve been lucky to have Makiko and Sean as our guides. There is very little English spoken and even fewer English signs. With all the traveling and sites we could never have accomplished as much without their help.

On Saturday we learned about the Danjiri festival after visiting Kishiwada Castle and the Kishiwada Danjiri Museum. This festival involves a team pulling a special wagon through the streets at break-neck speed. The Danjiri is intricately carved with many images and is equipped with musical instruments which are played as the danjiri rolls through the streets. Guys on top jump around and desperately try to hold on to their balance. We got to see a video of it at the museum, saw many examples of the danjiri, and even got to play the instruments.

Playing the instruments on a danjiri

Danjiri scale model

Kishiwada Castle

Seeing the sites of Japan and learning some interesting things about the culture can still not compete with our time with family. Julian is such a doll and since he has stayed home from day-care, we’ve come to know him (and he us) which is not possible with skype calls. He loves to play games both inside and out and has kept us very very busy.

Playing road hockey

Playing volleyball

Almost everyone in Japan drives a smaller vehicle than we are used to seeing in Canada. It makes so much more sense environmentally but is also part necessity due to many narrow roads and small parking spaces at homes.

Making it fit

Marilyn and I also got to experience the Japanese ‘hot springs’ or baths as they are sometimes called. There is a ritual of sorts in the preparation for the spa and women and men are in separate areas. I had my area all to myself so I was able to take a couple of pictures.

Washing area before entering the hot springs

Inside spa (there was also an oudoor one)

The spa we went to was in a fishing village

We’ve done a lot of walking around Sean and Makiko’s neighbourhood as well. There are many small garden plats growing a variety of vegetables and also several rice paddies to see.

Rice paddy and garden

This chapel is also located just a few blocks over from Sean and Makiko’s house. It has been built by a private company called La Vienna and is used for those wishing to get married in a chapel.

Here’s a few more pictures I took on some of our walks and day-trips. The first one is of a temple which is surrounded with dolls deposited by various individuals. Apparently the dolls are seen to have spirits or souls and therefore brought to the temple. The dolls stay until there are too many dolls at which time they are blessed and then are removed making room for more to come.

Dolls left at a temple

100 Yen shop equivalent to our 'dollar' stores

The next picture was taken from the 54th floor of a hotel/office building which overlooks Osaka.

High above the city of Osaka

Forgive me but I seem to be fascinated with Japanese toilets. This one below has a washing sink where the water flows before filling the toilet tank. What a cool idea….as opposed to ours back home which are a solid tank top. How nice to be able to wash your hands or get a drink when you are in a tiny room which doesn’t have a sink.

Toilet with a wash basin

One does get the sense that Japan is a country of high-tech, neon lights, and colourful advertising. The streets are so unique with lots of action as chef’s cook food in front of their restaurants and call out for patrons.

Sean and Marilyn buying Octupus balls

Wall of advertising in Dotonbori

We traveled by train to Dotonbori which is a suburb of Osaka to attend Kabuki Theatre. Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance-drama which has been part of the Japanese culture for more than 400 years and features elaborate costumes, an orchestra, dance, dialogue, and what seems like pantomime. The full production is over four hours long so we took in one segment of ‘farce’. Despite not understanding the dialogue it was a beautiful production and easy to follow. The theme of what we saw was -‘husband sneaks away for night of drinking and debauchery and gets caught by his wife’. ( I think there is a moral there somewhere..ha ha)

Kabuki Theatre

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the theatre.

Dotonbori river runs through the commercial district

Giant moving crab sign

This giant moving crab is a famous landmark which has been around since 1934

Japanese Mount Rushmore

The four figures above grace the front of the Dotonbori Hotel and may explain why Japanese people, on average, are short. When Sean first came to Japan his orientation was held at this hotel. In my last blog, I posted a picture of the first temple built in Japan. Imagine my surprise when we also came across the “first’ kitchen.

One night when we went out for dinner, we happened to be at the same location as a giant ferris wheel which towers 85 meters into the air and takes 18-20 minutes to make is full circle. Julian, Marilyn and I went on it and got an amazing night time view over Osaka.Sean and Makiko watched from below and we wish we had taken along some water balloons.

Honey, I shrunk the kids

Sean also arranged a pretty incredible solar eclipse for our visit (he is well connected). It happened around 7:30am and was dubbed ‘the ring of fire eclipse’ due to the fact that the moon ended up in the centre of the sun which caused a bright ring around it. We used ‘solar glasses’ and all the neighbours were out watching as well. Very cool.

Marilyn viewing the eclipse

Sean and Julian

How it looked through the solar glasses

Another highlight of our trip to Japan was our visit to Nara which was the first capital of Japan (710-784) until the Buddhist monks started becoming a threat to the government. (I’m trying to imagine a Buddhist protest march). There are several temples surrounded by a beautiful forested park, museums, and lots of deer to feed. It also has some of the world’s oldest wooden buildings.

Family Temple of Fujiwara clan in Nara

These guys really knew how to live (and worship). The picture below is the Todaiji (Great Eastern)Temple. The temple was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all Provincial Buddhist temples in Japan.

Todaiji Temple

Todaiji Temple is the world’s largest wooden building and houses a giant wooden buddha along with several other statues.

Giant Buddha

It’s hard to portray the size of this Buddha in a picture but it is huge. As an example, the hole Julian is passing through in the picture below is the size of the Buddha’s nostril.The temple is a popular location for school trips and there were thousands of students visiting on the day we went. As a class project, some students were obviously asked to practice their English and several came up to us (the obvious tourists) and politely asked if it was okay. After answering their questions they gave us origami figures….very cute.In the surrounding park, we fed the deer which can become aggressive when after some cookie snacks. Marilyn kept saying ‘NO’ to them but they didn’t listen. She should have read this sign which is NOT a ‘deer training manual’.

Feeding (and training) the deer

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Another stature inside the temple

We’ve been enjoying lots of Japanese food and having fun at some of the very unusual restaurants. The “Kura Zushi” takes fast food to a new level. When you enter, you sit in a booth which has a conveyer belt moving next to it with all kinds of dishes. You grab what you want as the food passes or you can order special dishes by pushing a button and waiting for it to arrive on a second conveyor belt. As you finish a dish of food, you deposit the dish in a shoot which records how many dishes you had….all at 100 yen each. Tally up your order, pay your bill and you are taken out to your car on another rolling sidewalk (okay that part I made up).

Kara Zushi Restaurant -lots of variety

Obviously fish is a staple of the Japanese diet and so is rice but it’s amazing how many different ways it is prepared. Oh yeah, the beer is quite good here as well.

Watching the food go by

It’s hard to believe we have already been here for a week with only one week left to go. Sean and Makiko are working today and Friday so we get to spend lots of time with Julian. We plan to visit a Japanese Spa, see a Castle, and take a trip to Kyoto among other things. On Sunday we are spending the day with Makiko’s parents.

Here are few pictures to end my blog.

Dinner at home

Men pounding to make sticky rice

Makiko

Accidental picture taken of my leg

Coffee in a can

It is so great to finally visit Sean and Makiko and Julian in Japan and to experience this fascinating culture. They have lived in Osaka for six years but our time in Africa kept us from visiting. Now we get to enjoy connecting with them on their turf.

Osaka, like most of Japan, is a densely populated area with narrow streets, many buildings, and not a lot of green space. Fortunately, people drive small cars. Last Friday Julian stayed home from day care and spent the day with us while Sean and Makiko went to work. He is such an affectionate little guy who is a bundle of energy.

In the park with Grampa

Makiko is a professor at Wakayama University and Sean teaches English at a high school. They have a nice three bedroom home in a fairly quiet residential neighbourhood. Julian and I spent some time in a nearby park playing baseball. On Friday night we headed to Hiroshima on a high-speed train. The network of rail transport is incredibly efficient in Japan and we actually covered a lot of territory in a short period of time.

Bicycle Rack

There are also a lot of bicycles traveling on the streets. Many compete with people walking on the sidewalks. Bicycle racks are located all over the place so people can park and lock their bicycles while they travel on the trains or subways or go to work or shopping.

No smoking while walking

This sign above is a reminder that you cannot smoke and walk on the streets. Donut shops, some restaurants, and even the trains still have smoking rooms. At the Tokyo airport there is actually a room constructed outside the airport…..so you go outside the terminal building and then into a small very smoky cubicle to have a cigarette. On Friday after Sean and Makiko got home from work, we boarded a train to Hiroshima to see the site where the first Atom Bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. After a day and touring the museum and the city we went to Fukuoka where Sean was playing in a hockey game.

A-bomb dome

The A-bomb dome is a building destroyed by the bomb but one of only a few that remained standing. It is preserved as a message about the horrors of war.

After the bomb

There are numerous sites around the world to remind human beings how destructive and/or evil we can be. The museum at Hiroshima is also a call for peace and the banning of nuclear weapons but the many stories and horrors brought on by the war and the dropping of the bomb are heart-wrenching. The intense heat melted the skin off bodies while buildings collapsed all around. Later, the radiation killed many more people.

Wax figures depicting the human tragedy

Replica (to scale) of the actual A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima

Hiroshima has risen from the ashes and now is a bustling city. It has six rivers running through it and is quite beautiful

At the peace fountain

Hiroshima City

A 'Market Street' in Hiroshima

Fish being readied for sale in the market

There is a lot of technology evident in Japan (hey I guess you knew that already). We had our finger prints scanned at the airport in Tokyo and we see lots of interesting gadgets etc. in cars and homes. One of my favourites, however, is the Japanes toilet which serves several functions.

Multi-purpose toilets

One also notices the many people wearing surgical masks. At first (as a foreigner) there was a tendency for me to think how Michael Jackson was ridiculed when he wore a surgical mask. Apparently most people use the masks when they have a cold or don’t feel well so they don’t pass on their germs to others. What a ‘courteous’ thing to do.

Wearing a surgical mask for the better health of others

In Fukuoka, Sean’s hockey team beat the Fukuoka Bruins by a score of 6 to 1. It is a ‘fun’ hockey league and the players on both teams are friends from previous tournament games. Afterwards, they all have a big party together.

Sean is even taller on skates

We ate out in restaurants a few times over the weekend. One of our favourites was a dish Makiko likes which is loosely called a ‘cabbage’ pancake. It was delicious.

Eating a tasty lunch

We did some touring around Hakata, which is the city in Fukuoka Prefecture. We saw our first Shrines and learned a bit about the history of Japan.

Kushido Shrine

Sumiyoshi Shrine

Cemetery behind the Kushida Shrine

In case any of you were wondering, Kyokutenho took down Tochiozan in a playoff to win the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.

Eating at the airport upon arrival

We arrived in Japan last night (May 17 in Japan, May 16 in Canada). Sean, Makiko, and Julian were waiting for us. Marilyn and I were a bit tired and everyone was hungry so we ate at the airport. Yes, that’s a Subway but they have some interesting Japanese preferred items.

We are heading to Hiroshima tonight (Friday in Japan, Thursday in Canada) and then on to some other sites and Sean’s hockey game on Saturday. I’ll be writing a blog while we are here but first I wanted to tell you about our last week or so in Hanley, SK

Ed's Homestead

Ever since we arrived in SK, I’ve thought about building a ‘bunkie’ on Section 10 about 15 km outside Hanley. This is the section of land Ed and Marg still own after selling off the rest of their farm. It is Ed’s homestead where he was born and raised. There are three old structures on the property and I wanted to make something out of the wood.

My ‘plan’ got Ed thinking about building a log cabin and he investigated getting the logs from a place in Prince Albert. However, while we were all thinking about our various ideas, a house came up for sale in Hanley.

House for sale

This two bedroom home with a bathroom, kitchen and livingroom looked interesting and Ed put an offer in on it. After the offer was accepted, it had to be moved before May 25th so Marilyn got in touch with a few ‘building’ movers and we hired Sawitsky Movers. The owner is a young guy named Ryan who took over the business from his father Dennis. His crew of 3 men turned out to be a group of very nice young guys, all with interests beyond their moving jobs. Gabby drives chuck wagons and works with native children and Mike is a potter and artist.

Jacking up the house

It’s quite common for buildings and homes to be moved in Saskatchewan. Historically, whole towns have been moved. These guys had all the latest equipment including hydraulic jacks, bobcats, and big trucks.

Turns out the house had some rot at the end of the floor joists so once it got lifted onto the truck and moved to Section 10, Marilyn and I nailed new end pieces onto each joist. It was a bit of a rush job before the guys lowered the house but we managed.

A few shingles also blew off the roof (these guys drive pretty fast considering they are hauling a house) and I also had to patch the hole where the brick chimney had been removed.

Moving down the highway

We still have to put skirting around the foundation, build some steps into the house, and do some work inside, but it was a pretty cool way to get an ‘instant home’ on Section 10. Our intention has always been to have it as a bit of a ‘cabin/retreat’. We also ordered some trees to act as a wind break since it is always windy in Saskatchewan and especially out on the open field.

Home on the Range

We are going to look into either solar and/or wind power and maybe some propane for a fridge and stove and lights. Ed is going to have a dugout made for water (and maybe even swimming). Should be a fun place to have people out to stay once it is all fixed up. The views from all sides is really lovely and once we get lots of trees planted, it will look quite nice. Meanwhile, I’m still planning to take apart some of the old buildings and make something to complement the house. We might also build a porch on the front. Yep……this is as close to being a farmer as I’ll ever get

Unless of course you count my garden………

Bob's garden

When we moved to Hanley, the whole back yard was tilled but I planted grass on half of it and kept the rest as our raspberry patch and vegetable garden. I got almost all of it planted just before we left for Japan.  Meanwhile, Marilyn has taken a chunk of our back yard to make a flower garden. She has moved a lot of rocks and planted a lot of flowers since this picture (below) was taken so it should look pretty nice when we get back.

Marilyn's flower garden

So, as you can see, we’re keeping pretty busy. Marilyn also helped organize a ‘Variety Night’ last weekend which brought a huge crowd and earned $1500 for the community hall. ”

Hanley Kitchen Band

Shades of our days in Hawkestone.”

Hanley Dance School performers

This ‘spoon billed stork’ was so close it almost doesn’t look real. This blog is mostly about our trip to Cano Negro which is a large designated national park full of birds. We actually saw more than 150 different species. The big bonus was that we traveled with three professors and 4 students from the University of Costa Rica who could identify the birds both visually and by their sound. I’m not going to attempt naming them all but I hope you enjoy some of the pictures Marilyn and I took.

Our group of 'birders'

We made the three hour trip to Cano Negro in three cars and arrived late on Friday evening. On Saturday we all got up at 5am to start our boat trip up the Cano Negro river.

Roy (l) and Mario with cameras ready

There are so many beautiful birds in the park but the river is also filled with turtles, caiman (small croc-like animals), fish, and a variety of other species.

Hundreds of caiman line the shores

This one looks like a cartoon but it's real

Our ‘birder’ friends were on the lookout for five specific species which are rare and seldom seen. They managed to find three of them in addition to the more than 150 other species (as I mentioned). Birds can sometimes be hard to see in the thick vegetation but Cindy and Roy were excellent at spotting those which were somewhat camouflaged.

We also did some hiking to a lagoon where we saw many storks and other long-legged birds of all colours. In the evening we went for a walk along the river bank, had dinner in a local restaurant and went to bed fairly early (so we could get up at 5am again on Sunday.

Roy heard about a place where there is a rare bird which can be attracted by displaying peeled bananas so we drove there on Sunday before heading back to San Ramon. They put the bananas out on a feeder and within minutes there was a variety of birds. After about fifteen minutes the one they were hoping to see did show up.

Setting out the bananas

There are two types of red-winged black birds. Some stay in Costa Rica while others migrate (from Canada)

Costa Rica's National Bird

The bird above is the Clay Coloured Thrush which is Costa Rica’s National Bird. It isn’t the most colourful but was chosen because it is an early nester and courts just before the rains. The farmers know the rains are coming when this bird starts to court and they prepare the fields.

Bird eating an orange

There are several varieties of Kingfisher birds. All during our boat trip they were diving and catching fish. They swoop straight down into the water and become completely submerged before coming up again with a fish.

Kingfisher

Hiking along the Cano Negro River

So we saw parakeets, parrots, and toucans which are, of course, the tourist favourites. See if you can spot the birds in these next pics.

This one's easy - four parrots

From Cano Negro to San Ramon there are huge fields of sugar cane, orange tree orchards, bean fields and pineapple plantations. Roy was telling us that many biology students (especially those involved with the environment) will no longer eat pineapple even though it is a huge industry for Cost Rica. The large fields planted with pineapple are mostly owned by Del Monte and other large companies. All over Costa Rica, these plantations have drained wet lands to supply the large amount of water needed to grow the pineapples. In the Southern part of the country many residents have been left without fresh water after the pesticides used on the pineapples have polluted the rivers.

Orange Orchard

Teak Reforestation Project

The sugar cane is now being harvested and processed. We came across a processing factory on our trip. The air smelled incredibly sweet.

Processing sugar from the cane

Meanwhile back at the Ranch

On Monday and Tuesday we did some more small jobs around Gary’s B&B.

Marilyn completed the sign

Bob, Mou, and Gibsin finishing the fire place

Some interesting shots (perhaps)

On our way to Cano Negro we were delayed for more than twenty minutes while two large trucks negotiated passing each other on one of the steep inclines and sharp turns. This is a common occurrence when both trucks arrive at the turn at the same time.  The roads are too narrow to allow the transport trucks to turn at the same time as another vehicle (even a car coming the opposite way)

Kelly and Marilyn have been working on learning Spanish since we arrived and have now managed a vocabulary of more than 1000 words. They are both quite good at carrying on a conversation with Ticos and getting me what I need…

Sometimes the clouds get in the way of the view

Note the large thorns on this tree

These plants actually live on the wires

Lots of termite nests on the trees

Marilyn and I are flying back to Canada today and although we are going to really miss Costa Rica we are somewhat excited to continue the work on our new home in Hanley and get ready for spring. This has been an incredible trip and we have experienced so much during the past five weeks. We are especially going to miss the fun times with Gary and Kelly.

One week from today, we will be flying back to Canada. This has been an amazing time for us and we have come to know so many ‘Gringos’ and ‘Ticos’ during the past four weeks. We continue to do lots of jobs around Gary’s B&B as the renovations near completion.

We got the hot tub moved, wired, and filled and Gary and I enjoyed a nice way to relax our muscles after a busy day  of work. On Saturday, I started doing some landscaping and trimming of plants and trees and Gary decided to do the same.

Gary's new flower bed

Meanwhile, Ernesto and Danny continue to make good progress on the pizza oven.  We are hoping to have a pizza before we leave.

Danny (l) and Ernesto making a pizza oven

The hired contractors are almost finished the last two bedrooms and stone bathrooms.

Beautiful stone work in the bathrooms

Marilyn is busy making ‘roman blinds’ for the windows after Gary was able to borrow a sewing machine from a neighbour

Gary’s place is set in amongst huge rolling hills of sugar cane and cattle grazing land. An access road to the fields washed out last rainy season and is being repaired. In the meantime, everyone living or farming up behind the B&B is using Gary’s private road which runs right past his dining patio. We’ve come to know a lot of people as a result of them being rerouted.

Sometimes the cows get out of the field and pay us a visit

The sugar cane which is being harvested and trucked to a sugar producing factory and the coffee beans now being picked makes us appreciate the hard work of farmers. To harvest the sugar cane, the fields are first set ablaze which burns off all the leaves and the stock remains. This fills the air with a sweet smell but lots of floating black ashes. The cane stocks are then easier to cut. However, another main reason for burning is to drive out poisonous snakes which like to make their home in amongst the cane fields.

Sugar cane wagon

Wagon loaded with cut sugar cane stocks

After I managed to trek through the thick vegetation to the river last week, I have been asking Gary to get a machete so I could hack a proper path. On Saturday he picked one up but they are not sharpened when purchased. I have met Luise a few times as he has walked past the B&B on his way to some Casas (houses) where he does landscaping and yard maintenance. I asked him if he would be able to sharpen my new giant knife. In the meantime, he loaned me his machete and I did go to the river again.

Mi Amigo Luise

After my first trip to the river with Paul and Lauren, Ernesto said their was a black panther in the bushes along the river banks. I saw some ‘cat’ scratches on the trees when I was there the first time so it was nice to have Luise’s machete for my second trip.

We also went to Villa Blanca last week as the guest of the manager Joxin. We had a lovely meal and some fine wine. Joxin, Gary and I talked at one end of the table in English and Marilyn and Kelly talked at the other with Joxin’s wife Gabriella in Spanish. Both Kelly and Marilyn have mastered a large vocabulary of words and phrases.

Villa Blanca lobby

Dinner with Joxin and Gabriella

Last night we were invited to a Mardi Gras party at Steve and Kathy’s (Gary’s neighbours up the mountain). They have a beautiful house and put on an amazing party. The food was excellent, the drinks aplenty, and live music from a Mariachi band. Marilyn made a cape for my costume as a musketeer as well as her own costume as a Greek Goddess adorned with local vegetation.

Catwoman (aka Lidia) and d'Artagnan

Demeter and Haraldo the pirate (aka Juan)

Steve and Kathy have a lovely house built on the side of the mountain. It has many unusual features such as a ‘courtyard’ of sorts at the main entrance as well as a large balcony off the open kitchen and dining area.

Pillars and turquoise entrance to the house

Marilyn was invited to play a couple of songs on the accordion but she most enjoyed having the opportunity to play along with the mariachi band.

We are looking forward to our trip on Friday to Cano Negro Park to travel by boat up a river with the University students in search of many different birds and other wildlife. Here’s a little yellow breasted bird we see often at Gary’s.

Two weeks from today, we will be flying back to Canada. We have now been in Costa Rica for 23 days. Each day unfolds with a great deal of fun and laughter but we are also on a ‘working holiday’ as we help Gary with his new B&B. “Angel Valley Farm B&B” has truly become our home and Gary is such a generous friend. We have met many of his neighbours and friends to whom he has already endeared himself.

After the earthquake

We had quite an experience last Monday (Feb 13). At 5am, I thought Marilyn was having a dream and moving around in the bed. She thought I was doing the same thing. Turns out we were experiencing a 5.6 earthquake which was occurring off the southern coast of Costa Rica. Huge rocks came flying down from the mountain and barely missed our bedroom.

Okay, that didn’t happen but the entire bed was shaking (more like a rolling waterbed). The light over our bed was also rolling, the clothes in the closet were rocking back and forth and we could hear the dishes rattling in the kitchen cupboards. We all got up and went outside and a few minutes later all the lights went out on the mountains. Fortunately, Costa Rica didn’t suffer any damage and no one was injured. Very cool experience though.

A Peruvian Dinner

We got invited to Chris and Luisa’s house for a lovely dinner last weekend. Luisa is Peruvian (and vegetarian) and we had the most delicious dinner with them and some other friends. Chris and Luisa also run a B&B in San Ramon. Chris worked with Habitat for Humanity for many years before settling in Costa Rica. After dinner, Marilyn played guitar (rather well, I might add).

Albert dropped over with a ‘promised’ bottle of home-made Guaro. It reminded me of Raki from Greece although it is made from sugar cane rather than distilled grape mulch. Ohhhhh so good.

Bob and Albert sharing a drink

The work continues at Gary’s and we are all chipping in. We sputtered out of energy on Tuesday but were back at it today.

Workers completing the outdoor fire place

Kelly painting the window sills

Ernesto and Danny working on the outdoor pizza oven

When we first arrived at Gary’s, we all hiked down through the sugar cane fields looking for a river where we had been told we can swim. We didn’t find it and each time we tried we were stopped by steep cliffs or thick vegetation. On Monday, a couple from New York stayed over at Gary’s and on Tuesday I took them for a hike in search of a path to the river. We hiked through some thick jungle creating a path as we went and following a small creek.

Paul and Lauren on our 'search for the river"

We found it

Finally, we came to the most beautiful area with a fast flowing river running over huge rocks and creating amazing whirlpools. We also hiked up the river and found the most spectacular swimming hole about 10 feet deep. I’m thinking of starting walking tours to “my” river and for a small fee will take Marilyn and Gary and Kelly.

Gary also invited Bill and Levi down to his house last week. Bill is a great guitar player and he and Marilyn sang together while the rest of us enjoyed the music.

Bill and Marilyn playing together

Valentine’s day was fun. We had some great food and went to Villa Blanca for drinks. Gary really upstaged me though. First he cooked breakfast and gave Marilyn and Kelly a basket full of chocolates. Then he took them shopping and bought them new tops to wear. I have some catching up to do.

Villa Blanca is a 5 star resort about 12 km from Gary’s. It caters to a high-end clientele but we wanted to see it and have a special valentines drink together. Gary also wanted to meet Joscin, the manager, which we did. Joscin  spent a fair bit of time talking with Gary and afterwards invited all of us to come for dinner at the resort as his guests. We said yes.

Marilyn and Kelly at Villa Blanca

Villa Blanca

On Tuesday of next week we are invited to a house party with a Mardi-Gras Theme. We picked up some masks at a store in San Ramon. Should be fun.

Costa Rica has a diverse landscape. On our first visit in 2000, we went to the southern part of the country along the Pacific Coast. This time we are in the mountainous cloud forest not far from active volcanoes. One thing consistent about the geography, however, is the number of designated national parks throughout and the beautiful farmland, rivers, waterfalls and rain forests.

Similar to Canadians who often seem to define themselves by who they are not (the Americanos), Costa Ricans (who call themselves Ticos) take pride in not being like their Latin American neighbours. There is less poverty here, a distinct middle class, and an absence of political conflict. Costa Rica has not had an army for 60 years which allows them to provide a high standard of education and health care, albeit still at a developing level.

Costa Rica also has a female president elected in 2010. However, most Ticos I’ve talked to say they are disappointed with her government because they had high expectations – sound familiar? Meanwhile, tourism is flourishing, providing many jobs for Costa Ricans. There are a lot of ‘gringos’ in Costa Rica who have either retired here due to the cheaper cost of living or opened businesses.

Charcoal grill at El Lagarto Restaurant

Farming is also big in Costa Rica especially the exporting of coffee, bananas, beef, pineapples, sugar and tropical plants (mostly for a Japanese market). The pineapple tree below is just one of many growing on Gary’s property and we pick a fresh pineapple almost every day.

Pineapple tree at Gary's

Fresh pineapple from the tree

Yesterday Gary’s housekeeper, Mariela was telling us about her daughter’s upcoming celebration. When a young girl turns 15 in Costa Rica the parents host a large mardi-gras type party with a large fancy dress worn by the one celebrating. This is a ‘coming of age’ party but can be expensive for the parents. Mariela is saving a portion of her wages each month in preparation even though she has 2 years left before her daughter turns 15. Mariela’s concerns are also the concerns of many Costa Ricans where the average annual income is only $11,000 despite the high cost of living.

Cocktails on the beach

Many people in the San Ramon area where we are staying do not speak English. There are no English road signs or shop signs. This makes it easier to learn the language. Marilyn studied some Spanish before leaving Canada and she and Kelly have been learning Spanish vocabulary together. I, on the other hand, have learned how to order dos cerveza (two beers) and say good morning (Buenos Dias)

Full Moon over the Pacific

After working around Gary’s B&B in order to get ready for his grand opening, we took three days and went to Samara beach. It is a tourist resort town catering to many young people who are attracted by the surf. There are many restaurants and lodges but most of them are on the less expensive side.

We stayed at Laconda which was a lovely beach front lodge with simple but spacious and clean rooms. The bar/restaurant area in front of the rooms was absolutely beautiful with high palm trees leading down to the sandy beach and ocean. Only twice did we eat at other locations and spent most of our time playing cards or scrabble, enjoying fancy drinks, walking along the beach and swimming and body surfing in the huge waves.

Kelly on the beach

Samara beach is only about 140 km from Gary’s but the mountain roads are jammed with slowing moving trucks making the trip a 3.5 hour adventure.

Fire at the Surf Rental on the beach

While we were sitting at the beach-side bar around 11pm we saw a huge fire raging only a short distance away on the beach. Turns out a structure at a place offering surf board rentals had caught fire. When we ran down the beach to see if we could help others were starting to gather.

Fire spread to the top of the palm tree

Everyone started tossing sand on the fire but there was nothing that could be saved although the fire did become extinguished. Unfortunately, the wind had taken burning fragments up into a large palm tree and the top centre of it was burning and sending more flames in the direction of other palm trees which were close by. A young man shinnied up the neighbouring palm tree as far as a hose would reach and sprayed the flames. It took a lot of water to put the fire out but eventually it did die down. I never would have believed that the top of a palm tree would burn so quickly.

Man up the tree with a hose

Today we are back painting, building, and helping out around the B&B. Gary has some guests coming on the 19^th so he is anxious now to get the last rooms completed. The men are also making good progress on the outdoor fireplace, pizza oven, and grill.

Outdoor grill, pizza oven and fire place

Last night Albert and Roy dropped in and invited us to come on a trip on to a park in the northern part of the country called Cano Negra. It has a lot of wildlife including numerous birds. The group going are mostly biology students from the University who are looking to identify birds by journeying up a river in a small boat. Marilyn and I are going along but Gary will be busy with his guests and Kelly has decided to stay behind to help Gary.

Danny who works with Gary

This web site has information about the park and the cabins where we will stay. http://kingfisherlodgecr.com/

Kelly painting chairs

We still have three weeks left in Costa Rica before returning to Saskatchewan.

Gary pretending to be a painter

Here’s some of the flowers growing around Gary’s place.

Making new friends

Amy left this morning for her flight back to Canada but not before we had several amazing days exploring the Costa Rican countryside and its people. Last Friday we went to the San Ramon farmer’s market and stocked up on an array of fruits and vegetables – all locally grown. The area we are in has many small to medium sized farms especially in the valleys. We’ve cooked most of our meals at Gary’s house using local produce.

Fresh drink of Pipa

On Saturday we did a local drive looping through the mountains to Sarchi (an artisan village), then to Zarcero which is known for its topiary and we stopped at a view villages along the way.

There are some beautiful churches in the villages and towns and Costa Ricans are mostly Catholic due to the Spanish influence. However, Costa Rica was not a preferred colony compared to other Latin American countries and was therefore left alone for the most part.

Church in Cezario

The topiary is quite unique and fun to wander around in and out of the tunnels and shapes. There was a wedding going on in the church when we were there and a kids basketball game on the same property.

Sunday, we drove down the coast to Jaco which has a beautiful beach but also a reputation as a tourist trap. There were three reasons for this drive: 1. To swim in the ocean, 2. To visit some long lost friends and 3. Because Marilyn was going to sing with a group in a local bar called Outback Jacks.

Gary and Kelly riding in the back seat

Amy, Kelly and Gary went to the beach while Marilyn and I visited with Greg and Jan. Ten years ago they built a small hotel high up on a hill overlooking Jaco beach. We have not seen them since they moved to Costa Rica and it was nice to see them again. We had lunch at their new home close to the hotel.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to have Marilyn join the musicians. We had 90 minute drive ahead of us on the mountain roads and wanted to get back before dark. We also knew a lot of locals would be jamming up the roads as they headed back from the beaches.

Giant tree in the rain forest

On Monday, Albert picked us up at 7am and we started what turned out to be a very full day – arriving back in San Ramon after dark. The day started with a drive to the volcano area of Costa Rica to Volcan Tenorio where we hiked for about 90 minutes through the rain forest to Los Tenidores, a place where two rivers converge. At this point the water turns from brown to blue in the Rio Celeste  which continues down the mountain.

From brown to blue

Hikers in the Rain Forest

Another path we took led us to Catarata de Rio Celeste, a milky blue waterfall that cascades 30 mtrs down the rocks.

Catarata de Rio Celeste

Our day ended with a trip to the hot springs below Volcan Arenal at La Foruna. This place reminded us somewhat of Banff with all its tourist shops, restaurants and bars. The hot springs were soothing after our long walk but even though Volcan Arenal is an active volcano we didn’t get to see it up close because it was already nightfall when we arrived.

A nice treat after a long hike

Monday was perhaps my most favourite day as it put us in touch with Costa Rican culture as well as history. We went to a place where traditional methods are used to make sugar and sugar products form sugar cane. It was made all the more interesting because it is not a tourist attraction but merely exists in the hills at a small farm not far from Gary’s.

Steers used to run the cane squeezer

Stirring to make toffee

There is so much to tell about the process and the lovely women maintaining this tradition including a visit with the owner’s mother who is 96 years old. She told us some stories about her difficult past so many years ago in Costa Rica when hardship forced people to try and survive.

Forming sugar blocks

Amy left yesterday (Wednesday) and is now back in Canada. Marilyn’s parents called to say hi to us and we celebrated Gary’s birthday with a lovely meal prepared by Marilyn and Kelly. A friend brought along a small accordion.

Saying goodbye after a great time together

Gary has some worker’s hired to lay patio stones (slate) and do some carpentry work. They are good workers and get a lot done each day. As far as I know, Gary is hoping to open for business on March 1st (Of course we have to get out of the rooms first .. ha ha.)

Gary's home where we are staying

Laying a new patio

As soon as the new patio is finished we will be moving the hot tub onto it. The nights are cool in the mountains and having a tub will be great under the Costa Rican Sky.

Gary's birthday celebration

An update on Saskatchewan

We painted at our house in Hanley right up until we left for Toronto on our way to Costa Rica. We got the kitchen, livingroom, hallway and one bathroom finished and are ready to hang pictures when we return. Once again Marilyn has picked and combined colours to make our new home beautiful.

Painting the Living Room

Freshly painted kitchen

Oh yeah….I also bought the 1985 Chrysler New Yorker after having it checked over by Dwight (our local Hanley mechanic). Can’t wait to get it out in the spring and take a few road trips – like driving a sofa down the highway.

Our new (0ld) Car

Update on Family:

We spent three lovely days with Ryan, Sally and Evan. We can’t believe what amazing changes have taken place in Evan since we last saw him in August. He loves to play and seems to be always happy.

Sally, Evan and Ryan

Arrived in Costa Rica:

We met Amy early on Monday morning at the airport in Toronto and arrived in San Jose later in the day where Gary picked us up and drove us to his lovely B&B in San Ramon (lovely but still under renovations). We were also greeted by our friend Kelly who arrived in Costa Rica on the 22nd. We were happy to spend the first couple of days helping Gary with cleaning and organizing. During the next few weeks, we’ll hopefully be able to help with a few bigger jobs like carpentry, maintenance, and painting.

Preparing dinner at Gary's

Amy is staying for 10 days so we wanted to get in some sight seeing while she is here. Gary arranged an amazing trek for us through the cloud forest and mountain region of Costa Rica. Wow….what a day we had.

It started with Guido, Albert, and Roy picking us up at 7am and driving us to an unspoiled 130 acres of jungle (rain forest). Guido owns the land and he hacked a trail for us to follow through the thick vegetation. It was a difficult walk at times over hills, through running streams, and along high ledges. Roy, a young Costa Rican (Tiko) who has one degree from he University in Nature Studies and is working on another in Sustainable Tourism, was our very expert guide.

Guido with his machete

Roy (our guide and interpreter)

Albert drove on some very rough roads to get us to the top of the mountain where we began our trek. Afterwards we felt pretty brave and strong to have accomplished the walk without incident.

The above picture was taken just after Kelly slid in the mud and landed on her bum

At the top of the mountain

Snacks after the trek

We continued after the trek to a small farm in one of the many valleys where a family makes cheese, raises chickens and pigs, and grows fruit to survive. Raquel, who has lived on the farm for 52 years comes from a family of 28 children (her father had six wives).  In her kitchen we made our own corn tortillas and enjoyed coffee made in a very unusual coffee maker (but oh so good).

Learning about cheese making

Grinding the corn for tortillas

Shaping the tortillas before frying them

The unusual coffee maker

Along our day trip (which lasted from 7am until 7pm) we saw coffee fields, banana trees, papaya, and farm animals. We also got to eat some fresh coffee beans (not recommended), bamboo heart from the forest, and a full meal of beans, rice, chicken, beets, salad and garlic bread.

Marilyn sampling a freshly picked coffee bean

Chewing on bamboo hearts from the rain forest

Eating fresh mellon

Near the end of the day we stopped at Albert’s property high in the mountains where we had a lovely dinner (prepared by Albert’s wife and friends) and eventually watched the sun set over the pacific ocean.

Kelly

Amy

A stunning view from Albert's

In all, I took 182 pictures so you can imagine how many wonderful things we saw. We also had so many laughs along the way, our sides hurt. It’s great to be holidaying with Amy and Gary and Kelly and have day trips planned for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. We are off to the market tody.

Here’s a few random shots to end the blog.

Sunset over the pacific ocean