Been watching a lot of the reviews on Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. No Sephora in Costa Rica so on our recent trip to Cancun, I went in search of Fenty products. I plan to do my own review shortly.
Showing posts with label videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label videos. Show all posts
Saturday, November 18, 2017
In Search of Fenty Beauty
Been watching a lot of the reviews on Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. No Sephora in Costa Rica so on our recent trip to Cancun, I went in search of Fenty products. I plan to do my own review shortly.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Our First Christmas in Costa Rica
Lots of parties up on these ridges during the holidays. When its all over I think we will have attended 10 different events.
Here is a video of the Annual Solstice party hosted by our friends Jim & Irina. It was held on El Cajon which is the next ridge over from ours.
It was an awesome party. And what a lovely home they have!
Here is a video of the Annual Solstice party hosted by our friends Jim & Irina. It was held on El Cajon which is the next ridge over from ours.
It was an awesome party. And what a lovely home they have!
Monday, December 5, 2016
Pink Linen in the Rain
We had big plans on Sunday to attend Barrio Escalante's La Luz outdoor food festival in downtown San Jose -- but we woke up to rain. (BTW-the rainy season was supposed to be over in Nov -- we are more than ready for the beautiful summer dry season!!) We were going to the festival with a group of folks in a rented 21 person van. The instructions were to meet at La Terraza B&B for breakfast at 9am and leave for San Jose at 11. Usually the rain here is intermittent and a shower in the morning is not indicative of rain all day but as luck would have it, once we arrived, we found out that the forecast for Sunday was for rain -- all day! So, our event was canceled -- however, since we were already there and a couple of folks had cameras, we decided to take some photos of the beautiful grounds.
Also one of the ladies is a videographer and was shooting film for an upcoming ad for the B&B which I just might have a bit part in (stay tuned).
While cameras were out I had my other half take a few pics of me in my pink linen and also a couple of video clips of me using the bridge as a make shift runway.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Hotel Atitlan - Panajachel Guatemala
I LOVE a nice hotel!
Our stay at one of the best!!!
The view speaks for itself and the service was superb!!
Let the photos do the talking...
below is our personal video with photos of our stay! Four days in paradise! (BTW the prices are very affordable)
Our stay at one of the best!!!
A First Class Hotel - for more information on rates etc contact Hotel Atitlan, Panajachel, Sololá Guatemala
The view speaks for itself and the service was superb!!
Let the photos do the talking...
below is our personal video with photos of our stay! Four days in paradise! (BTW the prices are very affordable)
(click video ink above for email subscribers)
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Seven Days in Guatemala
For those of you following our journey:
I know it's only been 5 months since we arrived in Costa Rica, but... when the travel bug calls, we gotta answer!
As it turns out, we would need to make our 2nd "border run" around the 3rd week of November. Since Lily & Lola will be arriving today we decided it would be better to make the border run a little early and give ourselves more time with the girls before we had to deal with leaving them with a pet sitter.
We studied our bucket list of favorites.
We both enjoy traveling to historic sites. The cost of a round trip airline ticket from San Jose Costa Rica to Guatemala City is about $168 and the travel time is less than 2 hours. (BTW - the cost of living is also lower in Guatemala than it is in Costa Rica) We had also seen a couple of episodes of HGTV's House Hunters International where expats had settled in Lake Atitlan and the beauty of the lake and the volcanoes was something that stuck in our minds.
We checked airline and hotel prices and made our decision from there.
It was not a very difficult one.
We planned to visit the beautiful, vibrant old Spanish cobblestone city of Antigua -- and no trip to Guatemala would be complete without a stop at what has been called, and is (IMO) the most beautiful lake in the world, Lago de Atitlán! Its shore is dotted with 12 small towns and villages, each with its own unique personality,
Our trip would be for 7 days Wed 10/19 - Wed 10/26
First up Antigua -- and a local tour recommended by a friend
Tour Elizabeth Bell
Antigua has a flourishing and diverse expat population. We enjoyed our stay very much and plan to go back often!
I know it's only been 5 months since we arrived in Costa Rica, but... when the travel bug calls, we gotta answer!
As it turns out, we would need to make our 2nd "border run" around the 3rd week of November. Since Lily & Lola will be arriving today we decided it would be better to make the border run a little early and give ourselves more time with the girls before we had to deal with leaving them with a pet sitter.
So the big question became "where should we go?"
We studied our bucket list of favorites.
We both enjoy traveling to historic sites. The cost of a round trip airline ticket from San Jose Costa Rica to Guatemala City is about $168 and the travel time is less than 2 hours. (BTW - the cost of living is also lower in Guatemala than it is in Costa Rica) We had also seen a couple of episodes of HGTV's House Hunters International where expats had settled in Lake Atitlan and the beauty of the lake and the volcanoes was something that stuck in our minds.
We checked airline and hotel prices and made our decision from there.
It was not a very difficult one.
And the winner....Guatemala
We planned to visit the beautiful, vibrant old Spanish cobblestone city of Antigua -- and no trip to Guatemala would be complete without a stop at what has been called, and is (IMO) the most beautiful lake in the world, Lago de Atitlán! Its shore is dotted with 12 small towns and villages, each with its own unique personality,
Our trip would be for 7 days Wed 10/19 - Wed 10/26
First up Antigua -- and a local tour recommended by a friend
Tour Elizabeth Bell
Thursday, October 20th 2016 – National Holiday
9:30am Meet your Antigua Tours guide at Hotel San Rafael for a private Cultural Walking Tour around this World Heritage Site. The tour focuses on the city’s history, cultural trends and restoration efforts. Walk to the central park to visit the City Hall Palace, focus on the Royal Palace, visit the Cathedral with its majestic ruins, and learn about Maya archeology at the Maya Jades Museum. Complete the tour at the best museums in town at Paseo de los Museos (Hotel Casa Santo Domingo) at about 12:30pm
$30 per person for the private tour includes entrance fees and beverages x 2 people = $60
(minimum 2 people)
About Antigua
Antigua Guatemala means "Ancient Guatemala" and was the third capital of Guatemala.
Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua or la Antigua) is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala at an altitude of 1470 meters (or roughly 4,800 ft), famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque architecture of Sevillan style roots, as well as a number of ruins of colonial churches. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
During colonial times it was known as "Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala" and was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, between 1541 and 1776, when the capital was moved to the newly established city Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (Guatemala city) after the earthquakes of Santa Marta ruin the city for the third time in the same century and civilian authorities will use that as an excuse to weaken ecclesiastical authorities -following the recommendations of the Bourbon Reforms undertaken by the Spanish crown in the second half of 18th century- forcing the regular orders to move from its majestic monasteries to fragile temporary structures in the new city.
Antigua Guatemala serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. It also serves as the departmental capital of Sacatepéquez Department. source
Antigua has a flourishing and diverse expat population. We enjoyed our stay very much and plan to go back often!
Please check out our video below
Friday, September 30, 2016
Coffee Grounds - I'll take you there!
This was originally the Saturday video/post for my blog The Aspiring Expats but since I finished the editing early. YAY!! (for once) I thought I would post it here first
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Marcelo took us on a tour of the coffee farm that is behind our house (Casa de Coffey) and down a steep hill. To be honest, I always thought we were living on the edge of a cliff, and if we went out too far, we would go tumbling down the hillside, crashing through the trees and coffee plants and land in the river (which of course would contain wild animals and snakes). Truth! (smile) Really though, all I can see from our patio is coffee and trees for miles (and of course the rose garden).
I had no idea!
We were both pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it is out there. There are paths and trees and flowers and lots and lots of coffee! No wild animals only the neighbor's friendly Schnauzer.
I am so happy we had a chance to see it and Marcelo was so nice to answer the 1001 questions we had.
Come along with us and see for yourself.
Today's video is about 12 minutes long, so grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine (depending on what time you are reading this)get comfy, sit back and enjoy. (Excuse the audio in portions it is a little low - just turn up the volume a little)
email subscribers click the link above
(If any of you come to visit us "I'll take you there" out behind our house and walk along the beautiful paths leading to the river)
(If any of you come to visit us "I'll take you there" out behind our house and walk along the beautiful paths leading to the river)
Saturday, September 24, 2016
The Awesome Ridges of Grecia - Our life in Costa Rica
There are many reasons why we chose to live in this house, but one of the main reasons is... the view.
In the words of many who live on the ridges of Grecia "It is to die for!".
Grecia has 5 ridges that lead to the top of the Poas volcano and they all have spectacular million dollar views of San Jose and the Central Valley.
Someday I will photograph views from all 5 ridges but today's post are the views from our ridge, San Luis. We are at about 4,300ft. Each day we awake to the beauty of Costa Rica. The next ridge over from ours is El Cajon where many expats live. The video today is the view from our patio over to that ridge.
You can see coffee for miles. The plant and animal life is abundant. The owner of our house grows 80 different varieties of roses which we can see if we look down from our patio.
It's a beautiful and peaceful existence. It's a great life and we Love it.
So thought i would share with you.
In the words of many who live on the ridges of Grecia "It is to die for!".
Grecia has 5 ridges that lead to the top of the Poas volcano and they all have spectacular million dollar views of San Jose and the Central Valley.
Someday I will photograph views from all 5 ridges but today's post are the views from our ridge, San Luis. We are at about 4,300ft. Each day we awake to the beauty of Costa Rica. The next ridge over from ours is El Cajon where many expats live. The video today is the view from our patio over to that ridge.
You can see coffee for miles. The plant and animal life is abundant. The owner of our house grows 80 different varieties of roses which we can see if we look down from our patio.
It's a beautiful and peaceful existence. It's a great life and we Love it.
So thought i would share with you.
Have a great weekend everyone!
email subscribers can click the link above for video
Monday, August 29, 2016
Pure Imagination
R.I.P Gene Wilder
Born: June 11, 1933,
Share from my post on May 12, 2010
Pure Imagination is the catchy little tune from the at&t commercial, sung by a very young, Gene Wilder in the movie, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (1971). I found myself humming the tune over and over agin. Maybe you've heard it too and wondered who sang it and how the rest of the song goes. Words and video are below.
Willy Wonka:
[Spoken]
Hold your breath
Make a wish
Count to three
[Sung]
Come with me
And you'll be
In a world of
Pure imagination
Take a look
And you'll see
Into your imagination
We'll begin
With a spin
Traveling in
The world of my creation
What we'll see
Will defy
Explanation
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanta change the world?
There's nothing
To it
There is no
Life I know
To compare with
Pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly wish to be
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanta change the world?
There's nothing
To it
There is no
Life I know
To compare with
Pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly
Wish to be
I'm Just Sayin
Sunday, August 7, 2016
A Celebration of "Uncommon Love" - Expat Weddings in Costa Rica
It was my pleasure and my honor to attend this special celebration and to take photos and videos of the occasion.
The group wedding in Grecia was inspired by another group of expats in Atenas
Below is the video from the Saturday's weddings in El Cajon de Grecia.
The ceremony lasted about an hour and I took about 180 photos and videos. I have condensed the content down to a little under 14 minutes.
Hope you will watch and enjoy!!!
Celebration of an "Uncommon Love" from Devon on Vimeo
(link above for email subscribers)
(link above for email subscribers)
An Uncommon Love
By Terah Cox
May you have the love only two can know.
May you go where only two as one may go.
May the sun rise and set in your bonded hearts and the moon never find you too long apart.
May you cherish each other’s dreams as your own and turn stumbling blocks into steppingstones.
May you brave life’s mountains and miles together.
May there be no storm your love cannot weather.
May you be lovers and allies and friends.
May your soul’s conversation never end.
May you capture on earth what’s in heaven above.
May your hearts know the rapture of an uncommon love.
Friday, August 5, 2016
There's gonna be a Wedding!!!
Not me of course!!!
The other day Kathleen, Jane and I went into town.
Our mission: To find an acceptable fabric for Jane's veil
Jane & Kathleen are both part of the expat group of 10 couples
that will be re-married (under Costa Rican law) on El Cajon ridge this Saturday.
We went into town to get some last minute wedding items. Jane has a tiara which she plans to wear (a very heavy one) but beyond that -- she has no idea what else she is wearing (and the wedding is tomorrow)
This should make for a very interesting affair!!
Here's a clip of our little shopping expedition
BTW- I will be one of the photographers and video folks who will document the event on Saturday!!!
Plus I feel a fashion reveal coming on
Stay Tuned!!!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Reflections on our new life in Costa Rica
Today I'm going to cover several things at once and get you all caught up.
First - We now have a cat. A kitten. He came to us on July 5th. We had our housekeeper take him away to give to a family that wanted him but about a week later he was back.
I took him to the vet to have him checked out to make sure he was Ok and got him his first vaccination, de-worming, nails clipped and flea and tick prevention. Total cost $24.
Turns out he is a male about 4 months old. He is in good health.
We didn't really want a cat since I already have 2 dogs but there are a lot of strays here and rather than have him mistreated or dumped along the side of the road we have let him stay. He does not come in the house (unless he sneaks under the screen) LOL He loves playing in the hills and in the coffee fields. We have a large patio so he hangs out there most of the time (napping on one of our many chairs). At night he goes up on the ledge under the roofing over the patio (I guess he feels safer up high)
Very smart cat.
We named him Luis - actually one of our friends from California came up with the name. Beginning with the letter "L" to go with Lily & Lola and because we live in San Luis de Grecia. Lavanson is an L and my middle name is Lynn. So quite appropriate.
People have said that a cat chooses you and that they are your angel. So....for now....We have a cat.
Second - Some of you may remember me buying lots of stuff (makeup etc) to bring to Costa Rica before I left SF. Many of you were perplexed and thought it was sort of odd because I should just buy things here. Well, I am so happy that I did -- because prices are crazy here for luxury items. I looked at a pair of Tom's (just a plain black pair) and they were $65 and up. I think @ Whole Foods the cost was about $58.
If you want to really save money here you have to adjust how you live. You cannot live the same way you did in the states. However, rent is so cheap that it is still worth while living here. My rent is $266/month (my 1/3) Rent in the U.S was $2,400 - you do the math!
Before I came, I bought lots of makeup - lipstick, etc but the one thing I did not bring was nail polish. Mostly because I heard that it would dry out and I figured "how much could it cost?" Really?
When I decided I wanted to paint my nails I went out and bought some polish at the Central Market. It wasn't too much. I bought a small polish remover and polish for about $4.
the remover is in small bottles (the images are much smaller than they appear!) The remover is not strong so you use up most of the bottle trying to remove your polish.
The polish was dreadful It chipped and peeled and just looked awful. It never went on smoothly from the start. Yesterday we were at the Auto Mercado (a grocery store which caters to expats) and I decided I was going to get myself a bottle of REAL polish with a brand name that I recognized.
So I bought 2 bottles of Sally Hansen (that is not a high priced brand)
Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine for this one
First - We now have a cat. A kitten. He came to us on July 5th. We had our housekeeper take him away to give to a family that wanted him but about a week later he was back.
I took him to the vet to have him checked out to make sure he was Ok and got him his first vaccination, de-worming, nails clipped and flea and tick prevention. Total cost $24.
Turns out he is a male about 4 months old. He is in good health.
We didn't really want a cat since I already have 2 dogs but there are a lot of strays here and rather than have him mistreated or dumped along the side of the road we have let him stay. He does not come in the house (unless he sneaks under the screen) LOL He loves playing in the hills and in the coffee fields. We have a large patio so he hangs out there most of the time (napping on one of our many chairs). At night he goes up on the ledge under the roofing over the patio (I guess he feels safer up high)
Very smart cat.
We named him Luis - actually one of our friends from California came up with the name. Beginning with the letter "L" to go with Lily & Lola and because we live in San Luis de Grecia. Lavanson is an L and my middle name is Lynn. So quite appropriate.
People have said that a cat chooses you and that they are your angel. So....for now....We have a cat.
our little angel "Luis"
Second - Some of you may remember me buying lots of stuff (makeup etc) to bring to Costa Rica before I left SF. Many of you were perplexed and thought it was sort of odd because I should just buy things here. Well, I am so happy that I did -- because prices are crazy here for luxury items. I looked at a pair of Tom's (just a plain black pair) and they were $65 and up. I think @ Whole Foods the cost was about $58.
If you want to really save money here you have to adjust how you live. You cannot live the same way you did in the states. However, rent is so cheap that it is still worth while living here. My rent is $266/month (my 1/3) Rent in the U.S was $2,400 - you do the math!
Before I came, I bought lots of makeup - lipstick, etc but the one thing I did not bring was nail polish. Mostly because I heard that it would dry out and I figured "how much could it cost?" Really?
When I decided I wanted to paint my nails I went out and bought some polish at the Central Market. It wasn't too much. I bought a small polish remover and polish for about $4.
Costa Rica nail polish in teeny bottles
The polish was dreadful It chipped and peeled and just looked awful. It never went on smoothly from the start. Yesterday we were at the Auto Mercado (a grocery store which caters to expats) and I decided I was going to get myself a bottle of REAL polish with a brand name that I recognized.
So I bought 2 bottles of Sally Hansen (that is not a high priced brand)
The smaller bottle was $7 and the regular size bottle was $12.50. That is about twice the price that it costs in the states. The Revlon polish was $14
also pure maple syrup is $30. My Genoa salami is $6 a pack (about 8 slices) REAL cheese is crazy expensive like $15 or something. Yesterday I bought 3 packs and got charged for 4 - with the nail polish and other items my bill was $105
fruits & veggies are SUPER cheap but you gotta eat like a local or you will go broke!
Of course there are many, many pluses - Our view is to die for and the weather is perfect among other things so we still love it here!
also pure maple syrup is $30. My Genoa salami is $6 a pack (about 8 slices) REAL cheese is crazy expensive like $15 or something. Yesterday I bought 3 packs and got charged for 4 - with the nail polish and other items my bill was $105
fruits & veggies are SUPER cheap but you gotta eat like a local or you will go broke!
Of course there are many, many pluses - Our view is to die for and the weather is perfect among other things so we still love it here!
Third - We finally bought a gas grill. Price was $275 assembled. (I think that was a pretty good price) We brought it home in the back seat of a taxi. The gas can with gas was $75! (ouch) - but you have to buy the can then take it to your local pulperia (neighborhood store) for gas refills.
To break in the grill we decided to invite a few friends over. Especially since we NEVER had a gas grill and did not know exactly how to use it.
Our short party video is attached below
Video link above
Oh and Lastly - We took the bus to Alajuela (22 miles away) yesterday so I could get my hair done by my new Sisterlocks Consultant. Her name is Dr Carmen Hutchinson-Miller and she was awesome!!! Did a great job and took about 2 1/2 hrs (normal) The price was $40. I pay $100 back in the states. Cost of the bus was $1.20 ea way and takes about 30 mins. Some of you may remember I was searching for someone to do my hair before I left.
NATURAL HAIR RULES!!!
after my lock retightening
Dr Miller and me
I won this one hahaha
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Home Sweet Home - Costa Rica Reveal
We've now been n Costa Rica for 18 days and are finally starting to settle in.
The home we are renting has 3 bedrooms 1,700 + sq ft), 2 full baths, living room, kitchen with lots of gadgets & gas cook top but no oven only a toaster oven, dining room and TV room. It came completely furnished with EVERYTHING! And, I do mean everything. Including a state of the art camera surveillance system. I think there are about 8 cameras monitoring the property which we can see on TV and we have access to on our phones. There was really nothing that I had to supply except personal items and food.
As it ended up most of the things I shipped turned out to be duplicates of what was already in the house. I brought about 8 towels, some dishes, silverware, a couple of sets of sheets, the throw pillows (which were used to cushion breakables in the box we shipped), some books, knick knacks, clothes and pictures. We didn't bring anything too big and nothing that was very expensive as we did not want to take the risk of breakage or theft in shipment. Now we have lots of doubles!
We have a gardener and a housekeeper who comes in once a week from 7am - 12noon (she is not included in the rent but we pay her 10 mil (which is about $20). She cleans the house from top to bottom including windows and speaks only Spanish. We got an app called iTranslate so we can chat with her but mostly we are just trying to learn Spanish. Our classes will start in July.
One interesting thing we discovered is that the houses in Costa Rica are made of cement, hence NOTHING sticks to the walls and you can't hammer a picture hook so as you will see by the photos we ended up hanging a few things on the nails that were already there and in the 3 cut out niches in the living room where I managed to fit three of my pictures and he 4th one hangs all alone on a big wall.
I also brought a very light sheer wall hanging which you will see in the photo hanging on the living room wall. I think it looks great but please note - about 15 minutes after I took the photo it fell to the floor like everything else we have tried to hang. So....we are still trying to figure out how we can make the few pictures we have stay on the walls.
Ticos are obviously not as vain as we are because there was only 1 mirror in the entire house. So we went out and purchased a mirror for the 2nd bath. I also plan to get a full length mirror as well - just trying to figure out how to get it home on the bus! LOL
The houses also have no screens on doors or windows and most of the locals leave their doors open all day. We would like to do that as well for cross ventilation but due to insects/bugs we keep the doors closed most of the time. We bought some screening from EPA, the Costa Rica equivalent of Home Depot, and tacked it to the door frames with push pins since it is wood. I ordered some magnetic screen doors from Amazon which Charles will bring in a few weeks when he comes and we are getting a handyman to make us some frames to use to make window screens.
We are having some difficulty getting cable. We ordered it but so far about 70 channels are missing. I can watch soccer, the music channels and a handful of Spanish stations (which I hope will help me learn the language) Most channels I have tried to access via my Apple TV are blocked for use outside the US. Might have to get a VPN.
The only other open item has to do with humidity. Although it doesn't really feel humid, let's face it - it is the rainy season so we are looking into a dehumidifier for the closet in the master bedroom. When we leave the doors open all day I think I can feel a bit of dampness on the clothes and don't want to take any chances.
Other than that - everything thing else is going well.
We could not have asked for a nicer house. No suicide showers! We have hot water in the kitchen, laundry room and the bathtubs. There is no hot water in the bathroom sinks. I am getting used to it since it isn't cold outside.
Another big plus is that the house has new septic so you can flush toilet paper down the toilet. YAY!!! Before about 1975 every home had clay pipes and a septic tank in the yard, so in most homes in Costa Rica (and many B&B's) you will find a waste paper basket in the bathroom next to the toilet with a plastic supermarket plastic bag in it (many with a pedal flip waste can). This is where you dispose of your toilet paper after use. (we still have a pedal can in our 2nd bath - altho it isn't for waste disposal) This takes some getting used to. If you are in Costa Rica you can ask if the pipes are clay or PVC. If they are PVC, then no worries. Flush away.
When you are a guest in a home or a B & B where there is a sign in the bathroom that says "por favor no tire el papel higienico en el indoor" (please do not throw toilet paper in the toilet), please don't.
We LOVE the house and our new life in Costa Rica. Everyday is a new adventure.
Hope you enjoy the video! Remember it takes me anywhere from 4 - 16 hours to upload a single video here!!
Pura Vida!!
The home we are renting has 3 bedrooms 1,700 + sq ft), 2 full baths, living room, kitchen with lots of gadgets & gas cook top but no oven only a toaster oven, dining room and TV room. It came completely furnished with EVERYTHING! And, I do mean everything. Including a state of the art camera surveillance system. I think there are about 8 cameras monitoring the property which we can see on TV and we have access to on our phones. There was really nothing that I had to supply except personal items and food.
As it ended up most of the things I shipped turned out to be duplicates of what was already in the house. I brought about 8 towels, some dishes, silverware, a couple of sets of sheets, the throw pillows (which were used to cushion breakables in the box we shipped), some books, knick knacks, clothes and pictures. We didn't bring anything too big and nothing that was very expensive as we did not want to take the risk of breakage or theft in shipment. Now we have lots of doubles!
We have a gardener and a housekeeper who comes in once a week from 7am - 12noon (she is not included in the rent but we pay her 10 mil (which is about $20). She cleans the house from top to bottom including windows and speaks only Spanish. We got an app called iTranslate so we can chat with her but mostly we are just trying to learn Spanish. Our classes will start in July.
One interesting thing we discovered is that the houses in Costa Rica are made of cement, hence NOTHING sticks to the walls and you can't hammer a picture hook so as you will see by the photos we ended up hanging a few things on the nails that were already there and in the 3 cut out niches in the living room where I managed to fit three of my pictures and he 4th one hangs all alone on a big wall.
 |
| cement home in Costa Rica |
I also brought a very light sheer wall hanging which you will see in the photo hanging on the living room wall. I think it looks great but please note - about 15 minutes after I took the photo it fell to the floor like everything else we have tried to hang. So....we are still trying to figure out how we can make the few pictures we have stay on the walls.
Ticos are obviously not as vain as we are because there was only 1 mirror in the entire house. So we went out and purchased a mirror for the 2nd bath. I also plan to get a full length mirror as well - just trying to figure out how to get it home on the bus! LOL
The houses also have no screens on doors or windows and most of the locals leave their doors open all day. We would like to do that as well for cross ventilation but due to insects/bugs we keep the doors closed most of the time. We bought some screening from EPA, the Costa Rica equivalent of Home Depot, and tacked it to the door frames with push pins since it is wood. I ordered some magnetic screen doors from Amazon which Charles will bring in a few weeks when he comes and we are getting a handyman to make us some frames to use to make window screens.
We are having some difficulty getting cable. We ordered it but so far about 70 channels are missing. I can watch soccer, the music channels and a handful of Spanish stations (which I hope will help me learn the language) Most channels I have tried to access via my Apple TV are blocked for use outside the US. Might have to get a VPN.
The only other open item has to do with humidity. Although it doesn't really feel humid, let's face it - it is the rainy season so we are looking into a dehumidifier for the closet in the master bedroom. When we leave the doors open all day I think I can feel a bit of dampness on the clothes and don't want to take any chances.
Other than that - everything thing else is going well.
We could not have asked for a nicer house. No suicide showers! We have hot water in the kitchen, laundry room and the bathtubs. There is no hot water in the bathroom sinks. I am getting used to it since it isn't cold outside.
Another big plus is that the house has new septic so you can flush toilet paper down the toilet. YAY!!! Before about 1975 every home had clay pipes and a septic tank in the yard, so in most homes in Costa Rica (and many B&B's) you will find a waste paper basket in the bathroom next to the toilet with a plastic supermarket plastic bag in it (many with a pedal flip waste can). This is where you dispose of your toilet paper after use. (we still have a pedal can in our 2nd bath - altho it isn't for waste disposal) This takes some getting used to. If you are in Costa Rica you can ask if the pipes are clay or PVC. If they are PVC, then no worries. Flush away.
When you are a guest in a home or a B & B where there is a sign in the bathroom that says "por favor no tire el papel higienico en el indoor" (please do not throw toilet paper in the toilet), please don't.
We LOVE the house and our new life in Costa Rica. Everyday is a new adventure.
Hope you enjoy the video! Remember it takes me anywhere from 4 - 16 hours to upload a single video here!!
Pura Vida!!
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Shopping in Costa Rica - it's all an adventure!
You might wonder what we have been doing with all of our spare time since arriving in Costa Rica.Well, the short and the long answer to that question would be, mostly "shopping".
I am a gal who loves to shop, however shopping is much different here in Grecia. That goes for food as well as household items. There is no Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Home Depot here. Also accommodating food for a vegan diet adds an extra layer. It reminds me of the options available in San Francisco back in the 80's. You can find organic foods but you really have to look for them. I know that it is not quite as difficult on the Caribbean side or even on the Pacific side but here in our little corner of the world it takes a little more time.
The store that offered us the most familiar shopping experience was the Auto Mercado Supermarket in Alajuela (the next town over from us - and Costa Rica's 2nd largest city). Auto Mercado is the most expensive grocery chain in the country! The store was beautiful and full of all the brands I recognized. They had a small selection of organic fruit and produce and even carried Kendall Jackson wine. However since part of our goal was to live more economically, no money would be saved by shopping there so....it was fun while it lasted but we will need to pass on making tis our go-to grocery store in the future.
We also shopped at Rosvil Market in Grecia. They have a very good selection of food. The store is pretty big. Something that stood out to us was that -- the store will deliver your food to your home for you. You shop and then tell them when you will be home and they deliver - no charge! I don't have any photos but I am pretty sure we will shop there often.
There is a pretty big feria (Farmer's Market) in Grecia on Friday and Saturday. We missed last week but plan to go this week.
Other options for fruits and vegetables include the Mercado Central (Central Market) which is right at the Grecia bus station, where we went today. We took the bus for the 1st time. The bus stop is about 500 meters from our house and is uphill (or I think about 5 city blocks).
The Central Market has many small shops and offers a variety of products. There was also an organic store, Macrobiotica.
Please check out that blue sky - it is absolutely gorgeous
I am a gal who loves to shop, however shopping is much different here in Grecia. That goes for food as well as household items. There is no Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Home Depot here. Also accommodating food for a vegan diet adds an extra layer. It reminds me of the options available in San Francisco back in the 80's. You can find organic foods but you really have to look for them. I know that it is not quite as difficult on the Caribbean side or even on the Pacific side but here in our little corner of the world it takes a little more time.
We have gone to several stores so far. The closest one was a pulperia.
Our neighbor Vinny drove us to the local pulperia. Vinny is one of our landlord Marcelo's cousins and speaks pretty good English. I think just about everyone on our street is related to Marcelo. (I remember a time in the states when things were the same way)
In Costa Rica small grocery stores like our corner stores are called pulperias.
Our little neighborhood pulperia is called Super Linda Vista
The store is operated by Christian (a very tall Tico)
It's neat and clean and has a variety of products.
but...
Not too many brands that we recognized
Vinny was very helpful recommending what to buy
 |
| The Auto Mercado |
There is a pretty big feria (Farmer's Market) in Grecia on Friday and Saturday. We missed last week but plan to go this week.
Other options for fruits and vegetables include the Mercado Central (Central Market) which is right at the Grecia bus station, where we went today. We took the bus for the 1st time. The bus stop is about 500 meters from our house and is uphill (or I think about 5 city blocks).
The Central Market has many small shops and offers a variety of products. There was also an organic store, Macrobiotica.
These are pics of our trek to the bus stop - it is uphill all the way
Yes please wait for me
Please check out that blue sky - it is absolutely gorgeous
from the top of the hill
Finally we made it to the bus stop - after stopping about 3 times to catch our breath
This is the bus stop - you can tell by the yellow line - that is the ONLY marker
The adventure continues
a little taste of downtown Grecia (sorry for the shaky video)
a little taste of downtown Grecia (sorry for the shaky video)
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