Feliz Navidad in Costa Rica

Unlike the Costa Rican coffee that is rich, bold and bursting with flavor, our fist taste of Costa Rica was dark, bitter and strong -- fortunately, our first taste didn’t linger. Arriving mid-afternoon, we endured endless waiting lines for sim cards and car rental so were delayed setting off to our hotel. This meant that we encountered rush hour combined with Christmas shoppers at a nearby shopping complex. Through a combination of our inability to properly use the US GPS and map errors, our 19 kilometer drive to our hotel took us 2 ¼ hours. As a rule, streets in Costa Rica don’t have names, or numbers, so using the GPS is a challenge. A road that should have taken us to the hotel is now closed and we ended up at a locked fence only a few meters from the hotel but couldn’t find a way around it. We finally arrived 45 minutes later exhausted and frustrated!

Our introduction didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for going out the next day to begin our adventures so we were off early the next morning (hoping to avoid traffic) to visit a butterfly farm. Unlike in the US, there were no signs so it was difficult to find. On arriving, we had our own personal guide and since it was a gorgeous sunny morning, over a thousand butterflies were flying around the garden. We were lucky to be able to observe a rare opening of a giant moth while we were there. We also got to watch a couple of caterpillars begin their development of the chrysalis as well as others just emerging and trying to dry their wings for flight.

Later, our tour of the Britt Coffee Plantation included a wonderful buffet lunch of rice and beans along with other typical dishes before learning all of the ins and outs of growing, processing and making coffee. Our tour ended with a coffee tasting in the shop with not only coffee but also an addition of samples of chocolate covered coffee beans so it was the best of both worlds.

Other adventures included a walk through a rain forest where we spotted viper snakes (very poisonous), toucans, a sloth and a white-faced monkey as well as hundreds of plants and orchids. We then took a long aerial tram through the rain forest at two different levels – mid-way to the top and top of the trees. We also visited a botanical orchid garden with hundreds of varieties of plants and a tropical bird reserve. There were long drives up mountains on twisting, winding roads in thick, dense clouds where you couldn’t see anything beyond a few feet in front of you, other times it was clear and you could see coffee plantations planted right up against the road. We also stumbled upon a microbrewery/pub, supposedly the first one in Costa Rica. Of course we had to stop and taste their product – yummy!

Christmas Eve was spent in an Italian restaurant with the most fabulous food and wine ever! I know, not local, but it was the only one open. Fortunately, it was also one of the best in San Jose. Christmas day was quiet and then our last day was spent at another coffee plantation with a totally different process than the first one. We had another coffee tasting – tough life! Did you know that Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts as well as other well-known coffee places purchase the beans from Costa Rica and roast them in the US?

My mornings (every morning) started with the famous Costa Rican Gallo Pinto (translated as spotted rooster) – a dish of rice and beans. This is a staple in Costa Rica and I could absolutely live on it! Rice and beans is quite common for any meal and I could have had it 3 times a day, although I didn’t. I didn’t manage to get the recipe while there but now have 5 recipes that I’m going to experiment with. I’m hoping to recreate the wonderful breakfast experience of actually being in Costa Rica.

Cost Rica is a breathtakingly beautiful country filled with wonderfully warm, welcoming and pleasant people. If you haven’t visited, I’d highly recommend it!

 

 

 

Exploring Mayan Sites in the Yucatan

Our sightseeing trip to Mexico ended on a magnificent (Mayan) high although we did get off to a bit of a shaky start in our second week.  We normally hire a car and do our own thing, but this trip we decided to try to get by with only local transport. And we wanted to book guided tours to visit the archeological sites at Coba and Tulum, both of which we’d visited before but on our own with information from history books as guides. Apart from hiring guides in countries where language is a problem, this isn’t something that we typically do. This trip we wanted to get more Mayan history and culture.
                                                                                                                   
Our shaky start was our tour to Coba and Tulum. Have you ever had one of those days where you felt as if you were living in the Groundhog Day movie? This tour turned out to be that kind of day. Our "ground hog day" experience was the constant long and often repeated explanations about the history while not seeing anything for hours.  Steve and I had explored Coba in 1 ½ hours before so we couldn’t believe that we spent over three hours there (mostly just listening to the guide talk).  We were dropped at a very bad roadside restaurant, where nothing was Mayan or even Mexican, and it was 2.30p.m. Since we’d met at 7.00a.m., it had been 7 ½ hours with no snacks or water provided and we were all starving. At this point we all agreed that some food was better than no food. Tulum, my main reason for booking the tour, was totally disappointing. With less than an hour in fading light when a minimum of three hours is needed for exploring all of these fascinating ruins, we had to listen to the guide for 40 minutes and then we were told the site was closed. Our final straw came when the guide insisted on dropping us off at a nearby beach before traveling back. It was totally dark so the only thing to see was the well-lit bar! After the kind of day we’d had, we needed that drink! Arriving back at our resort at 8.00pm-13 hours after we’d met that morning, we were exhausted from the frustration of wasting so much time with so little time devoted to seeing ruins and the constant repeating of the history. Highlight of our day? - meeting three lovely ladies who told us about their trip to the Ek’ Balam, ruins found as recently as 1997. Their high praise of the site and tour guide convinced us to book another trip.

The day before we left Mexico dawned bright and the temperature was very pleasant, so we headed out with some trepidation for another day-long tour. But this one proved to be the pinnacle of our two-week visit. The bus was on time, our tour guide, Sergio, is an anthropologist whose father is an archeologist and they’ve worked together on many sites. He’s half Mayan and half Spanish and an incredible font of historical knowledge. He also speaks 4 languages so I’m incredibly envious.

 

Although Ek’Balam has only recently been discovered and therefore not many of the buildings have been reconstructed, it’s well worth the trip and a treat that shouldn’t be missed. Much is still to be done on the site but my highlight was the almost vertical pyramid that Steve and I climbed. Well, I made it half way to the top where I got to take in a doorway to a temple that is made in the shape of a jaguar’s mouth – including the fangs all around it. I only did half-way because coming down was a scary nightmare and heights aren’t exactly my thing! Steve climbed the entire pyramid.

We had the perfect amount of time to explore these amazing ruins of Mayan architecture and walk along the wall and peek into the very small rooms at the base of the pyramid. Then we were off to visit a real Mayan village where they prepared a typical meal for us of a pork dish, rice, beans and corn tortillas made by hand. Following that, we toured a couple of the Mayan homes. Most of them have no electricity, no TV, no indoor bathrooms, none of the modern luxuries that we have here at home. And the homes were probably smaller than your living rooms. Made us feel really blessed that we have as much as we do!

Muchas gracias for tuning in to read my blog and stay tuned for our adventures in Costa Rica in December. In the mean time we had not one but three Thanksgiving dinners so we are trying to recover and gear up for a busy end to 2012!

Learning Español From a Beautiful Local in a Beautiful Location!

For a short time during our afternoons in Mexico, we met with Marcela by the pool for our Spanish classes and throughout the two weeks we were the only ones who seemed to want to learn, or at least brush up on the language. Marcela, young, beautiful and bubbly (and who had eyelashes to die for) was so good to adapt the “lessons” so to give us words and phrases that we could use in normal everyday life. Although we were only supposed to have classes for thirty minutes two days a week, she met with us nearly every day and extended our 30 minutes to an hour. Quite often the other pool staff -- Paco, Orlando and Jessica broke into our lessons and would off the cuff ask us questions in Spanish as a little test. On one of our first days, one of them asked me “Como esta el bano”. I had no idea where the bathroom was but told him in my best Spanish to take a right and continue on straight. I was using the little Spanish that I already knew and guessed that the bathrooms were at least in that vicinity. (Actually, I learned that this was pretty close to where they were located.)

Many of you may remember language classes in school and think that the proper way to learn a language is to spend hours conjugating verbs but Marcela taught us words and phrases that we could immediately use. And, since we used them daily; they were easier to remember. At our age, we need all the help we can get! We also picked up some of the local slang thanks to Marcela. Our lessons were meant to be fun and not what is called a “proper way” to learn a language but it worked for us. We used what we’d learned as often as we could and I know the staff had a good laugh at our “gringo attempts” during our stay but it was fun and we enjoyed it immensely!

Whenever we travel abroad, Steve and I try to get into the culture of a country because we believe that you can’t really get to know a country without knowing the history and at least a little bit of the native language. We’re now trying to absorb Spanish through online courses. Our poolside lessons were an extremely helpful re-enforcement and learning the local words and slang helped too. Our current on-line lessons are Scottish formulated so the Spanish is “Spain oriented” – not the Mexican Spanish that we need for our current trips. But I love my on-line lessons because I get my very much-missed Scottish accents from the instructor and student during the lessons so I have the best of both worlds! Our lessons with Marcela were exceptionally fun and entertaining and since we were able to immediately use the (local) Spanish to get us around plus order food, we were feeling comfortable in every day situations.

This blog is dedicated to Marcela and her pool colleagues. We had the most wonderful time learning from her and are continuing on as best we can. When we meet up next time, I promise that we’ll be more proficient in Spanish!

My next blog will be about our final Mayan low-lights and high-lights. We had one really horrible tour and one incredibly fascinating tour complete with a traditional Mayan meal and tour of a Mayan home. Thanks for bearing with me during this Mexican part of our travels.

Sabor de México (Taste of Mexico)

My husband and I have now been in Mexico for a week and time is flying by far too quickly. We neither one are into lounging by the pool and baking in the sun so we’ve been immersing ourselves into as much of the Mexican culture as we can, while still enjoying all the perks provided in a lush, plush resort. I have to admit that the extensive pools, the palm trees and the jungle-like plants surrounding us helps to remind us that we are “not in Kansas anymore, Toto”.

Our immersion has included tastings and classes providing us with stories of food and drink traditions, and culture as well as taking private classes in Español by the pool. Our Spanish classes aren’t meant to be our own little private sessions-it’s just that we seem to be the only two people who are interested in learning. I've also made up challenges such as food shopping from a list that's entirely in Spanish. That shopping list combined with shopping in an unfamilar store is a great challenge.

Our food and drink classes started off with a cocktail making class just a couple of days after arriving. Our Bar Chef, Rene Ramos, has created several cocktails that you’d never think of drinking in Mexico. He mixed six of his favorite recipes, all made with fresh local produce without the aid of a blender and only half of which were based around the infamous Mexican Tequila. Each of his drinks contains two of the same basic ingredients, fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Rene entertained us with a story for each of the recipes; he certainly was charming. It didn’t hurt either that he was young and very cute!

Our second class was the Tequila tasting a couple of days later. Our Tequilier (who knew there was even such an occupation) led us through the history and culture of making Tequila. He covered the two types of agave-the green and the blue plant. For the novices, agave is the cactus that lies at the source of tequila's euphoric buzz. We learned that the best Tequila uses 100 per cent agave and uses the blue plant, which is between five to seven years old. Our Tequilier gave us loads of information along with our tastings but his accent was so strong that we had a really hard time trying to understand him so I’m sure that I missed a great deal. Never mind, I got the most important bits such as the number of distillations needed for a good Tequila, the reasons behind using the salt and lime, and the use of a sangrita along with a younger Tequila. Although the salt and lime are tradition is used with younger Tequilas, the salt is placed around the mouth and followed by the lime. Both are taken after drinking the Tequila, not before as in the shots of Tequila that are often played out in American Bars. A good Tequila should be sipped the same as a good whiskey or cognac.

 

Our third class was a Mexican cooking class starting at 9am. Cooking is a great way of learning about the culture and history of the food that we American’s think of for its hot, spicy kick. It can be hot and spicy but we learned that the foods have much more to offer than just the “heat”! The recipes that the Chefs demonstrated can be made by a complete novice; however, maybe the Shrimps Flambés with Tequila and the Napolitan Flan might require a bit more experience in the kitchen. We definitely shouldn’t have eaten any breakfast because our “tastings” of the recipes were fuerte (hearty helpings)! I loved all the tastes and also loved the Chefs’ explanation of the chiles. I learned that it’s not just the seeds in a chile that makes it so hot, it’s also the veins. So you can use a chile to make a dish as hot as you want or you can just use a bit to give it flavor. The Chefs prepared, and importantly we got to sample, five dishes ranging from the world’s best guacamole to the flan and each one was paired with a vino excelente. Can’t think of a better way to start our day.

We have another week to explore and immerse ourselves in Mexican culture and we have trips to Mayan ruins planned. We’ve been to most of the ruins before so our visit this time will be a revising and a refresher in Mayan history. I have to say that this coming week is going to be hard to surpass this past week in tastes and experiences. 

 

Buenas nochés -- happy hour and a sunset are both calling!

 

Choose a Charity and make a Difference

Autumn is definitely here but our crazy weather can’t decide from day to day if it will be tropical summer or crisp, breezy, fall. Here on the Eastern Shore, we went from incredibly hot to needing a jacket and then back to hot and unbearably humid. You can tell, though, that it’s definitely October because everything in the stores has been decorated for Halloween for at least two months and the enormous bags of candy beckon as soon as you walk into any store (super-size me comes to mind).  I’ve bought into the Halloween hype in a small way so I have a pumpkin and jack-o-lantern next to my front door, plus a “Witch is in” sign in my front window.  My husband and I will be in Mexico on the 31^st so unfortunately, I’m going to miss all of the cute ghosts and goblins who usually come by, although these days they are usually avatars, aliens or zombies.

October is probably best known for Halloween but I found out through some recent Internet research that it’s one of the most popular “official national months” for all sorts of charities. Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave this week, you’ll know that it’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there are all sorts of aggressive campaigns. But did you know that it’s also “National Bullying Prevention Month”, “National Popcorn Poppin’ Month”, “National Book Month”, “National Cyber Security Awareness Month”, “National Window Coverings Safety Month”, “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” and “National Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month”? And all of these popped up before I found the site that I was looking for, The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This is the nation’s largest event that helps raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. (Sorry, I had to get my plug in!) Last year, my husband and I did a 5K walk to help the Eastern Shore chapter but we’ll be away this year so I was trying to find out how to help by just giving a donation.

Every time I check out at a store these days, the clerk asks me if I’d like to donate to a specific charity. While I feel guilty for saying no, there are only so many that I can support and I do have my favorites. I usually have a very good reason to support my choices so I choose those which I have some sort of personal connection. Some of these include: The American Heart Association, and in particular the Go Red for Women, because my family has a history of heart disease; I support the Alzheimer’s Association because an aunt, my husband’s uncle and my son-in-law’s grandmother suffered with Alzheimer’s. Actually, in the end, it was their care-givers all of whom were family members who suffered the most. I also support the (WWF) World Wildlife Foundation because my favorite animals, the cheetahs and polar bears, could become extinct if we humans don’t step in to help. My husband and I support our local animal rescue because the volunteers there do a thankless and endless job of caring for animals that have been abandoned. And our two incredibly spoiled cats came from there. Without ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) we wouldn’t have Sadie and Ali.

There is another one that I’d like to comment on, yet again, and that’s supporting our troops. One of my blogs last month mentioned several ways you can support them and their families but since Halloween is coming up, I’d like to remind you of the Halloween Candy buyback program. Check to see if your dentist will buy back your left over Halloween Candy – your body will thank you for it. The troops who are keeping you safe will appreciate it too. If your dentist isn’t buying back candy, visit halloweencandybuyback.com for more information.

I guess my concern and question is - "how do you choose which charities you support"? The above list is an amazing one and every single one is a good cause and they all need our support. I’d just urge you to choose those that you are really committed to and give what you can. Every little bit helps.

 

"Generosity consists not the sum given, but the manner in which it is bestowed"

Mahatma Gandhi
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions"

Dalai Lama

Happy Birthday to Me (and all the rest of you Virgos and Libras)

September is an incredibly busy month for birthdays and anniversaries in our family, and it includes both milestones for me. My husband and I were married a week before my birthday so we tend to go away somewhere to celebrate both our anniversary and my birthday. That’s exactly what we’ll be doing this year but we are only managing a long weekend. I’m still excited because it includes two museum visits that I’m really looking forward to.

Year 63 has been a great year filled with wonderful experiences such as international trips, publishing an e-book on Amazon, watching the grandsons grow up, spending time with friends, taking writing classes and working on my blog.

There have been challenges too - such has major implant surgery. But hey, life is full of challenges and they can be overcome. I’m proof of that. This particular experience led me to think about others who go through this type of surgery or have some disorder that prevents them from eating solid foods. My surgeon’s office told me that they are always looking for ideas and recipes and since I was doing a lot of food and eating experiments, I decided to put a smoothie and soup cookbook together and publish it on Amazon. While the surgery isn’t an experience that I’d want to wish on anyone, my end result has been well worth the inconvenience. I recently learned that a personal trainer’s mother was undergoing intensive treatment on her throat and thought that all she could eat was mashed potatoes. My technician recommended my book, Recipe Solutions for a Liquid Diet, and the trainer’s mother  LOVES it because it gives her so many options that she had never considered.

Having always been honest about my age, I have never been able to understand why women lie about it and moan whenever they have to give their age.  Maybe it’s easier now because a lot of the celebrities are around my age. I mean, look at Dame Helen Mirren – she was voted as having the hottest body recently!!  One of my all-time favorite movies is Calendar Girls staring actresses of my age in all shapes and sizes.  If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a definite must. If you have seen it but not for a while, rent it again.  We’ve just watched it again for the umpteenth time and it’s just so must fun! And for you guys who are reading this, watch The Full Monty! We’ve also recently watched this again for the umpteenth time and while it depicts a time that’s a few years ago, it’s still incredibly funny!

So being a “Boomer” is an exciting stage of life. Most of us feel more comfortable; we’re still full of dreams and things to come. I keep hearing that 50 is the new 30 and 60 is the new 40. But do any of us really want to go back to those ages?  Not me! I have to admit that I’d rather have the body that I did back then but I wouldn’t have the experiences that I’ve had in the past twenty years. I’m relishing the excitement of future travel and stimulating experiences.

I still have plans and dreams - and as I turn 64, which will happily (and hopefully) lead to 65, 66, 67 and well beyond. . . . I will continue to celebrate each and every passing year.

If your birthday is this month -- Happy birthday to you, whatever day it is. Celebrate it, don't moan about it. Without birthdays, there would be no you.

“Aging is not what we used to think it was, where you peak at middle age. It’s ascending a staircase into growth, wisdom, well-being and happiness.”

                                                                                                                       Jane Fonda

Saying Thank You to our Troops

 How often these days do we think about our soldiers who will probably always be serving overseas? The days and months fly by for us because we are caught up in our day-to-day busy schedules. But what is it like for the men and women who are serving in combat zones? Do they ever receive the thanks that they deserve from us here at home? Do they even get correspondence from anyone other than their immediate family?

I’d like to share a few ways that you can send them your appreciation for their service and the life that they are putting on the line for us.  Firstly, the time between the 4^th of July and Thanksgiving, our soldiers stationed overseas receive fewer letters than usual. So now’s a great time to thank them for their service - in writing. It’s important that we keep their morale up and keep them feeling that they are doing something worthwhile. There’s a really easy way of doing this - that’s by logging onto ForgottenSoldiers.org/write-a-soldier and complete an online form. You can of course also write a more original heartfelt note and not just fill in the form.

Because Halloween is coming up in just a couple of months, find out if your dentist is a member of the “Halloween Candy Buy-Back Program”. My regular dentist is and it’s the first that I’d heard of it. Participating dentists “buy back” kids Halloween candy with coupons, toothbrushes or other healthy goodies. This candy is then sent to the troops serving overseas. Let’s face it, our kids all get way too much candy at Halloween and pretty much all year around. Check with your dentist to see if they offer this and if not; let me know because my dentist does! Our men and women deserve as many treats as we can send them. And the army dentists will be pleased as well since all that candy will give them future business!

Another project that I think is very worthwhile is the “help comfort wounded and ill soldiers”. The injured or sick military patients who are sent to hospitals typically arrive with nothing but the clothes on their backs. You can make their time in the hospital and their recovery more comfortable by supplying slippers, pajamas, underwear or other essentials. You can check out the needs at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany by logging onto LandstuhlHospitalCareProject.org/How to Help.htm.

Another way of helping and saying thank you includes donating your expired coupons for up to six months after the expiration date. Most of you know by now that I’m a coupon queen and I intend on doing this from now on. You can email EcomMail2011@gmail.com to get an address of a military family who’ll be happy to receive them.

 

Need some new socks? When shopping, buy an extra packet of new tube or crew socks. Socks wear out fast on the frontline and soldiers often put on two to three pairs at a time. Socks are one of the top-requested items among men and women stationed overseas. You can send them to: the Hugs Project, 7000 Crossroads Blvd., Suite 1048, Oklahoma City, OK 73149. This is a non-profit organization who sends thousands of care packages to soldiers serving in the Middle East.

Yet one more - log onto www.operationgratitude.com where you can find the project that best suits you. They even help out the families that are left here at home to carry on without mom or dad who is serving overseas.

The projects that I’ve listed are mostly US based but I’m sure for those who are living in other countries, there are similar projects available. Take time today to say “thank you” to a wonderful soldier who is serving his country and making your life safer and better.

November is the US Military Family Appreciation Month. But let’s not wait until November because they need our appreciation today!

“Just as our troops embody the courage and character that make America's military the finest in the world, their family members embody the resilience and generosity that make our communities strong. They serve with heroism in their homes and neighborhoods while they are without the comfort of having loved ones nearby.”

          President Barack Obama