Tamales in Guapiles

On the Friday before Christmas we left at 6am to drive to the farm of Arlethe's boyfriend in Guapiles, about 2:15 from Limon, to experience the Christmas fun of making tamales. (We left so early because I had class starting at 6pm, and the day was scheduled around me, for which I'm grateful!)

It's a small farm, where Dave and his family live, but they have a horse, a bunch of chickens for eating and chickens for eggs, some beautiful tropical birds, and dogs as pets. They also have fantastic plants in the yard.

They were so welcoming and I learned a lot about making and eating tamales. We had so much fun!

Christmas with CEMCA

On Thursday before Christmas my class was cancelled because most of my students were attending the CEMCA (Chamber of Commerce) Christmas dinner. I was invited and enjoyed good food and fun with my students.

The dinner was held at a terrific beachfront restaurant, Gecko, woman-owned, where we watched cruise ships on the ocean and listened to a nice duo during dinner. I won a bottle of champagne!

It's so interesting to see all the powerful women in this Latin country. All of CEMCA’s leadership team are women and I'd guess only 10% of the attendants were men.

My student, Maritza, Chairman of the Board

Maritza’s brother, Guillermo, also my student

Wednesday before Ticapaloosa

On Wednesday before I left for Christmas it was Arlethe's 18th birthday, and we did it up. We started with gift giving and breakfast at 8am. Then we headed to the beach for the day - Cahuita Playa Negra. We had a great lunch at Chaos, then hung on the overcast beach with my new friend.

Then rushed home because I had class starting at 5pm. Even needing to blow through 4 one-lane bridges, we made it with seconds to spare!

A delicious lunch of garlic smothered marlin and patacones

In all my travels they call these dogs American Staffordshire Terriers 🤨

Playing catch-up

Before I left for my big Costa Rica Christmas Adventure I spent hours one afternoon composing a number of posts in a ginormous text file and then MS found it expedient to force a restart, during which my text file was irretrievably lost. And during my trip not only was I busy adventuring, but I had a really difficult time finding wifi.

So, on my first full day back home in Limon, in the spirit of catching up, I'm not gonna try to recreate it all, cause ain’t nobody got time for that! I’m just going to do some abbreviated explanations and show my photos.

The most hated college

We say it every election, especially fervently since the 2000 election of Dubya, but we never quite get around to doing anything about the Electoral College which we all seem to hate (with good reason!). In a tour of Philadelphia this summer, the guide pointed to the grave of one James Wilson as the founder who was the main architect of this bane of our presidential elections. I blame him.

While legislators distractedly move on to other topics after the dust clears, the public picks at that scab every 4 years. And now some folks have created an ingenious circumnavigation, nominally working within the Electoral College to ensure the Popular Vote reigns.

Enter the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. In this, legislation is being enacted to force Electors to cast their vote on the winner of the popular vote of the nation. So again, the chosen Electors of X state will be required by law to designate all their votes for the candidate who won the popular vote across all states. (This is a far cry from the inconsistencies of Elector requirements across the nation, wherein some states Electors can choose to ignore even the popular vote in his own state to cast a vote of his agenda.)

As of today this "has been enacted into law in 16 jurisdictions possessing 196 electoral votes, including 4 small states (DE, HI, RI, VT), 8 medium-sized states (CO, CT, MD, MA, NJ, NM, OR, WA), 3 big states (CA, IL, NY), and the District of Columbia. The bill will take effect when enacted by states possessing an additional 74 electoral votes."

Interesting to note that of the "perennial swing states", only Colorado has passed this so far, leaving Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin still pending or not even considering the measure.

On the website you can check the legislative process in your state, and generate emails to your representatives requesting they enact this, which is designed to bring the US closer to a real democracy and ensure the rule of the many.

Please share this with your friends, especially those living in the swing states.

(FYI, I learned about this on Rumble with Michael Moore, where he accidentally quoted the name of the website as “.org”… it is “.com”… if you can’t find it, just ask Uncle Google. )

Get ready to Rumble

I've been listening to the podcast Rumble with Michael Moore, which seems to be unwaveringly focused on ensuring The Tweeter in Chief is not re-elected in 2020. Launched on December 17, it will be a weekly podcast after an almost daily frenzy during the first few weeks.

In only 12 episodes we've listened to guests such as Daniel Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers fame; Robert De Niro; Todd Phillips, director of Joker; Alex Press, an American Social Democrat; Anand Giridharadas, an American author and journalist of Indian heritage; and Ralph Nader.

It's worth your time.

Christmas Adventure 2019

Looking back over the last few years, I've definitely had some Christmas adventures.

One year, can't remember which, I few to Florrrida with my friend Kathy for a poolside Christmas in Cape Coral. In 2017 I did a Nomador pet-sitting gig in the sweet village of Barbentane in Provence, outside of Avignon with my friend Barbara Post. And last year I was in Krakow, again with Barbara, where we visited the horrors of Auschwitz and ate lard while drinking Polish vodka.

This year, in the spirit of keeping options open and being flexible, I'm taking a tour of the northwest of Costa Rica with another teacher at ALIARSE, Patti. We're scoping out these heavenly retirement havens we've read so much about. CR apparently attracts Europeans and North Americans of all ages to experience the Pura Vida and escape the reality of cold weather and crazy politics.

Starting and ending in San Jose, we're spending 5 nights (including Christmas) in the central valley and highlands where the temperatures are cooler and coffee plantations reign. Then we head to 5 nights (including New Years) along the Pacific coast where we spend some time with some other colleagues. Back home with a few days to prepare for the new year in school

Revisiting Brexit

After three years of chaos and little to no actual legislation occurring in the UK due to the swirling yin yang of panic and glee surrounding Brexit, an election was held on Dec 12 which resulted in landslide victory for the pro-Brexit Conservative party and an almost certain (perhaps no deal) Brexit January 31, 2020.

As a liberal US citizen I'm fascinated by this unfathomable train wreck and my head is exploding with questions and confusions.

First. Why hold an election of people/parties? Why not hold an are-you-really-sure-about-this-re-referendum referendum? Although Theresa May memorably said "the British people have spoken" (though with a much more posh accent than you just used in your head), numerous news accounts indicated that city-dwelling liberals stayed away from the polls because of their assumptions of the ridiculousness of the measure proposed (leave the EU, really? as if!). (Sound like any election you know of?) We know by experience in our country that liberals famously are sugar cubes who don't go to the polls when it rains... and millennials can't be bothered if they don't like any of the candidates (ever heard of 'lesser of evils', Ashley?). So I guess that offering up a referend-ial mulligan would simply coddle those-who-are-franchised-but-cannot-be-bothered... leaving the expectation of national best-two-out-of-threes every time hindsight causes regretful uproars. Hey, live and learn, Ian, make the effort to exercise your democratic right next time, yer whinger.

Next, my (reluctantly) British friend Paul's analysis of Brexit contends that there is a most sinister result laying in wait for British citizens, authored by the Cheeto in Chief and his cheatmen (wow, that was a stretch) and which history will blame on the good ole USofA. Namely, the dismantling of NHS (the National Health Service). His narrative goes like this: Leaving the EU opens a Pandora's box of new agreements and relationships that need to be hammered out for the continuity of business in the UK. The EU made clear early on that UK would not enjoy a carbon copy of the trade deal they've had as EU members. So they went shopping for other partners -- and who better to link arms with that their former colony and current old-white-brother in sphincter tightening hatred and fear of anything or anyone not in vogue in 1776. Of course, I'm talking about us.

If you will remember, when they first reached westward, assuming an easy back slapping trade deal with the cousins, The Great Negotiator played hard wall and discussions dragged out and eventually disappeared from the media and the attention span of all but the most wonky Americans. What has been happening in the meantime is that Big Pharma insinuated itself into the discussions and now we are somehow tying our trade deal to the (by no means perfect, but definitely democratic) NHS, aiming to impose US style pricing on meds (and other things) in the post-Brexit future. (Have you seen those Bernie vids where we ask Brits to guess how much healthcare services cost in the US?). I mean, seriously, is it not enough that we export Walmart and McDonald's et al abroad to ruin their lives? Is this some revenge play 250 years in the making that we infect them with our total lack of healthcare for citizens? Aren't the Brits lily-white enough that we don't need to ruin them?

And lastly, what do the results of the British election portend for our upcoming election, if anything? Could we take this as a warning that the folks who elected Trump, because they (rightly?) felt their continued pain after the Great Recession was being ignored by the educated legal scholar Democrats, still harbor resentment? Will this be an election where Jim Bob’s decision to take his comatose geemaw out of the home for a day trip to the polls shows his commitment, whereas bankers won’t stand in the line because it might mess up their shoes? And really, will Twitter numbers ride roughshod over rule of law, treason, and precedent? What have we come to?

Obviously, I still believe Brexit will open the door to increased Visa opportunities for Americans in EU countries, on a level playing field with former EU members from the UK. And this will definitely help me in achieving my own personal goals of living and working in Italy. But at what cost for the British people? How do The Donald and The Boris sleep at night?

Impromptu Beach

Afternoon at Playa Bonita before heading to work tonight… I could definitely get used to this!

Who knew…?

Who knew white board markers were refillable???

The roads in CR

On the drive back from Isla Tortuga to San Jose, before we hit the beautiful multi-lane toll road, there was apparently a crash on the highway. Traffic was stopped in both directions - total standstill - for easily 30 minutes while we waited for the obstruction to be cleared.

This is a common occurrence in Limon province on the Caribbean side, where the entire way from San Jose to Puerto Limon is two-laned Highway 32 and the jungle threatens to invade the very pavement if allowed. Every trip I've taken between the two cities I've had to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes while injured people and/or vehicles are removed from the roadway.

This is a very important road for the country, because Puerto Limon has two port terminals for export of Costa Rican goods and a cruise ship terminal. These delays are costly and for this reason the government is now in the process of widening Highway 32 to four lanes.

They've brought in a Chinese firm to complete the road, which has me conflicted.

First, in a country that has such a high unemployment rate, the Chinese engineering firm has not only brought many of their own workers, but built a village for them to live in. This removed money from Costa Ricans by not giving them jobs and not giving them the opportunity to host road workers.

On the flip side, another teacher in Limon province told us over the weekend that her host family is happy the Chinese company is managing the road construction - no matter how they complete the project - because it is moving so much faster than if the CR government were managing the project.

So, in a nutshell, travelers in Costa Rica are at the mercy of the roads and tourists should always pad the expected travel time so they don't miss their flights.

On Isla Tortuga

Our excursion was booked through Costa Cat, which provides all-inclusive day trips.

From the minute we were first greeted by the multi-lingual staff, we experienced incredibly comprehensive service, from the delicious breakfast on the boat to drinks to snorkling to a fantastic lunch to the end of the day. I cannot speak highly enough of the service provided by the staff, each of whom learned the names of 40+ guests and anticipated our every need. The service was premium!

Isla Tortuga is uninhabited and various tour companies have contracts to bring day trips there. Each company has a section of beach and shade staked out for chairs and umbrellas, dining rooms, kitchens, restrooms and changing rooms. Since we were taken on this trip by ALIARSE, we were not allowed to drink, but apparently there were free margaritas and other alcohol for purchase.

Arriving on the island at about 9am, we enjoyed a couple of more hours of bright sun, and then a slow thickening of haze, just enough to cool us down a little. The water on the Pacific side is a tad cooler than the Atlantic, but not much and on the sandy beach the only waves were wakes from the boats just off shore.

While no people live on the island, there are apparently a resident pig and parrot that like to hang with the guests.

We left the island on the boat at 3pm, exhausted. It was a fantastic day, and a trip I plan to enjoy again in the future. Here are official photos from Costa Cat.

San Jose to Isla Tortuga

And early it was when my alarm went off at 4:20. I'd slept in my clothes with a blanket and was still cold all night, getting hardly any sleep. I jumped up, grabbed my already packed beach shit, downed a cup of coffee and ran out the door to the bus we were taking to the coast.

ALIARSE has a contract with a local transportation company that has various sizes of vehicles. Anytime we do anything with the school, we can count on Dona Marlena's people being on time in a newer well-kept vehicle that has more room than we need. Saturday was no exception. We all spaced out with a full seat each and thought about sleeping.

But there were people we hadn't met yet and global political situations to dissect... So we talked the entire way. Poor New Guy Kevin from Belfast... it was laid on him to predict Brexit and explain The Troubles, all before 6am.

The roads leaving San Jose to the west and north are multi-laned and well kept, with periodic toll stations. This points to the influx of Europeans and North Americans retiring here and demanding good roads. The ride was fast and smooth.

I'd never yet been to the Pacific side, and it was definitely different from the ever encroaching jungle of Limon Province. There was room on the sides of the road not threatening to revert to banana plantation, actual lawns of grass around the little houses. The closer we got to the coast we would see little strip shopping centers that could have been picked up from any town in Florida and set down on the side of the road in CR.

And then we turned into a fancy schmancy gated community with immaculately manicured lawns and gleaming white high rises angled toward the water. After the first security gate we drove along a winding road, catching glimpses of other security gates into even more exclusive sections. It seriously was as if we'd been transported to Mar-a-Lago or Sea Pines or some other exclusive enclave, and while beautiful, after spending so much time in a barely contained jungle, it was waaaaay too homogenized for me.

A security guard on a motorbike came up and shepherded our bus to the marina where our catamaran was waiting for us.

A night in San Jose

It's been been raining a lot in Limon making it cooler than usual -- think 70F rather than 85F -- such that my family are wrapped up in blankets and the dog is wearing his fuzziest sweater. Though I was going to a beautiful island off the Pacific coast, we were spending Friday and Saturday nights in San Jose, and it briefly crossed my mind that San Jose is always much colder than the coasts... But I was trying to travel light with only my backpack and when I'd crammed all my beach stuff in I just didn't have room for jeans.

What a mistake, because when I showed up in San Jose Friday afternoon it was freezing (figuratively, obviously). It was probably 60F and windy, threatening rain. So I said a quick hello to my San Jose puppies Coco and Dickie, threw on my one long sleeved T shirt (thank you Jules) and headed to the Escazu Multiplaza with my friends from October orientation. This mall has all the flash and the same stores of a European mall, and was definitely on par with the malls I experienced last year in Krakow and Warsaw.

After returning to Dona Ivania's we had a fabulous dinner, petted the dogs, and hung out on the rooftop patio before forcing ourselves to bed. A 4:45am pickup was gonna come early.

A hot shower!!

This is a Costa Rican hot shower head. The way this works is there is a heating element inside the plastic container. The water flows over the element and comes out hot on the other side. You control how hot by how strong you turn on the water -- high water flow gives you lukewarm water, low water flow gives you a nice warm shower.

But for God's sake, don't touch the thing!

I have only cold showers in my house in Limon, so I was counting the days until I could have a warm shower in Dona Ivania's!

Isla Tortuga

Tomorrow morning I head to San Jose to meet up with a group of teachers in the ALIARSE Skills4Life program for a trip to Isla Tortuga.

I will be crossing CR from the Atlantic, seen from the top is my street here in Limon, to the Pacific.

We’ll be crossing to the island on a catamaran, and enjoying various water sports and tours while there. Back to work on Monday.

Look for photos, coming to an inbox near you!

Christmas in CR

Christmas is a big deal in Costa Rica.

While in the US we have Halloween, Veteran’s Day (huh?), and Thanksgiving to keep us occupied in the run up to Christmas, CR doesn’t have those holidays. Additionally, being in the shadow of the giant and infected by the consumerism we spread everywhere doesn’t help.

So, Christmas decorations go up in businesses in October and start appearing in homes in early November. This includes Christmas music in homes and Christmas commercials on TV (interspersed with Black Friday commercials).

(It doesn’t help that WalMart has raised its ugly head in my province, and so every third commercial is precios a la baja.)

Ivanny is really creative and has great taste, but it’s still kinda jarring for it to be 85F and be hearing Feliz Navidad covered by every Latin singer except Jose Feliciano (wadda they got against him?!)

October 29 in San Jose

My new boyfriend

His name is Chathy. What he lacks in height he makes up for in attitude.

Ivanny’s garden 4

Ivanny’s garden 3