Tour Day - Camaronal, Punta Islita and San Miguel

Tuesday was tour day. We set out for Punta Islita and points unknown as it turned out. We first had to cross the river (Terry thought she was on Discovery channel) with our first stop as Camaronal. Here the beach is black and the cactus are huge. Terry was hit by a rogue wave which made her shorts look very suspect!

Next stop was the the town of Punta Islita (church) and then up to the top of the hill to the Monkey Bar which was closed! So, we carried onto San Miguel where we had lunch and discovered the refreshing drink of gin and Squirt! Who knew? After lunch we drove at least a 100 metres to the Blue Pelican where we spent the afternoon as we were so parched from the long drive there. As you can see, Jan and Terry enjoyed the swing.









Well, it was time to hit the trail, so on the way home we stopped at Restaurant Cambute for a small pick-me-up refreshment - such a long and weary trail....






Upon reaching the Gallant casa we were informed by Senor Gallant that we needed to proceed to the condo site for sunset celebrations - well, how much can one do in one day.... Ever the troopers, here we are at the sunset celebration, enjoying the setting sun, roasting marshmellows and winding down.

Sightseeing - Crocodiles and Carrillo Beach

We didn't have any chicken to feed the crocs with but they obliged us anyway with a show of themselves.

Here's a picture of the gang under a palm tree at Carrillo Beach. Later on in the week when we were back at the beach a huge palm frond narrowly missed Jan when it fell off the tree. We had purposefully stayed away from palm trees with coconuts but we hadn't counted on loose fronds! Oh, the adventures!

Supplies arrive from Canada

We asked my sister to bring us several bottles of Crown Royal (John's favourite or one of his favourites) and so, ever diligent, she had encased them in bubble wrap, packing tape and then sealed in a ziploc! Tough to break into but we managed! All six bottles arrived safely but only three remained behind - what happened to the other three? So many mysteries. . . .

Polly and Company Arrive from the Cold North

April 14/07 my sister Paulette a.k.a. Polly, arrives for a one week visit. With her, are her friends, Terry, Donna, and Pat and Jan Wren. They are staying at the Villas Kalimbas in downtown Samara for one week, departing on April 21. Here's a picture of the night they arrived.

The fun begins Saturday night when we arrange to meet them at Kalimbas upon their arrival. Much to our dismay, Roberto, owner of Kalimbas, calls us to say that the cab driver has reported that they were not on the plane??? Now what? Not knowing if they had missed their connection or perhaps a storm delayed the flight; we decided to go home and wait. We just arrive home and the phone rings. Polly says, " where are you guys? We're here and the party has started." We get back in the car and drive back to Samara. When we arrive, Roberto tells me that my sister must be a very important guest because he sent two taxis to the airport to greet them! No wonder the cab driver couldn't find them, they were already gone with the first guy. And so it goes as this sets the tone for the rest of the week.

On Sunday, I pick the gang up and give them an orientation tour of Samara and then we have lunch at Villas Playa Samara. After lunch we visited with Mary Ange and Edward as my sister knows them from a previous visit to Samara. Here are some pics of the gang at Villas and with Mary Ange and Edward.









Next, we travelled up the hill to show them our new home and the home of Sherry and Larry Gerlach. Some friends of ours from San Jose, Magic, his wife Anna and their daughter Danielle were also visiting and contributed to the dinner by cooking some fabulous chicken and beef kabobs. New friends, Sein and wife Jenny, also joined us for dinner.



Some of the gang went swimming and are shown here demonstrating their synchronized swimming skills.









Magic demonstrates his kabob cooking with his "made in 5 minutes" charcoal grill out on our front street!

Day 1 comes to a conclusion with Johnny chauffering the gang back down the hill to Samara.

Feeding the Crocodiles and visiting the Hidden Waterfalls

Our friends, Fred and Mary, invited more friends, Brian and Sharon, Norm and Alayne and Barb and Robert to visit them in Costa Rica. All of them stayed at the Las Palmeras Villas where Fred and Mary own. On this fine day in March, Mary arranged for all of us to feed the crocodiles and then go for a swim at the hidden waterfalls near Belen. The falls were substantially reduced (down from 3 to 1) as we are well into the dry season. We'll try and get back to them sometime in the wet season and see them in their full glory.











The boys really enjoyed feedng the crocs. When we arrived we just peeked over the bridge and there was already one crocodile waiting. By the time Fred "roped up the raw chicken", there were about 4 more just waiting for their delicious dinner to be served. Andrew took a turn dangling the chicken but was a bit scared when the croc chomped at the chicken and the rope started to tangle around his wrist. Fred saved the day! It's quite an experience to see the crocs stretching out of the water with their mouths wide open and then CHOMP and parts of the chicken snap off! The boys were in their glory!

Everyone had a fun day and we ended with sunset celebrations (that means drinks and dinner) at the Guanamar hotel. Our Las Palmeras crew has now departed for the sunny but cold northern climes of Canada and we sure miss all of them.

New Back Patio

Well, as promised, here are some shots of our new back patio. The first one is taken at dusk and the others at various times of the day including one of Andrew hamming it up! He pictures himself like the daVinci code.

As we draw nearer to the rainy season, we will landscape the area around it plus design some wrought iron furniture to grace it.

Never Ending Construction

And so it continues. . . John a.k.a. Ahab, the Arab and his trusty sidekick, Bernie continue to build rock walls at the Gallant Casa. For fun, they added a face to the end of our front walkway. "She" has a crystal on her forehead that glints in the sun.

Meanwhile, the warranty folks have repaired our garage by removing three troublesome pillars and reinforcing the roof with cross beams. They have also started to complete our bodega (storage room) below the garage.

Next post, stay tuned for the gorgeous and I do mean gorgeous back patio, complements of John and Bernie.

Boyz 'N the Hood quading

Coinciding with John's birthday, February 24th, Joe organized an overnight quad trip to Mal Pais. I took a few pictures of the neighbourhood boys before they left. One of Larry and Bob, one of John Heppe and one of the birthday boy.

The following week, John took the boys and I in the truck part way back on the same route that the quading trip took. We got as far as Playa Coyote and then came back. A lot of the trees were in bloom (no leaves, just flowers) which is very different than Canada. We took some pictures along the way: crossing the river and the boys hanging out on the swinging bridge; trees in bloom, and one of a new condo being built (in the middle of nowhere it seemed to me).