Cheap land, but nothing to do!

Cristian, Nala and I jumped on the scooter and made a little trip down to a village called Colorado. It was supposed to have something like a beach.
On our way we found out that you can buy extremely cheap land there and later on we also found out why: Colorado doesn’t have anything! Not even the beach that we were looking for. Colorado is dusty, ugly and boring. So, if you buy land there, then only to build a big farm with lots of animals to keep you somehow busy.
The “beach” turned out to be a stony pathway leading into very dirty water. However, the view was nice!
After seeing that we asked around if there was a pool close by. And people gave us directions to something like a ranch with a restaurant, cabins, and a very dirty pool. So, we decided to not swim there and go back to Las Juntas to some thermal springs. But they turned out to be closed. That’s why we decided to go to a little pool in Las Juntas where Nala had a blast playing with the sprinkler.
It had been cloudy all day, but that doesn’t mean much in Guanacaste because it nearly never rains and it’s still hot. But yesterday it suddenly started raining and a lot. Nala was kind of scared because since she is with us, it has never rained here. So, we went back home and ended our day with a nice bbq!

PS. The first collar we bought for Nala is one made for puppies or small breeds, meaning it’s fairly wide, but not indestructible. I knew that one day it would not last anymore for her because she is so strong. However, I did not expect it to break when she is 3,5 months old. The metall ring which you use to attach the leash, simply snapped apart due to the force of her pulling! Well, there will be many more collars to come!

Who would want an ever-lasting summer?

Some people (esp. Germans) are jealous when I tell them that I live in a place where it's always warm and sunny.
Well, I have always been a fan of seasons. Because after a long winter, you are incredibly looking forward to the spring and summer. And as soon as you can see five rays of sun, you are sitting outside and really enjoying life!
But now I am in the hottest and driest part of Costa Rica: Guanacaste. When I moved here, I was really glad that I escaped the heavy rains and humidity of the Caribbeans. And during the first few days in Guanacaste, I would sit outside in the burning midday sun and read a book. I enjoyed that for the first 2 weeks and then it started getting boring. Now every morning, I take a peek out of the window and pray that I can see at least a few tiny clouds and unless I absolutely have to, I will not leave my place in front of the fan. (Imagine: During the first 2 weeks I didn’t even want to buy one; now I can’t live without it.)
Lately I have been feeling very uncomfortable with this heat. Baking a few pancakes makes me sweat so much that I look like I have just taken a shower and forgotten to dry myself off. I sometimes also get kind of frustrated because we don’t have air-condition (which would not be normal for Costa Rican houses anyway) and there is simply no way to get away from the heat. (The fan doesn’t really produce anything else than a breeze of warm air.) I am sure that Cristian can’t really understand that being sweaty and hot all the time sometimes makes me be in a bad mood. But I feel like my German blood is boiling.
Here I wear my clothes for 5 hours and then I have to have a shower and change my clothes again. I don't even bother to put on any make-up; it would only run down my face in big rivers after 30 minutes. (And I loooooove make-up!)
In Germany, when we have a few hot days like this, they tell you on the radio and on TV that you should not go outside during the day unless you absolutely have to because the heat can be deadly. How true!
So, after this seemingly never-ending heat I am now looking forward to a long, very cold winter (which doesn’t even exist in Guanacaste). Would anybody like to buy me a plane ticket to the North Pole???

You might wonder...

...where I live. My mom has asked me where this small village I live in is located. I always just tell everybody that I live in the north of Costa Rica. But now I stole a map from Googlemaps and marked a few places.
Puerto Viejo was the place where I worked at that ill-managed luxury hotel.
San José is the capital of Costa Rica and the place where Cristian's family lives.
Las Juntas is the little village where we are renting a house and living right now.
The neighboring countries of Costa Rica are Nicaragua in the north and Panama in the south. (I didn't even know that Nicaragua was a neighboring country when I moved to Costa Rica. *lol*)

Costa Rica = Pura Vida

Since I just created this blog which is only going to be about Costa Rica, but don't really have anything exciting to say at the moment, I thought I just post pictures of the views out of my living room and kitchen window.

Not too bad for a third world country, is it? Or maybe I have something to say:
Not all third world countries are the same. Yes, Costa Rica is still considered third world, BUT it is one of the richest countries in Latin America and therefore not as under-developed as lots of people (esp. in Europe) think. Most of the towns could also be located in Spain or Italy considering their looks or infrastructure. The difference is: In Spain or Italy you won't find any slums surrounding big cities or indgenous people living in little huts without water and/or electricity. It makes me sad to know and see that in such a beautiful country. I also don't like the fact that Costa Rica still has monopolies (electricity, phone services, insurances...), but it doesn't really make my life MUCH harder here. (Apart from the fact that I had to wait for my phone number for 3 weeks. But I have heard of other foreigners in Costa Rica who have been waiting for a year and still don't have one.) But although the phone services are provided by a monopoly, it is not very expensive.
As a conclusion: You really can't put Costa Rica on the same level as other third world countries like Somalia, Nicaragua or Vietnam.

And he thought we were getting a dog...

Before we got our puppy Nala, Cristian and I were already talking about how we would raise her.
Well, Cristian has the Costa Rican type of mind when it comes to dogs: They sleep and live outside on a chain, they will forever pee and destroy the house, they only get dog food.... In short, Costa Ricans treat their dogs like animals. And I have the German type of mind when it comes to dogs: They sleep inside, preferably in the bed, they will learn not to pee inside the house, even if it takes a long time, lots of patience and lots of cleaning up, a dog gets whatever food is good for it (including fresh meat, broccoli, carrots...). In short, we treat our dogs like we would treat our children. Do you see a problem here?
During the first few days, Cristian was always complaining that I would treat Nala like a baby. And yes, I was because she is one. I don’t want her to jump from high stones because the bones of puppies are not full developed yet and especially American Staffords tend to have hip problems later in life. So, I do carry her over high stones when we are hiking or I help her up and down the sofa.
The sofa: Cristian and I had both agreed that we don’t want Nala to be on the sofa and the first few days it worked fine because she hadn’t been able to jump very high. But now she is. Plus she loves to cuddle and likes to sleep on me and I do want to have a very strong bond to her. But I don’t always want to sit on the floor when I cuddle with her, so we started to allow her to be on the sofa with us.
The bed: We had both agreed that we don’t want her in the bed. And during the night, she does sleep on her blanket in front of our bedroom. BUT every morning, after she has peed, she is allowed to jump into bed with us and cuddle with us for as long as we continue to stay in bed. Mostly she licks our faces for a few seconds and falls asleep again. She is very smart and understands that at night she cannot come to bed with us. However, sometimes she still has to go pee at night and after we come back, she thinks it’s morning and jumps into our bed. But we are trying to teach her to only do that when we invite her.
Destroying the house: Although Nala chews A LOT, she, fortunately, does not chew the furniture (only occasionally the blanket on our sofa or bed). The only think she really loves to chew is toilet paper. So, whenever she gets hold of a role, the house looks like a snow-covered paradise.
Housebroken: I consider her housebroken now. Of course, I have to go out with her every two hours because a puppy bladder can’t hold on for a long time. But since I have returned to Nicaragua, she has not once peed into the house...yay!
Food: Well, she mostly gets dog food. But every week when we do our grocery shopping, we also buy a piece of fresh meat for her. Most modern dog books will tell you that it is the best if you cook yourself for your dog. They also tell you that dogs should not drink tap water and that they should only get bio products. SERIOUSLY, if I drink tap water and don’t buy bio products for myself, why should I do it for my dog??? There has to be a limit somewhere. And apart from the occasional rice, meat, egg or broccoli, I also don’t cook for her. I think she will be just fine with the dog food.
Conclusion: Who lost in the cultural fight about raising a dog? Of course, Cristian! Nala sleeps inside, sometimes in our bed, is allowed on the sofa to sleep on me like a baby, does not make lots of damage to the house, and has certain specialities on her menu! But I think by now Cristian has accepted the German way of treating a dog because he spoils her as well (especially when he feeds her).

Nicaragua: Where the old and ugly is just beside the new and shiny!

I had to go to Nicaragua. You might wonder why I "had" to go. Well, I only have a tourist visa for Costa Rica and every 90 days it expires. Luckily, you can renew it by going abroad for 3 days. And since I live in the north of Costa Rica, Nicaragua was the closest country to go to.
Costa Rica actually has quite a good overland bus system. Which means that there are nice airconditioned buses going to all the neighboring countries and even further. However, those luxury buses are not super cheap and they don't have a bus stop where I needed it. So, I decided to take the cheaper, but more adventurous way. I caught a bus on the Panamerican Highway, went up to the border, walked over to Nicaragua, caught a bus going north, changed buses in Rivas (first bigger town in Nicaragua after the border) and then went up to Granada. Nicaragua has exactly two interesting touristic places close to the Costa Rican border. One is San Juan del Sur which is a beach town on the Pacific side and the other one is Granada, a colonial city at a huge lake. I chose Granada because I read that Lake Nicaragua is the only lake in the world that has sharks in it. Not that I like sharks, but it makes the whole trip a bit more exciting.
Getting to Granada wasn't a problem at all. Although the border was very busy, I didn't have to wait too long and I had perfect connections with all my busses. I lost a few minutes at the border when I lost my way and couldn't find the immigration office for Nicaragua. But I met a couple on my way which had the same problem. That's why I don't feel too stupid and blame Nicaragua for it.
In the chicken busses in Nicaragua, I was the only white person. However, by now I have gotten used to that. By the way, they are called chicken busses because everything is transported in them, including chicken. And really, in the second bus which brought me to Granada, I saw a guy who was holding a living chicken in his arm. And the chicken was completely calm, as if it would travel in busses every day. Furthermore, those chicken busses are not real overland busses with comfortable seats or aircondition. No, those are old American or Canadian school busses. When they are deemed too old to be used in North America, Central America buys them and uses them for long-distance busses. Most of them are so old that they can't go faster than 40 km per hour and of course, they are extremely loud. And after 3 hours in them, you can be sure that every bone in your body hurts because the seats are too close together, the bus is crowded with an extra 40 persons standing in it although it doesn't have any handholds, and you always have an imense wind blowing into your face from all the open windows.
I arrived in Granada at the central marked: mega culture shock! It was dirty, loud, full of people and stinky. However, all the people were very heplful and could give me directions to my hostel. I had a bed in a dorm room for super cheap $5 per night. The first night there was only one more person in that room although it had 7 beds. But even without all the extra people, it was boiling in there because it didn't have a window and the two fans didn't produce anything except a hot wind.
My first full day in Granada I spent on my own. I walked around the city and took a few pictures. Some parts (the touristy parts) of Granada are very well taken care of. It looked like in a Spanish town. However, as soon as you leave the main roads where the sights are, you get to see the real Nicaragua: people live in little sheds, steal food from guests sitting in the outside-area of restaurants, starving dogs are looking for little crumbs to eat.... In Costa Rica, I often don't realize that it is considered a third-world country (probably because it is one of the richest countries in Latin America), but in Nicaragua you were reminded quite frequently that it is poor and far away from developed.
At night my dorm room filled up with 4 Chilenians and one American guy. They had met in the bus and decided to spend some more time together. So, on my second full day I decided to also join them. However, the Chilenians tried to get a ticket to Honduras which took forever and that's why O.R. (the American) and I decided to walk the town alone. We covered all the sights I hadn't seen yet. The lake, the main reason I went there, turned out to be a big disappointment. The beach was the dirtiest beach I have ever seen in my life! I can't understand how people can be so careless with their trash!
In the evening we rejoined with the Chileneans and had a mojito that cost $0,75! Unfortunately, it also didn't taste like much. And there it happened: We had odered nachos and they came with a small bowl of cheese, of mashed beans and of a hot sauce. While we were sitting and talking, a very skinny looking guy came along, grabed the cheese and ate it. At first I wanted to pull the bowl out of his hand, but he was so dirty that I was afraid to touch him. I was shocked. The cheese didn't cost much and we were finished with our nachos anyway, but how can somebody be so impudent and just steal food on an open street in a bar??? Plus I read that there is like a community centres that gives food for free to everybody who needs it. So, why didn't he go there if he was hungry? Other than that, the streets looked fairly safe at night because they were so full of tourists.
The next day was February 14, Valentine's Day, and the day of my return to Costa Rica. I was really looking forward to it! This time I saw what Rivas really is like. There were huge piles of trash in the middle of the city and kids were looking around in it to see if there was anything they could sell and/or eat. I guess, it is not the safest place for an European looking girl because they surely must think that I have lots of money. However, I again managed to be able to change busses immediately and did not have to wait at the bus station. Although this time I didn't have problems finding the immigration offices, it took forever! To get out of Nicaragua only took me 5 minutes, but to get back into Costa Rica 2 hours. Lots of Nicaraguans are working in Costa Rica, legally and illegally, and that's why this border is so busy and the Costa Rican officials really check their passports. However, when they saw my European passport, they barely looked at it and gave me the stamp. That was probably the easiest I have ever gotten into a Central American country! Normally they at least ask you where you are going, when you are leaving the country and if they are in a bad mood they want to see a flight ticket that shows that you will be leaving.
Interstingly, it cost me money to get into and out of Nicaragua ($11...and no, they would not take their own national currency, only American Dollars), but getting into and out of Costa Rica was free. In general, everything to do with tourism in Nicaragua is most of the time more expensive than in Costa Rica.
I stopped by at Tres Hermanas, the restaurant where Cristian works. But he was so busy that we barely had time to exchange two sentences. And when I arrived home by taxi, I was being awaited by a huge mess. Nala, our 3-months old puppy, was home alone for 10 hours the last 3 days. And although Cristian came by the house in his break after about 6 hours, she cannot hold on for so long. She usually has to go out to pee every 2 minutes. Plus Nala had managed to get out of her little prison we had built for her. That's why she had peed in our bed, on our sofa and pretty much all over the house. And since she was bored, she had chewed everything in her way, but mostly the toilet paper which was now laying in little pieces all over the house. Although Cristian had tried to tidy and clean up the biggest mess in that little time he had when he wasn't working, I still had to spend the rest of Valentine's Day cleaning the house. But since Cristian was working all day anyway, it didn't really matter. But now the house is clean, tidy and all april-fresh again and Nala is the happiest dog alive because I am back!

And here a few pictures of Granada. They are just supposed to give you a bit of an impression. I won't say anything else because most of the sights are churches (as in nearly every city) anyway. Sounds like I'm getting tired of travelling, doesn't it? Maybe I am...maybe I am happy that I finally have a nice little home with boyfriend and dog to settle down! :-)

Quite a long trip for such a ugly, smelly thing!

Cristian, Nala and I went to a river about 7 km away from our house. Since we don’t have a car yet, Nala rides on the scooter with us. We always put her in a backpack, I wear it in front of me and off we go. Although she doesn’t really like motorcycles when she sees them on the street, she doesn’t seem to mind riding on one when I have my arms around her. (In contrast to her scared look where you puts her ears back and makes big eyes, on the scooter she puts her ears up and has those little wrinkles in her face which means she finds something interesting.) And yes, I know that it is not very safe! But we are planning on getting a car soon anyway.
Well, Nala has one best friend: a bone made out of ox skin. Dogs chew and bit on them until they get soft and then they can eat it. However, Nala’s teeth are not very strong yet and that’s why the bone will last for a few more months. But she has already managed to chew it up quite a bit. This bone is the only thing to get her quiet when she has too much energy. Without the bone she would be jumping up my legs 10 hours a day. So, thanks to whoever invented it!
Since she likes the bone so much, I try to take it everywhere we go just in case she gets bored. So, I also took it to the river. But she didn’t get bored: She had a blast barking at people who were splashing with water and we also made her swim a bit (which she didn’t really enjoy). She is not a great fan of water!
However, she likes to climb things and explore which sometimes is quite a problem. She sometimes jumps of falls down things that are far too high for her not completely developed bones. And that’s what also happened at the river: She climbed up a high stone, looked down and didn’t realize where the edge was. She fell, but luckily partly into the water. She looked a bit scared at first and was limping a tiny bit. But after three minutes in my arms, she was the most energetic girl again. It is said that American Stafford are quite tough, have a high tolerance for pain and strong bones. I think that is definitely true for Nala: Sometimes she hits her head quite hard on my knee when she comes running towards me or on the wall when she is clumsy, but she never cries.
When we decided to go back home, we packed all of our stuff into a bag and left. But we forgot her bone: it looked like one of the stones at the shore. I realized it that we didn’t have the bone when we were at home. Cristian found it very funny that I was such a drama queen about it. But he can’t understand how important it is!!! So, I made him drive us into town to check if we can buy a new one at the pet store because the old one looked kinda ugly and all chewed up anyway. But the tiny and badly equipped pet store didn’t have any. How can they call it a pet store when they can’t even supply me with my baby’s favorite toy? So, we had to drive back to the river, walk 15 minutes and jump over several stones to get to our swimming spot. But we couldn’t find the bone. We looked quite a while until I decided to pick up Cristian’s helmet because it was laying in the way and there it was: the BONE! Until much later in the day (when Cristian saw how much she loves her bone), he still couldn’t understand why we had to go back all the way for such an ugly, smelly thing!
By the way, another thing is very true about Nala which is said about American Staffords: They have a ton of energy. My only problems is: I can’t provide her with enough exercise. You might wonder why since right now I can’t work. Well, I wouldn’t mind at all going for walks with her 3 or 4 times a day. But here in Guanacaste it is so hot that Nala doesn’t go out throughout the day. It’s always a fight to get her outside just for peeing. She has black fur and even when she is very eager to play with me, she never stays outside for more than 10 minutes. I said that American Staffords are fairly robust, but that doesn’t seem to apply for the heat, at least not for Nala. She nearly had a heatstroke already when Cristian tied her into our yard for half an hour. He didn’t know (and me neither) that she would be that sensitive. But that half an hour in the sun was already too much. She had a fever all day, was really weak, and just felt terrible. But now she is back to normal and full of energy. So, I have to wait until the sun goes down and it gets a bit cooler, to go for a walk with her. But I can’t wait too long because in Costa Rica, women (especially European women) should not go outside alone in the dark. Other than that I try to play with her inside as much as possible. But it excludes throwing sticks or running because we have a tile floor (which is good when she pees onto the floor once in a while) and very few carpets, but bad for her because it’s very slippery and I’m always afraid that she slides into a wall or that she sprains her leg because she is slipping away all the time. Poor thing: It’s just too hot for a black dog here! But by the way, she doesn’t like the cold either! *lol* She is such a princess!


PS. I had forgotten to take my camera to the river for me. But we went again and I decided to post those pictures here. By the way, the day we went the second time was the first day where it was cloudy after 2 months of cloud-less blue sky and heat. You can’t believe how good it feels when it’s only 25 degrees Celsius and you have a very slight drizzle of rain!

My little Monster

Or you can also call her Nala. She is my (or our :-P) 2,5-months old American Stafford puppy.
Cristian and I are both dog-people and don’t really have big feelings for cats. So, since we have a medium-sized house with a backyard here, we both thought that a dog would be a good idea. However, we couldn’t decide on the breed. I wanted something cute and not to big, e.g. a Beagle or Cocker Spaniel. But Cristian wanted something dangerous and strong to guard the house, e.g. a Rottweiler, Pit Bull or American Stafford (this breed was his first choice). At first I was totally against an American Stafford because in Germany they belong to the group of attack dogs/fighting dogs and are regarded as dangerous, aggressive and mean. However, after somebody stole my backpack from the backyard (see post “Welcome to the Reality”) and after I did some reading on those dogs, I was convinced that an American Stafford is a good choice. By nature they are friendly dogs, they are not provoked easily, and they are even good with kids. Of course, it all has to do with how you treat and raise the dog. And I just want Nala to bark when somebody is around the house, but not to bite. (Plus since in Costa Rica, in contrast to Germany, you don’t have to pay extra high taxes or have to get a certain licence for owning that kind of dog, I had no further arguments against this breed. Actually, I think you don’t pay any taxes for any kind of dog here in Costa Rica. The only downside of having an American Stafford for us is: We can never take her to Germany. By law it is forbidden to import those dogs.)
By the way, she already is a pro in barking and growling when people are close to our house or when other dogs are defending their territory. However, in other situations she is a real coward, e.g. walking along the street when the loud trailers and buses are passing.
I once had a dog before. But when we (my family) got her, I was too young to really remember how exhausting puppies can be. Nala follows me absolutely everywhere: she sits on my feet when I wash the dishes, she sleeps beside the sofa when I watch a movie, she follows me into the bathroom when I have to pee, she comes outside when I take the laundry off the line… And she prefers falling asleep in my arms and likes to be carried around: she is a real baby. However, the following me around has one good point: At least I know when she is chewing up the furniture, shoes, clothing, books….
Other than that she is a very smart dog (I think): She already knows how to bring back her toy bone when I through it away, she is one the way to be completely housebroken, and she knows basic commands like “No” and “Stop” (with a little treat in front of her nose she also knows “Sit”).
And…does anybody recognize her name? Yep, it’s the name of Simba’s girlfriend from The Lion’s King. I had asked for help from my friends on Facebook; I wanted them to give me suggestions for cute names from Disney movies. And Sara came up with Nala and since The Lion’s King is my favorite Disney movie, it’s the perfect name for my little monster. Thanks Sara!
So, and now you can see a few pictures of her. By the way, she is already bigger than a Jack Russel and I think in one month she will have the size of a Cocker Spaniel. If she will become anything like her parents, she is going to be one strong and pretty American Stafford!

Cristian and Nala on the da we picked her up:

Her favorite toy:

I guess that counts as not being on the bed:

After digging up the whole yard, one needs to take a break:

Exploring:

Her favorite place: ON me!

Her favorite sleeping position:

Welcome to the Reality

Cristian had always warned me that I should be careful with leaving stuff outside when I leave the house. I should have listened!
In Germany it is quite normal to leave your laundry out in your backyard to dry when you leave the house for a few hours to do some errands. And I also thought that Las Juntas would be safe enough to do that. But I guess, I’m wrong!
After our last trip to San José, my backpack was quite dirty. So, I washed it and hung it outside to dry. Then I went inside, closed the door and took a little nap. After my nap I hung a few more clothes and suddenly realized that my backpack was gone. I was really upset. It was fairly old, had a faulty zipper, hadn’t been really expensive or of a certain kind of brand, but I had really liked it. And I was more upset by the fact that somebody came into my backyard and took something away from me than by the actual loss of the backpack. That means that from now on I can only hang clothes outside when I can watch them all day. Because since they have stolen once, they will probably come back and look if they can find something else. And although I don’t usually buy clothes of expensive brands, I do own some stuff that was far more expensive than that backpack.
However, one thing is certain: If Cristian ever sees somebody with my backpack (which is pretty unique), he will kill that person. And Las Juntas is fairly small, so the chances for a murder in the next few weeks are quite high.
So, let’s have a minute of silence for my stolen backpack which has served me well for such a long time and through so many travels. Or should we have a minute of silence for the person that is going to be killed?….

There is a scooter in our living room...

No, this is not just a catchy title for my new blog entry, it’s the truth.
Although I think it is fairly safe here and that nobody would come into our backyard to steal the scooter, Cristian is a bit more worried and that’s why from now on his baby is allowed to sleep in our living room.

Let's not go there again, please!

Cristian had another day off and we went somewhere. (In Costa Rica you usually work 6 days a week and have one day off. Working only 5 days (like in Germany and most other western countries) seems like luxury now.)
However, but lately I figured out that Cristian never had normal days off. They are seldomly relaxing. It either involves being super late(coming back from the beach during Christmas), super tired (both trips to San José) or super dangerous (as in this case).
At first we were planning on going to the beach. But the good beaches are about 2,5 hours away and that would mean getting up fairly early and being tired all day again. So, since we hadn’t slept much all week, we decided to sleep long and go to some thermal springs about 60 km away from Las Juntas.
However, it has been really windy all week and most of the time we have been without water and/or electricity. Right this second, we are having both (although the water doesn’t have any pressure); so I feel lucky! After having been sitting at home alone in the dark for 4 hours without any electricity or candles (because I had forgotten to buy them) last week, I really appreciate I it when those modern cons like electricity and running water are actually working.
But let’s go back to Cristian’s day off. He had warned me that the road to Cañas (which is on the way to the springs) is very windy and that it would not be very comfortable on the scooter. But neither of us could imagine how windy it really was; or rather how stormy. On the road the scooter was pushed to the side all the time and when I trailer would pass, the wind was so strong that it would jerk back our heads. At some pint we had to stop because we were afraid that the wind would carry us away. (We’ve also met some friends of Cristian who told him that the car was slightly picked up by the wind and nearly turned over.) Furthermore, the Panamerican Highway, where we were driving on, is not really a highway. It consists of one narrow lane in each direction. So, when the big trailers would overtake us and something was coming on the other lane, it was getting uncomfortably tight. In one case, Cristian had to drive into the ditch of the road to not be hit by a trailer that wanted to overtake.
So, by the time we arrived in Cañas (35 km away from Las Juntas), we decided that we do not want to go any further. We asked around if there is a pool somewhere close by and only 3 km outside of Cañas, there was a hotel which had a pool. It wasn’t very big, but we were the only customers that day, so we had it all to ourselves. The water was quite cool, but it served for swimming and some relaxing. When we took a walk into the forest behind the hotel, we saw one of the biggest iguanas that exist. Including it’s tail it was as big as I am. And although they are usually scared of people and run away, this one wouldn’t run very far, but would sit on a stone and warn us by head-movements not to come any closer. This iguana really looks like a dinosaur.

For the way back, Cristian wanted me to take the bus back because he thought it would be safer. But I am as stubborn as I am pretty, so I decided to ride with him. During the afternoon the winds were even stronger and by 5 pm, we were home and mighty happy to still be alive.

Well, let’s see what the next day off is gonna bring; I’m kinda anxious!

Too long!

What hurts more: three hours on a horse or 3 hours on a scoter? I think I will have to say the scooter.
Cristian and I went to freezing San Josè again to get his scooter which was still waiting to get his check-up and road permission for 2010.
After a 2,5 hour bus ride during which Cristian was sleeping in my arms most of the time, we arrived there at 11.30 pm. Although Cristian’s father wanted us to respect the house, we slept in the same room and bed again. We are sorry! But seriously, we already live together in Guanacaste and his father also knows that it’s way too late to prevent anything.
Cristian thought that I would take the bus to Guanacaste and that he would have to drive the scooter alone. But I wanted to go with him although I knew it would be uncomfortable. But during the trip I also realized that a 3-hour scooter ride is like a 3-hour rollercoaster ride, especially with the traffic in San José and later with the strong winds in Guanacaste. Don’t get me wrong: I like rollercoaster rides and I really enjoyed the short motorcycle ride I was taken on in Finland. But three hours of that? Furthermore, we were both tired because we had gotten up at 5 am and after 1,5 hours on the back of the scooter there wasn’t a bone in my body that didn’t hurt.
However, I think that whenever I ride with Cristian, he drives much more careful than when he would drive alone. Plus he always crosses himself before we start. (It’s a bit funny: Cristian, the guy who is known as a party boy in every hotel/restaurant he has worked at and had his share of problems during teenager hood, believes in God and his protection. I am not religious at all, but I accept it if other people are. Just don’t try to change my opinion; I tend to be too stubborn to change my views. And yes, I also believe in evolution because I don’t think that anybody would be that powerful to create the world in 7 days. Furthermore, sometimes I think that the world is too cruel to have a God. I am doing just fine here; I don’t have any huge problems. But what about the starving children in Africa? The poor families in the slums of the big cities of Latin America? Shouldn’t God something about that? And weirdly enough those are usually the most religious people! However, this is not going to become an essay about religion and God, so I better stop here.)

But maybe we should get back to Cristian as a party boy: That is definitely something of the past. What happened? Well, he met me! *lol* Already in Puerto Viejo we would rather stay at home and cook dinner for ourselves than partying with the other colleagues. And we sometimes have fairly fancy dinners: shrimp soup, pasta with self-made tomato sauce (with only fresh ingredients) and tuna, risotto with octopus, marinated steak, fish with self-made dip…. It’s not just pasta with ketchup! I found myself a men who can cook. And I admit: he does most of the cooking. Sometimes I help him a bit. But other times I just sit on the kitchen counter and make funny comments and drink my pre-dinner beer!
And what happened to Sabine, the party girl? I can remember times when I was the last and/or the drunkest to leave a party. Or my life in Ireland: pubs and clubs 5 days a week. Well, I guess I’m getting old! *lol* I’m like Cristian now: I prefer spending time with him, cuddling on the sofa, and talking. Oh shit, I’m boring now!


Party Boy + Party Girl = No More Parties

Typical Costa Rican: Chaotic!

That’s what my New Year’s Eve was like.
Most Costa Ricans go to the beach for New Year’s to watch the fireworks. But Cristian and I decided to go to his hometown: the capital of Costa Rica, San José.
We had to take the 6.30 am bus after only 4,5 hours of sleep and arrived in San José early enough to do some shopping. Cristian couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t buy everything in the first store we went to. But women look around, compare prices, quality, and then decide what to take.
When we were finally on our way to Cristian’s home, he realized that he had forgotten the keys in Guanacaste and that we can’t get inside because his family members were either working or at the beach. So, we went to visit his friend: the boys smoked some pot and I tried to ignore that Cristian’s best friend couldn’t stop staring at my butt. (By now I’m actually used to guys staring and flirting at me whenever they can. It became normal and it doesn’t ever annoy me anymore.)
By 3.30 pm I was so tired, I was ready to sleep on the street in front of the house. However, luckily Cristian’s brother came home. But instead of having some sleep, we took a ride with Cristian’s scooter to check if everything was working right, so that we can take it with us to Guanacaste. On an empty street outside of San José, Cristian made me drive the scooter. And although I had told him that I have never driven any kind of motorcycle before, he made me drive it alone without much explanation. Of course, a few meters down the road I crashed it into a little hill: I simply wasn’t prepared that it was that heavy while steering. Fortunately, the scooter didn’t even get scratched and I only ended up having a lot of bruises on both of my legs. That was it with my scooter-driving career! Well, I’m not allowed to drive them anyway; with my licence I can only drive cars.
By the way, Cristian lives in Moravia, a part of San José which is located in the north. Moravia is not very poor or very rich. But if you come from Germany, it makes you feel like in a Hollywood movie about street gangs and violence. Of course, we didn’t actually see any fights, but it simply does not make a very safe impression.
When we were finally ready to sleep by 5 pm, it turned out that neither Cristian nor I could fall asleep. So, by 8 pm we were even more tired while we were searching the house for things to steal (or borrow?) to take to our house in Guanacaste.
By 10 pm we realized that we should get ready to go to his mother’s house. So, we had a hot shower (my first one after 1,5 months: neither in Puerto Viejo we had nor in Guanacaste we have hot water). By 11.30 pm we were finally on the scooter to go to his mother’s place. BUT Cristian still wanted to get some Tequila to bring to the party. However, OF COURSE, all the stores were already closed and we ended up going back to his house after 20 minutes on the scooter to steal the Tequila from his sister. We made it to his mother’s place exactly 2 minutes before 12 pm. After setting off my fireworks in the narrow streets with over-head cables of San José (It’s unbelievable that they don’t prohibit it there it would be so easy to burn down a whole street.), we had some food and two drinks. By that time, we weren’t drunk at all, but so tired that my brain seemed to be in clouds and I couldn’t get together one proper Spanish sentence.
We went home and while Cristian and his brother had their first joint for the new year I decided to scare them a bit. Their father wasn’t home yet and of course, he doesn’t allow the boys to smoke pot. So, I silently went to the door that leads to the backyard and suddenly opened. Both nearly died of a heart attack because they thought I was their father! :-P
Since Cristian had to work at 9 pm on 1 January, we had to get up at 4.45 am after only 2 hours of sleep to let us drive to Guanacaste by Cristian’s father. (It’s an 3 hour ride.) After having had to work for 12 hours that day, Cristian was sick because of lack of sleep when he came home. Poor guy! Which cruel boss makes people come to work at 9 am in the morning after New Year’s Eve?

Cristian: my little San Josè street gangster

You can see how cold it gets in San José by the way he is dressed. It is surrounded by mountains and whereas it seems to be a thousand degrees in Guanacaste, in San José it’s windy, mostly cloudy and fairly cold. While setting up the fireworks, my fingers got cold and I hadn’t had any cold fingers since I came to Central America. And especially the houses in San José get quite cool. During the night, we had 3 blankets, I wore Cristian’s sweater and still felt the need to be cuddling with him all night.

Christmas?

When I think about Christmas I imagine a colourful Christmas tree and snow. Well, not even in my hometown in Germany it’s always cold enough to have white Christmas, but at least I’m hoping for it every year.
However, in Guanacaste it was simply to hot for Christmas! It’s like it never happened. I did get a present and Cristian cooked something nice for me, but it could have also been my birthday.
On the 25th of December we went to the beach of Tamarindo (at the Pacific side of Costa Rica). We went body boarding (And I’m actually pretty good at it! :-P), had ice cream, and got sunburned although we had used sunscreen. However, on our way back I realized that I still have to work on my patience a lot if I want to survive in Costa Rica. We went with a bunch of Cristian’s co-workers in a privately rented bus. After the beach some of them wanted to stop in Liberia (a town on our way back) and watch a movie. But part of the group (including Cristian and me) were against it because we were pretty tired and all sandy. So, when we stopped at a mall in Liberia, we were told that we only have half an hour and could do some shopping. Well, Cristian and I did our shopping and wanted to go back to the bus. But on our way we met two girls who told us that now some of them went to see a movie which would take nearly 3 hours to finish. I was tired, cranky, and ready to kill all the Costa Ricans for their slowness! I was suggesting to go to the centre of Liberia and maybe do some window-shopping or have a beer, but Cristian thought it was just as dangerous going out at night in Liberia as it would be in San José. Well, after waiting for 2,5 hours, we made the movie-goers come out before the movie was over and by midnight we were finally home!

However, it was still a nice trip! And since I can’t change the Costa Ricans, I will have to change and get much more relaxed and patient.

PS. Here a picture of the front of Cristian: Don’t you also think that he has a bit of a bad boy in him?

Realizing the Differences

I actually wrote that article for the student paper at my former university. But since the topic and those thoughts fit my blog very well, I’ll publish it here as well:


If you are German and living in Germany, then this is for you: Have you ever asked yourself how spoiled you are? Or do you at least appreciate all the luxury you are having?
Well, I have now travelled in Central America for 3,5 months. My first destination was Boquete in Panama, a scenic town in the mountains. It was small, partly Europeanised, full of tourists and therefore fairly safe. My second destination was Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica, a Caribbean town in the south of Costa Rica. It again was very touristy, small, and safer than most other places. But now I’m in a small town in the north of Costa Rica and it made me realize some things. Las Juntas, where I live with my boyfriend, is not touristy and apart from a few Gringos (a not nice word for describing US-Americans)who live up in the mountains and come down to do some shopping once a week, I’m the only non-Costa Rican here.
Before I came here to move in with my Costa Rican boyfriend, he assured me that he has found a safe house to live in. Safe here means that all the windows and doors have extra steal bars in front of them: Welcome to feeling like living in a prison! Plus we have bought three extra locks, so that we can lock all the doors from the inside which couldn’t be opened from the outside without a key anyway. In Germany, I grew up in a small town as well and there a safe house meant that you could lock your door and had a cellar where you could lock your bike in. Nobody there would barricade him- or herself behind steal bars and extra locks. Furthermore, all our windows of that brightly lit house are hidden under dark curtains, so that nobody from the outside can see that I own a laptop or that a blonde girl is living here. I also don’t go into the back yard when the farmer behind our yard are out; I don’t want them to get any ideas when they see an exotic girl like me. However, safety has also been an issue in Boquete and Puerto Viejo: When my colleague and I went out for partying at night, we were not allowed to cross the bridge and walk home alone although it would have only taken 10 minutes. We always had to go home together or get an expensive taxi. Puerto Viejo was a bit worse because there I lived in an apartment block that was off the main street in the middle of the jungle. The road did not have any lights and walking alone for 15 minutes on a completely empty jungle path after your late shift is not a pleasant experience, not even with a flashlight. But the worst of all is San Josè (the capital of Costa Rica): After it gets dark (which is at 5.45 pm already) you do not go out alone, not even as a guy. When I was living in my university town Kassel I never considered not going home alone at night after a party. It seemed perfectly safe. Do you now see how spoiled Germans are in terms of safety?
But of course, safety is not the only issue: the social system is much more important! Or would you want to pay $3500 for a caesarean section although you are insured? So many people in Germany complain about the bad health care and that you have to pay extra for everything. But now imagine you only earn about $500 per month (a normal salary for a person without a university degree here) and you have to pay for everything as well? And what if you are unemployed? Well, the German state pays everything for its people: the apartment, water and heating bills and puts a bit of money on top of it for food and clothing. What do you get in Costa Rica? Absolutely nothing! You better have a friend or family who will let you live with them for a while. So, are we spoiled by our social system or what?
So, and let’s now talk about education: Yes, I know, PISA said that Germany has one of the worst education systems in Europe or the western world. But compared to the one in Costa Rica, ours is great! When people here finish high school, they barely speak English, their writing and spelling is mostly miserable, and the only thing they really learned is how to take drugs. The good private schools, of course, cost lots of money and are only affordable for very few. And studying at university is fairly expensive. Compared to what people earn here, our tuition fees (in the states where they exist) are a joke. (And yes, I was one of the people demonstrating against them when they were introduced at Kassel and I’m still against tuition fees. But travelling in third world countries does make you see things a bit differently.) Ah, and in Germany you have BaFög if your family can’t afford to send you to university. And what do you get in Costa Rica? Well, of course, nothing! You can take up a loan and hope that in the future you’ll be able to pay it back. Don’t you also think we are spoiled by our educational system?
Of course, there are other European countries where the social system, educational system and the safety is even better than in Germany. It makes me remember how shocked I was that a 7-year old was allowed to ride his bike to school which was about 4 km away by himself in Finland. That’s how safe it was!
Do all those things make me hate Costa Rica? No, not at all! It has its good sides as well: the beaches, the 35 degrees in the shade during winter, the friendly and happy people, very low water and electricity bills, the easy-going way of everything, and my boyfriend. But it did make me realize one thing: I would definitely not want to raise my kids here! Would I go back to Germany? No, I don’t think so. I don’t really fit in there, but there are other nice industrial countries where you can find a good and safe environment for your family where I don’t have scorpions in my bathroom or poisonous snakes and spiders in my backyard. However, will I ever get my Costa Rican boyfriend out of Costa Rica? He loves it so. But he has never travelled to other countries and does not know that there are advantages of living somewhere else.
And now I can only say: Pura Vida! (translates into: “Pure Life”, the always used greeting in Costa Rica which perfectly describes the lifestyle of its people.)

Too hot to work...I rather work on my tan!

Well, I now live in Guanacaste, the probably hottest part of Costa Rica.
I’m glad that I finally left Puerto Viejo. Due to the warm-humid climate I was sick most of the time. And all the mould in the apartments for the employees probably wasn’t healthy either. Plus I was getting tired of fighting for my payment and my rights! However, you can always learn something: At Le Caméléon I learned how a hotel can be managed to death (or rather not managed because most of the time I didn’t know who my manager or my boss was). At Isla Verde in Boquete I learned how to say “Yes.” without meaning it.
My boyfriend is renting a house for us which for Costa Rican standards is just fine. Unfortunately, we are still lacking a few pieces of furniture (like a sofa), but that will change soon. I get to spend lots of time in the sun because it seems a bit harder to find a job here because I don’t have a work visa. But honestly: it’s way too hot here to work! During the day it’s about 35 degrees Celsius in the shade and reading a book in the sun for 5 minutes will make you sweat so much that you look like you just came out of the shower. Thank God there is at least a cool breeze at night.
Other than that I spend my days with trying our recipes. Yes, I cook now although I hate it! Well, one day I’ll have to learn, so I better start now. And I can’t believe it: But I am ironing the shirts which Cristian has to wear for work. I had told him that I would never do that for him because I despise ironing, but seeing him do it in the slowest way ever nearly tortured me to death! Another popular pastime of mine is killing ants, spiders or other kinds of insects which are everywhere. I have also already killed my first scorpion which somehow had found its way into the bathroom. Ever since I always take a good look into my shoes before I put them on. And while we are talking about animals: My backyard regularly gets visits from a 1,5 m long iguana! But anyway: I think we should stick with the idea of getting a puppy as our pet. I prefer furry animals after all.

The Silence of Sabine

Yes, I know, I haven’t posted anything in ages. And that has a reason: a guy named Cristian. He worked in the same hotel (Hotel Le Caméléon) as a waiter. Pretty soon after I arrived we started dating and the cool thing was that he lived in the apartment next to mine. So, right from the beginning he pretty much moved in with me. And that was great because he can cook and he cleaned my apartment when I had the early shift and he the late shift: great guy!

However, now he moved to Guanacaste (in the north of Costa Rica) because he has a much better job there. And that’s why in ten days I’ll pack my suitcase again and will make my way up north. I was planning on staying in Puerto Viejo for 2 more months, but I just don’t like it as much as I had hoped. The hotel lacks management and working there is totally chaotic; working in 90% humidity, 30 degrees Clesius and the sun shining into the reception makes you feel like in a sauna; going out in Puerto Viejo is not so much fun if you (like me) don’t like reggae music or being felt up by guys when you go towards the bar; and I miss Cristian. But at least, I’ll be with him for Christmas. I think, right now neither he nor I know what the future is going to bring, but who cares!?
However, I also have some pictures to show because Cristian showed me Manzanillo (a little village with less hotels than Puerto Viejo) and Cahuita (a village with a nice natioanal park). Unfortunately, the day in Cahuita was quite rainy. Here in the Caribbean it’s rainy season although it’s dry season in the rest of Costa Rica.
The drive to Manzanillo was quite interesting. After we had missed the bus because Cristian was being slow taking a shower and getting ready, we met the manager of the hotel bar, Alex, who had his day off. Since he was bored anyway and was just cruising around in his car, we asked him to take us there and he agreed. After a few minutes, we stopped at a gas station where they filled the tank by hand (with a canister and trichter). There Alex bought a beer and opened it right away to drink while driving. (Here I don’t want to forget to mention that he had had enough rest alcohol in his blood from the night before.) Then we stopped at Punta Uva which is supposed to be one of the prettiest beaches in the world. It was pretty, but I couldn’t quite figure out what puts it under the tops 5 beaches of the world.

Then we continued to Manzanillo. Now Cristian took out his joint and shared it with Alex while he was driving, of course. (At this point I want to add a little story about drugs: In Puerto Viejo it is absolutely normal to smoke a couple or more joints a day and you are also allowed to come to work high if you are still able to work well. Everybody in town know where to buy the stuff, including the police, but nobody does anything. And the most interesting thing for me: The joints we smoke in Europe contain mostly tobacco and only a small amount of marihuana. But here it’s pure marihuana; after three puffs of a joint here I’m totally high!) However, Manazanillo is really cute and pretty and Cristian and I went for a little walk.

On our way to Cahuita we did not miss our bus and first went to Puerto Viejo because I wanted to talk a look at this town which so far I had only seen through the windows of cars or buses or at night. (I don’t live and work in the centre of Puerto Viejo. It’s about 4 km away, so I don’t get to go there every day, especially because taxis are expensive and the bus only goes 4 times a day.)

We did a little window shopping and then went to the bus station to get the tickets for Cahuita. While waiting for the bus, we saw a sloth and then Cristian got a phone call from my manager and she wanted to talk to me. And here is what she said: “You have to change your day off because you have tow work today at 2 pm.” Well, since I had already bought my bus ticket and I would like some friendliness if somebody wants me to work extra hours on my day off, I simply replied with: “No, it’s not possible. I already have tickets to go to Cahuita.” And she said: “I’m gonna talk to Don Ben (who is the owner of the hotel)!” and hung up. I was totally sure I was fired and was actually happy about it because that way I could have gone with Cristian to Guanacaste right away. Well, it turns out that I was not fired and that would actually like me to stay.
In Cahuita we saw some monkeys who tried to throw things at us. Other than that the national park was pretty animal-free. I guess, they didn’t like the rain!