Caminata a La Cruz de Alajuelita

Rigo is one of my favorite ticos. He is a taxi driver and more. He has a great relationship with Habitat and works tirelessly to uphold his great reputation. He has definitley earned my trust, and I am convinced that he knows everything about Costa Rica. He took me to the airport last Thursday to pick up Ernesto and he told us about an organized hike on Sunday. Caminata a la Cruz de Alajuelita. ie: The Cross. This cross can be viewed atop of a mountain from all over San Jose. You can barely see it here right at the tippy top of the mountain. We had been planning to climb it, but wanted to get a bigger group to go. It is known for robbers/muggers on the trail. Plus there is not much infor publisized in travel books or on the web about where it starts, how long it takes, etc.

Kate picked us up at 730am and we drove to the little town of Alajuelita (If your taking a bus its to El Llano) about 30 minutes from San Jose. We knew we were meeting in front of a big church, but we did not know that it was the 75th year anniversary for the hike. We felt pretty safe knowing that there were hundreds of people climbing it. We started up the road promptly at 830am.After about 1/2 hour we turned off the road onto a trail. We took several photos on the way up because the view was just amazing. San Jose spreads far and wide.

The la Cruz de Alajuelita is about 2036 meters high (6679 feet), and took us roughly 4 hours of hiking round trip. Since we were in such a large group, the pace was set for us (a bit slow) you can see the line of people here.About one hour into the hike, we reached this cross, but only stopped for a photo, this was not the Cruz, not the highest peak. There was actually an eerie story of a family that was hiking up to the cross and was murdered at this point. This happened a long time ago, but was still a deterrent from going on the hike alone. When Ernesto and I reached the top, we were in a cloud. It would've been chilly, if we hadn't been sweating. Kate got to the top shortly after us and by that time the sky had cleared and the sun was blazing. We got a clear shot of the cross then.We ended up waiting for the laggers at the top for about 1.5 hours. That was fine though, we still got a great workout and the weather was so beautiful, we just found a spot in the grass between shit patties and took a nice cat nap in the sun.

I was happy when our guide told us we would descend by a different route than we came. It was weird being up so high, if the clouds were over you, it was chilly and dark.
The next minute it felt like the Sound of Music. We were walking across the mountain tops, to my left was the cityand to my right were breathtaking green mountains, and farm land! I took a pickture of this tree, becuase I thought it was so cool. The whole thing is covered with spanish moss and Bormelaids. During the whole hike, every two steps these plants were just laying there. I had to keep telling myself, "Don't pick those up Cindy, you dont have a garden Cindy" It worked to a certain extent. I couldnt resist a few, and look how beautiful they are.Friday night, we had our first "dinner party" with Lauren and Maureen.  Maureen brought brought a bottle of wine and  a houswarming gift of 4 wine glasses. Good thing - its no fun to drink wine out of coffe mugs.

Lauren brought her desire to cook, and she whipped up some delish fish fillets in the oven.and a mango, papaya, chile, and onion salsa to go one top! Que rico!Ernesto brought 4 of my Polish pottery plates from storage, so that made the table setting feel a bit more decorative. (the plates that came in the apt are...lets just say...not my style)Life has been different the last few days. Neto is here, we are moved in our new place, we have a birdie. Life is good!  

Dull Days in the Office?

My sister-in-law Barbie wants to know if I am really working down here in Costa Rica. “I only see blog posts about you having fun and going to the beach, I want to see a post about a mundane day in the office." HA!
Well, I wouldn't call it mundane, but here you go. I am currently working on 2 projects for the writer/editor, a job that I am so very jealous of…ahhh to write for a living. (Im jealous but happy for you Steph) Habitats’ Latin America & Caribbean website lists all of the countries where Habitat works, and unfortunately the information is a bit outdated. You could probably call this boring, mundane work, but I don’t. Yes, I am sitting at a desk most of the day, but I quite enjoy it. (I have always liked working in the office atmosphere, when you work with cool people its never too bad) Not only have I been learning in detail about the housing issues in Latin America, but it has made me an even bigger supporter of Habitat and all they do around the world.
You can go here to read more and how you can get involved.

The other project I am working on is developing a “Blogging Best Practices Guide”. Yes, this is my assignment, and Im thoroughly enjoying it. Being a blogger myself, the information that I am compiling is extremely interesting, not to mention inspiring. Social Media is where its at these days. Habitat is on FaceBook, Twitter, and Steph has recently started the Habitat blog called Voces (voices). We want to reach as many people as possible. We want participation and advocacy of Habitat and there is a lot of info out there on how to make your blog a tool that works towards your goal.
I have been lost in a bottomless hole of blog research, some days hours have gone by and I don’t know what happened. Steph said she feared this might happen and explained that this is why she assigned it to me instead of doing it herself! HA! If you are interested in my guide, just email me.
But all work and no play (during those 8 hours) makes Cindy a dull girl…and you know she cant have that! I try my hardest to get involved in anything fun going on at the office. The other day Marco was filming Diana for an institutional video for Habitat. I was there as camera “assistant.” Fixing the models hair, helping her with her lines, giving her water and offering moral support to her and the cameraman. I was offering encouraging words which I was told worked helped. She was getting frustrated because we had to do a lot of “takes”. You can tell by her face here But really, Diana is a natural in front of the camera. I was impressed by her ability to memorize so much material. She did a great job, and of course she looks like a star too! So beautiful! I tried to make myself look like a star by standing behind the expensive video equipment...did it work?

New Apartment in San Jose

It had been the plan, that after xmas, Ernesto and I would get our own apt. I feel lucky that things worked out as they did. Kate has been a great roommate, and I am glad that I stayed with her for that time. It was great not having to be alone for the time Ernesto was in Atlanta working. Maureen and Lauren living a 5 minute walk away. A lot of great girl time!

But, I must say, I am ready to have my husband back! We had been apart for many trips, even up to 2 ½ weeks, but this was ridiculous!

I kind of forget what it was like, just the 2 of us living together. The good thing is that I am really excited to refresh my memory. It didn’t take me too long to find a place, I only looked at 2 actually. My 2 criteria: location and being furnished….oh yes, and price! I am living on a budget down here! Monday I was able to move our stuff in and I must say it is a whole new ball game already.

Ideas are running through my head constantly of how I can make it pretty. One of the biggest things missing in my Costa Rican life is decorating. The frustrating part is that now that I have my own space, how much $$ should I put in a place that I may only be living in for 5 months? Well you know that I usually don’t live by what I “should” do. This is why #1 on my brain is painting. A nice blue of course. A gallon of paint is a small investment for something that will make me happy everyday. My other ideas are a bit more resourceful. One of which is stenciling. My theme? Birds and Chandeliers. I could make this way cool if I knew I was staying for any length of time. Here take a look for yourself.

First let me say that I am located 5 minutes from downtown San Jose, a 1 minute walk to the huge park La Sabana where I go running in the morning, a 5 minute walk to the grocery store, a 3 minute walk to my gym and about a 15 minute walk/ 5 minute bus ride to my office. Now this, is city living!

From the street you enter through a black gate.

Condominio Menorca has 10 condos, all with cute little landscaped front yards with colorful tropical plants. Here is ours.

You enter into the living room which has two huge windows is open to the kitchen, so the whole room is really bright.

The kitchen is open to the living room, a perfect setup for entertainers like us.

There is a separate little dining area off the kitchen too

A very basic bath

And two bedrooms, one with a bed and the other with a desk. Both have a huge closet. I have a queen mattress for anyone that wants to visit, hint hint.

There is a door off the kitchen which goes to a back patio. It would be so perfect for a grill and outdoor furniture surrounded by tons of plants.

Anyway, It’s a great space, but needs some serious decorating. I am so excited because my mom and dad are coming next week, and my mom is one of the most creative people I know, so we will come up with some great budget ideas. I will be sure to post!

What a perfect day! I didn't go to the office today due to several appointments with the apartment. New living room furniture was delivered, the internet and cable was set up and I was awaiting the arrival of a special someone. The first meal cooked in our house was an indian stir-fry by guess who??

BIENVENIDO MI AMOR!!! I am excited to be a married woman again resuming a "home life" with mi Neto...its been 9 months since we lived together alone...way too long! Although the weather has been a bit screwy (heavy winds with light rain while sunny) and my new landlady thinks its a sign of the end of the world, Look a the beautiful rainbow over our new place.

Its a good omen of things to come!

Loquito Lives On!!

What does every home need to make it feel homey? Ok, there are lots of applicable answers but at the top of my list is a pet.
At lunch Wednesday, Kate, Lauren and I went to the Mercado Central to eat/shop. Every time I go there, I walk into this pet/livestock shop. This time I was way more excited though because I know I was picking out a birdie. There were so many, I knew I wanted a blue one.(of course!)It didn’t take me long to pick out the perfect birdie. Blue with a yellow face. Ay Little Loquito! The guy had two hands in the cage trying to catch him. I took more time choosing the cage. There were so many colors all hanging from the ceiling. I finally chose this happy yellow and white one, and got all the necessary accessories.Bonus: Ana from my “knitting” club has an antique cage stand and is letting me use it. Its going to look so cute. Here I am ready to take my new pet home.Before leaving we stopped to get a casado for lunch. This market has it all.Meet Loquito. In just two days, Loquito has already sat on my finger. Watch. He will be talking in no time. (If you are wondering, yes I have had a bird named Loquito before. Birds are named Loquito. Cats are named Rare)

Big Family News!

This post is dedicated to my brother Bill and my awesome sister-in-law Barbie. They had left me 3 skype messages while I was at the beach over the weekend. Bill’s message said “we want to talk to you” of course I called him right away and the three of us sat on video skype chatting. Then, they told me “the news” Barbie is PREGNANT. wow!!!! I cant believe it! I am so happy for them. They told the whole family on Friday at my mom's birhtday dinner, and they took video. I love the delivery. check it out!

Just a little background. They have been together 14 years. On their one year wedding anniversary, they had been together 10 years already! This news not only brings me great joy, it is a slap in the face. Oooh, about 8 years ago mas o menos, Barbie and I made a little pact that when one of us got pregnant, the other would follow. We were really both of the idea that we needed to wait a while, no pressure. Eight years of no pressure. Well WTF Barb? Don’t you think we should’ve discussed this first?? Actually that was what happened in a dream a had a few months ago. She told me she was pregnant and I cried “Barbie!! But…but I m not ready yet” last month I had a related dream where I was the one pregnant and I called her a week before I was due to tell her, she was upset and I was crying that I didn’t tell her before. A coincidence? I think not.

Funny enough, this has really had an effect on my thinking this week. I think, now at age 35 (yikes!) could I mentally prepare myself for motherhood with 9 months of pregnancy?  Oh my gosh, what if I got pregnant? Are we ready?  Well let me answer that for you very quickly with two words. Job. Insurance. And there you have it folks. Thanks for tuning in. Goodbye.

Ok, just kidding. (about the goodbye) I want to say Congratulations again to mis hermanos and don’t worry Barbie, I will keep up my end of the deal, but I am obviously going to be a bit behind. A little notice would have been nice. Sneaky kids.

Loving the Surf at Playa Hermosa

So the plan as of Friday night was that Lauren Maureen and I would meet at the bus stop at 530am to head to the beach for the weekend. At 930pm Bryan, another Habitat volunteer from San Francisco, called to say he was up for the beach, and he would pick us up at 6am! YES! An extra 30 min of sleep! We met early the next morning unsure of which beach we were going, but knew it was on the Pacific side, so we just started driving west. We ended up picking Playa Hermosa which is a top surfing destination in Costa Rica. I was happy because it is a new beach for me.We didn’t have reservations but found Cabinas Arenas and were quite happy with the beachfront location for $15 each. The 3 girls stayed in one room and Bryan, who we teased was a bit “high maintenace” went to a place a couple doors down so he could have aire conditioning. The rooms were quite cute, nothing fancy, but come on its $15 people!! Maureen and Lauren flipped a coin for the full size bed, I didn't participate because I was satisfied with the twin bunk bed.

We were sunning on the beach by 1030am. The beach is so exciting, it always makes me happy! I would get the same feeling after taking a flight....in 2 hours your life is totally different!

Being a black sand beach, It was incredibly hot, we couldn’t even walk in the sand without our flip-flops. We loaded up on the sunscreen, and took several dips in the ocean. The waves are good size here and the current was strong, so we didn’t swim alone. We had a great time being pushed around and trying to keep our suits on.We took a break at Las Olas Restaurant right next door and I had a mango smoothie. De-lish!

By the time sunset came around, we had already had a couple beers at BackYard Bar which had a reggae band playing for Happy Hour. We were quite happy!
Bryan was totally happy too, being a surfer. The waves were biggest at 5am and 4pm.

After showering we made our way back to the bar and got a bit to eat. It was really happening place, very cool vibe with good people watching. It is afterall, the high season.
We were in bed pretty early, have you ever noticed how tired you get from laying around on a beach all day? I don’t ever mind going to bed early, because I love to sleep and more than that, I really love getting up early after I have slept a lot. Sunday morning was great, we were up having coffee and a fruit plate outside under a palapa by 8am and bee-lined for the beach right after.

Bryan called us true “sun goddesses” and was amazed at our ability to be in the hot sun so long.

Come on, who gets sick of this?

When we were lying there, a guy went running by on a horse and I had to wave him down. I told him I wanted to run down the beach on his horse. He said he was renting the horse. $25 for an hour. I told him I just wanted to run the horse for a minute. Please Please Please. Sometimes that is all it takes girls…”ask and you shall receive” as my mom always said. You would be surprised how many times this works for me.

Even though it was less than a 5 minute ride, it was just enough. I ran that poor horsey hard, and then felt guilty because he was breathing so hard afterwards.

Bryan is a guy and therefore wanted to watch the Super Bowl. Who was playing please? Well he probably saved us all from crossing the line of “to much sun” so it was good we left for San Jose around 2pm. This beach is going to be a repeater. #1 for ease of arrival from san jose, only a little over 2 hours…and #2 Roger (pronounced Ro-hair in Spanish)

He hooked us up with our room and many other beach goodies and information, always checking on us to make sure everything was cool…It was totally cool, laid back and cheap! Beach weekend total = less than $40! It was so convenient having a car, even though we didn't use it during the day, but we were able to leave at the drop of a hat instead of relying on the bus scedule. Thanks again Bryan for driving!

We made such good time that we were able to make a quick stop at a little Heladaria (ice cream shop) and I tried two flavors. Coco which had pieces of coconut in it, and the most popular flavor vanilla which had spices in it. Such a good topper to a road trip. We can thank Maureen for that, the girl can and will eat ice cream or gelato at any given time.

Another plus of driving home during the daylight is that we were able to see the gorgeous mountains and this orange flowering tree is blooming all over the place -I have to find out the name.

Although I do have some complaints about the city, the Costa Rica countryside is so beautiful. I like it. Like it a lot.