click to enlarge pics

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I took a lot of pictures in Costa Rica. These are just a few.

Frog1

Frog2

Hummingbird
A not-uncommon sign

Manta ray at Catalinas Islands

White Tip Shark pic taken at Catalinas Islands

View from OI Girls Aunts, Atop a 900 foot cliff to the Pacific.

A repaired bridge we crossed (it was worse at the other end)

Preferred mode of transportation in Ario

Boats at low tide at Ario

A guy jumping from a cliff at the waterfalls at Montezuma

This was a GOOD road! (really, there are a lot of good paved roads)

Carrots at the Agriculture Sale

Veggies (Agriculture Fair/Sale)

Papaya (Agriculture Fair/Sale)

Bananas (Agriculture Fair/Sale)

A Toucan

The lights of Alajuela and San Jose near sunrise from OI girls Parents house

A flower

Another Flower

I'm HOME!

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I’m Home! I got home around 2PM and just got unpacked and all my email done. I had a great time and I’m glad to be home! Here’s my posts from the past few days. I had NO internet access at all! thesse were typed on my cell phone then transferred to my computer, then pasted here.

23Feb06 6:25PM
Today was OI Girls Birthday. We went to the hotel where her father is the manager and had breakfast and looked around a bit. We went out to lunch with some of her friends. then we went to a big shopping mall in San Jose and looked for jeans for her (but didn’t find any) I got a new bag for my laptop and some pants.
Now its dark and we just got home.
Tomorrow we are going to the rainforest and day after that to a beach even more remote the the one we were at a few days ago.
I am tired right now.
I’m looking forward to the beach.

24Feb06 4:34 PM

today was a kind of lazy day. The OI Girl slept late and I read. We went out and got pizza for lunch. then we went to this huge Agricultural market. We just now got back. Tomorrow we get up super early and vamos a la playa.

26 Feb 2006 7:04 am

Yesterday we got up at 4:30 AM and came to the northwest coast ofCosta Rica. we are at the IO Girls aunts property. It is a nice 2 bedroom place on a huge cliff and a 40 minute walk to the beach. My GPS shows us at 894 feet above sea level. the living area is outside and the master bathroom is designed with no roof! It is super-nice. the only electricity is from a generator. the stars were fantastic last night.
Yesterday I met Chang Diaz, a Costa Rican astronaut who works for NASA amd has been in space several times.
Here I saw my first scorpion and there was a poisonous snake found by one of the girls in a closet. this is called “dry forest” and it is very desertlike, lots of cactus and bees and eagles and wildlife. This morning, there are millions of small yelllow wasps that apparently, dont sting.
Today is my Moms Birthday and I plan on callng today. I expect max roaming charges as we are far from civilization with only a weak phone signal.
tomorrow morning we leave and go diving.

26Feb 06 4:29PM
We just got back from the beach and town. the beach was very nice and it was almost exactly a mile long. We saw whales out in the ocean from where we were on the beach. (We also saw them yesterday from the clifftop.) We went to town to get ice and coffee. Apparently last night there was a small confict between the OI Girls parents and her aunt so her parents left first thing in the morning, inadvertently taking all the coffee with them. So this morning we had some old thermos coffee and that was it.
The longer you drive here the better the roads seem. Im 4 wheel driving pretty good now, beating our poor rental car to death!

28Feb06 6AM
right now we are in Playa Del Cocos. Yesterday we went diving at Catalinas Islands. It was pretty good. The viz wasnt great but we saw mantas and sharks. There was a nudibranch that stuck itself to my head and everybody was taking pictures.

29 Feb 06 504PM
Aranol volcano
Wwe left Playa Del Coco this morning and came to the Aranol Volcano. i got a ticket on the way. We are at a fancy hotel called Tabacon. Our room has a view of the volcano. Soometimes you can see smoke rolling down the side and hopefully when it gets dark we’ll see some lava. This afternoon we went to these hot springs. It was like being inside a terrerium. The water is very hot from the volcano. Tomorrow it’s back to Alajuela. we left some of our dive gear at the dive shop and have to get it from San Jose. One of the divemasters is coming to San Jose and will bring it. Lucky.

2Mar06 504AM
came back from Aranol yesterday, it was a great drive’ through the rainforest then through a cloudforest. (rain then fog). There was very low visibility through the cloudforest. Then we stopped and got souvieneers and picked up our dive gear from the bus stop. we got to OI Girls parents house about 4 PM. I stared packing because I’m leaving tomorrow. Then we went out to a nice dinner with OI girls parents and brother and sister in law.
We were very tired when we got home, both from Aranol and from dinner.

3Mar06 0517AM
I am now at the San Jose airport and not too happy about it. I am sad to be leaving.
Yesterday, OI Girl, her brother and sister-in-law and I went to La Paz waterfalls park. It is a super nice park on the way to the Poas Volcano. we saw a lot of hummingbirds, frogs, snakes and of course, waterfalls.
Last night we had dinner and after dark the dogs started barking. 0I Girls father went out, came back, got a gun and went out and fired a few shots into the air. The neighbor fired a few shots in the air too. Apparently, there was someone down in the woods and they needed to be scared off.
Then we went to bed and woke up at 3:45 to take me to the airport. Right now OI Girl is having breakfast with her father and returning our rental car. In one week she’ll be returning to Cayman. My baggage was 11 pounds overweight and it costed me 25 US dollars. Bastards!
I’ll be home in time for lunch.

First internet availibility

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Today will be my first chance to connect to the internet since I arrived
here in Costa Rica. these are the posts I’ve been typing on my phone.

Morning is here! I’m typing this on my cell phone. We traveled all day
yesterday. Got here last night. The OI Girls Parents live up in the
mountains overlooking a city that starts with an “A” nearer to the
airport than San Jose. Last night was beautiful, the way the city
lights shimmer.

I got up at 5 and went out and tried to get some decent pics but I
don’t know if they came out.
Also, the stars are way up high and I’ve already seen stars I’ve never
seen before! (I’ve been south but wasn’t interested in the sky then)
I’ll see if I can send this now!
****
Nope can’t connect. This will sit in my outbox till I can. Its 18Feb06 615AM
___
***

19 Feb 06 today we came to the beach. It was a real adventure. Two
four wheel drives, through rough roads, streams and gravel paths. The
last half was off road. I am about 10 miles north of cabo blanco. It
took about 4 hours to get here from Alajuela. the beach is very remote.
Yesterday we visited relatives and went to a museum type place called
Inbioparque.

20Feb06 last night i got text messages from my dogsitter. Ditto bit
her dog. This morning my neighbor is going to pick Ditto up.
Here I have very intermittent phone coverage. My ready light flashes
red red green green green red green red red red…..

21Feb06 3:49AM
I’m awake. Went to bed early. Awake early. Yesterday we tried to get
to Cabo Blanco but didn’t get all the way because it is a park that
was closed Mon & Tue. We went to Montezuma and had lunch there. It is
a great backpacker town and good beaches and very blue water. After
lunch we hiked back to this waterfall and had a swim. That water was
cold, no one would argue. Then we came back and saw the sun set from
the sea. Then had a light dinner of sashimi and vegetables.
OI Girls stepfather, is going back today. I think we are planning on
going back to Alajuela Thursday

22Feb06 4:58 PM
this morning we came back from the beach. it was great! we took a
ferry across instead of the bridge (donated by the Taiwanese govt)
Then we just hung out at her parents house, played with the dogs and
watched some TV. Also every meal has been fantastic.

23 Feb 06 4:33 am
I anticipate internet access today. We’re going into town and doing
some shopping. Sorry I haven’t been posting more. I am having a great
time but miss reading everybodys blogs.
I am typing this on my phone, then I’ll transfer it to my computer,
then hopefully email it.
I hope everyone is doing well.

One day and a wake-up

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I’m sittimg on the front porch typing this. This is what most of my posts
will look like while I’m gone, That’s IF my phone works in Costa Rica. I
just got done mopping and the floor is all wet. Today will be a very busy
day. First, I have a lot to do at work. Then I have to go to the bank, buy
OI Girls birthday present, buy dogfood for when the dog goes to the
sitters. (they have a little girl dog and I’m afraid my dog’ll like it
better there than here). After work I gave to go to the airport and pick up
the OI Girl. Also I hope to remember everything I’ve forgotten before I
leave. I stayed up past midnight last night and got up a little after 5.
I’ll be tired later I bet..
I feel like I’m in a hurry!
___
***

Fear

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Another normal, nothing-expected day. It’s still cloudy but not so cold. Tomorrow night the IO Girl arrives from the Other Island, and Friday morning we fly out. I’m going to try to keep posting from my cell phone if I can. I tried posting as an experiment and it works, it makes weird spacing and I can’t control the colors and the picture I had attached didn’t come through, but the message did post.

I woke up feeling weird. I had a dream I can’t remember. Imagine you were born blind and you had no concept that such a sense existed. And nobody ever told you you were blind, and to you everything seemed ok. Then one day you suddenly get an inkling that something might exist that you know nothing about. That’s kind of how I feel. I sense this huge deficiency that I can’t see, or a big unused part of my life (unused part of my brain?). I feel like I’m trying to grasp something that’s right in front of my face that I can’t see. If I could see it, maybe it would be easy to understand, but seeing it is the hard part.

When I go on vacation, I have a fear that while I am gone, it will be decided that I am not needed, and I won’t have a job any more. Why do I feel this way? When I try to look inside at this, it is like I can’t see. I know I have a contract, I know I’ve done the job for the last 9 years, and if they wanted to get rid of me, there have been unlimited opportunities. On one hand I feel secure, but on the other, I don’t. When I try to see why, I get this huge weird blank feeling. I feel like if I could see, it would solve a lot of my (non-existent) problems.

Sometimes I go to work and feel like I’m going to get fired any minute, and sometimes I feel confident and needed and that I do a good job. The job isn’t what changes day-to-day, it’s me.

I cannot explain it. Sometimes I get fear, non-specific, unfounded, fear. The dream was related to that. Or maybe the dream causes it. The vacation fear is an example, but I there are others, like relationships, for example. If I could grasp the cause, I imagine I would be a much better person. And I don’t think it’s a whole bunch of fears, I think it’s one thing that from time to time, touches every aspect of my life.

I rekkon you’ve already called the boys in the white coats to come and throw me in the psycho ward, so I’m going to quit writing now and get outta here!

HVD!

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I went to the beach for a walk yesterday. I found an excellent baby conch shell. Palm sized and brightly colored. It is a rare gem. Here, big shells are kind of hard to come by, you can find small ones all day. You can find big conchs, but that’s about all. I think the descriptive word might be “cute” but that word isn’t in my vocabulary.
Also, I took this pic of an assortment of boats. Take your pick, I don’t know if I’d choose the yacht or the sailboat. Maybe the dinghy, It’s probably the only one I can afford to operate. Not the pirate ship. The yacht has a helicopter. Maybe the barge next to the pirate ship would be best for me. I could build a little beach hut on it and live there.
It got cold day before yesterday, yesterday was suny and cold and today so far is cloudy and cold. Like low 70’s.
Oh, it’s Valentines Day. Happy Valentines Day! My neighbors made it over to the other island with the gift. Hopefully they will deliver it today. It’s just candy and a candle. And a card. The OI Girls Birthday is in February. Very soon, I want to get her an iPod. We’ll be In Costa Rica for her birthday.
I’m kind of depressed, it seems like I’m not going to have as much money to take with me as I wanted to. Money seems to be going out too fast.

Bad dream

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Yesterday evening I talked to a friend of mine. Today is his 18th wedding anniversary. I was best man at his wedding. 18 years seems like a long time when you say it. But it doesn’t feel like a long time.
Also he was telling me about how he came to visit me when I lived in the US. I don’t remember that at all. He described where I was living, where I worked, but I don’t remember it a bit. Disturbing.
Then last night I had a dream I lost my wallet. That’s how the dream started. I was at a restaurant (with my parents?) and realized my wallet was gone. Impossible, because I just had it a minute ago. So I started backtracking, looking for it. I ran into a girl at work’s boyfriend, he said we were at this bar last night, maybe it was there. So we go to this bar. (It’s daytime in the dream.) There in the bar parking lot is my car. Oh shit. I don’t remember a thing.
It turns out I had gotten drunk as hell in my dream, made out with this guys girlfriend, lost my wallet and my car. (I noticed the wallet missing, but not the car) and didn’t remember any of it. Except I DO remember making out with the girl, that was the good part!
I was glad to wake up this morning, find my wallet on the dresser, and to realize it was all just a dream. But it’s very distressing not to remember my friends visit. It’s like a week (or weekend, or however long it was) lost from my life. I still drank back then, I imagine that plays a large part in why I don’t remember. (Just so you know, I quit drinking (and drugs) over 15 years ago.)

Here today it is very cold, we had a cold front move through yesterday afternoon. My neighbors are going to the other island for valentines day and they were going to deliver my valentines day gift to the OI Girl, but the flights might be cancelled.

Mundane Morning

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Sunday for you, Mundane for me. I’m getting ready to go to work. Hopefully I’ll be out ot there before it gets too late. I know I start at 10Am and don’t know what time I get done.

Yesterday was a great day, the sky was deep deep blue and the sun was hot hot hot!! Yesterday evening everyone was in a good mood with sunglasses suntan lines. I went for a walk with a friend on the north side of the island. It is one of the least deveolped spots. Here’s a beach with nothing built on it. Someday there won’t be any beaches like this left.


After today, only 4 workdays till Costa Rica!

entire contents of my brain

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I’ve had this blank window open for quite a while and can’t think of a thing to post. Nothing worth posting, anyway.
I guess all the ants are gone, it was kind of weird. I found what looked like the beginnings of a colony inside the toilet tank. I washed them away, now it seems all the ants are dead. There’s dead ants everywhere, all over the floor, on the counters (I already cleaned it up, goes without saying) and all along the trail they were using. It seems like they just died at once and fell where they were. Freeky.
I’ve officialy started packing for Costa Rica. I put one pair of pants in my suitcase. That’s it for today, wouldn’t want to strain myself or anything. Also I loaded the Costa Rica maps in a little GPS I have.
That’s it, the entire contents of my brain in a couple paragraghs. There isn’t anything else in here. here.. here… here….
Except an echo