Visit to Puntarenas

On Sunday, we went for a day trip to the port of Puntarenas with our friends, Francisco and Griciela. Puntarenas was first found (by a European) in 1519 when Ponce De Leon, on his quest for the Fountain of Youth, chanced upon it. At one time, before the advent of big trucks that emit a lot of black smoke and slow down travel on the winding ascents and descents, a railway system ran from the sugar cane fields (which when fermented results in the National drink of Costa Rica "guaro" that really packs a punch, but I digress) of Costa Rica to the city. We took the bus from San Ramón ($5.00 return). Even though it is only a 35 km journey, it takes about 75 minutes due to the aforementioned highway obstacles.
Now, Puntarenas is a stop for Cruise Ships and hordes of passengers who spend the day purchasing the wares of hundreds of vendors packed along the beach walkway. On Sunday, there was nary a cruise ship in sight. Consequently, the beach was the domain of Turistas Nacionales- Ticos and their families with bbq's, coolers in the shade, tents for shade, eye shades, sun shade-but no shady characters. Shade was imperative as it was about 40% in the sun. A bonus to no visiting maritime hotels is that the dock is open to the public for promenading, fishing and gazing. We saw a fever of Manta Rays. I weighed the option of passing on a warning to those swimming by the shore; however, given my well documented limitations with Spanish, I did not want to run the risk of anyone causing damage to them as they are an endangered species (and, there were those bbq's nearby).
We chose to forego the shade and walked for about three hours, along the entire tourist sea wall, past the Ferry Terminal that transports people and vehicles to the wonderful beaches of the Nicoya Peninsula, through the side streets and barrios and back to the bus station. It was a great day filled with new, but not really cool, adventures.

Rosario de los Niños

On Saturday night, I went to the Rosario de los Niños at the home of Kattia, Mauricio and their children Aaron and Axel This religious/social event featured a electronic keyboard player who alternated between religious songs and leading the assembled group through fifty Hail Marys. Although it is the Rosary for children, the adults seemed far more engaged while los niños seemed somewhat more concerned about when they would be getting their ice-cream cones (a tradition of such a ceremony). Perhaps it has something to do with the connection between the wafer like texture of the cone and the communion host
Catholicism is the official National religion of the country; about 75% of Ticos identify themselves as Catholics with 44% saying they are active in the Church. As is the case with many aspects of day to day living here, Costa Ricans tend to avoid extremes. The food here is never too spicy, in fact it tends to be much blander than in other Central American countries. Public displays of emotion are rare and, from what I have been able to ascertain, the relationship amongst many with the Church tends to be primarily social and reserved for special events like observing the Sacraments (births, Baptisms, Confirmations. Communions etc).

A Walk to Town

It is a gorgeous day, so I decided to go for a walk up the hill (which is really steep), past one of campuses of the University of Costa Rica (the main campus is in San José) and through town. The walk takes about forty-five minutes and features some great views of the surroundings and the Cathedral in central San Ramón and another church closer to where we live.

Some Photos of the House

Here are a few pictures of our house for those of you new to the blog.

A Few Excursions

Since we arrived in San Ramón, we have had the good fortune to experience aspects of Costa Rican life that would be invisible to us without the kindness and generosity of our friends and neighbours Alfredo and Marielos. Alfredo, one of twelve children in the Sancho family, was raised on a farm located between San Ramon and Palmares. It is literally impossible to go anywhere with him without being introduced to one of his relatives.

Although San Ramón has all the amenities of a city and is rapidly evolving into a convenient and economical option for those who work in Alajuela or San José, its heart still beats to the hooves of the horses and the rhythm of the machetes.
So many changes in the four years since we bought our home in the barrio of Santaguito, in the canton of San Ramón.
the shack across the street is now a lovely three bedroom home,
the lot beside it, once the home of goats and cows,
has now been divided into two lots waiting for development,
the bumpy rock road is now paved,
fewer fields and more housing sites.

However, a short drive leads to places that have not yet been affected by the inevitable reach of urbanization. Like Piedades Sur, a small town of just over 300 which is a forty minute drive northwest from us. Apparently, Alfredo is also related to just about everyone there; if not, everyone knows someone to whom he is related. While looking for the home of Marielos' friend Lillian,we spent about an hour at Fransisco and Raphaela's house where we watched the chickens, the cows and several insect nests hanging from the roof of the front porch. Keep in mind, that Alfredo had never met them before; he just asked directions from the street, and we were invited in for a while. We walked out with a big of fresh lemons picked straight from the tree. For some reason Alfredo left with the branch of a tree (probably for its medicinal qualities).

We finally made to Lillian's for coffee and some corn tortillas and were then invited by Selenia, a young woman who speaks very good English, to her family's small farm next door (quinta) that featured a tilapia pond, home made cheese, cows, chickens, fruit trees and dogs.

We finished our excursion at Kiko's house. We have met Kiko before (Alfredo's fist cousin, of course). He runs a small taverna that seats about five (maybe six in a pinch) during the weekends. He was out of town working on construction, but his wife invited us into the house for a few shots of contrabando, home made blackberry wine and a look at the new granddaughter in the adjoining home of her daughter.

All in all, a wonderful peek into the lives of small town Ticos.
Even after four years living here, we are still amazed and overwhelmed at the hospitality and friendliness of Ticos.I suspect this is not the case in the turista locales (the Pacific beaches, San José), but it is around here.

Eggs at One O'Clock

Elizabeth and I arrived in San Ramón late Sunday evening. We were picked up at the airport by Kattia, (Alfredo and Marielos' daughter) and her husband Mauricio. I think an important component of an effective blog, one that transfixes the reader, is the constant insertion of names that the reader knows nothing (and may care even less) about,and delineating the complex relationships that exists amongst those named. I know it helps me sort things out.
The following day we attended to financial tasks - paying the annual property taxes ($80.00 which includes garbage pick up twice weekly), reactivating my online account with Banco Daviviendo so I can pay the electricity, water, telephone and internet while in Vancouver and setting up an account for Elizabeth.
Unbeknownst to me (forsooth), HSBC Costa Rica is no more, at least in name. I assume the change is a cosmetic response to the outrageous practices it followed that allowed for many millions of dollars to be laundered throughout its international network; however, I was most reassured to see the posters in the bank that showed smiling happy middle-class families enjoying their prosperity. This relieved me of any anxiety I had about beloning to an evil financial empire.
On Miercoles (Wednesday), we went for a short trip with Alfredo and Marielos (see above) in their carro(car). Las vistas (the views) were mui linda (very beautiful). Note the depth of my language capacity and the ease in which I float between English y Español (and Spanish).
When we arrived back to our casa, Marielos invited us for eggs at one o'clock (hueves a la una). I thought it was a bit odd as she is not in the habit of announcing her lunch menu, but I assumed it was a late January Catholic tradition, a way of marking the transition from Christmas to Easter. At about 12:55, I told Elizabeth is was time to go, and she looked at me quizzically (as

she is often wont to do), and asked "Por qué?"(why?). Apparently, Marielos had invited us to join them on another outing: jueves a la una (Thursday at one).
Oh goodness, progress is relative. I feel I have come a long way from my conversation (repeated many timmes with the woman at the meat section of the supermercado:
Algo mas? (Anything else?)
Si, ciao. (yes, goodbye)
Maybe her smile after each of these interactions was not one of friendship.

Still, I hope we did not miss out on the pre-Easter eggs.

Returning to San Ramón and Blogging

Well, it has been a few years since I posted on this blog. For better or worse, much like Sherlock Holmes' miraculous escape from the torrents of a watery demise in a raging waterfall, the return of "From Vancouver to San Ramón" has emerged from a watery hiatus.

Unlike Conan Doyle's decision to resume his chronicles, this resurrection has nothing to do with outrage at its absence and the subsequent clamoring for its reappearance. I just sort of want to.
Elizabeth and I are returning to San Ramon for two months this Saturday (the 27th). So, if anyone is still out there, stay tuned.