Friday, April 30, 2010

yep, that's an extension.


a friend joanna from nicaragua who is quite an interesting girl (atleast from what i can tell, she speaks no english) :) rocks extensions and decided i needed one last night...how does someone say "no extensions for me please" in spanish?? well i rocked it for one night only so i had to record it...

Thursday, April 29, 2010

mayo: may

may is coming. which means i'm going to nicaragua and not a minute to soon, i'm on day 89 of my 90 visa (how crazy is that i've been here that long!!!) and it also means i'm moving apartments. i loved this place but my neighbor is moving out and as the rain continues to come, and power gets spotty, i want to be closer to people i know and places to go out when i start to feel a little stir crazy.

i found a place behind the grocery store with some friends nearby and worse case i can always make a pilsen run and have my own party. pics to come, i'm moving in after this nicaragua adventure...which by the way is a bit daunting, figuring out the bus situation, etc. hopefully i'll make some friends along the way who know where they are going...

the pink lady, a.k.a mi moto

sadly, my bike has disappeared from my apartment. :(

i've lost a lot of things along this trip including a camera, credit cards, money, keys, a license but this truly is the thing i'm most bummed about...it was part of my daily routine, my freedom in a lot of ways. now i'm back to my feet until i find the sucker who took it! i've got friends on the hunt, and i'm hoping someone just needed it and will be bringing it back. report to come...

update: pink lady is back at home. :) talked to a friend of a friend who saw my lady dumped by a hostel further down in teresa....looks like someone just needed a ride. sooo happy!

Monday, April 26, 2010

gallo pinto.


this morning i made my first authentic costa rican breakfast, referred to as gallo pinto. it's basically rice and beans, and it's served for almost every breakfast and sometimes lunch in tico families. it's hard to get a recipe from a tico because it's so second nature that it's kinda of like asking an american how to make a PB&J...but i've eaten it enough that i think i've got it or a close enough gringo-version!

if you wanna to give it a whirl you'll need the following:
white rice, day old is preferred
canned black beans*
oil (coconut oil is awesome if you can find it)
onion
pepper
garlic
cilantro
salt
pepper
lizano salsa (only in costa, but you can use a hot sauce, etc.)

heat up the oil in the pan then saute the garlic, onion and pepper for a couple minutes. while sauteing, drain and rinse the beans but reserve some of the liquid. place the beans in the pan with some of the liquid, add seasoning and lizano salsa. stir in rice and add chopped cilantro. cook until warmed through and serve with eggs and toast. so simple and so yummy!

*the non-gringo version calls for dried black beans soaked overnight and cooked accordingly.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

heaven in paradise.


if you ever make it to the nicoya peninsula, you must visit vista de olas. it's a resort in mal pais about a kilometer out of town and up a very steep hill - SUV or quad advised. :)

once you make it there you'll find an amazing infinity pool overlooking the never-ending beaches of mal pais and santa teresa. the deal is you pay them 6 mil (or about $12) for using the pool and it becomes your bar tab. so next step is to hit up the swim up bar and ask danny, byron or H (the good looking guys behind the bar) for a pina colada and get ready for an amazing sunset. if you ask me, these guys have the best job in the town they have been coming here together for the last 15 years, living, working and surfing together...only guys could pull that off!! word is that if i can come back next year, they'll let a girl in posse and give me a job there...yes please!!

Friday, April 23, 2010

finding people.

some people i swear i see about 5 times a day, everyday, for whatever reason they are in the same routine as me or something. other people i may want to see can be harder to find or "run into". ;)

this place takes you back to old school communications...for the most part there are no cell phones, emails aren't usually exchanged and Facebook is even tricky because you don't know last names or people have complicated 4 part latin names. so if you want to see someone, i.e. a very sweet blond boy, all a girl can do is work on her patience and attempt to make herself visible.

today in an attempt to be visible, i actually rode my bike to said blond boy's house and left him a note about going out tonight...how 1987 is that??

lawn care, this is how it's done.



lawn care in costa rica is unique to say the least. there are no john deer lawn mowers but you will find about 2-3 guys with serious machetes (like 3 feet long) swinging at the grass, etc. that has been deemed too long. the result is placed in piles and set on fire. i don't quite understand it, or how it doesn't cause mass fires in dry season but it's how it's done.

p.s. the house in the background is where i live...