Lunch - Chirinquitos del Rio, Grecia, Costa Rica

Lance discovered a new restaurant and we ate lunch there yesterday. It is the Chirinquitos del Rio, situated beside the Rio Rosales, El Poró, Grecia.

It’s located in a lovely setting right beside the river Rosales. As is usual in Costa Rica, the restaurant is open sided so the fresh tropical breezes blow through. Lots of greenery around the eating areas makes for a cool interior.

First order of business - drinks - sangria for two. Service is prompt and friendly.

For my meal, I ordered the traditional chifrijo de chicharrón:

It was excellent. The pork was tender, with beans, rice, avocado balls on top, tomatoes, etc. Very large portion so I asked for para llevar (for take away) for half of it. 

Lance opted for the chalupa with chicken:

Inside the giant masa shell was shredded chicken, refried black beans, and cheese. The link I have provided above refers to authentic Mexican chalupas which seem to be made differently then Costa Rican ones. Nevertheless, Lance said it was delicious.

The restaurant grounds are really nice so we walked around a bit after our meal.

A lily pond:

Orchids:

Staghorn fern:

Bananas for the kitchen:

Menu:

Staff wear masks and there are hand washing stations. There is a parking attendant on duty. We were the first to arrive but the restaurant started filling up quickly after that.

Highly recommend this restaurant.

Click on images to enlarge.

Romeo Gallegos - Potter

Yesterday, we were fortunate to meet Romeo Gallegos, a potter from the town of San Juan de Oriente (aka the town of potters), Nicaragua. 

He and his wife create really lovely vases and other pottery items. The designs are beautifully done. Things are difficult in Nicaragua these days. To earn money for his family, he comes to Costa Rica and sells his wares for very reasonable prices.

He posted his available work on Facebook and I ordered a vase. Lots of other people were claiming the pieces they wanted. He travels around to Atenas, Grecia and San Ramon and I think he will take himself to wherever somebody wants his pottery.

We met him in Grecia and he saw me, pointed and said “Diana”! I pointed at him and said “Romeo”! He knows me from Facebook and also that I too do art - the caballos (horses) and vacas (cows) as he said.

He showed me a matching piece to my vase so I bought that also. I so admire how hard working this man is.

Click on images to enlarge.

Eyes on Costa Rica and Weather Records - December and Year 2021

 During December, visits to this blog were received from the following 18 countries:

The total number of countries and non-independent jurisdictions from which visits have been received has risen to 134. Of this number, 13 are non-independent jurisdictions such as Greenland, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, etc.

Côte d'Ivoire (aka Ivory Coast) in West Africa is a new country. The visit from that country originated from the capital city of Abidjan.

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The following is a summary of the weather for the month and year in the area where we live:

In December, it became apparent that the “green season” was definitely over and the “dry season” was well underway. There were only 4 days with rainfall and the amount was minimal.

For the year as a whole, the following table summarizes the amounts and ranges of rainfall in the area where we live:

The following graph illustrates the amount and timing of rainfall in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020 in the area where we live:

In other areas of the country, the amounts, ranges and patterns of rainfall can differ significantly from where we live.

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Covid-19 Update

The following table updates information which appeared in my blog entry posted on December 12, 2021:

The death rates in all three countries have dropped. That in Costa Rica has dropped by 0.03 percentage points. However, more dramatically, that in Canada has dropped by 0.40 percentage points and that in the United States has dropped by 0.20 percentage points. 

Until these latest numbers, Costa Rica has consistently had the lowest death rate of the three countries. Canada is now in that position and the United States is moving closer. Speculating, the reason may be attributable to the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Apparently, the number of negative outcomes for those who become infected by this variant is significantly less than those infected by the original version and the Delta variant. Accordingly, as the Omicron variant surges as it has done in Canada and the United States beginning in early December 2021, the overall death rate drops when averaged from the onset of Covid-19 in early 2020. 

In contrast, it appears that the Omicron variant just began to take hold in Costa Rica earlier this month. If my speculation is correct and the variant fully takes hold, then in the next month or two there should be a dramatic drop in the death rate in Costa Rica as in Canada and the United States.

Click on images to enlarge.

Jack the Donkey

I was very honoured last year to be asked to do a memorial painting of Jack, the much loved pet of the Bowman family in Ontario, Canada. Here is the final painting:

It is acrylic on canvas panel, 18”x24”. Photo reference: Jack’s owner Kim Bowman. I received final approval yesterday, have signed it and will be applying two coats of varnish. When I am confident the varnish is completely dry, Jack will be leaving Costa Rica on his way to the Bowman family.

So how did Kim find me? I follow Farmer Tim on Facebook. He is a dairy farmer in southern Ontario and shares the daily life of a farmer and promotes the Canadian dairy industry.

Once a year, Farmer Tim dedicates a post to his followers thanking them for their support. If you have a business, product, charity, etc., this is your chance to advertise for free on his Facebook page. His posts reach over a million people each month. So I took advantage of this offer and posted the link to my art website which is here. Thank you, Farmer Tim.

Kim saw my link and contacted me, asking if I would paint Jack and of course I said yes. Her reference photo was at an interesting angle. As the painting progressed, I felt I was getting to know Jack and I wanted to smooch his soft velvety nose!

Thanks so much, Kim, for trusting me with your Jack.

Click on image to enlarge.

Let’s Go Spend a Couple of Nights in San José

Lance had a great idea today - “Let’s go to San José for a couple of days. Stay in a hotel, go for dim sum, eat in some great restaurants”. This is a fab idea, as all the tourists are going to the beaches - the roads are clogged with traffic, hotel prices are through the roof, nobody can find a rental car, and so on.

Where to stay? I looked at the Gran Hotel because it is right in the city and has an interesting history. But we thought the daily room rates were, well, high. Then Lance suggested we stay at the first hotel we stayed in when we arrived here on May 31, 2011. That hotel is the Hotel Aranjuez.

I did a search of my own blog and found my first blog post about this hotel:

And here is Lance enjoying his first breakfast in Costa Rica:

I’ll keep you all updated!

Feliz Año Nuevo - Happy New Year

2022 - another new year arrives and the old one leaves. I don’t think anyone is unhappy to see the last of 2021.

Take good care of your health. Get your Covid-19 vaccines and boosters. Wear your mask when required and wash your hands. Exercise lightly, eat well, get outside in the fresh air … enjoy life.

This video is not of partridges in a pear tree but of green parakeets that have been flocking and squawking around our house. They chatter non-stop. They have congregated in a large Guanacaste tree just down the hill from our house. This tree loses its leaves in the dry season.

At times, they all suddenly take off and fly to other trees across our road, squawking the whole time.

Noisy parrots.