The Quest for Cheese - Una búsqueda de queso

I recently read an article in the Tico Times about a cheese making enterprise in Santa Cruz de Turrialba. The business is called Le Chaudron Artesanal and what caught my attention was one of the cheeses they make - raclette.

We first tasted raclette at the Swiss pavilion at Expo ‘86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  We enjoyed it so much that we would buy the cheese and have our own raclette meal. We even had an electric tabletop grill designed especially for serving raclette.

Le Chaudron is selling their cheeses at the Auto Mercados, at El Mercadito Azul in Cartago and at the Feria Verde in Aranjuez, San José. We decided to drive to the Auto Mercado in Alajuela to see what varieties of cheese Le Chaudron had there.

Alas, no raclette but we did buy their Petit Blanc Cebollino (green onion) and it was tasty. 

I will keep watching for this brand of cheese goodness. After shopping at Auto Mercado, we drove to Price Smart in Alajuela and picked up a big block of cheddar, some fresh asparagus and mini frozen egg rolls.

 We made a dashcam video of our drive to Auto Mercado and back home.

The dates on the video are incorrect - we forgot to change the settings.

Click on images to enlarge.

Fifteen Minutes of Fame

"Fifteen minutes of fame" is described as short-lived media publicity. The expression is credited to Andy Warhol, according to Wikipedia.

I had my fifteen minutes of fame last week, when I was contacted by Rogin Ghasemzadeh, Production Assistant, Roundhouse Radio 98.3 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

I was asked if I would do an interview with Kirk LaPointe, on his morning show "Our City".

Rogin told me: "Every morning, Kirk does a callout to Vancouver expats living around the world about their experiences and influences they’ve taken away from Vancouver. We define an expat as anyone who has spent time in Vancouver, knows the city, and can compare the way of life here to the way of life elsewhere. We delve into issues that are top of mind in the place where the expat is now living. The interviewee functions like a casual, conversational correspondent, giving us a local's insight into how the news, or particular cultural events, are playing out in their area. For example, we might talk to someone in Washington D.C. about the American presidential race. We might talk with someone in Hong Kong about recent clashes in the streets with police. We might talk to someone in L.A. about the Oscars. The purpose of this segment is to take advantage of the collective insight of Vancouverites (or former Vancouverites) around the world & deepen the international dialogue on our show."

I, of course, said yes! We did the interview on Skype at 6:00am Vancouver time, 7:00am Costa Rican time. Since we are up and about normally by 4:00am, this was no problem for me.

Here is the interview on 98.3 Vancouver. I am on at around 3:00 minutes, unless you want to listen to the local Vancouver news.

http://omnyapp.com/shows/our-

 

Guest Blogger!

I was recently contacted by fellow blogger, Kate, who is currently exploring Costa Rica for several months along with her husband, Shaun.

There are some amazing coincidences regarding this contact:

• Kate and Shaun live in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and my husband Lance was born in Victoria.
• Lance and myself are from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
• Shaun works for the Canadian Coast Guard.
• I worked for the Canadian Coast Guard for 30+ years.
• Shaun is an engineer.
• Lance is an electrical engineer.
• We know some of the same people, yet have never met.
• All four of us are presently in Costa Rica.

Here is Kate's blog entry. It's fun to get a younger and different perspective on Costa Rica. Make sure you go and read her blog and thank you, Kate, for initially contacting me.

"When I first stumbled upon Diana's blog, I was immediately struck by our similarities. We are both from British Columbia, both Diana and my husband have worked for the Canadian Coast Guard, and we are all currently living in Costa Rica. With all of these connections, it goes without saying that I was delighted when I found out I'd be guest posting on her blog.

Unlike Diana, who has settled into a routine within her Costa Rican lifestyle, my lifestyle here is far from routine. I am currently backpacking around Costa Rica for 5 months with my husband. We have been travelling for 6 weeks now, and at this point our 9-5 routine back in Canada seems like a different memory.

So far on our adventure we've travelled up and down the Pacific coast, checking out various surf towns, and having some amazing adventures. We've surfed in Mal Pais, seen the waterfalls of Montezuma, snorkelled in Tamarindo, and danced the night away in Playa del Coco. Despite all of the fun, we have so many places still to explore. We plan on continuing our adventures inland to the volcanos, to the rasta vibes of the Caribbean, as well as popping in to say hello in both Panama and Nicaragua.

Throughout our adventure, we've developed some tips and tricks to travel smart, and get the most out of our Costa Rican adventure. So, I thought I would share a couple with you guys! Here are our current top 5 tips for travelling throughout Costa Rica.

Transportation: Although Costa Rica has a public transit system, we have found that it is challenging to use while lugging around Shaun's surfboard. So, we primarily use shuttles to get around. Spending time to research the various shuttle options can save you both time and money. For instance, it is much cheaper for a larger group to pay for a private shuttle, and a smaller group to join a shared shuttle. It's also important to ask around at different places, and towns to see what your options are. This week, we tried to get a shuttle for the two of us to Mal Pais. In Playa Coco they quoted us $450, yet when we called a company in Tamarindo, they quoted us $120.

Banking: You can rack up a lot of service fees by taking money out of the bank machines here. Many places, especially in touristy towns, have also started charging an extra 10% to use your credit card. We try and balance between both, by limiting how often we use the bank machine, and using our credit card whenever we find out they don't charge the extra fee.

Food: Although the lure of the touristy restaurants can be appealing, the food we love the best is always at the local "sodas". Sodas are often Mom and Pop type restaurants that serve typical Costa Rican food. Casados, Ceviche, Patacones, Gallo Pinto?? You just can't go wrong.

Water: We often see tourists walking around with armfuls of 6L water bottles, because they don't want to drink the water here. At 4 bucks a pop, this can add up over an extended stay. Unlike many Central American countries, the vast majority of the water here is safe to drink. Aside for Mal Pais, we have consumed the water everywhere we've visited, and been just fine. If you are unsure, or concerned, just ask someone who works where you are staying. They'll let you know!

People: As a first time backpacker, I couldn't survive without the knowledge, encouragement and camaraderie of the people I have met while travelling. Lonely Planet, and other guidebooks will only get you so far. Make sure that you talk to people everywhere you go. You never know who you'll meet, what knowledge you'll gain or what sort of connections you'll make. This can be done virtually as well. Blogs, forums, and Facebook groups are great ways to connect with people. Just look at Diana and I, our virtual connection with both her, and you, has already made my trip more memorable!

So there you have it, a couple of basic pointers from us to you. If you ever need any help with your travel plans, or want to read more about my adventures pop by the blog www.hostelsandhotrollers.com. Love to see you there!

A huge thank you to Diana for letting me share my experiences with her readers. It's always wonderful to connect with new people!

Pura Vida!

Kate"

 

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Keeping Fit

There is really no good reason not to be in decent shape in this country. People moving here have reported significant weight loss in some cases in the first year of residency. The exposure to eating more fresh fruits and vegetables year 'round and eating less processed foods might be one reason. Another reason might be adapting to different temperatures. Still another could be getting more exercise if one doesn't own a car.

When we left Vancouver, British Columbia, almost a year ago, I had belonged to a gym for a couple of years. Five days a week, two hours a day, I did cardio and weights, and hardly ever missed a day. I was lifting, pulling, pushing 33,000 lbs. a week in weights and faithfully rotating through all the cardio machines. It was getting boring and I felt I had reached the limits of weights I would ever be able to lift.

After all that work, I was concerned that I would turn to flab and lose my strength very fast if I didn't maintain that level of work. There are a couple of gyms in Atenas but they appear to have no air conditioning and that is not appealing to me in this climate. I have been walking into Atenas about once, maybe twice, a week (2.2 kms) but that's like a drop in the fitness bucket and the walk is all downhill. I could have walked the "Vista Atenas Loop" every day but couldn't seem to work up the interest on my own. It's a killer by the way. I've been told that people have called for help on their cells phones when they realized the steep hills were just too much.

Ta da! I was asked if I wanted to join a small group of women in my area who were going to participate in twice weekly classes combining yoga/pilates/water exercises. I'm so glad I said "yes". Our instructor is a professional trainer in these disciplines. These kinds of exercises are new to me and they are not easy. I love the pool exercises. Just walking up to where the classes are held takes half an excruciating hour.

I'm really happy to be exercising more seriously again. As we age, it is so important to maintain as much physical strength as we can so we can continue to be independent and self-sufficient.

Hedge Trimming Time

Yesterday, we both decided it was time for haircuts. The last cut I had was in San Francisco the day before we flew to San Jose (May 31) and, folks, that cut cost $155 U.S. It was a great cut but surely the most expensive one I've ever had in my life and I was used to expensive Vancouver, B.C., salon prices. Lance's last haircut was even earlier than that.

Even in Cloverdale, where we lived and that was outside of Vancouver, my cuts cost $60 and Lance's cost $7 for a number 3 (shave the head, 5 minutes) which was a heck of a lot less than the $30 or  $40 that was charged in Vancouver.

So Lance went to a barber - Yugo - this morning ($5.00 CAD) and I went to the salon next to El Balcon del Cafe y Bistro where we had breakfast, and the cost for my great cut was 5,000 colones or $9.71 CAD.... that included a shampoo with conditioner, the cut and styling. I had brought in a photo of the cut I wanted and, although there was barely any Spanish/English cross-communication, my stylist did a fantastic job.  And I am sorry that I did not think to ask for her card so I could share the info with everyone. But everyone knows where the Balcony Cafe is, I think - you can order a Tico, German, American or light breakfast and they have a cooler full of locally made sausages, etc., for sale.... so it is the only salon right next to the cafe.

I said to Lance that my head looked a lot smaller and he said that is because you got rid of the big hair. I feel a lot cooler topside.

Oh, and I have to mention our taxi driver, Mario Castro. He and Jorge Calderon appear to be in business together and, if we can't reach Jorge, then we call Mario. So Mario picked us up this morning and we needed to be dropped off near a tailer I had found because Lance has a pair of jeans he bought in San Francisco that are much too large now. We both have dropped weight from around our midsections since arriving in Costa Rica....it is the healthy food, the weather, the Pura Vida!

The tailer was closed but Mario drove us, gratis, to another place that sells mens' clothing and also does alterations. Lance's altered jeans will be ready next week.

We are amazed, over and over again, about the friendliness of Ticos and Ticas .... both Jorge and Mario try to help us with our Spanish every time we meet them. Costa Rica is an amazing country.

More First Day Excitement

Lance just said he can't believe he is sitting here in Costa Rica watching the Canucks playing the Bruins on the TV in our hotel room. He found the game on Sky Sports.

He also says he can't believe how temperate the climate is in San Jose here in the Central Valley. Shouldn't it be stinking hot so close to the equator? No doubt we will experience that at some point in CR.

Asked the front desk clerk for a dinner recommendation and he called a cab for us. Can't remember the name of the restaurant and I certainly could not find our way there again but it was as good as many restaurants we've eaten at in Vancouver....in fact, the vegetables were way better.

We ordered hearts of palm salad, fried plantains, and rice with shrimp. The hearts of palm were super fresh, not out of a can, with lots of lettuce, tomato, cucumber....and fresh dill. I've tried cooking plantains before but they were never successful. These ones were so good, and served with what I think was a black bean dip. Rice with shrimp also ..... pause - the Canucks just won!!!

So anyway, fabulous dinner and another great taxi ride. Talk about wild - I wonder how many accidents occur every day.  

Storage Problem Solved

Well, after all the excitement of Tuffy going to his new home (I still think of him as a "her"), we had to put our minds to another pressing problem - that being "where to store the items we aren't taking with us until we are ready to have them shipped"?

I found the perfect solution by following the link on an ad that kept popping up on Facebook:
604 Storage Inc.

Not only do they deliver a large storage container to our very door, they will help us load it, then take the whole thing away and store it for us in Richmond, B.C.

There's more! When we're ready to have it shipped to Costa Rica, the whole container can be shipped! In fact, there was already one other customer in the warehouse who is doing the same thing as we are. We won't have to trek back to Vancouver from Costa Rica in a year or whenever to deal with this. Whatever shipping company we decide to use will just pick it up.

And more! Their prices are excellent. The container is being dropped off on May 18th. Yikes, I need more storage bins .....