Independence Day

OK so Sept. 15 is Independence Day in Costa Rica and there was a parade in which all of the schools participated.... it was a crazy hot day!!!

So independence day is

Bugs Bugs Bugs

Douglas keeps asking me why I am taking pictures of all of the bugs we see... I don't know. I'm not a fan of bugs but I have to say I am impressed with the size of some of these guys.

Regular spiders are everywhere but once in awhile we see a huge spider like this. I don't think it is a tarantula but they are around.

We have lots of scorpions but they are fast little buggers so hard to get a good picture. This one was in the middle of the floor so we lucked out but it was dark so the picture isn't great.

These are leaf cutter ants. Hundreds will work together forming a line that heads into the distance. They have attacked my garbage, ate my kale, we saw a whole colony at the finca.

This entire hill is the ant colony

 The green leaf pieces are being carried by ants back to the colony.

The other ants we get are called army ants. I have literally seen an area about 2 meters square covered in ants. It looks like the ground is moving. Everyone loves the army ants because they will come into your house and within two hours it will be free of all bugs and the ants will move on. You just need to clear out and let them do their thing.

To the right is a picture of the damage a termite can do overnight. A good portion of my house is made of wood and although I have not seen any termites I have seen the incredible amount of damage they have done.

These are some kind of shrimp bug. They can get through the smallest crack in a door frame or window. They don't do anything but will get into the room and be dead on the floor in the morning.

I am not sure if this is considered a bug or a bird but hovering over this purple flower is the worlds smallest hummingbird or maybe it is a moth that flies and looks like a hummingbird... I don't know.

This bug/wormy thing apparently produces some kind of poison? I really wish my memory was better...

Sorry to obsess over the ants but seriously look at what they can do!

These are the pieces of bag they were taking away.

Nicaragua

Well, we did our first border crossing to renew our visa's. It was quite an adventure.

We met up with Suzanna, a friend of Katia's who travels to Nicaragua every two weeks. We took the public bus with her to the highway where she got us on a Trans Nica bus all the way to Granada. Sounds easy enough right... The Trans Nica bus stopped at the border and the driver and his helper guided us through the border crossing. It was relatively easy.

We enjoyed our time in Granada but we wanted to see as much as we could in our short visit. I was hoping that we would get to see Ometepe but that just wasn't in the cards. The ferry to Omatepe only comes and goes from Granada twice a week and that wasn't happening while we were there.

We took a public bus to Rivas and then a taxi to San Jan del Sur. One friend gave me an approximate price of the taxi but then another told me we paid too much.... oh well, it seemed reasonable and I was happy not to be on another bus.

Rivas was crazy. We didn't get to see much of it but what we did see was overwhelming. The area around the bus station is filled with taxi drivers fighting for the opportunity to take you wherever your final destination is. What they don't realize is that after a few hours on the bus all you really want to think about is using the bathroom and possibly finding something to eat. Surely that does not require an investment in a taxi ride! Again I need to learn how to travel lighter because this is the point where that extra bag starts to feel like a lead weight and is like a neon sign that tells the few hundred taxi drivers that you are not at your final destination it is saying to them please help me get somewhere I can unload and there are dozens happy to fulfil that request whether you are ready for it or not.

I was quite nervous about the trip back to Monteverde so I facebooked a friend and he put me in touch with some of his friends who were in San Jan del Sur and heading back. I was very grateful for this!! Three buses, a shuttle and almost 10 hours later we finally arrived in Monteverde! I am sure once my spanish is a bit more fluent I will not find this trip as overwhelming but the potential for being stuck standing by the side of the road realizing you have just missed the last bus up the mountain is outside of my comfort zone at the moment.

More pictures of Granada:

Food....

Here are some pictures from the market in Granada. Eggs, fruit and vegetables are all out in the hot sun.... so why are we so determined to refrigerate?

I have decided to create a few posts with specific topics that I can add to as we go. My first is on food here in Costa Rica. I will add to these posts and update them as I discover new and interesting foods.

We use refrigeration way more in Canada than is probably necessary. Nothing here is refrigerated. Eggs are in the isle in the supermarket in cardboard cartons wrapped in plastic wrap. I will try and find a picture.

The slushi here is an amazing drink. First a scoop of ice, then a spoon full of powdered milk, another scoop of ice, some condensed milk and then flavored syrup. How gross yet amazing!!

I can't remember what this is called but you can buy them by the bag full sprinkled with salt. They are also very good in a smoothie.

The fresh vegetable market is open every Saturday from 6AM until noon but you really need to arrive early to get a good selection. The local vendors set up in what is normally the community gym used for soccer games etc...

Tomales!!!

Street vendors sell refreshing drinks in water proof plastic bags. Kids and adults alike buy these and then you poke a hole in the corner and suck on the bag. It looks hilarious but what a great idea. Many vendors will walk around with a cooler and sell them to people on the long bus rides.

Peanut butter and jam all in one jar!! This had to be invented by a kid....