Adios Puerto Viejo

Since this was our last week in Puerto Viejo, we wanted to do something new.  We had tried (unsuccessfully) to find a waterfall in Bribri the week before.  After researching it a little better, we made it.  At the end of a short walk we found a little waterfall with a nice shallow pool, and above it a much taller waterfall with a much deeper pool.  The fresh water in the streams are not as beautifully warm as the ocean water, but the kids and Chad got in and swam anyway. I am far too conservative with my body heat for that type of thing.   

The view down stream.

Heading up to the bigger waterfall.

Michael and Chad under the falls.

We also went to a funny little Iguana Farm called Kekoldi, named after the Kekoldi indigenous people who run it. It was a funny little tour, that really seemed like a walk through someone's iguana-laden back yard, but we were able to hold a baby iguana, and see hundreds more.  Although it is called an iguana "farm", the iguanas are not bred for food, but to replenish the iguana population that has been declining due to habitat destruction.  Our guide told us that they used to release iguanas in the local National parks, but now they just release them from this site.  We saw many many iguanas in the trees all around who had become accustomed to the protection of the farm, and decided to stay. 

Our guide was fearless.  He saw this rogue male iguana in the breeding area trying to get with one of his girls. He walked up to it, grabbed it by the tail, and plopped it outside the fence.  He did it so calmly that I had to ask him if the iguanas are dangerous, even though I had heard that they were.  He replied, 'Very dangerous; these things are really just dinosaurs.  Their teeth are like razors, and if you get whipped by their tail, it can hurt you very bad'. 

The male iguanas fight for the attention of the ladies.  In nature, they often fight to the death.  Here, if they can, the people who work here break up fights before they become deadly.  This guy lost an arm though. 

So, there are some things that I will not miss about Puerto Viejo...

Laundry was RIDICULOUS!

A weeks worth of laundry cost us about $36 at the local laundromats (all full-service; no coin-ops here).  It's a conspiracy against travelers with no other laundry options.  Plus, the girls clothes came back soooo stained. We talked to our landlady about using her washer and dryer, and she agreed to let us do an occasional load, but only when she didn't have hotel laundry to do, and no white laundry (I'm still not exactly sure why. She had a brand new set of LG machines just like my parents in Utah).  Also, we could only use the washer, the dryer was only for emergencies. So we hung our clothes everywhere we could. 

I bought this set from the local "Super". I am using it to hand wash the girls shirts and anything else that is heavily stained.

Food was VERY overpriced. 

One night we went out to a sports bar type place because we had heard they had good hamburgers. We ordered 2 hamburgers (meh... not great) a greasy plate of tasteless fish, and a plate of noodles, and the bill came to $70. 

I think they might hate me. 

I am familiar with the concept of a paisano discount, and it's never really bothered me before.  It makes sense to give your neighbor a better deal than some tourist you've never met before.  But PV took it to a whole new level for me. I felt it the most at the Saturday Farmer's market, and from the street vendors.  Since I speak (and understand) a decent amount of spanish, I could hear the prices they quoted to the locals, and the prices they gave me were often at least double and sometimes 4 or 5 times as much.  I enjoyed the grocery stores because, even though the prices were high, they seemed equally high for everyone.  We met a local man in Tortuguero who runs a restaurant with his American wife.   Once the people in town realized that they were married, he started getting the foreigner rate too. But more than that, it seemed like everyone we spoke with wanted something from me. It seemed hard to ever just talk to people. 

Lastly, the toilets. Puerto Viejo was on some ancient septic system which did not permit flushing of tp.  You had to throw it away in the garbage.  Subsequently, the tp here is almost all scented.  It all stinks.

However, there are some things that I will really miss about Puerto Viejo...

Playing in the ocean is fantastic.  

It feels good, and its really fun, and it's free, and it's something we could all enjoy together. Although surf lessons aren't free, they aren't expensive here either.  We found Douglas again for another lesson for Michael. We drove him over to Playa Negra because the waves were just the right size for Michael to start catching them on his own.

I asked Douglas what this thing is.  He said "the barge".  He said people play on it durring the day, and use it for fishing at night.  It's pretty old and rusted out.

Ella was hard at work making her sand fortress. 

I wish I had a picture of some of the people on bicycles

Many times we saw 1 person pedaling the bike with another adult person sitting on the bar, a child on the handle bars, and 2 dogs running behind.  The whole town gets around on bicycle down there. We would also see pedaling bicycles while carrying 2x4s, long pvc pipes, giant umbrellas, or moms and dads pedaling around with an infant in the front basket.  It was crazy what they could do on a bicycle. 

Samuel and Maryuri are wonderful.

On our second to last day, we wanted to go to our favorite beach, and since Samuel isn't working right now (unfortunately), he came with us.  He said he doesn't often come to the beach, and has never been to the beach with Maryuri, because they don't like to swim in salt water.  We spent the day boogie boarding and making bowling balls out of sand for a game the Samuel taught us, and I even caught a wave body surfing, which hardly ever happens. We didn't see many animals this time, but we had a wonderful last day at the beach. 

Samuel and Chad rolling down the beach like a wheel.

On our way home from the beach we stopped at the Dole banana plant where Maryuri works.  Samuel used to work there too, so he showed us around while Maryuri finished her shift.  

So many bananas... Some of these are pics from our drive to Sixaola.

Many of the banana companies have made little neighborhoods with identical houses for their workers.

This is Maryuri's plant.

This location loads 2 of these containers each day (most days).  Maryuri usually works Monday through Saturday, 8 until about 6.  She said that she usually makes about $14(in USD) a day.  Sometimes, if they offer overtime, or if they are packing specialty bananas, she makes as much as $26 per day.  I asked how much the men were paid.  Samuel said that men usually preferred to work outside. Even though they often work in crazy amounts of rain, and the work is more strenuous, they usually make $28 a day, and sometimes as much as $40. I asked them how many of their neighbors work in bananeras, they said 99.9%.

The next morning we packed up our Rav 4, and headed over to Samuel and Maryuri's house for a going-away fiesta with Maryuri's family and the missionaries.   They served pork.... very very fresh pork cooked every way you can imagine. 

The lone survivor

The outdoor part of Samuel and Maryuri's kitchen.

Michael's a bit grossed out.

They put the banana leaves down to keep the table clean.

Maryuri and her mom, preparing and seasoning the pork.

Smoked pork

Chad preparing chicharones (twice fried pork skins)

Heads and hooves awaiting the soup pot.

Samuel told us that his favorite American food is beef jerky.  We found some at a specialty market and he couldn't wait to start eating it. 

Maryuri's little sister Cherry. She was so sweet to play with the girls and kept asking me how to say different phrases to them in English. 

From left to right: Cherry, Violet, Maryuri, Samuel, Ella, Chad, Michael, Missy, Maryuri's little brother, Maryuri's mom, Maryuri's grandparents.

It was hard to say goodbye, Samuel even gave Chad this awesome machete holder for us to remember him by.  The next day we had a couple of text messages from Samuel saying how much he already missed us, and couldn't we come back soon and he would kill the third pig and we could have another bbq? 

After a quick overnight stop at a funny cheap hotel, we made it to our next house in Rio Piedras, near the Arenal Volcano and lake. Our house is beautiful and almost brand new, so it is much more modern than our Jungle House in PV.  I'll tell you all about our new place in my next blog, but until then, this is my new view.... 

That is Arenal Volcano and Arenal Lake from the top of our hill.