Today is 2 weeks since we arrived in Samara Costa Rica. Why
hasn’t the blog been updated you ask ? Primarily because my beautiful wife hasn’t been feeling well since we left home. Not to mention the first 10 days
were a bit long and crazy.
So Yes I (Luke)
am doing our first blog entry. I will attempt to give you an overview of our
last 2 weeks.
1.
Getting here – Considering the amount of stuff
we brought down things went pretty smooth. My dad drove us to the airport in my
truck. My truck has a full size 8 ft bed and it was FULL with surfboards strapped
across the top. We checked 10 boxes measuring 18X18X24 inches all weighing in
at almost exactly 50 lbs. each which is the max. weight allowed. We each
carried on a back pack and a carryon suitcase (except for Dane who carried on
his guitar). We had an overnight
layover in Dallas so we had to claim and re-check baggage the following day. 2
minor mishaps in Dallas 1. Zeke left his beloved blanket on the hotel shuttle
and 2. We left the Ipad in the hotel. We didn’t realize either of these until
we arrived in CR. Believe it or not the hotel had both items and we will have
them soon.
2.
Familiar faces – Once we got on the ground in CR
we were met by our 2 shuttle drivers. Yes I said 2. 1 for all the stuff and the
second for us. We enjoyed the 2 hour drive to Samara and could hardly believe
we had pulled this crazy idea off. We spent the first 2 nights at Villas
Kalimba (which is where we stayed 2 years ago). It was nice to see the owner
Roberto again. He has always been very good to us. In a very short time we saw
a number of people we know and ate at one of our favorite restaurants where
Zeke has a friend. Megan is a waitress there and over the summer the 2 of them
hit it off.
The following day was a day of beach and
planning.
3. The car hunt – Day #2 we
headed toward Alajuela which is near the San Jose airport. We all piled
into the rented Suzuki Jimny. This car is a modern version of the Suzuki
Samari. This car was not designed for 5 passengers as the back seat didn’t have
a center belt. So the boys doubled up. Our plan was to go to the San Jose area
for one reason. Over half of all the cars for sale on the internet are located
in that area. The trip started out fun. We ended up at Tabacon in the Arenal
Volcano area. Tabacon has these amazing hot springs. We spent a day and a half
there and the kids never got tired of it. It is beautiful. When we got to San
Jose I saw a really good deal posted on the net for a Mitsubishi Montero. The
only problem was that it was over an hour back from where we had already come. With
Genevieve’s help I tried to get info on the car from the owner. He said that
mechanically it was in great shape and the interior and exterior were “regular”
which I assumed meant normal wear and tear. So we decided to make the drive back
for a car that was being sold for almost $2K less than other cars like it. Amy
and I decided that this whole trip coming together was a long shot so why not
go look at this long shot of a decent vehicle.
Well
the hour drive took more like 1.5 hours. When we got to his tiny town he met us
at a church. Yes it did concern me that he didn’t drive the Montero when we met
us. He had us follow him a mile or so away to his house. When we pulled up the
first thing I noticed was that it was missing a door handle. And the outside
was definetly not “regular” It was more like crapular. So I tell the family to
stay in the car while I look at it. I walk up to the car and start pointing to
all the different damaged areas.
Then I look in the back to see the 3rd row of seats as I was
told it was a 7 passenger. There were no 3rd row. It was not a 7
passenger which was a must and we would not have made the drive if we had been
told so. This is when I about lost it. The only word I know in Spanish for
something in bad shape is basura (trash). I start painting at the car and
yelling “basura! basura!”. These 2 guys are just looking at me saying who knows
what in Spanish. I get back in the car and immediately take off. This whole
thing took about 28 seconds. Probably the shortest car viewing in the history
of man. So now we are in the middle of nowhere and have a long way to go on 2
lane winding roads to get back to Alajuela. Amy had found a place online where
we had planned to spend the night. Long story short we got lost (even with a
GPS) and when we finally got to the hotel they had no room. After another hour
driving in circles everything in that area was full. Someone suggested we get a
room in downtown Alajuela. So we headed downtown. Wow, were we in the hood.
There was no way I was going to have my wife and 3 sardines stay in that place.
I pull over and look for hotels on the GPS and about 8 KM away was a Westin
Inn. I knew it would be nice and clean and after those 8 + hours in the car
even I wanted something that felt like I was back in the US. We pull up and it
was next door to a Wal-Mart and looked like any Westin you would find at home.
Pricye yes, but worth every penny. The next day I looked at 3 more vehicles.
Instead of driving all over I had each owner meet me in the Wal-Mart parking
lot. By the end of the day I had made my choice. A 1993 7 passenger Hyundai
Galloper. Yes I now own a Hyundai. This is actually a very popular SUV down
here and parts are readily available. The next day we did the title transfer at
a lawyer’s office. (This is what you do here when you buy or sell a car.) We
returned the rental car and headed out of the big city. We ended up spending
that night in a lousy port town and made it back to Samara the following day.
3.
Settling in - We stayed in a neat little hotel
on the edge of town that night as our house was not ready until the next day.
The following morning we went and checked out the private school “Mareas” and
decided to try all three kids there. After some lunch we were able to get into
our house. We were all tired from the last week and were very excited to get
into our place. It is an older little Tico style home (all living space
including the kitchen is open air – outdoor). It isn’t a great house but the
location is AWESOME. We are on the beach in the heart of town. We can walk out
our back gate and we are on the beach. The location does have it’s drawbacks.
Next door is a little restaurant bar that plays music at night. So far they are
usually done around 10:00. But we knew that before we agreed to live here so
I’m not complaining.
So tomorrow morning the kids start there
first full week of school.
FYI – Amy is doing much better but still not
100%. We are hopeful that tomorrow she will have some energy back.
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