No internet, no cable and no cards
We’ve been here for two weeks and we are in desperate need of our box. The smartest purchase we made before coming here was a laptop computer. At least we have been able to continue the Rosetta Stone program and assorted other non-internet programs. But not having internet has been a challenge. I do feel totally disconnected without it. We also haven’t gotten the cable hooked up yet. The sales lady thought we’d have it by Friday or Saturday but it hasn’t arrived yet. We ascribe it to Tico timing, and Jim prays for patience. I can tell that Jim is definitely suffering from DVD withdrawal since he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the Ballywood video while we ate dinner at the Tandoori Palace. We packed the cribbage board and cards in the shipment box. With it dark by 6:15 every night and our early waking time, we’ve had to be creative in keeping busy and awake during the evenings. Besides reading and Spanish, we play Yahtzee against each other on our hand held Yahtzee game I brought for the airplane. I make scorecards on scratch paper and we take turns on the game. We really know how to have a great time!
The box also has our scissors and tape. I chose not to buy any here because I know I have some on the way. We’ve had the little plastic price tag holders on our trivets for 2 weeks. We could break the tag off with our hands but not the plastic loops. Jim finally mentioned that we do have nail clippers and that worked just fine to finally cut off those loops. We also needed to tape a paper with our work order number on it in the front window for the internet guys. We don’t have tape but post-it notes left here by the previous tenants are doing the job.
We ventured through the crowded city of Alajuela to Volcan Poas Parque National on Saturday morning. The ranger at the gate warned us (as we paid our $23 in non-resident admittance and parking fees) that the view comes and goes and we might not see anything. Fortunately, as the picture shows, we were able to see the caldera quite clearly. We have a video of the roiling sulfuric acid in the lake washing up on the rocks on the bank while a local woman says “I been here many times before and this is the first time I seen this water moving”. We figured if it was going to blow, we might as well stay for the show, becau
se there’s no way to beat a fast retreat from a volcanic explosion. We hiked around through an unbelievably dense cloud forest to a lake formed by a side vent. By the time we hiked back to the main caldera, the whole thing was lost in the clouds. As we left, it started to pour. So all in all, perfect timing and a great trip.
The teaser from our last blog mentioned the guard, the stove and the oxcart parade. The guard at the gate to our condo complex during the day is very friendly, but speaks no English. So when the cable lady showed up the other day, the guard commented to the cable lady that “Oh, no – I am going to have to call ‘her’ (meaning that new American woman who can’t speak the language) before I can let you in”. Well, obviously she made it in but there’s been no sign of the installer yet – then again, they’re probably backed up with requests because the World Cup has started, and Ticos are nuts for futbol.
We’ve been here for two weeks and we are in desperate need of our box. The smartest purchase we made before coming here was a laptop computer. At least we have been able to continue the Rosetta Stone program and assorted other non-internet programs. But not having internet has been a challenge. I do feel totally disconnected without it. We also haven’t gotten the cable hooked up yet. The sales lady thought we’d have it by Friday or Saturday but it hasn’t arrived yet. We ascribe it to Tico timing, and Jim prays for patience. I can tell that Jim is definitely suffering from DVD withdrawal since he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the Ballywood video while we ate dinner at the Tandoori Palace. We packed the cribbage board and cards in the shipment box. With it dark by 6:15 every night and our early waking time, we’ve had to be creative in keeping busy and awake during the evenings. Besides reading and Spanish, we play Yahtzee against each other on our hand held Yahtzee game I brought for the airplane. I make scorecards on scratch paper and we take turns on the game. We really know how to have a great time!
The box also has our scissors and tape. I chose not to buy any here because I know I have some on the way. We’ve had the little plastic price tag holders on our trivets for 2 weeks. We could break the tag off with our hands but not the plastic loops. Jim finally mentioned that we do have nail clippers and that worked just fine to finally cut off those loops. We also needed to tape a paper with our work order number on it in the front window for the internet guys. We don’t have tape but post-it notes left here by the previous tenants are doing the job.
We ventured through the crowded city of Alajuela to Volcan Poas Parque National on Saturday morning. The ranger at the gate warned us (as we paid our $23 in non-resident admittance and parking fees) that the view comes and goes and we might not see anything. Fortunately, as the picture shows, we were able to see the caldera quite clearly. We have a video of the roiling sulfuric acid in the lake washing up on the rocks on the bank while a local woman says “I been here many times before and this is the first time I seen this water moving”. We figured if it was going to blow, we might as well stay for the show, becau
se there’s no way to beat a fast retreat from a volcanic explosion. We hiked around through an unbelievably dense cloud forest to a lake formed by a side vent. By the time we hiked back to the main caldera, the whole thing was lost in the clouds. As we left, it started to pour. So all in all, perfect timing and a great trip.The teaser from our last blog mentioned the guard, the stove and the oxcart parade. The guard at the gate to our condo complex during the day is very friendly, but speaks no English. So when the cable lady showed up the other day, the guard commented to the cable lady that “Oh, no – I am going to have to call ‘her’ (meaning that new American woman who can’t speak the language) before I can let you in”. Well, obviously she made it in but there’s been no sign of the installer yet – then again, they’re probably backed up with requests because the World Cup has started, and Ticos are nuts for futbol.
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