Mi casa en Costa Rica

The highly anticipated post about my homestay in Costa Rica. With plenty of pictures for my solo comment maker, Lorraine. Thank you for the comment "gifts". :P

The first picture is of the front of the house. Most homes in Costa Rica have these "portons" or gates in front. These are usually locked. As a homestay student I get a key because during my stay, I am a part of the family.  Behind the gate is the drive way or garage area. This is where I leave my sombrilla when its wet. Ooh, in the first picture the little cage on the bottom right corner is NOT the mail box as I mistakenly took it for. Its where the basura or trash goes to be picked up. Very handy that its off the ground.

I didn't want to look like a crazy person taking pictures inside the house so we are skipping to the back yard. This is the little garden/courtyard behind the house. Its where the laundry is hung to dry. Behind where I stood to take the picture is the "lavadora" or washing machine.

The next picture is what I'm going to call my casita or little house. The bottom floor has a large open area that houses the bathroom & another room that is a weight room for one of the nietos (grandsons). At least he is the only person I've seen use the room.  Here are pictures of my bathroom for those wondering. I'll make another post about how I conquered the shower.

Upstairs has a common area with two small couches & a TV. I haven't tried the TV yet. Spanish Aimee says that there are funny shows on in the evenings. To the right is a bedroom that was occupied by a Belgium girl up until last week & on Sunday will be the temporary home of a boy from Israel. 

To the left is my room. When you walk in there is a large window to the right that is always open. By that is a desk where I keep my mess (my notebooks, beauty products, pictures, etc...you know me). To the left is an armoire, my bed & a night stand. Very simple but perfect for my stay. On the mirror of the armoire I put up pictures of Patrick.

The last picture is the first picture I took in Costa Rica. It was the view from the window in the common area when I woke up.

Ok. I hope everyone enjoyed the post & pictures. Feel free to leave a comment or email me. Some days are just normal days here as I get into a routine. I'm sure once I get used to the rhythm of life it will be time to leave. :)

Puerto Viejo - Bread & Chocolate

The other food place that I really enjoyed on our trip to Puerto Viejo was a little cafe called Bread & Chocolate. They served breakfast & lunch todo el dia (all day).

So of course this was my favorite place & we ate here twice, once for lunch & once for breakfast.

For lunch Aimee had a crazy delicious Jerk chicken sandwich & I had the Mattwich. This sandwich was cream cheese, avocado, tomato & bacon on a bagel with yummy potato salad on the side.

For breakfast we both had creamy scrambled eggs with avocado, bacon,  fried potatoes & a bagel. 
We also had French press coffee con leche. Even Senor Hipopotamo enjoyed breakfast. Muy rico.

Puerto Viejo - Cabinas Guarana

This is the hotel we stayed at in Puerto Viejo. The people here were very nice. They let us look at the room before we rented it. The cabinas were very spacious. Each Cabina had its own patio with hammock & other chairs to hang out on. The beds had mosquitos netting around them. Our room had a double & a single bed. I slept on the single & kept getting stuck in the netting! :)

Reasons why we picked this location:
*Each room had a safe
*A huge fan that was fast
*The hotel property had a wooden gate that locks @ night & tenants use a key to get in
*We didn't use it, but there was a kitchen available for guests to buy their own food & cook
*flexible with how many days you can stay with 24 hour advance notice
*Porch
*Private bath
*Mesquito netting

Puerto Viejo - El Pescador

Aimee & I ate at El Pescador our first night en Puerto Viejo. They are a recently reopened restaurant. I think the owner was Americano.

They had very yummy Caribbean food. The rice was con frioles and made with coconut milk. I seriously need to learn how to make that.

Puerto Viejo Beach - In the rain

We woke up this morning to an overcast sky. Around 8 or 9, it started pouring down rain. We waited around awhile & decided we still wanted to see the beach.

While we were waiting on the patio we met a boy who is from Stephenville. We forgot to ask his name. Oops. He is in the cabana next door. ...we apparently share a bathroom wall...enough said...

We were all sitting on our patio when our door shut, locking us out. I ran to the reception in the rain to get an extra key. The walkway was mostly covered but flooded.

After awhile Aimee & I braved the rain to find breakfast & la Playa. Even in the rain, the view from the beach was beautiful. The fog over the trees across the beach, the color of the sky & waves crashing. Que Bonita.

Puerto Viejo deck view

The view from my deck in Puerto Viejo.

Bienvendida Puerto Viejo - Day One

Buenos Dias from Puerto Viejo! - this is our first weekend trip in Costa Rica.

The first day of school, we had an orientation session. A really funny guy gave us tips on how to get around Costa Rica. Tips like, when we need to flag the bus or a taxi don't wave because the driver will more than likely just wave back. There is a unique hand signal you make to signal the bus driver or taxi. He also made suggestions on where to travel on the weekends and how the school can help arrange trips for us. Following the advice of the travel coordinator at the school (I think that's what he was) Spanish Aimee and I headed out for another adventure; this time to Puerto Viejo. 

The trip to Puerto Viejo is a four & 1/2 hour bus ride from San Jose. The tickets, which the school will go purchase from the bus station to save time for the students, was 5300 colones or $10. Not bad. The bus was hot, but bearable with the windows cracked. The view on the bus great too. Here is a picture of Patrick's friend Hippa-Hippa, his Costa Rican name will be Señor Hipopotamo, riding the bus with us. I'm trying to remember to take pictures of Señor Hipopotamo's adventures in Costa Rica, he goes everywhere with us. 

I'm not sure where I thought Puerto Viejo was but when we got off the bus I thought, oooooohhhhh. It's a very small town right on the beach. The town is really just tourist shops, a few sodas (little diners), hostels, a couple of bigger restaurants and the beach. I think in the time Aimee and I walked yesterday, we went over the entire town.  Here is our "cartoon map" that we are using to navigate the town. 

I'll post more later about our room and where we go today. I'm headed to finally try gallo pinto con juevos! I'll take pictures.