Mini-Vacations Rock!

Question from Previous Post: Any guesses as to how two four year olds will do on a four-hour bus ride tomorrow?

Answer: GREAT!, as I wipe away the sweat from above my brow!

Our trip to San Jose was fun-filled with barely a meltdown worth reporting ☺...seems like we were gone longer than just a day and a half (those are the best type of vacations). The boys were enchanted by the bus ride, John had the window open the entire time and commented on everything; the cows, horses, Bay of Nicoya and enjoyed about a two hour nap on the way down. Michael enthusiastically yelled out when he spotted a banana or coconut tree and also caught a cat-nap. He chatted Mike up the entire way home; so no doubt, Mike refined his story-telling skills –it was at this point, I was happy to have John beside me quietly napping as he stretched out over my lap.

We arrived at the San Jose bus station about 11:00 a.m. and walked through some of the main streets of the city – they must close the streets to cars in support of market days. Lots of activity, vendors and stores selling their wares. We hung out at a park; enjoying the boys delight in chasing the pigeons and snacking on the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we brought with us as well as the banana bread I baked the night before. We then ventured on to my Dr.’s appt (on foot) and I was in and out in 30 minutes. We haled a taxi and were off to the Children's Museum. We were very impressed with all the exhibits and activities...so much more than just a children's museum. The building itself is a refurbished prison and is quite commanding. They seem to have utilized all the space very well and have some very notable displays on the history of Costa Rica, the culture and how the early settlers sustained themselves, very educational. The boys enjoyed the volcano, electricity and magnetic force exhibits, as well as ducking into the dental hygiene display, hence the pic inside a replica of a mouth. The museum also has an outdoor section where the kids can experiment with water, bubbles and the like and just beyond that sits an old passenger train exhibit, a replica and hand-on station on of how bananas are harvested and a small, outdoor animal farm and play-yard. Very extensive, I only wish we had more time to explore…I'm sure the 2.5 hours we spent only covered a quarter of what the venue offers. Would definitely recommend it if you have some time to kill in San Jose.

From there, we headed to the hotel in Escazu (Costa Verde Inn) that is tucked quietly in the foothills with great views of the city of San Jose. We passed all the familiar fast food joints (KFC, Burger King, McDonalds, Tony Romas and more) on the way out of San Jose and commented on how nice it is to not be burdened with advertisements and an abundance of choices in Monteverde. The hotel was very accommodating and the kids enjoyed the little bit of TV they got to watch while we confirmed our dinner plans. We headed to a small Mexican restaurant in the middle of town, a good walk; so I enjoyed a cold beer when we arrived :) We were able to purchase new shoes for the boys while on our way and did not realize they light up (until the sun began to set)...a bonus for the boys, for us...well, lets just say that we'll never be left out in the dark if we forget our flashlights. After hoofing it back to the hotel post dinner, we settled in, read some stories and lights out. I slept like a rock, enjoying the comfy bed and clean surroundings.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and chatting with some of the other guests. The boys could not wait to put on their swimsuits, so off we went to check out the pool. Not sure when the last time the pool was used; so I took it upon myself to grab the skimmer and off we were, cleaning the pool prior to our dip – I think I see summer jobs in the boy’s future! The water was frigid, but they didn't seem to mind. The day was beautiful, sunny and warmed up quickly. It took me about 30 minutes to get waist deep; once your legs grow numb...it's not so bad :)

Our bus back to Monteverde wasn't until 2:30 p.m., so we decided to hit Parque La Sabana (an urban park in San Jose that we had passed on our way into Escazu the day before). It was filled with joggers, roller bladers, bikers of all ages and families enjoying the beautiful day. Many vendors selling everything from oranges to young coconuts to kites and pony rides. We enjoyed an orange, two coconuts and the pony rides. The park was sprinkled with kids and adults alike, flying kites so we managed to purchase two from a vendor who made some of the flyers himself. We; however, opted for the more traditional triangular kites that were not hand-made. The boys had great fun and were red-cheeked and sweaty by the time we hailed a cab to the bus station. All the cab drivers were very friendly and very conversational which made all our travels fun and exciting. We hit the public bathroom at the bus station and loaded up on snacks and boarded the bus for the 4-hour ride back up the mountain. For those of you coming into the bus station in San Jose, you'll have to have some change handy if you want to use the bathrooms across the parking lot at the bus station. I think it is about 250 colones - what you'll get in exchange?....entrance and a wad of TP. Bienvenidos!

It was a lovely weekend and restored our faith in taking a more extensive family trip on our next vacation, which may be to Guatemala this coming March to visit with the boy's foster family.

Coco Update:
The first thing we did when we arrived home -- place a call to Veronica. Much to our dismay, Coco was still running around Monteverde despite her and Mercedes' efforts to corral the dog in the forest the day before. We were so disappointed and still hoped for a miracle. Well, indeed, a miracle followed on Monday afternoon when I received the call from Veronica that Coco had been found. Mercedes spent the entire day out in the forest and found him lying in the grass, too weak to run. She quickly got him to the vet and with the help of some antibiotics will recover and heal from his week of roaming. Mercedes will see him through the next week and then we will start an aggressive hunt for a foster family to take him in. We are relieved and thank Mercedes for her commitment to Coco. This, no doubt, concludes the Schaefer involvement with any type of dog-sitting services. Certainly after the Ellie and Coco incident we would be better served in declining any future animal sitting jobs!

Enter Comanche the Cat: So, what about a cat? Mike mentioned in a previous post that a cat has been lurking around the house and enjoying the dog food we were leaving out to entice Coco back home. Well, this cat (which the boys have named Comanche) has apparently adopted us and makes itself right at home. Hopping on the counter, lounging on our laps, and getting up around our faces when we are sleeping. We discovered that she/he is entering the house through the open cinder blocks over the boy’s toilet in their bathroom. The previous renter had a cat and left the opening for her cat so she could get in and out on her own. We will make up some fliers with a photo and post them around town in hopes of finding its owner. The cat is sweet and loving and no doubt has been a family pet at some point in time. Big Mike has really taken a liking to it...John and Michael enjoy it as well if we can keep them from tormenting it :) More to come on this animal adventure for sure.

Christmas Revisited: The packages from my family finally arrived this week after a month plus in the mail. So many crafts and activities to keep little minds engaged. Great fun and the boys are so into all of it. The Spider Man undies are a hit. Thanks so Much! We still await Mom Schaefer’s package, two months and counting but have not lost faith ☺

My Family's Visit: Five more weeks until my mom, dad and sister arrive. I can't wait and will start laying out an itinerary so we can keep them busy and show them the beauty of this country. I will look into spending a long weekend near Volcan Arenal as well as hiking in the local reserves, visiting all the museums in Monteverde, zip lining in the forest's canopy and sharing dinner with some of our friends here in town.

School Volunteering: The project I am working on with Jude is in full swing. We will kick off some interview sessions (which are deemed "Listening Circles") with all the school stakeholders starting this Sunday. It will be a busy two/three weeks along with the debut as a Leader for the Basketball Minicourse which starts next Thursday when the next quarter convenes. Busy, busy.

Comfort Food - Macaroni and Cheese: We had a great evening last night, thanks to our friend Tedi. Tedi is a new teacher at MFS (came in the same time Mike did) and is one of our favorite people. She had us and another family (Flori, Andy and little Maura) over for Mac and Cheese last night. Andy and Flori are the couple that make the bread and yummy cinnamon buns in their brick oven and sell to the school. When I stepped in the door, I asked that we all talk in Spanish so we had some good chuckles over some foibles made by Mike and me while the kids enjoyed running around her spacious first floor. Good, simple fun – thanks Tedi!

I'm at Stella's Bakery right now enjoying a Mango shake and some time alone while Gaudy is at home with the boys. When I left, they were all knee-deep in the Bendaroo Craft Set we received this week from Poppy and Choppy. I can't wait to see all the creatures they have constructed upon my return.

P.S. - It is 8:45 p.m. and Mom Schaefer - guess what arrived today late, your package! The boys had fun opening it and ripped into everything - we will be making Christmas cookies yet this week using the cookie cut-outs! They are perfect and give us a great excuse to make/eat more cookies :) Thanks so much!

Signed: S