For Taylor: Tuanis!

So, it's been a while, huh?

Life here hasn't changed much since we last blogged.  We have been busy with work (or rather Ju has, returning to Sugar mama status) and enjoying our time on the eastern coast of Costa Rica.  There has been one new development, and that is that the sun has finally decided to show its face for days at a time!!! This is incredibly exciting since we moved close to the equator so we could enjoy endless hours on the beach.



Red-Eye Frog on our porch!



This past week, we had the privilege to host Brandon and Taylor here in Puerto Viejo! When they first arrived, we spent the weekend showing them around town and taking them to some of our favorite places.  Ty also taught them the basics of surfing, which seemed to be a goal of theirs while here.  We were impressed with their progress in the short time we were here and they really took advantage of the free rentals that come with staying here at Cafe Rico.

Cafe Rico, by the way, is probably one of our favorite places in town.  Roger, the owner, is a very friendly British ex-pat, who has been living here for around 10 years.  It has been fun to learn more about him as we've spent more time here.  We found Cafe Rico when we were looking for a place to use the internet and grab a tea/coffee.  Not only do they serve the best coffee in town, but they also serve some delicious breakfast and lunch items.  The cafe is tucked in off the road, surrounded by books that are available for purchase or exchange at a low price.  There are two cabinas for rent.  The price is a little steeper than average but the amenities more than make up for the price.  If you take full advantage of these amenities, which include free bike, surfboard, kayak and snorkel rentals, laundry, coffee, and internet, you are pretty much getting the room for free! Brandon and Taylor did this very well and enjoyed the convenient location in town and near to us.

After spending the weekend with us, they headed to Bocas del Toro, Panama, for a quick few days.  We felt as though this would maximize the variety of experience while minimizing the travel time, seeing that it takes less time to get to Bocas then to go to San Jose from here.  Hey, hitting two countries in one week and on a budget, not too shabby, huh?  They returned here in time for Ty's birthday last Thursday, which was great to spend with friends.  Since Ju was working, they ate at her restaurant.  Luckily (for us), business was slower than usual and the 4 of us got to eat together.

The rest of their visit was packed with the Jaguar Rescue Center, snorkeling, a bike ride to Punta Uva, and lots of surfing.  Their last night in town, we shared a delicious and expensive bottle of Malbec (Ben Marco), courtesy of Brandon and Taylor.  They also brought us a box of goodies which included an aerator, to make our usual cheap supply of wine a little classier.  The aerator, however, also works great on those expensive bottles :)  Thank you Brandon and Taylor for a wonderful visit and our box of goodies.  It was such a treat to have friends come down for a visit and a wonderful birthday present for Tyler.

We will try to be better at posting regularly.  Our life has become pretty "routine" to us and as a result, sometimes it feels like we don't have anything new and exciting to write about.  We do have some ideas for upcoming posts, but we'd also really like to know what you would like to hear about.  Leave us comments and we will do our best to fill you in on those particular aspects of our life.  It feels good to get a little encouragement from a lot of you about the blog, so thank you for emails and messages.

Keep checking back for news about puppies, surfing, and a some of the hottest spots in Puerto Viejo :)

Love you and miss you,

Ty and Ju

Feliz Ano a Todos!

Hey Friends,

Costa Rica's famous Red Eye Frog

We don’t seem to be doing our job in keeping you updated, so sorry for that. But we are here to inform you as always. Merry Christmas and a happy 2011 to all! We hope that this new year brings you love, joy, and peace. Thank you for being a part of our lives. 

We had another visitor this holiday season, for the week of New Years. Ty’s Mom came on the 28th of December and left yesterday, the 2nd day of 2011. It was wonderful to have some more company, as both times we have been very active and efficient with time. Despite some spotty weather, we managed to explore new territory in the area, while revisiting some of our favorites.  New experiences for us here in Puerto Viejo included a visit to the Jaguar Rescue Center (which houses, rehabilitates, and releases abandoned and injured wild animals back into their natural habitat), a Canopy zipline tour through the forest just north of town, becoming acquainted with hotel Banana Azul (where mama Long stayed), and attending Sunday church (which we did previously do on the Eve of Christmas). Edna and Spence, our landlords, if you will, run the Baptist church in town and present a delightful and passionate service, despite the small population of the congregation, between 5-10 on a typical Sunday.

Cute three-toed sloth at the Rescue Center

Canopy Tour - great fun

Some things have to be done again and again though, since they are fundamental to understanding our experience here. Going to the beach, for example, and visiting the National Park in Cahuita are basically unavoidable. We’ve also really enjoyed the quality and diversity of the food here in Puerto Viejo, and it’s been great to share those foods and flavors with our Moms. We’ve also been able to try some delicious new restaurants, thanks to our Moms J.

Cahuita National Park

The high season began with a bang this week, transforming sleepy Puerto Viejo into a busy town, complete with traffic. Thankfully, this also means that work is finally picking up. We managed to spend more time than expected with Ty’s Mom, but still had a couple crazy shifts at work this weekend for New Years. In other news, as a Christmas gift from Ty’s parents, he got his very own surfboard this week! This addition should bring new fun and activity to our lives here on the beach and in the water. We’d also like to thank Ty’s Mom for helping restock us with some wines and goodies (both from here and her own kitchen back home – mmm Snickerdoodles and Rice Krispy Treats), after quickly devouring most of what Ju’s Mom brought just 3 weeks earlier.

A mother sloth carries her baby at Ty's place of work.

To close out this post, let’s discuss a couple New Years resolutions: 1) To be more deliberate and disciplined in practicing and utilizing Spanish; 2) To be more patient with others, including each other, and to be more grateful for what we have, most importantly friends and family like you; 3) To live life to the fullest and continue to be open to new experiences.   What are some of your resolutions for 2011?

Thanks a bunch to all of you for reading. Happy New Year, we love and miss you dearly. Hasta la proxima,

Ty and Ju