Happy Mother's Day!

This is my Mother and I, it's not the best picture but it is the most recent one, just a few months old (I was showing her my QuikPod more than we were posing); you can tell we were just goofing around since she didn't make me fix my hair. Maybe we'll take a better one later today.

She's a been a great Mom and she had to work hard at it, she had to drop out of High School to have me and that can't have been easy in her very Catholic family. I do remember her going back to High School when I was in the first grade; she actually went back to school during the day, she didn't just get her GED she completed the Diploma. I don't really remember a commencement ceremony or anything like that (although I'll ask today if I can get it to come up) she must have just gotten the paper.

I'm sure having me changed her plans for life in many many ways. I don't know if she ever even got a chance to think about life after high school or if al of a sudden it was all over...

Thanks Mom! You brought me up pretty good and I came out mostly okay. Statistically, I'm doing pretty great - I'm gainfully employed, educated, not in debt (other than my home) and my only complaint is that I'm single with no kids (but I've still got some time for that). Thank you again and I Love You!!

Technorati Tags: Mom, Mother's Day

Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica - Where should I go...?

So far I've only explored the southmost point of the Nicoya Peninsula and stayed in Montezuma. I want to explore more of the Pacific coast next trip (later this month).

I'm looking for tips on where to travel and places to stay. As requirements for places to stay go: walking to beach distance, hot showers and air conditioning (not fancy, cheap is better). There was a pullout section of the TicoTimes a few weeks ago but it only seemed like it covered the ultra fancy hotels and resorts.

I just want to wander around the towns and the ocean and find some waterfalls and stuff like that.

Technorati Tags: Costa Rica, Nicoya Peninsula, travel, Vacation

I Got a Hippopotamus for Christmas!

"I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" is one of my favorite songs. And that's what I got! As I present I got a certificate that I've adopted a Hippo at the Detroit Zoo. I've got a Hippo, a certificate and background (see the photo).

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is a Christmas novelty song written by John Coctoasten and performed by Gayla Peevey (10 or 11 years old at the time) in 1953. You can listen here or at the iTunes music store.

This is a favorite Christmas song of mine and I remember it being on a holiday Mix tape that Jim (a co-worker) made one year. It was a few years before it got re-popularized about 10 years ago (maybe from an Ally McBeal episode).

Plus, it includes a trip to the zoo, which (once I go) crosses another item off my 101 in 1001 list...

Technorati Tags: hippo, Hippopotamus, I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Gayla Peevey

Happy New Year! Time for resolutions?

So it's the new year. And it's gotta be better than the last one, or at least better than the last 1/3 of last year. That was just too stressful...

I don't do regular resolutions. They never take. I think the same goes for most people and their resolutions.

I started doing 101 things in 1001 days, which means you make a 101 tasks/resolutions (manageable ones) and you have 1001 days to do it (about 2.75 years). I originally found this at Day Zero. This have worked for me, I've got about 9 months left and I've completed about 41 of them (by tonight I'll have done one more). I'm guessing I'll have about 60 of them done by the time list runs out, 70 if I'm really motivated. Not perfect but for everyone you know, how many complete 6 out of 10 of their resolutions?

Technorati Tags: 101 in 1001, happy new year, new year, resolutions

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday today! I'd like a little more snow outside but other than that, it's perfect. Lots of fun gifts and I think Mom liked everything I got her. More on some of the gifts later...

On a side note: One of my favorite things about Christmas (the last few years) is the Doctor Who Christmas Special! This year's episode it titled "Voyage Of The Damned" (Starring Kylie Minogue) and takes place on the Titanic. So I'm hoping I can "tune in" to that tonight!

If you're a Dr. Who fan you might be interested in this odd little Dr. Who 7 minute special, it takes place in the middle of the last 30 seconds of the season finale. Right after Martha walks out the door of the Tardis and right before the Titanic crashes in through the Tardis. A little mishap lets the Doctor meet one of his former selves (the 5th Doctor played by Peter Davison). It was part of a BBC "Children in Need" Special. If you don't watch Dr. Who this clip will not be entertaining at all.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Doctor Who, Dr. Who, Kylie Minogue, Peter Davison, Stephen Moffat, time crash, Time Travel, Titanic, torrent, Voyage Of The Damned

Holiday Best Wishes For Everyone!

Have a great a happy holiday and / or vacation!

Be nice to everyone!

It's easier to smile than to frown (it's a scientific fact) and the results are always better (another fact).

Drive safe!

If you're a few minutes late everyone will still be there. (I promise).

Don't fight with your parents! Or your kids!

It really doesn't matter who's right. (Although, I sure like to be right).

It's not the dollar$ $pent, it's really the thought.

It really is, think about the times you're gotten a useless gift, or thought they spent too much. (Yes, I know it's nice to get expensive gifts).

Be thankful for everything and everyone you have!

It's all you have so take care of all of it and them.

Just smile and be nice to everyone as much as you can for the next few weeks...

Technorati Tags: Christmas, family, holidays, puppy, thanks

So far behind!!!

I'm SO far behind for the holidays. All my family get togethers start this Friday and I'm just not ready. I guess I'll have to worry about it for another few days and I'll either be caught up or I won't!

I think a vacation day on Thursday will help me get the job done...

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Christmas Shopping

Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village

So I did get to go to the Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village. It was all snowy so I went this weekend! I don't like to do these Christmassy, wintery things when there isn't snow out.

It was cold but it was fun. I was hoping for more lights decorating things but since it was old fashioned and such a thing didn't exist in those times I was disappointed on that part. But the "Sleigh Ride" (it actually had wheels) and al the kerosene lanterns and all the little fires and carolers and everyone dressed up old fashioned was fun! And the fireworks at the end made it all worth it! (It was really cold)

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Holiday Nights, Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village, puppy

I Love All the Snow!!!

It's beautiful and it gets sure me in the holiday spirit! And I live on the third floor so it gives me a nice view! But, I'm going to hate it when I have to go out in it. ..

Lots of people parked in the street last night (the Snow Emergency alarms went off so they shouldn't have; it's an expensive ticket $50+, I think), and while I'd like to mock them (but they probably got tickets), it's now screwed (as parking goes) since the trucks didn't get to plow in there. And even when the cars get out it won't be plowed properly for a while since they'll be some new cars in there.

Hopefully they'll plow my lot soon, I'm not sure if I can get out. But it's still coming down, so I don't think they'll be back for a while.

I'm definitely going to do something Christmassy tonight. Like look at the lights or something (unfortunately, I think that Greenfield VIllage Holiday Nights are sold out)...

I'm Here!!!

I made it!!! It was a bit of a trip, and a ride through the mountains but I made it! I got some ca$h from the ATM and some dinner and some stuff for the fridge (coke, gaterade, water and OJ) and I think I might be hitting the sack soon....

Here's the view if you walk outside (about 50 meters) the hotel, I took it right after I checked in. I'll try to take more pictures and post more tomorrow...

Technorati Tags: Costa Rica, Jaco, Jaco Beach, Pacific Ocean

Nice flights...

So for the second leg I didn't get an aisle seat, but no one sat in the middle seat so I had lots of room. I got to watch the clouds for a while, but they weren't as smooth and flat where they look solid, just lots of lumpy fluffy ones.

I think airline food has gotten better the last few years, my chicken and rice was delicious and even the carrots were good. I got to read a little bit, a sci-fi paperback called Manifold Time by Stephen Baxter, I'm liking it so far but I'm not very far into it. I plan to leave it behind and I forgot my BookCrossing labels.

The Atlanta airport was nice, I don't think I've ever been there when I wasn't running for a connecting flight. We got in early so I had some time to look around (and get my last McDonald's food for a while). I even had time to switch my seat (from a middle one) and to sign up for frequent flyer miles, I couldn't find my Delta number anywhere, and they made it sound like I could claim old miles too and I know where my last ticket is (when I flew to NY via Atlanta).

Also, last night was Monday, my big TV night, so I threw a few of those shows in my laptop and got to watch Chuck and Journeyman. That really makes the time go by...

I've got my tree up!

I've got my Christmas tree up! It always makes me very happy to get it up, I was even happy when I got it up last night and didn't even have ornaments on it, just the lit tree makes me happy. I always dread putting up of it and the decorating, this year I got Mom to come help with the decorating. We got it and the house done. We ate out at the Seahorse Grill (review later). We computed a little bit on her laptop. And we returned my copy of of Living Abroad in Costa Rica which it turns out I had a copy of already by a different publisher (same author) and I purchased a copy of Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette in Costa Rica. And of course, we listened to Christmas songs...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Drive Safe! Eat Lots! And don't forget to Be Thankful!

I know life can get crappy at times, but be thankful for the little things. I know if you're reading this you've got access to a computer with Internet access, so that's soemthing :)

I know even when I get down about the things I don't have (which are not material things), I know I have family, friends, a home, a car that runs and a job (even if it is making me insane right now). I do have a million other things (mostly things I probably don't need), but those material things really aren't what matters at the end of the day.

Technorati Tags: be thankful, Thanksgiving

Huge Spider Attacks Car!

So I decorated for Halloween. I saw this huge spider at Target and I knew I had to put it on my car. I wanted it on the front hood, but I thought I might get a ticket for something like that. So I put Harry, (hairy, get it?!?) on the trunk and it's worked pretty good so far. When I get moving fast, he gets all scrunched down; it looks like he's doing it on purpose.

I'm pretty happy that he hasn't escaped yet (especially on the expressway). I haven't noticed many people noticing, but since I'm busy driving..

Technorati Tags: decorations, halloween, holiday, holiday decorations, spider, spider

London to Cardiff - best way to get there?

So I'm looking for a practical and cheap and semi-direct way to get from London, England to Cardiff, Wales. I figure my choices are train, bus or rent a car (I have no problem driving on the left). When I go to London in the spring I was thinking of spending a day or two over that way. Also, I'm looking for a place to stay in Cardiff near public transportation, decent but not too expensive (of course) a hotel or bed and breakfast would work. Of course I'll want to visit this general area so I'll need some walking tour information too (or book recommendation).

I keep seeing it on TV and movies and other places so I thought I'd check it out. I've never been in that direction, I think the farthest west I've been is Stonehenge/Sailisbury.

Also, any bloggers who lurk around here and want to meet up drop me a note. I'm also looking for restaurant and other tourist recommendations. And if anyone knows about any Torchwood filming dates in the spring (I'm thinking they're editing around now, so probably not) I'd be interested in that too, especially if you have any contacts related to seeing some of it.

Technorati Tags: bus, Cardiff, London, Torchwood, train, travel

Mom's Birthday Photos

So I got some of the photos from Mom's Surprise party up. This first one is from in front of the house, my cousin and uncle decorated it during the night. The rest of the photos are from the party.

I posted about 18 and hope some of the others with cameras will send me some. I you missed the post, the surprise party was yesterday.

These are really old school photos of my grandparents kids, my mom is in the lower-right.

Technorati Tags: birthday, mom, Mother, party, photos, puppy, surprise, surprise party

Mom's Surprise 60th Birthday Party

So today my Mom turned sixty today. She thought I was taking her our to dinner tonight but when we got to the restaurant she was surprised that I had about thirty people there! I couldn't mention it before today, because I don't know if she reads my blog at all, I know she knows it exists so I didn't want to take the chance. I made a lot of phone calls, my aunt called a bunch and my cousin took care of the cake so it was all pretty easy to set up.

The people who were got there first put up all the balloons I had dropped off and put some streamers around the outside railing. We had the timing down perfectly, I think just about everyone was already there when we got there. And they were all waiting outside in front so she saw them as we pulled up. It took her a minute to process all the people that were there...

We had lots of family and friends show up. Some drove a ways to get here so that's always nice. Lots of cards with gift cards and lottery tickets. She'll get to do some shopping this weekend. A few showed up later and a few had to leave early and it was a great time. She really had a perfect day and she just called me up again a few minutes ago to say that and to thank me again.

My Mom is awesome, she did a pretty great job bringing me up mostly on her own. She had a lot of help from her parents the first six years and baby-sitting help from the other relatives but most of the rest of the time it was her and she did a great job making everything work out.

In case you were wondering, we went to Woody's in Royal Oak, Michigan (they've got two inside floors and a large rooftop area). Very casual place great service, everyone seemed happy with the food and drinks. Elizabeth was our beautiful (and efficient) waitress and did a great job. Personally, I was happy with the bill, I thought it was a good value before I even realized they had already tacked the tip on. I'd definitely recommend there for a gathering in the future.

On a completely unrelated note, while I was at the party someone bid last minute on eBay for the bike rack that I was trying to get; it was almost identical to the one that was damaged last week (and barely used). I had just upped the maximum today in case anyone else had bid on it (no one had yet). They must have used some software to bid on it (or they were sitting right there) since it was bid at the last minute :(

Technorati Tags: 60th birthday, birthday, Mother, my Mom, sixtieth birthday, surprise, surprise party

Drummond Island, Michigan

So I spent some time on Drummond Island (in Michigan just off the east side of the upper peninsula) a few weeks ago. You can see a better perspective of where this is by checking out this map. Note the solid line that zig-zags around it, that's the Canadian international border. You have to take a ferry (from DeTour on the Michigan Upper Peninsula side) to get over to the island, it was great both times, didn't have to wait for the next ferry (only once and hour) although we just made the ferry and I had to part at a 45 degree angle to fit! But at least I didn't have to wait an extra hour. Since there is only one ferry you only have to pay to go there, there ride back is free.

I've been there before but only when it was very cold. It was beautiful weather the whole time, it was great to bicycle around. The stars were so clear and I had an excellent view of the Perseids Meteor shower.

The internet access was lacking though. They offer hi-speed free wireless at the chamber of commerce but the DSL was down for the whole weekend, , I was starting to get the shakes!!! FYI, the Chamber of Commerce is kind of the Visitor's Center and is located at "The Four Corners", everyone knows that's the intersection with both the blinking red-light and a stop sign :)

Plus, while I was there I got to hang out at the Northwood which is where everyone hangs out in all the Jill Traynor Mystery books. Which I had actually started re-reding New America (Book 4) while I was on the island.

So it's a very relaxed atmosphere there, which is good as long as you want to relax. That's all that I wanted to do so it was perfect, well, except for the internet being broken that was a problem for me (they did fix it sometime the morning I left) but not so much for most people....

Technorati Tags: Drummond Island, Drummond Island Michigan, Jill Traynor, Drummond Island MI, WiFi" rel="tag">WiFi, wireless

Ravinia

So I really enjoyed my concert experience at Ravinia (in Highland Park, IL). It was a beautiful place and I loved it. Beforehand it had been mentioned to me that you couldn't see from the lawn, but I figured that was an exaggeration, it wasn't. When I walked in, it was wall to wall people and I couldn't even see the cover of the pavilion, it was the Lawn From Hell. I bet I walked around for five minutes before I noticed the pavilion, I'm so glad I got a seat, I did look back from inside and there really only were a few spots where I could see a limited number (50-100) of people on the lawn. This place was great though, people had shown up hours early and set up their little fold up tables with their wine and cheese; at first it seemed a bit pretentious but I really began to like the place for as crazy as it was there.

One complaint is that it wasn't made clear that I couldn't take drinks into the pavilion, (bottled water only I think) they'd sell it to me right next to the pavilion but I couldn't take it in. They said to chug my wine :(

They have a great shuttle system to get you to free parking lots all over the area (on site is $20-ish). It was a little confusing on the way in but it was like clockwork on the way out. They've got a nearby Metra stop too, but I was confused if you need to needed to take the shuttle or if around concert times it actually stops on the grounds; you actually cross the tracks if you park in one of the lots on-site.

I'll definitely check the schedule there the next time I'm in the area.

Technorati Tags: Chicago, concert, Ravinia

S.S. Badger

So right now I'm on the S.S. Badger heading over to Wisconsin so that tomorrow I can go to Lincoln Park, IL to see that Brandi Carlile / Indigo Girls concert I mentioned a few weeks ago.

I've been bouncing around up north for the last few days and now I'm taking the ferry from Ludington to Manitowok. The ship is huge, they were unloading semi-trucks and busses in addition to all the cars. It was very impressive watching it come into the dock. Please note from this photo the the square shape on the left side of the cargo hold is a huge bus.

I got a good seat on the deck, I'm sure it'll get cold later, but it's awesome for now! It's a little pricey to take but I've always wanted to do it and this seemed like a good time...

Technorati Tags: ferry, Ferry Boat, S.S. Badger, Vacation

No Roswell for me :(

Well, it doesn't look like I'm going to get to go to Roswell, New Mexico this year. I can get flights and I actually have the time in my schedule but I can't find any hotels in the area, and I mean any. I've checked with all sorts of travel sites and direct hotel sites but I'm just not finding any on-line (I will call some hotels today, JIC). And if it's that cRaZy I'm not sure I want to stay a town or two away and commute into the craziness that must be going on.

Unless anyone has some recommendations for somewhere or someplace to call, I'd be thrilled for the info. Leave a comment or send an e-mail.

Technorati Tags: New Mexico, Hotel, Roswell, sci-fi" rel="tag">sci-fi, scifi

Free Skype On Mother's Day

On Mother's Day (May 13) you can make unlimited free Calls (from US/Canada Skype) to anywhere in the world!!! Check out the Skype page for more details. Actually, it's not really unlimited it's only 200 minutes free, but that's still a pretty good deal.

Post edited to not incorrectly refer to "today" as Mother's Day...

Offer valid from May 13th 2007, 5:00 am (Eastern Time GMT-5.00) to May 14th 2007 4:59 am (Eastern Time GMT-5.00)

Technorati Tags: Mother's Day, space

Roswell

So some different things got me thinking about Roswell: Quite often Grey's Anatomy does since Katherine Heigl was one of the stars. So that started me thinking about the TV series Roswell and I started surfing around stumbled along THE video clip (to set this clip up, you need to know that Max and Liz didn't know each other well but secretly had crushes, two men get in an argument in the Crashdown Cafe, a gun goes off, Liz falls to the ground and Max runs to her side) where it all started . It was a great series but it only made it three seasons, which is actually pretty good for sci-fi.

And then I remembered that the Roswell UFO Festival is this summer (as always) but this year is 60 years since the aliens crashed there. The biggest coverup since well, since anything else. This is the reason as to why they always dismiss UFO sightings as 'weather balloons' because that's what they accused the Air Force guy of doing, of confusing a weather balloon with a spaceship...

I'm really thinking of going to the festival this summer, has ever anyone gone? Any tips? Anything from someone whose been there but not during a festival? Maybe a not-to-miss place (museum or restaurant)? Or an alien-theme hotel or maybe just a good but cheap hotel?

Technorati Tags: New Mexico, Roswell, television, Vacation

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day! Try and make it a great day for everyone else too. Smile at everyone today!!!

And remember if you do get a card for someone they (she) really does look at the back to see if it says Hallmark.

And remember, some people take this day really seriously. So be nice to the extra-sappy people...

Here's some background on Valentine's Day.

And some history(?) of the heart as a symbol.

Technorati Tags: heart, holiday, valentine

Tortuga Island

So almost everyone was giving us mediocre reviews of the volcano this trip, so we decided to skip it. Since we skipped it we were staying in Montezuma for another day and then going back to Jaco.

Staying in Montezuma (Costa Rica) resulted in us taking a tour to Tortuga Island. Every travel group in town seemed to offer a similar tour to this. A trip on the water (hopefully spotting some whales/dolphins) some snorkeling and some time on the beach with with lunch cooked there and then some more (optional) snorkeling and back along the coast. I'm glad we went but the day went by really fast.

The photo with the island (big rock) in the middle is not Tortuga, it's nearby and it's where we snorkeled (if you look real close you can see people snorkeling). Now remember where we are, there aren't real lessons. They hand you some flippers and a mask and a snorkel and off you go! I asked some of the other tourists and got the gist of it but was always afraid of somehow getting a big gulp of water somehow (which never happened). The fish were awesome, different colors and if you stayed still you could be in the middle of a big school of them. Different colored rocks and coral, it was all very cool. Now one some of the people who had gone down to the Caribbean (or other exotic snorkeling places) were a little disappointed but the rest of us were happy.

I also saw some kind of Eel and some kind of Sting Ray. The eel was a squiggly but I'd guess it was about 3-4 feet long and the Sting(?) Ray was probably a little less than 3 feet (from wing tip to wing tip). They were 6-10 feet below me so it's hard to judge the size.

The beach was nice, set up as if you were outside a hotel on the ocean. The rest of the island was a “state park” of sorts (and had admission costs, in hindsight probably pretty cheap) but the day went by so fast, there just wasn't time for exploring.

And they made us a pretty good grilled lunch too!

All the photos in this post are clickable for larger versions.

Montezuma Waterfalls (the Movie)

So here's the Montezuma Waterfall that we climbed way up into the hills to get to. We swam and (I) jumped into the pool there and then we climbed way farther up into the hills to get way above the waterfall (and there were a few more pools up there too) and then I climbed down pas them so that if you were where I was when I took this movie you'd seem me at the top of the falls.

I know I'm behind in getting stuff up, but I'm getting there. FYI, I rotated this movie, so if it doesn't play, can you please let me know?!?

Technorati Tags: Costa Rica, Montezuma, Vacation, Waterfall

The last night...

So we're off in the morning and we're very sad about it. We rented a car (National seems to have the best deals around here, with no drop off fee at the airport) so we'll leisurely head back to the airport in the morning, not like the car-sickness-indusing cab rides (and it'll actually be less than a cab). I'm not done blogging though, I've got posts I haven't finished and mucho photos to put on-line.

Pack tonight, breakfast and a quick swim in the morning and we'll be off!!!

A minor concern is the 1 hour and 5 minute layover between flights where we'll actually need to go though customs before we board our flight from Charlotte, NC.

More photos uploaded

So I've added some photos and maps to some of the earlier posts and I've added some photos to Flickr, Yahoo! Photos and in my Gallery (I hadn't been putting any in the latter two lately). They need to be cleaned up and titled a bit, but at least they're are new ones...

Technorati Tags: Costa Rica

Sunsets

One of my favorie parts of the movie Running Scared (1986), is when Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal (who play Chicago Cops) are in Florida (Key West, I think) and see a bunch of people standing by the pier. They think 'someone must have found a body' or 'a car must have drove off the pier'. As they try to get closer they ask someone 'what happened?' and the response is, 'they're just watching the sunset' and the both look at her and say, 'no, really, what happened?' and she replies, 'everyone comes down every night for the sunset' and they just don't believe it. But sure enough, it's just the sunset and they're hooked they watch it every night get hooked.

That's what it's like here in Jaco, Costa Rica, everyone starts showing up on the beach in the evening. Even if they aren't going to get in the water they just show up to watch. Some show up just a few minutes before, some show up an hour or so. They bring the kids, the babies, the grandparents and just watch it set and the colors fade away...

(I'm just paraphrasing the movie, I can't find the actual quotes, anywhere on-line, but you get the gist of it.)

As usual, click the photos for larger views.

Taking Things For Granted...

So there are somethings we really take for granted but it just isn't the same everywhere else. For instance:

Montezuma, Costa Rica

So we really liked Montezuma, I've never been in that peninsula in Costa Rica and I've always wanted to go there (I think it's called the Nicoloyia Nicoya Peninsula). We just kept extending our stay a day here and there and ended up staying four nights. We're really glad we stayed an extra day or we would have missed the island of Tortuga (more on this later). It's a very small town, just a few streets but it's very laid back and I'll definitely go back!

Seems like a bit of a surfer town, but we saw very little surfing, even though there were lots of places to rent/buy surfing supplies. The water seemed very clear but part of that may have just been because the sand is so dark in Jaco. Speaking of Jaco, it seems like it's a bit mini-Jaco before it grew, maybe if you could roll it back 30-40 years.

Here is a street map of Montezuma. You can see all the busineeses on this map. If there is nothing listed it's probably just trees or sand. Size-wise most of the hotels only have 10-15 rooms so they don't take up much room. Most of it is concentrated in the top have of the map with Chico's Bar (#14) at the center o the town, we stayed at El Sano Banano (#9) which is really close to the center.

Things did seem less expensive in this town, but don't assume and be sure to check the menu's prices before you sit down. Generally (but not always) if a place lists the cost in US Dollars they are more expensive. FYI, no ATMs in this town so make sure you have cash, especially since many places will give you a better deal for cash than charge (mostly noticed this with tours, transportation and hotels).

It's way more laid back and it's a bit of a hippie/rastafarian/bohemian crowd that seems to have settled in there. Some just seem to be traveling for a while and stop for a few months or years and others just seem to have moved there. There seems to be a few Ticos (Costa Rican people) who have relocated up that way as well, they just think it's more relaxed than some of the other places they've been.

Monkey See

So the hotel we are at (The El Sano Banano in Montezuma, CR) has a sister hotel (Ylang Ylang) down the beach (which you can only get to by walking, but they will transport your luggage) and we're allowed to use their pool and hammocks, etc. But the main reason we went down is we heard in the afternoon that the monkeys stop by. We got there just in time and I got a variety of photos (many blurry or obscured by trees) and some video.

They would come down and take food from people, they were very cautious but many of them took some. It was funny since as they climbed closer the branches would bend and they'd panic and try to scramble back up. Be sure to notice in the one photo you can see the White Monkey with a baby on it's back.

I'm not really sure if they were called “White Monkeys” or “White-Faced Monkeys”.

FYI - The Ylang Ylang is more resort-ish (pool, hammocks, lounge chairs, massage, yoga, etc.) but it has no Air conditioning...

The El Sano Banano Hotel - Montezuma , Costa Rica

So we're staying at the The El Sano Banano and we keep adding days to our stay. It's a great hotel in that it's located right in the center of Montezuma and it's got all the necessary requirements for a hotel. It's got air conditioning which to me is a must and not that many hotels have it (and it's brand new, so it works very well), private bathrooms/showers, the showers have heat and it's only about $65 US a night. There's no internet but I just found out that the Ylang Ylang (the sister hotel) has free WiFi but I just found that out so I haven't tried it yet.

It's cute but plain vanilla, just beds and a TV in the room, no chairs and no desk. It's tiny, only 12 rooms, but many of the places are like that. Free breakfast in the morning, it's delicious(!), I get Huevos Rancheos, which is eggs and salsa on a tortilla but no frijoles (beans). The dinning rooms shows free movies with dinner; I assume the legality of this is questionable, but I haven't bothered to quiz them on the legalities of international copyright and are they paying the proper fees (my spanish stinks and no one's English is that good). But pretty much you're wandering the streets or beech or at a restaurant or people-watching or on the beach.

I'd definitely recommend this place for the price, location, A/C and the rest of what I've mentioned above. The A/C really helps the enjoyability of it, the water pressure could be better (sometimes it's awesome, but sometimes it's not working). No one we've talked to has air conditioning, but they're staying at places for half the price but we really like the A/C...

The photo is the view out my window.

So I should have kept my mouth shut...

So after talking about the wonderful weather this morning, this afternoon the last few hours of daylight were the cloudiest I've ever seen while I was in Costa Rica. I actually thought it might storm. It was still gorgeous (and the lack of sun did make it more comfortable), I just thought it was weird after I mentioned it this morning.

It's Beautiful Out (again)

I never mention the weather her because it's always beautiful in Costa Rica. It's always warn, hot or very hot (sometimes too hot). It