or Nothing – Depending on How You View It
Spanish 101 (or 6 7/8)
Lesson #1. Don't get too cocky just because you have finally gotten to where you can order your breakfast in Spanish. One of the very few Spanish words I knew when I got here was Hacienda. And, as it turns out I was pronouncing it wrong. Since the 'H' is silent, it is pronounced ah see en da not, as I have said all my life, hah see en da. Oh! And, let me get this 'J' thing straight. The 'J' in Juan is pronounced like a 'W' – thus, Whahn. I got it now. So, San Jose is San woe zay? No, no – it's hoe zay. Ah whatever. I can still order a beer and ask for my check in Spanish! What else does a guy need?
An Addition to Mattie's Family
(click on the thumbnails to view larger pictues)
Mattie has a new addition to his family. Meet Elizabeth!
But, Diana is not so sure about all this.
Tico Ingenuity
We were buying some fish bait the other morning down at the dock, and one of the early morning commercial fishing boats had just returned to unload their catch. I got to see a 'Tico conveyor belt' in 
action. The guy on the boat unloads the fish on to the conveyor, 
and the conveyor runs it up to the fish house.
Planning on Traveling Anytime Soon?
If you are planning on traveling in the future, listen up. Prior to retiring from the Air Force, it seemed like I lived on an airliner. So, I was experienced traveler. Ha! I had not traveled on the airlines in years, and of specific concern to me was that I had not traveled since 9-11. So I was being very wary, particularly since it involved overseas travel as well. What I found out was that everything I 'knew' about airline travel was wrong.
In the 'old days', you were often better off dealing with the airlines because the middle men (travel agents, etc.) were getting a cut. No more! The internet travels sites (Expedia, Priceline, Cheap fares, et.al.) have negotiated with the airlines and offer special internet rates. Their rates are much cheaper than even the airline web sites' internet rates
I found a little web site that let you comparison shop between (and among) the various internet travel sites. And, what I found was that there is little (if any) differences in the rates offered on these sites.
There is a difference in how they list the rates. Some quote the total (real) cost to you, others quote a 'fare + taxes, and you have to dig around a little to find out what the taxes are. (Example: Fare is $390 plus taxes and fees). Well, since the 'taxes and fees' are $150-200, I thought that was kind of an underhanded way of trying to appear to have the best fares. So, once I figured it out, I decided not to do business with those 'fare pus taxes' sites.
There is no rhyme nor reason to fare pricing. So when you enter your parameters do not be any more restrictive than you have to be. In my case, and specifically on U.S. Airways, Sunday was cheaper than other days of the week – on other airlines this was not so. And, everybody knows that the most expensive way to go from Point A to Point B is the non-stop direct flight option, right? I didn't want to fly all over the U.S. and take days to get here, so I searched one-stop options. When I later took that filter off, the cheapest flight offered (cheaper by over $100) was the direct non-stop flight (Charlotte, NC to San Jose, Costa Rica). And four hours en route instead of 7 or 8. Go figure.
But the real kicker - The facts were spelled out in my confirmation email which informed me that if I changed my travel plans there would be an additional cost of $100. So I knew when I decided to stay an additional 6 weeks, I knew that was a $100 decision. But, I had two confirmation emails – one from Priceline and one from U.S. Airways. So when I had trouble getting hold of Priceline on their 800 number, I called the U.S. Airways 800 number. Makes sense, right? Wrong – REALLY wrong! U.S. Airways explained that they were handcuffed because my arrangements were locked by a Priceline itinerary number. So she, with my whole-hearted concurrence, 'saved me the trouble' and canceled my Priceline itinerary. Plus, 'out of the goodness of U.S. Airways heart', she waived the $100 reschedule charge. But – ready for this? – the fare difference (Priceline -vs – U.S. Airways) just for the return flight to the U.S. was $328! Ouch. And my Priceline reservations were gone! A couple hours later I got an email from Priceline that could have been entitled “Dear Dummy”. Was one of those, “In the future ......” things. It was polite enough, explaining in detail what 'the bear does in the woods', but you knew that whoever composed it must have been sighing and shaking their head.
So the moral of that whole thing is, 1) Don't assume anything, 2) Or that any of it will make any sense, and, most important, 3) Dance with the one that brung ya! Live and learn – if (and only if) you learn something!
Tico Ingenuity #2
There was a dilapidated old deserted house (shack) just a couple of doors down the street from the office I work out of. We all really felt that if you had leaned on it, it would have collapsed in a heap. Somebody finally decided to get rid of the eyesore, and one morning, bright and early a bulldozer showed up and pushed it over, scooped it up, and it was gone. Took longer for the bulldozer to chug down the street than the whole demolition job took.
A couple of weeks later a big old concrete bunker (rebar enforced 8” thick concrete walls) 
directly across the street was demolished. Here's the bulldozer they sent.
A Really Clever Approach
I just think this idea is ingenious! You may have seen something like this - but, I hadn't.
I often eat lunch about 2PM in the Chinese restaurant across from the hotel I am in. And that is about the time the owners two grade schoolers come in from school. They want to switch the TV off the soccer game and over to the cartoon show. (Never thought I would prefer cartoons to anything)
They usually watch this animated show that is kind of a 'Lucy and Peanuts' show, with a group of 6-7 year olds at play. About every 3-4 minutes, the blond headed little girl says something in English. And everything stops, while the entire group looks at her quizzically. Finally, someone says, “Que?” (What?) So she slowly repeats the English phrase. Then the brainy little guy (horn-rimmed glasses, dressed nerdy) says. “Oh,” and says the same phrase in Spanish. Everyone nods and smiles, and they go on about there business. There are about 10 of those little lessons interspersed in each 30 minute show.
Things That Don't Make Sense
Here are a couple of incongruities for you.
They make a good ice cream sandwich here. They are small, about the size of a snickers bar, and sell for about 50 cents. They ship the same product down to Panama, and even with shipping costs, etc., the same sandwich sells down there for 20 cents. ???
They brew two really good beers here in Costa Rica that share between them probably 80% of the market. Most of what is sold in the long-neck, recyclable bottles. No twist-off caps, so this may be the bottle opener (church key) capitol of the world. But, they don't have the 'bottle cap thing' down. The cork on the inside of the cap leaves a griity residue on the top of the bottle. The bar tender hands you a pot-holder size towel that you use to wipe the top off, and it then becomes your coaster.
Electricity Again, or Still
I told you last time about the apparent shenanigans by the national electric consortium. Well, now we have daily (announced), planned power outages. All this week they have been from 10AM to 1PM. So now, it is not just a stand-off between EIC and the government regulatory agency. An increasingly agitated electorate is starting too make rumblings. Think about it. Two or three hour power outages in the middle of the night you could live with, a minor inconvenience for most people. And if it were scheduled for 8AM or say 3PM business owners could adjust employees work schedules (bring them in later, or send them home earlier). No, now its smack in the middle of the work day, including lunch time. You can't go to lunch (restaurants don't have power) and workers and restaurant owners are both real happy about that. You can't go to the store, bank, whatever. Just sit around.
Sally Revisited
In one of my very first posting on this blog, I told you about John and Sally, the owners of Latitud Ocho, our favorite hangout. And I mentioned that he was from where ever and she was a Native American. Well, whoever told me that was wrong. When she read that article she laughed out loud and has been ragging me to death about it. Giving me that 'How could you think that?' business. 
Well, meet Sally. Nuff Said. Take that, Sally. Ha!
A Little Excitement
This happened right down the street. I took this with the longest setting on my camera lens possible. I guess these people that are front row center have not heard that those propane bottles hooked up to the kitchen stove are known to blow up in a fire.
I will be in N.C. for a couple of weeks starting on Thursday (the 10th). Will try to update you later. Pura Vida.
Here's the whole 'Motley Crew'
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