Rainforest Aerial Tram Tour and the city of San Jose

As advertized, the captial of Costa Rica, San Jose, is not a pretty city. We spent an hour on our tour bus picking up others at their hotels which gave Jeff and me a real taste of the city. Traffic was CRAZY! We confirmed what we had read online, that taxi and tour drivers don't use numbered addresses to find locations, but use landmarks. Many of the streets are not even named! People were everywhere; our tour guide informed us that Costa Ricans have just received their Christmas bonuses and had started to shop for Christmas. Also, we did see a few cut Christmas trees tied onto tops of vehicles just like in the States.

Jeff and I experienced an amazing experience on Saturday, Nov. 28th. We visited the Braulio Carrillo National Park and rode a tram over the rainforest canopy, took a walk through parts and then had lunch, outside in the middle of the rainforest.

It was amazing. The pictures we took don't do justice in representing the beauty. Riding above the forest you could hear the plants hitting our tram underneath us, birds calling back and forth, monkeys declaring their territory and all of the small waterfalls and streams.

We saw an ant city that was very large, with an estimated 8 million residents. The dirt was cut in steps over a vast area of land by these ants. They were everywhere, in single file, carrying a piece of leaf that they had cut off, but they don't eat the actual leaves. They take them into their ant holes, allowing the leaves to turn into a fungus which in turn is what they eat.

Jeff saw a toucan and we both saw one of the most venemous snakes in the world, a fer-de-lance.  On our way to the rainforest, we drove through a cloud forest, which was beautiful in its own right.

Atlanta, Georgia

Just a few pix of the Atlanta skyline from the airport. Had to really zoom to see buildings. Also, a pix of a building with steeple and American flag that looked very patriotic to me.

Breakfast in Costa Rica

Another quick update: we just had our first breakfast in Costa Rica. Renee asked for some tea, and was brought this:

Irish Breakfast Tea. Now that's funny.

I tried for the first time the Costa Rican national dish, gallo pinto, which is a mix of rice and black beans. Here they eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It turns out they only eat it for breakfast. They eat rice and beans for lunch and dinner, too, but they don't mix them together.

In just an hour Renee and I depart for an aerial tram that will take us over the rainforst of a national park. We can't wait!

Safe Arrival in Costa Rica

Just a quick update here: we've made it safely to Costa Rica. We jumped into a taxi in Leixlip, Ireland at 8:00 AM Dublin time (GMT +0). We've just checked into our room in San Jose, Costa Rica at 12:45 AM Central American time (GMT -6, the same as Texas). That means when we checked in it was 6:45 AM Friday morning in Dublin, meaning that we've been traveling for almost 23 hours.

Our plane in Atlanta that was to bring us here kept popping a breaker, so they got us onto another plane, thus we were delayed. However, we're here and we're thankful! Initial impressions: it's very green with lots of foliage, the humidity is something else, the drivers are crazy, but the people are very nice and all speak English well. All as advertised. We can't wait to get some good rest, then enjoy the country this weekend. We are blessed and missing you all this Thanksgiving. (I had half a turkey sandwich, does that count?)

Irish Food

One thing I like to do when Renee & I travel is try different types of food. But I wondered, what kind of food do they have in Ireland? I didn't know what to expect beyond potatoes. I was pleasantly surprised.

My first real meal in Ireland was a full Irish breakfast. Lots of places, including the hotel at which we're staying offer it, and let me tell you, it's really something. It includes 2 slices of bacon (which here is closer to ham), eggs, sausages (usually 3 links), baked beans, sautéed mushrooms, half a tomato (grilled), 1 black pudding and 1 white pudding, and toast.

Now black pudding I was prepared for, having looked it up. It's basically a slice of sausage in which the main ingredient is pig's blood. The white pudding is less off-putting, consisting mainly of pig fat along with grains and spices. Renee hasn't tried either, but I've tried both. The black pudding didn't taste gross. I kind of liked the white pudding. Remember, the idea here is to load up your fork with a big pile of stuff and shove it all in together. Eaten like that I rather like white pudding.

Also, they don't ask you how you want your eggs. They just bring them over hard. The idea isn't to chop them up, but to take a slice out of them like you would cut a slice out of a steak.

Though I wasn't used to the idea of mushrooms and beans with my eggs, I gave it a try. I'm now a fan. Since our hotel offers this type of breakfast complimentary (sans beans) I've been having it regularly, but I had to pass this morning in favor of tea and croissant. I thought another full Irish breakfast would kill me.

On our tour through Wicklow county I had stew and mash. Mash is just mashed potatoes. The only thing here is that they use it as a base, pouring other food over it like the way white rice is used in some Chinese food. So they just dumped a lump of mashed potatoes into a bowl and ladled beef stew over the top. It was hearty and warming.

Much of the food here is hearty and warming. I'm telling you, these people cook the way I eat. Here's some meat, here's some more meat, here is a bunch of starch to go with it, and you probably get bacon with that. Vegetable? What vegetable? Isn't potato a vegetable? Renee is missing the fruit and veggie stands of the San Joaquin.

It is all pretty expensive though, as most things here are. That was part of my decision to try an inexpensive Irish fast food place one day called Supermac's, a knock-off of McDonald's. I figured, hey, I can't get an Irish McDonald's clone in the States, so why not? I had the Mighty Mac. I'm sure Supermac's attorneys would tell you that any resemblance to a Big Mac is purely coincidental. Still, it's not identical. The fries are thick like steak fries and the beef is 100% Irish beef, which does taste a little different.

The pastries here have been just wonderful. The croissants are made with real butter and are among the best I've had anywhere. You can go into any corner cafe and get scones, which are uniformly wonderful wherever they come from. The tea has been great.

Yesterday for lunch I had bangers and mash. Bangers are just like sausages. This morning at the Intel cafe I tried porridge for the first time. Porridge is just like oatmeal. Really sometimes the only real difference between Irish food and what you've already had is the name.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Jeff's first day of class went very well. He has a handful of Intel students in the actual room he's using, plus he has about 13 Intel virtual students, mostly from Russia, using a sort of conference call connection that enables the student to view Jeff's computer screen and see what Jeff is doing on it. Pretty slick stuff. Intel has a rule that to be hired on you must speak English so there isn't a language barrier which is good.

I am relaxing a bit today but will be heading out soon to do a couple of chores and start organizing for the packing, taxi, airport and layover flight on Thursday.

Much love to all!

I shopped, I dropped

It's Monday, at 4:16pm, the sun is setting, and I am pooped. :-) I finally found what I wanted for those we buy for at Christmas time!! I was by myself and everything went well; your prayers for my safety are working!!

I took the bus (all are double-deckers) from Leixlip to Dublin and asked for help along the way. Everyone is so pleasant, even the bus drivers. I saw a bit of the sun this afternoon - it was nice to see it again. The middle of Dublin is called City Centre, which also has a very tall spire to mark the very center, which helps people like me find my way back to the bus stops. These pictures are all from O'Connell Street where most of the shops are that locals patron are. It is busier than any street in San Francisco I've seen. Everyone walks very quickly or is running to catch a bus. The buildings in City Centre are beautiful. I can't cast a stone without hitting an old, gorgeous building. I have to say, overall, I really like Ireland, at least the parts I've seen.

 Jeff is still at work and I am anxious to hear how his first day at Intel went. If I know my honey, it went well. He is amazing to me!

I am so thankful for the internet - I was so hungry for my regular radio station KLOVE and I can stream it over the internet. "Positive, Encouraging K-LOVE" and my favorite band is on right now: Newsboys.

I almost forgot...

...please post on our blog or email us as we would love to hear from all of you. :-)

Sunday

Sunday proved to be a day where one stays inside, so we did. The storm was a big one but it was peaceful watching the rain being whipped against our windows and hearing the wind whistling through the panes.

It is now Monday and I am off to roam alone. Too many choices... where to go, what to do? I'll let you know after I'm back.

Staff at this hotel is amazing. I love everyone of them. Did you know tipping in Ireland is not the norm? The people are paid good wages and don't expect any tips.

Greetings from sunny Ireland!

Hi everyone!
Ok, here's the scoop. We flew from SFO to JFK. Jeff and I had never been to New York before; now we have. We tried to look for icons of the city but that airport takes up the whole view; plus it was nighttime. The flight was great and the people at Delta were superb. We slept on our flight from NY to Dublin and have so far not felt any jet lag. We are even sleeping at normal Ireland times.

We are staying in the town of Leixlip. We arrived at our hotel to find that we have a premier room. It's large and very nice. Breakfast comes with the room and it's quite a feast. Seems that almost any breakfast you order comes with sauteed mushrooms and either black pudding, white pudding or both. Black pudding is made from dried pigs blood. We haven't found out what's in the white pudding.

This shows Leixlip's main street and shops. You can see Jeff at one of the three HUGE windows in our room. Also, the pix of the tables with covers and a mirrored fireplace is where we eat our complimentary breakfast.




Jeff has already had a walk through with Intel on Friday making sure everything for the class was set.

On Saturday we took the Wild Wicklow bus tour that came highly recommended. We were able to see all different areas of Ireland. It was a wonderful tour with the highlight being a 6th Century Monastic settlement in Glendalough. Oh, and by the way, Ireland is having flooding in the counties of Cork and Galway; they haven't had this type of natural disaster in over 2.5 decades. On our tour, we stood on top of a hill while the winds gusted around us at gale force and higher (See top pix). Seriously, that wind could have easily taken anyone too close to the edge, right over it. My yellow poncho turned into a sail and was pulling me along. It was great!










The remains of the church had ruins as old as the 600's and we were there! It was amazing.



Tour ends back in Dublin and we had to find our way back home to Leixlip, which is about a half hour away by bus. We went back to the same bus stop we had been dropped off but found out that to catch the bus back, we needed to be two blocks over. We found it and were able to get home. The public transportation is great. Driving in Dublin would be a nightmare if on our own.

'Twas the night before Ireland...

Here it is 9:48pm on November 18th. Our alarm is set for a 3am wake up. Too excited to sleep!!

Jeff's folks are graciously driving us to the airport in San Francisco. You know you are loved when two people are willing to get up that early and drive you to SFO on a workday with the commuters. Thanks Mom and Dad!! Very much!


Our flights are as follows:

Thu 19 NOV DELTA 186
LV SAN FRANCISCO 900A
AR NYC-KENNEDY 551P

Thu 19 NOV DELTA 164
LV NYC-KENNEDY 920P
AR DUBLIN IRELAND 925A

Thu 26 NOV DELTA 177
LV DUBLIN IRELAND 1115A
AR ATLANTA 340P

Thu 26 NOV DELTA 413
LV ATLANTA 651P
AR SAN JOSE COSTA RICA 1000P

Sat 05 DEC DELTA 414
LV SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA 900A
AR ATLANTA 211P

Sat 05 DEC DELTA 125
LV ATLANTA 415P
AR LOS ANGELES 619P

***********************

Cruise
Then we go on our cruise I booked last March. We will be on the Carnival Paradise from December 7 - 11. (December 7th is the date Jeff proposed to me.) We will need this rest. Can you say "jet lag?"

***********************

Last flight
Depart: LOS ANGELES INTL to SACRAMENTO CA ( Travel Time: 1 hrs 20 mins )
Fri Dec 11 # 0102 Depart LOS ANGELES INTL (LAX) at 3:50 PM
Arrive in SACRAMENTO CA (SMF) at 5:10 PM...

...where Frank will pick us up. Thanks Brother!!

And that is our itinerary.

**************************

Here are the links to our hotels New Horizon's is sending us to:

In Ireland:
Leixlip House Hotel

In Costa Rica:
Marriott Courtyard San Jose Escazu

More to come later.

Measurements

Here are a couple of interesting facts that made me laugh at such extremes Jeff and I will be experiencing in one trip:

It is 820 miles from Dublin, Ireland to Iceland

It is 767 miles from San Jose, Costa Rica to the Equator


And, as a point of reference:

It is 379 miles from Lodi to Disneyland :-)

Getting Ready

We leave in less than one week. I have my spreadsheet ready, reminding me of what to pack, purchase and what goes in each carry-on. No problem. Right?