For this reason, I’ve been taking all my photos with a point and shoot. I do not have a fancy SLR. My point and shoot fits nicely into my pocket or in it’s tiny case, hanging around my neck. And for this reason, I was surprised when the multi-talented duo, Andrea and John from Inspiring Travelers, nominated me to participate in the HostelBookers 7 Super Shots meme.

While being happily forced to look through the thousands of photos on my hard drive, I realized that the real challenge was not in finding photos, but in narrowing down which photos I would choose. I decided to pick photos that I have not previously published and this is what I came up with. I’m really proud of them and had a blast with the memories they brought up!

A photo that… takes my breath away

White-water rafting class 4 and 5 rapids on the Pacuare River, Costa Rica. That's me on the back right of the raft, about to disappear under that rapid!

I chose this photo over thousands of stunning sunsets and misty volcanic mountainscapes because this is a photo of me one second before I literally had my breath taken away. I would show that photo which is next in the series, but all you can see is water, no raft! Let’s just say that rafting the Pacuare River in the middle of the rainy season, with a raft-full of first-timers, was not the brightest idea. We flipped that sucker and had to be rescued twice. …ahhh good times…

A photo that… makes me laugh or smile

Don't you just want to cuddle with the cute baby sloth?!

Baby sloths! How can you not smile at these adorable creatures?! I shot this at the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo. You can also see tons of baby sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary, north of Puerto Viejo.

A photo that… makes me dream

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

My absolute favorite spot to take naps is on the beach in the middle of the day. I nestle into the sand and create a perfect sand mattress while the sun warms my skin and the ocean waves lull me into the most relaxing deep sleep. I shot the above photo after waking up from one of these perfect naps one day in Playa Hermosa.

A photo that… makes me think

South Caribbean, Costa Rica

The sun is setting and the boats are resting for the day. Calm waters, still air, thunderstorm in the distance. Here on the Caribbean coast, you feel like you are standing on the edge of the world.

A photo that… makes my mouth water

Best tamales in the world, right here, in this photo, mmmm

Tamales! After three years of trying various tamales, I still believe that Julio’s family makes the absolute best tamales in the world. This photo shows the tamales after the last step – they are ready to eat! I love this because it looks kind of gross, the little packages floating in green slime, but they aren’t gross – they are one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.

A photo that… tells a story

Costa Rican Horse Parade

There is a festival in Costa Rica every weekend. A lot of these festivals boast horse parades as one of the highlights. I have come to love horse parades! A horse parade is a day full of horses, cowboys and cowgirls, dancing in the streets, meat on a stick, and beer.

A photo that… I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot)

Crabby McCrabberson in Puerto Viejo

Well, I do love this little crab and all the colors on his shell and in the sand. If I saw him in a magazine, I’d cut him out and hang him on my wall

For more 7 super shots, check out #7supershots on Twitter. I nominate the following fellow bloggers to play along next:

Erin from La Tortuga Viajera

Laurence from Finding the Universe

Barry and Kim from 10 Degrees Above

Jess and Jamie from Adventures with Cloud People

Megan from On My Way RTW

Which photo is your favorite? Do you feel liked I missed something you’d like to see?

What is this? Is it some type of fungus? Cabbage? Cabbage fungus? I’m so confused.

It’s about 1 foot in diameter and 2 feet tall. It doesn’t stink. The surface is tough, not soft. That’s all I got. If you know, or have a guess, please leave a comment and help me figure this out!

What is it?! You can see the stringy internal structure inside the hole up towards the top, just to the right of the center. Besides those skeletal stringy things, it is hollow inside.

Check out the wrinkly top view!

Going to the bank can take half a day, driving 5 km down the road might take 15 minutes or an hour or two depending on the time of day, the government might start handing out thousands of $700 speeding tickets, your employer might short you a paycheck, you could get robbed at knifepoint just walking down the street, there might not be any running water one Monday forcing you to skip a much needed shower before work unless you are storing water and wash yourself from a bucket. I could go on. And on.

In Costa Rica, we are all dealing with problems stemming from a country that has developed and is still developing too fast.

Dealing with the possibility of having my day turned around and plans changed at the last minute means I have to be flexible or I will go insane. This is part of learning pura vida. Relax, life happens. Have patience. I’ve never been in a culture before in which people can sit still, stuck in traffic for over an hour, and not get angry. In Costa Rica, people are perfectly calm in a situation that would enrage a typical person from the States into a violent outburst.

I love it.

I think a lot of it has to do with learning how to live in the moment. Living in the city, there is not much time to obsess over the past or the future because all of my attention is focused on what is happening right now. Dealing with all this crap has been a blessing – I’m now a much calmer and happier person. Some people turn to meditation, I turn to driving in Costa Rica’s Central Valley. lol.

Now I wonder how long am I going to love this thing that most gringos hate?

Poco a poco.

Between frequent cheap breaks to New York City to visit my adorable nephew and many travels to Costa Rica beaches, I managed to squeeze out an article for International Living magazine. It was published recently and since then I have been inundated with emails asking questions about living in Costa Rica, teaching English in Costa Rica, etc.

Short answer: Yes, there are snakes in Costa Rica.

Long answer: That is coming in a series of posts on living and teaching English in Costa Rica. I feel like answering all the questions in a public forum is the smartest way to handle the inundation of emails since many of them contain similar questions. So stay tuned, and subscribe to the feed if you have not done so already so that you do not miss any important posts!

Here is the article about teaching English in Costa Rica that I wrote for International Living:

A hot springs resort near Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Teaching English in Costa Rica

I’m floating in a natural hot spring under a black velvet sky sparkling with a million sundry stars, savoring the luxurious feeling of the rich revitalizing minerals as they wash over my body, relaxing and invigorating my mind, body and soul. I can feel the occasional deep earthly vibration from Arenal Volcano’s rumbly tummy. I think to myself, “Is this real? This is perfect. This is living.” And then it gets better.

The next morning I step outside on to the terrace to enjoy my morning cup of Costa Rican coffee while wild blue morpho butterflies float and flutter around the garden, dancing between tropical birds and iridescent hummingbirds that are buzzing around an array of exquisite flowers. As I enjoy a delicious plate of fresh cut papaya, pineapple, and mango, I hear some monkeys playing in the nearby trees and look up to see baby howler monkeys swinging from branch to branch in a lively game of chase while their parents watch from close by.

Just then, a fearless pizote saunters up to me to investigate my breakfast plate, hoping for a handout, but it’s already gone and time for me to return to my home in the city. As I drive back to the Central Valley, I promise to return to Arenal’s hot springs soon, but not too soon. First, I need to continue my goal of visiting new places in Costa Rica every other weekend.

Blue morpho butterflies pause long enough for me to snap a photo!

Costa Rica is the land of biodiversity and microclimates and it’s possible to drive 15 minutes in any direction and experience completely different weather and landscape. White sand beaches, black sand beaches, deserts, volcanoes, national parks, rivers, waterfalls, jungles – it’s wild! Even in the Central Valley, you are never too far away from secluded nature. It’s easy to find yourself surrounded by lush green jungle, a kaleidoscope of flowers, and a menagerie of animals. You can even have this in your backyard if you wish. For me, this is a huge part of the magic of Costa Rica and the main reason I chose to live and work here.

A second factor in choosing Costa Rica as my international home was the proximity to the United States, my previous home. Trips back home to the southeast to see friends and family are easy, short, and relatively inexpensive.

In order to live in Costa Rica and afford this type of lifestyle, I teach English at a local university, 30 hours per week.

I have no prior experience teaching English, but had no problems finding a job here in Costa Rica and even found a company that sponsored my TESOL certification. Most companies require certification to teach English in Costa Rica and some will even offer a work visa. Although some companies make exceptions, a foreigner is legally not allowed to work in Costa Rica without a work visa. Without a work visa, most foreigners are required to leave the country for 72 hours every 90 days in order to renew the tourist visa. The law is different depending on what country you are from.

The average monthly salary for an English teacher in Costa Rica is $1000. This doesn’t sound like much compared to a normal wage in the States, but it is 2.5 times the normal Costa Rican salary of $400 per month. $1000 a month gets me a nice place to live, groceries, transportation money, and a budget for frequent trips to the beach, hot springs, or other areas of the country. For my next trip, I’m hoping to go to the Osa Peninsula to explore Corcovado National Park and to swim with the dolphins!

Guineos

Not to be confused with male guinea pigs…

Guinea pig. Photo: marc e marc

Guineos are super unripe bananas used in a variety of sauces to complement and thicken the flavor, thicken the consistency, and add a healthy helping of vitamins and minerals. Guineos taste great and depending on which Tico you talk to, they can be good for your heart, nervous system, bones, digestive system, blood, as a sedative or even a mood enhancer. So they’re good for everything except the skin? Shoot, I’ve always thought bananas are a super food, so I don’t see why all of that can’t be true.

Preparing guineos for a sauce is an adventure all on its own, which is why I chose to create a separate post dedicated entirely to this crazy ingredient.

When you work with the guineo, you have to peel the skin and it secretes a substance so sticky that it permeates all plastics and becomes an indestructible sticky stain. Kiss your sanity goodbye for the next few days as you try various things to rid your cutting board, bowls, and fingers of the tacky gray gook.

The juice from the guineo leaking all over my knife :/

Cross section of a guineo. Look how it's trying to drip sticky on me!!!

But guess what?! There are steps to take to avoid the worst of this sticky mess.

Step 1. Cut the tips off of each end of the guineo. Put a paper towel or some sort of disposable, biodegradable buffer between the cutting board and the guineo. You do not want the tips leaking super glue all over the place.

Step 2. Soak them in a bowl (preferably metal) of salt water for 15 minutes to an hour.

You can see the sticky film leaking out of the guineo and floating to the top of the salt water.

Step 3. Take them out of the salt water and peel them over the salt water. You will find that they are a lot less messy to peel and sooo much easier to work with after their salt water bath.

After peeling, drop the whole guineo into the sauce for cooking. It will maintain its shape, but soften up and absorb the delicious flavors from the sauce.

I use about 3 guineos per 2 raw cups of beans.

Tip: Clean up any stray stickiness with salt and vinegar. There will be some mess, it’s inevitable.

I’ve been breaking up with the boy, moving (three times), and starting a new job. BUSY. I’ve been too busy and emotionally exhausted, but now I’m settled, feeling good, and back online.

I could blog all about the breakup, but I think that’s TMI. I’m not going to blab about personal negative things in my life just to get more hits from the drama factor. I might write about it later, after all the negative feelings go away. My goal is to keep this blog positive (ok, with the occasional rant). The relationship is over. I’m still in Costa Rica – I love it here!

I will be writing about my moving experiences. I am now very familiar with several different areas in the Central Valley in terms of living advantages / disadvantages. I had to move around a few times before I found my perfect situation. I’m now extremely happy with my new home and so is Mocha!

New job. I’ll be writing about that, too. I decided to try my hand at teaching English in Costa Rica for 3 reasons: 1. for a new experience, 2. to see what all the hype was about, and 3. to meet some new people.

That’s my quick update. Here’s a photo of another beautiful sunset, this time it’s from the balcony of my new home in Costa Rica

Steve Jobs was a leader in combining art and technology. Among a bazillion other awesome things, he designed the first computer with aesthetically pleasing typography and introduced the first personal computer with a graphical user interface.

His creative genius has made my life and my job more fun and enjoyable on a daily basis.

If you haven’t seen Steve Job’s 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, take the time to check it out, it’s very inspirational. He didn’t just talk the talk, he walked it.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” -Steve Jobs

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

RIP Steve Jobs.

In 1973, Volcan Irazu’s eruption forced the residents off of the property, well, the living residents that is. There have been numerous reports of paranormal activity encountered on the asylum grounds from the residents living in and around Cartago. Experiences vary from eerie sounds, strange shadows, feelings of sadness, items being thrown from the rooms, as well as the sight of a ghostly nun wandering the halls.

The legend of Sanatorio Carlos Duran is so prevalent, that the American SyFy channel’s Ghost Hunters International came to Costa Rica to feature the sanatorium in one of their episodes. What do you think? Are you brave enough to tour the haunted halls?

The following list is my top four favorite made in Costa Rica souvenirs:

1. Coffee

At first, I made the mistake of thinking that any coffee at the grocery store was good coffee, but little did I know that most of the good stuff is exported out of Costa Rica. The majority of the brands on the shelves in Costa Rica are not export quality and even contain additives such as sugar. However, there are two brands that can be picked up in the grocery store that are delicious: Café Britt and Volio. Volio is the least expensive, but can only be bought in Automercado. Café Britt can be found in all grocery stores and offers a variety of roasts. My absolute #1 favorite brand is Doka Estate, specifically the espresso roast. They have been growing and perfecting their coffee for three generation (tres generaciones), since 1940. This gem of a coffee can only be bought in certain souvenir shops or directly from Doka Estate.

2. Bio-Land beauty products

Inconspicuously hanging out on the lower shelves in the grocery stores, Bio-Land produces an array of organic body products such as soaps, lotions, masks, creams, balms and gels. The company is committed to respecting the health of human beings and their environment, so I can feel good about purchasing their product as well as using them! So far my favorite Bio-Land products are the Organic Fruits Anti-Free Radicals Hydrating Cream, the Volcanic Clay Purifying Mask, and the Organic Oatmeal Soap. Bio-Land personal products are a bargain between $3 – $13.

3. Chocolate mmmmmmm

Buy some freshly made chocolate on a chocolate tour, which will take you through the steps of making chocolate – from cultivating the cacao to tasting the final product. An experience not to be missed for fellow chocolate lovers! If you don’t have time for a tour and want to purchase a package of ready-made chocolates, pick up a box of neatly decorated Sibú. The chocolates are made from 100% organic cacao, the packaging is made from recycled materials, all the ingredients are produced locally, and they work with the Rainforest Alliance. Sibú says “Save the planet…it’s the only one that has chocolate.”

4. Carved wooden masks

Costa Rican masks come in a variety of styles: Bright colorful masks depicting red-eyed tree frogs or leopards, devils sticking their tongues out, or naturally-colored wooden masks with turtles or landscapes. I love all of them and they make beautiful pieces of art for any home. You can find these masks in just about every souvenir shop around the country. Price and quality will vary depending on location ($25 – $400). My favorite place to pick these up is in Puerto Viejo as well as the souvenir workshop in Alajuela.

Those are my top four. What about you? Have you picked up or received any Costa Rican souvenirs that didn’t make it onto my list?

First, it’s Mother’s Day. Feliz día de la madre! Most families gather around and spend quality time together while eating delicious food. For some, it’s even a holiday and they are gifted the day off from work.

Second, there were FOUR earthquakes this morning! FOUR! No damages reported, so they just added a little extra jiggle in the bed to those living on the Pacific coast. Perhaps a Mother’s Day gift from Mother Nature?

#1 3.6 at 12:11 am near Osa Peninsula, #2 4.3 at 1:47 am in Guanacaste, #3 3.6 at 2:43 in Pavones, and #4 3.6 at 4:10 in Manuel Antonio. Those weren’t aftershocks. Those were four. separate. earthquakes. Wowsers!

Third, the heavy rainy season officially started. It’s rainy like crazy right now!

In Costa Rica, the rainy season starts around May and lasts through the end of October, but there is a break from the rain every year called Veranillo de San Juan which runs from about July 15 to August 15. After August 15th, the rain increases in strength until it lets up rather rapidly in the beginning of November.

I don’t know why people don’t talk more about Veranillo de San Juan. It’s the perfect time to come and visit Costa Rica because everything is green from the start of the rainy season, but you don’t have to deal with rain everyday on your vacation. It does get hot, but not as hot as it is in the middle of the dry season and it’s technically the low season, so prices are drastically reduced. Great time for a bargain holiday!

Maybe people aren’t talking about it because it’s like a secret Spring Break for Costa Ricans. Most of the tourists are gone, so Ticos can afford to take off from work and visit the beaches and volcanos themselves while benefitting from the reduced prices. Or maybe the North American and European tourists prefer to visit Costa Rica while it’s cold at home?

So it’s storming right now and I’m writing this on battery power because we unplug everything from the wall when we are having a crazy storm with wild lightning, even if it’s plugged into a surge protector. A major thunderstorm starts and it’s like a mad dash to prepare the house: close the windows, secure the gate, bring in the laundry, unplug everything… batten down the hatches!

When the storms get unusually wild, everyone will stop what they are doing and watch the awesome power of mother nature, silent in awe as she screams and rages around us.

And if it’s a storm cloud passing us by, saving her rain for another town, I sometimes have the sense to grab my camera and record that moment in time.