Untitled from Jenn W on Vimeo.
Andrew on the rainforest zipline:
Untitled from Jenn W on Vimeo.
Woohoo!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Arrival Pt 2
What a cliffhanger, huh? Last we left off, Andrew and I were sitting in our quatro para quatro behind a long line of semis, trucks and cars. Our arrival time to Samasati loomed later and later. What were we to do?
What the locals do, clearly. I mentioned earlier that some rules of the road (most rules of the road?) seem to be somewhat negotiable here. Suddenly, cars started to pull out of their lane and drive forward in the oncoming lane. When an oncoming car came by, they swerved to the left bank of the road or ducked back into their proper lane, in between a semi or two, to let them pass. This bizarre leap frog seemed our only option, however. We had been seriously warned by all sources to expressly NOT drive at night, and if we waited in line that would become inevitable.
So into the oncoming lane we went!
This was also terrifying/exhilarating. Terrilarating. We saved ourselves probably an hour on our trip, though even past the first section of blockage (the cause of which remains unknown but doubtlessly has something to do with the miles of semis all driving incredibly slowly and waving to their other semi friends) we continued to move slowly and hit other traffic blocks that were also responded to by driving in the oncoming lane.
The last 10 miles to Puerto Limon were the worst. The WORST. It took us nearly 30 minutes to complete it, thanks to the semi driver in front of us who made it impossible to pass and picked up and dropped off friends along the way.
Still, we saw turkey vultures, a montezuma oropendola and a slew of brightly colored tanagers, and felt very much like we were getting top marks for Costa Rica, the road racing game ("I think I liked the jungle level better" Andrew remarked about the 'rural town level').
When we hit Limon, the sun was starting to set and we still had 30 miles to go. Bad news. But onward we went! We were now at the Caribbean coast, and the coastal road was much easier, particularly because it was less crowded at night. Despite all the warnings, I still submit that driving at night was much less stressful than driving during the day. We had to be careful not to hit giant crabs on the road, pedestrians and cyclists with no reflectors and deep pot holes, but hell is other people, they say, and I think that can be amended to hell is other drivers.
At 6:45, an hour after sun set, we pulled up to the Samasati lower gate just as the rain started to fall. We were ushered in by the security guard and started the steep, rocky ascent to the retreat proper. After about 5 minutes, we pulled into the restaurant and reception area.
I didn't realize how much tension I has been holding until we stepped out of the car and walked into the warm, yellow glow of the restaurant lights.
"my name is Molly, why don't you go have dinner and then go back to uour home? We'll check you in tomorrow morning."
Dinner. Home. The food, buffet style, was the best I've tasted in my whole life, well seasoned by what my mind experienced as a near death experience. We had rice, beans, a vegetable casserole, some amazing fried peppers and lots and lots of water. I ate to bursting, since we didn't stop for lunch in our driving frenzy (or to pee). When we got back to our bungalow, we collapsed into bed and slept 11 hours.
What the locals do, clearly. I mentioned earlier that some rules of the road (most rules of the road?) seem to be somewhat negotiable here. Suddenly, cars started to pull out of their lane and drive forward in the oncoming lane. When an oncoming car came by, they swerved to the left bank of the road or ducked back into their proper lane, in between a semi or two, to let them pass. This bizarre leap frog seemed our only option, however. We had been seriously warned by all sources to expressly NOT drive at night, and if we waited in line that would become inevitable.
So into the oncoming lane we went!
This was also terrifying/exhilarating. Terrilarating. We saved ourselves probably an hour on our trip, though even past the first section of blockage (the cause of which remains unknown but doubtlessly has something to do with the miles of semis all driving incredibly slowly and waving to their other semi friends) we continued to move slowly and hit other traffic blocks that were also responded to by driving in the oncoming lane.
The last 10 miles to Puerto Limon were the worst. The WORST. It took us nearly 30 minutes to complete it, thanks to the semi driver in front of us who made it impossible to pass and picked up and dropped off friends along the way.
Still, we saw turkey vultures, a montezuma oropendola and a slew of brightly colored tanagers, and felt very much like we were getting top marks for Costa Rica, the road racing game ("I think I liked the jungle level better" Andrew remarked about the 'rural town level').
When we hit Limon, the sun was starting to set and we still had 30 miles to go. Bad news. But onward we went! We were now at the Caribbean coast, and the coastal road was much easier, particularly because it was less crowded at night. Despite all the warnings, I still submit that driving at night was much less stressful than driving during the day. We had to be careful not to hit giant crabs on the road, pedestrians and cyclists with no reflectors and deep pot holes, but hell is other people, they say, and I think that can be amended to hell is other drivers.
At 6:45, an hour after sun set, we pulled up to the Samasati lower gate just as the rain started to fall. We were ushered in by the security guard and started the steep, rocky ascent to the retreat proper. After about 5 minutes, we pulled into the restaurant and reception area.
I didn't realize how much tension I has been holding until we stepped out of the car and walked into the warm, yellow glow of the restaurant lights.
"my name is Molly, why don't you go have dinner and then go back to uour home? We'll check you in tomorrow morning."
Dinner. Home. The food, buffet style, was the best I've tasted in my whole life, well seasoned by what my mind experienced as a near death experience. We had rice, beans, a vegetable casserole, some amazing fried peppers and lots and lots of water. I ate to bursting, since we didn't stop for lunch in our driving frenzy (or to pee). When we got back to our bungalow, we collapsed into bed and slept 11 hours.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Well, we're here in lush, lovely Costa Rica! We were using our international data incredibly sparingly, when Andrew realized that we didn't need to be quite so judicious, and THEN we remembered that we needed to blog!
We were psyched when we left for the Salt Lake airport. Bags packed, Rae at our apartment tending to the dogs, we checked in... to find that we had a 2.5 hour delay due to thunderstorms in Texas. So we cheerfully sat at the airport, nearly boarded a flight to San Fran by accident and by the time our plane came around were overly grateful to be on our way. We landed in Houston at 10:30 and were in bed and sleeping by midnight...
...and up at 5:30am to get to the airport by 6. The check in process was a breeze. Houston International has the nicest TSA agents ever. Because of our delay the night before, United gave us food vouchers and we had a leisurely breakfast (egg muffin for me, breakfast burrito for Andrew) and then sauntered to our gate, where we waited and read books until boarding and takeoff.
The flight was uneventful, and in a hop, skip and a jump we were landing in San Jose, COSTA RICA! We descended over red roofs and rolling hills, bumped gently onto the runway and disembarked the plane.
Immigration was slick and customs was the most laid back thing I've ever been through internationally. We literally loaded our own bags onto a scanner that was manned by one dude leaning back in his chair paying very little attention and we tossed our customs card into a pile of other cards, just like the people in line ahead of us, just like the people behind us. If we had anything we weren't supposed to, I have no idea how they could figure it out.
Our bags were already pulled off the baggage claim conveyer belt when we got there (all of them were), so we grabbed them and went out into the chaos that is the traveler pickup/ car rental shuttle area. It was hot and humid out, and the area was crowded. Still, the first ticos we met were incredibly nice. Andrew asked a security guard where we could find our car rental place and he called over a guy who could only be described as a very friendly, professional... shuttle wrangler? He ushered us to a less busy portion of the sidewalk, communicated with the shuttle (I assume) and kept us updated every few minutes as to the shuttle's progress (he shrugged expressively and said " Tico drivers, they say five, it take 20!"). Sooner than later the rental agency shuttle arrived, we tipped our guardian wrangler and rattled off to the rental agency.
Now, it must be noted that Andrew and I chose to rent a car rather than hire a driver to the retreat. It was cheaper, worked better with our schedule and allowed us flexibility to go wherever we want. Good idea, right? Right?
We'll revisit that choice in a minute.
The lady at the rental agency (also our shuttle driver) was also very friendly. It took a while, but eventually we were outfitted with a 4x4 car (quatro para quatro), a gps and two complimentary water bottles (non-bottled, clean drinking water is a bit scarce here). We were off!
Andrew was behind the wheel, I behind the GPS. It took us a few minutes to get our bearings.
Now, there are a few things you should know about Costa Rican roads. First, only some have lines. Even when they do, they are more...suggestions than anything else. There are virtually no street signs. There are very few sidewalks, so the roads are for cars, bikes and often pedestrians alike. The roads are also very narrow, windy, sometimes one way and sometimes not, and potholes are often hard to see and very deep. Bridges are about 1.5 car lengths wide and are often crossed very quickly from either direction. Some cars drive well over the speed limit, which is often quite slow, and some cars drive very slowly and stop to talk to or wave to other drivers.
So, back to where we were. Andrew driving, me GPSing. The road set up in San Jose is very confusing. Near as we can tell, there is no main thoroughfare entirely through the city. The roads seem to have expanded through the city quite organically. Driving through them is terrifying and exhilarating. We wound through the city, higher and higher, further west, dodging pedestrians and cyclists and bikers and other drivers, dogs, buses, bridges, branches... Until finally we were out of the city, on the 32 heading toward Limon. We entered a national park first and moved further into the cloud forests.
Our first view of rainforest was magnificent. Cloud forests are at a high enough elevation that they are constantly shrouded in clouds, thus their name. They are moist, cool and impossibly green. There were leaves larger than my body, trees tipped with tiny, bright orange flowers, swinging vines. The road was a thin, grey, winding snake through the mountains. We were informed by the gps every now and again of dangerous areas of falling rocks, none of which we encountered thankfully, and got stuck behind a few trucks (foreshadowing of frustrations to come).
We plunged into the next national park as quickly as we exited the first one. Every now and then we passed through a small town. Sometimes they had amenities, like a soda (Costa Rican equivalent to a family owned cafe) or a fast food joint, other times they were simply a cluster of houses with a church and a school. I frequently spotted turkey vultures soaring.
We drove about 2 or so hours when suddenly the truck driving in front of us slowed to a halt. This wasn't the first time traffic had stopped, but we realized this was different about three minutes in, when we were still stopped and realized that we were actually a part of a long line of cars and trucks. A line that became much longer behind us the longer we were stopped, and that stretched much further ahead than we knew at the time.
We sat for about 5 minutes. I began to feel nervous about our arrival--the sun sets at about 5:45 here, and arriving in town at 5:30 was pushing it. The longer we waited, the later we would arrive.
Whew, I'm feeling exhausted, I'll finish more in the morning :) Stay tuned!
We were psyched when we left for the Salt Lake airport. Bags packed, Rae at our apartment tending to the dogs, we checked in... to find that we had a 2.5 hour delay due to thunderstorms in Texas. So we cheerfully sat at the airport, nearly boarded a flight to San Fran by accident and by the time our plane came around were overly grateful to be on our way. We landed in Houston at 10:30 and were in bed and sleeping by midnight...
...and up at 5:30am to get to the airport by 6. The check in process was a breeze. Houston International has the nicest TSA agents ever. Because of our delay the night before, United gave us food vouchers and we had a leisurely breakfast (egg muffin for me, breakfast burrito for Andrew) and then sauntered to our gate, where we waited and read books until boarding and takeoff.
The flight was uneventful, and in a hop, skip and a jump we were landing in San Jose, COSTA RICA! We descended over red roofs and rolling hills, bumped gently onto the runway and disembarked the plane.
Immigration was slick and customs was the most laid back thing I've ever been through internationally. We literally loaded our own bags onto a scanner that was manned by one dude leaning back in his chair paying very little attention and we tossed our customs card into a pile of other cards, just like the people in line ahead of us, just like the people behind us. If we had anything we weren't supposed to, I have no idea how they could figure it out.
Our bags were already pulled off the baggage claim conveyer belt when we got there (all of them were), so we grabbed them and went out into the chaos that is the traveler pickup/ car rental shuttle area. It was hot and humid out, and the area was crowded. Still, the first ticos we met were incredibly nice. Andrew asked a security guard where we could find our car rental place and he called over a guy who could only be described as a very friendly, professional... shuttle wrangler? He ushered us to a less busy portion of the sidewalk, communicated with the shuttle (I assume) and kept us updated every few minutes as to the shuttle's progress (he shrugged expressively and said " Tico drivers, they say five, it take 20!"). Sooner than later the rental agency shuttle arrived, we tipped our guardian wrangler and rattled off to the rental agency.
Now, it must be noted that Andrew and I chose to rent a car rather than hire a driver to the retreat. It was cheaper, worked better with our schedule and allowed us flexibility to go wherever we want. Good idea, right? Right?
We'll revisit that choice in a minute.
The lady at the rental agency (also our shuttle driver) was also very friendly. It took a while, but eventually we were outfitted with a 4x4 car (quatro para quatro), a gps and two complimentary water bottles (non-bottled, clean drinking water is a bit scarce here). We were off!
Andrew was behind the wheel, I behind the GPS. It took us a few minutes to get our bearings.
Now, there are a few things you should know about Costa Rican roads. First, only some have lines. Even when they do, they are more...suggestions than anything else. There are virtually no street signs. There are very few sidewalks, so the roads are for cars, bikes and often pedestrians alike. The roads are also very narrow, windy, sometimes one way and sometimes not, and potholes are often hard to see and very deep. Bridges are about 1.5 car lengths wide and are often crossed very quickly from either direction. Some cars drive well over the speed limit, which is often quite slow, and some cars drive very slowly and stop to talk to or wave to other drivers.
So, back to where we were. Andrew driving, me GPSing. The road set up in San Jose is very confusing. Near as we can tell, there is no main thoroughfare entirely through the city. The roads seem to have expanded through the city quite organically. Driving through them is terrifying and exhilarating. We wound through the city, higher and higher, further west, dodging pedestrians and cyclists and bikers and other drivers, dogs, buses, bridges, branches... Until finally we were out of the city, on the 32 heading toward Limon. We entered a national park first and moved further into the cloud forests.
Our first view of rainforest was magnificent. Cloud forests are at a high enough elevation that they are constantly shrouded in clouds, thus their name. They are moist, cool and impossibly green. There were leaves larger than my body, trees tipped with tiny, bright orange flowers, swinging vines. The road was a thin, grey, winding snake through the mountains. We were informed by the gps every now and again of dangerous areas of falling rocks, none of which we encountered thankfully, and got stuck behind a few trucks (foreshadowing of frustrations to come).
We plunged into the next national park as quickly as we exited the first one. Every now and then we passed through a small town. Sometimes they had amenities, like a soda (Costa Rican equivalent to a family owned cafe) or a fast food joint, other times they were simply a cluster of houses with a church and a school. I frequently spotted turkey vultures soaring.
We drove about 2 or so hours when suddenly the truck driving in front of us slowed to a halt. This wasn't the first time traffic had stopped, but we realized this was different about three minutes in, when we were still stopped and realized that we were actually a part of a long line of cars and trucks. A line that became much longer behind us the longer we were stopped, and that stretched much further ahead than we knew at the time.
We sat for about 5 minutes. I began to feel nervous about our arrival--the sun sets at about 5:45 here, and arriving in town at 5:30 was pushing it. The longer we waited, the later we would arrive.
Whew, I'm feeling exhausted, I'll finish more in the morning :) Stay tuned!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Going to Costa Rica!
Well, we're waiting at the SLC airport for our derelict plane to arrive. Texas has some nasty weather right now that has delayed our plane by about 2 and a half hours, but it's nearly here and we're definitely ready to be on our way! For the time being, we are reading, napping and waiting... and in the morning we will be flying to Costa Rica.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
We did another song!
I need to brag about Andrew for a sec: This man is unfairly talented. He did EVERYTHING here except for my voice. I was going to help with the tambourine, but it turns out I have awful rhythm.
Anyway, family, enjoy!
Anyway, family, enjoy!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Photographic evidence that we're alive (sort of?)
A couple of flight shots of our Andean Condor
View from my window at work this afternoon
An Andy walking with an Andy
Andrew has been busy with class recently and I have been busy with work. Life feels pretty great right now. We're settled into our apartment, which is beginning to actually feel like home, and our free time seems to be spent exploring things in Salt Lake, playing music together and watching Star Trek: Next Generation (new obsession for us).
I've been doing some photography at work recently, especially of our Andean Condor, Andy, while we're out on walks with him. It's been a good time :)
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Saturday, December 10, 2011
I'm crap at titles.
I promise our lives involve more than food and our animals... but those are definitely the more entertaining parts (for us?) of our lives. (Andrew adds "Apart from class and work, that might actually be all we have...", but I am unwilling to admit this, however true it may be).
Not helping my point, have a bunch of photos that prove how much of a cuddle ninja Lucy is (realize, though, that she puts herself into all of these positions; Andrew and I don't move her or alter her position to look weirder. Even as I type this, she is laying underneath the computer chair with her head resting on my shoe like a tiny, hard, leather pillow):
We've had a pretty awesome day. Got up at 7am for some reason, drove to the top of the Avenues to see if we could get above the inversion line to see the lunar eclipse (we couldn't), stopped at Tulie Bakery, walked the dogs at Tanner Park, made lunch AND a lemon meringue pie, I met with a woman I'm going to be doing a poetry reading for and tonight we're going to have dinner with our friend Kristine. Go us!
Not helping my point, have a bunch of photos that prove how much of a cuddle ninja Lucy is (realize, though, that she puts herself into all of these positions; Andrew and I don't move her or alter her position to look weirder. Even as I type this, she is laying underneath the computer chair with her head resting on my shoe like a tiny, hard, leather pillow):
(Ben, you're going to have to bring out the big guns over Christmas)
We've had a pretty awesome day. Got up at 7am for some reason, drove to the top of the Avenues to see if we could get above the inversion line to see the lunar eclipse (we couldn't), stopped at Tulie Bakery, walked the dogs at Tanner Park, made lunch AND a lemon meringue pie, I met with a woman I'm going to be doing a poetry reading for and tonight we're going to have dinner with our friend Kristine. Go us!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A Bald Eagle Visitor
I finally had my camera at work while the bald eagle visited. We had an eye-to-eye encounter...through the lens, anyway ;)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Food!
Andrew and I have been making some neat dinners recently. One of my favorites was lemon and dill salmon with black rice. Also had barbeque salmon with zucchini and cauliflower mash, which is absolutely delicious. I'm a salmon fan.
Tonight we made personal pizzas with dough from Whole Foods, mozzarella, sage sausage and a ton of vegetables. We ended our meal with some homemade chocolate chip cookies.
I've also realized that I am incapable of cooking truly healthy food if it isn't an integral part of the recipe already or a tablespoon of butter wouldn't make it taste better...the latter being impossible. So you see my dilemma.
Unrelated to food, there was a wild bald eagle in the trees at the aviary today. Amazing!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Hot Air Ballooning
Hot Air Ballooning, a set on Flickr.
Last Christmas I gave Andrew a voucher for he and I to take a hot air balloon ride. This weekend, over Thanksgiving, he realized we still hadn't used it (and it needed to be used before the 30th!). So this morning we went! It was AMAZING, here are my favorite pictures from the ride.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thanksgiving Pet Portraits
I don't know that I am capable of ever eating again (until 1pm today, when we get to have even MORE delicious Thanksgiving food with the Cook clan!). I woke up this morning in physical pain, but this is the sort of dedication Thanksgiving calls for. I might not be the food eating champion Thanksgiving wants, but I'm the food eating champion Thanksgiving needs.
I forgot to get good pictures of Thanksgiving at my parents' house last night. Something about serious food distractions. I have vague memories of eating stuffing right from a duck and I have recurring flashbacks of mounds of fluffy whipped cream, but it's all bits and pieces right now.
The ride home from Utah County was abominably long, though. Long enough to be of note. We got into I-15 at Lehi and it took AN HOUR to get to Bangerter just across the point of the mountain. This drive usually takes 3-5 minutes. Finally we decided we had to abandon the roads (great practice for zombie invasions anyway) and drove city streets all the way home. All told, it took about an hour and 45 minutes to get back to the apartment.
Andrew is finishing a pumpkin pie for this afternoon. I was going to brave a mall on Black Friday (more for the experience than anything else) but we have decided against this as a foolhardy notion.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
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