Saturday, November 5, 2011

Busy October/November







Hi all,
   It has been a long time since last I posted because I have been a little busy (and addicted to a new app game called Jelly Defense).  Still, as I looked at the amount of stuff that needed to be posted, I thought I would sit down and blog away.
Some congrats flowers, one from me, one from a client.  Guess which is which.
   We have had an early blizzard, a crazy birthday weekend, a whirlwind visit to my parents in Massachusetts and don't forget some Thanksgiving fun.  Here are some selected pictures for you all.  Enjoy!

This was taken very shortly before Josie entered our life.  The sisters decided to pose for the obligatory belly pose.  Elsa and her sister Laura are pictured here the week before Halloween.  (Josie born 10/27/11).
Part of the baby naming contest at work.

Josie our new niece with her mom looking cute!
No this is not Canada or February... this was October in Jersey

Can you believe all of this snow before November even started? Neither can these deer.
Us with our brand new niece

Elsa napping with her new niece on Halloween weekend.

Elsa, Ken, and Katherine hanging out before the Tufts Vet School reunion dinner.


Old Professors in lederhosen  how quaint!
EJ getting ready for the holidays!

Some of the member of my vet school class at the reunion.  Yup the male to female ratio is pretty accurate :)



Thursday, September 15, 2011

Pets and kids

So the house of misfit pets is bound to grow very soon. While we are certainly stressed for many reasons (money, time, sleep, health), there has been one concern lingering in the back of our minds that supersedes all of these. How will the pets react? Dirt dog and Kitty should not be a problem as they will be kept away from the baby under most circumstances. Likewise Jamie and Cosmo will likely just avoid him or her. Our main concerns are regarding Paulie and Frisby. We fear that Paulie will try to cuddle with the baby and wake him or her ( and thus us). Problem is we will have to be vigilant to keep him from being over affectionate all the time and accidentally hurting (or waking) the baby.  Don't forget about that whole sucking the breath out thing! (just kidding) As long as we can set some boundaries all should be well though it will take constant vigilance with this little Casanova. As for Frisby, we are afraid how the crotchety old lady would respond. However, last night as she was cuddling with EJ, Paulie started to lick her head. Though clearly upset she did no more then groan in protest.... Good sign ... I think she'll be just fine.  Plus once the free food comes ... they may become best buddies!

We aren't scaredy cats ... we are just careful

Frisby puts up with a lot ... a baby should not be too much more taxing for her!

Cosmo should be pretty chill about the experience .. but can Paulie keep his hands to himself?


Just hope the little one is not allergic.

Oye
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Sunday, August 28, 2011

The ark has landed in Sparta!

What do you do when you live within walking distance of the beach and a class 1-2 hurricane is about to hit you directly? My friends if you are the H.o.M.P., you pack up and evacuate. So after a full day of work on Friday, I prepared the house for the hurricane. After moving in the grills and lawn furniture, securing the wood pile, and taping our windows, I was pretty tired. Meanwhile, Ej was packing up the perishables, filling the bathtub with water and checking the sump pump and fridge. We also took a ton of insurance pictures just in case. With the house battened down as best as possible, we packed up the 7 fuzzies (fish alas will have to fend for themselves), and hightailed it to higher ground ahead of the storm.
So the Weiner clan, which now numbers 10, is relatively safe and sound on top of a mountain. The wind and rain have been nasty with many trees and poles down around here and even a little flooding. As for back home, we are not sure. All of our friends who we talked to are okay thank God. Even with the storm gone, we remain at risk of flooding. Supposing the storm left our house intact, water damage is still possible. With all the recent rain and being so close to the seawall our former swamp land is trouble waiting to strike. Luckily, we don't have a basement and our crawlspace has a sump pump. Unfortunately, I never got a generator and was not there to bail water if (which is likely) power was lost or a window was damaged. If not for little poppy, I would have driven back today to find out. The fact is though, there is a baby and the gusts are still strong (branches and logs are falling outside at a great rate). We don't know how safe the roads are yet. So we decided to wait one more day and let the road crews do their job. Best case or house is fine, worst case I will be having long conversations with our insurance adjuster. Either way we plan to stay alive and healthy. Still if you read this, live nearby, it is safe to leave your house and you happen to do a driveby, please let us know what's up. Geez why do we live over an old swamp?

Zach
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Hurricane hits Sparta

My sibling in laws house, hope ours is fine.
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Fun without electricity

Like dressing pets as superheroes
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Thursday, July 28, 2011

Lives of foster parents

Sorry for the delay loyal followers, but I have been a little busy and stressed.  We have a temporary new addition to the house... his name is Milo.  He is a very sweet boy who loves kids, people (especially us), is well trained and non destructive.  A perfect dog but a temporary resident here only.  Why you may ask?  Well it certainly isn't because we don't love the little bugger... we have become quite attached.  It also isn't because he is too sick.  He does have IBD (super sensitive stomach essentially), but if you look at Kitty he is a walk in the park.  He is partially because we have 8 other mammals for sure!  Mainly though, it cause he LOVES cats ... loves to eat them that is.  Unfortunately, that won't fly in our house.  Luckily, people are lining up for him.   So .... just a reminder that we are both still crazy.


Talk to you all soon
Zach


Thursday, June 16, 2011

Spring fun and resolutions

My friends when last we met the Weiners were enjoying dink life in high fashion. This has not changed ... Ej, her sister, bil and nephew along with an associate of mine spent a beautiful day on Governor's island watching of all things polo! It was super fun to watch these equine and human athletes. It was also good to see little Jack (our nephew) having fun in the sun. Ej joked that it made my ovaries hurt (it did ;) ) but I know her body was aching a little too. All in good time. In the meantime we soaked in the good weather and people watched with delight.

Then last weekend we took a step back in time and traveled back to Ithaca. It was Elsa's vet school reunion. Since I knew many of her classmates from dating her whilst she was in school, it was not a total bore of a time. Also, I got to experience the beauty of the gorges, rivers and conservatories. All in all the food, company, and scenery made for a wonderful weekend. Still as reunions often will do, it helped me to refocus on out health and happiness. In preparation of parenthood, ej has already started eating healthy (code word uck) and exercising more. Time for me to do so as well. For one it would be nice to lose the first belly of my life... I have never had to worry about weight before so it is a culture shock. More then that though is my concern about long-term health. Being in the medical field, I know the risks I am in at my bcs. It doesn't make sense to work so hard for kids if I can't be with them for a long time. I already have one strike against why tempt fate further? Besides I would rather my kid is embarrassed about my readiness them my girth. Don't get me wrong, I know I am not obese yet... but I am not where I should be. So next time you see me invite me for a hike and get my tuckus off the couch :)
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Saturday, April 30, 2011

Living as a DINK a little while longer...

It has been a tough week for us on the island my friends.  EJ and I had to forge through some disappointing news and make due with it as best as we could.  Of course, I am jumping a little bit...

Part of the deal with setting our "honeymoon" up this fall was that we would start to actively try to add to our human family upon our return stateside.  Alas, this has proved to be more difficult for Elsa and I then it would normally be for most relatively newlyweds.  Whilst the chemotherapy and surgery to treat my testicular cancer saved my life, it made my genetic material.... well lets just say not as viable naturally.  Of course, we planned for this ... but now it means we have had to seek medical assistance in order to reproduce.  In addition to being very emotional for both of us, it has been physically painful for my lovely wife (several hormone injections etc).  However, we were super excited (likely overly so alas) last week as the date for an official pregnancy test after our first round of treatments was scheduled.  Elsa was absolutely convinced she was with child and was already making plans to share the news with loved ones (not to mention buying baby things).  While I was a little more cautious, I have to admit I was hopeful and excited as well.  So it came as quite a blow to both of us, when the tests did not pan out.  Initially, the results were equivocal but soon it became evident that the first round had been unsuccessful.  Let me tell you it was quite a blow!  I was sad and disappointed, but my reaction was nothing compared to my poor wife.  She was hopped up on artificial hormones and had gotten herself so excited that the negative results sent her into a tailspin of sadness.  She could not help blaming herself (which is ridiculous) and thinking of the roughly 33 million different possibilities that were not meant to be this time.

Of course, as many who have been through this before know.  Failure (at least initially) is often to be expected.  Successful conception even with the best technology is only about 25% at our age.  We need to be blessed with patience and perseverance if we are to succeed.  All of this is good to say and even to believe, but it is hard to follow through with in the energy of the moment.  Still, we will clearly have to temper our expectations next time.  Elsa's body needs to recover so it won't be for another couple of months, before we ride this roller coaster again (just wait until you see how nervous I get about he/she growing healthily if it is successful).

I could not wait until then to try and cheer up my wife though.  It was just too hard to see her in such pain.  So I decided to create a day where we could revel in being DINKs (Double income no kids) for a little while longer.  That's right my friends... we went to New York city.

It is a strange testimony to our relationship that the way we celebrate our freedom is to act like kids again.  No ... not teenagers, not college students, young kids!  We went to the Natural History museum (of which we are members) for a fun day of science and knowledge.  Between a trip to the planetarium and exhibits about the world's largest dinosaurs we sure had a great time.  Elsa was like a kid in a candy shop and I had a lot of fun too.

Sippy cups at the theater!
We were not finished after that though ... we had a lovely dinner before seeing Rain in concert.  There is nothing to bring us back to our youth then the Beatles.  After all, who can't remember driving around with their parents as kids with the Beatles on in the background.  All in all a great day ... was it enough to soothe our sadness?  Temporarily yes... but our journey will continue.  So if you see me eating special vitamins or buying fertility lights ... well don't laugh too much.

adios





Z

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Back in the swing of things

Well, we have been back in the States for a little over a week.  After fighting through jetlag, getting over a nasty head cold and a strained muscle in my back, getting caught back up at work, and repairing the many problems in our little house, we finally have some time to relax again.  So Elsa and I our enjoying a quiet Sunday, watching movies and catching our breath.  It is a little ironic that we are relaxing more back at home then we did on our vacation but what are ya gonna do right?

Our relaxation time may be short however.  As the weather improves and we plan to extend our family, in a short time, relaxing Sundays may be fleeting.  Who knows how many hikes and fairs we will be attending let alone sleepless nights we can enjoy in the future.  Still, I am both excited and nervous to begin this new part of our life together.  Don't worry friends, the updates will be coming often.  For now, just be happy for us that we are finding time to be with each other, relaxing and enjoying what we have. Love ya
Z

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The flight home --aka things I learned in Costa Rica


Hey guys! Elsa and I are currently flying back to the Garden state so I thought I’d wrap up the trip with a list of the lessons learned on this vacation.  Enjoy!

1)   Everything in Costa Rica is UP:
Ok, so this is not a vacation for the faint hearted or out of shape.  If there is flat land in C.R., we certainly did not see it.  In fact, wherever we went, whether it was on a walk, into town, out of town, to the main lodge of a resort, or in the forest we were always climbing  (huffing and puffing the whole time).  For me this certainly took a toll.  In the first week, I think my body was adjusting to the change in altitude.  In the second week, my body was reacting to all the pampering and good food.  This country literally defies the laws of reason and physics.  I know that you are thinking Surely Zach if you are going up the return way must be down.   You are wrong my friends! I don’t know how, but we were always walking UP and the short times we went down were only so we could go up further!  While, I’d like to tell you that this helped to burn calories during the vacation, I am afraid the delicious food more then counteracted it and my flabby belly is still very much intact.  Don’t worry though… the diet and p90X resume tomorrow.

2)   In Costa Rica its all about you:
So here’s the deal.  Costa Rica’s two main industries used to be tourism and coffee.  However, thanks to Juan Valdez, cheaper coffee out of Nicaragua, and coffee from Colombia, the Costa Rican commercial coffee market has all but dried up.  Sure Starbucks buys a lot of their coffee, but how much profit do you think the small, poor farmer makes from them?  There is hope for futures in Palm oil becoming a biofuel, but for the time being Costa Rica’s financial standings lie in tourism and computers.  Computers mean nothing to us in this article, but tourism does.  I have never experienced a more tourist friendly area in my life.  It is like the whole country is unified in making us happy (with a small majority admittedly trying to rip us off).  Some examples:
a)    After a hot morning of hiking in Manuel Antonio, Elsa and I sought refuge in a small, shaded cantina by the beach.  Upon sitting at our table, we noted a sign that said cash only.  On this particular day we only had enough cash to take a taxi back to the hotel and we were planning on using a credit card for lunch.  So we naturally got up to leave.   Upon noting us heading for the door, the owner asked why.  When I explained about our inability to pay, he waved me back.  He said to me (a clear foreigner who he did not know from Adam), “Sit, eat, rest you come back and pay tomorrow.”  Can you imagine something like that happening in Boston or New York?  Not likely!  By the by, the food was delicious.
b)   One day, we were walking through a city center (ironically enough Manuel Antonio again) and we decided that a) we were too hot and tired to walk 2-3 miles back to the hotel and b) we did not want to wait 2 hours for the hotel shuttle.  The unfortunate bind was that again we were running low on cash (I was so impressed that I intended to tip everyone even though a compulsory tip is added to every fee in CR) and could not afford a taxi.  Well, lucky for us a local offered to give us a ride for less then the fee of a taxi out of the goodness of his heart.  He wanted people to enjoy his country and help the tourism trade.  Well, I hope by passing this story on it will.
c)    Now I realize that with all of these stories you will think we were financially unprepared.  This was not, for the most part, true.  However, like I said, I liked to tip so our available cash on hand was not always a lot.  One day we went to see the waterfalls in La Fortuna outside Arenal.  I planned to use my credit card for the entrance fees, which it was advertised as taking.  Unfortunately, their machines were down so they accepted cash only.  We only had enough cash to either a) enter the park or b) get home via taxi.  Again, a friendly local came to our aid and offered to help.  Actually, he offered to LEND us the money for the entry fee, and then drive us to an ATM in town to pay him back.  He only asked for no more then the typical taxi fee for his troubles (which included waiting for us to finish our tour of the park).
d)   No one ever said ‘no’ to us here.  For any request the answer was always “Yes and” not “No because” or “No but.”  We were able to get reservations for day trips, restaurants, or hotel amenities as soon as we asked.  There was literally nothing that was not okay.  Several times, we wondered if we would get in trouble or have a request declined for doing one thing or another but that is not the C.R. way.  We were treated like royalty everywhere we went.  Elsa and I were allowed to touch, handle and hold any animal we wanted.   The Costa Ricans all as one seemed to take pride in their reputation of good service.
e)    I can not count how many times individuals would go above and beyond their specific job to help us.  We had taxi drivers stop spontaneously (at no extra charge no less) to let us explore sites.  One driver stopped just to let us take a dip and explore a naturally hot river, another stopped to point out a sloth on the telephone lines, another to point out a crocodile hotspot, and many more.  The hotel security staff at La Paz packed us box breakfasts because they knew we were leaving too early to enjoy the sit down kind (mind you… at no extra cost and of their own initiative).  The hotel maids would daily make little towel swans, sloths, or other creations to amuse us after cleaning our rooms.  In fact, they would often pick flowers from outside to decorate the beds.  I was just blown away by their dedication and pride.
So yeah for two weeks it was all about us!



3)   Try to bring someone fluent in Spanish, it really helps:
Lets face it; you do not need to know Spanish to get around Costa Rica successfully.  Since tourism is so important, many service individuals have at least a working knowledge of the English language.  However, if you can speak Spanish it opens up so many doors.  First, you can ask advice from anyone without problem.  Second, you can get answers faster because you are communicating in their primary language.  Most of all though, is that by speaking in (well) in Spanish, you make a bond with guides, taxi drivers, waiters, hotel staff etc.  In our case, this meant that they wanted to do even more for us and quickly knew who we were (Zachh—ary and Elsa).  I think a lot of the times we were able to do more simply because Elsa was able to communicate our desires more effectively (like wanting to hold the tree frogs etc).  When asking for volunteers the guides gravitated to us because they could communicate quickly and effectively.  We were never put in a tough communication spot.  At this point, I can answer for Elsa when asked how she knows Spanish so well.  Why??!!  Lets just say that everyone was so incredulous at how well spoken she was in their native tongue, that they always asked 1) where she was from and 2) how she spoke so well.  Most couldn’t believe it J.   So for those of you single folks, find a fluent partner.  For those of you already attached, might I suggest taking us with you on your tropical jaunts….
4)   Costa Rican time is a very real entity:
My favorite quote from Costa Rica came from a hotel concierge in Manuel Antonio.  He was referring to a shuttle that was supposed to pick us up at 1:05pm for an afternoon activity from a tour group called Planet Dolphin.  He stated, “Ahh yes, yes Planet Dolphin, they always come at exactly 1:05… but this is Costa Rican time so that is usually, always 5 to 10 minutes late.”  This may not seem to make sense to you, but it is how they flow.  I quickly learned (and Elsa learned with time), that we could not have strict schedule expectations on this trip.  As long as we were on vacation we could enjoy the Pura Vida.  Simply put, we did everything we wanted and scheduled in C.R.  It just did not always go perfectly.  If they were flexible with us, we had to be with them.  Transport pick up time was merely a suggestion with some transports coming 10-15 minutes late or up to one and a half hours early.  As long as we had relaxed schedules it all worked out in the end.   How will we readjust to the northeast after that?
5)   Never book with Orbitz:
So flexibility is good when you are on vacation and the worst thing is a missed hike or an earlier then expected transport.  It is not good when one is trying to get safely from one country to another with all of his/her belongings intact.  Orbitz gave us trouble from the beginning.  After I had paid for two tickets, they kept switching our itinerary without asking me (which meant I had to update our transport in Costa Rica almost weekly of our arrival time for nearly 2 months).  At one point, something went awry and they double reserved for us… sending us at the same time to Cleveland from Dallas and to Newark from Dallas on the way home (guess which one was right).  Luckily, since I am rather anal-retentive, I noted this early and called to resolve it.  After spending nearly an hour on the phone with a representative, he assured me that it was fixed (though there would be a delay in the internet showing this to me) and we were all set.  Well you know me; I couldn’t quite let it go, so I called 2 weeks later when the Internet itinerary still looked wrong.  Again, I spent an inordinate amount of time on the phone with a representative and again I was assured everything was correct and all set.  I was even emailed an itinerary (that I carried with me everywhere), which appeared correct….
So our troubles of course started in Newark on the flight out.  Nowadays, the terminals are self-help and automated.  Typically, check in is as easy as pie.  You swipe your passport or enter your confirmation code and away you go.  However, this time the machine simply would not let us check in.  So in a very calm manner (not wide eyed at all), we sought out a representative that typed on a computer for literally 40 minutes.  Apparently, as I said we had two itineraries and so he manually had to check us into one and remove the other.  Of course, the nagging beetle of doubt was chewing away at my mind and I asked if we would have a problem on the return trip.  He replied he did not think so…. Ha ha ha.  Luckily for us, the remainder of the trip to C.R. was fine and our luggage got their intact…. so there was a temporary break from my anxiety.  However, yesterday I decided to check the itinerary online.  I noted there was an online check in, which I thought would be very helpful since our ground transport was arriving pretty close to the departure time from C.R.  Alas, it would not let me do it online… ought ohhh! Not wanting to freak out the wife, I did not mention it and hoped for the best.  Fast forward to the airline check in desk in San Jose.  After giving all of the proper forms and ID, he started putting transit stickers on our luggage.  Maybe I was lucky, maybe I was extra vigilant because of the problems above, but I noted that the destination was NOT Newark but CLEVELAND on the bags.  When I pointed this out, the staff member looked confused and noted that yes … our itinerary STILL SAID CLEVELAND AND NEWARK! Not only that but because they were a contracted airline of United/Continental (TACA which by the way was a very accommodating and awesome airline) there was nothing they could do to change the destination stickers.  They were able to stop our bags in Dallas as opposed to sending them through to Cleveland.  However, we would have to take them from there.  So gentle readers with a 1 hour layover in Dallas, we had to sprint through customs/immigration, pick up our baggage, take a shuttle to different terminal, convince the united/continental agents that YES they should change our itineraries to get us home and get through security.  It all seems funny, as I sit sipping my Mr. Pibb now on our airplane, but really it was anything but that.  I am pretty sure that our bags are with us now, and we are safely going towards New Jersey.  Never again my friends, never again!  P.s. In the mass hysteria, EJ was angry that I honestly declared all items coming back with us so that we had to stop at the Agricultural checkpoint (coffee, shells, and interaction with cows).  Sorry kiddo, you married and honest man :-P





6)   Traffic rules are very, VERY different!
Ok, moving on to another disturbing thing but for a different reason.  I am SO, SO glad we did not rent a car during our stay south of the border.   First of all, the roads are, in a word, interesting and unpredictable.  Only half of them are paved and apparently the damage insurance to rental cars only covers problems on paved roads … awesome!  In addition, they are small, winding, have several blind curves, and apparently the double yellow line is a mere suggestion.  There are rarely sidewalks in the streets, which are really only wide enough for one car at a time, although people drive on them like two lane roads.  It appears that taxi drivers take the use of a seatbelt as a personal offense.  Seriously, almost every taxi (not the transport vans by our travel agency) had the seatbelts missing, broken, or stuffed into the seats.  Amazingly, the locals seem to navigate these challenges well, and we were able to ride a long way with no problems.  However, can you imagine my (or Elsa’s) nerves had we had to drive under these conditions? 
7)   Appreciate the help staff: 
Elsa specifically asked that I stress this point, and I agree it is worth note.  Refer to point #2.  The hotel, tourism, and restaurant staff in this country take great pride in what they do and it truly shows in their work.  This truly seems to be a respected, important position in their culture.  Just keep that in mind when you are at a domestic hotel in the future.  The staff that have immigrated to the USA are doing something that it truly valuable, and they are doing it with pride, whether is be cleaning, serving in a restaurant, or helping with luggage.  In the future, I will be sure to be more appreciative of them, both verbally and financially.

8)   Leave your phone chargers at home, but not your laptops:
In the rush to leave for vacation, I inadvertently packed the wrong charger for my cell phone.  Since I have one of those new fangled smart phones, it was dead before I left New Jersey.  Not a big loss and I knew it… after all I was sure that the phone charges would be astronomical so I was not planning on using it.  Here is the thing though: When I COULDN’T use it, I was unable to obsess about work and try to sneak little calls in to check in.  I also was not tempted to waste my time with the different bells and whistles of my phone.  It let me relax and let go.  I still have been unable to fully check or respond to voice messages, and I’m sure the world has kept turning.  I did however, have my laptop.  I also had email and regular correspondences through this blog.  That way I was reachable in an emergency.  The computer also was invaluable for storing photos and assuring that we would have memories of this great trip.  There is Internet access all over the country, but cell reception or pay phone access is a non-entity.  As such, the best way to keep in touch, but not be excessively firmly entrenched in home life, is via the laptop.

9)   Post your pics and advertise your videos:
We have over 1200 pictures of our adventures in Costa Rica.  Over the next few days to weeks, I will go through them and try to post as many as facebook will allow me to.  I will split them up by area being 1) Pre-trip, 2) Monte Verde, 3) Arenal, 4) Manuel Antonio, 5) La Paz.  As for the videos… posting will not be an option.  I will edit them as best as possible and likely make DVDs for the parentals (or others request one if you want).  Elsa was even thinking of having “watch Costa Rica videos/ dinner and wine night” with anyone who is interested. Of course, since I know that for some of you this would likely be as fun as watching vacation slides, there are no expectations just stop by if you want to see one or a few.  This way, those who want to see them can, and the rest are not tortured.


10)                  Remember to be thankful:
This truly was a wonderful honeymoon/vacation.  Truth is, it wouldn’t have been possible without a lot of help.  So here is everyone I can remember.  If I’ve forgotten anyone, I’m truly sorry but know it wasn’t intentional and we are still very thankful
a)    Our parents --- not only did they financially help us with the trip, but they quelled their natural anxiety enough to allow us to go relatively guilt free.  They were also supportive and constant fans of the blog thanks guys.
b)    Our family – both by blood and by bonds as good as blood.  We know you were with us during the low times, tough times, and good times over the past few years.  Thanks for the support and for caring about what we wrote about and experienced on our trip.  Some of you helped us financially as well, thank you for that.  We love you all.
c)    Dawn and Jules --- these two deserve special commendations since they took care of our crew and our house for a minimal compensation during our vacation.  It was so much easier to enjoy our trip knowing that our most prized loved ones were in good hands…. Thanks guys!
d)   Chris and Katie --- these two selflessly gave up days off or drove into Newark after a full day at work to pick us up.  Chris wouldn’t even let us pay for gas and was more then happy to save us both time and money by being our ferry service.  Katie as I said, made the hard trek after a full day of hard labor.   Talk about dedicated friends huh?
e)    Billy and Bridget – it is never easy to accommodate 2.5 full weeks off for doctors who sometimes work up to six days a week.  Especially in this economy, when our offices are running such tight ships, this can be very difficult and stressful to accommodate.  However, these two fine individuals found a way, and such we were able to enjoy a long honeymoon.
f)     Costa Rican Vacations and all the guides, drivers, and hotel staff who helped us have the best vacation ever! 
g)    All of you readers, especially those who commented (that’s you Colleen, Aunt Dotty, Dawn, Dad W, Dad S, and everyone else).  This blog was so much fun and I’m glad so many people seemed to enjoy it as well.


I’ll be signing out now as the battery strength is getting low!  Look for the pics and see you soon.
Z + E

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Costa Rica Day 15: Costa Rica is Gorges!


Come to me my jungle friends!

Well my friends, today is the last blog entry from Costa Rica.  After that this blog will revert back to the family blog.  If you are interested, you are welcome to keep reading, if not that's cool too.  

So if everything in Costa Rica is meant to make us happy (as tourists), then this place has it down to a science.  We started our activities before breakfast in the hummingbird gardens.  We were given hand feeders and were invited to personally see the hummingbirds up close.  It was a little bit like being on a helipad with mini-dive bombers around at all times.  Most of the action was caught by the video camera, but we got some good still shots as well.  
 
After that, I was in severe need of a caffeine injection so we hiked up to breakfast (everything in CR is up by the way).  The breakie was delicious.  In particular, Elsa got a glass of star fruit juice that was basically like drinking nectar.  Once our coffee addictions were sated and we were stuffed full, we heading back down to the park for more fun.  

We started our adventures with a hike through the local rainforest to see the multiple waterfalls.  Let me tell you, it is so much nicer to hike in cooler weather.  We trekked past five waterfalls that ranged up to 150 feet high.  My favorite was a monster whose names translates to White Magic.  We got some pretty cool pics by the top and bottom.  As we navigated the bridges and pathways that carved through the gorges and forest, we were treated to some spectacular views.  After this relatively short (for us) hike, we decided to view the exhibits again.  

Our first stop was the serpetarium, much to Elsa's delight.  We got to see some of the most poisonous and deadly snakes in Costa Rica (safely behind glass of course).  


Then we headed to a typical upper class Costa Rican native house (replication).  The guides let me play with the oxen.  These boys are Brahman bulls (the ones that remind me of Clem from BTVS) and they have been trained to stop or go simply by how you hold the stick. Pretty cool!  We also sampled genuine cheese, sweet bread and hot sugarcane water (kind of like tea).  
Don't mess with a pissed off cat of any size!

We also revisited the wild cats.  Ej got marked by the ocelot (yuck!).  In my defense I warned her that he looked like he was going to pee on her.... awesome!  The Jaguar still did not want to play with me, but he was more active then last night.  

After exploring our wild sides, we explored the butterfly hut (which also held 2 sloths and a Kinkajou!), the aviary, and the monkey house.  All in all, we definitely got our animal quota in today.

Sleepy Kinkajou
So what to do next ... all of this was over by early afternoon.  Well, we decided to work for our lunch (sort of).   The resort has a stocked trout pond (near the pool actually).  Now you might be thinking that this is like shooting fish in a barrel.  Well... yeah probably is but it was harder then you would think as they only let us use lures or dry cat food (imagine getting that on a hook!).  Elsa caught a big trout and I ... well I had a quesadilla :)  
 
After that, we decided to take it easy and prep for our redeye tomorrow morning.  


See you all soon
Z  

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Costa Rica Day 14: Another day in paradise

Interesting news my friends.  Elsa and I have a little bit of a change of plans.  We will be staying here for a while in our newly purchased casita.  EJ is going to be a tour guide, and I will be a food critic who moonlights by spaying and neutering local street dogs :)

I better tell you I am kidding before my dad books his tickets to come and visit us.... it is tempting though.



Lunch with a view
Anyway, greeting again friends and family.  So you may be thinking to yourselves.... what more could this crazy couple possibly do?  I bet they are just going to chill until they get home. While the idea of chilling does seem quite enticing, it's not really in the cards.  Our lovely tour group has decided that we will spend our last 2 days in Costa Rica at the adult nature-buff's version of Disney World.  As I typically do though, I am getting ahead of myself.

We woke up late (for us) on our last morning at the beach, quickly dressed and prepared for some last minute souvenir shopping and beach exploring.  What we did not realize until we stepped out of our air conditioned room was that it was HOT.  Now I'm not talking comfortable tropical warmth good for basking in while your friends and neighbors freeze in the US.  I am talking about hot, muggy and sweat provoking stagnant air everywhere.  It did not take long until we were wilting away among the street-side souvenir stalls.  So instead of struggling not to become fried american eggs on the Manuel Antonio sidewalk, we chose to take a taxi up to a popular lunch spot known as Blue Water (tell me that did not sound good huh!).  After lunch we hiked back up to our hotel (in Costa Rica everything is up by the way ... more on this in a later entry).  After this, our transport van arrived to take us to our last destination La Paz.  It came .... one and a half hours early (Again, in a later article, I will discuss the flexibility of Costa Rican time and planning ;-) ).  Luckily, we were ready and more then happy to get out of the heat.

The ride took approximately four hours, three and a half of which Elsa slept through.  I tried to sleep for a little while, attempted to read (roads were too bumpy and winding), and chatted with the driver and guide.  All in all, it was not a bad trip and we ended in the considerably cooler (thank goodness) La Paz peace lodge.
Paulie's distant relative
Rope toy for the Jaguar?


Tomorrow, after a full day of exploring I will surely give you a more detailed account of this place.  However, for the time being, think of it as an amusement park built with consumers like us in mind.  Each room has a personal fireplace, canopy bed, two jacuzzis (one in the bathroom and one out on the deck), a hammock, and a specially designed bathroom with stained glass and ivy chandeliers.  Outside of the room, there is a monkey house, aviary, butterfly garden, hummingbird garden, wild cat area, serpentarium, and frog house.  Additionally, there are seven waterfalls, plenty of hiking trails, and a trout pond for fishing.  So, like kids in a candy store, we headed out to explore.  Given the late afternoon hour, we only had a little bit of daylight left.  Still, we gave the aviary, hummingbird garden, monkey house, and wildcat area cursory visits.  We also went on a night tour of the frog house which was so much better then our previous one in Monte Verde.  We were in open rooms with tree frogs and poison dart frogs.   The guide even let EJ hold the red-eyed tree frog ... well known as the Costa Rican mascot.  She actually went to kiss it.  Looking for a new Prince Charming after our two solid weeks together perhaps?


We ended the day with a fire lit dinner at the lodge restaurant.  Tomorrow is our last day in Costa Rica so we plan on packing as much in as possible.

See you all soon
Z

Costa Rica Day 13: I feel the need. The need for speed!



Folks, today was our last full day on the beaches of Manuel Antonio.  Here is a multiple-choice quiz for you.

Today was a previously unscheduled day for us. So do you think we:
A)   Relaxed, read and drank cocktails on the beach.
B)   Performed a nature hike through the national park.
C)   Rappelled down a waterfall (my idea)
D)   Rode ATV along an access road in the rainforest (EJ’s idea)

Now before you answer, I want you to consider carefully.  Do you really think we would spend two beach days on a tropical vacation? Pshhh not likely.  Also, you should know that the Manuel Antonio National Park is closed on Mondays.  So, it came down to me vs. EJ … well since she was the more organized in getting the details of the excursion we went with her idea.   Also, I am pretty confident that we will have an opportunity to rappel at La Paz if we choose (apparently there are 7 waterfalls there).

Little different then the view from atop a horse
I found myself helmeted up and ready to burn rubber so to speak.  Alas, I looked more like a big oaf then a member of Hell’s Angels, but after a quick orientation I was ready to speed through the forest mountains.  We ended up taking a 2-3 hour drive with a wonderful couple from Texas.  They are experienced Costa Rican travelers, but had not yet traveled outside of M.A. so we were able to give them some tips about the adventures available at Arenal.  So after a long, muddy trek up the wooded mountains we stopped at a remote campground.  At the campground we were introduced to the “Oh my God” bridge.  Just in case the pictures do not do it justice I will explain for you.  Imagine a chasm that was very, very deep (approx 120 feet) stretching for about a quarter of a mile.  Picture a gorgeous, but intimidating waterfall in the distance.  Now what marvel of technology did we use to cross the gorge?  The cables attaching the top of the bridge seemed sound, but what did we walk on?  Well basically several heavy duty ladders attached to each other with wire mesh across the top!  In addition my friends, there was a not a shred of duct tape anywhere!!  This was all well and good until we got about 75% across and saw a 2 x 4 piece of wood that had been put in place, presumably to repair a portion of the bridge.  Awesome, think this would fly in the states? 

Not short... awesome!
After we made it safely across the bridge, it was only a short hike up to the waterfall pool.  Our whole group did not need too much coaxing to jump in the refreshingly cool water (it was hot and muggy for sure).   We were enjoying the dip when EJ was utterly distracted by a need to catch tadpoles (does this surprise you?).  I admittedly was preoccupied with a need to swim against the waterfall to see if I could get to the bubbly part.  Not for nothing, but just so you know she did catch some and I did get to swim completely up to and under the fall.
Someone will take care of Friz if we fall
right?

Eventually, our guide was able to coax us out of the swimming hole.  At this point we dried off and got ready to get back on the ATVs for the trip back to town.   Some people (cough, cough everyone but me) worked hard to get dry and change into dry clothes.  I, on the other hand, kept on my bathing suit since the bathroom was locked.  Well, my friends, who looked like a “smahtie” (Massachusetts speak) when it started pouring rain on our way back?  We deftly used our bathing towels to cover the expensive electrical equipment, but we got soaked. Of course for me this was no big deal. We had yet to be caught outside during a rainstorm here, but it seemed to make the excursion even better. Imagine rumbling through several miles of private muddy and rocky roads through the jungle, with rushing streams and rivers on either side of you.  The mud is naturally red here, so as the rain continued, the rivers turn an awesome orange color.  The adrenaline rush of speeding through the jungle in foot-deep mud almost made you forget that you were soaked to the skin. I actively sought out the mud puddles on the ride back.  My goal was to a natural mud bath I guess. So I was feeling pretty slick until I emptied out my backpack at the end of the trip.  What did I find?  Two…. yes two unused raincoats  (oh yeah and two unused umbrellas… awesome move Zach!)
 
After fun in the mud, we stopped at the hotel to get dry and clean before setting out to do some souvenir shopping.    We were actually quite successful and decided to celebrate with some coffee at CafĂ© Milagro—an awesome local restaurant.  I had an espresso drink, and EJ enjoyed a tasty mojito.

Now gentle readers, I have another quiz for you.

This evening did we:
A)   Take in a movie at the local cinema
B)   Go to the local strip club and casino
C)   Have a fancy seafood dinner, enjoy the sunset and retire to bed early
D)   Take a night tour on a boat through the mangrove islands

Now I have faith that most of you know the answer to this one.  However, for our slower readers let me help you out.  We have not seen a movie theater yet in Costa Rica so (a) is out.  This is a honeymoon not a bachelor party so we decided to stay away from the strip club (which we did see by the by).  We have had plenty of fancy dinners … so we wanted to try something new.  In addition, I think EJ was feeling guilty that her idea won earlier in the day … so I won and we went touring. 

Elsa has requested that I tally the types of animals we saw on our night cruise:
1)   Reptiles --- several crocodiles, 1 basilisk lizard (more on him later), 1 tree boa
2)   Mammals  --- a group of fishing-bats
3)   Birds – we came across a group of sleeping Ibises, Herons, and storks.  We also saw some night herons.
4)   Amphibians – 2 bullfrogs
5)   Fish – several small Gar fish.  These little guys kept jumping out of the water to eat bugs. 
6)   Insects – night butterflies
7)   Arthopods – large tree crab, spider on the boat

Next step is that the guide handing this angry guy over to my wife
Not bad for a nature tour.  We saw baby crocodiles, swimming crocs and 1 enormous croc head very close to our flimsy boat.  Considering the fact that the guide had told us that a much smaller croc was probably 6 feet long, I can only imagine the size of the “bigger” beast.  Kind of makes us think twice about kayaking the mangroves tomorrow huh?  So after the death defying croc encounter, we did more searching in the Mangroves themselves and found many of the creatures mentioned above.  Of special interest is the basilisk that EJ noted first.  This little guy was sleeping comfortably on a palm leaf.  Apparently, he trusted his camouflage so well that our guide was able to grab him.  Guess who volunteered to hold the beast…. Hmmm the budding herpetologist perhaps?!?  It was quite an awesome end to our adventures on the shore.

So tomorrow we’ll head out to our last Costa Rican destination La Paz.  It will be a short stay, but I’ll be sure to give you a full report.

Talk to you soon
Z