While we were gone...

Angie and I just returned from a two week whirlwind tour in the states. We saw my parent’s gorgeous new house in Maine, went to Brian Becker’s wedding on Martha’s Vineyard and visited with friends along the way. Our partner, John, was at Tierra de Sueños while we were gone. The adjustment from Pleasantville to Puerto Viejo has been a bit shocking. We never could have imagined the changes that would happen in being away for such a short time.

Several of the dirt roads in Puerto Viejo are now paved. The rumor is that they will be coming down our road soon. Great for the car, tough on pedestrians as the drivers will go as fast as possible.

Where five months ago there was a parking lot, there is now a palapa roofed wireless internet spot with 6 laptops. This is the most shocking change. It’s right down the street from Tierra de Sueños and directly across from the entrance to Playa Chiquita. Internet has been a tough subject for us so far. There are constantly rumors about someone getting wireless that they will sell at a monthly rate or that ICE, the national electric company, will lay a cable for ethernet soon. For now we’re still on dial up, but with change happening so fast it’s hard to imagine that lasting very long. Then again, it is Cost Rica.

Our neighbors a few doors down sold their property two days ago. They have four small houses, so it may be run as a lodge or B&B. More competition and recognition for Playa Chiquita.

There is a huge poster on the stable down the road advertising luxury villas built to Italian standards. We’re not exactly sure where they’re going, but it’s somewhere in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately some kids have figured out that spray paint is fun. They tagged our beautiful sign, wrote on C & J’s supermarket down the street and the house across from them. They also took the old Tierra de Sueños sign that we had leaning on the gate to our parking spots. We should have the good sign painted and back up by tomorrow.

It’s hard to digest the area changing so rapidly and to imagine what the Talamanca coast may look like in 10 years. The best change was realizing after returning that we do have a quite a few friends around. It took 45 minutes to walk 100 meters on our first morning because we kept stopping to talk to people. The sloths and monkeys are still here. Our gardens are blooming more and more. All in all, it’s good to be back in the jungle.