The other day, Frank and I were having dinner at the porch talking about the wildlife around the house. You know what? I said. Of all the night creatures that the house taker / gardener had warned us about, the only ones that we haven’t yet seen are snakes. Not that I had any interest … More Manchita and the viper
My ecological conscience tells me that it is not the bugs that enter our house but that it is us, the humans, who are invading their territory. The problem is that in the minutes that pass between I wake up and drink coffee, my brain and therefore my ecological conscience is anesthetized. And it is in those moments when my killer flip-flops attacks. … More The killer flip-flop (a proper English version)
As mentioned in the post on home-made Tico food, one of the downsides of strictly following the Tico recipes is that the traditional recipes have an enormous amount of fat in the form of sugar, butter, cheese or milk. Of course, cooking at home has the advantage that one can (1) substitute the original ingredients … More The quest for low-fat, unsweetened food at the supermarket
Home-made Tico food One of the first things that Frank and I decided when arriving in Costa Rica was that we would try to cook using local ingredients only, preferably fresh fruits and veggies bought on the farmers’ market once a week. We also wanted to experiment with preparing local recipes. We had had some … More Learning how to cook Tico style… Or sort of.
Hace un par de semanas escribí acerca de los animalillos nocturnos que vienen a visitarnos por las noches. En la versión inglesa del blog, terminaba el texto con algunas reflexiones sobre qué hacer para prevenir encuentros desafortunados (es decir que el animal te muerda, pique o escupa) y qué hacer cuando el encuentro es inevitable. El problema es que mi consciencia ecológica reside en mi cerebro y éste último necesita café para activarse. … More La chancleta asesina
Oops! Have we been here already for a month?
After 10 hectic days in Alajuela and more than two weeks doing nada on the beach, I finally have the need to start doing something. I am basically getting anxious because I see the days passing by without accomplishing anything, apart from resting and blogging. I realize that part of the problem is that I am so used to do something and moreover to have to do something that the mere fact of having days without plans is scary. This is a bad sign.
… More Why ‘doing nothing’ feels so alien. A reflection on the first 30 days of the sabbatical.
La semana pasada, cuando íbamos de camino al veterinario con Matilda, al lado de la carretera pasamos un cartel pintado a mano anunciando la venta -a bombo y platillo- de “Mamones transgénicos”. Jesús pensé, esbozando una sonrisa, a saber qué serán mamones transgénicos en Costa Rica…. al tiempo que intentaba explicarle a Frank entre risas … More Mamones transgénicos y maridos de alquiler
A friend recently asked us how did we find the organizations in which we will be volunteering in Costa Rica, which triggered us to write this blog. Here are some of the strategies that we tried and how they worked for us. … More How to find volunteering opportunities in nature conservation
In addition to the two dogs, the howler monkeys and Manchita (the resident cat), the house we are staying in has a large collection of local fauna. I’m not talking about the birds that delight our daytime, but other creatures with more nocturnal habits … More Scorpions, tarantulas and other night creatures
Among the purposes of this first month of the sabbatical were to sleep, relax, recover and “do nothing”. But even on holidays, we are always doing “something”: reading, birdwatching, organizing photos, strolling on the beach, snorkeling or nowadays, writing a blog. So, what do we mean by doing nothing? … More Learning the art of doing nothing
THE FLIP FLOP LIFE 