Once

It being Sunday, we had a day of rest and reflection, with little activity. The power came back on around dawn, which is at 5:30 here. The kids used the pool for a while after breakfast. The temperatures are so constant here, it’s just as nice to swim at 7am as it is at 4pm. The pool temperature is about the same as the air at most times, (82 degrees), and there is a slight breeze but there are no major winds to contend with.

We had a slight scare with the car this morning. Samuel was so tired last night after the soccer game, he fell asleep in the Terios on the way home. We were so involved with carrying him to bed, we didn’t notice the door had been left open with the dome light shining. I noticed it when I got up around 6, and fretted all morning about whether the battery would be strong enough to start the thing up.

Living on top of a mountain and driving a rental vehicle come with a special set of challenges. The car agency supplies us with a 24 hour number to get assistance, but they are in San Jose, 5 hours away. It was also Sunday morning. There are a few automotive shops here but we have yet to see a wrecker or tow truck at any of them. Plus, we park in an enclosure with the front of the car away from the road, making a jump start difficult. Roll starting was completely out of the question. I would have ended up in a ditch for sure.






Thankfully, the mighty Terios turned right over, so we were on our way.









We went to the coffee shop that has wireless internet (running even when they are closed), and uploaded two short videos of our cave trip yesterday. See them here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDwhWRAovX0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSE6HEtk6nE


Across from the café is a non denominational church.

Amy had spoken to the preacher, Pastor Payton, last week and wanted to attend, so we did. It was an unusual service for us, with everything sung and spoken in Spanish and English. There were some very good musicians singing contemporary worship music, a Spanish speaking preacher (translated by Pastor Payton), and good fellowship with locals and transplanted Americans.

Partway through the service, Sarah and Samuel joined the other ninos in attendance and went to a children’s church activity held at the (closed) café’s tables. They heard a bible story and colored some pictures, and had a snack and a drink. After that is was recreation time, and all the boys played some futbol. Samuel got right in the thick of it and had a great time (he's the blond one). He and Sarah both made friends and had some time away from mom and dad (although dad checked on them frequently).

We visited a local pizza restaurant for lunch, and watched the first half of the World Cup finals with some enthusiastic soccer fans. The pizza was unusual but good. It had a very thin crust, a sauce that was a little sweet, and sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves on top of the cheese. The kids balked at first, but Sarah ate 3 pieces. No pictures this time, but we will go back. They also feature roasted chicken cooked in a brick oven, and 6 or 7 different salads. Deliciosa!

We wanted to go to the beach next, but the tide was high, leaving no sand at all, and the clouds looked threatening. We did pass a guy selling vegetables from his pickup truck, complete with a running spiel over a microphone about how his produce was the best to be found, and how you could not find such quality in the supermarket.

We bought some shrimp from a local vendor for dinner. They are tiny but very sweet and tender. All fish and seafood is kept frozen here, but these didn’t suffer, and the kids ate almost half a pound each.



The rain did not deter the kids from enjoying the pool when we got home. Again, the temperatures are constant, so the air and water were both in the low 80s even in the rain.










I am including a few more pictures from the caves yesterday, since there are not many to post today. I hope you have figured out you can click on any picture and make it bigger, and click it again to fill your screen.



Samuel says the last picture looks like a monster.







Tomorrow we are going to Reptilandia. The name says it all!