Week 64: The last of the weekly reports

December 2, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

Since Lauren left we’ve pretty much just been working and hanging out at the beach, and while that’s definitely better than being back in cold & rainy Vancouver, it doesn’t make for very interesting blog posts.

We’ve decided that rather than force ourselves to post something every week about what we’ve been up to, we’ll only post when we do something of interest. We’d rather have good content that’s sporadic, than mediocre content every week.

Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that you aren’t gonna hear from us on a regular basis, it just means that our posts are going to be about specific topics rather than a bunch of random stuff we happened to do in a particular week. We’re hoping this will help us index better on google, and make it easier for people to find what they’re looking for when searching our site.

So… say goodbye to the weekly post, and stay tuned for some highlights of our upcoming trip to Nicaragua!

Sunset on Playa Tamarindo

Posted by: Kelly

Week 63: Lauren’s Last Week

November 27, 2009 - Filed under Stuff to do, Weekly Report

After a couple of very touristy days, we settled back into the laid back vibe of Tamarindo. Mike and I spent the days working and Lauren made the most of her last week of sun, by alternating between the beach and pool. We had a couple of good meals out, and Lauren finally got to have “Nachos as big as your ass”…. which were actually smaller than all 3 of our asses.

Witch Rock Surf Camp

On Thursday evening we set out on a Turtle Tour in hopes of seeing a nesting Leatherback Turtle on Playa Grande. Playa Grande’s three mile stretch of beach is part of the Las Baulas National Marine park, one of the largest Leatherback Turtle nesting sites in the world, and is strictly regulated in order to help protect the turtles.

Playa Grande
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Posted by: Kelly

Week 62:
A Visitor, a Volcano, and a couple of Van rides

November 17, 2009 - Filed under Stuff to do, Weekly Report

This week we had a visitor. Lauren, a friend from my old work in Vancouver is down visiting, and it’s been a great excuse to be a tourist for a while. We managed to put a few things on hold, and for the first time since we’ve been in Costa Rica, actually took an entire weekend off.

Wednesday was her first full day here, which actually coincided with a scheduled town-wide power outage. Since we couldn’t get any work done, we really had no option but to make it a beach day. The morning started off a little overcast, but by the afternoon it was gorgeous and sunny, and we all got a little burnt. Ooops! To cool off and get out of the sun, we headed to the patio at Witch Rock Surf Camp for some cold beers and a late lunch. Unfortunately the power outage made the menu selection a little thin, and Lauren wasn’t able to fill her craving for Witch Rock’s famous “Nachos as big as your ass”, but we made due with what was available and added nachos to our list of things to do next week.

View from Witch Rock's Patio
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Posted by: Kelly

Week 59 & 60: Chillin’ in Tamarindo

October 27, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

First off, sorry this is so late. To be honest I’ve kind of been putting it off, as we don’t really have much to report. It looks like the rainy season has finally started here in Costa Rica. Its been the driest October on record, but over the last week or so, the rain has really started to fall. (Of course as I sit here and type this it just happens to be gorgeous and sunny, which figures since today is a work day!)

We have managed to get to the beach a couple of times in between showers, but for the most part we’ve been holed up in our apartment where the work seems to be piling in.

Playa Tamarindo

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Posted by: Kelly

Week 58: Settling In

October 13, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

It’s amazing how fast you can settle in to a routine. We’ve been in our new place for less than three weeks and already it feels like home. As Mike mentioned last week, we’ve both been trying to work off all the beer and deep fried foods we consumed last year in Asia, and work is starting to pick up. Unfortunately this all makes for rather boring blog posts, but hey, it can’t always be Saturday.

living room & kitchen

We did however take a little bit of time out this week. On Wednesday we rented a motorbike and drove up to Playa Grande, a 3 mile stretch of beach, about 30 mins north of Tamarindo. The beach of Playa Grande forms part of Las Baulas, National Park, so remains practically untouched by development. Read More…

Posted by: Kelly

Week 57: Workout Week

October 5, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

When we left Vancouver a year ago I was a not-so-svelte 210 lbs. Not exactly a lightweight anymore, I had put on quite a bit of weight over the previous couple of years when a shoulder injury had sidelined me from active sports. With this last year abroad being a barrage of new foods, a lot of beer on the beach, and the lack of gym time, I continued the climb up to 225 lbs. Back in Vancouver this last visit, I made a travel resolution to get into a workout regimen when we got settled in Costa Rica.
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Posted by: Shim

Week 56: Costa Rica and our “Casa del Surf”

September 29, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

After a great month back in Canada visiting family and friends we were both anxious to get back to what’s become “normal life” for us. We arrived in Costa Rica Saturday night and breezed through customs. The airport in Liberia is super small, basically a converted airplane hanger, and makes arriving in the Costa Rica really easy. Plus, flying into Liberia meant we were only about an hours drive from Tamarindo, instead of the 4-5 hours it would take from San Jose.

I had been to Tamarindo about 6 years ago, and have great memories of it being a sleepy little surf town so convinced Mike it would make a good first stop in our quest for a place to live.

Tamarindo, Costa Rica
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Posted by: Kelly

Week 53, 54, and 55: Another year on the road begins

September 22, 2009 - Filed under Eats, Weekly Report

Happy September 1st! This marks the 1 year anniversary of Kelly and I becoming homeless wanderers.

There’s been a lack of posts from us for a few weeks. I suppose that’s because not much has really changed back home since we left a year ago. The same old haunts are still there. Our friends are pretty much as we left them. Just a few of them got married, or popped out babies, or got a little heavier. ;)

We headed back to Kelowna after visiting Kelly’s family in Edmonton, and it was my turn to see my parents. My folks are based on Vancouver Island, but just bought a place in Kelowna and took possession this week. It would be really convenient for us if we ever came home. No more choosing who’s parents we spend Xmas with, but this year we’ll have to ask them to come visit us instead. Read More…

Posted by: Shim

Week 52: Road Trippin’

September 4, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

Roger's Pass, BC

This week was all about the family! We rented a car in Vancouver and headed to Kelowna. First stop was my mom and Bryan’s place where we spent four days eating and chatting and chatting and eating. It was super nice to see the folks, sleep in a comfy bed, play with the dogs and eat lots of good food. Read More…

Posted by: Kelly

Week 51: Hello Vancouver

September 4, 2009 - Filed under Weekly Report

Vancouver is cold! We stepped off the plane Saturday, looked at each other and thought “Holy crap, why are we back?”. But seriously it’s sooo good to be home! The first thing I did after checking into the hotel was brush my teeth without having to use bottled water… it may sound like a little thing, but drinkable tap water is so nice!

Next up was Caesars! Oh, how we missed caesars! I know those of you who aren’t Canadian don’t really understand this, but it’s one of the few truly Canadian things we have. That first one was so good, we just had to have another…
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Posted by: Kelly