Wrestling Cocodrilos!

WOW!  How did you get in here?
But the real question was...   How are we going to get you  OUT?

It was one of those lazy days when ICE had given us notice that the power would be out all morning so we were making plans for other things to do when our friend Carlos one of the Security Guards stopped in the driveway and told us there was a GRANDE Cocodrilo in Costa del Sol!
Well that certainly sounded like an extra curricular activity that might keep us occupied until our power came back on!  So off we went to check it out.

WOW!  When he said Grande he was NOT kidding!
When we arrived at the end of 2nd Avenue we were greeted by one HUGE Cocodrilo!
And he was not a happy camper...

It was pretty clear that he had found his way in but was very upset that he could not find his way back out.  It seems there was a low spot in the fence where he fit through and must have meandered along the fence line and then could not find the door to get back to his sanctuary in the Rio that borders that side of the community.  He was currently in the common area and we certainly did not want him to find his way into anyone's yard!

Can you imagine opening the front door to be looking into the beady eyes of this giant lizard?!  Hey, we have adjusted well to the large iguanas that lounge around in the sun and the Jesus Christ lizards that take up residence in our back yard but the cocodrilos can just keep their man eating selves in the rivers and parks!

 "WHO YA GONNA CALL?"


   BOMBEROS!






Our Knights in Yellow Armor arrived soon after and went busily to work with their chore of removing this Big Boy to another safe haven where he could resume a more natural diet!
As the news spread to the neighbors and renters enjoying a vacation at the beach the crowd began to grow and they had an excited audience to watch them master the capture.  After some angry snaps with those big strong jaws they were able to lasso this massive creatures mouth and drag him to a an area where they could wrestle him into captivity Tico Crocodile Dundee style!
Well, I am not sure that Dundee would have used PVC Pipe and Duct Tape but it sure worked well on this day!  Down for the count and the Bomberos won the match!

The next step was to decide what to do with him now that he was caught!

After a few minutes on the phone they announced that the Croc would be taken to the Si Como No Resort in Manuel Antonio and placed in their Wildlife Refuge!  How cool is that? 
We were happy to hear that it would not be hurt and would be taken to a safe place similar to its current environment.  We even had a few who offered some loving touches and prayers over this amazing creature of nature.  And out of curiosity we had Carlos one of the Ticos check to see if our visitor was actually a male or a female and he proudly announced that it was a GIRL!  He also mentioned that he had seen to small crocs over the fence in the river near where she was and that they were probably her babies.  I am thinking we need to fix that low spot before those little guys grow bigger and find their way in!

Soon after the decisions were made the Policia arrived with a truck to haul her away but the space in the back was not BIG enough!  One of our CDS residents offered his pickup truck to deliver the croc to it's new home and the Bomberos were happy to accept to get her out of the sun and bondage and off to her new home.  We called in all the Big Boys that were in the area to help load her up into the truck bed and the onlookers all waved their farewells to the unwelcome visitor.

They ended up taking her to the Bomberos station in Parrito where they put her in the floor where the firetruck usually resides and hosed her down with some refreshing water to make her feel better until the rescue team would arrive to take her.  How exciting to know that we could actually go to the resort and see her again!  I hope she will be happy in her new tropical home!

 Gracias Bomberos!

Special Thanks to Pedro Quiros, Alvaro Aguirre and Fabian Fallas

with the Parrita Bomberos!

AMAZING JOB! YOU ARE OUR HEROS!

www.bomberos.go.cr 

HOW BIG WAS IT?

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Pura Vida "Living the Good Life" in Costa del Sol

Pura Vida is a Sparkling Pool!

Juan Solano Piscina's  8348-9364

What an amazing guy!

Just knowing Juan has been such a pleasure over the years, but to see his company business of caring for the pools in Bejuco grow and prosper has been a truly heartwarming experience!

In the earlier days of Costa del Sol Juan worked on the team of gardeners for the developer.  He was responsible for much of the original landscape work that was done  around the community and his love of plants and flowers was obvious.  He always loved to help with ideas for the individual owners gardens and would work extra hours to assist in the planting.  His work was always beautiful!

After gaining the opportunity to care for some of the pools in the neighborhood he learned he had a strong interest in pool maintenance and decided to pursue his dream to operate a business of his own.
Juan is the epitome of a true Tico family man and his driving force is his beautiful wife Patricia.  

And so began his journey to fulfill his dream come true!

It is always a joy to see Juan meandering through the palm tree lined streets of Costa del Sol with his work wagon filled with supplies.  You will notice that he has painted on the cart Juan Canario.  That is because Juan can sing like a canary!  He is very talented with many bird sounds that will fool you into thinking there is a beautiful bird in your yard until you see him round the corner!  And he can sing beautiful songs too!  I always love to hear him working away and singing to the top of his lungs in the most beautiful melodies.

Owners and Renters alike always welcome Juan with his friendly and professional manner.  But his amazing sense of humor always makes you SMILE!

 

Juan is a hard worker and bases his work ethic on honesty and integrity.  The trust that is placed in him to service and maintain the pools is very important to him and he always strives to maintain that trust.  He is very proud of his accomplishments.  We always love to invite Juan and his Uncle Jose who works with him as he makes his rounds to join us for a cup of cafe con leches on the poolside terrace and hear the stories of what is happening in his life and with his family.  He loves to share about his many musical concerts in the church where he plays the guitar and sings for special occasions.  It is obvious that his musical talent is enjoyed by many in the community of Parrita.

Even if the pool is not in need of any maintenance it is not unusual to see Juan pop into the backyard just to check and make sure all is well with the clearness of the water.  We are always happy to see his daughter Gabriela who works with him on his reports and client updates by emailing photos of the pools via their company laptop to show their pristine condition.  

Another amazing assistant that sometimes accompanies Juan is his son and sidekick Luis!  . . . but usually only on Saturday or on holidays when there is no school.  He is an excellent student and just graduated from Kindergarten.  I feel confident that Luis will grow up to be a good businessman just like Juan!

Also musically inclined we have loved watching Little Luis grow up from a baby and enjoy his accomplished talent of dancing at the many fiestas where there is music.  We are quite sure he learned it from his Papa!



SUCCESS comes in many forms and means different things to different people.  
In my opinion Juan is a very successful man.  He is blessed with a beautiful family.  He is loved by his community.  He has built not one but two homes to shelter his loved ones.  The second home he now uses as a rental to supplement the family income.  He owns a car.  But most of all he is filled with a sense of pride of his accomplishments and finds great pleasure in pleasing his clients while also providing a good living for his family.  Juan has reached his goals and continues to strive for improvement.  

Keep the magic of the Pura Vida

with a sparkling clean pool serviced and maintained by

JUAN!

The Gift of Guayaba = Guava Punch!

The Gift of Guayaba!

One of my favorite things about living in Costa Rica is the giving nature of the people.  One of our sweet Tico friends surprised us with a visit and handed us these interesting green fruits.  In his beautiful Espanol he told us it was "dulce" meaning sweet and that it made a delicious drink when mixed with agua.  So I began my research to determine just exactly what this interesting fruta  was and what yummy something I could mix up with it.  After studying on it for a while we decided that it was indeed Guayaba, known as guava in North America.  Guava jelly is actually one of my favorites and I was thinking about making some but it was Sunday and we were getting ready to head down to the playa for another Sunday Funday and we decided that we would mix up a fruity pitcher of Guava Punch!  I found this recipe in my SABOR cook book which is a guide to tropical fruits and vegetables which includes recipes for each one.  It was pretty tasty and according to the sources of information it is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants and has many medicinal uses!  So if you one day find yourself with a bounty of guayabas mix up a pitcher of this delicioso punch and enjoy!

GUAVA PUNCH

2 1/4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (we used fresh pinas)

2 cups guava juice, nectar or puree

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3/4 dark rum

4 dashes Angostura bitters (of course we did not have this)

Mix all of the ingredients and chill well.  Serve on the rocks in tall chilled glasses.  Garnish with chunks and slices of tropical fruit.  

Serves:  5

(We usually have a pretty thirsty crowd for Sunday Funday so we doubled the recipe!  ... and it was just a little tart so we sweetened ours with a little sugar)

It was delicioso!

African Killer Bees .....or so they say!

This week we experienced the excitement of discovering a huge nest of bees in our neighbors tree!  Now mind you that this is not just any tree but a tree that produces a beautiful yellow flower and a smell so incredible that we have been told that Chanel No. 5 uses it to produce their famous perfume!  This is a tree that we ourselves planted and when it was in bloom I would place these lovely flowers in the house and we would enjoy this amazing fragrance for days!


So when Juan came to me and pointed out this seemingly overnight homesteading of these bees in this beautiful tree I asked "What should we do!?!"  and Juan politely replied "Call the Bomberos!"

And that is exactly what we did!

If you are not up to par on your Spanish "Bombero" is the Spanish word for Firefighter so instead of the proverbial "cat being rescued from the tree" we are being rescued from the "Killer Bees"!  In just a matter of minutes the Bomberos of Parrita arrived on the scene to perform their honorable duties.

They evaluated the situation asked to borrow our ladder and one of the crew suited up to become the rescuer.  But wait a minute.....Who is that brave one that has climbed the ladder to the top of the tree with no protection?!  
After a long dousing of what appeared to be an insect poison spray the Bomberos left us with big smiles...ours and theirs...with the satisfaction of a job well done!

The Parrita Fire Department 
officially opened its doors 

to the community of Parrita on 
Friday 03 May 2002.

To learn more about the history of this department 
CLICK HERE.  

African (killer) bees arrived in Costa Rica in 1982, and you would do well to assume that all bee colonies are now Africanized. Keep your distance from hives or swarms. The stings of Africanized bees are no more venomous than those of your garden-variety bee, but these insects are aggressive and attack with less provocation. The cumulative effect of many bee stings is dangerous. If you're attacked, move in a zigzag motion; you can probably outrun them. Head for water if any is nearby, and cover your head. If someone with you is attacked and cannot move, cover both of you with something light in color and get the person to safety. Remove stingers with a knife or fingernails, being careful not to squeeze more of the stinger's venom into the bite. Apply ice or cold water, and, if badly bitten, see a doctor.  This excerpt taken from Insects Costa Rica.   Please enjoy their page about the many insects of Costa Rica.

A very special Thank You to the Bomberos of Parrita

for coming to our rescue!

We appreciate your service!