Feliz Año Nuevo

A very happy new year to you all and I hope that you have a brilliant 2006. After all my promises about the mails over the Christmas, I fell by the wayside. And having skipped a week, I’m even late with this one. The problem was that I spilt a little wine on the PC on Christmas day, and it was out of action for a few days (the mouse is still a little iffy). Then my mother arrived for her trip. In the heels of the hunt when all was back up and running it was nearly the weekend, so I thought it was better to skip the week.

Manuel Antonio
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I had a good few days in Manuel Antonio, just before Christmas. Quite by co-incidence I met one of my friends from the school, Tom from London, on the bus. So I had a bit of company for the few days. We would do our own thing during the day, and meet up in the evening for a bite to eat and a few beers.

On the way down, I was wondering why I’d come back to someplace I’d already been, and wondered if it wasn’t better to go somewhere new. But, as soon as I was down on the beach at the first sunset, it brought me right back to our previous trip. That was in April when we had just arrived. We didn’t know what lay ahead; would we get work, where would we live, would we get an apartment, would the money dry up?

There was a great sense of achievement being back there, while on holidays from my job, with my apartment back in Heredia feeling like home.

Christmas / Hanukah
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Christmas Eve is the big celebration over here. People go to mass, and meet with their families for dinner. They have a relaxing day on Christmas day, and afterwards all head for the beaches.

So we celebrated on Christmas Eve as well. We went up to my friend Laura’s house up the mountain from here. There was myself and Laura, along with my friend Leah, and her friend, visiting from the US, Liz. Leah and Liz are Jewish, and this year, unusually, the first day of Hanukah took place on Christmas Day. So we had a combination style Christian and Jewish meal. I took a great liking to motzoh ball soup in particular.

Rita’s arrival
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Rita arrived on Tuesday. I went to the airport to collect her. There was a map on the Continental Airlines web site, so I would watch her plane on its progress. I left the house when she passed over Cuba, but was still way too early. Her plane touched down at 9.03, and she was through baggage collection, customs, immigration, met me, taxied home and having a G&T on the balcony by 10 o’clock. She’s spent the last few days acclimatising, and we are going to La Fortuna and the Arenal volcano tomorrow for a trip of a few days.

Dos mil seis
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The preparation for New Year’s here was a bit like Dublin. Were place open, would they be charging in, would it be mad busy, and would we get taxis home. Anyway, in the heels of the hunt it’s very quiet. Much more, again, of a family occasion. We decided to go to a bar up the road called La Choza, where we could get a high balcony looking over the Central Valley, and where we could see the fireworks.

When Rita and I got there they were closing up, at 8.30. They seemed amazed that we expected a bar to stay open for New Year’s Eve! We then went looking for somewhere to eat, and the restaurants were closed also. So it ended up being back in the apartment for a take-away pizza. The others phoned to say they were in a different bar. But it was a loud, noisy music bar. Rita decided that she wouldn’t come along. She was happy enough staying in, having phoned Ireland at 6pm for the celebrations there. It was a good night, but we left right after the midnight celebration to see the fireworks. I came straight home, to find Rita celebrating on the balcony with my neighbours, having wine and champagne!
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So that’s it for this week. We’re off travelling in the morning, and should be back by the weekend.

So until next week,

Feliz Año Nuevo,

Éamon