Hotel Fiesta

Folks,

I had a great weekend in the Fiesta Hotel in Puntarenas meeting up with everyone from Intercultura.

The pic of the week shows Intercultura teachers Nathan, Patrick and Luke in Fiesta on the very beautiful Sunday morning where we met around the pool to defeat our hangovers with the tried and trusted hair of the dog.

Tsunami Alert Aftermath
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Puntarenas, where I went for the weekend, is a really flat city built on a sand bank. The name means Sandy Point, and it's like a city built on Bull Island. Locals are concerned about global warming, as it couldn't cope with any rise in sea level. The lack of high ground also meant that there was huge panic during the tsunami alert, as everyone tried to leave the city on the narrow strip that joins it to the mainland. I think there's only one road. People had to abandon cars and try to escape by foot. If there had actually been a tsunami I dread to think what would have happened in Puntarenas.

Scorpion Aftermath
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I was so relieved that my scorpion stings didn't have any lasting effects. I really thought that a scorpion sting would require hospitalisation. But it turns out that the black scorpions we have here are not that potent. And also, the larger ones are less potent than the smaller ones. I thought my guy was huge, so presumably that was in my favour too. I bought a spray that I found in the supermarket, and I'm dousing it liberally around the bed each night.

Hotel Fiesta
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The trip to Hotel Fiesta is the annual 'thank you' celebration for all staff of the school, including the English and Spanish departments, and also the administrative staff. It's a resort hotel. When you arrive you get an armband, and after that all food and drink is free.

It was really great to meet up with everyone again, and to socialise when it's been so long. My last night out with people was the pub crawl at the end of June. I'm hoping some of them will come down and visit me before I leave. Given that next week is September I really feel that my time here is approaching its end.


Ferry Journey
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Puntarenas is a very easy place to get to from here, because it's the ferry port. From here I just got two buses across the peninsula, and then the ferry. The full trip took about three and a half hours. The cost to Puntarenas for both buses and the ferry was €3.06, although the taxi out to the hotel was a whopping €5.50!

I love that ferry journey. I've made it about 7 times now, and apart from one time when it rained I've enjoyed the view so much. You sail for an hour right across the Gulf of Nicoya with Puntarenas behind you, mountains to the north and west, and the open Pacific to the south. However, the journey back at the weekend was the best ever. It left at 5.30pm, so the hour included the sunset and the transition from full daylight as we left, to full darkness when we arrived. And all for 76c. The should market it as a sunset cruise and charge accordingly.

Charlie and Denise
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Charlie and Denise have gone to the States on holidays and I don't think I'll see them again. I don't think the other casitas are being let while they're away. They've been empty this week anyway. I love when they're empty and I have the place to myself. I absolutely love an evening out in the hammock sipping a Cuba Libre reading my book, with the lightning all around, and knowing there is no-one around to disturb me. Maybe I'm becoming a hermit.
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Well, that's it for this week. My tasks this week include sending reminders to editors for the articles I've sent off, and for which I haven't received even one acknowledgment!

So until next week,

Chao (and up the Dubs again),

Éamon

Today's Headline in La Nación: Fall in birthrate empties schools and preschools