Essprezzo de la Casa aka Isabel's - Expat Happy Hour Meet Up

One of our neighborhood restaurants is Isabel's Essprezzo de la Casa. It is located a little higher up and at the top of our ridge in San Luis. It is almost next door to Finca Organica - the organic farm we visited and who we buy our organic veggies from each Friday at the feria (farmer's market). 

It is also a great place to meet the local expats. We heard about the Friday night dinners and happy hour meet ups @ Isabel's long before we moved to Costa Rica. Even though the restaurant is on our ridge and just "up the hill", it is not a walk you would want to make. So, we had not yet gone. Yesterday we happened to bump into Irina (an expat who lives over on the next ridge (El Cajon). She invited us to join them that evening and volunteered to give us a ride. 

Turns out that on Friday nights the tiny restaurant is almost filled to capacity with just the expat group. You do need to bring your own wine though (which no one told us) however, the group had more than enough and shared with us. Box red wine was a pretty popular choice and to be honest, it was not too bad.

The special for the night was flautas (with choice of meat) and sauce (I chose green sauce and it was very hot!! The chef is Mexican (as she reminded me). The food was delicious and they were nice enough to make a vegetarian flautas for Lavanson. 

The dinner also came with choice of soup or salad (I chose soup which was a sweet potato soup) and dinner came with 3 flautas and a small salad as well. Total for 2 of us $20. 

We had a great time and  can't wait to go again!!

Since this restaurant is on our ridge, of course the view is killer! I have seen some of the sunset photos. They are awesome . Can't wait to see one in person.

 Here is the gang

The restaurant is small but very nicely done inside. Nice ambiance.

We plan to join them again next week - which happens be the pre wedding dinner. Yep.

About 10 expat couples are getting remarried over on El Cajon in a few weeks.

Should be interesting. 

I will be sure to post.

Essprezzo de la Casa is open on the weekends. Friday and Saturday hours are from 3:00PM to 8:00PM. Sunday hours are from 9:00AM to 5:00PM. The prices are moderate. Essprezzo de la Casa does not serve alcohol but you are welcome to bring your own. Parking is off road in a private lot adjacent to the cafe.
Contact information is 2444-2967 and 8895-8999  essprezzodelacasa@hotmail.com

This and that - How we are doing so far - Our Costa Rica Journey

Today I'm going to cover several things at once and get you all caught up.

Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine for this one

First - We now have a cat. A kitten. He came to us on July 5th. We had our housekeeper take him away to give to a family that wanted him but about a week later he was back.

I took him to the vet to have him checked out to make sure he was Ok and got him his first vaccination, de-worming, nails clipped and flea and tick prevention. Total cost $24.

Turns out he is a male about 4 months old. He is in good health.

We didn't really want a cat since I already have 2 dogs but there are a lot of strays here and rather than have him mistreated or dumped along the side of the road we have let him stay. He does not come in the house (unless he sneaks under the screen) LOL He loves playing in the hills and in the coffee fields. We have a large patio so he hangs out there most of the time (napping on one of our many chairs). At night he goes up on the ledge under the roofing over the patio (I guess he feels safer up high)

Very smart cat.

We named him Luis - actually one of our friends from California came up with the name. Beginning with the letter "L" to go with Lily & Lola and because we live in San Luis de Grecia. Lavanson is an L and my middle name is Lynn. So quite appropriate.

People have said that a cat chooses you and that they are your angel. So....for now....We have a cat.

our little angel "Luis"

Second - Some of you may remember me buying lots of stuff (makeup etc) to bring to Costa Rica before I left SF. Many of you were perplexed and thought it was sort of odd because I should just buy things here. Well, I am so happy that I did -- because prices are crazy here for luxury items. I looked at a pair of Tom's (just a plain black pair) and they were $65 and up. I think @ Whole Foods the cost was about $58.

If you want to really save money here you have to adjust how you live. You cannot live the same way you did in the states. However, rent is so cheap that it is still worth while living here. My rent is $266/month (my 1/3) Rent in the U.S was $2,400 - you do the math!

Before I came, I bought lots of makeup - lipstick, etc but the one thing I did not bring was nail polish. Mostly because I heard that it would dry out and I figured "how much could it cost?" Really?

When I decided I wanted to paint my nails I went out and bought some polish at the Central Market. It wasn't too much. I bought a small polish remover and polish for about $4.

Costa Rica nail polish in teeny bottles

the remover is in small bottles (the images are much smaller than they appear!) The remover is not strong so you use up most of the bottle trying to remove your polish.

The polish was dreadful It chipped and peeled and just looked awful. It never went on smoothly from the start. Yesterday we were at the Auto Mercado (a grocery store which caters to expats) and I decided I was going to get myself a bottle of REAL polish with a brand name that I recognized.

So I bought 2 bottles of Sally Hansen (that is not a high priced brand)

The smaller bottle was $7 and the regular size bottle was $12.50.  That is about twice the price that it costs in the states. The Revlon polish was $14

also pure maple syrup is $30. My Genoa salami is $6 a pack (about 8 slices) REAL cheese is crazy expensive like $15 or something. Yesterday I bought 3 packs and got charged for 4 - with the nail polish and other items my bill was $105
fruits & veggies are SUPER cheap but you gotta eat like a local or you will go broke!

Of course there are many, many pluses - Our view is to die for and the weather is perfect among other things so we still love it here! 

Third - We finally bought a gas grill. Price was $275 assembled. (I think that was a pretty good price) We brought it home in the back seat of a taxi.  The gas can with gas was $75! (ouch)  - but you have to buy the can then take it to your local pulperia (neighborhood store) for gas refills. 

To break in the grill we decided to invite a few friends over. Especially since we NEVER had a gas grill and did not know exactly how to use it.

Our short party video is attached below

Our 1st Party feat the cat that acts like a dog from Devon on Vimeo.

Video link above

Oh and Lastly - We took the bus to Alajuela (22 miles away) yesterday so I could get my hair done by my new Sisterlocks Consultant. Her name is Dr Carmen Hutchinson-Miller and she was awesome!!! Did a great job and took about 2 1/2 hrs (normal) The price was $40. I pay $100 back in the states. Cost of the bus was $1.20 ea way and takes about 30 mins.  Some of you may remember I was searching for someone to do my hair before I left.

after my lock retightening

Dr Miller and me

I won this one hahaha

Day tripping to Manuel Antonio

The group took a day trip to Manuel Antonio stopping along the way in Jacó. Playa Jaco is the closest beach to San Jose, the Central Valley (about 2 hrs away) and is one of the most visited coastal destinations in Costa Rica.

Our friend and driver from our 2015 visit picked us in Grecia at 6:30am for the ride to Manuel Antonio. We planned to visit the National Park there. We hired a guide @ the park because I think it would be almost impossible to spot any animals without a guide. Even with a guide you will need to rely on his powerful telescope to see them. You can, however use your phone in connection with the telescope and get very beautiful clear photos. The guide is extra but I can't recall the price. It's probably around $32 for entry and a guide. Our guide was very good and showed us many local plants used for healing.

Trippin to Manuel Antonio from Devon on Vimeo.

link above for video

(please excuse typo for Manuel Antonio on the intro)

Coffee Talk

Let me start by saying this -- I have never been much of a coffee drinker.

In the states I sort of pretended to drink a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato (which would inevitably end up in the garbage at days end)!

I had done some reading about the benefits of coffee before moving to Costa Rica but decided to do some serious research one I arrived. I also wanted to taste some "real" coffee.

First up - why not rent a house on a coffee farm?

OK - With that completed I started on my journey to understanding coffee.

our chorreador (purchased @ Espiritu Santo)

The history of Costa Rica has been tied to coffee plantations. Costa Rica's location between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean make ideal conditions for the cultivation of coffee.

Let's talk coffee!!

• There are more than 100 coffee trees per head of population
• This makes more than 400 million coffee trees in Costa Rica, a country of 3.7 million inhabitants, 
• After bananas, Costa Rican’s main export is coffee
• While they export huge amounts of coffee beans, Ticos (Costa Ricans) keep a lot of their coffee right at home. You’ll find a “chorreador” in Just about every home in Costa Rica, the apparatus used to make a pot or a mug of coffee that’s been described as a ‘coffee sock.’ The chorreador consists of a wood stand that holds the cloth filter that holds the coffee grounds, and then the hot water is poured through, first absorbing into the cloth and seeping slowly into the pot or mug
• There are more than 300 different top quality Arabica coffees from Costa Rica. It is illegal to grow any other type of coffee. 
  
  
  There are also a wide (and varied) variety of benefits to drinking coffee. 
  Many you can learn by taking a tour such as we did. 
  
  
  Check out our Espiritu Santo Coffee Tour below
  
  

Coffee Talk from Devon on Vimeo.
Video link above


We are buying organic coffee (very hard to find) from a new friend who grows coffee right in our neighborhood.   Love her coffee

Vista Ladera Estate

Her name is Sandra Brooks and she is an African American who has lived in Costa Rica since 2002.
For more please check out her coffee and her story here

Day trip the Poás Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens

On Friday the gang went on a day trip to the Poás Volcano and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Wildlife Refuge Center. We hired a taxi, driven by our friend Randall, and headed to the volcano (only about an hour away from Grecia). 

Randall was also our guide during the trip. We were accompanied by Randall's 10 year old daughter.   It was an amazing day! Thank you Randall!

Please see video at the end of this post.

Costa Rica is home a great number of volcanoes – there are six active volcanoes and another 61 dormant or extinct ones. For the past fifty years, Arenal was the country’s most active volcano. Although it entered into a resting phase in 2010 – meaning that its eruptions have taken pause for the time being – Arenal still is one of the country’s best-known and most-visited volcanoes. There are, however, many other volcanoes that are worth exploring. Most are caldera volcanoes, whose craters are filled with water and rising steam. 

Poás Volcano

The Poás Volcano National Park is located in the Central Highlands of Costa Rica. Rising up to 8,885 ft (2,708 m), Poás remains one of Costa Rica's largest and most active volcanoes. At almost a mile in diameter (1.6 km), the crater's rain-fed, sulfuric pool bubbles and emits smoke. Although the last major eruption was in 1910, the volcano remains steadily active to this day, and visitors can still see geysers exploding into the air, some reaching as high up to 820 ft (250 m). 

The Poás volcano has erupted 39 times since 1828, and has constant boiling and steaming from the lake in the main crater.

Located 1.5 hours from San José, Poás is a popular day trip for travelers staying in the country’s capital. The 68-mile (108 km) round-trip journey navigates along coffee and flower farms, many of which line areas of the park. 

The fog rolls in later in the morning, covering the crater and making it difficult to see. The best time to visit is during the morning hours from January to April. Weekends are usually crowded and clouds normally roll in around mid-afternoon, making it difficult to enjoy the scenery. On a clear day, however, it’s possible to see both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts from the summit, as well as its gurgling, steaming crater.

It’s not likely that you’ll get to see a lava flow, but don't that discourage you – just get there early before the fog rolls in!  Source

Pacific Volcanoes- The Ring of Fire

La Paz Waterfalls

The splendid gardens of La Paz are located on the slopes of the Poas volcano, just an hour from San Jose, in the central highlands. This area is rich in bio diversity thanks to an altitude of that varies between 4,000 and 5,000 feet, allowing for both cloud forest and rain forest to co-exist. Be prepared for a truly magical experience. Here, visitors will find the largest butterfly observatory in the world, hummingbird and bromeliad gardens, a serpentarium, frog pond, and 5 striking waterfalls. Source

Please watch our video below

Our day trip to the Poas Volcano & La Paz Waterfall and Wildlife Refuge center from Devon on Vimeo.

Video link above

The FABULOUS "White Party" Escazú, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a beautiful and diverse country. One of the most important things that I want to do with this blog is to give people an idea of what life in like here in Costa Rica.

We are traveling and exploring many of the areas (each area is special and unique and often very different from the other)

On Sunday July 10, 2016, Evelyn & Matt Lopes hosted a beautiful "White Party"
Have you ever attended one? We had not.

The premise is simple. Everyone wears white! 

These parties have been given all over the world.

So we went out and got ourselves a white outfit and off we went (9 of us) in a private bus to Escazú, which is about an hour away from Grecia. Even though Escazú is geographically close, life there is very different. In Escazú you will find tall buildings, luxury condos, fine hotels, huge upscale malls and many of the niceties that you would be very familiar with back in the states.

me in my white outfit

Note from Evelyn after the party -

Everyone commented on how good it was. We had BBQ ribs, chicken, Chiccharones, beans and rice, salad and cake and coffee for dessert.  We also had a surprise for our guest, a Mariachi Band, everyone had a great time you can tell from the photo's. Our Goddaughter, Dr. Hancock came in Saturday with her boyfriend, Alex from New York for the party. We were celebrating birthdays, some of our friends retiring in CR a new baby on the way and our 48th Anniversary. We had a BALL.

Evelyn in her white

Thank you to Matt & Evelyn for hosting this party and welcoming us to Costa Rica!!

Below is a short video with some party highlights 

  The FABULOUS "White Party" from Devon on Vimeo.
Link to Video above

The Aspiring Expats in Costa Rica - Cooking with Margarita

I missed uploading last week because we have been so busy going here and there exploring this beautiful country. But, have no fear, I have many more videos to edit and upload and more stories to tell so stay tuned.

And BTW with so many of us to feed - there has been a whole lot of group cooking going on around our kitchen @ Casa de Coffey.

We have been trying to eat local foods and make some local dishes. One of my favorites is patacones - Yum - I was going to try making them one evening and lo and behold - what a joy it was when I discovered that our Aspiring Expat friend Margarita (from Cartagena Colombia) was an old pro at it. 

She took over and I grabbed the camera. 

A 5 minute video showing the 6 easy steps to perfect patacones!!

Check her out below. (Margarita has been our Spanish translator and also named the kitty for me) Thanks Margarita!!!

**Note - RE step 6 - it is water, garlic, salt and a glass of wine on the side 

Video Link here Itchy Feet Expat TV - Cooking with Margarita! from Devon on Vimeo.

We're all here!

After 3 long years of planning

July 2016

Prior to the White Party today in Escazu

photo taken September 2015