News from the Jungle
August 26, 2008Lawsuits and Huecos in Paradise
Lawsuits, neighborhood politics, new friends, a new house, travel ventures, recycling in Los Mogos, bad roads, and a little environmental activism all make up our last year’s adventures. I have a lot to catch up on here. This jungle journal entry will bring you up to date on some of the above. Another entry will follow shortly.
First, if you’re reading this then you’ve successfully navigated the new web site for my tour business. The tours have been a lot of fun and something I hope I can continue to do for many years. Gary and I love exploring this country for new destinations and have had the great luck to also visit Panamá numerous times, including the canal. We’ve really enjoyed exploring Panamá and although we are always ready to return to our home in Costa Rica, we have found some great sites and wonderful people. A group trip itinerary is in the works.
We visited Guatemala in March to connect with some friends who came down from Oregon and were enchanted. Guatemala has fewer tourist-safe areas, but those that are developed have such remarkable Mayan history, culture-rich experiences, beautiful crafts, music and people. And very inexpensive.
A few recent changes have occurred that have made life even more pleasant here in the jungle outback. Matthew, our friend and partner in the property we own, has retired and moved down here full-time. He’s rented a cabina ‘con cocina’ at some local friends’ small tourist lodge. He’s adjusting very well and is a fishing maniac. With the new boat we bought he’s perfecting the craft and is in fishing paradise! He’s somehow earned the local nickname “Mateo Malito.” (bad little Matthew).
A very positive development in our living arrangement is that Henry, our up-to-now live-in caretaker, has moved into a little house we’ve rented for him across the street. It became available and we decided that after 2 ½ years of having to put up with these two oddball gringos, he deserved some privacy. Of course we acquired more space and privacy in the deal as well. So in case you’re wondering, no we do not have a home built yet. Read on for those details.
Whose property is it?
In the last jungle update I mentioned that we were in a lawsuit with a Costa Rican who bought a piece of property back in 1996 that includes our entire parcel. He has a title and we have a title. You can all say a little thank you for title companies in the U.S. Here, property has been transferred for years through family members, and/or with legal contracts of varying validity. Disputes are common and so when we bought we made sure we had a clean title – and we did. There just happened to be a second one out there as well.
As dire as that may sound we’re on very solid legal ground. Bottom line is our title has been registered since 1980, the other only since 1996 when it was fraudulently obtained. There’s just the little detail of a lawsuit to win to validate it. No problema! We are waiting for the court decision due at any moment, week, or month although we expect an appeal or two to follow.
Making Do Pretty Well
In part because of the lawsuit, we’ve been a bit hesitant to move forward on building a home on our property. We are still trying to navigate the permit process, which doesn’t seem to exist for our specific forest location, but 
in the meantime the humble little tin home has gotten a little more comfortable with Gary’s remodeling prowess. A pretty handy guy to have around as he can fix or remodel anything, though he has to do it to his exacting perfectionist standards. That’s sometimes a challenge in the jungle. He’s getting used to my “but dear remember this is our ‘temporary’ home so don’t obsess over it too much. It’s fine the way it is!” In reality we have the nicest tin shack in all of Costa Rica!
Gary’s carpentry challenges come from many directions, even ‘up’. On one nice afternoon Gary was working outside of his workshop, under the forest trees. To some this might be an enviable location. He was varnishing a wooden desk when he heard commotion above. He looked up to see a troop of howler monkeys moving through the trees. One youngster was paused, casually hanging by his tail seemingly inspecting Gary’s work. After a couple of unconcerned minutes enjoying the attention, Gary realized one of the unique hazards of working out in the open forest here. Not every carpenter has to worry about monkeys peeing on their woodwork projects.
What’s A Normal Day Like?
Wish I had a dollar for every time I was asked that question by friends and family. THERE IS NO SUCH THING HERE! Maybe that’s a result of hanging-up the daily job routine and being retired, but I think it has more to do with our location and continued adjustment to our new life.
Driving here is always one such adventure. The roads have been improved considerably in the last few months thanks to an attentive administration and foreign funding, but they had deteriorated to such a hideous state that during the first two years we lived here even the thought of driving was painful. Actually driving them was painful. A trip that should have taken only 1 ½ hours routinely took 3 hours – and we’re talking about 45 kilometers (28 miles). On the paved stretches one must navigate the huge ‘huecos’ or potholes that can make you drive rocking across one lane or the other looking for the safest route. Every known joke about potholes applies! Hit one of these little devil holes too hard or fast and you and your car will suffer the consequences. Alignments are a waste of good colones ($$) and massages are therapy after a rough day on the road.
One bridge that spans a large river on the way to Puerto Jiménez degraded to such a point that wooden boards were laid down over the dangerous gaps in the metal girders. (See photo of the Rincon Bridge) Tourists in rental cars would approach the bridge and often get out to evaluate it. Many a time these flabbergasted tourists turned around and went back to where they came. Some tourists and us locals chose to brave it. One person had to walk outside straddling the beams, pick up the boards we had crossed and keep moving them to the front of the car so we could move forward. One theory for the problem was the high value of metal in the recycling markets. (Yep, it always seems to come back at me). When the welds on the sheet metal covering the bridge girders worked loose, they were nabbed for scrap value.
One day, when I opted to take the bus instead of driving, the bus stopped on a straight stretch and all passengers quietly rose and exited the bus. I followed even though I wasn’t sure where we were going or why. All the former passengers walked alongside the bus as it navigated (no pun intended) the deep road lagoons for a few hundred meters. Apparently they were too deep to pass with a load of passengers without dragging bottom. After the bus was beyond the lagoons, we reloaded, shared a few chuckles and giggles and were off. Wished I had my camera that day.
When one is confronted with such obstacles on a regular basis, it is easy to complain and grumble and blame everyone. Indeed almost everyone has some culpability in the problem. Here’s another, maybe healthier way of looking at it:
Top Ten Secrets for Surviving the Roads of Costa Rica.
10. Don’t try to read in the car, it’s nauseating. Rediscover the art of conversation with the driver (or yourself).
9. Practice your karaoke, sing to yourself, or find some old cassette tapes. Skipping CDs are so annoying.
8. Drivers & passengers – don’t take your eyes off the road or your hands off the steering wheel for a second. Wear blinders if you’re inclined to scenery, wildlife, bird or girl-watch.
7. Prepare a good emergency kit to include all the essentials plus good walking shoes, an umbrella, and a machete. You will use it all sooner or later.
6. If you get to a rickety-looking bridge and there’s nobody stuck on it – then you know you can make it too. The secret to successfully navigating these fine bridges is “Don’t Stop!” Momentum is the key to keep from falling through them.
5. Let someone know when to expect you, give or take an hour or two. No wonder no one gets anywhere here on time.
4. For fun, stop every once in awhile and take photos of the huecos (potholes) to document that you are indeed the world’s best driver.
3. Women – wear a good support bra on travel days. The bouncing is unhealthy on our aging body parts.
2. Do not obsess over the cleanliness, or lack of, of your car. If you make it to your destination with all body parts (the cars and yours), be proud. Boasting is allowed.
and the #1 secret to surviving these roads in paradise is
1. Take the bus and let Jorge drive. But still observe most of the above.
Thanks for allowing us this opportunity to reconnect with you and share this crazy life we have been living. We are adjusting and enjoying it more each day. The jungle doesn’t seem so forbidding or dangerous anymore. As I will share in the next jungle journal update, sometimes it feels a lot safer than the ‘urban jungle’ or the neighborhood.
Pura Vida!