Greetings from Costa Rica! It has been a while since we last posted and we packed a ton of adventure, animals, costumes, and fun since mid-October. First though, we need to celebrate the suddenly 9 year old Gene! Following a special trip to an Amusement Park (Parque Diversiones) and special dinner in San Jose on the 24th, we gathered with friends from Monteverde for a playdate and dinner to mark the occasion.

Prior to Gene turning 9, we traveled eastward to the Caribbean Sea for a week on the coast. We were able to check out the Children’s Museum in between our two long bus rides that took us to the city of Limón. We were very lucky to be in this lovely city for the Carnival that celebrates the Afro-Caribbean culture and West Indies heritage that is found in this area of Costa Rica. This region features this strong identity as a result of the Jamaican workers who arrived in the 19th century to build the Atlantic railroad and work on the banana plantations. You can read more about it here. We had an incredible few days in this city eating pattys (a spicy meat filled pastry) and plantintas (imagine a sweet plantain filled pop tart) while exploring this old port city where Columbus visited and anchored on Uvita Island in 1502. Besides seeing the carnival parade, the girls enjoyed going on rides at the parade grounds that were set up for the festivies. Here are some pics and a video I made.

Following our time in Limón, we took another bus south along the coast to Cahuita, a laid back village with both black (northern) and white (southern) sand beaches, with snuggles of sloths, and a National Park of its own. We were there for 5 nights and hiked, swam, spotted numerous sloths (both species!), snorkeled (spotting a reef shark immediately below us moments after getting into the ocean, a sea turtle, a stingray, and so many colorful tropical fish), Gene won the jackpot in Bingo, and following her lead with two solo karaoke songs, both girls rocked out to Olivia Rodrigo’s Vampire for the locals. In particular, we saw a bunch of two-toed sloths all over town, a few with adorable heart-melting babies, in addition to spider, capuchin, and howler monkeys (the loudest animals on Earth!). Another day, we witnessed a three-toed sloth both climb around our neighbor’s house and eventually cross the street to get to the other side. This was a magical place with delicious Caribbean flavored food and fantastic vibes.

Fast forward to the more present, the Brewers won the World Series, we were able to still celebrate Halloween with some local trick-or-treating, and all four of us find ourselves in joy over the “Blue Wave” that just swept across the United States. The girls are comforted knowing that hatred, islamophobia, bigotry, and xenophobia suffered a setback. Cleo and Gene can’t wait to vote for AOC in the future…

Lastly, a quick, special Medical Update section. While in Limón, Elise attempted to help a huge hermit crab safely navigate to the beach and was rewarded with a puncture wound to her thumb. What felt like an initially small incident, eventually led to a loss of feeling and possible infection. We made our first trip to a doctor a few days later and Elise found herself on a less than comfortable bus ride after a shot of antibiotics.

I also went to the doctor this past Monday with a left foot injury that has made it nearly impossible to walk the hills of Monteverde. Following an x-ray (no fracture), we are going with a torn tendon on the top of the foot and I also received an injection in a similar part of my body. Perhaps all things in Costa Rica can be treated with a shot in the butt…

That is all for now… 🌊🌊🌊 (thank you again Elise for all the help with editing and your animal and nature expertise)