Strong Wills, Empty Stomachs, and Costa Rican Screws

So....as I stated a few posts ago, grocery prices can easily get out of hand here but we've discovered how to beat them at their own game.  It's not for everyone and it takes a little effort but it seems to be leveling the playing field.  It's called starvation.

We've been buying groceries to last us two weeks at a time.  The first week is wonderful with all the goodies one could want.  By the end of the first week, Mom starts rationing food, and by the middle of week two, popcorn is a serious contender for dinner.  Ah yes, we're in paradise!

We have faithfully taken our 2-3 mile walks every other day and still have plenty of fat to burn off but I suspect with our reduced caloric intake, by the time we get home, we'll look like homeless transients.

The bugs and lizards have taken on a new appeal these days, not so much anymore for the sweet sound of their chirps and rhythmic melodies but rather for  the size of their meaty thighs and what they might taste like on a skewer over a low flame.

OK, I'm exaggerating a little bit but the cupboards are a bit bare just before our next big shopping trip tomorrow.  This is a good thing (so we convince ourselves) and our health must surely be improving by leaps and bounds, no fatty Kentucky Fried chicken, no messy blue berry pies to soil the rugs or the unsettling experience of blue berries bursting in your mouth unexpectedly , no nasty cream filled doughnuts with that custard that gently caresses every taste bud in your mouth, and thank goodness we no longer have to grind those chewy, pieces of rib eye apart!  So anyway...............................................................(sorry drifted into a bit of an epicurean dream for a second.

Toward the end of the second week we find ourselves looking at and admiring the last slice of bread in the middle of the table, glance at each other wondering who will concede first.  "Go ahead honey, you take it!" I say.  "Oh no, you take it, I'm fine!" Mom replies (as Alex reaches out and grabs it before either of us).

The rule of thumb here is "Always have a plan B".  We were told at our last shopping excursion that the trip to Jaco and the Automercado grocery store would cost $200 round trip.  Today we discovered the price had jumped to a whopping $300!  That ain't gonna happen muchacho!!

  So plan B is to use Tonny and his nice van at a slightly more reasonable rate of $150.  However, we also need someone to get us down the mountain and back up because Tonny does not have a 4x4.

I am already tired of being screwed by supermarkets and taxi drivers so it won't take much more to opt out and come back to Minnesota with our tails between our legs.  Hopefully we can work this out and stay until April.  Chris suggested eating beans and rice and showed me where the rice cooker was.

"How nice and thoughtful" I thought.  The truth is, I actually like black beans and rice and as dumb as it sounds, it brings back fond memories of Key West.  Bill and Alicia Cates had invited me (a long haired kid) into their home for dinner.  Alicia made dolphin, black beans and rice, and fruit.  Ever since then, I've always looked forward to it.  The tough part is a recipe to match hers.  She was Cuban and had her own blend of spices and was a great cook and maybe part of it was that I had the habit of eating Slim Jim's and chocolate milk for dinner.

The last thing this trip was supposed to be was a preparatory exercise to get us ready for a stint on Survivor, you know "Outwit, "Outlast", OutPlay"!  I am sure things will improve and if we factor in the cost of gas, our typical grocery spend, and the fast food jaunts we routinely made back home it ends up not being a whole lot worse than a couple weeks back home.

It's peaceful here and the sunsets are wonderful, so our fingers are crossed that our shopping adventures become less of an adventure and more of a routine, cheaper ritual just like home.  We'll see what the grocery bill is tomorrow.  So enough of that.  I dwell too much on food these days.

This little critter we've seen a few times now.  It looks like a tiny dust bunny but has tiny little legs and walks!  It reminds me of those cartoons where the crook hides behind a bush or tumbleweed and sneaks up on his innocent victims.

If your blow on it or frighten it, he just pulls up its legs (or lowers its body) and waits until you go away.  Then the legs spring back into action again and he continues on his way.  The first time I saw one, it was right by that Golden Orb spider I showed in an earlier post.  Spiders apparently don't like dust.

This little guy is soft to the touch like a little scrap of sponge and his feet stick to the surface like an ant when you blow on them.  We assume its like a crab that commandeers an empty shell for its new home but I haven't had the heart to yank on his little legs to see if I can pull him out of the dust ball.

I decided to add a little video of our little friend, it's just the cutest darn thing.

Last note for tonight.  The other day, on our long walk up through the jungle at quite a bit higher elevation, we walked through a patch of jungle.  We started hearing a snap like a tongue click or snap of your fingers.  We were just waiting for something to spring out and attack us thinking it was signalling its buddies to surround us.  We stop and heard it in front of us, then in back.

Later, Alex also told us (with a sneaky grin) that he was mimicking the noise himself to throw me off.  Clever as that was I knew this was some kind of jungle creature since it was too far behind us at times.  After we got back home, we started digging around on the internet and discovered it was actually a bird.

A Red Capped Manakin to be exact and it apparently is pretty well known as the Michael Jackson bird because of the "moonwalk" it does during its mating dance.

We never actually got to "see" the darn thing but the sound was unmistakable.

Here's a little YouTube video we found that provides a little more detail.  The lady in the video clearly has issues but its kind of cute to see the bird's dance.  Enjoy !!



Later....