Odds and Ends

The top two pics are enchiladas, Costa Rican style. The pastry is more puff than tortilla and is filled with carne y papas (potatoes. ) Muy yummy!

This is a washing machine Tica style!

A pic of the rain from the balcony at the school!

A picture of the Rancho, behind the school, where we take our descansar, our break in the morning for fruit and a snack.

Every house, no matter how poor, has a gate, or porton. Some are pretty ornate as the following examples show.

The last porton is at CPI, my school.

The sidewalks can be as bad as the streets, but some are very interesting with intricate designs as the following show.

Sorry this is sideways. The computer this time opened a different photo program and I can´t find any tools to flip it!

The streets of San Joaquin, Heredia, or any other pueblo for that matter, are terrible! Many potholes and very dangerous. No shoulders to speak of. The highways, though narrow, are in pretty good shape however. There are a few rules to driving in Costa Rica. First, if you know how to drive and are visiting Costa Rica, don`t drive. You'll never come out alive. Second, for those who do drive here, drive fast with one hand on the wheel, one hand on the horn, one hand on the stick shift and one foot on the gas. Or drive faster, honk repeatedly while shouting at other drivers. And if you are a pedestrian, cross the streets at your own risk. If you get hit, too darn bad. There are no pedestrian rights here and if you get hit, there is no culpability for the driver. After all, the streets are for cars, not stupid people! Stop signs are for people, not cars!

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Next time you want to complain about your streets in your town, remember these!