Kitchen Ranch

Costa Rica

It has been just over a week since we landed in Costa Rica and we are all just starting to emerge from a jet lag haze.  What a long journey.  We flew almost 14 hours to Los Angeles from Sydney.  We remained overnight in Los Angeles only to jump on a flight the next morning bound for Costa Rica.  

A couple notes for future reference: Qantas is as wonderful as US Airways is as NOT WONDERFUL. US Airways charged for our check in luggage as well as any food served on the plane.  Although the flight was international and almost six hours long, US Airways offered no lunch . . . no tiny bag of nuts.  Their only offerings were overpriced and pathetic sandwiches wrapped in too much plastic.  

We would have all starved (or had to pay for the crap US Airways food) BUT I met two of my favorite people in LA for lunch.  This meeting sent me over the moon with joy and love.  Not only did I get to meet my friend's fresh and darling little baby, my friend Hanna delivered to us: Beer from our favorite SD beer brewer, bean and cheese burritos (which we ate for dinner), trail mix and granola bars (which we ate for lunch).  What a super star.  Not only did these babes drive to LA with a newborn to deliver snacks and treats, they delivered an armload of cookbooks I had sent to their homes.  Ladies, you rock my world. Thank you.

Back to Qantas.  I will always try to fly Qantas.  I will pay extra to fly Qantas.  I could really go on and on about it.  Just fly Qantas if you ever have the opportunity.

Tomorrow we arrive in Nosara.  After over three weeks, we can finally unpack our bags, phew.  Next week the kids start school.  We are so happy about all this-I never thought I would be so happy about settling into a routine.   

Here is a snapshot of our time in Costa Rica so far.

We stayed in San Jose for a few days to stock up on essentials like art supplies and a French press.  Then we headed into the mountains and stayed at a horse ranch.  A ranch that also had a waterslide through the jungle...

 

  I mean, really.

We are about two hours north of our final destination in a beach town called Tamarindo aptly nicknamed Tami-gringo.  Quite touisty overall which we expected but we felt curious about it-now we know.

Clean Hands Are Lame (or not)

As you know, I recently published The Book of Questions for New Parents.  The book offers a starting point for conversations about parenting and relationships within a family.  

I thought of the book the other day when this happened:

We were all at a playground in Sydney having a lovely time.  Beckett fell, or maybe not, but suddenly he had debris and mud on his hands.  He looked at me and held his hands out as if to say, "What next?"  

I told Beckett, as I gestured, "Brush off on your pant legs, no worries."   Rich looked at me and said, "You are teaching our child to clean his hands on his clothes."  He shook his head with a you don't get it kind of look.  

No, I guess I don't get it.  I think it is absolutely fine to use one's pant legs to wipe dirt and debris off while at a playground.

Like I have mentioned before, in our marriage, the simpliest thing can provoke a major disscussion. This is one of those, we agree to disagree kind of moments.      

As you read this we are sitting on an airplane traveling far from Australia.  Next post I'll be coming at you from Central America.

Sydney, Australia

After eating delicious tofu tacos at the spot above, I have concluded that I really like Sydney.  I could go on and on about how impressed I am with the multitude of transportation options, the urban support for pedestrians and cyclists, the beautiful outdoor spaces, the food (oh the food), the cheerful nature of the residents and the family-friendliness of the city. 

We saw The Cat in the Hat at the Sydney Royal Opera House.  The performance was enjoyed by each of us.  Contrary to what Jerry Seinfeld said, "Nothing in life is fun for the whole family."    

Rock climbing structure at the Royal Botanical Gardens.  The gardens are enormous and utterly stunning.  The location is beside a section of the harbor which contributes to a big sky feeling in such an urban environment.       

Beckett is in a state of bliss with so many trains and even a monorail to ride.    

Exploring with three littles feels like an extreme sporting event at times.  We all take turns being in first place and last place.      

Road Trip, Part Two

We have arrived in Sydney!  

After a trip down the coast of New South Wales and into the Blue Mountains, we are here.  At first glance, Sydney is great.  I am impressed with the urban design of this city: An abundance of outdoor spaces, parks, play grounds, gardens, metro, isolated bike paths .  . . There are even free filtered water bottle refill stations throughout the city. 

More on Sydeny to come (thoughts and photos).

Bike paths always capture my heart.

Pre-Sydney: A trip to Timbertown Heritage Park which recreates Aussie country life over one hundred years ago. 

The Lakes Way, happy on a boat.  A super coastal stop en route.

High in the Blue Mountains.  We are on a tram, funny how courageous one feels while traveling (normally heights really scare me).

A trip to the Toy and Rail museum in the quaint mountain town of Leura.  We were all ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the impressive collection of Tin Tin and Babar among many other themed toys.  No photos were allowed in the museum which is very sad because what sights there were to see!  I wanted to sneak photos but I was horrified at the thought of being thrown out and missing anything.  Surrounding the museum were model railways and delightful gardens. 

I am relieved to be so distracted by all these great sights because a severe bout of home-sickness has set in.  I miss friends so much, burritos, San Diego's lovely winter skies . . . and so much more. 

Road Trip

We kicked off our road trip through New South Wales this week.  We are making our way down the coast in the direction of Sydney.   We started in a sweet country town called Bellingen where I met up with some friends I hadn't seen in almost twenty years.  What a perfect start to a road trip, I am still trying to get my head around the fact that so much time has passed.    

Australia is chock full of adorable and unique towns.  I appreciate the lack of corporate big box stores which contribute to that "anyplace USA" feeling.  Don't get me wrong, the USA has imported plenty of the corporate brand names which are found all over Australia.  Still, there are plenty of towns that have loads of individual character.  

Friends.

I am floored again and again by Australia's beauty.

Super mosaic depicting evolution.

Aussie motel.

No road trip in Australia would be complete without a little wallaby feeding.

More from the road . . . soon.  

So Long Byron Bay

As I mentioned in my last post, we are making an exit from Byron Bay which has been a sort-of home for the past six months.  I also mentioned some of the challenges we have faced while here; I have a feeling that I'll be thinking about time spent here long after I have left.

Without a doubt, Byron Bay is beautiful and magical.  If you ever find yourself in Australia, be sure to visit Byron Bay.    

 

Getting Ready.

We are packing up and making plans.  In a few days we'll hit the road for an Aussie road trip through small towns and blue mountains.  After a couple weeks, we'll board a plane in Sydney and head across the water to Costa Rica.

The truth is, time spent here in Australia has been a mixed bag of goodness as well as big challenges. What we have loved most has also been what has been the most difficult. Let me explain, we have loved spending so much time together as a family.  We are driving each other mad because we are always together.  We love the nature we are surrounded by.  We are so isolated we are going crazy. Home schooling has been a great way to connect with the kids.  We are so tired of arguing with the kids about sitting down to do their work.  We love the fact that we can work from anywhere in the world.  Working in a different time zone and hemisphere has presented some big inconveniences.  We love this adventure.  We feel so far away, as if we are on another planet.    

See what I mean?

Additionally, the feeling of being in limbo has presented an emotional challenge: We are living here, but not living here.  Are we traveling or not?

After so many conversations, we have chosen to make a move to an old favorite: Nosara, Costa Rica. In Nosara, the older kids will attend a bilingual school (here is the school's website in case you are interested).  We will remain in Costa Rica until June or July and at that time discuss what will happen next.  

Being in Nosara will negate most (not all) of the challenging issues we have experienced in Australia. 

I will be checking in along the way and posting while on the road.