Corn Pancakes and Coconut Juice

Yesterday, on our way to her parents' weekend home, Karina and I stopped near her house in San Ramon for lunch. All around Costa Rica, you will find small restaurants and convenience stores (or pulperias) in the space between two houses. The place where we ate is called "La Merienda." We had chorreadas, which are basically corn pancakes...smashed corn skillet cooked like a pancake or tortilla. We also watched as the owner cooked platanos on the wood burning stove.

From there, we went on to her parent's house between San Ramon and La Fortuna. They have a house in a small community named Poder. It is a gated community with about 50homes, most of which open to the common courtyard which includes a huge pool with a swim up bar, hot tub, volleyball court, two soccer field, snack bar and dance pavillion. Unfortunately, they are re-tiling the pool so we weren't able to cool off with a swim. Usually on Saturday nights, there is a dance in the pavillion but since this was Father's Day weekend, there weren't many people at Poder so the dance was cancelled. I'll have to visit again with the pool is ready and the dance is a sure thing so I can put all those salsa lessons to use!

Last night, several of the neighbors visited a the Salas' house. Naturally, all of the conversation was in Spanish. Although a lot of what was said I didn't understand, I was able to catch the gist of several of the stories and/or conversations. Since I speak better than I understand, I was pleased with this. Later, Karina and I played Dominos with her parents, finally calling it quits around 2 a.m.

Right outside the door of the Salas' house is a huge mango tree. Don Omar has rigged a mango-picking device and this morning he must have picked 30 or more mangos from the tree. I brought back 10 with me to Escazu for sweet treats throughout the week.

Miguel, a friend of Karina's family, gave me a tour of his house this afternoon. It is a very rustic home and looks like something you'd find in a special issue of Home and Garden or Architectural Digest. Nearly everything is made of natural materials and most of the furniture is made from tree roots or cross-sections.

Miguel also whacked a couple of coconuts so I could try coconut water. I was amazed at how little is in a coconut...only a small glassful. I didn't really care for it which surprised me since I love fruit juices. But, it was interesting and I'm glad I got the opportunity.