PooPaya

So, I gave Papaya a second chance. Andy Welker infamously named Papaya POO-Paya about 4 years ago in Dominical, sitting at Tortilla Flats. We were having breakfast accompanied with a fruit plate, half of which was papaya. LP, Andy and Me all agreed that this fruit is awful…Andy comparing it to a flavor combination of Poo and Swiss Cheese. “POOPAYA” he yelled! The name stuck, and the thought of poo and swiss haunt me everytime I see a poopaya, I mean papaya. Well, everything down these parts is served with limon, including fruit platters. Squeezing a bit of this lime on a banana takes it to a WHOLE other level of deliciousness, so with Shawn’s encouragement I was sure that it could help out the struggling PooPaya as well. The affection came gradually, definitely not something that happened over night – but now, saturated with lime juice, I can proudly say that I love Papaya. Papaya – you are PooPaya no more!

Julia and Drunken Iggy.

I love this town. And I love the people who live here. A new addition to town is a young married couple, Brooke and Craig, along with their two dogs. They plan on living here for the next year. Craig is real laid back and reminds me a bit of Shawn concerning his demeanor around a group of people. Brooke is much like myself, a chatty Kathy with lots of enthusiasm. Every day the high season shows more and more. Town is filling up, the highways are more crowded with lots of rental cars and there’s unfamiliar faces cruising the town. Susan and Iggy arrived yesterday and we got them settled in at the house, we played with Newman and relaxed a bit before heading back to the beach for a sunset surf. Waves were so so so small, and the lineup was surprisingly crowded. The water was a nice 80 degrees though, with a beautiful sunset in this magical beach town. Also arriving in town were two of Shawns friends from Germany…a bit jetlagged after traveling for 30hours, but stoked none-the-less. I decided that I was craving a very NON-tico meal….pork loins, with apples and mashed potatoes!! I love rice, but I needed a break- I’ve been having it with breakfast lunch and dinner, and I hadn’t had mashed potatoes in months and months. We invited the Germans over for dinner and had a meal that would make Julia Child proud (by the way, I just cracked open Julia Childs’ novel “My Life In France”. Its wonderful!). The salad was romaine with pickled red onions, sunflower seeds, raisins and dried cranberries dressed with a raspberry vadalia onion vinagrette. For dinner I roasted peeled, cored Granny Smith apples at 350 degrees for about 20minutes. They were lightly dusted with sugar before putting them into the oven. Once roasted, they were put into a bowl and honey and cinnamon were added. Oh-My-God AMAZING. I want to eat roasted apple-applesauce every day of my life. With every meal. In addition to the muy delicioso apples I made mashed potatoes from scratch. I decided to leave the meat in the MENS hands, with an emphasis on Iggy who afterall is a CHEF. All three of the men went to the butcher to pick up the pork loins, and they came back with a great story! They asked for the loin, and the butcher walked into the back. Not sure if there was some miscommunication, seconds later the Butcher returned with a huge pig leg. He pointed to the spot where the pork loin was and when Iggy shook his head up and down, the butcher got down and dirty – slicing the loin out of the intact pig leg. Talk about FRESH! Iggy seasoned the loin with just salt and pepper – searing it in a hot pan before placing it in the oven. The result…an amazing, delicious meal that was such a treat to have had in Costa Rica – the land of rice and beans. Iggy wholeheartedly said that the pork loin we got from the butcher was the best pork loin he had ever had. The meat came out of the oven, dripping with delicious juices – the perfect temperature, and the perfect cut. Shawn also agreed that it was the best pork loin he’d ever had. And Mom & Dad – I hate to say it, but I have to agree – the best, hands down. The Germans, still sleep-deprived and now full to the gills got a ride back down the hill to Soda Mary. When Shawn came back we all just hit the hay – exhausted and stuffed and ready for the next mornings surf. This brings me to present day, Friday. Shawn and I woke up at 5am, as usual. We played with Newman, made some espresso in the Bialetti - and I surprisingly surpassed my beloved Bialetti and opted for black TEA! Crazy I know, but sometimes I need to take a break from coffee to realize how much I love and appreciate it. Distance makes the heart grow fonder kinda thing. Woke up Susan and Iggy about an hour later – made them a fruit smoothie (papaya, banana and pineapple…with strawberry yogurt) and Iggy jump started his day with an energy drink. We waited around for Iggy as he putzed around the house, dilly-dallying as we waited in the truck. Finally loaded him up, poked fun at Susan for Iggy being “HER husband” and then realized that Iggy should never ever drink energy drinks in the morning – atleast when we’re around. We picked up the Germans and from Esterillos Oeste all the way to our unnamed beachbreak Iggy had the Germans in a verbal headlock. I don’t think that they quite knew how to handle someone so hyper, talkative, enthusiastic and absolutely insane – at 6:30 in the morning. Arrived at the beach and the waves were small and clean. About waist high, perfect lines, beautiful water and only a few people out down the beach. Susan hung on shore and had coffee at the one and only hotel in town. They must have thought she was a guest because they gave her coffee for free and she lounged in their lounge chairs on the beach. Ha – go Suzie! Surfed out, we packed up the car – headed home for breakfast burritos and then cleaned up to head up to Jaco for the farmers market. Loaded up on vegetables, fruits and some Amish sticky buns and then cruised back to Oeste for a much-needed nap. I was out cold, literally drooling, for well over an hour. Susan had gone down to the beach for a walk, and in the hour she walked and I slept – Iggy got trashed @ Vagos. I’m not talking buzzed, I’m talking shit-faced, random-rambling, “I’m so fucking drunk” kinda-trashed. Ayeyaya. Again we taunted Susan “Hahaha YOUR husband”. We brought Newman down to the beach with us and he played long and hard for well over 2 hours. This dog is OBSESSED with his ball. At 430 in the morning when you let him out to pee, he has the ball in his mouth. He naps with the ball, walks with the ball, and dreams about the ball when hes asleep. He swam in the ocean, rolled in the sand, played with the ball and chomped on a few coconuts. While we were at Vago’s we SKYPED Mom and Dad. We carried the computer over to the beach so they could check it out, we walked it over to Vago so they could meet the main man, introduced Newman and then everyone took turns coming up to the computer to say hello. It was great. By this time we decided that Newman and Iggy had both had a bit too much fun so we threw their asses into the truck and headed home. Having missed the fish truck, we were directed to a fish market just across the highway, about a mile from Adam’s house. Pull into a guys house, he opens the fridge to the days catch and we walked away with 5 beautiful filets (1 kilo) of Corvina for 6mil (this is about 12USD). VaVaVoom! Iggy was so drunk he just passed out but Shawn, Susan and I sat down for ANOTHER nice meal. I whipped up some salsa and guacamole to snack on and then sautéed the Corvina {salt & pepp, top with limon…amazing}, rice, black beans and a little salad. Casado. MmMm. Iggy popped his head outta the room briefly, rambled and ranted and raved about having lost his passport – stomped around and slammed doors….and then found the lost passport, under his pillow…where he’d hidden it. Susan did dishes, we played some Dominoes, laughed about the passport thing and then parted ways to read our books. It’s 8pm and it is bedtime. Buenos Noche.

Saturday afternoon, I’m a dozen pages into “My Life In France” by Julia Child and already I’m drooling, completely in awe of someone who shares my insatiable passion for good food and beverage. An excerpt:



“I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly. The flesh of the sole was delicate, with a light but distinct taste of the ocean that blended marvelously with the browned butter. I chewed slowly and swallowed. It was a morsel of perfection. …And I tasted my first real baguette – a crisp brown crust giving way to a slightly chewy, rather loosely textured pale-yellow interior, with a faint reminder of wheat and yeast in the odor and taste. Yum! We followed our meal with a leisurely dessert of fromage blanc and ended with a strong, dark café filter.”

Dear Julia Child, I love and respect you. We’ve been doing a bit of our own ‘cheffing’ around here, as I’m sure you’ve already caught on to. Tonight I believe we are having a shrimp and sausage fra diavlo pasta dish, compliments of Chef Iggy. It’s a shame that he missed out on our dinner last night, but atleast he made it up this morning for the surf. We headed out around 6am and were in the water by 6:45. Ig was a bit tired and a bit hungover, but happy to be in paradise, in beautiful waves in beautiful water. Susie got her complimentary cup of coffee at the local hotel for being such a good “guest” and we traded off some solid sized waves from this new swell. I drove there and back…no one died and there was no whip-lash which is good. I’m “relearning” how to drive the truck (1973 Toyota Land Cruiser w/ no power brakes and no power steering). We’ve had a tranquilo afternoon, trying to stay out of the intense sun and heat that Costa Rica sends with all her fury. It’s usually safe to reenter the sunshine around 3 or 4. Susan of course is outside baking herself like a roast in the 100degree blazing sun. Iggy just left to try his luck at fishing, and Newman and I have been coming up with a yoga routine for this Monday’s class. Shawn and I both came to the agreement today that Newman is officially the best dog ever. Literally. The BEST DOG EVER. He cuddles me in the morning, lies alongside my mat when I do yoga, eats the leftover fruits and veggies, and listens to everything I say. The three of us are going to head down to the beach pretty soon to meet up with Sue and Ig, throw the ball around a bit and maybe have a club soda. Life is tough in paradise.

Newman.

Livin' In the Hills of Esterillos.

Jan 20th:

Adam left today. It is Wednesday January 20th. He will be returning around the first of March. He left his best friend in the whole world under my care, Newman….a decent sized golden retriever/Chesapeake bay retriever mix. Newman is smart as hell, loving, adorable and fierce. He doesn’t miss a beat, and that includes unwanted people walking down the street afterhours. I feel very safe in Adam’s beautiful home protected by his beautiful dog. As soon as he left I opened all the windows, cleaned the bathrooms, the kitchen, the floors, the fridge and the porch. Newman just followed me around, posting up wherever I was cleaning at the moment. Decided to take a break this morning from surfing, and just focus on some rest and putzing around the house. Shawn is leaving in one week to join Adam on a journey from Houston, Texas down through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua all the way to Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica. SO, Shawn had to get some ducks in order as well. It’s not ALL fun and games in Paradise….

Went to CrackHoe this afternoon. Oh, did I say “Crack Hoe”? I meant to say JACO. Anyways, did some food shopping and stopped for a treat at the Fish Taco bar. They have ginormous, delicious, refreshing Limonada’s and kickass hummus with fresh baked pitas. Came home just in time to unload the groceries, play with Newman and give Newman a bath. “A bath?” you ask…yes, well Newmans only bad habit is running away after monkeys that live in the backyard. Sure enough, Shawn let him out, he sees a monkey and off he went into the jungle. That friggin bastard, I was ready to kill em! He came back, with his favorite ball in his mouth, wagging his tail – completely out of breath and soaked…filthy from head to tail. Lucky me, my mother is a dog groomer – so I have some skills when it comes to cleaning a dirty dog. Now, not only was Newman happy because he had chased a monkey, but he still had his favorite ball in his mouth and he was nice and clean (this dog loves baths. I know, odd). Went for a sunset surf and was delighted with perfect waist high peelers…no one else out except for me, Les and Vago. We took turns in the lineup for a while before people caught onto our good time, 20 tico kids paddling out and some gringos too. An ice cold club soda (with a glass of ice and limes) and then Shawn and I hauled ass back to the house for SHRIMP FRA DIAVLO. I sautéed the shrimp in garlic, onions, olive oil, salt + pepp, and some cayenne and red pepper flakes. Some diced tomatoes and a dash of pasta sauce and we were ready to rumble. Shawn left shortly after for Poker (Wednesday nights are poker nights @ Mike & Marthas…5Mil buy in). I stayed at the house to hang with Newman and Shiva Rea. Shiva Rea is a GODDESS in the yoga world…basically trailblazing FLOW YOGA. I watched her DVD Lunar Flow Yoga and looked for some inspiration for tomorrows 10am class. I’m struggling a bit with the conflict of teaching to a very varied group of yogis. Some are VERY new beginners, others very experienced veterans. To flow or not to flow? This is the question…. I think that Shiva may be a bit too eccentric and flowy for the Soda Mary boys, but who knows, maybe with time they will grow to love it like I do. Wish me luck. Namaste.


Jan 21st:

Surfed this morning at a beach break close by that will remain unnamed. It was perfect, clean and shoulder high (this is measured by SHAWNS shoulders, not mine). There were 3 people in the lineup for as FAR as the eye could see. Literally. Cam, Shawn and Me...and no one else in either direction for miles and miles. Pura Vida. Came home, ate a shrimp taco for breakfast, played with Newman and then headed down to da ghetto to teach Yoga @ VAGOS. Had a huge crew come out and Susan and Iggy rolled up during class. Woohooo. Town is filling up, tourists are pouring in, and HIGH SEASON has begun!

Help In Haiti.

It's been difficult to grasp the magnitude of devastation currently in Haiti. There are already 100,000 dead and the number is rising every day. In this voodoo-infused country where burial ceremonies are sacred, the dead are just being thrown into mass graves....unidentified. When the tsunami hit asia several years ago, efforts were taken to photograph the dead, in hopes of identifying them later for family, friends and records. This is simply impossible in Haiti, due to the concentration and sheer greatness of destruction. In the hours, days, weeks and months to come people will die of starvation & dehydration. There is and will continue to be looting and murder and mayhem. The severity of it all leaves me feeling so helpless, as I'm sure many of you are also experiencing. The least that I can do at this moment is to send money, along with my personal prayers. My dear friend Sven Peltonen is an Atlantic City Fireman and Brigantine Beach Patrol lieutenant. Many of you know him also as my fellow musician, accompanying me on the djembe...always bringing an alive, positive energy to every show. Sven has gone so far as to fly to Dominican Republic and cross the border into Haiti with any and all supplies that he could rally. He is helping out at an orphange, working alongside doctors and nurses. It takes great courage to walk into the face of this monster...something I know that I should do, but am simply too afraid to go. So, bless all of the lost, injured, devastated souls ... and may the volunteers be safe and swift. Hug your parents, hug your dog, be thankful for the food you eat and the home where you sleep .... it can all be taken away in an instant.

We love you Sven.

Millions of people are homeless, missing or worse. And they need your help. There are many ways to donate money, including through the Daily News Charities Inc.

Here is a list of organizations which have been highly rated by the American Institute of Philanthropy through which you can aid those in need in Haiti:

• Action Against Hunger
• American Jewish World Service
• American Red Cross
• American Refugee Committee
• AmeriCares
• CARE
• Catholic Relief Services
• Church World Service
• Doctors Without Borders – USA
• International Medical Corps
• International Rescue Committee
• Lutheran World Relief
• Medical Teams International
• Mennonite Central Committee
• Mercy Corps
• Operation USA
• Oxfam-America
• Project Concern International
• Save the Children
• Salvation Army
• UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief)
• World Concern (Program of Crista Ministries)
• World Vision

To donate money through Daily News Charities Inc., which will send every dollar directly to relief organizations who are leading the rescue and recovery efforts in Haiti, please send your check, cash or money order to:

Daily News Charities Inc.
GPO 3309
New York, NY 10116

Make your check or money order payable to: Daily News Charities Inc.

Panamanian Paradise

Juan and his cow.

In the mountains of Panama the weather reminds me of Fall on the East Coast. Cool in the morning, warm during the daytime, cool as the sun goes down and cold just in time for bed - so you can cuddle up under a big blanket. There weren't as many bugs as there are here in Oeste, but the few that were there found me. I promise you, if you don't want to get bitten by any bugs - then take me along with you. They flock to me like bees to honey. I had some big welts on my legs and arms, but it was well worth my few days in paradise. The cows, the macaw, the dogs, the river, the views, the food, the family -- made for an epic trip. Our last night in town Spike & Wendy had us over for a lovely dinner at their house, and it felt right at home. Here are just a few photos from our time away. Enjoy.

On Saturday we made a huge brunch, all with food that we had gathered from Juan's farm.



We did Yoga (and so did the Macaw)

Amoung the things we found on the farm, there were these purple bananas. They are not tasty, at all, they smell like cucumbers and are filled with a bunch of black seeds.

Our Group. Juan, Spike, Corralia, Jeni, Larry, Pat, Wendy and Me. GOOD PEOPLE.

African Mountain Man, In Panama...

Juan and his "pretty cows"...yes, he has ugly ones as well.

Wow.

Let me rephrase that... WOW.

Juan was born and raised in South Africa. He conducted Safari's in Africa, most of his clients very wealthy Americans. Due to his involvement in political rallies in his youth, he was forced to flee the country. Years prior on a Safari he had met a very successful accountant, who worked for Hugh Hefner, Van Halen, so on and so forth. He left Africa and arrived in a very foreign, wild place.... L.A. His accountant acquaintance got him a job working for Hugh Hefner...taking care of his wild, African animals he had in his backyard. Ha. Juan later became a very successful contractor in the northern L.A. area, creating quite a name for himself and making a good amount of change. Having finally decided that he was done with the rat-race and wanting to reconnect with the nature that filled his youth, he did some research and ended up in Panama. *might I also mention that slicing off all of his fingers of his left hand also had something to do with him leaving the intense American workWorld. Present day...John has an amazing farm, two in fact, with cows that cuddle him, a horse that he doesn't ride whom he only hangs out with, and 3 very funny very eclectic dogs that worship him. He has a river in his backyard and mountain upon which it runs. He grows lentils, eggplants, oranges, naranjillos, grapefruits, avocados, coffee, watercress, dasheem, sweet potatoes, and so so so much more. He makes a mean cup of coffee, so good that I won't even hold the fact that he uses a COFFEE machine against him. He lives a very simple life, in a very simple house. He loves good music and has a passion for his animals. Somewhat of a recluse, I would say his closest friends are the family which live on his property, whom I think he would go so far as to call his own. So refreshing, so delightful and such a treat. We are staying at such a special place...I still can't believe that Juan has been so generous as to share his slice of heaven with us...a loud, rowdy crowd from Oeste, who start drinking rum at noon and have no problem moving right into a home that is not our own. Though it may be a bit more than he bargained for, I think my new quiet mountain man amigo has been thoroughly entertained.


We are having QUITE the adventure thanks to Juan. These damn mountains are just so damn charming, they enchant me more and more with every clean, fresh breath that I take and the beach is seeming such a distant thought. Who knows where the next few years will take me, and in the meantime, I'm just enjoying the ride.

Juan, Larry, Jenny and Boki the Macaw.

Don´t Wear Shorts In Panama.

We are here in Panama. Larry, Jeni, Pat and Myself. It was somewhat of a mini-journey to get here, but we arrived. Surprise, it´s festival week. Town is packed, lodgings are all full to capacity, and the party goes long into the night. The festival: it´s for Flowers & Coffee. I didn´t know that flower and coffee fans were such partiers, but hey - we are in central america...any excuse to drink is fully exploited. I feel lost without my Lonely Planet Panama book - I swear, these books are as valuable as gold when you are traveling in a foreign country that is, well...foreign to you. Found a cute eclectic totally random hostal to stay in last night. It was a tad cramped, Pat and I sharing a twin bed, Jeni in a twin next to us...Larry bunking up with two guys across the hall. I party outside went long into the night, and it was as if the very festival were in our own room. I slapped on some headphones and drifted off to sleep. The ladies weren´t as lucky and had a rough nights sleep. The good thing about our random abode is that it has HOT water. I´m talking scolding fucking hot, hotter than boiling water. And if it´s not boiling hot, it´s ice cold. All in all though, I was stoked to have a hot shower - because it is COLD here. I packed for a tropical location, silly me...no pants, only shorts...but thankfully I threw a pashmina and a long sleeve cardi in my bag right before I left. We went out to dinner last night and for a stroll through town and I wore shorts. Not a good idea. I was getting stares from old ladies, young men, little children and mama´s hauling around their army of kids. Bah. Goddamn shoobie! Who knows, maybe they were staring at me because I had mascara all over my face? The mirror in our bathroom is for someone who is about 6 feet tall....standing on my tippy toes I can barely even see the top of my head.

The plan was to go horseback riding today and to the hot springs, and tomorrow to go white water rafting - though I think that plans have now changed. Pat has a friend who lives up in the mountains, about an hour or so from where we are now. She thinks he would be hospitable and let us stay at his house. It would be nice...I doubt that there is a loud drunken music flower-coffee festival going on in his backyard that would require ear plugs and a strong dose of Nyquil.

How To Clean A Yoga Mat

Our "Yoga Studio" at Vago's isn't the cleanest place in the whole world. Yes, I sweep. I sweep, I sweep, I sweep. None-the-less there are sandy dogs and sandy people who walk through there every day. I have been hosing down yoga mats after every session, but it doesn't quite seem to do the trick. I did some research and found out some good ways to make your mat squeaky clean...

1. Add 3 drops of tea tree oil, two drops of peppermint oil, and two drops of lavender oil to distilled water. Mix thoroughly and place the solution in a spray bottle.

2. In a spray bottle, filled with distilled water, combine 1 tablespoon witch hazel (antiseptic) with 2 or 3 drops of grapefruit seed extract (anti-fungal) and a total of 10 drops of essential oils. You can use just one essential oil, or a combination of 3 or 4. Recommended combinations are: tea tree oil (anti-fungal), lavender (antibacterial and relaxing), citrus or sweet basil (energizing), lavender chamomile and vanilla; coconut grapefruit lime, chamomile and ylang ylang; tea tree coriander thyme and chamomile.

3. In a spray bottle, combine one part water, three parts white vinegar and a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

Wastin' Away in Margaritaville

Yoga Class, Yesterday Morning. Too much fun and way too funny. In the class were the Texas Boys {Pelon, Diaz, and Steve}, Soda Mary Crew {Brett, Adam, Les, Lee, and Shawn}, the Lovely Ladies {Pat, Jeni, and Maria} and some newcomers {Andy, Reds, and Johanna}. Boom. 14 students, not bad. For some the class was a bit advanced, and for a few it was a bit slow - but all in all, I stressed to work at your own pace and listen to your body. Slow it down if necessary, and take it to the next level if you'd like. Adam complained about his balls a few times, and Lester Earl made some fake fart noises when we were all in compromising positions, but Zen was essentially attained during our 10 minute Savasana {when there were THANKFULLY no trash trucks}. To follow-up our early morning yoga session, we trekked down to the semi-secret spot for a mid-morning surf session. No bueno. Long walk, long paddle out, just so-so waves....I almost died on the walk back, with the sun beating down on me without mercy. We made it back to Adam's and I whipped up some breakfast burritos. Tortillas with beans, scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, jalapenos, tomatoes and sliced cabbage marinated in lime with cilantro. VaVaVoom, life is good. Early evening the whole rowdy crew headed up to Vago's amazing house on Canada Hill, with a beautiful view of the surrounding coast and a fancy-schmancy pool. Les brought up his Jimmy Buffet signature "Margaritaville" margarita machine and goddamn, it was a party. As the night continued on and we ran out of fresh limes he began using anything at his disposal...OJ, pineapple juice, and even lemon-lime gatorade. Lagarto was manning the grill - cookin up some sausages, chicken and burgers...all that were topped with Margot's outstanding, so delicious, lick-your-fingers-good homemade bbq sauce {margot is vago's beautiful wifey}. We were loading the grilled sausages onto hotdog buns with pickled jalapenos and some of Margot's sauce....oh-my-sweet-jesus. By 730 it was approaching my bedtime, so I fell asleep in a huge tub {like the ones we use for tubing in the back bays @ home}. Adam woke me up and drove us home in the golf cart, and I fell asleep the second I walked in the door. This morning I was up at quarter after 5, put on my headphones and some Bonobo, and did YOGA. I was just about finished, lying in reclining bound angle, when I hear Adam rip a LOUD fart. Yes, his fart was so loud that I could hear it outside, through a closed door, and over the music pumping through my ipod. At that time I wrapped it up, came inside, and all of us caffeine junkies sat around sipping cafe and making "TO DO" lists for the day and the upcoming week. Without a "TO DO" list, nothing seems to get done....

Anyways, we are all sittin around Soda Stinky at the moment, gettin ready to go to Tres Piscinas {a nearby waterfall}. The cars will be loaded to the top with people and lots of beer, and we may even make it to the Tilapia Farms. Tonight is a pool party and BBQ @ Reds' condo. He is whippin up some shrimp and fish, and making the fixings for tacos. Wooohooo, I can't wait for a night of rest.

Back In The Groove

Well, its taken me a few days, but I'm back in the groove. Readjusted to paradise. Surfing twice a day until my arms ache, my shoulders are burning and my lower back is about to break. I stretch, I rest, I replenish {breakfast at margaritas}. Staying at Adam's house...making dinner every night, hanging with his wonderful dog Newman, and listening to some good music - and did I mention drinking lots o espresso from my new big Bialetti?! Had yummy chicharones and my FAVORITE, club soda, at Vago's today, all of the local dogs begging at your feet for some handouts. Hanging out at Soda Mary right now - had a hootenany last night, music music music and lots o beer. I'm trying not to drink, Brett twisted my arm into having a few yesterday. His Texas Boys are in town and they are wonderful : DAD...you are going to LOVE these gentlemen. As soon as you're better we are going to Texas and we are going to kill things {everything from fish to pigs} and we are gonna eat and drink and LAUGH, because you do A LOT of laughing with this fun and rowdy crew. Today I was put on the MARDI GRAS board, organizing the big festival in town. Been trying to work out the details for places to stay for the people who are coming to town, and sending out emails trying to rally people to come and visit {this is surprisingly harder than youd think}. I have yet to get a sunburn, which my pops would be proud of...but with this said, I look like some pale shoobie. Mechanic was supposed to come to fix the truck today, and surprise surprise he didn't show up. Maybe Manana....

Headed to Jeni's house on the hill for a BBQ, I made some Salsa and the boys are bringing burgers. I imagine that with a few more beers {the guys have been drinking since breakfast} that there will be some nude cannonballs in Jeni's pool. Lucky me, or should I say lucky YOU, I remembered my camera today....

Noah Da Flame

Noah, Taylor and Me...Que Nivel, Dominical, March 3rd 2009
I met Noah last year in Dominical on my birthday. He is really great friends with my friend Taylor, who owns the bar Que Nivel in Dominical, and she hosted my 22nd birthday party there last March. Anyways - Noah is a really wonderful person and a FABULOUS musician. He is a reggae-man! Noah recently signed with a Jamaican label, and he has the music circuit in Costa Rica in his pocket. The beauty of Noah's music and what makes him different from other reggae musicians around here is that he doesn't write about guns or drugs or screwing chicks...he sings about love and life and the beauty that surrounds us. Anyways, haven't seen Noah in a year - and go figure, I'm walking down the street towards the beach and Noah pops his head outta the car and yells "CAILIN!". Ha. What a small world. We sat down, caught up...talked mostly about music and surfing. It was such a treat to run into him, and hopefully he will be on the radio near YOU someday soon (hes already on the radios around here). Check him out, I know you'll love it.

Tio Pelon

So, I'm back in Esterillos Oeste, and I made it just in time to meet the infamous TEXAS BOYS. One of these special gentlemen is TIO PELON {also known as "Drew"}. Today we went surfing and on the way home we started talking about women. Well, the rest of the guys were jabbering on about ladies-talkin some shit, when Pelon chimed in about his luck:

"I grabbed a good one outta the mix and held on tight".

Cheers to Pelon and his wifey...I love to hear about a happily married couple, which are a rarity!

Carpe Diem 2010!

Wow. I was just looking through my photos and I have had an AMAZING year. 2009 treated me so well, and I'm sure that 2010 is going to be great as well. My mantra this past year has been ENJOY LIFE...EVERY DAY, and that's exactly what I've been doing - well, trying like hell! Last January I rung in the new year at Fred & Bridgette's beautiful home in Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica. There was the beautiful Jeni throwing fire, the AMAZING band - Aaron Nazrul & The Boom Booms, and little did I know that from that night on I would have a wonderful, supportive family in the people of Oeste. I spent the following months surfing and eating and discovering my intense passion for YOGA. Taylor who owns the bar Que Nivel in Dominical hosted my 22nd birthday party and the whole town came out for it! When I came home to the States, Shawn and I worked on us, staying warm and finding an apartment. We ate and took mini-trips to Philly for vietnamese food and DiBruno's. I had some amazing shows with Christian and Sven at Coffee.Comedy throughout the season, and I learned how to finger-pick on the guitar. I became close friends with the lovely and wonderful and generous Jim and Eileen. They gave me the confidence in myself to teach yoga, and I was blessed with the opportunity to teach yoga 3 times a week at their home in Ocean City. I worked my ass off, sometimes to the point of a mini-meltdown...tears and all {sorry for this Shawn!}, but I made a bunch of money and used that to fuel a fun filled winter. The fall I spent surfing as much as possible, Shawn being my personal wave forecaster, and Jeff Pace being the motivation to put on a wetsuit. We had great waves this fall, and almost every evening was spent hanging out with my family and eating...a lot. I spent several days on the vineyard at Natali...picking grapes, drinking wine andeating good food. I felt a love towards the grapes and discovered a new respect for the process that goes into producing wine. November took me to an amazing adventure in Ecuador, with the amazingly adventurous adventurer, Pat, My "PIC" {partner in crime}. I got sick in the jungle-had to leave early and get a shot in the butt, drank beer floated with vanilla ice cream and fresh pineapple, ate a plate of Chugchucara, and made some amazing friends along the way {ie BAR from Israel}. I rode a horse up to the tippy top of a mountain in Banos, drank straight from a stream bubbling out of the earth, biked 60km down a mountain, and soaked every night hot baths, one that was 118 degrees fahrenheit. I sailed through the majestic Galapagos Islands aboard a hundred year old wooden sailboat, logging amazing experiences and makin great friends. I returned to Costa Rica, blessed with a beautiful house to watch for a month and a community supportive of my desire to share yoga {thanks to vago for letting me have classes at the bar, pat for being my cheerleader and for my wonderful dry-erase board, and for all of my dedicated students!!}. I had to return home to the States for Christmas for personal matters. My Dad discovered that his brain tumor {first discovered 8 years ago} began to grow, and that immediate action needed to be taken. The tumor is inoperable, and can only be treated with chemo and radiation. Shawn flew home with me and I've now spent the holidays with my family. I've always known how important my parents are to me, but this has made me realize even more how fragile life is - and how you need to be thankful EVERY day for the people in your life. Since the discovery of my fathers situation, we have received endless support from family, friends and even acquaintances. With their love and support we are bound to beat anything that comes across our path. 2009 - you have been wonderful: insightful, challenging, upsetting, exciting....lets hope 2010 is just as great.

“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.”

Here are the highlights of 2009....some choice photos that I felt were necessary to share. Check them out - and play them as a slide show! (I'm told that you need to put in a password: the password is: cailincallahan)

Click here to view photos

wander.

Not all who wander are lost.

2010...Yoga.

Today, New Years Day 2010, the only mail that I received was YOGA JOURNAL. It's a sign. 2010 is going to be filled with Yoga, and more Yoga!

Happy New Year.