24 August 2003
YES!!!
THE
HOUSE IS FINISHED
La
Casa esta lista
La
Maison est fini
Life in Punta Uva officially began the 24th of
July and we can say: it's PURA VIDA in the very good way!!!
We're IN!
While Manuel was in Miami for a brief work visit in July, house
construction was completed. Emmanuelle and Christian basically
moved everything piece by piece over a 2 week period.
In retrospect, the wait was long and tough, but the end result
is well worth every dime, minute, sweat and frustration that we
went through to achieve this moment. Keep in mind that we have
now been living for more than a year without: Telephone, television,
internet, washing machine, microwave oven, washer / dryer, large
refrigerator, hot water, etc. Our new house comes with most of
the items above...so we are somewhat back to normal. Amazingly
enough, we finished the house somewhat close to the original budget.
We do not yet have pics of every corner of the house to show you
- mostly because it is not ALL finished. We did not know what
to put on the main steps to the house (front and back) so that
is not finished yet. Since then, we have decided with a black
slate - which we began laying this past weekend. We tried to get
quotes from locals to helps us install it and everyone was VERY
high. Well, we now know why! It is a VERY long process. In the
upstairs living quarters, we haven't put in light fixtures, paintings,
etc. In the office, we still need lots of shelve space and some
lighting. BUT, the office IS operational and that's GREAT!
Other than some unfinished items, the house is really neat. The
air circulation is perfect. We are almost never too hot since
there is always a breeze coming through the house. Our clothes
no longer small mildewy, since the closets are well ventilated.
And the installed Air Conditioner in the office has not been used
much - not needed! At nighttime, there have been several nights
when we pulled out the sweaters. We get a cool breeze from the
Talamanca mountains behind us - which creates great sleeping weather.
The views are awesome! The house faces the point (to the North)
and we have wide oceanviews to the East, North and West. To the
South is a dense virgin rainforest with massive trees - some several
hundred years old and all sorts of wildlife ranging from slothes
and monkeys to flourescent colored poison dart frogs and much
more.
I know, you are still wondering about that 'open' living room!
We have received a bunch of emails asking us what that space is
for...and now you know: it's the living room! It does seem strange
to have such an open space as a primary living space, but the
climate and lifestyle here make it very ideal. We enjoy wide views
of the jungle on one side and of the ocean on the other. The only
2 'factors' that we have to deal with are wind and rain! During
most rains, the water does not come into the house, but when the
rain comes with a strong wind, a part of the interior does get
wet. In this case, we just have to pull a little furniture and
wait till it dries...no big deal. We have not yet had the honor
of having the visit of any snakes in the house. However, birds,
butterflies, toads, ants, and a scorpion or two did manage their
way in - and back out.
Perhaps one of the most spectacular aspects of our new Life in
Punta Uva is the mornings. The sun rises at 5 am and at that very
moment, the jungle becomes alive like at no other moment in the
day. There is an amazing chaotic chorus of howler monkeys, hundreds
of parrots, toucans and numerous other birds all screaming with
joy (I think) greeting the new day. This moment lasts about 30-45
minutes every morning and has prompted Manuel to wake up early
- with the sound of nature. Maya often follows, but Emmanuelle
- well you know her - she can and does sleep through anything.
The early wake ups also create an earlier bedtime...something
we are now enjoying as well.
I
want my Internet!!!
Despite everything else, the daily trips to the Internet Cafe
shall continue. We applied for our phone line in July 2002 and
still do not have it. However, the line is available (they made
space in the junction box) and we are now just waiting for ICE
(the power / telephone company) to pull a cable from the box to
somewhere near our property. Manuel has purchased phoneline for
the property, so we are ready to connect as soon as ICE is. About
3 weeks ago, they told us within 2 weeks. This web page will be
sent from the Internet Cafe...not home. We are looking into other
options such as cell phone internet and satellite...but the high
speed satellite option so far is $$$.
We can receive telephone calls
If we do not have a telephone line, how can we receive phone calls?
Well, believe it or not, this third world country even offers
GSM cellular service to remote regions such as ours. We are lucky
because our property is high enough that we can transmit a signal
to a tower somewhere in the not too far distance. So, if you want
to call, please feel free to do so...we're always thrilled to
receive a phone call. Our number is on the Contact
Us page.
Please be aware that despite this high tech stuff we have here...it
doesn't always work! Several people have tried calling us without
success. All I can tell you is that it most often works...and
please try again. The phone is not very loud...so if you get the
answering machine...leave us a message!
Power
In our eagerness to move into the new house, we assumed that the
power would be turned on before we moved in. This in fact did
NOT happen. We spent 2-3 days in the house without power. Here's
why:
We solicited the power company for our electrical connection about
4 months ago. Long story short, we got a contractor who gave us
a price and a timeline. The power should have been installed in
a 2 week period. Unfortunately, the power company went on strike
for a few weeks. When they returned, they requested new guidelines
from the contractor (such as cement poles instead of wood poles).
They also asked us to obtain new permits (to clear some trees
for the lines) and permissions from neighbors, etc. Getting some
of these permissions from some neighbors that live in Argentina,
Italy and Canada was no easy task...Then they wanted more money...well
that was expected!
They
finally signed off on the job and the contractor showed up. They
put the cement poles in the ground...when ICE showed up and asked
that they be removed (they wanted to 'see' the poles going into
the holes). Again, long story short, we just had to remove one
and they were satisfied. Once everything was installed and ready
to 'connect', they asked for another 'deposit'. We had to go to
Limon and pay an additional deposit in order to get the power
turned on. Now keep in mind that we BOUGHT thousands of dollars
worth of poles, cables, transformers and installation time and
the moment that the power goes on, all that gets donated to the
power company. It is no longer ours (although they guarantee lifetime
service!).
The
installation includes the following:
-
7 cement poles
-
600+ meters of high voltage (20,000 Volts) cable
-
2 transformers
-
1 consumption meter
-
150 meters of above ground low voltage (110 volts) cable (size
0)
- 75 meters
of below ground low voltage (110 volts) cable
(size 0)
Since
the power has been turned on, we have lost power several times
- and once for 2 days. A squirrel or monkey was walking on the
high power line and tripped the switch! Other times, it has been
because of a downed tree somewhere down the road...but not here
...YET.
Family
Expansion - part 4
Our family has expanded with the new addition of Minet, the cat.
He is Maya's cat...and of course, she's thrilled! Marley and Ziggy
are both doing very well and growing. Ziggy almost died this past
weekend, as we think he ate a toad. He was paralyzed for 2 days
in both legs. The cat and the dogs were at first very cautions
of each other, but now they enjoy games of cat and mouse - or
rather, dog and cat!
Jake
visits Maya - again!
for the second time this year, one of Maya's best friends from
Miami came down to visit for a few days. It was just like old
times, with both kids playing like crazy. They went to the beach,
played in the yard and even took a trip to the waterfall in Bribri.
Jake had his first ever sleep over at Maya's house. Jakes parents,
Diane and Richard, also had an enjoyable time spending time with
Les Pintos and going out to a few local restaurants. One of the
restaurants worth mentioning is El Loco Natural, where a delicious
tropical menu is accompanied by some local live music - almost
every night. Well worth the visit!
Say
hello to the Jungle Wagon
And perhaps goodbye to the Jeep (sniff sniff). The Jeep has not
been doing very well...and so to avoid all the details, we opted
to get e new car. So we found a used 92 Hyundai Galloper in San
Jose...and it's quite a change for us. We can now drive feeling
relatively safe. Most important is that it seats up to 7 people
comfortably and it is perfect for trips to San Jose. Manuel actually
just got back from a day trip back and forth to San Jose to sign
a few papers and do a little shopping.
| Archived
Writings: |
| June
22, 2003 |
Happy
Birthday Maya
Francois and Erin visit
House construction
Generator Problems
Maya's school
Marley and Ziggy |
| April
22, 2003 |
House
Update
The Endless Road
Fruits of Labor
Charlotte's Web
Music Festival
Marley and Ziggy
Real Estate |
| February
12, 2003 |
House
taking shape
Maya in Miami
Getaway in San Jose
Maya begins school |
| January
11, 2003 |
Happy
New Year
Tree Trimming
Waterfall Adventure
Beginnings of a Garden
OUI OUI Update
Moved Again |
| January
10, 2003 |
Construction
Full Speed Ahead |
| November
28, 2002 |
Maya's
Graduation Day |
| November
22, 2002 |
Jake
visits Maya |
| November
05, 2002 |
Well
Well Well - the well is well
We have a road - or does it have us?
Home construction begins
OUI OUI Update |
| October
30, 2002 |
Gisele
and Marlene's Vacation |
| October
4, 2002 |
Building
plans are in
Snake in the yard
OUI OUI Update
Welcome Christain
New Wheels
Manuel in Miami |
| September
21, 2002 |
The
trucks are rolling in
OUI OUI Update
Where's the water? |
| September
14, 2002 |
Bridge
is finished |
| September
7, 2002 |
Jeep
birthday
A
new Arrival
A
day on the waters
|
| September
4, 2002 |
The
NONI plant |
| September
1, 2002 |
August
in a Flash |
| August
10, 2002 |
Tornadoes and Earthquakes |
| July
11, 2002 |
The
Road Begins....and ends |
| July
9, 2002 |
The
Container |
| July
1, 2002 |
We
Made It |
| June
1, 2002 |
We're
Moving! |
|
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