CATCHING THE BIG ONE

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:25-04:00 July 24th, 2013|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , , |

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: Fresh Mahi Mahi— $4.54 per pound

In the distance I see Las Catalinas’ Islands; it’s one of our destinations today. The Costa Rican captain of our vessel, WetAssII, navigates each wave with precision.  He anticipates each swell before effortlessly maneuvering the boat so that we barely feel the dips that can often lead to seasickness. This is actually turning out to be a smoother ride than most roads in this country.

As we race across the sea, a pod of dolphins leap out of the water and play along the side of our boat. They turn their heads to look up at us, and I’m tempted to reach down and touch their fins. As I lean in closer they all dart away. If we weren’t planning on fishing, I would jump into the ocean after them.

Fishing in Costa Rica is so much more than just catching a big one. Once you are a mile offshore, the view is breathtaking. The early morning clouds kiss the mountaintops before the unforgiving sun rays chase them away. This is my favorite part of the day.

The owner of the boat, Vicky, supplies us with a cooler of drinks, munchies, and sashimi straight out of the ocean. Our goal is to catch enough fish for dinner and to also share with the caption and crew. I’ve learned from living here to take just what I need. I find that the more I apply that principle, the happier I become.

Before heading back to shore we stop at a remote beach to snorkel. The coral is home to thousands of fish, all of which don’t seem surprised to see us. I’m always amazed to find that there are still unspoiled spots left on this planet. My husband is careful not to touch any coral while he takes pictures of this underwater Shangri-la.

Mankind spends much of its energy trying to obtain the unobtainable: lost treasures at the bottom of the sea or hidden scrolls in the deepest caverns. We search for the connections to our past as a way to explain our present and predict our future. I find many of those answers are hidden in the perfect day. And I just had one in Costa Rica.

www.wetasssportfishing.com

SAND SWIMMING

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:27-04:00 April 12th, 2013|Categories: Nature|Tags: , , , |

Costa Rica Fishing

Costa Rica Costa Of Living Update: Used 18-foot pongo, including a 40 HP Yamaha two-stroke outboard motor with trailer— $6500

“You have to jump and swim to shore,” my friend Ian said. This is not what you want to hear when out on a leisurely fishing trip. Oddly, this is happening more and more frequently. While living in Costa Rica, the phrase “you have to jump overboard” seems to be as common as, “Hey, let’s investigate that bat cave.” I’m never wearing the appropriate footwear on either occasion.

We were bringing Ian’s  boat back to the coast, where we unwisely unloaded it off the trailer just a few hours before. (This was not off a paved decline like I’m used to in New Jersey, but rouge style straight off a sandy beach.) It was only until the swells picked up that we realized bringing it back in would be problematic. The sea was ugly that day my friends.

In an attempt to not let the only waif-like individual—one who would surely add nothing to this endeavor except unwitty banter— get pinned between a runaway boat and trailer positioned on the beach, I was instructed to jump overboard and swim to shore. Or perhaps they just wanted to get rid of the dead weight. I’ll never know. Either way, I couldn’t see any upside in remaining alongside my husband, so I jumped off the boat—port side to be exact— with the dexterity of Steve Martin.

With so much adrenaline coursing through my veins, I swam unlike ever before. I often use my long perfected doggie paddle maneuver whenever dumped into the sea, but somehow I convinced myself to outstretch my arms as a normal person would who didn’t want to end up at the bottom of the ocean.

I must have no concept of my surroundings since, after a few minutes, I found myself  swimming on land. I actually beached myself. As my belly sunk further into the sand, I was still outstretching my arms in a pumping motion that could easily be described as a cross between a side stroke and someone having an unfortunate grand mal seizure.  This actually drew a crowd and I was glad I could entertain the tourists around me. If I recall correctly, I might have turned over and did the backstroke. I’m sure I heard applause.

It appears I invented a new sport… sand swimming. I can attest that it is a great cardiovascular activity, and can be performed for a good seven minutes before a small child runs up and says, “You need help lady?”

As for the boat, that’s a whole different story. Maybe I’ll leave that one for the next book. In the meantime, I’ll just keep smiling.

 

MORE WAYS TO BE FRUGAL

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:35-04:00 December 15th, 2011|Categories: Cost of Living|Tags: , , |

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: 1.1 pounds of catch of the day- $3

 You can’t get fresher than this—my local fish market is right on the beach. We came across these men after taking a nice sunset stroll.

“What do you have today?” Rob asks.

“Grouper, but come tomorrow morning before 10 and we will have more things available,” the fisherman says. “It’s always fresh. Just yesterday we had lots of red snapper.”

I like the idea of buying off them directly;  there are not many mom and pop operations in the states anymore.  It’s one of the things that makes living here so great, supporting the local businesses and keeping the money flowing in the community.

Next time I stop by I’ll look for the guy giving me the thumbs up. I know he’ll have something great waiting for me in that blue container.

SPORT FISHING IN COSTA RICA

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:56-04:00 March 8th, 2011|Categories: Tourism|Tags: , , , |

Costa Rica Cost Of Living Update: $100/person for trip to Corcovado National Park with some fishing thrown in

We decided to go from Puerto Jimenez to the entrance to Corcovado Park by boat.  Since the ride takes two hours to get there, my husband convinces the captain to let us and our two friends throw a few lines in the water.

Within ten minutes we catch our first fish only a few hundred feet from shore. “It’s a big jack,” says our captain. We end up catching a few more, including a rooster fish. All were thrown back except the last one; we cooked him over a fire on the beach.

It was a great way to squeeze two tours into one. And a great way to hear me scream “IT’S HUGE” at a decibel level rivaling that of a dolphin (I get very excited when I go fishing).

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