Linda Gray's Blog

It’s a jungle out there, and your pasture is no exception. There are a number of flying, biting, and crawling things that can get to your horse. Some are easy to deal with, some can be fatal. Here’s my best advice based on my experience at Rancho Tranquilo. Ticks There are so many different kinds of ticks here that you might not even recognize them on your horse. When I got my first horse here, I was stumped by a 2-inch diameter light tan scabby looking area under my horse’s leg. Imagine my horror when I learned that patch was actually a well-packed group of about 200 tick bodies all bunched up together. Are you kidding me? You can control ticks on your horse but it will take persistence and diligence in the beginning. (Note: If your horses are in a pasture with cows, tick removal will be a lot more difficult unless you treat the cows, too.) To start, you’ll need a few products, all of which are easily available and very inexpensive. • Go to the vet store and ask for a bottle of “Garrapatacida,” which is tick poison. (“Garrapata” is the Spanish word for tick.) The poison is a little bottle of clear liquid. Get yourself a small glass bottle with a wide mouth, pour about a ¼ teaspoon of garrapatacida into the bottle, and fill the bottle about halfway with water. The liquid will turn milk-colored. Keep this little bottle in your barn with your grooming supplies. • Go to the grocery store and buy a tube of Clover brand manteca (lard), found in the vegetable oil section. You want the solid, Crisco-style of Clover, not the liquid product. • Go to the pharmacy and ask for “guantes” or gloves. You can buy very thin rubber surgical gloves individually or by the box. They are very handy for dealing with ticks, especially if you’re a bit squeamish about touching them. First you will want to remove as many ticks from your horse as possible. This might take a few sessions. Ticks don’t “stick” to a horse like they do with dogs, and they tend to “pop off” much easier with no imbedded head. The key to tick removal is this: EVERY time you remove a tick from your horse, drop it in the bottle of poison. (Remember that any tick you drop on the floor becomes 1000 more ticks fairly quickly. ) If you are diligent about it, you can eventually eliminate most of the ticks on your farm, but it will take some time. Ticks on the body will be easy to spot. Be sure to check under your horse’s legs as far back as he’ll let you, under his belly, and on the neck under the mane. Next run your fingers through his forelock, feeling for “bumps.” With practice (and you’ll have plenty) you’ll begin to recognize a tick by touch alone. Check through the entire mane, feeling with your fingers and removing ticks as you find them. Then check the sides of the tail along the hairline, working your way down to the end of the fleshy part of the tail. Ears are a common place for bad tick infestations, but luckily it’s the easiest location to control. Get your surgical glove on, scoop up about a teaspoon of Clover brand lard, and smear it inside the ear about once a week. Use enough to put a good coating of lard down inside the ear, and all the way up to the tip. Ticks do not like the smell of Clover brand for some reason, and they will stay out of your horse’s ears if Clover is in there. Finally, don’t forget to remove all the ticks from your horse’s anus. This is soft, sensitive flesh and it’s in a rather tricky place to get to. Most horses are happy to have the ticks removed and will lift their tail and stand quietly while you do it. If your horse is skittish about this area, have a friend back him up to the stall door and stand on the other side of it, so that if he kicks, he gets the door and not you. You can also have a strong friend lift and hold one back leg in the air while you remove the ticks from under his tail. It’s almost impossible for a horse to kick you if he’s only standing on one back leg. If you’re removing a lot of ticks from your horse, be sure to spray the ground afterwards with a bit of garrapatacida mixed with water. This will kill whatever ticks you may have accidently dropped. I also recommend getting a little-known product called Ticked-Off. This is simply a little plastic teaspoon with a very effective notch cut into it. This amazing little invention lets you scoop up the ticks without touching them, catches their writhing little bodies in the spoon section, and lets you easily dump the tick into your handy jar of poison. ( www.tickedoff.com ) If you’re at all squeamish about handling tick bodies, this little device will save you and it’s only about $4. I was able to eliminate all the ticks from my farm by following these methods. It took about two years, however, so be patient and don’t give up. It is possible, and your horses will thank you for your efforts. Vampire Bats Probably one of the grosser members of the bat family, these pesky little guys bite your horse in places where they can’t be reached -– behind the front leg, on the back of the neck, on the tips of the ears, etc. You’ll notice a coagulated bloody trail on your horse in the morning. That’s the results of a vampire bat bite. Vampire bats come back to the same place over and over again. When they bite, they drink the horse’s blood and pee at the same time. The urine marks the spot for the bat, and allows him to come back the next night and find the same spot to feed again. Go to the vet store and ask for “Vampirisan” which is a small jar containing a pink, Vaseline-like substance. It is relatively inexpensive. A small jar will last you quite a long time. When your horse has been bitten by a vampire bat, do the following: • Clean the area of the bite with alcohol very thoroughly. Remove all traces of blood and bat pee to eliminate the odor that marks the spot for the bat’s return. • In the late afternoon or early evening, put a tablespoon-sized smear of Vampirisan over the original bat bite. (This is another great use for those surgical gloves, to avoid getting the poison on your fingers.) The bat will come back to the original location of the bite, find the Vampirisan, eat it, and die (somewhere else, thankfully). You may have to do this a couple of nights in a row to get all the bats, but generally once you kill them, they won’t come back for months. Other Parasites There are a lot of other internal parasites that can affect your horse’s health and digestion. Your best defense is offense: treat your horse for internal parasites regularly and watch for signs of infestation. A product called Invermectina is the generally accepted wormer for horses. It controls a wide range of internal parasites. To treat your horse, buy a tube of “Invermectina” from the vet store. It comes in a syringe with a small spout where the needle would go. Simply insert the spout into a corner of your horse’s mouth and push the plunger to squirt the paste directly into his mouth. You should worm your horse about every three months. If your horse is getting silver-dollar sized red weepy sores that won’t heal, he probably has another type of internal parasite. I’m not sure what bug causes these sores, but you can get a bottle of liquid invermectina, and use a syringe to squirt it on the sore. You don’t want to use this too often, but I have found it to be the only thing that stops the ”red weepy sore” bug. Snakes There are many poisonous snakes in Costa Rica. The most common is the fer-de-lance, called “terciopelo” in Costa Rica. If your horse is bit by a snake, he will appear lethargic, hanging his head, perhaps shaking uncontrollably or laying down. Check his legs, nose and underbelly for two small holes close together, oozing blood. If you think your horse has been bitten, call the vet IMMEDIATELY. If treated early enough, it may be possible to save your horse’s life, depending upon how much venom was injected by the snake. Sometimes there is nothing you can do and your horse will die. Unfortunately snake bites are rather common in Costa Rica, so always keep your vet’s emergency number handy, just in case. There is no anti-venom that you can buy and administer yourself in an emergency. You will need your vet.

Farriers have a saying, “The hooves are the horse.” Proper care of your horse’s hooves is the single most important and challenging problem for Costa Rica horse owners. The extreme weather is the biggest culprit. Six or so months of bone-jarring dry ground will cause your horse’s hooves to get brittle and crack. Then the rains come and we get another six months of slogging through mud where their feet can turn soft and mushy and be prone to infections. Yikes, what to do? Horses hooves can pick up sticks, rocks, and lots and lots of mud during the course of a single day. The easiest and most important thing you can do for your horse’s feet is to clean out his hooves every day, using a hoof pick. Use the pick to remove all the impacted dirt from the sole of the hoof, and along the edges of the frog, being careful not to dig into the soft flesh of the frog itself. Often you will find stones or sticks imbedded in the hoof, which are uncomfortable and can cause lameness. Hooves that are not cleaned out properly can easily develop infections. Hoof Treatments In addition to regular cleaning, I highly recommend using hoof treatments to counteract the effects of our harsh Costa Rican weather. In the dry season, I use a product called Hoof Flex made by Absorbine. We paint it on their hooves, inside and out, two times a week. Hoof Flex keeps the hooves supple and healthy. It has a natural antiobiotic effect that keeps infections at bay. It is difficult to find in this country, and you can’t ship it here, so ask a friend to bring it down for you. In the wet season, the locals use a product called Loción de Podal. This liquid is painted on the outside and inside of the hoof twice a week and helps harden the hoof. Do not paint it on the frog, or little “V” of flesh inside the hoof. Loción de Podal smells like formaldehyde, and stains your fingers and clothing yellow so be careful to wear old clothes. In the US, you can buy a product called Kerotex Hoof Sealer, which I have found to be the best for keeping moisture out of the hooves. I also supplement the horses feed with a powder called Hard Hoof, available in many of the farm stores and vets in San Isidro. Hard Hoof contains biotin, the substance that makes up much of a horse’s hoof, and helps keep the hooves from getting soft in the rainy season. To Shoe or Not to Shoe? It all depends on where you live, and the conditions of the roads or trails that you will be using when you ride. Rocky trails or rocked roads will do a number on your horse’s hooves. Sandy beaches and red clay roads are more forgiving. If you decide to shoe, do your horse a favor and use a reputable farrier, not your Tico neighbor “who shoes his own horses.” Proper shoeing is a science that is perfected over many years of experience. Incorrect shoeing can lead to lameness and even permanent damage to the leg muscles. You want a farrier who will trim the hoof at the correct angle, and fit the shoe to the horse’s hoof, not cut the hoof to fit the shoe (common practice here). Shoeing will need to be done every six weeks or so. If you don’t think you need to shoe your horse, you will still need a farrier to trim your horse’s hooves periodically. Horse’s hooves are like fingernails, and will grow long over time. If left too long, the hoof can crack or split, causing potentially severe problems. If you are not going to use shoes, ask your farrier to “roll” the edges of the hoof (also called “mustang cut”) to help eliminate splitting. An excellent reference book on horseshoeing is “Well Shod” by Don Baskins (ISBN 0-911647-69-4) available on Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Well-Shod-Horse.... This is a great book for learning the basics of horse shoeing, hoof care, and structural hoof problems that can be corrected with proper shoes.

Pastures and Hay Horses have very small stomachs and they require a lot of roughage to keep things moving properly. Having a good pasture is a start, but just because you have a nice looking, green, fenced-in area, it doesn’t mean it will be good for your horse. You need to learn the difference between “cow grass” and “horse grass.” Horses will not eat cow grass. You can put a horse in a perfectly yummy looking pasture and they will starve to death if it’s not the right kind of grass for them. If you’re not sure what kind of grass is in your pasture, ask your Tico neighbors; they will know the difference. If they say it is “Bryzanthia,” the most common grass in pastures, then you have problems. This type of grass is particularly hearty and difficult to get rid of. Horses will not eat it at all. If you don’t have the correct type of grass, you can buy bales of hay (called pacas) all over the country. Be sure to specify horse grass, and do not accept rice grass bales. You can hang the hay in bags for the horses to eat, or put it in a hay rack. The important thing is to keep the hay dry. When hay gets wet it starts to ferment and heat up, and can actually cause a fire. Horse Feed In Costa Rica, horse feed, or grain, is called “alimento” and you will find different types of horse feed in different parts of the country, depending on the local preference. It really doesn’t matter which one you choose, they all have the required vitamins and minerals that a horse needs to stay healthy. The feed helps them keep their weight; pasture only doesn’t provide all the nutrition a horse needs. Remember that your horse’s stomach is too small to eat a full day’s nutrition at a time. You should feed your horses grain twice a day, at least two cups per meal. If your horse is larger, increase the amount accordingly. You can add water to the feed to make a mash — it makes it easier to add supplements such as joint relief or hoof hardeners. Salt All horses need salt in their diet. This is especially important in Costa Rica because the heat and humidity causes horses to sweat so much that they lose electrolytes quickly. There is a certain amount of salt included in horse grain, but it is important to give your horse access to a salt block where he can replace the salt as needed. Be sure to get a salt block for horses, not cattle, and put it in a sheltered area out of the rain.

Do you have a horse in Costa Rica? Or are you looking to get one? After nine years of living here in the jungle with a whole stable of horses, I’ve learned a lot of little tricks to help keep your horses happy and healthy. Remember to always check with your vet when in doubt. If you’ve never been a horse owner before, there are some important things you need to know before you bring a horse into your family. Owning a horse is a commitment that is both financial and emotional. Unlike a dog or cat, you can’t bring your horse into the house, so you will need to make sure you’ve got adequate facilities to keep a horse on your property (or be able to pay someone else to take care of it for you). Location and Shelter At a minimum, your horse will need a fenced-in field, where he can graze on grass, a shelter to get out of the rain, and access to water at all times. The shelter does not have to be completely enclosed. It can be a simple open structure such as this one. Your shelter should have the following: a place to keep hay off the ground, like the raised table in this structure; a place to hang your feed bucket, and a place to put a salt block where it will be out of the rain. Identifying the Best Horse for You Once you’ve got your property ready, it’s time to start looking for the perfect horse for you and your family. To help narrow down your search, ask yourself the following questions: Who is going to ride the horse? Do you want a mellow horse for the kids, or a feisty horse for an experienced adult? Do you need a big horse or will a small one be OK for your needs? Horses tend to run small in Costa Rica, and horses can only safely carry 20% of their weight. Finding a big horse that can carry a 250-pound adult male can be a challenge. What do you want the horse for? Is the horse just for fun, trail rides, and exploring; or is it going to be used as a work horse to carry fruit out of the orchard? Do you need a horse to herd cattle? Do you want a stylish high-stepping horse for the parades or do you want a nice trail horse for getting around the farm? Once you’ve got a general idea, you can hone in on the horse that will best meet your needs. Ask around with your friends that have horses, talk to the vet, check the notices posted in town. If you’re a first time horse buyer, ask an experienced horse person to help you. Remember that Ticos do not usually sell the good horses, so be cautious and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Test the Horse Before Buying NEVER buy a horse in Costa Rica without first having a blood test (also called a Coggins test) for Equine Infectious Anemia. Infectious anemia is a common illness in horses throughout the world, and there is no cure. Here in Costa Rica, if a horse tests positive for anemia, it must be put down. The infection is like AIDS, it is incurable and leads to a slow agonizing death within a few years. It is common practice in this country to sell a horse if there is any suspicion that it might be infected. It’s a money issue, a horse is an expensive investment for many Tico families. When negotiating to buy your horse, always make the sale contingent on a negative blood test. Don’t worry about offending anyone, a Tico will respect you for insisting. You will have to pay for it, however. By law, a veterinarian has to draw the blood and run the test, and the cost could be up to $100 depending on the location of the horse. It is well worth the cost to know that your horse is healthy. Never accept the seller’s claim when he says, “We just did a blood test, here are the results,” because you have no way of knowing that those results were actually from the horse you want to buy. Since you are paying the vet to come and take the blood test, you can ask him to evaluate the health of the horse for you. He’ll listen to the horse’s heart and intestines, check his movement for lameness or other structural problems, and check the condition of his hooves.

By Linda Gray I recently read a fascinating book, Blind Reason, by Patricia Griffon. The author happens to be a friend of mine, and when I finished the book I told her I thought it would make a great movie. She said that she had envisioned it as a movie when she was writing the book, but she had no time to create a movie script from it. So I volunteered to do the scripting. I’d never done it before, but heck, I was a freelance technical writer for twenty years, how hard can it be? I went to my trusty pal, Scrivener — the absolute best author’s program IMHO. Scrivener has a scriptwriting format, which took all the guesswork out of formatting the document to screenwriting standards, which are very specific in the industry. Scripts are always written in Courier 12 pt. The top, bottom and right margins of the screenplay are 1”. The left margin is 1.5” to accommodate three hole punch paper and binding. The title page identifies the name of the movie, the author, and the author’s contact information. One page of script generally equals one minute of movie time. As a result, movie scripts should be no more than 120 pages, although 80 pages is ideal. The story is formatted into screenplay elements: Scene Heading - (all caps) identifies the location and time of day, for example: INT. - KITCHEN - DAY (action takes place inside, in the kitchen during the day) EXT. - STREET - NIGHT (action takes place outside on the street at night. The scene heading should be one line. Action - Always written in the present tense, identifies actions taken by the characters. Only things that can be seen or heard should be included in action. Character - The person who is speaking. The character name is in all caps, and immediately is followed by the dialogue. Dialogue - What the character is saying. Upper/lower case. Parenthetical - A direction for the character, like an attitude or feeling. Parenthetical are frowned upon, because it’s the director’s job to tell the actors what to do. Extension - Identifies how the characters voice will be heard on screen. For example: (V.O.) - Voice over indicates that the characters voice is heard but not spoken. Here’s an example of a correctly formatted script: When you use Scrivener or one of the other scriptwriting programs, you simply select the element you want, and the program applies the indents, capitalization, and other formatting. OK back to my project. Pay attention, this is a lesson on how NOT to do it. I set up the book on my iPad, and typed the text onto my Mac, formatting the text into the elements of the script. I had to figure out how to set up background information about a character. Sometimes this became a Flashback, or sometimes the information could be included in the Dialog. It took about a month to turn the entire book into script. However, the first script came out at over 400 pages — much too long. At that point, we started paring down the script. After four or five revisions, we were reducing the page count, but we had a long way to go. So I took a different route (which I should have done in the beginning, before I even started writing). I made an outline of the most important elements of the book, the parts that absolutely had to be there to tell the story. Then we cut out all the rest — the side stories that had nothing to do with the main plot, the characters that didn’t need to be included. By focusing on the main elements and characters of the story, I could focus the script on what was important. I also reorganized the story line so that flowed in one timeline. A book can jump around between locations and sub-stories from chapter to chapter, but a movie needs a more linear story line to keep the audience engaged. The final script that you submit to producers must be in the standard format: printed on three-hold punch paper, covered in card stock, with two brass brads (always leave the middle brad empty). Marketing the script is, of course, how you make your money. Luckily, Trish has many connections in the movie industry, so our fingers are crossed. Hopefully, my efforts will pay me back “someday, maybe” but in the meantime, I had the opportunity to learn a valuable skill that I really enjoy doing.

I finally got my butt over to the Caribbean side -- after 15 years of living in the country! Hey (or is it hay?), horse owners don't get to travel much, that's my excuse. My traveling partner, John, had lived in Cahuita for awhile, so I had a great guide to show me the local spots. We decided to make it a real road trip, and explore a bit more of the country on the way. Starting in the Central Pacific, we would take the long way -- from San Isidro over the mountains to Cartago, then down the back way through the Turrialba valley to the coast. Our return trip would be on the main highway, passing through the Braulio Carillo National Park and up to San Jose. Getting There We left early on a Sunday morning in late October. I had a cooler packed with road trip beer and snacks. The drive would take at least seven hours before we got to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast. It was a cloudy and drizzly day, but thankfully Sunday traffic was light all the way to San Isidro, where we turned onto Ruta 2, the road that would take us over the mountains. Part of the Pan-American Highway, the two-lane winding road rises to 10,800 feet at the top of the ridge before snaking back down the mountains to Cartago. Fondly known as the "Cerro de la Muerte" ("ridgeline of death") since olden days, when travelers on horseback or oxcart often died in the frigid temperatures trying to cross the pass. The views are breathtaking. Driving through the mountains, gazing into the steep and seemingly inaccessible valleys, we could occasionally spot a farm in the middle of nowhere. How in the heck do they get out there? As we kept climbing in elevation, there was a place where we could see to the Pacific ocean. If you're lucky to catch the view on a really clear day (we weren't), it's possible to see the Caribbean on the other side. The drive from San Isidro to Cartago takes about 3 hours on a good day. Coming down out of the mountains, we arrived close to 11 a.m. -- in the middle of Sunday services. No trip to Cartago is complete without seeing the famous Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, and despite our bad timing, we had to get a glimpse of the magnificent building -- with an even more interesting story. The "Lady of the Angels" at the Basilica is a doll-like figure widely believed to have miraculous powers. The legend tells of a young girl who found the doll at a spring. She brought it home, but the next day it went missing -- it had mysteriously returned to the spring. After several attempts and subsequent returns (and sometimes shedding of real blood from the doll's eyes), the figure was declared to be a holy miracle and the basilica was built around the original spring where the doll was found. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Ticos make the pilgrimage to the Basilica in Cartago, arriving en masse for the traditional services on August 2nd. Pilgrims walk from all over the country, often taking several days or a week. Many people come seeking miraculous cures, or forgiveness for past sins. Others make the walk to give thanks or show their profound love for their faith. We continued on from Cartago, via Ruta 10, driving through the beautiful Turrialba valley to the Caribbean coast. I was enchanted with the Turrialba area -- lush, relatively flat plains, surrounded by towering mountains. Unfortunately, one of those mountains is an active volcano. OK, scratch that idea. After Turrialba, the road curved down the mountain slope, through charming little towns with homes perched precariously along the hillsides. As we came out of the mountains, the entire Caribbean plain opened up in front of us -- completely flat, as far as the eye could see in every direction. "See that land up there?" John said, pointing somewhere in the distance, "that's Nicaragua." I confess, I have absolutely no sense of direction. I used to -- until I moved to Costa Rica in 2004. Before that, I lived on the coast in Massachusetts: the Atlantic coast, where the ocean is always to the east, where it belongs. My inner compass went haywire when I moved to the Pacific side of Costa Rica. I'm convinced it's because the ocean is on the wrong side. Thank goodness for Waze. We continued past Siquirres, around Limon, and there it was. My lovely Atlantic Ocean, just where it was supposed to be. Our journey wasn't over yet, though. We still had over an hour to get to our final destination, Puerto Viejo. We headed south with the traffic, the ocean appropriately on the left, where it belonged. The scenery consisted of endless fields of banana plantations. John explained that these bananas, an important export crop, had a bleak future. The all-purpose Cavendish bananas (most of bananas sold in US stores) are dying off from a blight (or something like that). So if you like them, enjoy them now, and don't be afraid to try the many other varieties of bananas that exist. Caribbean Vibes Finally, after 8 hours of pleasurable driving, we arrived at Puerto Viejo and checked into our room at the Hotel Puerto Viejo. Located within walking distance to everything, this inexpensive hostel has a friendly, laid-back vibe and comfortable rooms. Ours was in a little tower, up a set of steep wooden steps. A comfy queen mattress with decent sheets was perched up on a raised platform -- about three feet under a rather rusty ceiling fan. There was a bit of room to store our backpacks, and that was it. Not bad, as hostels go. It was clean, cozy and private...but I worried about navigating those stairs in the middle of the night to get to the bathroom. Being of one mind, it wasn't long before we walked the block or so to the center of all the action in the town. It was time for cocktails, and it was happy hour. Within 5 minutes, we were seated at a table next to the bustling sidewalk, overlooking the beach. I ordered a Margarita (two for one? Really? OK!), and John got a beer. The Margaritas were good, they went down easily. I had two more. And apparently another two more, but I don't remember those (or the slice of pizza I insisted on eating on the way home). And yes, I fell down the stairs, landing on my recently-out-of-a-cast elbow, but I wasn't feeling any pain [snort] until the next day. The first night's sleep was a bit challenging, despite my what-should-have-been comatose condition. The mosquitos buzzed around our heads all night long. For some reason, John didn't want to turn on the fan, and I'll admit, it didn't look all that safe. So we sort of wrapped up like mummies, swatting away the constant annoying buzzing, until "someone" turned on the fan around 3 a.m. Bliss. The mosquitos miraculously disappeared. Duh. The next morning, John took me to a local favorite -- a little French bakery, called De Gustibus. It was a popular place: most of the cafe tables were full. Customers were lined up, waiting to place their orders for coffee, cappucinos, and one of the delectable pastries and chocolates in the display case. Some much needed coffee and yummy pastries, consumed on a Margarita-empty stomach, gave me the sugar boost I needed for the rest of the day. We drove around, exploring some of the other towns along the coast, from Cahuita down to Manzanillo. These little beach towns were peaceful, compared to the party town vibe of Puerto Viejo. Originally we were planning on snorkeling near Punta Mala, but the weather was rainy and rather cool, and the seas were churned up from the storm. Instead, we went back in Puerto Viejo, and spent the afternoon exploring Puerto Viejo's shops -- and bars, of course. John bought a good used beach bike. I found a a wonderful line of clothes called Laura May, and bought a dress. Shopping interspersed with a beer (or Margarita) or two on a rainy day is OK by me. Puerto Viejo is a colorful, friendly little town. Think reggae music, dreadlocks, and bare feet, everyone friendly as could be to the more conservative tourists. The grocery store murals capture the essence. The taxi stand, with an adorable line of little red jitney, wait for customers near the beach. On our last night in town, we found a Sushi bar with an "All You Can Eat" special. As expected, the place was mobbed. The food was great -- and they had sake! (Do you sense a theme here?) I plan to spend more time in Puerto Viejo, there's a lot to do in the area, a fun nightlife, and a laid back atmosphere. As planned, we left early the next morning for our trip back to the Pacific coast. Our last stop in Puerto Viejo was at the beach, where we took photos of each other, standing in the Atlantic. We planned to do it again on the Pacific side, when we got home. Two oceans in one day -- how many people can say that? On the Road Again Our return trip would take us back down the coast to Limon, through Guapiles, and then up the mountains through the Braulio Carillo National Park to San Jose. From there, we would take our usual route home via the Caldera highway and coast road. Leaving Puerto Viejo so early in the morning, De Gustibus (that yummy French bakery) wasn't even open yet. Bummer. As John drove us up the coast to Limon, I looked for anyplace we could get a cup of coffee. I spied a little bakery on the highway turned out to be a great; it had hot coffee, fresh croissants, and heck that's all I needed. We paid at the counter, and picked up our order. John said, "Be careful, the lids aren't really on very well..." at the same time as the hot coffee, which I was of course holding by the lid, fell out of my hands and spilled all over me and the pavement. Great. I grabbed a dry pair of pants, and went into the bakery to order another coffee and get the bathroom key to change into something dry. Collecting my dignity, and my newly prepared coffee, one hot stained pair of jeans under my arm, I paid for the second cup and carefully took it out to the car. Sheesh. Once we got past Limon and Guapiles, the highway began climbing straight up the mountains, each turn revealing a new amazing view of the Braulio Carillo National Park. At one point, the road goes right through the mountain, in a long underground tunnel that frankly gave me a bit of claustrophobia. If we had continued directly on the highway, we would end up in downtown San Jose, with its terrible traffic. Instead, we used Waze to scoot the back way through Heredia and out towards the airport, where we picked up the familiar ride home. It was a quicker return trip, and after we settled in, we went down to the ocean for the second picture. I can now say I've put my feet in the Atlantic and in the Pacific on the same day. All in all, I wish I had gotten to spend more time in Puerto Viejo, but now that I know what to expect, I would not hesitate to return. I also got to see some areas of the country that I might want to visit someday. Stay tuned....

Rainmaker Park is a hidden gem in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica, where you can escape the heat and bustle of the beaches. Just a short drive off the highway, you can hike the nature trails through the rain forest, swim in cold mountain streams, and even take a shower in a waterfall! The hike takes about two hours to complete. We arrived at 9 a.m., hoping to avoid the rains. (Be prepared, it often rains there, even in the dry season.) There's a restaurant at the trailhead where you pay your entry fee - $20 for tourists, 2000 colones for residents. If you want lunch after your hike (for an additional fee), let them know before you head out to the trails. The lunch, a typical Tico arroz con pollo, is nothing special, but it's worth it when accompanied by the cold craft beer made right on the property by the Perro Vida Brewing company. After we signed in, we each grabbed a handy walking stick from the rack and headed out to the trails. Wearing bathing suits under our shorts, we carried just the basics: water, a towel, some snacks and a camera. The trails are well cleared and easy to traverse, even in sandals. We took a left at the first intersection and began climbing up paved steps, winding along the side of the mountain. We spotted a couple of poison dart frogs, their bright green and black pattern flashing a warning "I'm poisonous" -- look but don't touch. We kept on climbing, stopping occasionally to catch our breath and admire the view of the jungle opening up below us. As I walked along, I couldn't help but think of the work it took to build these trails -- carrying pavers and concrete bags up the steep slopes on their backs. Yikes. I know the owner, Mick, who inherited the property from his grandparents. He worked in the U.S. for a time, but had a dream of preserving his grandparents farm, so he came back to Costa Rica and built the Rainmaker Nature Park. As we approached the top of the ridge, the trail made another fork. The left fork would take us to the highest point of the trail, with a beautiful distant view of the ocean. We opted to skip the additional climb, and turned to the right, which quickly brought us to the first of a series of hanging bridges. Now, these are not my favorite part of the hike, but I will say the bridges are secure and somewhat stable, if only one person crosses the bridge at a time. (Those are my rules, not theirs.) I bumped across the bridge, clinging to the safety ropes hand over hand with each step, envisioning the scene from the Indiana Jone's movie where poor Indy hangs on to the rope bridge as it collapses under him. Finally, I got to the other side, took a deep breath, and got ready for the next bridge. Oh dear, I'll get through this, I know but .... Once you get past the bridges, the trail winds back down until you reach the river, where there is a small swimming area with a waterfall emptying into it. We were sweaty and hot by now, and this was the perfect place to strip down to our suits cool off. The water was freezing, but pristinely clean and exhilarating. The remainder of the trail leads you along the river to a series of waterfalls cascading down from the mountain top. At the bottom of the falls, you can sit in a little pool and bathe in the mist of the waterfall -- my favorite place to cool off on the trail. To get to Rainmaker Park, take the Costanera highway north from Quepos or south from Parrita. Turn at the sign to Rainmaker Park, and follow the dirt road about 15 minutes through the little villages. The road ends at Rainmaker's gate.

I've dreamed of having my own horse farm since I was a kid. Horses were my obsession -- I was constantly sneaking off to ride any pony I could find. Around age 10, I found a local stable a short bike ride away. It wasn't long before I was mucking stalls in exchange for free riding, and by the age of 12, I was leading tour groups on the trails! To get me out of the dang stable (I swear), my folks bought a farm in Western Massachusetts, where I was finally able to have my own horses. It was heaven. I had a flashy little Welsh pony/Morgan mix that I rode every day. We went to horse shows at the local fairs, riding in the saddle seat division. It was fun while it lasted, but sadly, all little girls have to grow up. Once I left for college and started working, there was no time or money for horses, except for the occasional ride on vacation. Flash forward 40 years: In 2004, I visited Costa Rica, fell in the love with the country, and went home with 200 acres of land! Finally, I was able to realize my dream of having my own horse farm, which I called Rancho Tranquilo. Over the course of nine years, many horses came my way -- about six in need of rescue, a few as gifts, and one poor guy that I won in a raffle. Eventually I had a stable of ten solid horses, and I began offering horseback tours in my neighborhood -- the gorgeous Diamante Valley, home to some of the most spectacular waterfalls in Costa Rica. For nine years, I lived in the campo, became a member of my Tico community, and participated in all the local horse traditions, like cabalgatas (community trail rides), topes (horse parades), and corre de la cinta competitions (snag a little ring at a gallop). Life was fun, but hard financially. Horses are a passion, not a money maker, ever. My book, "The Story of Rancho Tranquilo," tells all about my experiences during this time. In 2013, I sold Rancho Tranquilo, and my beautiful ponies, to a couple of horse lovers from the US. I moved to a little house by the beach in the Central Pacific, bringing just one horse: my soulmate, Ares. When he passed away, I tried to replace him with another Arab, but it didn't work out. By now, the new owners of the ranch were phasing out of the tour business, so I bought my old horses Rocky and Bozo, and brought them up to Esterillos. My neighbor gave me the use of the pasture next to my house. I built a little barn and tack room, and my ponies were in the backyard! Over the years, however, I've had a series of broken bones -- to the point where it has become the local joke.
"Linda, so good to see you. You're not on crutches this year!" I've heard, over and over. I finally came to the difficult decision to sell my horses. I wasn't riding much anymore, and they were bored just hanging around in the pasture. Just yesterday, my good boys went to their new home, at Sunrise Ranch in Guanacaste. Sandra Farnlietner runs an equestrian school for kids, and my boys will be spending the rest of their days teaching children to ride. I couldn't be happier. I've had horses for 15 years now, and while it is odd to not have them in my life, I'm not really sad. Things I've noticed on my first day of being "horse-less:" - I catch myself checking the pasture, out of habit. - Sorting out my laundry, I started the usual pile for the "barn clothes" -- oops don't need them anymore. - My barn boots are still by the front door. - My fingernails are clean. - My inner clock still thinks I'm supposed to be home to feed the horses twice a day. - I can go see sunset on the beach -- it's not feeding time anymore!

First, a bit of history: I bought the car here in CR, (in my neighborhood, no less), from a couple who brought it up from Brazil. They were working their way back to the US after a 6-month sabatical; the owner was professor of South American studies. When you bring a car into the country, you have three months to drive it in Costa RIca, then you have to either leave with the car, or make it legal in CR. The owners were going back to the US, and they didn't want to ship the car home, so they sold it to me. It still had the original Brazilian license plates. Since the car was going to be eventually registered in CR under my name, we transferred the title to my name before we dealt with customs. The sellers would pay the customs fees as part of our deal, but I would take it through the import process. Normally when you purchase a car in CR, you have to pay hundreds in transfer fees, taxes, and attorney's fees. In my case, the title transfer only required one document from a lawyer, called a Contrato de Cesion Derechos de Disposicion de Mercancias, and I didn't have to pay the additional taxes or transfer fees. OK, let's make a long story longer. Here's the process I had to follow, step by step. Pay attention, this is the important stuff! 1) Go see the customs agent, and pay him for the import taxes. In my case, it was 79.3% of the value of the car, determined by CR customs laws -- I kid you not. My car was a 2008 Toyota Rav4. If it was a new car, the duty would be 53%. This is why cars are so expensive in Costa Rica. 2) Follow a guy on a motorcycle from the custom agent's office to the storage facility in Puntarenas, and turn in the car. It must stay there until it is fully cleared. 3) Wait. Then wait some more. In my case, there was a minor paperwork glitch -- it seems that the Aduana (customs) system doesn't talk to the Migracion system, and Aduana didn't have my latest cedula listed. It had to be updated in the Aduana system before we could do anything else, and of course it was over the Christmas holidays, when everything is shut down. So I waited some more. 4) The customs agent asked for an original document called "Datos para la Declaracion Jurada del Dia," which I had to request from my lawyer. I'm not exactly sure what it was; it might have been the original of the original transfer document, but then why couldn't I have just brought the original to him, originally? (sorry..lol) 5) Wait some more. Try to be patient. 6) Finally, the customs agent calls (35 days later). My car is ready to be picked up from the customs storage facility. I found it was parked outside, under a tree, and covered in leaves and other debris. Thanks for that. 7) Now it gets even more interesting: you drive the car home with a piece of paper, that's all. During this time, if you get stopped, you can show the customs paper to the police, and give them the customs agent's card, so they can call him and verify that you're "in the process." 8) Within 72 hours, you must go to INS and pay the marchamo. 9) Once the marchamo is paid, bring the receipt and go to Riteve, who will perform the required annual inspection. They don't give you a sticker, though, because you don't have plates yet. 10) Take the marchamo and Riteve papers to your lawyer. He will file the registration for the car at Registro and... 11) Wait again. It takes three weeks for the license plates to come in. During that time, you are NOT allowed to drive your new car. Seriously. (There used to be "temporary" plates, but they discontinued them.) 12) Once your license plates come in, you take the car back to Riteve to get your stickers, and you are done. Finally. Now, doesn't that want to make you jump right into the process and ship your car from home?

One November, when my printer kicked the bucket and died, I went to my favorite electronics store, Jabes Sistemas, in Parrita. I bought a new Epson printer, but it only worked for exactly one week. It refused to restart, and it was on the day before I was leaving on vacation. I ran down to the garbage bin at the end of the street, found the trash I had just deposited, and actually found the darn receipt that I had thrown away by mistake. I brought the printer back to the store and explained the problem. They didn't have another one in stock, but said they would get one by the time I got back in two weeks. (Hm....awfully close to that "15-days-we'll keep-telling-you-until-you-give- up" syndrome, so common in Costa Rica when they don't want to tell you no.) But I had faith, the owner is a good guy who worked in the US and actually gets customer service. A rarity here. When I returned from my vacation, I called the store. "Oh yes, could you come in tomorrow at 1 pm to talk about the guarantee?" Oh oh, this might not be good. Returning things in Costa Rica is often an arduous process. To my surprise, I came in at the appointed time and talked to the owner. He made phone call, and then said "Epson is going to honor the warranty. I can have a new printer for you on Tuesday." "Tuesday?" I said, "Oh dear, that really puts me in a bind. My paperwork is so backed up, is there anyway you can get one sooner?" He made a couple of phone calls, and said, "We can have one for you tomorrow. Come on by and pick it up." Yeah! I went to the store Saturday morning, and picked up my brand new printer, no questions asked. Unheard of in this country. When I got back home and unpacked the printer, there was no fucking power cable. And the store had already closed for the weekend. Aaargh