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On the Way This post will begin and end with a personal declaration of appreciation for my wife and her driving aptitude. From the winding roads in the Nicoya Peninsula, through the narrow lanes around La Fortuna, Ramona was on her way to covering a thousand or so kilometers in the drivers seat through uncharted territory, in a foreign country, where streets and motorists are not considered to be especially manageable. Through it all, she kept positive and on her game, allowing our traveling companions to stay relaxed and be engaged in the Central American scenery, and providing me an opportunity to complete some programming workRead More →

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Making our way from the Nicoya Peninsula, Ramona and I arrived in La Fortuna with her parents, rounding out the end of their trip with a few more happenings in the area, before welcoming numerous other guests to Costa Rica, all in La Fortuna. Yup, this was a busy time. El Castillo On one of their last days in the country before returning to the states, Ramona’s parents Donna and Troy drove with us to El Castillo (The Castle). The tiny volcano village consists of no more than a few shops or attractions, a few restaurants, and some exceptional views of Arenal. The location isRead More →

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Getting Started As February neared an end, and my ski trip back home in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan concluded, I returned to Costa Rica, flying back into San Jose. On the long drive from the airport, I conversed with my cab driver entirely in Spanish, which felt great after not having touched the language in about a week. Goodbye white snow, ski slopes, and IPAs. Hello heavy traffic, palm trees, and Imperial. At around the same time on this day, Ramona’s parents Donna and Troy, flew into the same San Jose airport, ready to begin an incredible three week vacation, immaculately planned for them by theirRead More →

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While spending the majority of the year in the warm Central American climate, I was afforded the opportunity to jet back home to Madison for a brief spell in February of 2018, after settling in San Jose, Costa Rica for a few weeks. The goal of this quick trip was to continue a tradition that has been like clockwork for eight years running: skiing at Mt. Bohemia in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’d like to provide only a rapid synopsis of this year’s trip, as well as the experience as a whole, which has maintained a remarkable consistency each year starting in theRead More →

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As the sun set on our time in Panama, Ramona and I boated back to the mainland from Isla Colón, saying goodbye to the islands of Bocas del Toro. From the port town of Alimante, the two of us boarded a shuttle alongside a number of other tourists, heading toward the Panamanian/Costa Rican border. Our destination: Puerto Viejo, to meet up with Ramona’s friends Shannon and Krystal, the four of us hoping to enjoy the better part of a week on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. The group had to wait for a while before embarking for the border; the initial shuttle broke down,Read More →

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Hitching a Ride to Bocas del Toro Hours before embarking on a packed Panama City bus for a 12 hour long overnight bus ride toward Bocas del Toro, a feeling overcame me, like a literal punch in the gut. A day or so earlier, Ramona had become violently ill, forcing us to cancel a “goodbye” evening with some friends from our apartment off of Balboa Avenue. As I finished work and loaded up my bags, I started to feel uneasy, with my stomach growling and turning itself inside out. It appeared I had been stricken with some “light” food poisoning, or in the best caseRead More →

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After our month-long French connection in Montreal and Quebec City, Ramona and I spent the holidays in company of our families in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This included the annual trek my dad, brother, and I make to Lambeau to watch the Packers take on some unworthy opponent (the score was not in our favor this time). During this time, we returned to Madison for a spell, where Ramona and I were able to reconnect and share time and stories with friends. This also afforded me a few days to catchup with my coworkers in the office, as we stayed nearby in a bed and breakfastRead More →

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While hatching our November and December plans, before deciding on Montreal, Ramona and I had for a time debated lingering in Quebec City for that duration instead. After researching and waffling between the two, the consensus we arrived on was that Montreal was a bit larger, a bit less French speaking (better for those of us who weren’t learning the language), with more entertainment options. We were decidedly intrigued enough with Quebec to immediately follow the purchase of our Montreal flights with the procurement of train tickets to the provincial capital for a long holiday weekend during our stay in Canada. So, our third weekend in Montreal, we roseRead More →

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Brrrr. This was my first thought when stepping outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport to hop into my brother-in-law’s car in the middle of November. After that cold, rude awakening, however: only relaxation. Ramona and I were back to being midwesterners for a little while, which meant spending time with our families during the Thanksgiving holiday, swapping stories, and stuffing ourselves with holiday meals. Shopping for supplies was necessary during this time as well, as we transitioned to the next stop on our journey to… Montreal, Canada! It is accurate to say, that neither Montreal, nor any part of Canada was a glint in ourRead More →

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As mentioned in Semana Uno, Ramona and I looked to return to Manuel Antonio for a bit of a long haul. We had booked a place above a bar/restaurant seated at the edge of a cliff, with a balcony overlooking the ocean. What could go wrong? Living away from “home” for more than just a fleeting vacation moment is one of experiences that attracted me to our yearlong adventure abroad. When on vacation, time seems to fly by. When living hundreds or thousands of miles away from home, time seems to relax. One settles and builds their own customs and routines, and starts a newRead More →