Montezuma Yoga, Grafitti, and my final week...

Swimming in a waterfall in Montezuma.
Susan and the aptly named Mr. C (the dog) attempting to tackle the waterfall.
Trees growing out of rocks, what will they think of next?
Yes, that is bamboo. It's much taller than you can see. My question is where are all the damn pandas?
Separate leg forehead to knee.
Finger stand
Standing Backward Bend
Standing Bow Pulling Pose
Some fresh graffiti right outside the studio in San Pedro.

Well, this is my last week of doing karma yoga in Costa Rica. I have enjoyed my time here and it has been challenging teaching in Spanish and trying to learn the language. The hardest part is answering the phones. People talk a million miles an hour and don't seem to understand the need to slow down to somebody who obviously can't hear very well. I wish I had increased my Spanish skills, but the language is damn difficult! Actually, there is so much slang here that even when I can pick out words that I know, I still don't understand a lot of the language. I am going back to San Diego and am going to be teaching there for a while and see what other opportunities arise.

Monteverde

These are pics from the weekend in Monteverde. Monteverde is a cloud forest. A pretty amazing place...rainforests, animals, and green!
Part monkey, part idiot.
My future home.
Yes, growth is plentiful here. Trees grow on other trees, plants grow on telephone lines, flowers grow on rocks with no dirt. It's amazing.


This is that translucent butterfly. They don't like to pose for photos, so it was a little difficult.
Here's the frog everyone sees on Costa Rican postcards.
Photos courtesy of Susan A.

Manuel Antonio

These are photos from the beautiful Manuel Antonio Park on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. This place is a tie for the most beautiful place I've ever been to. Beautiful black beaches and crazy rock formations, rainforest up until the water. Monkeys, sloths, pizotes, racoons, and giant lizards.






Photos courtesy Susan A.

Disney War

Some grafitti from Barrio California and Barrio San Pedro. All photos courtesy Susan A.

Out and about in the city

One of Costa Rica's popular rock-latin-punk bands Evolucion. www.evolucioncr.com
Hanging out in barrio california between the studio in San Pedro and San Jose.
Walking down the stairs of the studio.
This is it...the studio, where all the magic happens.

Pics from Alex's Camera from Puerto Viejo

Walking in the Ocean...
This is where everybody bikes, the road that follows the beach, where the crabs cross and you are constantly dodging giant crabs.
Alex and I and Laura's house for dinner.
This is the house for sale that I wanted. It was in perfect condition. I think much less than 100,000 dollars and right on the beach.
The forest right up to the beach. You can walk here, or most people ride there bikes through the forest, it's an awesome ride.
Having dinner at Alex's Friend Laura's house on the first night in Puerto Viejo.
Eating Rondon with Bill, one of Alex's neighbors.

Capoeira, Hiking in the Mountains, and lots of reggae

Things have been really nice here and the weather has improved. It rains everyday, but it usually comes and goes quickly. I've heard some pretty crazy thunder and lightning. I kept thinking, what are the chances that I would get struck by lightning in Costa Rica? After viewing some sweet Capoeira last week, I attended a class on Monday and it kicked my butt. Capoeira is a martial art-dramatic dance that expresses the way Brazilians fought. There is no contact, but because it's a dance, you are always moving. There are some pretty crazy headstands, one arm stands, headstands, etc. It was really cool. I am going to continue taking classes here and hopefully I'll get the hang of it. Alex and I went hiking in the mountains outside of San Jose this weekend. The weather was extremely compliant with our plans. It was cool, because we were only 20 minutes outside of the city, but there was some amazing views, houses and nature. We're going to head out to Monteverde next weekend and check out some of the cloud forests. On the bus rides I've been on, you drive through rainforest, through clouds on narrow roads with waterfalls on the side of the road. I've mainly been working to increase my understanding of spanish and to work on my Bikram dialogue for class. The classes are improving and I am teaching 95% in Spanish. There is a good group of students here and I am trying to bring more students to the studio. I am going to be posting pictures soon, but I am shooting film, and I so am waiting for Alex to email me his pics of Puerto Viejo and hiking. Pics on their way!!! There seems to be no distinguishment between good and bad music here. Everybody likes everything, no matter how they look or dress. Obviously that's a stereotype, but from what I've seen, people who have good taste in music also have bad taste in music. I like some of the reggae and dub, but there is a spanish-rap-reggae-dmx sound going on here in the bars. I'm enjoying the art and culture scene here. There are lots of artisans that make jewelry and sell them on the streets. There are lots of live music, museums, and cultural events going on, especially because I am close to the University of Costa Rica.

Semana 2

Week one has definitely been tough and rewarding so far. I have been teaching all of the classes in Spanish because it doesn´t seem like a lot of the people speak english that I am working with. It is a sort of minimalist dialogue class, which seems to me to be more yogi like than the normal Bikram class....Anyway, I went into the city last Friday and checked out the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's in an old brewery\distillery so it provides really interesting spaces for the art. I saw some really cool work and some progressive work combing sewing and photography. I haven't done much photography here yet because I've been working so hard on studying the Spanish Bikram dialogue and studying Spanish in General. This past weekend, I went to Puerto Viejo along the south Atlantic border close to Panama. It's a very beautiful place and it was so nice to finally see the beach. It is a very Jamaican influenced community with a very slow life. We rented bikes and rode along the beach and tried to avoid the millions of giant crabs crossing the road for food. There was a lot of roots and reggae music, cool people and beautiful scenery. Everybody has a bike and a hammock and just hangs out. Some people have little boutiques and stores where they sell their items. The forest goes right up to the beach and it provides amazing protection from the elements. Lots of beautiful waves and surf, lots of cute old houses. The bus ride there and back is amazing. Rainforests, crazy perspectives of clouds, coconuts, bananas, and noni are everywhere. I have been having a fun time here so far and I am really enjoying how nice and calm the people are. Alex is the owner of the studio and I have been travelling with him. He´s been taking pictures of me that I hope to post soon.