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.

Costa Rica

I just arrived in San Jose and I am pretty excited so far. I met up with one of the studio owners and got the keys to the studio. The studio was a little difficult to find because the streets do not names as far as I have seen so far. I am going to explore the city and get some food right now, but I am really excited to be here. The studio is small but it is nice. There are lots of pictures on the walls of Bikram instructors doing the poses. I will stay posted and hopefully write something more interesting later.

New Endeavors

Well, I'm off to Costa Rica. I'll be leaving at the end of May for 3 months to teach Bikram Yoga. I'm super excited about being there. I'll be spending time both at San Jose the capital and Playa Jaco. It should be fun. I have the opportunity to run a studio down there. More details later...

Photos of my Postures

Alexis helped me shoot some photos of my practice. Still working on those all the postures especially the beginning ones! I still have a left hip/si joint issue(s), so my hip is off on some of the poses.

FORD-AWD

Mr. Glenn Hall of San Diego decided to run me over last Thursday. A long story short, after having the right of way and standing my ground, Mr. Hall decided to get back in his Ford SUV with the license plate 'FORD-AWD' and hit me as he was going around the corner. If you ask me that's assault with a deadly weapon. Since I don't have any real injuries except for some cuts on my legs where I fell to the ground, the lawyers that I have been talking too don't seem to think I have a lawsuit other than the original amount for the bicycle. The accident was directly in front of a police station to boot. I have filed a claim with his insurance agency and hopefully I will get a settlement soon so I can get a new bike. The estimate was for $800. I should demand to get paid in Euros or Pounds just like some celebrities tired of the Bush driven US economy. The bike doesn't look that bad in the pictures, but basically all of the components need to be replaced to get the bike back to normal....so I'm thinking about a new bike. I wish there was someway to penalize Mr. Hall other than his premiums going up 10 bucks a month. He should have to ride a beach cruiser around San Diego as his only form of transportation for a month to humble his lead foot and hot head. I'm just waiting to hear from the insurance agency to see how much I'll get. He thought I should be riding on the sidewalk and I should have promptly moved from his way. Well, at least the police informed him that bicyclists have the SAME rights as cars and have to follow the same traffic laws. Not to mention it is unsafe and illegal to ride on the sidewalk. It would be nice to have driving tests address the issues of cyclists. It's a shame that people don't have any idea about the laws regarding bikes. Thanks to Kathy at sdcbc.org for helping me with legal issues and advice. The San Diego County Bicycle Coalition is dedicated to bicycle advocacy and making improvements for riders.