Toking on the Contraband

From all our travels we have gathered quite a collection of cigars from around the world, but the one elusive cigar we had yet to experience was the famed cigars from Cuba. And even though our Villa had a strict no smoking policy in the rooms, we simply puffed on our Cuban contraband on the balcony each night.

We actually tried several cigars including the famed Cuban Cohibas and several Costa Rican cigars. We got our cigars from a very kind and helpful tobacconist who recommended us a few Cubans to taste, all which turned out to be extraordinary.

Did you know that you're never suppose to stub out a cigar? That you choose one by how long you have to enjoy it and what you are in the mood for. We were happy with the great selection in many price ranges available in Costa Rica. So many we couldn't decide which ones to smoke each night!

Villas Sol

Due to the generosity of the Coston Clan we were privy to a week long vacation in beautiful Costa Rica. Strangely enough Costa Rica wasn't remotely on our travel radar. After spending a meager 7 days in the Central America country we are completely won over.

Thanks to resourcefulness, and reliance on a thorough paper trail, we were upgraded from a typical hotel room to a 2-bedroom villa at the picturesque Villas Sol at Playa Hermosa on the Nicoya Peninsula.

The villas had two balconies, walk in shower and a fully equipped kitchen, where we made a surprising number of meals in.

Each morning we would leisurely wake up with a cup of Costa Rican coffee, juice, tortillas, eggs and sometimes beans or potatoes. And if you could have this view while having breakfast wouldn't you take your time too?

Visiting Costa Rica at the tail end of the official rainy season meant a few days of clouds and rain, which made enjoying the hillside just outside our windows mesmerizing.

The proximity of the villas to the pacific coast beaches, the cozier international airport Liberia and the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve made staying on the Nicoya Peninsula ideal. We were within reach of other towns and the rain forest, our main reason for visiting. All this made for a very leisurely trip with plenty of time to sit and enjoy it all.

Batidos: Costa Rican Drink of Choice

Some of us had one major goal while in Costa Rica - drink as many batidos as humanly possible.

These fresh fruit whipped-to-a-smoothie-like-consistency drinks were addictive. Especially with all the fresh tropical fruits available. We made it a mission to taste them all!

Similar to a Vietnamese Sinh To or fruit smoothies and nothing like a Mexican aqua fresca, batidos are traditionally mixed with just water or milk. And they were delicious.

We had a mango batido, papaya batido, a lemonada batido, a blackberry batido and a pineapple batido. Some were made with milk and some were made with just water/ice and all were delicious.

Batidos - found at every restaurant, soda, and cafe in Costa Rica!

La Nina

As the weather is shifting quickly to winter, and the talk around town is all about La Nina, the counter part to El Nino, an ocean atmospheric weather phenomenon that is suppose to bring a wet rainy winter to the Pacific Northwest. So what did we do? Hopped on a plane and headed south!

Any guesses to where we went? More to come soon!

Real Estate Stalking: Sydney, Australia

During our travels there were many cities we felt we could easily live in and Sydney, Australia is definitely one of those cities. We really liked the laid back beach vibe smack dab in the middle of a major urban city surrounded by water and tropical plants. Sydney is the type of city where you toss away the map and just walk through the neighborhoods.

We knew the cute boxy gingerbread townhouses that lined the streets of Paddington weren't as small as they appeared on the outside, but like the shop houses we loved in Malaysia and Singapore we wondered what these narrow homes looked like on the inside. What rooms were just off the iron balcony upstairs?

Won't someone let us in so we can see for ourselves?

Well, we're pretty resourceful and if you won't let us in, we'll find someone who will.

We warned you we were serious Real Estate Stalker right? If only to see what's inside these ornately narrow homes in posh Paddington.

We did manage to catch a few glimpses of what lays behind these seamless homes.

Up close these urban courtyards were even more than we imagined and got us thinking....

So, what if the Paddington Area is way over-priced. Sydney has many other great neighborhoods. Many that come with spectacular views.

Happy Halloween

We're not sure what it is, but this year people are really into Halloween. Maybe it's just one of those years where we all just want to be scared or maybe be someone or something else for just one night.

Up until just a couple days ago the weather was sunny, crisp and above all else dry.

But then the first storms rolled in just in time for Halloween and the full moon, which couldn't be seen from all the rain and clouds. Now everything is dark, eerie and scary!

If we really wanted to scare people for this year for Halloween, we'd be Gluten. Everyone seems to be terrified of it!

Happy Halloween Everyone!