June 18, 2008

Driving is like being in a video game

Dear Dad,

As I sit here I can see the climate is beginning to change.  We woke up early to a sunny day and now the sky color is changing from bright blue to grey.  It will probably rain again too.

 

Later today we have a meeting with an architect to see his plans for the changes we want to make in the new Casa Calypso.  Our budget will be doubled just because of the cost of installing a treatment plant of some sort for the public bathrooms.  We need to get started on this ASAP because we have to move out of where we are the end of July.

 

This afternoon I will go home early to meet Pablo, a man I contacted who has a trap so that we can trap the mean cat that killed my new kitten and had bitten both my other cats many times.

Needless to say I am very sad about my kitten and very angry at the beast who killed him.

What we do after we trap him, I am not sure.  He is someone’s cat, but I asked the guard whose pet he is and it isn’t anyone who lives in our residential compound.  He is toast.

 

We just talked to the architect about the plans for the new Casa Calypso.  He has some great ideas but is WAY over our budget and the fact that he lives here isn San Jose and not Puntarenas is a problem.  We need to get started.

 

I heard from Linda and she told me that you are feeling better and that she brought you some KFC to eat.  Yum!!!

 

Today at the office we are celebrating Xochilts birthday.  Every employee gets a birthday cake.

We have so many employees we are always eating cake.  I just finished a cleansing diet and refused a piece of delicious looking cake.

 

We are so happy that the twins are out of the hospital and at home.  Babies are a lot of work and I cannot imagine how much work twins are, especially such tiny twins.  It is so much better that Jaimee and Natal and the babies are living with Louie and Kim so that Jaimee has Kim’s help. 

 

David was really looking forward to the fishing expedition ion Alaska with Bob, Louie, Michael and Scott.  We have too many things going on.  Because he can’t go, he is giving his space to Robbie.  Isn’t that nice? 

I am sure that the guys will have a terrific time in Alaska, it is probably too cold for David anyway.

 

I had to take my car to the mechanic this morning because an alarm sounded and the dash lit up with a message, ¨service now¨ hopefully it is just an oil change I need.  The car makes a thunk sound too and the mechanic will check it our.

I had a flash of what it is like living here as I was dodging holes in the road and keeping my eyes on the motorcycles that seem to fly by on both sides of the car squeezing through the cars and hurrying on.

I feel like I live in a video game, especially when driving.  There is little respect for stop signs and red lights.  Drivers also make third lanes in places where there are only two, or go around me on the right or left to get ahead.  The busses crowd me off the road and never pull completely off the road when they stop suddenly to let a passenger out. 

It is also common for the signal lights to be burned out and I have to guess if I have a red or green light before crossing the intersection. While watching out for all of these distractions,

I must keep watch for jay walkers or maybe the train - blowing his loud whistle at the last minute- dashing through an intersection with little or no warning because there is not a bar that drops or lights flashing to stop the traffic trying to cross the tracks,

While all of this is going on there are beggars at some intersections and jugglers with batons, or balls or torches at night to give a show and then hold out a hat asking for money.  To make it even worse, the guy behind me honks as soon as the light turns green as if I didn’t see it. If I don’t keep my windows rolled up, the smell of the fumes from the cars and trucks is so thick sometimes it can give me an instant headache

If there is an accident, of any kind, both drivers must stay where are until the traffic police and the insurance men arrive to measure and take note from the drivers and or any witnesses.  Sometimes they block the roads for over an hour.

This is mostly through town, the highway can be just as bad and someplace I try and avoid at all cost by using back roads.  Drive at night?  Not me.  Remember there are few if any road signs and directions are given using the compass directions.  I can tell in the day time where north, east, south and west are from looking for the volcanoes, which of course are not visible at night.

It is amazing to me that other drivers are talking on the phone or eating or drinking something and driving with one hand.  It is amazing to watch and should be shown on You Tube or some other news show. 

You are probably wondering where the traffic police are?  What traffic police?  We see them at the end of the day helping move and keeping them from blocking intersections when the lights change and some are along the highway stopping bad or drunk drivers, but cruising looking for the red light runners, never.

Anyway, driving this morning and having to complete the obstacle course before I got to the office reminded me of the video games that Bryan likes to play. 

 

Just as I finished writing this I heard a big crash outside the office; a cab ran a red light and t-boned a white truck that completely turned around.   When the light turns yellow and red too, the cars don’t stop because they know there is a little delay time and the signals are set to be in red for a few seconds before turning green for the drivers that don’t want to stop and wait.  It happens all day long all over the country.

Where our offices are located it was worse, almost a crash a day before we were able to convince the government to install a signal light.

The gas prices keep going up and up here too.  I am hoping that it will be too expensive for a lot of drivers and fewer cars will be on the road. Traffic is always a daily event and if there is an accident the roads can be closed.  One time it took me 2 ½ hours to get home and the ride normally takes 15 to 20 minutes.  The drivers go crazy. 

 

It is time to leave the office and go get my car .  then I have to go to the grocery store and finally go home and pack for a weekend at Punta Coral. 

 

I heard from Louie that you are out of the hospital and in rehab.  This means that you must be doing better and feeling better too.

 

I love and miss you.

 

Besitos,  Cecs