nekkid costa rica

So far, I LOVE Costa Rica! After you read this, you will probably think I should be checked into a mental institution, (if you don’t already think that) but here goes. …..In a majority of my travels, Verizon has been very good to me, including Latin America. However, the minute I landed in CR, I had no cell service. Despite being in my 30’s, I still send a “wheels down” text to my mum, no matter where I go. You know how mothers can be……but because I was trying to make the last bus down to the beach town of Jaco, I needed to haul arse through customs (ha!), get a cab and get to the Terminal de Autobuses in less than an hour. So forget the cell service right now, I’ll call mum later. Got straight through customs and I was on my way EXCEPT, I forgot, “I have NO cash!!” I was in such a hurry to make my Atlanta connection that I didn’t get to an exchange kiosk. No worries, I’ll just go to an ATM here. Wait! What on earth is the currency in CR?! What’s the exchange rate?! No worries, I’ll just Google it—crap! I have no cell service! Needless to say, many thanks to the little Japanese dude at the ATM for helping me convert! I sure hope his Spanish is better than his English…..

Soooo, I managed to hail a taxi to the local bus terminal . After the cab driver dropped me off a good distance from the bus stop and ripped me off by $10 (I’ll let this one slide, he needs the $$ more than me), I managed to be the only (very obvious) white chick strolling up to the bus terminal. I had no idea where I was, but I could telepathically sense the shiver down my mother’s spine, as if she could also see this place. No worries, I have been in much worse areas (sorry if you are reading this mum), but this one is definitely going in the Top 10! After a 30 minute wait in the blazing 90 degree sun, and everyone looking at me (not in a good way) as if they were practicing for the local staring contest, we finally boarded the bus for Jaco. The un-airconditioned, over-crowded, standing-only, livestock-toting bus. I’m just trying to keep it native! At this point, I am laughing to myself, yet still a little concerned because I know Marsha is probably pulling out her hair, since she hasn’t heard from her daughter yet. I just want to pre-apologize for the heart attack that I will make her have one day. Sorry mumsy.

Surprisingly, the 2 hour bus ride was more comfortable than my flight to CR. I made it to my hotel after dark and was finally able to have some internet access and reach a very frantic mum. I fixed the phone with Verizon and was ready to start my evening exploration of Jaco. However, I was really tired, so I thought I might have a quick snooze. A ten hour snooze, that is.

Wake up! Surf’s up! My hotel is steps from the ocean and my Surfing lesson dudes. Thus, I was out and hitting the waves by 0730. After several hours of ocean/surfboard abuse (I am terrible at surfing), I decided to head back to my hotel and relax poolside. As I walk up to the pool, I see a sign with several words in Spanish that I do not recognize. Then I see the sign in English…..what the?? Please see photo of English sign above. It was early and I could “sorta” see that no one was in the pool area, so yours truly kept her bikini ON. Then about 15 minutes later, this surfer dude (mid-20’s) walks up and puts his stuff down several chairs from mine and yes, you guessed it, he “dropped trou” right there----leaving NADA to the imagination. Then he started doing a Tai Chi routine directly in front of me!! I thought to myself, “Is this really happening? are people watching me and laughing hysterically at me behind some curtain??” Thanks Expedia for NOT telling me this was a “nude friendly” hotel. Needless to say, not that I haven’t “gone native” before, I decided to take my book and head back to my room. But not before I took one last "peek." (tee hee!)

Am off to the jungle next. Then, a good friend is flying in last minute to climb Arenal with me! Que suerte! Manuel Antonio National Park is on my bucket list because I want to see a real live sloth before I go to surfer heaven. Hopefully the sloths will keep their fur on and skip the Tai Chi routines…….

Baby Sea Turtle Guacamole

No hay palabras para descubrir el amor que tengo para Mexico. There are no words to describe the love I have for Mexico. Put me in the Yucatan or in the Oaxacan center, I love this country from the bottom of my heart. Every time I return, it’s like seeing an old friend from college…….. always a great time and looking forward to the next opportunity to “hang out.”

This particular trip has been most interesting since take off. For the first time in my life, while in flight, I saw a shooting star. Unfortunately my wish did not come true: 1) The pilot was not hot. 2) He did not ask me if I wanted to fly the plane then head to Madrid for the weekend………. and so we move forward.

The second thing that has occurred on this trip, which boggled my mind, is one of the most surreal occurrences I have ever experienced. My first night here, I decided to take one of my typical late night strolls along the beach (I realize this is not the epitome of safety but my middle name IS Yoshimi). There I was, walking the beach, with absolutely no one anywhere nearby. I saw a little black squiggly thing in the sand, and then another little black squiggly thing next to it, and then I looked up and saw about 50 or 60 little black squiggly things coming towards me! Is this?……….no way!......Baby Sea Turtles heading to sea! I tried to find anyone around me to share in this ultimate joyful Mother Nature bliss, but it was late at night and in a deserted part of the beach. Therefore, I just sat down in the sand, with all the baby turtles, crawling over my toes. Although I am sure I disrupted some sort of Darwinian evolution vibe, I made sure each and every one of these little dudes made it to sea. As a non-religious person, this was probably one of the most religious-esque experiences I have ever had. How on earth could I have been more “in the right place at the right time” ??? No hay palabras.

Anyway, I’m staying in a beach dojo, outside of the small town of Tulum, Mexico (about 2 hours south of Cancun). This is where I come to revive my “inner hippie.” It’s where young backpackers from all over the globe come to stay and old backpackers come to die.

The dojo where I am staying is called “Om Tulum,” and it’s definitely not meant for luxury beach travel. No television, no hot water, and only several hours of electricity each day. Local vibe only. However, there is always a fully stocked bar and very resourceful staff to help accommodate any other needs one might desire to have the perfect “yoga/meditation hippie chick beach vaycay.” Every morning, I step outside my room and make a bee-line straight into the ocean……that’s all I need. (that, and vodka)

As well, throughout this entire trip, I have literally eaten my weight in Ceviche and Guacamole. Since I cannot per-fect a ceviche recipe to share, I thought I might hand over my double-secret guacamole recipe. It is full of antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, lycopene, and fiber ……..plus, it tastes so good when it hits the lips!

TJ’s Guac
2 avocados, smash’em up (save one of the seeds)
Juice of 1 lime
½ yellow Spanish onion, finely diced (NOT a first date dish)
1 clove garlic smashed (see onion comment)
1 small tomato, diced
½ handful cilantro, finely chopped
1 Jalapeno, finely diced
Salt to taste
A few shakes Tabasco or hot sauce of your choice

Smash avocados with a fork, add juice, add the few shakes of hot sauce, smash some more, stir in onion, garlic, tomato, cilantro, and jalapeno. Add the salt to your liking and store in the refrigerator with the avocado seed in the guacamole. This keeps it fresher and from browning. True story! You’ll be balls deep in guacamole goodness!

Costa Rican Abs

So. I have less than 4 weeks to get my abs back into a “two pack” (TuPac!) before my surfing/medical mission trip to Costa Rica. I’ve officially thrown in the towel on regenerating the 6-pack, unless of course, it consists of Dragon Fly IPA.

In my past experience, it is noted that these Pacific surfer chicks literally have their abs carved out of stone. Since I am terrible at surfing, I have been working a little harder-than-usual at the gym in order to try and somewhat “blend in”----- at least on land. (operative word actually being “somewhat”)

The problem is that despite my daily workouts, I detest doing an abs routine. To me, Ab workouts are like a side of steamed broccoli to a fat person. The difference is that I can’t put gooey cheese or butter on an abdominal workout in order to make it more appetizing.

Even further to my abdominal workout aversion, I despise fitness DVDs. However, in slight desperation, I recently purchased “The Best of Tamilee Webb’s Abs, Abs, Abs” dvd by my old gal pal, Tamilee Webb. I refuse to put a photo of the dvd cover on here because her outfit is ridiculously embarrassing. (oh Tamiliee, what were you thinking?!) This dvd won’t change your life but it has 7 different tolerable abdominal routines, each lasting 10-20 minutes, which will definitely make you sore the next day. You can purchase the it on Amazon for about $15, so there are no excuses in “not being able to find that dvd.” It’s well worth its weight in steamed broccoli.

And on that note, I am off to the gym for Spin Class, with my adorable pudgy spin instructor, who has stolen all the music from my iPod. Surf’s up!!

Colorado Action

It’s official, Denver is a go! Had a very mellow, non-dramatic, easy going time on my short trip to the Centennial state---the weather was perfect, sunny and in the 70’s and while I was there, CO voted to legalize recreational marijuana use. After all the time I spent in CO in the 90’s, I could have sworn it was already legal. I definitely anticipate Frito Lay building a Denver-based factory in the not-too-distant future.

Anyway, I was successful in finding some hospitals (one specifically) where I can push infinite amounts of Dilaudid to patients who are allergic to everything but……..

However, I am going to wait to set sail until the Spring. But I will certainly give myself enough time to catch the tail end of ski season----and then straight into cycling season!!

During this trip, I went to one of my favorite eateries, which is centrally located in Boulder (or “Bolter” as my dad used to pronounce it, in his thick southern Indiana accent) called Walnut Street Brewery. I decided to go off the deep end while I was there and indulge in my favorite of the seven deadly sins: the Starch sin. The sexy photo that you see above is my “Mac-n-Chicken.” That’s mac-n-cheese with chicken topped with parmesan bread crumbs, washed down with their house IPA. Not the most culinary adventurous dish but quite tasty, nonetheless.

I also found a great new place in Boulder called Zoe Ma Ma. It’s a newer little place that serves amazing Bao Steamy Buns with marinated pork. I highly recommend you eat one before passing on to your next life…..even if you are a vegan.

Another superb location I encountered on this trip, down in Denver, was a bar called The Thin Man. It’s a local neighborhood bar in the City Park West nabe (neighborhood) of the downtown area. It was flooded with people who are way cooler than I will ever be. (so many hipsters, so little time) Not only did I surrender to my IPA addiction, but I was also surrounded by “my kryptonite” (moustaches and converse chucks) whilst imbibing. I think I might have found a new place to hang my hat, especially if there are a bunch of Magnum P.I.-ish dudes running around the area!

So in all, this should be a great chapter around the corner. Plus, living in Colorado will allow me to do a lot more West Coast travel than before----and maybe branch out a little further and finally discover the teeny tiny continent of Asia……LEAP!!

All Hail the Bloody Mary

As I have been away from this blog for many moons, I thought it was time to get back into the swing of things and what better way than to pay homage to the greatest mixed drink of all time: The Bloody Mary. Although I tend not to favor mixed drinks (just some plain ol’ gin over ice w/ a lime, for this gal), the Bloody Mary is an exception as well as one of my favorite drinks on the planet. Plus, if you turn a blind eye to the sodium (or just drink it after a hefty workout), it’s a relatively salubrious cocktail. It’s significantly lower in calories than most (i.e. margarita, daiquiri, gin-n-tonic, etc.), it has Vitamin C, lycopene, potassium, fiber and if you get one from Union Jack’s Pub in Indy, it comes with added protein! And it would be an absolute sin not to mention the Bloody Mary is the ultimate antidote for a hangover.

When doing my Indy commute from Louisville, there are two things I love to do on Saturday and Sunday mornings: 1) Partner up with my favorite cyclist/lawyer and ride the Indianapolis Monon and Cultural Trails http://www.indianatrails.org/Monon_Indy.htm http://www.indyculturaltrail.org/ and 2) Escort my favorite drinking partner/cyclist/lawyer to Union Jacks Pub http://www.unionjackpub-broadripple.com/ to watch Eurotrash Soccer or Rugby, accompanied by Bloody Marys and top notch pub grub. Jenn, the bartendress, makes THE best Bloody Marys in the world—even better than Harry’s in Paris. They consist of Jenn’s own secret recipe, which she claims “love” is one of her priority ingredients. They are accented with a seasoning salt rimmed glass and topped with olives, a lime wedge, big dill pickle, celery stalk and a shrimp. Dee-lish! I usually have it with their White Bean Chicken Chili and the Blues Burger which includes bleu cheese, sautéed onions and mushrooms. One must note to bring a pack of Trident to be used for post-consumption. And another added bonus is despite being a British pub, they actually make incredible pizzas.

So if you’re looking for the perfect version of the perfect post-workout cocktail, my utmost recommendation is Union Jacks, especially if you’re also in the mood for some sports action from across the pond. OR if you have a favorite Bloody Mary location, please let me know....I'm always on the lookout to try a new recipe!

End of the semester.....

The past five months have been such a whirlwind! So many things have occurred, I'm not sure any of it actually happened. In the midst of that time, I was able to sneak in a few trips to Mexico and a quick trip to Mex wouldn't be complete without a layover in Houston. I found this blog entry that I wrote but never published, so I thought I would share it.

Home Sweet Houston
My dear sweet lovable H-town, how I miss thee, let me count the ways.
I was beyond fortunate to have recently had an overnight layover in Houston coming back from Mexico City and was able dine on some classic eats.
In my tenure here in Louisville, I recently had someone say “Isn’t Houston full of only poor people?” Well my beloved Louisvillian, who has only been to Indianapolis and Florida for two spring breaks, NO, Houston is not “just full of poor people.” I believe the Bush’s, the Cheney’s, the Rockets, the Texans, and a majority of the world’s wealthiest oil companies would beg to differ. (Although I am sure Jeff Skilling might be cursing himself at this point for taking the wrong path)
Houston is a hot bed of culture with a zillion restaurants of any ethnicity you could possibly choose from, plus a shit-ton of music, art, nature-stuff (blah blah blah). Point being, it was R’s first time and I wanted him to return to Indy full of culinary bliss and perhaps be agreeable to me coming back to practice at Texas Children’s Hospital.
On to the food…….In terms of eating, let it be known the best Cuban food in the world comes from Miami (sorry Fidel, but you know it’s true), yet Houston runs a close second with Café Piquet ( http://www.cafepiquet.net/ ). Spoil yourself with the Platanos con mojo de ajo, and make sure to get the Pork with some Frijoles Mixtos----the staff is rather “easy on the eyes,” so please don’t hesitate to bring your girlfriends for a lunch date.
Another “absolute must” in H-town is the “Breakfast Klub,” which is conveniently on one of the Metro stops ( http://www.thebreakfastklub.com/ ). The brain-child of Houston native, Marcus Davis and one of my favorites since they opened when I lived back at 230 West Alabama. The l-o-v-e that birthed and nurtured this place both socially and gastronomically warms my cold and bitter heart. If you only have one trip here, get both the catfish & grits AND the wings & waffles---best 20 bucks you’ll ever spend.

Broadripple Bagel Deli

During my Freshman year of college, after I was fired from my job as a lifeguard at the YMCA, my friend Tom (still a great friend) negotiated a job for me at New York Bagel Deli on Kirkwood in Bloomington. It had to be one of the greatest jobs of my entire life. An eclectic blend of college kids serving up steamed bagels and sandwiches until 2am. I fondly remember Rule #27 of the Employee Rules: Never be too drunk or too stoned to make a bagel. Our friends ate like kings and there were several occasions when Rule #27 was "almost" broken.
Upon my return to the Midwest and my part time life in the Broadripple neighborhood of Indianapolis, much to my content, I recently stumbled upon the Broadripple Bagel Deli. ( www.ripplebageldeli.com ) It's based on the original one at Miami of Ohio (same as they did in Bloomington) but because I usually avoid Ohio, for all intents and purposes, let's say it reminds me of the one we had in Bloomington over 15 years ago.
The menu is just as diverse as the employees. During my visit, I had a cute Emo-dude take my order (I emphasize cute because he was wearing glasses--everyone looks cuter in glasses--wink!) and I decided on the Aunt Pin's Bagel (plus a little feta and banana peppers to make it not-so-PETA-friendly) and it brought back such blissfully steamed memories of my bagel days at NYBD.
So people of Indy, please rejoice that you are fortunate to have such a "kosher-gem" in your area. (ok, they aren't really kosher) This place has something for everyone. You can easily appease your inner vegan or you can let your carnivore side take over. But stop in and check them out, when you get a chance.
And now I find myself quite curious if perhaps Broadripple Bagel Deli also has a Rule #27? But that's for y'all to decide.