Horses in the park

Inesita Fallas, second oldest daughter of the Fallas clan (see previous journals) called this morning to arrange a visit. We suggested she come after Isabella’s nap, around 1 pm.

The kids were getting a little rambunctious, so while Cristina took her morning shower, I took all 3 kids for a walk. Being Sunday, most places were closed. The Palí was open, so at the very least, I thought we could go buy some orange juice. We stopped along the way to watch the leaf-cutter ants that were making their way down the sidewalk (got some cool pictures).

Ramón had said there was a bakery across from the Palí. Sure enough, there was my trusty Mus Manni, the chain bakery that you can generally find on every street corner in this country. He crossed the busy street, bought some pastries and bread, and headed back home.

Inesita arrived right on time and we had a nice visit. I couldn’t understand most of the conversation, but she’s doing well. She lives in San Jose, has her own car, and recently traveled to Europe.

Ricardo and his family arrived while Inesita was still visiting. We were all planning to go to lunch/dinner together at a seafood restaurant called La Princesa Marina. We didn’t want to just kick Inesita out, so we invited her along. She accepted.

The restaurant was a short drive away. It was busy and loud, and a bit warm inside. The scene was slightly chaotic while ordering, but we finally got it all done and waited for our food. My camera batteries had died earlier, so Sofia was the lone photographer for this outing. She took some cute pictures and video while we waited for our food.

They somehow forgot Alex’s order, so the poor little guy didn’t get his food when the rest of us did. Also, Cristina ordered the fish filet with avocado and was surprised at what was set before her. A plate completely covered with thick, rich creamy cheese sauce. If you know Cristina, you probably know that she is lactose-intolerant. I offered to switch her meal with mine, but she said she’d make a go of it. Alex finally got his food, then, after tasting the shrimp in his rice, decided he didn’t like them and picked them all out with his fingers. We kept telling him to use his fork, but he sometimes has a hard time not using his hands.

If dinner didn’t go very well for Alex, what happened next made up for it. Ricardo stopped at La Sabana, the park we had gone to on Friday, and to the delight of all the kids, about a dozen miniature ponies were there for the riding. In no time at all, Alex and Sofia were mounting up for a guided walk around the park. They took the short walk, about 10 minutes for 600 colones. Ramón said they only have the horses here on Sundays. It costs 600 to go for the short walk through the trees, and for 2000, you get to go all the way around the lake. He said we could come another Sunday with a picnic dinner and let the kids do the long walk. They’ll love that.

On the way home, I finally got my bearings as to where our house is in relation to San Jose. As we drove home from the park, we passed the end of the big San Jose road called Paseo Colon. During our first trip in 1994, we stayed in an apartment just off of Paseo Colon, so it’s pretty familiar territory.

Back at the house, we all sat on the porch while the kids played. They played with the tea set we brought from IKEA, they played with beeswax, and they played with our silks. For a good chunk of a half hour, the three boys wrestled and “fought” with Ramón. Ricardo (the 6-year-old, not the adult) and his brother Santiago are into Power Rangers, so that’s what they were playing. Alex just went along with the fun. If it’s physical and rowdy, sign Alex up.

After Ricardo and his family left, we showered the kids. I read Sofia and Alex a chapter of the book I’ve been reading Alex (Sofia’s already read it, but she likes to hear it again). Updated the journal and called it a night.

To see more photos from this day, click here.