Sauna...by Twy's Twavels

As we walked to the beach this morning, Maelle stated, "We're in a sauna each and every day here that we can't open the door and get out of".  Yes...rainforest and ocean near the equator create an effect similar to our home sauna.  So...how are we making each day work?

The sun comes up at 5:30 each morning and sets around 5:45 each evening.  We are living by the sunshine - up around 6 with breakfast on the patio.  Breakfast is dry oatmeal with drinkable mora yogurt, granola and milk mixed together - delightfully cool and filling along with a freshly sliced fruit of either pina or papaya - yum!!!!!

We rented bikes for the month that we are here - and thankfully they had a tag-a-long that worked for Maelle so we could all zip along together.  We usually take a morning bike trip before the day warms up too much -  to Puerto Viejo (a larger town about 6 kms away with grocery stores and farmer's market on Saturday with cheaper prices) or Manzanillo (the other direction but 8 kms and two large hills to climb where there is a nature preserve).  Slather on the sunblock and away we roll - and then slather it on again before biking back from the adventure!

The past few days, howler monkeys have been coming to our backyard in the mornings to eat the small red fruits on the trees.  We watch them jump, quarrel and once in a while the alpha male lets out a howl - which our kids say sounds like an old man hick-up-ing or blowing big bubbles.

We've watches sloths climb trees most days on our bike adventures...and even were part of seeing a rescue for a sloth that was trying to make it's way across the road.

Coming back to our apartment - we shower to cool off and then make a simple lunch.  School comes next most days...yep, we then do some learning.  We've got good days and hard days - but it's good to look back and see that learning is happening as we work each day.  Fans, hammocks, e-readers, times table charts and chocolates as a reward keep us going.

Swimming...that comes after 3pm and a bit less heat from the sun.   Sunscreen again.  We've explored several different places so far...some have been calm and others have been crashing waves and rip currents.  We've concluded that little Playa Chiquita has a small safe bay that is the best for us along with a few fish to enjoy with snorkel masks.

Supper comes around 6 after showering the salt off - rice and beans, simple chicken or pasta.  Then, another fruit for dessert.  Passion fruit, watermelon or orange batido...it just tastes amazing!

Bedtime comes next...with 6 fans blowing, a single sheet covering each of us and not much else.  By the end of the day, we're ready for rest and it's a comfortable temperature.