Our first step was finding a school for the kids. After that we had a number of intricate and quite stressful tasks to accomplish in quite a short time. These ranged from finding a place to live not too far from the school, packing our house in Montclair, renting it out before leaving the US, and finding a way to bring our dog Chiara over to Costa Rica. Thanks to a group of friends that pitched in on many occasions (we are forever grateful to Sivan, Linda, Mona and and many other Montclarians) our arrival in Costa Rica was quite smooth.
Now, after more than 3 weeks of school, I can say that this new life feels like home. My "yes" moment happened the other day when the I met the cashier of my local fruit and vegetable store at a different place and she recognized and greeted me.
What do I like so far about our new life:
There are a million reasons to love Costa Rica. On top of my list is the opportunity to observe and work so closely with cacao and chocolate. I had the pleasure to meet two local makers and taste their unique "tree to bar" chocolate. Tree to bar refers to a chocolate where the maker has complete control over how their cacao is grown and processed, and the chocolate is made directly by them. Henrik, the owner of Maleku chocolate, came here from Denmark several years ago. His beautifully smooth organic bars have received a number of international chocolate awards.
But can you believe my reaction when I discovered that the other chocolate maker in my area is an Italian named Marco? We had an immediate connection and I was able to accompany him to see his plantations a few hours from here. Marco's "fincas" (plantations) are in the Uppala region, which I felt look like a mini Switzerland. I spent a day walking around cacao trees and tasting the nectar harvested from the fresh cacao fruit.
If you've been following my instagram posts you may recall me writing about 'cacao juice'. It's a delicacy that isn't very known in the US. It isn't bottled and sold commercially. But if you are travelling in a cacao growing country, I really recommend you look for it, it's a must try! The juice is from the sweet pulp that surround the seeds of the cacao pod. When the pods (fruit) are opened, the seeds are put in a wooden box and covered with banana leaves to ferment. The liquid discarded in this process is delicious juice that must be consumed (or frozen) quickly, lest it too start to ferment.
Marco and I are discussing collaboration and I would be thrilled to contribute to the production of his great chocolate, Atelier Chocoatl.
Incidentally, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Guanacaste area has a very large Italian community. So far, we've identified our favorite gelateria, pizzeria and even a hairdresser from Sardinia.
I hope to give you more exciting news from here next month. ¡Ciao, y hasta luego!
