a little more 4 ya....The first 10 days

Thursday May 6th, 2010
Lessons on Feeding the Animals
7:30 am on the Casa Porch
Well, last nights leftovers were left out on the table. Obviously, no one thought to put them up. I asked Lori what to do with it and she said feed it to Tavo. Ok, I have no problem with feeding the dog, we even brought home our Chicken on the Run bones for him yesterday. But, when I have leftovers to feed Kevin, Im happy. Feeding a dog, the owners don’t feed, food that I paid for, if simply put in the refrigerator would have been fine, frustrated me. Seriously, this is a dog I have yet to see them feed the meat from the butcher, as we were instructed to do, let alone anything other than our chicken bones and leftovers. Nalu the cat got even less.
You look at the way people feed their animals then, you start looking at how they feed themselves and their kids.
On this day is where the ultimate in frustration came to us. Along with the full realization of  how Ben and Lori were
living their life and how it may effect us in the end. As the days passed the information we found made us wary. Kevin was saying we were sold a wolf ticket. I don’t know about that, but concerned I was.
Tiling of the Grave
9am  At a Cemetery Outside of Quepos
Today Kevin and Dan help Ben tile a grave. They were suppose to leave real early, to beat the heat of the day. As it turned out, they didn’t leave till 9-9:30. Late. By the time they walk to the water taxis, get a cab and get to the cemetery, it will be well past 11:30 before they get started. Right in the heat of the day. When your only 8 degrees north of the equator, the after noon gets hot. They did bring some shade screen to build cover, but if Ben could have gotten it together sooner, they would be on their way home by 2 instead of barely starting. A brutal day for Kevin,
as typical of Dan, he really didn’t help. Hard work in the sun today without rain in sight. Not to mention the fact that all the graves are above ground. At one point the stench was unbearable when they realized that Dan had his foot in some of the rancid black fluid that oozed out of the crypt-like graves. You can guess what the substance was without me saying.
During their time at the cemetery, Kevin says that the time was a good male bonding adventure and the others concurred. In that male bonding, interesting little gems of information were found. A little piece of information about why they were there was dropped. As it turns out, Ben is re-paying a debt. Their close friend Gypsy (more on her later), lent them $400 and this job was in lieu of payment. Nice... and drag your “friends” with you. Coming into this Costa Rican adventure, we knew it was nothing more than a business deal. This task was personal. After all, we were acquaintances from St. Augustine, is all. To have people come to do such a task as debt re-payment, witih out them knowing, was a whole other story. Neither Kevin nor Dan would have gone. Not with the way they treat Dan and the shift in the caring is sharing attitude of Ben and Lori since they received their yeas rent in full. We were just told he was doing it for Gypsy, as a favor or something. What pissed Kevin off the most was that you needed a permit to do the work and Ben was hoping she wouldn’t get it. Real nice. This Gypsy person is the closest friend you have here. She even paid for you to have your first child here so you could get residency! How appalling. Outside of this, the trio come home in good spirits. But I must say, the guys came late. Probably close to 5, but all in all it seemed they had a good old fashioned male bonding experience with all the good and bad that entails.
Chores and Efficiency 101
9am at the Casa
While the guys were gone, I proceed to do the household chores. As, everyday, Lori has her hands full keeping the children holed up in the bedroom, constantly trying to keep them form crying. Laundry seem to be in order…I washed, hung, folded and took in 2 loads of the Whitefield family’s laundry. Lori commented on how efficient I was, no surprise to those who really know me. Proceeded to make a 2nd batch of hummus, trying to salvage Loris failed attempt. I made a double batch of hummus the other day and it was consumed within hours. By nightfall that day there was no hummus to be found. So, the next day Lori tried her hand and it just wasn’t quite the same. This also turned out to be a double batch, not quite up to par but a double batch none the less. This time I got smart, the 2nd batch went into the freezer. The less of the food we purchase and prepare, that disappears the better. The Whitefield’s seem to be purchasing and preparing less and less over the past few days. Im beginning to see a pattern of what’s mine is mine is mine and what’s yours is mine, too. Ben even commented on the fact that ALL of the laundry was not finished …hey I did 2 loads, no more that I’ve seen him do in a day because of the water situation. After all, if I didn’t do it, NONE would have gotten done that day. Ungrateful.
Information from Dan and Kevin is being Starved
8pm at the Casa
Earlier we had all indulged in hummus and chips…and a few Pilsen beers, when the guys arrived home.  After a long hard day of work, work they now believe they deserve payment for, but know they will never see, (As it turns out, Ben wound up making a few colones that day selling off the extra tile Gypsy had purchased, to save them from having to haul it home.)Dan and Kevin were hungry and conspiring.
There was much talk about the real reason for the departure of the Casa de Rasta clan. I mean Riley isn’t even 2 yet, although we were told before we arrived that she was already, therefore older than 2. So, the Riley not talking story…not buying it.  She seems well developed for a child of her age. There would be a problem with any child if you kept it stuck in a sparse bedroom for 90% of the day and night, with the tv going. Which is exactly how she was kept.
Then talk of their financial situation came up and Dan drops a bomb. As Dan tells it, Ben and Lori owe money for the electric line they purchased when they installed electricity into the casa…and that the guy has called and threatened to come and take it back. They bought it on credit and weren’t making the payments. If this is true, we could be stuck without electricity in the year we are here. Needless to say, this doesn’t sit well with Kevin. If they skip out, and we want to keep electricity, we may be paying off their $700 debt. This on top of the fact that he tiled a grave, in the sweltering heat today was the beginning of the rapid loss of Kevin’s patience.
Besides all that, where is dinner? Kevin and Dan are really hungry and I am locked out of the house. Ben and Lori are in the bedroom with the kids, tv blaring. So, no chance of me getting to my groceries to whip something up. Lori had told me Ben was going to cook dinner…something about a spinach salad. There wasn’t much I could do, but tell Kevin that Ben was cooking dinner, not what time. Pissed off, he storms to the tent grumbling about the kind of work he did today and how he was being starved to death.
I went out to the tent to try to talk to him down. I saw some stirring in the kitchen, Ben was starting to cook. Kevin wasn’t hearing it. He knew with only one stove burner in the kitchen, this put dinner at least another hour away. We talk some more about our fears of getting stuck with Ben & Lori’s debt and decided we would find out the truth before they left. We knew that we would eventually meet Gypsy and that we could probably learn a lot from her. Shit, the more the Whitefield’s talked, the more they dropped information on their own. We knew we had to uncover as much of the truth as we could before they left Costa Rica.

Friday May 7th, 2010
Hannah and Kaiwei arrive
6:30pm Quepos Bayfront
After a day of wondering when the guests would arrive, a phone call comes through near the end of the day that they will be in Quepos at 6:30. Now, with guests coming, today was to be the day that Ben and Lori go to town to buy food, beers, etc. for the campers. After all most of their income comes from serving them food and drink.
As it turns out, they really were not into having guests. Hannah is a St. Auggie girl who now lives in California and is coming with her boyfriend Kaiwei. Ben and Lori tried to tell us that they were gonna let us run the show and they would sit in the background. Not happening. I quickly turned that notion around saying that we needed to watch how things ran to learn, You see, Lori wasn’t thrilled with Hannah coming because years ago she had a thing for Ben. That gets a big “whatever” in my book.
We were told that day that they have posted in their information to the campers that they need to call by 6:30 or
they were on their own. I really think they were hoping that Hannah and Kaiwei were going to be a no show. They did call later in the day, but I was glad they were coming. I couldn’t wait to see how the Casa really operated and it gave us a break from having to do the Whitefield’s chores for a few days. Kevin and I actually wanted to be gone from the property as much as we could. We needed a break from the screaming kids and the family in general. But, alas, the rains came that day, keeping us close to the Casa. We even talked of eating off, as to not interfere with the running of the Casa and its guests. A run into town was made, but it seemed nothing but fresh tuna and beer was bought. I’m guessing that from this point on, the Whitefield’s were not going to purchase anything that they did not need, hoarding up all the money they can.
With the rains continuing, Dan was asked to pick up the campers and bring them back to the Casa. I there was a promise of payment to Dan for doing so, instead of Ben, that I don’t believe was ever materialized. At 6:30 the phone rang, Hannah and Kaiwei were at the bus station. Instead of telling them to have a beer across the street, Ben tells them to go have dinner because he didn’t feel like cooking for them. Now, I thought that making money was the name of the game here…keeping campers from spending their money in Quepos. I guess laziness trumps all.
When the arrived at the Casa, their tent was set up and ready for them across from ours. They settled in the best they could, stripping off their wet clothes.  By now the rains  had stopped and they opted to go for a night swim in the ocean.
Tonight Kevin had brought me my first helping of Chicken on the Run. He had gone into town, trying to get away from it all. Each day his patience with Ben and all that has been going on, has him down to about a 4 on the patience level. He saw Lori while in the chicken place, she was on her way home. Kevin would be home shortly after.
Our eyes have been really opened tonight about the running of the Casa and needless to say, we will be doing things a little bit differently…

Saturday May 8th, 2010
The Garage Sale
10am Quepos
Today was day one of Ben & Loris garage sale. They are having it in town at a friend named Alvin. On my day one tour with Lori, be buzzed by this house and I remember her saying something about that being Alvin’s house, where  they were going to have a sale. Last night Alvin was calling with questions about prices on things and pre selling them. They were stoked and heard the cash register ringing. Lori went of at about 10am with the bike to the sale.
Hannah and Kaiwei had breakfast, Kaiwei ate eggs and Hannah opted for a smoothie. So, you can sell food to the campers….excellent!
At this point, the days were beginning to melt together. Spending much of our time outdoors was taking its toll. It was just damn hot. We spent most days sweat drenched, outside of time we spent in the ocean. The mosquitoes and no see um’s really get you here and our hosts had nothing to keep them away. Well we were  offered some bug spray they had for the campers. Kevin used it, not me. Im not into putting that stuff on my skin.
Besides the bugs, some days it was hard to see what I saw here. This area we now live in is a constant contradiction to itself. The natural beauty is breathtaking but, the trash you see along the road to Quepos and the shoreline is unsettling. Here we don’t indulge in the sounds of howler monkeys or see brightly colored tree frogs. All that it seems is less than 10km up the road in Manuel Antonio and its State Park. This news was kind of a let down to me, as that was my impression of Costa Rica. I guess just not here in Quepos, tourist town, or on the beach of Cocal. What I do get to see are humming birds, orchids, sunsets over the mountains, the beautiful wildflowers and, of course, the
geckos and occasional iguana. I get to feel cool ocean breezes and see the neighbors horse grazing on their property. 
I walk the road to town and see brown skinned children playing marbles in the sand, or soccer in the field. Beautifully colored rocks specking the back sand at low tide. At night, I hear the beat of drums, in the distance, from the high school band practicing. Not exactly the picture I had set in my mind, but amazing and beautiful all the same.
All U Can Eat Sushi
7pm on the Casa Porch
After going to Manuel Antonio, Hannah and Kaiwei, opted for a night out on the town. Their hosts showed them a few spots that they would recommend and chose the $20 all you can eat sushi place. Missed revenue for the Casa staff. Especially considering their hosts were having beers in front of them. Hinting that they may want one, it is on the menu after all, none was offered. Not good business let alone hospitality. But whatever, we easily saw all the flaws in Ben and Loris operation. If we could make it work on our own, there would be plenty of money to be made.
 
Sunday May 9th, 2010
The garage sale continues and Dan has more Info
11am at the Casa
By this time, Hannah and Kaiwei had left for a canopy tour, complete with zip lines. It was Kaiwei’s birthday today so they decide to spend the extra money for a birthday treat.
Today was Ben’s day to man the garage sale. Yesterday was a success, having sold $60 worth of stuff before the sale officially started. So, weighted down with as much baby stuff he could carry, he took off to sell the remains of their things.
Sometime during that day Dan informed us that Ben and Lori had borrowed a few thousand dollars from the owners of the Beachcomber and owed them money, too. Funny, because in conversation with Lori, she said that they were not going to be spending any time in St. Augustine upon their return to the states. They weren’t picking up Bens oldest daughter, Kaya, until 9pm the day they arrived. If Dan’s information was correct, this was why the avoidance of St. Augustine and clandestine night time meetings to pick up his daughter. At this point, Kevin had not an ounce of trust for Ben and Lori, fearing that they would try to make off with our cash in their safe. He started carrying everything of value with him, in his backpack, all day long. We were to meet Gypsy today, maybe some answers or sense to the mixed up story of the Whitfield’s situation would come to light.
Meeting Gypsy Rose McKee
3pm on the Casa porch
Well, the time was here. We finally get to meet Gypsy. Considering all she has done for Ben and Lori, we surely thought she would be a good ally and the key to getting many of our needs and questions satisfied. She showed up with her friend Lily, who had lived here but is now back in the States. They came bearing fresh chicken that Ben whipped up into fajitas for lunch.
While Ben was cooking, Lori stayed in the house. This gave us time to sit with Gypsy and get to know her and her friend. They both were incredibly sweet and we knew we had a friend in Gypsy for our time here in Cocal. She also let me know that within a year I can gain residency with a fixed infcome from the US Government…. For example my social security check. She said you had to have a fixed income of $600 or more when she became a resident 4 years ago. Now that was an interesting tid bit of information dropped into my lap. With residency, we can own land, etc. Yes, Gypsy was going to be a big help to us.
I had noticed that Ben and Lori seemed to be avoiding Gypsy. No conversation with her, they kind of acted sketchy.
When lunch was served, I  opted to sit at the picnic table off the porch with the boys, Andy, Dan and Kevin. I  told them I wanted to give them time to sit with Gypsy and talk, since I had seen none of this go on. I felt like they didn’t treat her they way I thought they would treat someone who has done so much for them. Paying the hospital bill when Riley was born, lending them money and the countless other things Im sure she’s done for them. They wouldn’t even let her or her friend in the house to use the toilet, they had to use the out house. Lily seemed appalled, as she was swatting bugs off her the whole time and nothing was offered to her to stop the bugs from biting her. I must say, in my book, their treatment of Gypsy and Lily was appalling. They just seemed to take her for granted, which just plain sucked.
Needles to say, immediately after lunch, Gypsy and Lily departed for Quepos. Away from the bugs, outhouse and selfishly rude hosts.

Monday May 10th, 2010
Mothers Day Hannah and Kaiwei leave
9am on the Casa porch
Well, this morning was the departure of the campers. I noticed when they got the bill for their stay, they seemed a bit surprised, even checked the pricing of the food that they ordered against the menu. With an eye roll, they paid the bill and having no change gave their hosts a ‘tip’. After, they turned to us and wished us luck on our adventure here and exchanged names for Facebook. Hannah and Kaiwei were really cool and Kevin and I had decided that their experience here would have been a whole lot different had they come while we were running the place.
Dan also informed us that it was Mothers Day. I thought about my Mom, hoping she knew I was thinking of her. Calling was too expensive and we had no phone of our own.
After they left, the calculations were in. The take for the 3 night stay was close to $200. Less food expenses, all was profit. We definitely saw potential in this surf camp but, we would have to do it on our own. Ben and Lori were keeping control of the website and the Facebook page. The Facebook page is where most of their visitors come from. Friends and friends of friends in St. Augustine. Funny, considering they didn’t plan to return to St. Augustine at all. We didn’t care, we had our own connections and outlets, we didn’t need their Facebook page….and could build our own website.
Plans for the state park put on hold
11am on the beach
Well, we had 3 days to go before the Whitefield’s left. Both Kevin and Dan were at their wits end. We all felt as thought we were being used and couldn’t wait for them to leave. Kevin and I had walked to the beach, we started talking. I had wanted to spend the next day at the state park, both to see the parks beauty and to get a day away form the casa, hoping to make the last 3 days go by faster. Kevin decided that he had had enough and totally didn’t trust Ben and Lori. He wasn’t about to leave all of our worldly possessions with them without one o us being at the casa. So, no fun day at the park for me. This one would have to wait.

Tuesday May 11th, 2010
Broke toe day
12:30pm by the compost pile
Ok, so time is ticking by and we are all anxious to be free to live on the casa land as we pleased. So, we busied ourselves with going to town or doing various chores around the yard, just to pass the hours. I decided to try to germinate some seeds in a discarded Isomil can. So, to the compost Pile I went to get some of the rich soil and sand that the compost made. On my 2nd shovel out of the compost, I reached in  and whacked my 4th toe on my left foot. The eminent pain and swelling told me I  broke it. Great! Just what I needed. This foot had a broken small toe in the past and muscle atrophy and nerve damage from the car accident, in the toe I just broke. Fuck!
As the day went on, my broke toe left me hobbling around the casa and her yard. Walking in the beaches soft sand
was the worst. Thank goodness I ad some pain killers stashed away. I  knew I was going to need them after this little incident. My poor aching feet!
Dan’s meltdown
7pm on the casa porch
As calm as I to keep Kevin and Dan, some things were inevitable. Dan had been giving Ben and Lori $20 per week for food, with the understanding that Ben would prepare meals for him. It wasn’t quite turning out that way. We all watched as Ben would purchase food requested by Dan or bought  by Dan, keep it in the house, and use it to feed his family. This night Dan had just wanted some cookies or something that Ben had taken into the house. Instead of giving it to him, Ben proceeded to lecture Dan like a child. Something about how he wasn’t his father and Dan needed to grow up. Dan came back to the campground complaining, wanting to retaliate. I advised him to let it go, we only had one day left and Kevin agreed. But, we understood where Dan was coming from. For the past 9 days we had watched them treat Dan like a dog, only feeding him after they ate…things like that. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair, but we only had 24 hours or so left.
Dan couldn’t let all of his pent up anger go. He went down to the house and gave Ben all that was on his mind, including that he was leaving, going to the commune. Bens response was ‘If you’re my friend, we will talk about this in the morning. OK, Dad. We managed to talk Dan down and he stayed in his cabina. Only one night to go.

Wednesday May 12th, 2010
In a tent, day 10
6:30am at the casa
Well this was it…our last day living with the Whitefield’s. Today Kevin was going to stick to them like glue. His distrust piqued. Yesterday Lori had asked everyone for copies of our passports, saying that this was proper protocol in Costa Rica paperwork and agreements. This had Kevin pissed off but he and Dan had gone into town anyway.
Still stewing from yesterday, Kevin stayed close to the casa, as did I.
The kindness of others and the signing of ‘paperwork’
Our last night and Ben prepared his tuna dish with black beans and rice. After dinner Mike the baker showed up. He was to build a cabina towards the front lot by the casa. It was a weird arrangement, one that Kevin and I weren’t thrilled with. This little tid bit of info was dropped on us a few days ago. We really didn’t want some guy building and living right next to us. What the front lot had turned out to be was approximately 12 yards from the back porch.
I had gathered from Ben that he was paying for it to be built but Mike was paying a little more each month to pay him back. Interesting. I knew Ben and Lori had no money so, I asked how much it would be to build a little house of that size. $1,200 was the answer, the same amount we gave them to stay for they year. Something just didn’t add up. So, I asked to see Mikes lease… as caretaker of the property, I thought I should know what was going on. I read it and it said that they were to start building on the 1st and Mike was to give him $100 a month for so long then it drops down to 65. Mike came by, but did not sign any paperwork with them. He did witness our lease with them, but they never got our passport copies. Funny what some beers and weed do to the memory. They gave us money to pay their electric and phone bill and we knew thwy shorted us and we would have to pay the difference. The lease was all bullshit but, we did sign it and smile inside because tomorrow it would all be ours…