Mi español es muy malo…Day 2

Playa del Coco

So after waking up around 9am I cracked open the laptops and got to work.  I spent the first 2.5 hours of the day doing some basic maintenance and contacting clients.  I made my first business Skype call and had no problems which was definitely reassuring.  When 11:30 rolled around I decided it was time for some training.

I got down to Ocotal with goggles in hand and walked all the way to the left of the beach.  I jumped in the water to see how many fish I could see with my goggles…none.  Turns out where I was the visibility was about 3ft.  It wasn’t until later in the day when I found out where the good snorkeling spots are.  So I made my attempt to swim from one end of the beach to the other.  I made it maybe 100 yards before I had a rest.  Then I started thinking about the movie, The Beach, and the shark attack.  I swam for maybe another 10 minutes in about 3 feet of water before I decided I didn’t want to see any sharks.  Now I have been told by EVERYONE down that there are no sharks here.  I was just being paranoid.  Stupid brain.

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First of all I will try to upload photos each evening along with a recap of the day.  Find the pictures here or by clicking the Photos link at the top of the page.

I had the whole row (and the one behind) to myself

So I arrived in Costa Rica on time with all of my bags with no problems.  Both flights (BWI to ATL, ATL to LIR) went smoothly.  Actually I have never seen a flight so empty as I did on the one from Atlanta to Liberia, Costa Rica.  I had the entire row to myself and the entire row behind me empty as well.

For the first time in my life I had someone waiting for me at the arrivals gate with my name on a card…very professional…as I stood there in my dirty jeans and old soccer jersey.  The trip to Ocotal from Liberia was about 30 minutes but I got to see a lot of the Costa Rican country side and a little bit of Playa del Coco.   There were a ton of bars in the area with plenty of restaurents as well.  I finally made it to my studio and set up the office.  Obviously at first arrival I did not want to do any work so after a quick email check I made my way to the beach.

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My Movable Office in 2 Bags

So I am leaving for Costa Rica in less than 12 hours.  Very excited.  It’s in the teens here and in less than 24 hours I will be in high 80 degree weather.  I wanted to show everyone out there what exactly I am bringing with me and what my movable office consists of.  Now for this trip my movable office is quite a bit larger than usual but that is for obvious reasons.  My usual stint is only a few days away from my home office.  This is 3 weeks.  OK, onto my things.   First let’s do my movable office.

For Business

• Tablet PC
• Backup Laptop
• External Hard Drive
• USB Mouse
• Clipboard and paper
• Books (all tech)
• Latest issues of Fast Company and Inc. magazines
• 2 Ethernet cables
• Cross-over ethernet cable (for syncing)
• 2 Mini USB cables
• Digital Camera and mini tripod
• Pens
• Backup CD/DVDs of OS and important programs
• USB Phone (use with Skype)
• Blue-tooth adapter and headset (use with Skype)
• 3 prong to 2 prong adapter
• Laptop 17″ backpack
• Laptop 17″ bag

Personal

• PSP with Puzzle Quest, Castlevania, and latest episode of the Totally Rad Show
• Books (Costa Rican Spanish, The Sandman, Stone of Tears, and others)
• 7 Shirts
• 7 Pairs of socks
• 2 Tank-tops
• 3 Cut-offs
• 4 Shorts
• 2 Bathing suits
• Pair of jeans
• Rain coat
• Hoody
• Sunblock
• Normal toiletries (tooth brush/paste, deodorant, shampoo/body wash, etc)
• 2 Pairs of sunglasses
• 2 Pairs of flip-flops
• Extra backpack
• 2 old cleat bags from Nike…perfect beach bags
• Some snacks (granola bars and packaged crackers)
• Passport (and a photocopy)
• Frisby

That’s about it.  Hopefully I am not forgetting anything important but the nice thing is that I’ll have a visitor coming in a week in case I forget anything.  Ok time to change my voicemail.  Wish me luck and check back tomorrow night for my first post from Costa Rica!!!