The Jaco Farmer’s Market

We went to Jaco’s Farmer’s Market last Friday and then again today. What an abundance of produce!

Thankfully every vendor has signs stating their prices. We hope to go every week and stock up.

There is also another Farmer’s Market south of us in Quepos on Saturdays we hope to check out too. Supposedly their’s is 4 times the size.

I was thoroughly impressed by the variety, quality, and prices of fresh herbs!

We paid only $16-18 for all of this!:

YUM!

All Supermarkets Are NOT Equal

We were introduced to a Tico named Julio who lives in the complex we’re going to move in to. He lives between here and Quebec, where his girlfriend lives. He’s fluent in Spanish, French, and English! After talking with him for a little bit we started to ask for his suggestions concerning different things like buying a car and how to open a bank account. Another topic he covered with us was where to shop for groceries. We had already heard a little about it from Julie, our landlord, but he was thorough!

Maxi Bodega is owned by Walmart and like all Walmarts in the US, they advertise that all of their stuff is inexpensive (although only a small percentage is) and the quality is low.

Pali is considered to be a little nicer than Maxi Bodega, but it isn’t well-lit. It’s a great place to buy canned goods.

Mega Super is just a step above Maxi Bodega. Julio called it a “lower class” grocery store.

Mas x Menos is the best. It’s a “middle class” grocery story with better quality and mid-range prices. Julie says this is where she buys her boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Auto Mercado is “high class.” If you’re can’t find something at Mas x Menos, you will probably be able to find it at Auto Mercado (esp. perticular things you like from the US like Grey Poupon). Their prices are more expensive though so don’t shop there for everything.

For Fish there is a shop called Martec that they recommend on the north part of Jaco, next to Chuck’s W.O.W. Surf Shop and a new bakery.

There is also a new butcher that he recommends in Esterillos Este (just north of Bejuco). I doubt I’ll use it much (I decided I’m done with eating anything with 4 legs as it doesn’t sit well with me) but good to know for Jim.

There is also the Mini Super which is like a small general store. They are all over the place and have basic food items, and carry many things that a gas station store would. Many are attached to a family’s home. We have one just next door to where we live. We trade in our empty large bottles of Cristal water for full ones there and also walk over when we are in the mood for an ice cream.

There is also a Farmer’s Market every Friday in Jaco and Saturday in Quepos, where it has been suggested to load up on produce!

On the drive between the coast and San Jose there are many Farm Stands with great prices. When far up in the mountains last year we tried some lovely strawberries and just the other day we were offered a lychee. So sweet and delicious!

Portland

The same day our friend Thubten packed up a moving van and started driving to Portland Jim, and I flew out to Portland to see our friends Marty and Tera. We had such a fun time (as we always do) with them.

We got to see their new house which is a beautifully updated 100 year old craftsman. A house like it in Boulder would be twice the price!

Portland is great. You can walk, bike, or take public transportation just about anywhere. They even have biker (cyclist) gangs, which I think is a riot. They have dog friendly parks everywhere! And not those closed off dog parks, but ones where people sleep under trees, play a pick up soccer game, and have picnics. They have multiple farmer’s markets. We went to the one at PSU and drooled over all the produce, baked goods, cheeses, and flowers. It put Boulder’s to shame.

We got to watch both Marty and Tera play a soccer match. This particular team was part of a co-ed indoor league. Each of them are in 5 leagues each! Some are single sex and some are outdoor too. Tera made a goal that Marty assisted. We were very loud/proud fans!

If it didn’t rain so much other times of year, I’m sure Jim and I would move there. But if it didn’t rain then there wouldn’t be so much lushishness. Flowers lined all the streets, we picked raspberries on our walk in a neighborhood, and Tera and Marty’s friends grow sugar peas. It would be heaven for an Ikebana practitioner.

We ate at many tasty places…..An Indian Buffet, The Tao of Tea (with incredible teas and exotic snacks), a decadent dessert cafe called Pix, and a Cup Cakery/Antique store where I found odd shaped kenzans for my Ikebana practice. The last place we ate had a Waffle Window along the side of the building. Brilliant!

Portland has many street fairs through the year. We were in town for one of the largest, The Mississippi Street Fair. We went to watch/listen/experience The Bridgetown Saints (the band Marty plays sax in). They played such a great show and the song Marty wrote, The Otter, was possibly their best/musically interesting. It was crazy hot and there was no shade. Thankfully we had lemonade and my nifty fan. We may have looked silly, but we were cool. There were also lots of interesting people, including Mr. Creepy Crooked Mustache Guy that danced next to the stage. After the show, we walked along the street fair. There was lots of fun stuff to see. They also had an outrageous amount of BBQ.

After the street fair we picked up a few things from the store and had our own BBQ with their friends Chuck and Emily. After eating, we played some serious four square!

There were also many neat things we saw on our walks in neighborhood and downtown. We went to Powell Books, which we LOVE. I got a book about a couple that simplifies and rediscovers meaning in their lives by moving to Mexico and Jim not only found a book by the new poet-laureate but also picked up a zip-up hoodie, which he had been searching for the perfect one for a while. Overall, it was a fantastic trip and I look forward to returning to explore more the city.