5/7/7

The party yesterday was a complete success by all standards. There were about 30 people there, or more, including families with young children. I met some new and interesting people, including one man who gave me an idea of just what kind of place I live in. Ticos are, by nature, reluctant to leave their own zone. Many who have the money see no need to travel, and seen very little of their own country. Marvin knows many people in Puntarenas have not heard of Punta Morales, so it is no surprise that there are Ticos twenty kilometers from here who have no idea where Punta Morales is. This fellow, and, out of respect, I wish I remembered his name, asked me where I was living. I told him Punta Morales, and he laughed. “I’ve been here 29 years, and have attempted to see all of the country, but have never even heard of Punta Morales.” When I told him where it was, and said that he might have noticed the big alcohol tanks near the large dock from the ferry, he knew where I meant.
It seemed popular to me, because it is full of Ticos during the holidays. There are cabinas, the beach, and six cantinas in eleven kilometers of road. It seems, however, that the people who come here for vacations, or have cottages here are from San Jose, or San Ramon, and most people, tourists, expats, and Ticos alike, have not even heard of it.
Back to the party. Another fellow I met, Dan, was from Minnesota. It seems in some of the northern states, they play card games similar to those in Canada. Cribbage, 500, Euchre, are some games, not found everywhere. None of my neighbours play any games, although I heard of a small poker game near here. Dan and I played about eight games, and had a great time visiting. Later on, a fellow from S. Dakota, I didn’t get his name, and Mike from Ontario, got together with us and played four-handed. It was a real treat for all of us. Mike is one of the owners of the new Bikini Bar in Puntarenas. The other guy is an English teacher here. He got together with a Florida girl who was teaching English in Africa over the internet. They were recently married, and are going to Korea on August first to teach. It’s always nice to meet new people, and many of their stories are very interesting. So the party rated an A+. The food was good, the people were fun, and everyone stayed sober.