We are here with Teddy Klausner, traveler extraordinaire, and Martha, napper extraordinaire. We had small snafu in that when we arrived, there was no car waiting for us because the people thought we were coming the next day. No matter. We arrange for another driver to come in the morning for the three hour drive, and check into the best hotel in town: a Marriott with surprisingly comfortable beds and surprisingly cold pool. Unfortunately in Costa Rica, the Easter holiday is mostly a holy Thursday/good Friday celebration and to our dismay, no alcohol is served in restaurants either of those days. This is crushing to all but the children who delight at the buffet "oh it's one of THOSE things " teddy says....like I know how to work a buffet people.
So we arrive after long drive to a really nice house and lots of staff..cooks. cleaners, concierges...and run down to the beach where Thomas is pretty far out in the waves with the children and I am on my way in. We are told by Jeff another house person that there is a strong rip tide and no one should be in this section. I wave to Thomas frantically, thinking: I am not losing a cute Jewish kid on passover if I can help it. Who knows? Thomas thinks they are exaggerating, but i will allow no one but him in the water in this section...only to the right and left.
The great story of the trip is the bonding between Teddy and Nana...she told him to call her Martha...and then it turned into Nana Martha and then she said no that takes too long...all my really old, good friends call me Motz...Teddy thinks she says Matzo as in Matzo ball and this kills us...so it is Nana Matzo ball forever more..and an honor awarded only to Teddy. They have long chats about Judaism and the old testament and she tells him not to worry she will be there for his Barmitzvah...she knows all about them and fear not...Nana Matzo will arrive in a "large hat" I do not know what that means, she says it all the time, but it seems to signify a person whose presence inspires calm and confidence. Not the first things we think of with MMB, but Teddy seems to buy it.
Teddy seems to worry about two things: mosquito (Kid you not he wanted to pull out his mosquito net from Africa in the Marriott. I tried to tell him nothing lived in the Marriott but us, and we were hanging by a thread as it was, considering the alcohol policy. He settled for spraying himself constantly. The second thing he seems to worry about it is going to hell for not celebrating passover, or worse- celebrating it in a catholic church. We dragged him to Easter mass and right off the bat he looked skeptical...had to shake hands with costa rican with nine fingers and this kid's father is an infectious disease specialist, so I saw him slyly wiping his hand on his shirt afterward. I let him play with my phone and covered his head with my hand when they threw holy water around..just in case it resulted in a spontaneous conversion. Finally I let them play outside before the end ..which was good because the celebration ended with a big chanting between the priest and the congregation..where the priest yelled (I think) Jesus is the messiah..or is great, or something, and the congregation yelled in response: VIVA!!! VIVA...it was a strange combination of Hitler rally and soccer match and it could have sent Theodore over the edge. When we got home he had pulled out chocolate covered matzo crackers (bless you tammy klausner!!!) and asked me several times pointedly when we were gong to do the seder dinner. The chef has done them before, and I had told him that...but tonight for Easter in honor of Jesus we would be eating sushi. But tomorrow!
Then at the absolute height of the afternoon heat, a surf instructor shows up...he does not look entirely sober, and the waves are four feet, so I do the only sensible thing and send the kids out alone and do not partake in the lesson myself. They did pretty well..both caught some waves, much to the delight of the fat white people on the beach who pronounced them "amazing" and came home euphoric and happy to be back in the pool with the monkeys in the trees around them.
pictures soon i promise!!
Final note is the sleeping! the sun goes down and so do we....kids slept 12 hours, Nana Matzo ball 12 plus a two hour nap, and the wehlens 11 with breaks but still!!! crazy.
So we arrive after long drive to a really nice house and lots of staff..cooks. cleaners, concierges...and run down to the beach where Thomas is pretty far out in the waves with the children and I am on my way in. We are told by Jeff another house person that there is a strong rip tide and no one should be in this section. I wave to Thomas frantically, thinking: I am not losing a cute Jewish kid on passover if I can help it. Who knows? Thomas thinks they are exaggerating, but i will allow no one but him in the water in this section...only to the right and left.
The great story of the trip is the bonding between Teddy and Nana...she told him to call her Martha...and then it turned into Nana Martha and then she said no that takes too long...all my really old, good friends call me Motz...Teddy thinks she says Matzo as in Matzo ball and this kills us...so it is Nana Matzo ball forever more..and an honor awarded only to Teddy. They have long chats about Judaism and the old testament and she tells him not to worry she will be there for his Barmitzvah...she knows all about them and fear not...Nana Matzo will arrive in a "large hat" I do not know what that means, she says it all the time, but it seems to signify a person whose presence inspires calm and confidence. Not the first things we think of with MMB, but Teddy seems to buy it.
Teddy seems to worry about two things: mosquito (Kid you not he wanted to pull out his mosquito net from Africa in the Marriott. I tried to tell him nothing lived in the Marriott but us, and we were hanging by a thread as it was, considering the alcohol policy. He settled for spraying himself constantly. The second thing he seems to worry about it is going to hell for not celebrating passover, or worse- celebrating it in a catholic church. We dragged him to Easter mass and right off the bat he looked skeptical...had to shake hands with costa rican with nine fingers and this kid's father is an infectious disease specialist, so I saw him slyly wiping his hand on his shirt afterward. I let him play with my phone and covered his head with my hand when they threw holy water around..just in case it resulted in a spontaneous conversion. Finally I let them play outside before the end ..which was good because the celebration ended with a big chanting between the priest and the congregation..where the priest yelled (I think) Jesus is the messiah..or is great, or something, and the congregation yelled in response: VIVA!!! VIVA...it was a strange combination of Hitler rally and soccer match and it could have sent Theodore over the edge. When we got home he had pulled out chocolate covered matzo crackers (bless you tammy klausner!!!) and asked me several times pointedly when we were gong to do the seder dinner. The chef has done them before, and I had told him that...but tonight for Easter in honor of Jesus we would be eating sushi. But tomorrow!
Then at the absolute height of the afternoon heat, a surf instructor shows up...he does not look entirely sober, and the waves are four feet, so I do the only sensible thing and send the kids out alone and do not partake in the lesson myself. They did pretty well..both caught some waves, much to the delight of the fat white people on the beach who pronounced them "amazing" and came home euphoric and happy to be back in the pool with the monkeys in the trees around them.
pictures soon i promise!!
Final note is the sleeping! the sun goes down and so do we....kids slept 12 hours, Nana Matzo ball 12 plus a two hour nap, and the wehlens 11 with breaks but still!!! crazy.
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