Inches From Death In Costa Rica!

Gerardo took us into meet his mechanic who he claims is excellent and will come to help us if we need him to in an emergency.

This was after we went to the farm to see how the house was progressing. They had put the ceiling on the porch (under the roof, the "cieloraso" as Gerardo calls it) and were finishing up the cement work to prepare for the ceramic floor, and putting the paste on the outside walls and refining it to look better.

So we followed Gerardo into his mechanic which I could have sworn he said was in Piedades Sur.

I followed him and we passed Pieadades Sur and I said to Joanie, "Didn't he say we were going to meet his mechanic to look at our master cylinder? And didn't he say it was in Pieadades Sur?"

So anyway, we kept going and going and going and were ¾ way into San Ramon - the back, slow way - when suddenly I went around a curve and a huge semi truck laid on the air horn at me and as he passed it seemed like we were no more than 6" inches from him. I was following Gerardo who was going faster than I would go because I don't know the road so it is possible - though somewhat unlikely - that I swerved a bit over into the truck's lane. However I am generally super careful about that and I doubt that I did. It's much more likely that he came into my lane and then honked for me to get out of his effing way because he was coming through at high speed, regardless. Anyway it SCARED THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME and I was shaken up for quite a while and felt very timid driving the rest of the day. "Inches from death" is not just a catchy phrase to get you to read today's blog but it is a literal description of the situation we were in!

Anyway so we met the mechanic and he agreed that based on our issues the master cylinder must need replaced so he sent us into San Ramon to look for one. Gerardo accompanied us to look for a master cylinder and we went several places and then we ordered one and they said it would arrive later today and Gerardo said he'd pick it up later for us. Gerardo is super nice and I don't know why he goes out of his way to help us so much but it's really awesome and much appreciated.

So we then went out to the tile place again to pick out more tile - this time for the porch floor - and then we went to look at the stove top we want to buy so Gerardo would know the size.

Then, Joanie and I bought a few things and headed back home to eat, and then later we walked up to the farm.

Then around the time we were ready to go to bed we heard a dog barking next door where the Ticos live. Uh oh! The last thing I need in addition to a noisy family next door is a barking dog!

Luckily they quieted it down and it only barked a few times. We are still unclear whether it is their new dog or if Ron left it with them to guard the house because they couldn't sleep their last night due to painting the walls. This is what we figured out - we think - in hind sight but we really don't know what went on. We do know they were painting the walls inside the house yesterday though.