My favorite local Festival, and Thai food at the lake!

My husband, Alex, I, and a whole lot of our friends found our way to the annual oxcart festival in Tierras Morenas this past Saturday. This festival is my favorite of all in the surrounding canton. The festival revolves around the Day of the Laborer in Costa Rica and many pueblos throughout the country do the parade of the oxcarts. In the case of Tierras Morenas (I can't vouch for any of the other pueblos who have this parade), many of the oxcarts are filled to brimming with wood, cut into equal lengths and then tied into neat bundles, mainly to be used for cooking. The parade includes all manner of oxcarts, brightly painted, unpainted, large, small, old, and new. I even saw one being pulled by two goats this year.

After the parade, the wood is auctioned off and the proceeds go to the church in the village. The festival lasts through the weekend and I imagine there are a few locals who were "de goma" this morning. For those of you not familiar with the local sayings, that means "hungover".

Here are some of the photos that Alex took for me:

News about Real Estate in our area: Things have really picked up after a long, dry spell, just like the dry spell that hit the U.S. a couple of years ago. We are selling homes, lots, and businesses as more and more ex-pats make the decision to move to our area or to buy in anticipation of retiring here. Of course, that means that I am busier than ever, but it is a good busy.

And now for the usual food talk that accompanies nearly all of my blog postings: Five Corners Grill was recently sold to a couple from Austin, Texas, Jason and Cindy, and they have decided to do a 'revolving' menu. If last week's Italian-themed menu is any indication, we have a lot of wonderful dining to look forward to. The food is what I would term "bistro style". Four of us dined together there during Italian week last week and no one was disappointed. This week is Thai week and I can't wait. I promise to take some photos and post them right away. Another themed-week that is planned is Indian food. How exciting to have such wonderful food at reasonable prices, well -presented, and with new menus to look forward to.

Hasta pronto y pura vida,

Laura Murray

Owner/Broker

Re/Max Lake Partners

Lake Arenal, Costa Rica

laura.murray@remax.net

http://www.arenalbuyersrealty.com/