i have been substituting lemons with fresh limes, straight off of the front yard tree. up until this morning, we hadn't been adding cayenne. because, suprisingly, it is a hard ingredient to find here. after 3 stores, finally found it....
so, today has been tougher than yesterday. sounds like i have caged lions and tigers in my belly.... little low on energy.... feelin a bit ethereal... and can't stop thinking about food. naturally. but i haven't cheated.... still going strong. however, starting to believe i have masochistic tendencies. no joke.
did get out for a nice walk this morning...and ventured to see the...wait...for....it.... WORLDS LARGEST CARRETA....!!!
whats a carreta, you ask, well its basically an ox cart. a cart made of wood, pulled by ox, to transport loads of stuff...
the carreta is extremely significant in costa rica...this wooden cart was used as the main transport from inland towns to the coast...transporting coffee beans, sugarcane, and other crops. the design on the wheel would distinguish towns from one another and the locals took alot of pride in painting these carretas.
claudias grandfather, who lives right next door...seems to be a bit of a local celebrity. not only was he born and raised in the same house...but he also was resonsible for naming the current neighborhood 'barrio latino.' he owned, painted, and used his own carreta to transport goods to the coast. what is a 4 hour drive would take him more than a week, but as a means of survival, it was necessary.
