MaiaBlogArchive

27/03/09 - San Jose

Well, the sacred sound spa we held as a fundraiser at the Sat Yoga Institute last Saturday flowed beautifully and felt quite divine. It was later described as sublime, and we have heard a few brief stories about how it created some profound experiences and changes in some of those present. It was a participatory night as well, and it was really a beautiful experience for us as well, sharing the intent and the music, the singing and at times the stillness (meditation). We played one of Gabe's Alchemy HartSongs in the meditation so it was lovely to have her 'participating' in the event!

The next morning we were off to Panama for our 'visa run'. We were in flow and we were obviously where we were meant to be, but I have to say for the most part I didn't enjoy it and I was glad to get back. It was a bit of a weird experience - interesting in its own way but I could have happily done without it! I will share more in a later blog (playing catch ups all round at the moment). Meantime, we have added new pics - both of Panama (it has its own page) and Costa Rica (I have created a second page as the first was getting too big!) With a bit of luck and coaxing, maybe Sahayak will write a blog entry...don't hold your breath!

30/03/09 - San Jose

The synchronicity just keeps on blowing us away...and there is so much happening with it in such an ongoing way that it's starting to feel like hard work to continually recount it all. I'd love to share but it needs more input and time from me than I can manage just at the moment (lots of computer work I'm committed to at the moment and my body is waaaaaay past being over sitting at the 'computer so much!) The mega quick snapshot is that there are some folk from the Carribean coast who the Vista del Valle folk several weeks ago strongly recommended we connect with, but the effort they made at the time came to nought. So who do you think I met at an Earth Hour event the other night? Meant to happen! (Sahayak went to another event we both really wanted to go to, so we each came back from each event and shared our experience!) Also at the same event I met a lady called Alba (the name of the city where I was born!) She's a singer/songwriter and there's great synergy and synchronicity there as well. Sahayak and I both connected with them all again the following day. We'll be seeing them all again...

03/04/09 - San Jose

It's the evening of April 3, which means in Australia it is the morning of April 4, and the time in Oz as I type this is around 10am. In half an hour's time it is exactly one year ago that I received the hang! What a mind blowing reflection this last year offers, and how incredibly the hang has changed my life - way beyond belief, and way beyond what I possibly could have imagined, even though I knew it was going to be HUGE.

Easter here is a week long thing, and we are going to spend it house (and cat and garden) sitting Tamara's place - where we stayed for three weeks a few weeks back. She offered it because she thought we might enjoy being there, and she's right - it's a lovely place and in a great spot, and we feel very blessed. It's resort quality so we will regard it as a 'holiday within a holiday'.

We've also been invited to visit a couple of places that have come up through synchronicity, including a weekend at a Yoga Retreat Centre (gratis) at Lake Arenal (near Arenal Volcano, the only active volcano in Costa Rica). We haven't been to that area yet and we hear it is lovely. The invitation followed a 'chance' connection where a guy came to the shop where we are living inside the same complex, and he heard Sahayak playing the hang and was drawn (as so many are) to come and experience more of it and ask about it. It was just a few hours before our fundraiser event, which we told him about and that he came along to. So, his name is Franceso (yes, Italian, but has been living here since 1993) and he co-runs the Yoga centre. Interestingly enough, he has since shared that his business partner experienced us and our instruments when we were at Vista del Valle and she was visiting there (!) No mean feat when they are based about four hours away! We'll probably head that way in another couple of weeks.

There's more synchronicity to report and it feels like it is all speeding up, but these things are unfolding so I will wait until they are a more complete story...

We will soon be able to upload a number of videos of our musical offerings onto YouTube - they're in the oven being baked right now! Watch this space...

Wet season is not far away now so we will soon need to buy a brolly...

06/04/09 - San Jose

It's officially Easter week now, and the vibe is more cruisy. I'm making the most of the stunning weather before the rainy season. Yesterday we performed at the artist's cafe just two doors down - nice to have such convenience! We played for 90 minutes and in that time filled some appreciative ears (and hearts) - particularly a little girl who had the hugest eyes and great fascination for the instruments and who we encouraged to come and touch the instruments even as we played. She won our hearts! It all went very well. We played because we wanted to, but we also appreciated the $40 in tips and the free (yummy) lunch. The cafe owner was happy and we've been invited back.

Meanwhile, back in Oz, we hear of the flooding on the Sunshine Coast - particularly extraordinary the story about the Kin Kin pub! ...a three metre wall of water hitting the place would have been quite a shock! Closer to 'home', Dad's been in hospital for a couple of weeks and I had the chance to have a good chat with Mum yesterday. It seems that there are side effects happening from an assortment of prescription medications and they are experimenting to try and resolve it. Yikes! Hopefully it will all get sorted out soon. Give me a good naturopath any day...

I was reading a post on a 'Cost Rican Living' yahoo group yesterday about the condition of a certain road. It made me laugh, and I thought would be good to share so people can get a bit of a sense of Costa Rica. I'll leave this one with you until next time...

"I recall that the bridge over the river at Portalon was washed out, along with many of the homes along the bank in 2005. After a few days a huge tree was placed across the river and you could then take the bus from Quepos, get off at the river, cross over the log, and board another bus on the other side that would take you to Dominical. When the river level dropped you could also drive through the river in a high clearance vehicle and if riding a bus it also could drive through the river and therefore you no longer had to do the gymnastic log balancing act."

14/04/09 - San Jose

Quick message to say been flat out with some deadlines and will get back to this in the next few days...coming soon, a completely new website for samjjana!

16/04/09 - San Jose

Drum roll..... samjjana is now live on the Internet! After a fairly concerted effort, we now have a website that we are quite pleased with, and that keeps the focus on our music. It will further develop over time, we have more plans for it, but it's a great start. Inspiration Unlimited is a site that has grown and grown - expanding to the point of bursting at the seams (you have probably noticed). So it's a good development for many reasons. We invite you to go take a look, have a browse and enjoy www.samjjana.com Any feedback welcome (including any reports about any technical glitches!)

24/04/09 - San Jose

(Some new pics added to the pics page...)

Well, the wet season is brewing and we are now shopping for an umbrella...accummulating stuff is something we'd prefer to avoid but a brollie is an essential, not an option! Tomorrow is Anzac Day, which of course doesn't get a look in here in Costa Rica (and fair enough!). So we will be spending Anzac Day at a fundraiser event at the British Embassy residence. A lady we met while volunteering to help feed the homeless (including playing our music of course) last weekend was blown away and wanted to get us into the performance schedule for the fundraiser, but there's a full line up so we are the emergency back up. We've had some nice feedback about our website and YouTube videos, and we've also just found out that we have a TV and radio interview next Wednesday (after our last rehearsal with Tapado) so the music thing is still bowling along. Mind you, with TV and the concert coming up, I'm a bit alarmed about my hair...I've been cutting it myself most of the trip, with a hairdresser haircut every few months or so. So I went to hairdresser about a month ago and paid good money for a shocker of a hair cut. Think marine crew cut meets Ziggy Stardust! Anyway, as bad as it was, I was worried about when it grew longer again, and sure enough, a month later, it's a style-less fuzz ball! I have tried to thin it out and have made some 'headway' but it's far from what I am happy with or like to present to the world. So now I am thinking about wearing a head scarf! All part of the travel adventure...

On the plus side, my bikinis have pretty much died and I have been looking for some new, cheap swimmers - of which there are plenty here in CR, but when I mentioned it to Tamara, she offered me a couple of pairs of bikinis that don't fit her anymore. They fit perfectly, they are really lovely, in great condition, and also very, very good quality - the sort you would pay a fair bit for even here, so I am very grateful.

And finally, I just want to share another Costa Rican story. I have shared about how they generally don't use addresses here, but rather, give directions. The directions are often based on land marks, but the funny thing is, even when land marks have disappeared, they are still referred to. For example, 'turn right 100 metres south west of Plaza Rafael where the oak tree used to be'. All very well if you have had some history here and remember where the oak tree used to be! The same goes for the main bus hub in the city centre. It is called 'Cocoa Cola' and I didn't understand why, as I realised Cocoa Cola wouldn't be interested in naming rights and there are no Cocoa Cola ads on display there. The story is that where the bus depot is used to be a Cocoa Cola bottling plant. Now, years later, it is still called Cocoa Cola (I'm sure Cocoa Cola executives are more than happy with that!) So that gives you another clue about how tricky it is to find your way around! I was just in there yesterday trying to find a place where I had an appointment. I don't go into the centre of the city much, but when I do, pedestrian crossings are quite a novelty (they are non-existent in the suburbs - you just jay walk...or run!) Having said that, don't think for a minute the traffic is going to give way just because there is a pedestrian crossing!

I have always shared how much we love it here, but San Jose itself is a metropolis with little appeal and it's not even close to being dear to my heart. We are here because of the people and our music. When you get away from the city there is much to appreciate. But, we go where we are guided to and Spirit guided us here. We have plenty of evidence as to why, and lots of gratitude for that, though I will appreciate the day we get away from the city and its traffic and traffic fumes. Also, just in the last week or so i have been starting to miss home. I've always loved and appreciated it, and I have travelled for a longer period than this before, but there you have it. Home is home and there is no place like it. Though I also accept that we will return when the time is right and I am certainly here to make the best of it. And anyway, it will come around quickly enough...

29/04/09 - San Jose

What an extraordinary journey we are on. I mean, we already knew that, but it just keeps getting more extraordinary. More synchronicity, more worth sharing than this blog can absorb. Last weekend we had lunch with the Prime Minister (of Costa Rica), whose brother happens to be the President. The Prime Minister is the father of our flatmate, who invited us to go with him to his father's place for lunch. I knew beforehand that he was a minister, but I was not aware of the whole story until we were at lunch. The good news is, he is a very nice man, and...he meditates! I wish more politicians would do that. We took our instruments and played before lunch, which was greatly appreciated. We had a pretty interesting chat about a lot of things, including politics. I brought up the subject of Obama and as I expected, he was very happy with the change. He also said the new U.S. Vice President attended some Central American talks and he found the Vice President to have a very good attitude and to be a good listener. All good to hear!

So today we went for interviews for both TV and radio - both national stations. Sahayak even wore shoes for the occasion (very rare to see him out of his tivas!) The TV will be a news item on what is a popular cultural-focused station, and the radio interview, which went for some 20 minutes, will be aired for the next two Sundays. All leading up to the May 12 event, 'Music Alchemy'. The coverage we are getting is bound to put plenty of 'bums on seats' so no complaints from us!

10/03/09 - San Jose

More pics added to the Costa Rica photos page today...

Time has been getting away! We've been at Vicki's for nine days now, having slightly delayed our 'visa run' (we need to leave the country for 72 hours. Tons of people here do it, either to Panama to the south or Nicaragua to the north). We'll probably head off on Friday. We are still looking for a place to settle for the next six months, thus far nothing has landed, but it's all good...all will unfold perfectly. Meanwhile, I attended an EFT workshop on the weekend that was held here at Vicki's, by Margot, who I have already mentioned I have a great connection with. I was able to do the workshop on full exchange. The flow was definitely to go! What more of a sign do you need than to be in the same place, at the same time, with a great practitioner, with a subject you are very interested in and not having to pay $! For those who are not familiar with it, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a simple system for working on the energy system of the body through the neurology to clear unsupportive beliefs and their associated deep emotional effects and suffering that tend to manifest as sabotaging ourselves and physical conditions/diseases (so it works in some respects in a similar way as NLP so it will complement all my NLP training). It is powerful stuff. The workshop was amazing.

It's Sahayak's 'soul's day' (birthday) today, so I have been having fun plotting and scheming! Let the day unfold as it will...

We have 21 March locked in now for a fundraiser event/performance for the Sat Yoga Institute, and the larger event in April is close to having the date locked in. We are also performing at Kapoli Yoga Centre in May (8 or 9) so things are rolling along. We have had the option to go and live in an intentional community for a while, but it is a long way from San Jose so as much as the idea appeals, we realise we need to stay here. The flow is definitely here.

Best I choof off now, as I need to get on with event preparations - including updating the details on the website!

9/02/09 - San Jose

First a quick catch up on our volcano visit as promised...

Once we got to the national park entry gate they warned us the weather was not good and we may not be able to see anything, so we went back down the hill a way and had an early lunch. Second time to the gate and the weather looked slightly better, but still mostly grey and rainy, but we figured it was worth a shot seeing as we'd made the effort to go (2 hour drive). Well, we ended up with at least half an hour of spectacularly clear views (see photo page), and other times there were mists rolling in and out, which in itself was stunning. We even got a RAINBOW down in the crater, so we were all rapt - it was really worth it! Not to mention the stunning, lush countryside to and from, with wonderful cloud formations thrown in for good measure. A bonus was the friendly local workers, heading home from work. Piled into the back of a truck, they wave happily at us (this happened three or four times so it must be pretty standard).

Mind you, poor Thomas was a bit stressed - driving in Costa Rica is somewhat of a challenge, especially in San Jose. For goodness knows what reason, there are no street addresses in Costa Rica, and the map shows all the roads, but not with any street names. Directions are usually things like 'take the main road to Santa Ana (a town), go through 5 rotundas (roundabouts), then take the first slip road to the right, then turn right at the Shell service station, and my place is about 500 metres along that road, opposite Cafe Torino'.

At one stage we got lost and Thomas was in overwhelm so we asked at a truck depot for directions - well, of course that was tricky as they mostly spoke Spanish and the directions were not straightforward, so one of the guys there offered to come with us in the car to Escazu (the suburb we were calling into on the way to Irazu). He only spoke Spanish but indicated with his hands when left of right. Some 15 minutes later we were in Escazu. We offered him a tip, which he initally refused, put on our insistence he took it. This is typical Costa Rican hospitality. By the way...a quick tip from Thomas (once he was given also) - if you hire a car in Costa Rica, make sure it is a 4WD. Most cars we have been in, getting a lift in Costa Rica has been in a 4WD and we were very glad of it! (Even in the city.)

So we left Vista del Valle a couple of days ago, feeling a little bit teary when saying goodbye to some of the staff. Even with almost zero language in common we felt a bond with a number of them. There are two brothers there who were always happy to see us "eh amigo, amiga! Pura vida!" (The commonly said 'pure life' on greeting and parting - a nice touch in Costa Rica.) We gave them one of our little clip on koalas (priceless to travel with and hand around randomly to light up the faces of recipients) and one of the guys kept it clipped on his shirt all that day and the next!

So now we are staying (three days) with a lovely Tico called Tamara and her daughter Veronica. As seems to be just about always the case here in Costa Rica, lots of lovely synchronicity and synergy, and another to add to our list of special people we have connected with here and who we will be sure to keep in touch with. The number of people who have an increased interest in visiting australia is growing! We've said "open house, come stay with us anytime" to quite a lot of people now...better make sure we arrange to have a spare room when we get back!

Some other observations to share about Costa Rica....

In the six weeks we've been here we've not known of or seen anyone with any colds or flus. It strikes us as unusual, but we are not sure whether it is just a fluke or who we are mixing with, or whether it is much less prevalent here.

We've noticed that Ticos are mostly quite tidy and keep their surroundings tidy. Even in some shanty towns we have passed by, they take pride in their neighbourhood. Even in a place with lots of corrugated iron and scraps as building material, there's a tidyness like you find in nice suburban neighbourhoods.

Having said that, many, many houses (if not most), as well as churches and businesses etc, have high security fences. There is a lot of petty crime here - mostly robberies by people in desperate poverty, and most of those are Nicuraguan refugees. Though almost as if to refute that, in the Alueja region of 60,000 people, there are only five police cars.

It is also suprising to hear that there are plenty of residents of San Jose who have never seen the ocean - it's only about two hours away and the local buses would only charge something like $8-12 for a round trip, and buudget accommodation (not right on the coast) can be found for around $10-15 a night but it is apparently still unaffordable.

The beautiful flowering trees are changing with the seasons. Where there were mainly bright oranges blossoms dotting the landscape, now the yellows and purples are blooming.

Sahayak is enjoying his new flute, which arrived a few days ago from Australia. We have no idea where we will be tomorrow, but there still are some interesting possibilities in view. We'll keep you posted.

Via the Internet we are following the unfolding drama with the bushfires. Words are hard to find so perhaps better not to attempt anything, other than that our thoughts and prayers are very much with those who need them.

Tomorrow is another day - and wherever we will be, we will as always feel grateful for the many blessings in our lives.

29/01/09 - Vista del Valle

Seven months today since Sahayak and I met...feels like years already! Probably because we have packed as much in to seven months as many take years to do! Changes afoot here, though too soon for details. Bottom line is that we are enjoying ourselves and we love Costa Rica. We've been here some five weeks now so I feel I can now make some observations about the place and the people...

'Ticos' (Costa Ricans) are a very kind and peaceful people. They are friendly - many will wave to us, or wave back, with a friendly greeting in passing. They are very polite (even with each other on the roads in heavy, stress-producing traffic - not like the rudeness of the Italians!) They are non-confrontational. They are very helpful. From strangers in the street to good friends we've now made, we've yet to meet a Tico who is anything other than what we have shared here. On the slightly more challenging side of things, time and Ticos are an interesting combination. Times arranged for appointments and to go places often don't have any relation to the times arranged, and apologies for being even 2+ hours late don't come into the equation! They also are usually so willing to help that they can give you misinformation simply because they don't know but want to help! Maybe they cross their fingers and hope the directions they have given you will get you to where you want to go! The trick, apparently, is to ask three different people for directions, and try to ask people with cars!

The January 8 earthquake fallout continues. The damage is restricted to a 15 km radius around the epicentre (at a guess, about 60 kms from here). Fatalities are up to 23 now and could rise to 34. 900 people are homeless, 10 kms of road completely destroyed, all the fish in a major river died in the mud sludge... and it goes on. It was the largest quake in 18 years and it has had a big impact here. Ongoing relief and charity work is chipping away at it.

On a brighter note, we had our first (overseas) paid gig last Monday night - in a shopping mall (which was quite a challenge in terms of noise) though it somehow worked and the 150 or so people who attended seemed to get a lot out of it. There was a huge gong there as well, which eas mind-blowing.

We've made some additions to the website, adding some of Shahayak's stuff - we were in the process of building a whole new site to represented us both, but it has been sitting unfinished in limbo for too long so we've ended up jiggling this current site a bit to make it last a bit longer! We aim to get the other one sorted out before too much longer.

Not long until our friend Thomas returns for a few days visit, so we are looking forward to catching up with him. Sahayak looks funny lately - wearing temporary, black-framed magnifying glasses for 4 or 5 days until his new glasses are ready (he lost his glasses a few days back when we last travelled into San Jose). Clark Kent has been mentioned (not by me!)

6/01/09 - Costa Rica (Vista del Valle )

It keeps getting more amazing...we went to San Jose yesterday for a radio interview, in which we were on air (and live online) for two hours, mostly playing our instruments (interspersed with other music, and also as background music as Iside (the presenter) and our friend Leonardo spoke). We stayed overnight with Leonardo and his wife Carolina and son Sebastian - they're great friends that we've made here and we had a great time. We've also been invited to play at a Chinese New Year event.

There are also lots more developments, really interesting, powerful stuff in terms of making a difference...that I can share about later - for the moment suffice to say we are definitely in a sweet spot - the right place at the right time!

26/12/08 - Costa Rica (San Jose)

I find myself yet again wondering how on earth I can possibly impart the extraordinary experiences of the last 24 hours. I guess I'll make a start with some general bits leading up to and during this time and then roll with it...

We flew from Faro (Portugal) to London on December 23 (it took two and a half hours to fly, then the same amount of time to get from Gatwick Airport to the Barmey Badger Hostel in Earls Court!) It was with our full complement of luggage, after we'd failed in an attempt to send some winter stuff home - it was going to cost us $180, which we weren't willing to pay! Though my aching feet weren't keen on the idea, we took a quick spin that evening to Covent Garden, one of my favourite places in London that I was keen to visit again and for Sahayak to experience so at least he can say he's had a little taste of London. It didn't disappoint. Being able to understand the language was a much appreciated bonus.

Christmas Eve began for us when we got up at 3am. An hour on a bus and then over an hour and a half in the check-in queue at Heathrow (I swear it was some 150 metres long, spanning past other airline check-ins and off around a corner!) meant I was over it before we'd barely begun. Add a two hour flight to Madrid, a two hour layover and then an 11 hour flight to San Jose, then add six additional hours to the day with the time difference and then factor in the three or four hours before getting to bed and it was the longest Christmas Eve either of us have ever had - not to mention spanning three countries, which was also a first!

It was great to leave the euro and pound stirling behind and finally get a favourable exchange rate! The pre-arranged taxi driver (via the Fountains Guesthouse we booked into) was full of interesting information, including that Costa Rica is the only country in the world that doesn't have an army. Apparently this peace loving nation disbanded its army some decades back, and re-directed the funds into health and education...how cool is that! Pay attention world!

Also, I didn't know that Costa Rica has a domestic airline called Nature Air, and it is totally carbon neutral and committed to green and responsible travel....how cool is that! I'm liking this place before I've even seen any of it other than night scenes from the taxi. Not to mention that it's much more my type of climate :o) (Actually not as warm as I like/need, but it's great to lose the beanie!)

We were drawn to Fountains Guesthouse both because it was Spiritual...and only 20 minutes from the airport. What a lovely, lovely place, lovely vibe, lovely people...soooooooooo much up our alley and happily a world away from hostels and the tourist beat. We chatted into the night even though we were wiped out.

So then it was Christmas Day. We were up at 5.30, having no idea what the day was going to bring (or I would have made an extra effort to sleep in!) We both came to appreciate very quickly how enjoyable it was to do Christmas in a very casual, low-key way. We didn't do pressies or cards even, or any fancy eats...we just cruised gently into the day. A few simple food eats/treats that require no preparation (honey drizzled over goat cheese...heaven!) added to the cruisyness of the early part of the day (after going shopping in a local supermarket - weird that many shops were open on Christmas Day!)

Into the afternoon and things started to crank up...

An ambulance was called for a seriously ill guest, and I intuitively felt inspired to pick up the hang and play it in support of him while all the preparations were happening for his removal from the house by stretcher . As soon as I started to play, what felt like an urgent tempo kicked in that had nothing to do with me. It was so fast I physically found it difficult to keep up with it. In my mind I had intended a soft, relaxing contribution, and although I found the fast tempo not at all soothing, I trusted it was all as it was meant to be and kept flowing with it (even when my hands started to get sore and I wanted to stop!). Eventually I played a final note and had a strong sense of 'it is done' - I didn't know what 'it' was, but knew it was in support of him. Then Sahayak was asked to play the flute, which he did from the room to the ambulance, following along behind the stretcher. The ambo officers probably thought we were weird (as would most mainstreamers), but it was very powerful and we never underestimate the healing the instruments offer.

A little later, Vicki's massage therapist (Rodrigo) emerged from a room where he'd been doing a massage while the drama was unfolding (his Spiritual beliefs don't incorporate Christmas so it was an ordinary week day for him). He said he felt very peaceful hearing the instruments as he massaged, and he also described the sounds as "big healing energy for that man" and the fast tempo hang sounds as "healing support to prepare him". For what I wasn't quite sure, but assume it to be for intensive care. He is currently on life support.

As well as Rodrigo (who is also the massage therapist for the Costa Rica soccer team - soccer is huge in Costa Rica) being at the guesthouse for a good chunk of the day, Leonardo, an Ayurvedic doctor, visited earlier in the day to tend to the patient (and recommend an ambulance!). Both these guys we felt a really good energy from, and had some really synchronistic and uplifting conversations with over the course of the day...and well into the night over the dinner table as it turned out. As well we were connecting with the patient's girlfriend Ella, Leonardo's wife Carolina, the guesthouse manager Vicki and another guest, Josh...so there were lots of interactions. These of course included the instruments, touching all - as always - and Sahayak seems to be leaving a trail of Matt's flutes behind him - Leonardo has Matt's contact details and intends to order a drone flute!

So, we were among friends and had a lovely Christmas Day, even though we'd all only just met. It rolls on from here as well...Vicki has asked us to perform at an event she is planning at the guesthouse this Sunday. Leonardo has also offered to help us arrange a public performance, and we are discussing holding a New Year's Eve sacred sound/intention setting event.

Another Christmas bonus was that I had a massage - imagine trying to book a massage therapist in Australia on Christmas Day! It wasn't entirely enjoyable due to the 'no pain no gain' factor, but I really needed it and was very appreciative.

There's more to share here but it's very late and Im fading. Best I get this uploaded to go on with!

maia's blog

Archive of Costa Rican blogs are below (from the bottom up)...

2/01/09 - Costa Rica (Vista del Valle Plantation Inn, Rosario)

Happy New Year! And how! Ours has started off really quite spectacularly. It is beyond incredible what is happening here. We have found a great place to stay for the next some months (we'll feel that out as we go along). It's a resort in a rural area 20 minutes from San Jose airport. The owners are people with real heart, and they do wonderful work in the local community. They have a great vision, they are moving towards sustainability and are also wanting to increase the Spiritual aspects within the resort (in line with how they personally live). They have welcomed and embraced us fully and so we are now calling it 'home'.

The people we are meeting around other places also are incredible - such great connections. Very synchronistic and great synergy. We feel this place in our hearts and are loving it here already. There are some projects and activities brewing for the new year and we are happy to be participating (I will embellish at a later date!). Also, Vicki held an event at her place between Christmas and New Year, which included a fire ceremony in which we played our instruments. (Prayers were offered at the ceremony for the seriously ill guesthouse guest, who passed away a couple of days later - that was all a pretty big vibe to be around.). From playing that night we've been invited to be interviewed on radio in February, plus invited to dinner by a lovely Peruvian woman (whose name escapes me) and also invited to the Sat Yoga Institute.

Back to Vista del Valle (Valley view - and how!) The climate, the scenery, the facilities (pool, spa, etc) are wonderful. Vultures and hawks float on the thermals as we peer from the cliff top restaurant (our dining room!)

We've been playing the instruments in the restaurant, including on New Year's Day, when we were invited by the jazz band to come and join in for an impro piece, which was fun and which they later described as 'cosmic'!

We are living in the attic above the stables - very basic accommodation, but we like it. They are providing us with all our meals, though we plan to cook some of our own as well. In exchange we are offering our skills. We are also able to offer some of our skills at a cost to guests so we can make some income (eg: life coaching, meditation).

We also plan to go adventuring around Costa Rica though we aren't sure when - they also said they could get us into some places the tourists can't access, which is cool.

Our Swiss friend Thomas (who we stayed with in September) has always wanted to come to Costa Rica and has been inspired by our travelling here - so much so that he has booked a flight and will be here next week...for a month! We are looking forward to seeing him again.

So anyway, if you want to check out our new home, there are pics on the blog, plus you can visit their website. Yes, you will drool!

I will share more when there is more time, as I'm half asleep now and bed is beckoning! ...in amongst the creaking bamboos and the comforting sounds of horses eating and snorting, which were favourite sounds of mine when I used to sleep in the horse float with my horse alongside the float. What a huge treat (for both of us) to be in amongst it again.

8/01/09 - Costa Rica (Vista del Valle)

We experienced an earthquake tremor yesterday! (Quite common here, every couple of weeks) - my second after a brief one in Albury some 20 years ago, and Sahayak's second after a childhood experience.

Our Swiss friend Thomas came to visit yesterday - it was a bit surreal! None of us imagined when we were in Switzerland that we would next see each other in Costa Rica!

(By the way, more tips have been added to the top of the travel tips link)

9/01/09 - Costa Rica (Vista del Valle )

Well, the tremor yesterday was a warm up. Yesterday afternoon we were having lunch in the restaurant and the earth began to really rumble. Staff and guests all ran out of the (earthquake built) building. We stood there on the path experiencing the ground moving for some 10-15 seconds (6.2 on the Richter scale). There was damage done, lives lost, people stranded and tourists airlifted by chopper out of resorts. Of course I feel sadness and compassion for that, but to be in my truth, in the moment I enjoyed the experience and am glad I had it. It was quite surreal, and I felt uplifted by the awesome power of nature.

17/01/09 - Costa Rica (Vista del Valle )

Time's running away...been busy with work commitments and enjoying it (a change is as good as a holiday!) So it may be that we don't get blogs up as often as before. Suffice to say it's all pretty great. Cooler at night than I would like (I'm talking thermals but that's jsut me!) as it is in a central valley with elevation - unexpected when I was anticipating constant heat! (Nice hot spa is compensation!) Lots happening generally. Musically we have evolved further (see home page for new performance name and branding). We will be playing at a Satsang tomorrow, then a paid gig on 26 January, plus a friend here is planning a concert for us at quite a large venue in San Jose, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out! Plenty more to tell but not the time and oom pa pa for it right now!

21/01/09 - Costa Rica (Vista del Valle )

It's getting to be a challenge to get to the blog due to a busy schedule, so I'm making an extra effort to make sure it happens! Way too much happening to try to share it all here, so I'll just add what comes up in the flow...

We watched the U.S. Presidential inauguration on Spanish television - with the volume off! - and online radio for the audio (online video kept breaking up). Once we sorted out the technical challenges, we could concentrate on history being made...'the' speech - which I felt was top shelf. It's such a relief to see that this guy really gets it. It was also a novelty to be in almost the same time zone (one hour behind) to experience it.

As I type this, Sahayak is amusing himself by taking a photo of me 'rugged up in the tropics' (will upload that over the next couple of days). I'm very surprised at how cool it gets here at night. Not thrilled, but appreciating how much better it is that Europe! (They say the coast is hot and muggy...must get myself there!) Though I just love hopping in the lovely hot spa either early morning or early evening, which is a daily ritual now. I'm so glad our attempts to post winter things home from Portugal were thwarted by the expense. Had we done that I would have been buying winter layers!

It's amazing to see what magic the instruments call in. We play often in the outdoor lounge or the restaurant and the number of fabulous connections we've made as a result is really something. We've already had about three invitations to go visit/stay with people in America. Plus all the usual stuff happens where people who are most blown away ask lots of questions and head off to explore new musical possibilities (including trying to obtain a hang or flutes - Sahayak has handed out so many business cards of Matt's (the flute maker) that he's had to ask for more (to be sent along with a new flute that Matt felt inspired to gift to Sahayak in support of our musical journey...posted in the last couple of days so that'll be five flutes with us on our travels!)

We're enjoying the work we are doing here, and we are contributing well. The owners of the resort are very appreciative and we all get on wonderfully. They are of such like mind, and their hearts are as big as the grand Canyon. The economic downturn and fallout from the recent earthquake are a cause for concern in terms of lower numbers than usual, so we giving some energy to finding creative solutions.

We've also made some wonderful new connects in San Jose after we attended a Satsang at the Sat Yoga Institute last Sunday. We really resonate with their take on the world. We played our instruments and they loved it. They wrote a lovely piece about it on their website and in their newsletter, which in part said, "Maia’s improvisations on the Hang offer a deeply soothing, soul nourishing sound that transmits the power of sweetness and serenity, and together with the deep, rich tones of Sahayak’s flutes, touch and expand the heart of your Being".

They were keen for us to attend again and we are more than happy to, so we'll be there this Sunday. It takes about an hour and a half to get there from here (public transport), but we needed to be in there Monday anyway (Chinese New Year performance) so it makes sense to go in and stay a couple of days to cover both, as well as a long awaited chiropractic appointment for both of us!

I have a lovely new (well, second hand as always preferred) top with a gorgeous butterfly on it which will be perfect for performing. (We had mostly winter clothes with us on our travels, so we've had to expand our summer 'wardrobe' - we spent around $35 for five items of clothes each...perfect price for budget travellers!)

We'll be staying at Vicki's (Fountains Guesthouse) while we're in San Jose so it'll be a bit of deja vu! She's the catalyst for everything here so we are looking forward to gifting her a Sacred Earth CD that we ordered for her and that arrived today. She was the connect to Vista del Valle, to Leonardo and Carolina, to Iside at the radio station (who is putting us up at Vicki's as part of us performing at her Chinese New Year event) and to the Sat yoga Institute. What a connector! So glad we found her guesthouse when we googled Spiritual accommodation in Costa Rica. Aside from that she's a great character and we really enjoy staying at her place and interacting with her.

Well, it's getting later and chillier and the bed is warm....we're supposedly off to see a horse festival parade tomorrow!

4/02/09 - Vista del Valle

Been to visit an amazing volcano! Will blog later, but have added some pics on main blog page and Costa Rica blog pics page to go on with...

7/02/09 - Vista del Valle

I haven't managed to get back onto the blog to share about the volcano visit (or the Cloud Forest the day after) and I'm not catching up on that here and now either (!) Will get to that when I can. This quick blog update is to share with all that we are on the move again. We thought we'd be staying at Vista del Valle for quite some time yet, but what has happened here is that we have brought to the attention of the resort quite a number of things and as a result they have realised that they need to do 'A, B and C' first before they can get to 'D'. We don't need to participate in A, B and C, we can't get on with D until A, B and C are done, and there is no point us hanging around twiddling our thumbs for some months...so off we go, headlong into the next adventure!

First stop is San Jose for a couple of days, staying with a lovely lady from the Sat Yoga Institute, and attending Satsang on Sunday (plus a visit to Vicki and Josh at the Fountains Guesthouse). After that there are three possibilities brewing. We will know more by Monday. Once we know, we can let you know!

Our thoughts are with those in Oz caught up in the floods, heatwave and fires...there is certainly a lot going on.

13/02/09 - San Jose

Dad turned 80 today, and all the birthday planning from here went off without a hitch (with help from two siblings 'at the coalface'!) Sahayak and I recorded some video files - one being a talkies birthday message, one being me playing the hang, and one of Sahayak playing a flute. This was to complement a photographic poster of a number of the photos we took in Alba (Italy, the town where both Dad and I were born) during the truffle festival, and also a small enlargement of Sahayak and me, as my folks don't yet have one. It all went down pretty well according to Mum.

Back to our travels, and we are still staying with Tamara in Escazu. We planned to stay for two days and have been here a week so far! We've come to an arrangement in which it is possible for us to stay another week or two if need be, just until we find some alternative accommodation - given it is likely we will be here in San Jose for quite some time. We are about to get into a few projects for the Sat Yoga Institute (I'll share more details later) - a spiritual school and community that we very much resonate with. They have lots of activities there and such lovely people, we are really in our element.

We've been on a tour of the butterfly farm - owned and run by members of the community, so it interestingly has an added dimension of exploring the myths and metaphor of the butterfly in relation to human transformation.

A little bit of drama unfolded the other day when the maid from the house across the street was tripped up by the dog and had a nasty ankle break. There was a knock on the door and a (fortunately visiting at the time) friend of the maid was asking for help. It turned out to be very handy for Tamara to have a house guest highly trained in first aid! (I haven't kept up my qualifications but all the fundamentals are well locked in.) The standard rule in Australia at least, is that the most highly trained person present takes charge, so I went into auto-pilot. I knew it would be a strain on my back but I arranged for us to do a 'chairlift' to transport the splinted patient to the car (ambulance wasn't an option), as it was the only option that did not compromise the casualty's injury and I was there in service to her greater need. I didn't realise it would also be a strain on Sahayak's back, so I felt a bit bad about that, but it was either look after us or look after the casualty and in my assessment it was too tricky to find a middle ground (Sahayak sees it differently and I can understand and appreciate his concern about looking after our backs...I've certainly been feeling mine more ever since!) As it turned out, she broke it in about the worse way you can and required surgery and about five months recovery!

On a more trivial note, they have cable television here and not that we are watching it very much, but I noticed on one of the Spanish speaking channels that they were promoting a new series....Kath & Kim! I knew it was outrageously successful in the UK, but Latin America is a surprise. Good on them!

The other bit of trivia to share is that while we have been travelling and going for the cheapest options we could find, it is quite funny to realise that in over five months we had only used a taxi three times, and yesterday we used a taxi three times in one day! They are very cheap for short runs, and when we are carting instuments or groceries and it's a half hour walk (on busy, crowded, exhaust-fumed roads with rough paths, no paths and big holes here and there) it makes way more sense to get a cab (around $2.00-$3.00 depending on traffic.)

Best I get back to the accommodation search...then onto Carolina's birthday party tonight (she's in one of the Costa Rica photos).

18/02/09 - San Jose

New tip added to the bottom of the travel tips page (relevant to non-travellers as well).

After getting into the swing of regular taxis (we worked out a taxi only costs about $1-2 more than a bus for the regular short trips we have been doing) we have some amusing taxi stories already. The first is when we went to Carolina's birthday party. They live at the top of a long, steep hill (spectacular views too!) So the taxi is about 3/4's of the way there and it becomes very clear that the car could use some serious maintenance (clutch, spark plugs, etc). Once the driver worked out that even in first gear we couldn't make progress, he turned the car around and tried to reverse up the hill! Brownie points for trying but it was to no avail. He only spoke Spanish so with limited communication he said something like 'wait a minute - gasoline' So.....all the way back down into Escazu we went, where he pulled into a service station for some fuel, which he was apparently very close to running out of. Then back up the hill. This time we made it, but barely, and only after spending three times as long in the taxi! (Not charged for the extra, of course). So then a few days later we are in a taxi, and a 4WD runs into the back of us (only a gentle bump). So the driver gets out and is in discussions with the other driver, stopped in the middle of a busy road during peak hour - completely forgetting that the meter was running. So we hopped out pretty quickly, paid him and walked the last 300 metres or so. It would have been simple for them to pull the cars off the road, but no. We were impressed to observe once again how polite and calm everyone was. Both the drivers, and the crawling line of peak hour traffic both ways that had to manoeuvre around it (single lane road). Not one horn! In Italy there would have been a cacophany of beeps and curses.

20/02/09 - San Jose

Been meaning to mention how lovely our 'knightess in shining armour' and her daughter Veronica are. We came to stay with Tamara initially for two days. Well, two weeks later we're still here! We've had some challenges finding accommodation, and they've been happy to have us stay longer, so it's all been working out very well. We are contributing, of course, but it's offering us so much morebeyond that. We feel very blessed - both to have a place to stay, but also to now be able to count them as friends - of the lifetime variety.

When they come to visit us in Australia (which they assure us they will!) we will be able to return the favour! And even though we have a language barrier, we are partly managing to communicate with their maid, Estelle. Mostly we end up laughing and repeating ad nauseum 'no entiende' (I don't understand). She's a great cook, so we are being very spoilt with such lovely meals on offer. We take our turn to cook too, but she's the queen of the castle in that department!

We met Tamara through the Sat Yoga Institute, which we're attending regularly and enjoying immensely. Such delightful people and on a beautiful path. I've started gathering some of them together for singing, which is flowing nicely. Three of us sang at a gathering last week and it was lovely.

Quick mention also that I have revamped the samjjana page, including a lovely new image I have not yet circulated on email. I've also made some changes to the home page to add samjjana and the flutes in a more significant way. (There will be a separate samjjana website in the future.) Enjoy!

Above: What special people we are being abundantly blessed with! These good folk are Tamara (on the right) and her 17 year old daughter - who has her head together waaaaaaay better than many her age, and waaaaaay better than I did at the same age! (I took this 'happy snap' for them last week.)

26/02/09 - San Jose

After three weeks at Tamara's we're off back to Vicki's 'Fountains Guesthouse' (5 minutes up the road) this Sunday for a week of work exchange - including minding the place for three days while Vicki is away. It will also coincide with another guest staying there, Margot, who we connected with last time we were there and who is amazing. She'll be flying back in from her homeland, Ireland, on Wednesday. She travels the world doing amazing service, both in teaching EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and in helping communities in Tanzania with a number of projects she has initiated.

We've also been to see a venue for a peace concert we are going to offer in April. It's a lovely venue and we are looking forward to putting it all together. We will be sharing the stage with an amazing percussionist, Carlos Vargas (nicknamed Tapado). He does solo performances, and also performs with the ensemble 'Editus 360'. They performed on an album called 'Tiempos' several years ago that won a the grammy award so that says something of the standard. He's very spiritual and is right in tune with our intentions for the event, and we are humbled that he has heard us play and is happy to share a stage with us. More to share but short of time right now, so...watch this space!

14/03/09 - San Jose

We had intended to head off on our 'visa run' today, but it wasn't flowing, so we have bumped it again and will now be flying to Panama City on 22 March and then taking a ferry over to Isla Taboga. It all looks quite nice, and I am relieved that we found some super cheap flights, as this averts two bus trips of several hours within three or four days. (This was the original plan, to bus it to Nicaragua - there's an amazing place there I'm keen to visit but it will have to wait for another time.) Meanwhile, we came to Vicki's on exhange for a week and stayed two, and today we are moving five minutes up the road, to share a small apartment with one of the Sat Yoga folk, as a temporary thing until we find something. It is barely 100 metres from the Sat Yoga Institute which is super handy. All else good, event planning flowing smoothly. More to tell but some packing to do right now. Catch you on the next cyber wave!