I am truly a lucky man. I have met so many outstanding people, here in Costa Rica. I can honestly say I have thousands of friends.  Over the last 8 months, these fantastic human beings have stepped up and answered the call, when needed. It warms your heart to see how generous and giving they are, helping the local families in need, during these challenging times. Every day money keeps pouring in to allow us to continue feeding the locals, and time and time again, someone rises up to sponsor an entire day’s food drive. The best part is, it allows me to share with you some of the stories, of these magnificent folks, to give you an inside look at who and why so many have made Costa Rica, and the Papagayo region their home.

When I first met Victor and Doreen Bhatt, I knew right away we would be friends for a long time. They just have this incredible warmth, and sparkling sense of humor, that attracts people in. They are the type who truly care about you, they do not just ask for the sake of asking. They are a special couple with a fascinating life history and I immediately was drawn to them. Within a few minutes, I knew I was in for a ride.

And just like that

Man, time flies doesn’t it? It has been 7 1/2 months since we were locked down, and shut out, from the rest of the world. Yet, as I sit here now, it seems like it was yesterday. So much has happened when we were sure it would be nothing at all. For so long, the world has been on TILT; like a pinball machine, rocked a little too hard to the side. It was all still there, right in front of you; the bells, the whistles; the spinning wheels and the cannon; the secret tunnel, the rubber bumpers; just nothing worked and the lights were no longer on.

When Costa Rica first went into quarantine, it was the middle of our Guanacaste Verano, and the end of the North American winter. The hills were flush with yellow flowers, like a canvas painted with a brush, from the Cortez Amarillo trees. Stunning. What should have been a couple of our busiest months, turned into a ghost town, as everyone was sent home and the airports were closed. You could hear crickets, literally. No one was coming back, time didn’t really matter; so I put my Rolex in the safe. Spending time in my pool, working on my tan, days rolled into weeks. I started working my way through my CD collection; from AC/DC to Foreigner; Genesis to Eddie Money: Night Ranger to Twisted Sister; U2 to ZZ Top and every Van Halen album with David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar’s “I can’t drive 55!” My hair was a mess, but I didn’t care.