Lisa and Ryan's Excellent (if not CHILLY) Adventure! Continued...

What was on the proverbial menu for Lisa and Ryan while in Edmonton, besides Costa Rica´s best investment, The Oaks?

Come closer and I´ll tell you:

Start with a warm apppetizer of Mexican friends and hot leads looking to learn more about spicy Costa Rica and the luxury garnish The Oaks can provide them.

Though there were some critics on our final day at the RENOvation Expo, all in all it was a phenomenal melting pot of cultural exchange, as people from all corners of the world came to speak with Lisa and I about the Pros and Cons (and apparent misinformation, aka outright scamming) of living and investing in Costa Rica. Apparently, our in-depth knowledge (mostly Lisa) and laid back technique (both of us) was just what people needed in contrast to ´the OTHER Costa Rican people at the Expo. All fairness to our Expo brethren, they really didn´t have their facts straight and that made The Oaks truly shine at this conference.

Move on to a fresh and delicious, palette cleansing set of informal meetings
with interested parties.

Many of the lovely and excited people Lisa and I met at the Expo felt that a ´taste of The Oaks´ just wasn´t enough (and we can´t blame them), so on to smaller ´get to know us´ meetings with enthusiastic potential investors. Whether at a cafe or in the lobby of the attractive and well-equipped Sutton Place Hotel, Lisa and I continued to tempt the taste for luxury and adventure of many a couple or group. Some made it clear to us that they would be booking their flights to The Oaks as soon as possible, while others approached us with the news that they already had! Wow, Lisa, great work! We predict that Guanacaste will be seeing a few more snow birds than usual this coming year... wait and see!

Enjoy a hearty bowl of local culture.

Once the flood of eager future Oak Owners died down and Lisa and I had a chance to kick up our heels, it was clear the most important thing to do in Edmonton was actually SEE it! Lisa and I put on our ¨I´m a Tourist¨ t-shirts and hit the Must-See sites, such as the awe (or yawn) inspiring West Edmonton Mall fabled for its biggieousity and outright gynormousness. COME ONE, COME ALL see the indoor whale! The Pirate Ship, the Seal Show, Underwater Tour, Water Park, Casino, Skating Rink, Roller Coaster Park, Mt. Olympus Movie House, and... oh, yeah, there´s shopping there too! Yeah, it´s all that and a Segway Testing ground all wrapped in an over hyped package. But go, please go, it´s something to see. Get a clue and drop by The Sherlock Homes Pub in the ¨Bourbon Street Quarter¨ for some tasty traditional Brit pub fare and some fine ales on tap. Too cold to go out of the hotel? Try using the Edmonton Pedway System (that´s walkways for you Yankees), the interconnected indoor route from gleaming shop to hunger satisfying restaurant or go see the Royal Alberta Museum which houses some of the greatest dioramas I have ever seen, plus a truly informative section on the life and fate of Canada´s First Nations. One word of caution though: When someone tells you ¨this is the BEST Chinese Food in Edmonton¨ DON´T take their word for it! You may feel cheated...twice! Yes, Edmonton may not be the Cuisine capital of the world, but it´s definitely worth its metric ton in possibilities.

Cleanse your palette with a bit of fresh and minty relaxation.

Our time in Edmonton had come to a close so it was on to Sooke, British Columbia where friends and proprietors, Mike and Kathy Hicks of the Arbutus Cove Guesthouse and Cottages, eagerly awaited us. What a welcome retreat from the cold and snow to see beautiful pine forests and eye-popping green fields, mossy hills, and cloud peppered sunny skies! Arbutus Cove is a marvel of detail and design, built and managed by our hosts, located on the most relaxing piece of property in the Pacific Northwest. Miles and miles of nature trails and pristine open waters reflecting the majesty of the Sooke area await each visitor who stay at this perfect get-away. Ask Mike for directions to the Best Chinese in Canada...and believe it or not, you'll find it! Much thanks to Kathy for her hospitality, cooking and Scrabble, Beau for the jokes, Billie for the bites, and Mike for the best darn hash browns this side of the U.S. border. Check out their website at Arbutus Cove.

Join us in a few more days for more from Lisa and Ryan's Excellent (if not Chilly) Adventure, where we are off to Seattle, Washington (eh!) !