Cleo’s favorite Videos

An interview with my good friend

This little boy singing never fails to brighten my day!

An out-of-country company was doing a video of Puerto Viejo and they asked me if I would tell my involvement in it's development . The video is by Joe.

I turned 82 September 22, 2020 and I was not alone. More than 150 came to hug me and show their love and enjoy superb food delivered by 8 chefs! Here is a video of everyone enjoying the night!

Thank you to everyone who came out or sent well wishes from afar!

Friends of the Puerto Viejo cemetery, tidying up.

What to do when you have nothing to do? Dance, laugh, be happy.

Don’t ever let age hold you back!

At 81, I still get out regularly and have fun 😎

Everyone in the world needs to watch this video. 5 short minutes that may change your life. Share this with someone who needs to hear it.

The Story of the Boat on Chino Beach

All I know about the history of the boat, originally called 'JUST LIKE THAT', is that it came from El Salvador.

(IF ANYONE HAS MORE ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOAT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL POST IT).

It was brought here by someone, and then Tina, a wonderful woman who makes the best barbecue sauce in the world, took it over for the dive shop she ran on Chino Beach.

Sometime in about 2010, Giacomo, a young man from Italy, bought the boat and the business and started offering tours with it. He parked it out in front of Manuel Leon's liquor store on Chino Beach.

For about 10 years the boat was a landmark. When the boat wasn't serving as a tour boat, it was serving as a dock for children to jump from, play on, learn to balance, learn to help each other get in and out...in other words, it was a totally educational place that Giacomo had created.

Fast forward to 2019, and one day I realize the boat has been out of the water for quite a long time. I asked Giacomo, "What's happening?"

Giacomo says to me he has to sell the boat because he's moving to where his girlfriend lives.

"Sell the boat?!" I asked him in shock. "If you sell the boat, then somebody could take it away from here."

"Yes, that's possible, but I need the money," he responded.

"Okay," I said. "How much do you need?"

He said "I'm asking $3,000."

"Whoosh," I said. "That's a lot. When you get down to $1,000 call me."

He immediately looked me in the eye and said, "I'm calling you."

So I paid him $1,000, and then put another $4,000 into repairing and painting it. I put it in the water and the children came.

To make sure the kids knew they could get on it, I gave it the name 'JUST JUMP IN'. I wanted any kids coming into the water to know immediately that they could get on the boat. Then somebody added 'Cleo says' and I don't mind that at all because it is true - I want the children to jump on the boat.

We anchored the boat and two times a street person cut the ropes and the boat swung into the coral, damaging many parts. So we opted to use galvanized steel and rope.

Unfortunately, one of the street people again cut the rope that was holding it, rolled it up and hid it in another boat.

Okay, so now I've had to invest more money in new chain to replace it.

But that aside, the good news is the boat is there permanently for the children and I invite parents with babies or alone to go have the pleasure of laying on the boat and looking out at the water and feeling totally at peace.

One of the best compliments I got was from a group of parents who had come with all their children to have a birthday party. One of them said to me, "You know, it's the first time we could all sit and talk to each other because the children were out on the boat perfectly happy. They didn't need us, thank you."

That's what the boat is for...bringing peace to everyone's hearts.