A lot has happened and yes, I am still without internet! So, it’s been hard to add to the blog without my own computer when I go on-line. I am also afraid I have become too relaxed lately. It feels like I am in a dream and most days just flow by as if I was under some spell or something. I have been lazing around a bit with my American friend Jake, he’s very good at teaching me to live in the moment and not predict the future. It seems to be catching..

The good news is my friend Maureen arrived several days ago and with her expert advice I have met with the painter and already purchased paint for all interior walls. I also met with a handyman/contractor to make some changes outside by expanding the driveway so you can actually park a car inside the gates and also will  put in a new tiled walkway. I’m also adding a side terrace. I hope all this happens soon but expect it will be a “process”…still, very exciting, at least to me!

The best thing is having a car now for 16 days while Maureen and another friend are stay here. Dental work is going well for Maureen and after that this Saturday we all head off to Lake Arenal to a hot springs lodge.   Tabacon Hotsprings is a true luxury and I am happy to introduce this place to Sandra when she arrives. She may not want to leave. Afterwards we will head to the Nicoya Peninsula and some cool beach towns for a couple more days.

Last week I went to see “Alice in Wonderland” in 3D at the Multi-Plaza in Escazu several days ago with Jake, I felt very much at home again in a movie theatre so it’s nice that Escazu is so close now with the new highway. I don’t miss TV at all but I love a good movie. The video stores have plenty of the latest releases (pirated of course) but still love going to a movie theatre.

Yesterday Moe and I went to a relatively secret waterfall area about 20 minutes away and we were the only ones there. I fell into the pool of water after slipping while climbing up the rocks…..one way to get wet quickly. Very refreshing though and then we just chilled in the new beach chairs I bought. Moe had a little “damn” project going trying to reroute some clogged areas. Typical Moe!

Desmonte waterfall

Last week we went to a discotheque opening at a gorgeous restaurant in the mountains (El Mirador in Atenas, same place as “game night” the week before). Since the new highway opened business has dropped and they are trying to reinvent themselves. We had a good time and may go back again next week before heading off to Lake Arenal. The next day we went to a jazz brunch at a resort near Grecia. It’s the same place where I went horseback riding in February. The band was really good and the buffet was delicious, we plan on visiting once in a while or at least when I have rental cars.

This evening we’re off to dinner to say good-bye to Colette’s sister Cindy who is heading back after a 2 month visit from Montana. Alida’s is a favorite Italian restaurant near the center and their pizza is a specialty. I have been there several times over the past couple of years. Looking forward to another good evening there with friends old and new…..

I hope to blog more once I have the internet back in my home and hopefully Moe and Sandra will contribute while on our road trip…

Colette & Moe El Mirador

front yard

I have offered Jonathan  (the manager at Vista Atenas B&B) to stop by anytime for fruit. I am going to meet with him next week to show him some accounting schedules he can keep to help with the hotel business. He is studying business a couple nights a week in San Jose but translating concepts into practical applications is a little different. I lugged my laptop up the hill the other day to use their internet WiFi since I am without at the moment. We are developing a mutually beneficial relationship and I have been invited to use their pool whenever.

Saturday night a few friends went to El Mirador, a beautiful restaurant outside town on a mountain top. They were having their first “game night” and it was run by a couple from Florida who design trivial pursuit type games. Lee is the owner of the hotel, a very passionate and lively woman with a lot of energy and ideas. It was fun and afterwards they had a DJ for some music and dancing. There are a couple problems with targeting the ex-pat crowd for any type of on-going nightlife. First off, it’s an older crowd and less likely to desire going out in the evenings. It’s always dark around 6:00 since they don’t have daylight savings time and the location of Costa Rica close to the equator means there is little variation in daylight hours. Second, roads are not as well-lit as back home and can be dangerous. Also, if there is any alcohol involved you must be aware the penalties for driving under the influence have become severe. A first offence possibly means losing your car and good luck getting it back; it could take a few months…

El Mirador lower terrace

Sunday night I was invited to Tom and Bob’s small finca (farm) in the countryside. They have 10 acres and Tom loves to garden and grow all kinds of trees and plants. He has a section for bamboo, cacti, and many types of flowers and plants. Colette, Cindy, and her friend Sue (from Montana) took a long walk around the farm to see all the improvements and on-going projects. Then we sat down to a nice pork roast dinner.

Cindy, Sue, and Tom at farm

Today is Tuesday and I am still waiting to get my internet problem resolved. There are plenty of internet cafes in town, they charge about 400 colones or so per hour (about 80 cents) so I have been twice in the last couple days but I can’t really do too much because I can’t download anything. Progress has been made though, apparently service was shut off due to non-payment. A mis-understanding between my tenants and the property managers who arranged to have service begin. Hopefully they were able to straighten out today and pay funds due, they seem to think it will be turned back on quickly.

This morning I was invited by my neighbors Ron and Bruce to a garden club meeting and tour. We all toured the grounds of a lovely home in the country owned by a nice couple, Graham and Mary. Between the two of them, they identified their plants and trees and talked a bit about their experiences in buying and planting so many types of plants without a  lot of knowledge prior to arriving in Costa Rica. A great lunch was served and hopefully I picked up some tips on what to add to my yard. I am not a gardener nor interested in acquiring as a hobby but I would like to add new stuff here. Believe it or not, I am getting tired of looking at beougonvillia….

garden path

I have a gardener for my yard; another service that costs approximately $70 per month. I think it’s worth keeping for a while until I see what they do but in all reality it’s unlikely I will drop them. I have managed to give away bananas to 2 neighbors, Colette, and also Jonathan from Vista Atenas. I only have twenty left out of seventy-five. Jonathan will be dropping off a sample of his banana bread soon.  He mentioned that there are two French-Canadians staying there who are looking for dance partners…..he offered to chaperone, so sweet. They are staying for a month so perhaps next week when my friends arrive we can go as a group. Meanwhile, this evening I am going to a new Mexican restaurant  in town with a fellow from California who has lived here four years. It’s supposed to be good. I’m not a big fan of rice and beans, but I do love fajitas or Ican  fall back on  arroz con pollo…

 

I moved into my own house Thursday, my tenants had thoughtfully arranged to have the maid come a day early to make sure everything was perfect. I am going to continue using Rosa because I figure if two very neat guys needed a maid, I certainly do. Besides, maid service is very cheap here. She usually stays about 5 hours and costs about $15. Then at Christmas the tradition is to give a generous bonus. Rosa speaks no English so I am going to have to develop my “cleaning vocabulary”.

I lazed around all day and fortunately was invited to dinner by a fellow from Montreal. He was staying at the B&B and was tired of eating out alone. Perfect since I had limited groceries on hand to cook with.  We went to Alida’s, which is a great Italian restaurant on the way to town. There was no wine available, the few days before Easter many places are closed and if open, they cannot serve spirits. Nor can you bring your own, an option some restaurants offer if they don’t have a liquor license.

Yesterday, I went to play cards with the girls at Stephanie’s place (I stayed at Steph and Pete’s guest house in February). We had only played two hands when all hell broke loose.  We had gone inside the house to set up lunch when we smelled smoke. Coming outside we saw both ridges above her house on fire. In the next several minutes a swarm of neighbors had arrived and the fire dept was summoned. Meanwhile, Carol and I climbed halfway up the ridge to turn on all the sprinklers and then try to aim them above to soak the grass. Everything is very dry now before the rainy season so all the dry grass and small trees can fire up quickly. When the firemen came (yes, they are just as cute as back home) they were trying to fight the fire from above the ridge although it took a while to get the water going. Steph’s husband Pete borrowed a water pump from a neighbor so they could use the pool water and aim towards the other side of the ridge.

 There is a wonderful Tico family who do work for several people in the development, the father is an extra guard at night and roams around checking properties. The daughter, Cecelia, does some outside cleaning for Stephanie. They rushed over and took charge of the pump and extra hoses people brought over. Once they got the pump going Cecelia grabbed the hose and charged up the hill. Apparently a month or so earlier there was a fire on the other side of the Hacienda Atenas development and Cecelia was running that show too. She was absolutely fearless and I told the firemen they needed to get her on the force. There is a fire captain and everyone else is a volunteer, I believe volunteers must work 40 hours a month.

The sad thing is on Wednesday and Thursday the development next to Hacienda Atenas (Pica Flora) had several fires. The firemen had to go back three times to ensure it was finally out. It is believed these fires were set deliberately, either as malice towards gringos, or older kids “celebrating” the days before Easter. Apparently fire-setting and parties that get out of control are common during this period but more often in the San Jose area. Most Ticos here are genuinely kind and do not have a problem with the influx of outsiders. It’s good for business and especially for the younger generation it brings excitement in a town that for generations has been a quiet agricultural center. But like anywhere, there will always be some who resent outsiders, especially when they seem to have so much; naturally the wealthier homes become targets. I suppose that is one advantage of having a smaller home and no car. Being courteous and attempting to speak some Spanish is helpful too. (There are some ex-pats who refuse to learn or use any Spanish at all; I don’t see how you can avoid it if one is to live here…)

For now, the fires are out and I hope they can catch the person or persons responsible. I can’t imagine watching fire creep closer and closer to your home and being unable to stop it. No one had a camera with them but I can tell you both the Pica Flora and Hacienda hillsides have ugly blackened hillsides. Hopefully the upcoming rainy season will bring the grass back quickly. For now, I am off to town to stock up and step into the internet café. My high speed service is down (apparently for last two weeks according to my tenants) and there is nothing I can do until Monday. I am sure it will be a process to get it fixed but that’s life here..…..Happy Easter to all!

Yesterday I went down the hill to meet with my tenants to go over a few things before they left. They are going back to Oregon and hope to come back in another year. Perfect tenants and another nice gay couple I have enjoyed gettig to know. I wish they could stay longer but of course am anxious to get into my own house. I have some work to do there. The inside could use some color on the walls and I would love to fix up some of the landscaping. The flowering vines on my arbor were killed by the ants and I need to get something going there again.  But I see the two hammocks are up so I know where I’ll be spending my breaks.  

A couple of friends are leaving today, Beverly and John, a nice couple from ME, and Walter. There was a party thrown Sunday for them at their place in the countryside. They have the perfect ranchero and pool for entertaining and a DJ/singer was hired. He was actually very good and people danced and swam and ate. I brought good dark rum and mixed it with strawberry yogurt, fruit juice, and pineapple. Very tasty…and healthy too!  

 I shall miss Walt; he’s a good guy, thoughtful and helpful. Saturday morning he took a few friends and a bunch of Tico kids (he knows the families) to play mini-golf. We loaded everyone up in a taxi van and Walt’s car and drove to another barrio (neighborhood) out in the countryside. An industrious Tica woman has built a mini-golf range on her lovely property which includes a tennis court and swimming pool. I didn’t play more than a couple of holes, more kids showed up and I gave up my club. There are only 20 clubs and assorted pencils so far; some of the holes need modifications but a good start for someone who had never seen a mini-golf range. The kids loved it and its one more sport they have been introduced to.   

Last year Walt went to the main school and met with their PE teacher and introduced baseball. Up till then it’s basically been soccer. Introducing new outdoor sports is wonderful; I just hope they don’t progress to video games. I see them available in the video stores but the average Tico family does not have a computer here in Atenas. TV and video games, a lot of wasted time for the youth of today in the States. When I grew up (I know I know) I had a lake across the street, a playground around the corner, and the baseball fields of a private school around the other corner to roam in. I spent the whole day outdoors in the summers and had to be dragged in at dark. Those were splendid days. 

arbor outside living room

Monday night I was tidying up my bedroom when I looked out to the terrace and saw a firefly. I wasn’t sure at first because Dan and I thought we saw fireflies in the trees at Hacienda Atenas (where I stayed in February). It turned out to be the lights reflecting off the water on the leaves due to the sprinklers.

This time though, it was a single firefly and there were no lights or water reflections. I was enchanted as always, I have loved fireflies since we used to catch them in jars when I was a child. We let them go of course, there came a point when trying to put a new one in the jar meant another one would escape. Somehow that single firefly brought me right back to the joy of childhood and how simple life was and should be, for children. A nice moment. 

 About ten minutes later, the heavens opened up with torrential rains followed by thunder and lightning. Another favorite from childhood, I would go onto the porch and be thrilled by nature’s display. I remember we were told not to pick up the telephone or touch any plugs; we could be electrocuted simply answering a call. To this day, if there is a big thunderstorm going on and I am on the phone, I don’t hang up but rather continue talking, although with a certain sense of danger. After all, I do not know anyone personally who has had this happen…  

This is not the “rainy season” in the Central Valley which begins approximately late April to mid-May. However, we have recently had some good rain in the evenings which I love. I fell asleep later that evening listening to the rain on the roof and watching the storm through my window. Most of one side of my bedroom is all window which makes waking up and falling asleep a real treat. The sliding door is always open so I can hear the birds in the morning or cicadas in the evening. I am getting lazy because it’s so comfortable here between the pool, the terrace, and my hammock. 

view from bedroom

Tomorrow I am off to the beach in Jaco for a day trip with my friend Walt. With the new highway it will only take about 40 minutes instead of 1 1/2 hours. It will be really hot there but it’s a cool town to visit for a while and then run back to Atenas for the cooler air. 

 Walt is leaving next week for the States, possibly to return later in the summer. My French-Canadian neighbors left this morning for Montreal. I was surprised by how sad felt, I will miss their positive energy, their singing, and their smiles. Ron and Bruce are headed back to Vancouver for a short while to take care of some business as well. Seems like a week for good-byes but I am always meeting people and hopefully will make more good friends over the year. 

 Yesterday I was off to San Jose again. This time to head to Escazu where my dentist is located. A nice bus trip to the Cola Cola station in San Jose and then found another bus to Escazu. It’s strange, the buses here will drop you off by the side of a busy highway. I can’t imagine that back home. But I must say it’s convenient. 

 I love my dentist here, he was trained at University of Miami and speaks perfect English. He checked out everything I really needed done and advised me all work would total $2,400. I added up my dentist’s estimate from home and it was approximately 2 ½ times more. That savings would pay for a lovely vacation somewhere. Not that I need one now, I’m already in the prefect playground. 

view from living room

Ranchero at Walt's place

 Under the ranchero there are two more small apartments with their own terraces. Julie has the one bungalow on the property which is adorable; her bed is surrounded by screened windows as if she were sleeping outdoors. Basically a very large one room with a terrace overlooking a little forest area.  

Colette picked me up and on the way told me she has decided to move back to the States for a while. She was having a hard time making a living here the last year or so. When she came here five years ago she partnered with another American fellow and they built a large house and then sold it for a good profit. She was living off some of those funds and had tried a few ventures since that just didn’t pan out for one reason or another. The economy has definitely had an effect here on what people are willing to spend. Similar to the States, ex-pats here are being more careful and frugal. Tourism is very important in Costa Rica and that has dropped the past couple of years, affecting both Costa Ricans and others. 

She is leaving towards the end of May and will be renting her home out here in Atenas. Having met Colette when I first came here 2 ½ years ago, we had kept in touch. I had counted on having at least one single friend to hang with occasionally. I have met others here and hopefully will continue to do so. Still, it was disappointing since we got along so well. I do miss my friends and family back in the States but it’s important to have connections here and a reasonable social calendar. Otherwise it would be too lonely, (unless that is your nature). 

 One way to keep your social contacts up is to go the the Friday morning outdoor market. Everyone goes to pick up their produce for the week, it’s cheap and as fresh as you can get. I have been 3 or 4 times now and it’s impossible not to run into people you know.  

Friday outdoor market

 I have met my own tenants  three times there, Ed and Warren. Great guys and wonderful tenants.  For some reason, there seems to be several gay couples among the non-Ticos. Which is a good thing, and a bad thing….good because I always get along with gay men and they can be so much fun…. bad because that’s one less available age-appropriate man in Atenas… 

I was invited last night to dinner at Ron and Bruce’s home (yes, another happy couple). They live at the top of the hill here in my development, (Vista Atenas). Ron and Bruce are from Vancouver and have been here several years. There are probably more Canadians here than Americans, particularly French-Canadians. Also many Germans and a sprinkling of Belgians and Dutch. Bruce prepared a wonderful roast chicken dinner, mashed potatoes and gravy, it is really the first meal I have had in six weeks that felt like home. A real treat; great conversation and similiar viewpoints. I hope to see a lot of them over the year even though that’s two more “unavailable” men in Atenas  

Not that I expected to have an exciting dating life here in Atenas. It seems as if most ex-Pats are either married, or older and retired. Then there are the ones who focus on younger Tica women. The older Gringo (non-Hispanic) can be very attractive to a Tica, having expensive homes and money. It offers a much easier lifestyle and obviously that arrangement is nothing new under the sun. Those relationships have a much better chance of working out though than the Tico man and Gringa woman. This is a machismo society and independent woman ultimately become fed up with the jealous nature of Tico men. And the expectations are much different in the roles woman are expected to play. I know a few women who  have  tried relationships with Tico men (there is no lack of opportunity) but eventually it just gets too difficult. Seems like too much drama when my intentions are for a peaceful and tranquil year. But…..you never know……

I took a day trip to San Jose yesterday with two friends, Walt and Julie, and then a drive through Escazu and Santa Ana. Finally got a chance to walk through Sabana park which I have passed many times coming through San Jose on various trips.  It is huge and put to good use on Sundays by Tico families from the city and other areas. As we srolled through Walter was invited by  an over 50 group of men to play softball every Wed. He was excited because he plays back home in the States so that made his day. There is a women’s team but it’s far away. Women have a ways to go here but that’s a future post- because they are working on it….  

Sabana Park - San Jose

We took the new highway (my first time) to San Jose from Atenas. While it is certainly convenient I have to say I miss the charm of the old road. But apparently the new highway relieves some of the traffic that ran through Atenas and will also boost property values. Now people living in Atenas can get to San Jose or Escazu in 20 minutes, barring traffic. I don’t much care for Escazu, it’s the most popular place for ex-pats living in the Central Valley. To me it looks like one of the million suburbs back home and it’s full of stores with stuff I don’t need and too much traffic. Santa Ana is right next door, I looked at a beautiful condo development being built there when I was searching for property 2 ½ year ago. I have no doubt it would have been a good investment because Santa Ana is the next Escazu and more business was moving there from San Jose and elsewhere. But I could have stayed home for that experience. And while I do appreciate having new friends who speak English, making me feel more at home, I really want to become better acquainted with some local Costa Ricans. It’s a different culture and I’m pretty sure I can learn something of value from them. Perhaps the most important is how to slow down and be in the moment. They probably wouldn’t know what I was talking about but they don’t have to, it comes natural to them.  

Later that evening a few friends came to Vista Atenas B&B for wine and appetizers. I have a nice terrace to use for entertainment and watching sunsets. I enjoyed being the hostess and setting the music up through my IPod. I didn’t have much time to prepare food, basically cheese and crackers, cantaloupe and watermelon, cucumbers with yogurt to dip, and chips. It wasn’t the usual corn beef and cabbage but we got by. And of course no green beer.  

 This morning I walked to town for a yoga class which is mostly English-speaking attendees. Afterwards, I walked to the salon for my 10:00 pedicure. An hour and a half later, my feet floated out the door and I was half asleep. A full manicure and pedicure here costs about $15 plus tip. It may take 2 ½ hours or more but you are pampered. It’s really a mini-massage and so nice after a long walk to town. After my nap this afternoon, I am off to meet some people who live in my development. They are building a beautiful large house on top of our mountain and invited me to stop by for a drink. I think sunset will be perfect up there.  

Queen of the Night tree

A couple nights ago I joined a small group of friends to visit a restaurant outside of town. This turned out to be a Tico family who had built a terrace attached to their hillside home on a small mountain. Seating capacity was about 14 at most and the two daughters (4 and 10) helped with service. Very sweet. They had also cleverly turned one room into a little store selling misc. items but lots of ladies shoes. It was “BYOB”or bring your own wine and the total cost for food (5 of us) was about $15. A little shopping-dining combo which we women are quite familiar with back in the states…albeit a slightly different twist. 

Yesterday I joined a friend and her sister to drive to Catarata Del Toro, a gorgeous waterfall high in the mountains of Bajos Del Toro Amarillo. The 300 ft waterfall cascades into an extinct volcano. It takes about an hour to drive from central Sarchi (north of San Jose) because the roads are narrow, twisting, and potholes abound.  At times we were so high up we were surrounded by fog and crept along hoping everyone was using headlights so we would have fair warning of approaching vehicles. You don’t want to look over the edge because most roads have no guard rails and the drop can be extremely precipitous. Not for the faint-hearted. 

When you arrive you can hike down to the bottom of the waterfall but make sure you save enough energy to climb back up. It’s not easy but it is rewarding. The primary forest holds a variety of exotic plant life and trees. At times you feel like you have stepped back in time to a pre-historic era. At the bottom the waterfall is set in a large bowl and there is a small area to picnic. You can rappel to the bottom but we opted out, maybe next time…Climbing back to the top there is a pretty garden with native flowers where hummingbirds flit about. They are spectacularly colorful and one of my favorite birds to watch. We chose to relax in the café to rest and have tea and cake before facing the drive home. I plan to introduce this beautiful spot to any hardy and willing visitors so be warned  (for the less adventurous there are apparently some great waterfall/pools to swim in near Atenas). 

waterfall gardens

Catarata Del Toro waterfall

Tomorrow I shall tackle the local phone office in the hopes of receiving a number for my cellular. All phone service is handled by the Costa Rican gov’t organizations and it is a complicated process to get a phone or cell line if you are not a resident. But I have all time in the world and I will be persistent even if it requires a few visits and I will smile through it all

Well… that was yesterday (Tuesday) and I did pop into the local ICE office. ICE handles both electric and telecommunications. Hard to believe but I was in and out in 20 minutes. I have found that Tuesdays seem to be good days for visiting banks and other businesses. I assume everyone rushes there on Monday because they are determined to be industrious at the beginning of the week. Then Tuesday comes and they feel they have put forth a good effort and need a bit of relaxation.  Fine by me. Unfortunately I did not have my corporation papers with me (my lawyer has them in San Jose) and the phone was the wrong kind. So I thanked her politely and left to think about the whole thing….

Wednesday I went to San Jose on the bus for a DR appt. and that went well. I did not get lost and even managed to purchase a few things in the shopping area around the main bus station (called the Coca Cola station). Feeling somewhat successful I decided to stop in once more at the local ICE office in Atenas on the way home and see if I could purchase a SIMS chip and then apply for a line for that type of phone. This is a pre-paid service and the new way to get around having a cell phone without being a resident or having a corporation. Well, they do not sell the chips there, apparently only at the airport. The dilemma is I think you can only buy when you are coming into the airport to fly home (you need to show your ticket) or leaving the airport after passing through customs but before you actually exit. So once again I am thwarted. I have just called my friend Stef and yes, after all, I would like to rent her phone for a month or two. See, no problem.