Hi family and friends:
Today our Central America adventure began :-). The flight out of Orlando this morning was beautiful flying over the Florida Keys, then Cuba,
then Nicaragua, and finally into Costa Rica. The landing was different than any other I’ve experienced since the San Jose airport sits in the middle of a valley surrounded by huge mountains. The pilot had to bank steeply a few times to get in and then he stopped quickly since the runway wasn’t terribly long. Keene said pilots in the USA avoid such landings since Americans don’t like all that banking. Everyone clapped when the wheels touched the ground. It wasn’t scary enough to clap but maybe it’s an appreciation thing down here. Who knows?
We rented a car (an underpowered, mushy steering, little 4-wheel drive thing) and luckily got out of San Jose traffic (crazy drivers for such laid-back folks – kind of like Italy) and into the windy mountain roads to Atenas (hence recognizing the underpowered nature of our car). We met the guy with the keys to the place we rented in front of the Inglesia Catolica in the center of town. Punctuality is not a virtue here. But it was nice just hanging around the plaza area of the town observing what was happening so it’s all good.
We read in the reviews about this place that the walk was really challenging and they weren’t kidding. With the heat of the day today, we won’t try that walk until the weather cools (they’ve had a bit of a heat wave for a week). It is incredibly steep but that is how you get the good views :-).
Because of the heat and the lovely breeze on the deck, we moved the dining table outside and will work and eat out here most of the time. The sounds of the birds up here are incredible. There are chirps and songs I’ve never heard before and I’m looking forward to seeing all the creatures making them. One beautiful yellow bird landed on the railing and quickly flew away. I can’t wait to get a better look at him/her plus all the others making the sounds I’m hearing.
Here are a few photos of where we are for the next month before we head to the Pacific side of the country to check that out for another month. I have to kick my Spanish lessons into high gear. We don’t really want to hang out with the ex-pat community; we want to live as locals and see what that’s like. We’ve heard Tico’s (Costa Ricans) are very friendly so we shouldn’t have too much trouble as we butcher their language as we try to communicate solely in Spanish (it’s a goal, not a reality),
It’s a little hazy because of the heat wave but we’re looking forward to seeing the city lights at night from San Jose in the valley below us. We’re on the second floor of a townhouse but no one is downstairs at the moment so we have the whole place to ourselves – including that pretty pool.
Keene’s finishing his work soon and then we’re off to downtown Atenas to get some groceries and a bit of dinner at a local place. Tomorrow will be a work day for both of us but I have to say, working here with the breeze, the view, and the bird sounds will be delightful. After work, we’ll begin to get to know our temporary home.
TTYL
Hugs and kisses
Barbara (or mom as the case may be)