 |
| So ends another day in Atenas, Costa Rica! |
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. -Psalm 65:8 NIV
Relaxing Day in Atenas
 |
| Central Park Atenas |
I slept late and after breakfast walked to town for some items the Cooperative Super Mercado doesn’t have like a USB Cable extension and small wastebasket for my office, plus for the kitchen a paring knife, measuring cup and cutting board. Little towns have lots of little shops, so you just go around town looking and asking and sure enough I found everything I needed in three different shops and got to walk through our Central Park (at right) in the process. Then I grabbed three items at the Super Mercado and a lunch to go at Restaurante El Mejor Climate and then stayed home all afternoon, catching up on several things. Was planning a fruit plate for dinner, but a neighbor invited me for pasta with sausage and came back in later for a little saucer of fresh Papaya, Mango and Strawberries, a nice ending to a nice day!
And oh yes! I did get my appointment with the Social Security Office at the U.S. Embassy for Thursday morning which will be by bus this time! They were very nice on phone and told me where to get off the bus from Atenas to have the shortest and thus cheapest taxi ride to the embassy. So Spanish class tomorrow and then another San Jose bureaucracy adventure Thursday. 🙂 The fun never stops!
Plus, this afternoon I found the Costa Rica Classical Music Station, 96.7 FM, in case you are ever looking for it! I love it when a plan starts coming together! 🙂
As a daily walker through Atenas now, I have some locals who recognize me and we greet at each passing. This morning I walked by the house where an old man is usually sitting in the yard and we greet, but I didn’t notice him. He hollered “Hola” at me and I responded with “Buenos Dias!” A really friendly small town. And I daily pass houses with various tropical flowers like this Hibiscus I snapped with my phone this morning walking home.
 |
| Hibiscus in Atenas |
The infrastructure is not great here, like a lot of small farming towns everywhere, but it is the people and relaxed, simple, happy spirit that makes Atenas a good choice! Plus the good weather helps too! Pura Vida! The new name for my website! Over the next year or so it will be transforming more I expect.
New, Relaxed Rhythmn
 |
| “URBAN FOREST” is the tighter view from my apartment. Noon shot, still too bright! |
I’m now sleeping from 9 at night until 6:30 or so each morning, with the window open and a blanket. I get up to birds singing and the cooing of a mourning dove just like most mornings in The Gambia. A warm shower under that wonderful big shower head and on to my breakfast with the views out the front window. Then I take a cup of tea or coffee out front and watch birds fly over and sometimes chat with a neighbor. Even though there are some management/maintenance issues here (like we had at McKendree), I doubt I can find a better location and view anywhere for the price, so I may be here a good while. We will see how the move upstairs works out and the broken a/c.
Yesterday morning by 8:30 I walk to the closest Super Mercado, Coopeatenas, for a few items I carry in my backpack. (Sometimes I carry an extra grocery bag or two. They are much stronger here because so many walk). Yep! It was New Year’s Day, few were at the market that early and I sat in their outdoor cafe with a cup of cafe negro and a pastry or piece of cake which was so delicious! My first coffee since arriving. While sick I drank only tea in morning.
This morning after the breakfast & usual front yard experience, a new neighbor couple from Canada, Gary & Carmella, said they were going to get a chip in their phone which is exactly what I had set as my goal for today. I walked with them to ICE where you go through security to get in, take number to be served and wait. Today they had only one agent who spoke English, so I had to get passed from one to her. Then in just a few minutes (with my passport), a new sim card and Kolbi phone service, the biggest service company here (government run). My phone number is 506-8410-9916. The country code is the 506. It only cost $2 to set up my service and I just have to buy minutes as needed, which can be done at all super markets and many little shops. I will mainly use it when I need to call a cab or occasionally set up an appointment or get information. It will not control me. But I can still use Google Calendar when I have wifi service like in the apartment and yes, text messages too! Not sure what international calls will cost, but I have Skype for that. I just learned that I can recharge my phone online & just did. Check!
Then for mid-morning relaxation (Gary & Carmella had errands to run) I walked around the central park by the big church and checked out La Carretta, a restaurant I had been reading about. They serve all three meals daily, but are known for their free lending library set up by an expat couple from Florida. I went in for a fruit empanada and a cup of coffee. Nice again! Then I walk around the different rooms (an old house) to see all the books that are free for the taking and you don’t even have to sign them out. It is an honor system. One room of Spanish books, two of English books plus one room of children’s books. Then what was really neat is that the sponsoring couple were there, Linda & Bruce, and I got to visit with them for awhile. He was measuring for some more shelves in the Spanish Room that he will build. The restaurant also has local art work hanging on the walls. It will become one of my hangouts.
I also checked out the Three Sisters Soda at the Bus Station Mercado (recommended by a neighbor) where I will eat a casada (plate lunch) for lunch some day, but it was too early this morning. I have already stopped at the Pops Ice Cream on another day at one corner of the park and will eventually try Gelly’s Jardin which is a gelato place I think. And still haven’t just sat on a park bench in the central park. Some towns call this their central plaza, but not here. They call it “Central Park.” I’m learning! Like Coopeatenas Super Mercado is just called “The Coop” or “El Coope.”
Walked back to apartment for lunch. I made a big Dagwood Ham Sandwich on whole grain bread with fresh lettuce, tomato and onion. Then fresh pineapple and papaya for desert. This is living! While writing I have been watching a big pot of veggie soup cook with all fresh vegetables I got from the farmer who drives up to the apartments once a week. Easier than going to the big farmers’ market which has moved out of downtown. I have no recipe and haven’t made soup in more than 20 years but I just tasted it and think it’s pretty good! Thank goodness for those little jars of mixed herbs you can get even here! 🙂 Today’s soup will last several meals beyond dinner and was made of potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, red bell peppers, and a little cucumber which may have never been included before, but I have ’em and like ’em in anything!
PARDON the long, post today! But I think some of you are interested in daily life here and this is some of it. Of course I did not mention that I listened to a Spanish CD during lunch and that I’m about to do my daily Babbel Online Spanish Class and that I’m of course on computer typing this! Plus I have found a local Spanish class, Su Espacio, which I will enroll in Monday morning along with at least one neighbor in the apartments, Jean Pierre, who will be in his second class there. Adios! Buenos noches!
Waterfalls, Great Kiskadee, and Sickness
This morning’s veranda tea included watching two Great Kiskadees land in the tree next to my neighbor’s apartment along with hearing a flock of parakeets and many other birds, most small and hard to see, plus speed will make it difficult at times as with the speeding toucans yesterday.
I’m staying in bed 9 to 11 hours each night and trying to rest. There was surely a public clinic open over the holidays, but the English-speaking doctor my neighbor knows about is not open until tomorrow morning (Monday), when I will take a cab to see him.
The first three days I walked up the steep hill to town for groceries and to eat. I did not yesterday nor today, though the fresh air and sunshine might have helped. I did walk across the big yard in front of the apartments to the Rio Cajon, our southern boundary, and photographed some of the waterfalls in our yard.
The first two photos are inside the property and the third just outside the gate on the landmark Rio Cajon Bridge in Barrio Fatima, our neighborhood name, which helps taxi drivers find us. There are not house numbers here, no street addresses, no home delivery of mail. And oh yes, I know better than to photograph in midday sun, but did anyway. 🙂
 |
| This is upper part of the one below, seen from a different angle. |
 |
| Plunge pool view of above double falls. |
 |
| The double falls at our entrance gate by the public bridge over Rio Cajon |
Last night the Quebec couple invited me to go to dinner with them and then invited to local girls who of course had a big SUV, one being a doctor’s wife, the other her twin sister. The place they wanted to take us was not open (they take holidays seriously here!) so we ended up at Antano just off the main plaza downtown which is where I had eaten lunch the previous day, but well worth a repeat!
A fun evening even if I don’t feel well. I did not try to go to church this morning because I was feeling worse at the time and pretty lousy right now. It is sore throat, some coughing, some sneezing, runny nose, and achy body all over. It started before I left Nashville. I’m taking Tylenol and two kinds of throat lozenges Millie Goodson got for me the night before leaving. Thanks Millie! They help!
Today I met another resident from Switzerland who is married to the girl from Spain. We are a pretty international group in these apartments! And oh yes, last night in the restaurant an American looking woman came over to our table and said, “I just must find out where this southern drawl is from!” I smiled and said “Nashville” and then learned her and her husband are from North Carolina and have lived here for 9 years. She still works as a photographer, doing weddings and children portraits. Got their phone numbers to call if I ever need help. So it is starting to happen like I expected even without going to church yet.
Well, this first long post just wore me out. Pray for a quick resolution of my cold, allergies, flu or whatever!
Dos Toucans, Uno Parrot!
 |
| Raphael, my driver from the airport Wednesday. |
I’m still not well and the nearest clinic I found today was not open, but my neighbors swear that if I take a gin and lemon juice tonight it will make me well overnight. Not sure I’m brave enough to try, but Jean Pierre said he would make it for me. (Note next morning – I declined their gin treatment and will stay in and rest today and go to clinic Monday.)
Jean Pierre & Elizabeth live next door and are from Switzerland. They speak good English. Then above me (I’m in a 1st floor apartment.) is Ivan & Eloise from Quebec. French is their language, but they do a little English. They let me share a cab to town this morning for them to get some stuff at a health food store and for me to get my cell phone activated at the ICE store, but alas, ICE was closed. It is Christmas week Saturday. Ivan cannot walk well using a crutch, so they go everywhere in taxis. It cost about a $1.80 (800 colonnes). They invited me to join them in a cab tonight to eat at Carreta’s, a popular expat hangout cafe, if it is open!
The apartment is fine, needing some maintenance which they are working on little by little. The setting is beautiful and while drinking tea on my veranda this morning I saw two toucans fly into the the trees down by the river and one green parrot fly into a tree next to the apartment building, plus many other small birds. Just not been up to trying to photograph birds yet.
I’m Here!
 |
| View out my front window. |
I arrived sick which is unusual for me. Cleaning out my cottage at McKendree stirred up a lot of dust which is one of my worst allergies. Sore throat and coughing on the plane trip which was otherwise uneventful! Once here yesterday I starting opening bags, took the 8 minute walk to the Super Mercado for some basics like cereal for breakfast. Came back and went to bed at 6:30 PM and slept until about 6:00 the next morning, gently waking to the songs of tropical birds and the view above from my front window/door. I sipped hot tea watching the hills opposite ours.
Today I went back to the nearest Super Mercado which is a Farmer’s Cooperative that includes a little cafe. For lunch I had a ham & cheese sandwich because that was the only thing I knew how to order in Spanish. 🙂 This afternoon I did a load of laundry and had to use my Spanish English Dictionary to read all the dials on the washing machine.
The coughing and sore throat is mainly gone now, but my nose won’t quit running. So maybe another long night’s rest will help that too! At least all my bags are unpacked! But nothing exciting to report. Unless you call finding a millipede in my shower exciting! And everybody is celebrating Christmas until January 5 which may be when I start taking care of business. It is rest time for a week or so.
 |
| Millipede looking for water in the bathroom. |
Two Weeks from Today!
Yep, two weeks from today I fly to Costa Rica and spend my first night as a new resident! After going to a small church Christmas Eve Service. It doesn’t photograph like the Catholic Church on the Plaza which I hope to go pray in at times. Here’s two shots of it with part of our tour group crowding around.
A Testimony of Living in Atenas
 |
| A Rural Road Near Atenas, Cost Rica (copied) |
I’m guessing she is a 30-something girl who wrote this descriptive testimony of living in Atenas where I will live in less than 8 weeks.
Check it out to get a different description than I have shared yet. One of her photos is a road outside of town which I expect to find near my apartment. We’ll see!
This morning’s activity was another “Moving Sale” day in the McKendree Village Treasure Shop. I did fairly well, a little better than last Saturday.
This afternoon I will be doing laundry and culling down my files to what I really need to take with me to Costa Rica. And I saved one of my books from sale or disposal which I thought I might read first, Richard Foster’s Freedom of Simplicity (click for excerpts) then I discovered it is available on my new Kindle Fire which I got to avoid carrying so many heavy books to costa Rica. It was just instantly loaded on my Kindle – how cool this is! I’m going to live in the rainforest while building my new library electronically! 🙂 As usual, I’m as excited as a little kid about all of this!
And as has happened before, my post on His Spirit Blog today relates directly to this, the removal of stress by depending on God and simplifying my life as getting rid of all this stuff is doing already!
Atenas Listed as #1 Place to Retire in Costa Rica!
 |
| Central Plaza of Atenas My photo of us walking through in August I’ll live 8 blocks from this plaza. |
Today’s edition of InsideCostaRica Newspaper in an article by Jason Holland, International Living Costa Rica Editor, lists the five best towns in which to retire in Costa Rica and my choice, Atenas, was ranked #1. It is also interesting to note as the headline says, none of the top 5 are on the beach!
Also see my September 21 Post on AARP listing Atenas as one of the best places in the world to retire. I also included several links to sites about Atenas in that post where you can learn more about my coming new hometown. I’m excited to be moving to such a highly rated place! Just 11 weeks from this Wednesday!
A Few Steps Closer
 |
| Phons sent me his photo of one of my future neighbors, an iguana. Hope I get photos this good! I think he and I will get along fine! |
I’ve made the deposit and it is confirmed that I will be moving into an apartment at Hacienda La Jacaranda in Atenas, Costa Rica the end of December. It is run by a lovely Dutch couple and he, Phons von der Bom, has been corresponding with me and sent the above photo plus one of a butterfly earlier. If you zoom in on a Google Map of Atenas enough you can find the name of the apartments on the map, just north of downtown within about 8 blocks of the Central Plaza and a Super Mercado and of course the weekly Farmers’ Market every Friday. And the Map Link above includes a map pin for Helados POPS, the best ice cream in Costa Rica and some of the best I’ve ever eaten. I had my first Fig Ice Cream there!
Birth Certificate has been returned with an Apostille on it, thus one more document ready for the residency application. I earlier printed out my filing with the U.S. Embassy (State Department) of my intentions called a “Smart Traveler Enrollment Program” which Jose wanted on file. But I am still waiting on a letter from Social Security proving a minimum income for residency. Even though the last guy I talked with said he would do it right then, I really expected it to take a while. I just called our Metro Police Department and for the “police report” Costa Rica is asking for on me, they say they call it a “Background Check.” I simply go downtown to the Criminal Justice Building to the Records Window and for $13 they will provide one while I wait. So maybe tomorrow. When that is done, I will only lack the Social Security letter.
And the next step soon is to order my one-way airline ticket to San Jose, Costa Rica and I’m hoping I have enough air miles for it and they have space on their planes for an air miles ticket! If not, one way should cost less than round trip. Then the main job is to clean out this house, decide what to take, what to store, and what to sell or give away – the biggest job of all!