Category: Atenas

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Good COVID19 Quarantine Activities

Limited People Contact Now

Though we have fewer cases of the Coronavirus here in Costa Rica, our government has done a better job than many countries of educating people and keeping the number of cases low and thus as an “older person” I am staying in my house now (as recommended) except for these limited people contacts:

  1.  Supermarket – And I finally wised up to going when they are not crowded, like early morning.
  2.  Pharmacy
  3. Bank to pay 2 monthly bills and get cash at ATM  (avoid Monday, Friday, & 1st)
  4. Maid comes once a week and we keep our distance
  5. Neighbor delivered Carrot Cake to several of us live-alone singles 🙂

And what keeps me from having “cabin fever” or boredom staying at home all the time? Well, that is easy to answer! I keep doing what I’ve always done since I retired in Costa Rica (minus the travel now):

What I Do Without Other People

(1) Birding that I can still do early mornings right here in my own neighborhood or even walk to other parts of Atenas away from the crowds solo as I prefer anyway.

(2) Blogging started becoming a regular thing for me back in 2014 before I even moved here as I focused then on the decision-making of such a move and now it is my replacement of many failed attempts at journaling, plus I actually have regular followers now and enjoy helping others who are considering retiring in Costa Rica, plus it is still a report to family and friends back in the states who want to keep up. Its a fun and creative outlet!   🙂

(3) Life History Recording (very slowly in the background) as it becomes much of the undated portion of my blog/website, the way WordPress blogs/websites have been organized from the beginning  (dated blog & undated “static” pages). And  in some ways a part of this history is my . . .

(4) Photo Gallery which was originally going to be pages of this WordPress website, but because of the future potential problem of using too much memory and slowing down access, and me not liking their gallery templates that well, I chose to use a photo gallery specialist at a separate address with a link from my site menu where I can put the full-size photo files (WP wants me to “web-size” photos). Though it is only a click away from my website/blog Home Page, it is actually located on a different server where I have a plan with unlimited space, thus putting all of my important photos, both historical and current on it. And I’m still working on the historical part!   🙂   Hey! I have thousands of photos made just since 2000 and still picking through them for the best to put in the gallery. And oh yes, I chose SmugMug.com as the best looking and easiest to use of the many options today! (Having tried Flickr & Pbase.)  And from my gallery you can even order prints or wall art of any of my photos!   🙂    

(5)  Spanish Lessons Online now! No people contact there!  🙂

(6) The heaviest people contact I’ve had in the past was in almost monthly trips to lodges all over Costa Rica. I postponed two trips, one next week to San Gerardo de Dota and my May trip to San Isidro del General, which had included going on public bus (not healthy now). After that I’ve planned a July birthday trip to Manquenque Lodge in a tree house room as I turn 80 and things will have to get pretty bad for me to miss that!   🙂   I’m using my personal driver to get there and its in “the middle of nowhere” jungles where there should not be any virus. But I wait and see!    🙂

I find plenty to do while quarantined at home in my Atenas Roca Verde rent house.

 

“At this point, it is believed many of the world has come in contact with the virus. And for that reason, we all have to experience social distancing and self-quarantine at various levels.”

¡Pura Vida!

FLASH NEWS!

RAIN  —  RAIN  —  a real rain with a lot of water yesterday afternoon, not the little sprinkle we had on the 24th. This is good news! The gardens and trees will love it and maybe the rainy season is starting early this year – we will see. But at least I don’t have to water for a few days now!   🙂

I still find it hard to show rain in a photo, so I won’t share my effort. But this is a big deal because there has been no rain since early December and we sometimes have to wait until May! I am not living in a rainforest, even though nearby. The Central Valley is in between the cool/wet cloud forests and the hot/wet/humid rainforests, thus our claim of “the best weather in the world” needing no a/c or heat ever here! But we do have rainy and dry seasons and it is still considered “tropical.”    🙂

 

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Chirping

“El gorjeo” or “tweeting” or “chirping” is what many of the birds are doing every morning now and earlier than usual, before sunrise! But none of the birds are singing as much as the Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro it is called here (feature photo), the National Bird of Costa Rica. Yigüirros have started their pre-rain singing earlier this year, which is usually in April. This chirping is why it is the National Bird with tradition saying they are calling in the May rains or the “green season” as it is called by many here. Hopefully this earlier singing means the rains will come earlier! Listen to a recording of song   🙂   And soon the wind stops blowing which is almost constantly now. I AM READY FOR GREEN SEASON!    🙂

In one sense it is a little like “Spring” in the north, but maybe a backwards spring as we move from hot-dry-windy to daily rains, cooler temps, greenness & more flowers. It is a tropical paradise that most tourists miss because they want to avoid rain.   🙂    But most of us who live here prefer it to the “dry season.”

“Don’t let the rainy season deter your visions of outdoor adventures! This is Costa Rica’s most beautiful time of the year, when every landscape explodes in vibrant colors, with blooming flowers and blossoming fruit trees, not to mention cooler temperatures.”     ~costarica.com

 

¡Pura Vida!

 

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Park Renovation Update

Yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve done an update and there is still not a huge progress to show. They have been working on one of the radial sidewalks for over a month, the one from the center kiosk to the northeast corner. They’ve even had a cement truck out, but still very slow. It will be really nice when they finish it, with two half-circle patios off the sidewalk, one on each side at each end for picnic tables, game tables, and exercise are a few things shown in the original architect’s drawings.

For the big picture, my Central Park Renovation Gallery

“Land forests are the coral reefs of the ocean of air.”
― Steven Magee

¡Pura Vida!

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More Caution in Atenas + Dental Report

I went to the dentist this morning (report below) and afterwards the bank to pay my rent (my only monthly bill not on auto-debit which is a long story) then by the park to my pharmacy for two prescriptions from Dr. Ureña. I noticed two or three new precautions for Coronavirus. Here’s two pictured.

Bank Line with 6 ft. Distances

Bank lines here (and many others) have always used chairs so people can wait in line seated, just getting up and moving every time another person is called. Before now, many chairs were crammed in side by side with people elbow to elbow. Now we are separated! 🙂   And I did not ask my teller to let me photograph his hands, but all tellers are wearing rubber gloves now.

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It seems even more stark when no one is in line! But I don’t like to photograph people in public without their permission anyway! 🙂

 

Central Park Closed

While I was walking by the park this morning, city employees were stringing up the yellow hazard tape to essentially close the city park where usually it is the center of social activity and close contact between people. Not now! Such social distancing is necessary if we (the whole world) are to defeat this pandemic!

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And I am avoiding my 2 or 3 times a week coffee or breakfast with friends at Crema y Nata.  The World Health Organization recommendation. I may still eat out once or twice a week, but at odd hours at a table solo!

Stay Healthy!   Avoid People!   🙂

Dental Update

This morning was my time to go back to the dental specialist for my root canal, assuming the infection was gone. Well, it hurt all week which was an indicator that I still have an infection. Plus the root canal specialist couldn’t make it because she had to rush her husband to the hospital with some kind of kidney problem, but Dr. Ureña is very good and I trust him. In fact, he did two things I wish she had done: He removed the temporary cap and will leave it off with only a wad of cotton in the hole, allowing the infection to drain (she did say that might have to be done). In addition to an antibiotic in the hole, he gave me a prescription for an oral antibiotic to take for a week. Together they should clean up the problem caused by a North American dentist not completing his root canal properly. He also gave me his personal cell phone number if I have any problems or severe pain. It is hard to find soft food that I like to eat beyond oatmeal and pudding!   😉   And even then I can only chew on my left side.

Whew! I go back Monday to see if infection is gone so the root canal can be completed or decide when, but surely sometime next week. But Dr. Ureña assures me I will be fine for my trip the 30th. And since tourism is at a standstill here, I may be at the lodge nearly alone or with an easy job of “social distancing.”   🙂   From the land of rainforests & happiness . . .

¡Pura Vida!

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It’s getting closer!

Yesterday one case of Coronavirus was confirmed in Atenas. Many of our local people commute to both Alajuela and San Jose for jobs, a natural way for it to spread from the two cities with the most cases. Country-wide Costa Rica has 75 cases now and one death. This is a real pandemic!

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Walking

There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Even a bicycle goes too fast.   

-Paul Scott Mowrer

¡Pura Vida!

Every walk includes flowers!    🙂
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Less Wind – More Birds!

But that was only the case for an hour or so Sunday morning for my early breakfast around 6 AM. By 7:30 or 8:00 the wind was blowing like normal this time of year, It is windy mid-December to Mid-March or later and I’m guessing later this year because the wind has been stronger. Since the “Windy Season” overlaps the “Dry Season” it creates a recipe for brush or grass fires, especially later in the season like right now. We had our annual grass fires in Roca Verde a week or so ago, so not as much dry grass left to burn. (I water my grass!) And as usual, we were fortunate to have no house on fire. Our local Atenas Bomberos (Firemen) are super good at stopping the fires quickly.

And my four morning birds are just ones that are very common in my yard, but it was nice to see them in my Cecropia tree at breakfast for a change! Maybe I should eat earlier every morning since it is less windy early.   🙂     They were . . .

Clay-colored Thrush called Yigüirro here, the national bird; Blue-gray Tanager;  Tropical Kingbird; and the featured photo, Rufous-naped Wren. Links are to eBird pages on those birds.

4 Breakfast Birds

 

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?     ~JESUS, Matthew 6:26

¡Pura Vida!

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It’s a story!

“There’s always a story. It’s all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything’s got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

¡Pura Vida!

“Breakfast Sunrise”

Feature Photo by Charlie Doggett

My Life Stories

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New Medical Adventures

La dentista +

Over this last weekend an upper right jaw tooth was hurting when I chewed on that side. So, first thing Monday after Spanish class I go to my dentist, Doctora Karina Valerio, who speaks only Spanish, which is good for me!   🙂

Office of Dra. Karina

She checked it out and said she really needed a digital image to make an assessment and sent me to Doctor Ureña Bogantes Rodrigo, one block away, who is also a dentist along with being the only dental radiologist in Atenas with all the expensive equipment for that. And he speaks English!   🙂

Office of Dr. Ureña

He x-rayed my teeth from different angles and gave me the printout from his computer to take back to Dra. Karina, saying he believes I need a root canal. His charge was 15 mil or $26.35.

Digital Image of my Upper Right Jaw – Root Canal is needed on the right side of the bridge.

So I took the image back down the street and Dra. Karina says, “Necessita la endodoncia.” which of course is a root canal!  🙂  And she does not do those, but Dr. Ureña has someone he can bring in to do it. So I pay her only 5 mil or $8.78 for two visits and consultations. 

Then I walk back down the street to Dr. Ureña again where he calls and schedules a root canal specialist to come to his office 3 days later, this Thursday. The woman Endodontista (root canal specialist) will have to drill through the right side of a bridge for the needed root canal. Of course it will cost only a tiny fraction of what one costs in the states!   🙂  AND it is soon (3 days) AND  ¡No más dolor!  (No more pain!)

And yes, I could have gone to the public clinic for free social security dental work, but it would have taken much longer and they would send me to their  specialist in either Alajuela or San Jose for a root canal at who knows how long a wait, so I chose private care that is local (I walked to both dentist offices), and so reasonably priced, quick and with excellent service for which I’m willing to pay. While the very poor here can get similar treatment for free, just a longer wait and bus ride to Alajuela or San Jose. 

You are possibly aware that dental tourism is one of the big businesses in Costa Rica! You can buy a plane ticket to Costa Rica, stay in a hotel, have the dental work done and do a little tourist activity all for less than what a dentist would charge you in the states for the same work. Dental work prices here are about 20% of the U.S. prices. And remember that doctors and medical care here is ranked higher than that in the USA by the UN World Health Organization, but you guys do rank number 1 as the most expensive in the world on all medical care and services.   🙂     ¡Pura vida!

 El urólogo

OK, I won’t go into as much detail about the urologist here. I’m an old man you know.   🙂    At 80 everything starts malfunctioning!   🙂

But the interesting thing I wanted to report is that our quiet, peaceful little farm town does not have a urologist (or many other medical specialists), either in the public clinic or in private practice. Thus, as I do for my dermatologist, I expected to go to Alajuela for this specialist.

But now we have two new private clinics (competing of course) in Atenas who bring in various specialists based on need. In my case, Dr. Rodriquez, urólogo, comes here to Clinica Santa Sofia (photo below) once a month. While young doctors like him probably stay a lot busier by sharing their time between a big city office and probably several small town offices, it is also very helpful to us in the small towns! We can avoid a trip to the big city!  I like my dermatologist in Alajuela very much, so I probably won’t change him, but I expect all other future “specialists” to be found in one of these two new clinics here in Atenas.    🙂

Centro Médico Santa Sofía El Coyol   –   For specialists and the only complete radiology facility in Atenas including sonar which is especially good for our pregnant women!

Coronavirus

Yes, the dreaded pandemic is even here in paradise! The last I read there are 13 confirmed cases in Costa Rica.  (The first 3 were Italians who flew over for a “holiday.”) CR just cancelled 2 cruises to here  and suspends mass gatherings but has no airline travel restrictions here yet and I imagine the tourism industry will discourage such but may be necessary. And yes, this virus hurts the tourism business maybe more than any other, just like in the states!

But to indicate the virus panic we already have here, I thought I would be well prepared “just in case,” far in advance and I tried to buy some surgical masks yesterday. After visiting 3 Farmacias (drug stores) here in Atenas I learned that there are none available anywhere in the whole country of Costa Rica – all “Out of Stock” they say.    🙂   Ours probably come from China and I imagine China is using all they can make there now!    🙂

This morning I walked to my favorite supermarket for a regular shopping trip and found that they are “Out of Stock” of all hand sanitizer and Liquid Hand Soap in dispensers but had some “refill” liquid soap in plastic bags that I got 2 of. They were also nearly out of alcohol. Hmmmm.  Ticos are very health conscious and most are very healthy. So I am optimistic about avoiding the virus here. And generally I prefer avoiding crowds or many people anyway, which we must do now! So stay healthy!   🙂

“Health is better than wealth.”   ―Spanish Proverb

¡Pura Vida!

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Yellow Warbler

The Yellow Warbler is one of the more common birds found all over North and Central America with a huge migration south each winter which is mostly what we have here in Costa Rica right now. See the maps in the above Cornell link.

With a slight variation there is a “Resident Species” of Yellow Warbler that lives here year around and is identified mainly by the resident male (my photo) who has a rust-colored or orange-brown head.

These photos are of one bird in my Cecropia Tree at breakfast last Saturday, one of the migrants from North America. They will return north in April or May, some as far north as Canada and Alaska!  Amazing!

Yellow Warbler

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¡Pura vida!

 

See my CR Yellow Warbler Gallery or all of my Costa Rica Birds or go for All My Birds that includes my photos of birds from 10 countries!  531+ species!