 |
| Cloudy |
 |
| Wet |
I like people who smile when it is raining.
🙂
🙂
¡Pura Vida!
Palmares
 |
| Basilica of Our Lady of the Mercedes The primary Catholic Church in Palmares, Costa Rica One of very few in Costa Rica of stone, built 1894-1914 |
 |
| Basilica of Our Lady of the Mercedes Palmares, Costa Rica |
 |
| Palmares Central Park is Partly a Tropical Garden Palmares, Costa Rica |
 |
| Unlike a lot of towns’ central parks Palmares, Costa Rica |
 |
| But also has the traditional sidewalks, benches & band shelter Palmares, Costa Rica |
 |
| Some high school kids came dressed for a church festival Palmares, Costa Rica |
 |
| Including their band! Palmares, Costa Rica |
Palmares is a 50 minute bus ride north from Atenas over one of the most winding mountain roads near us and a beautiful drive through something like the Appalachian or Ozark Mountains to this cowboy town where the biggest Tope (horse parade) happens once a year. It is much bigger than Atenas with 31,000+ plus people.
This was my “practice” bus ride here and then on another bus for the shorter ride to San Ramon where I am going by bus in November to be picked up by the staff of Villa Blanca Cloud Forest Resort which is north of San Ramon.
I’m getting better at bus travel and even made a last minute change today. Aeropost sent me an email saying my CPAP supplies were ready to be picked up in Alajuela. So instead of returning to Atenas from San Ramon (through Palmares), I got the direct bus to Alajuela for my package, ate lunch at Jalapeno Central Restaurant and then my regular Atenas bus back home.
I was particularly impressed by the bus station for one bus company in Palmares. See photo below.
 |
| Terminal Buses Carbachez Palmares, Costa Rica |
This reminded me of the nice one I used in Turrialba. There are many competing bus companies in Costa Rica and they build their own terminals, not shared with other companies. Think of the old competition between Greyhound and Trailways in the states. This station is for Carbachez buses. Had I come here on one of our CoopeAtenas Buses, I would have gone to a different terminal that is not as nice. And I left from a third terminal to go to Alajuela. It was clean, but smaller and not as nice as the one above.
And a few buses between towns just stop at a bus stop on a main street, no terminal. For example: when I went to Tarcoles with Ed we caught our bus at a main stop on Ruta 3 highway going through town. You have to learn how to ride buses and there is a great website with schedules, though going through Palmares to San Ramon did not come from them! Got that locally! The site routed me through Alajuela which is longer. But then I came back that way anyway! 🙂
As a Senior Adult (Adulto Mayor). I rode 3 of my 4 buses free and the San Ramon to Alajuela longest trip was just 75¢ or half price! Buses are the economical way to travel here even if you pay full price!
Google Map of Atenas to Palmares We went the shorter route, Hwy 135, but bus takes longer than car with many stops along the way! 🙂
I did a Trip Gallery with these photos and two are also in my Costa Rica Churches gallery
Walkabout Apparel
 |
| Cap & Sunglasses I wear every day when I walk to town. Here on a table in Soda while I drink coffee. Atenas, Costa Rica |
And you might be interested that I have caps and sunglasses of many colors to go with my many colors of T-shirts! 🙂 I’m a fashionista gringo! ¡Soy un gringo consciente de la moda!
Home Business: Corner Grocery
 |
| A “Junkier” Corner Grocery (Pulperia) than the El Pinguino I showed earlier Atenas, Costa Rica |
 |
| Though that is a home to left, I believe the owners live behind and to right of store, behind the tree. Atenas, Costa Rica |
Though I occasionally visit or use some of the home businesses, this one has never appealed to me. It just looks too dirty to sell food, though they are sometimes busy! I keep wanting to take them a few gallons of paint to freshen up the place! But continue to just ignore it as I walk by nearly every day.
Link to my photo gallery of Home Business Signs
Garden Palm Haiku
Enjoyed high school kids this afternoon
Every Monday afternoon until early December George and I are helping a group of high school kids practice their English in preparation for their student exchange trip to Virginia in January. It is not easy for them just like Spanish is not easy for me. But practice is the most important thing about learning a language! Today I had them pull a household object or toy dollhouse furniture from a bag and explain what it is and say one sentence using the word, in English of course! Our focus today was the host home they would be staying in for two weeks.
I haven’t felt comfortable photographing them yet. Maybe next week I can share a photo of the group “Club conversacional inglés.”
 |
| Front Entrance to Liceo Atenas |
 |
| Kids walking home after school |
In the Garden This Morning
 |
| Some mornings start out cloudy, but usually not all day. Atenas, Costa Rica |
EXTRA TIDBITS ABOUT COSTA RICA
Teatro Nacional Celebrates 120 Years by Planning Renovation
And I personally will celebrate it by attending a special presentation of “Swan Lake” by the 72 person ballet of Havana, Cuba on October 15.
Read this interesting article on “The Origin of Name Costa Rica AND phrase Pura Vida.”
Chachalaca & Church
 |
| Gray-headed Chachalaca Flying over and into my treetops for breakfast today. Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
 |
| Central Catholic Church Atenas, Costa Rica |
 |
| Central Catholic Church Atenas, Costa Rica |
Parroquia San Rafael Arcángel Atenas
https://www.parroquiasanrafaelatenas.com/
I walk by this beautiful, simple church building almost every day.
WEATHER: I doubt that it makes your news, but we have had some very heavy rains which is normal for late in the rainy season, but this year it has brought some serious flash flooding in parts of the Central Valley and the North Pacific with flooded homes, washed out roads and landslides. Atenas has not been affected. Most damage was in San Jose, Cartago, and parts of the North Pacific. As my photos show, nice weather here with afternoon or early evening showers. Just right for the gardens! Mejor clima del mundo! The best weather in the world! 🙂 Fortunate!
Good Morning World
 |
| Squirrel Cuckoo My Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Two mornings in a row for breakfast and he gave me a better pose this morning. Plus in only one shot did all 5 tail feathers show like this, so I’m particularly pleased with this one! It happened just as the fog lifted on a beautiful morning in Atenas!
And on my walk downtown today I got a shot of the church I’m pleased with, but I’m holding it for another day. It is so enjoyable to just walk through this tranquil little town every day! And I often stop in a little shop for a cup of coffee and a rollito de canela (cinnamon roll). This is living!
How encouraging to someone who lives here! (right click to change article to English)
A Cuckoo at Breakfast & World Travelers at Lunch
 |
| Squirrel Cuckoo Waiting on me in the Nance Tree when I went to the Terrace for Breakfast Atenas, Costa,Rica |
I have better shots of this cuckoo, but it is still nice to have one visit occasionally. 🙂
I had lunch today with Tom & Jess who are temporarily in Atenas as a part of their retirement plan to travel all around the world in their retirement, a month or two here and then on to the next interesting place. Sounds like fun! Click on their names above for their blog which is much more extensive about their retirement travels than my blog. And if you notice that they visited Zarcero in Costa Rica and don’t remember me reporting on it, you are right! But I plan a day trip there by bus soon! It’s a village famous for its beautiful church and topiary garden.
From here in November they go to Florida to catch a cruise ship that will drop them off in South America where they stay a while before Antarctica and then back to Africa again. They have an international health insurance policy and try to live simple lives in rent houses in every country they visit. They are renting a house in Roca Verde near me now.
They frequently use rent cars to give them more independence in seeing what they want to see. What they are doing seems more tiring and more expensive than my particular retirement plan, but a fun and exciting one. I do plan to visit other countries in Central and South America eventually and of course continue to explore Costa Rica! I visited every single Tennessee State Park before leaving there and plan to likewise visit all the National Parks in Costa Rica in time! It was good to visit with other world travelers that enjoys adventure as much as me! And even that is part of my retirement adventure of living in a coffee farming village in Costa Rica! 🙂
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
– Robert Frost