Independence Day Special Report

My Health Update & The Culture Report

Sep 15 Independence Day Costa Rica

Every year the entire country flies flags and marches in parades to celebrate their independence from Spain and I’ve missed only 3 of the parades here in Atenas because I was in the Caribbean during this week. And was about to miss another for the same reason, but once I changed my trip this year to October, I thought I would again photograph the parade, but with the main part of the parade being from 10 to 12 during some of the hottest sunshine of the day and my right knee hurting, I decided to miss the parade on purpose this year. But I’ve posted links at the bottom of this post to the 6 parades I did photograph, plus I wore my Costa Rica National Soccer Team shirt (red, white & blue) to my usual breakfast out at Restaurant El Fogon Campesino and not only was the staff dressed patriotically but they had a marimba band playing on the terrace near where I always eat. So that was my celebration today! 🙂

Marimba Band at Restaurant El Fogon, September 15, 2024, Atenas, Costa Rica

For those who don’t know Spanish, “el fogon” is the Spanish word for “the kitchen wood stove” and “campesino” is “peasant” or “poor farmer.” Everything in this place is cooked on an old fashion wood-burning stove just like one of my grandmothers. They are mainly a lunch & dinner place, but have breakfast on Saturday & Sunday mornings and are the only place here with “Avocado Toast” and other breakfast dishes with guacamole! Yummy! 🙂 They of course have the traditional Costa Rica breakfast of eggs with Pico de Gallo (beans & rice), the best pancakes in town, a great omelette, and even a Breakfast Nachos for the young at heart! 🙂 But I’ve narrowed down my favorite to the Quesadilla with guacamole & picadillo on top and a side of bacon! 🙂 The only time I eat breakfast out other than on trips and a weekly treat for me!

Update on My Health

The public health system here is simply great and they are monitoring me in more ways than I ever would have on my own with private doctors, providing a specialist for nearly everything. Most of the specialists are in either San Jose or Alajuela and my driver, Walter, goes in with me as translator when needed, especially with the fast talkers! 🙂 “Hablo despacio por favor.” 🙂 But many speak English and nearly all the younger ones do, so no problem! But thankful for Walter!

Last week my geriatric doctor found that I had a little high blood pressure. She immediately put me on a blood pressure medicine and sent me back to my local clinic here in Atenas for my local GP doc to monitor me. There they wanted me to come in regularly to check the blood pressure or get a machine and check my own every day at home (or at a local farmacia that will check it daily for free). I chose the convenience of my own machine and will report back to Dr. Zuniga (my GP) with a month’s worth of BP numbers and it will tell if the current med is working or if I need something else. And I expect he will discuss my diet and exercise with me also. 🙂

Nothing alarming and I feel fine and the BP has already been back in the normal range one day. I think it was some little temporary thing, but we will see. And my oncologist says there is no trace of any cancer anywhere now. Plus I’m sleeping great with the new CPAP Machine the Costa Rica Social Security bought me! Costa Rica spends its money on its people and not on an army and constant wars! 🙂

¡Pura Vida!

¡Feliz Día de la Independencia!

Photo Galleries of Earlier September 15 Parades

¡Pura Vida!

Toucan at Breakfast

Yesterday morning at the beginning of my last full day at Chachagua Rainforest we had a Yellow-throated Toucan (eBird link) juvenile join those of us who were early enough. The waiter was feeding him fresh papaya which he enjoyed, but after a while he seemed to gaze into the forest where his momma taught him to find food and he was back into his natural habitat. But a few of us enjoyed his brief visit with the humans! 🙂 4 photos . . .

Yellow-throated Toucan at Breakfast Table, Chachagua Rainforest Hotel, Costa Rica.
Continue reading “Toucan at Breakfast”

Breakfast by a Mountain Stream

I chose to eat my final morning’s breakfast outside on the restaurant deck overlooking a stream. What a peaceful, tranquil way to conclude a visit to cloud forest mountains!

Above as seen from my breakfast table or . . .

See 2 other views of this stream that attracts American Dippers and Black Phoebe birds . . .

Continue reading “Breakfast by a Mountain Stream”

Breakfast Motmot

I have not been having many interesting or colorful birds at breakfast for awhile, with many rufous-naped wrens & clay-colored thrush!  And it seems like maybe a year since I’ve seen one of the Blue-crowned Motmots now renamed to be Lesson’s Motmot (wish they wouldn’t do that!). But yesterday at breakfast, early for me, about 6:20-6:30 I had a motmot visit. This one Lesson’s Motmot flew into the Nance Tree looking for Nance Berries I assume, staying there 3 or 4 minutes, occasionally flying to the ground and briefly foraging, maybe for fallen berries or an insect. Then he was gone. If I spent more time on my terrace I would undoubtedly see more birds! i.e. Two different neighbors have seen Crested Caracaras in the cow pasture in front of my house and I haven’t. Too much time on my computer?!   🙂   Well, I focus more on birds on my monthly trip and that is when I photograph the most. But it is nice to know that I still have a large variety of birds near my house!

 

Note that this one has both pendants on the end of his tail which is almost unusual now as most seem to catch then on a tree or something and tear one or both off as you can see in my gallery.

See some of my other Lesson’s Motmots  photos (better photos!) as a sub gallery of my bigger Costa Rica Birds Gallery where you can find other sub galleries for 3 other types of motmots:

These 3 can be seen in the right parts of Costa Rica, though the Lesson’s is most common and most widely distributed and favors the Pacific side of CR.

“Wake up with the birds and go to sleep with the stars.” 
― Marty Rubin

¡Pura Vida!

Crimson-fronted Parakeets

My breakfast treat on my terrace this morning was this pair of Crimson-fronted Parakeets passing through on their way up the hill – most usually fly over rather than stop. They first started pecking into the trunk of my big palm but the Clay-colored Thrushes with a nest in that tree chased them away to my neighbor’s big palm where I made these photos. Here’s just 5 of many shots made:

Crimson-fronted Parakeets

 

I still get more excited by the more colorful birds like these.

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”

~Wassily Kandinsky

You might also enjoy the other birds in my BIRDS Photo Gallery

¡Pura vida!

Farm Fresh Food at Rancho Naturalista

Farm fresh food at every meal from
 the on-property farm!
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

All meat and dairy products from their own farm, even the cheese!
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Low Season means Fewer Guests
These 2 birders from states there my 1st two days only
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

My 77th Birthday Cake! I was not expecting! (Mercedes told them.)
Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

Just one piece!
 Rancho Naturalista, Costa Rica

And their website: Rancho Naturalista

“The only time to eat diet food is 
while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” 

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!