Friday, March 1
Today was a BIG day, and a LONG day! Today we left our condo in Playas del Coco, where we have been staying since January 29th, and moved to our newly rented apartment in Atenas, where we will be staying for the month of March.
Our new friend and condo neighbor, Colleen Kelly, saw us off, asking, "Will you be coming back next year?" All we could answer was, "We don't know; we're still thinking about it." But we probably won't come back to El Coco or to any Pacific beach town. We - especially Bob - just found the weather to be just too hot. (Colleen told us that the predicted high for El Coco today was 104 degrees Fahrenheit!) Yes, WAY too HOT!
We awoke at 5:00 am and finished our packing and other projects in time for our 8:00 am pickup. We had hired a driver to take us to Atenas through Coco Tours, based in the Las Palmas development in Playas del Coco. We were delighted to find that Giovanni, the owner of the tour company, was our driver and guide. He is a delightful and knowledgable guide and companion, speaks English very well, and knows the Atenas area very well. We certainly lucked out with this transfer!
The first stop we made was in the nearby town of Sardinal where Bob wanted to take some pictures. We were there for maybe 20 minutes.
We made three stops other along the way - all for food and drink of some kind.
First, we stopped at the German Bakery (newly renamed as the Europa Cafe) on the road between El Coco and Liberia. Here we had coffee and a pastry ( all delicious).
About an hour later, we stopped in Las Juntas (?) for a smoothie. We had stopped here once before, on the way home from our day trip to Monteverde about ten days ago, and Bob loved the smoothie he had gotten here before. We each enjoyed a cool, refreshing, fruit smoothie on a day that was already getting too hot.
And then, for lunch, a couple of hours later, we stopped in Caldera, a port town just south of Puntarenas, at the restaurant in the Hotel Costa del Sol.
Connie at entrance to Hotel Costa del Sol, Calderra, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)
We had seats overlooking an estuary near the ocean. We watched shore birds - scissor-tailed gulls, regular gulls, and a lone Tricolor Heron, and scanned the water for crocodiles (though we did not see any). The ambiance of the restaurant was lovely, but Bob and I both found the food too salty for our tastes. We did enjoy relaxing and enjoying interesting conversation with Giovanni.
Bob and Giovanni at the Costa del Sol, Caldera, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)
Connie lunching at Hotel Costa del Sol, Caldera, Costa Rica. (Photo by Bob)
After lunch, we drove the last leg of the journey to Atenas, about an hour away. This part of the drive took us from sea level in Caldera up into the hills to an altitude of about 2,200 feet in Atenas. We were on Route 27, "the new highway" and the views were beautiful. The sky got cloudy and a little dark, and we had a few sprinkles of rain along the way - the only rain we had seen since we landed in Costa Rica over a month ago.
Finally, we arrived in Atenas, and with Giovanni driving, we quickly found our apartment. First, we followed a map supplied to us by the rental agent, Hisano Bell:
Schematic map of Atenas, Costa Rica. Our apartment is located in the upper right quadrant. (Provided by Hisano Bell)
Then, we looked for signs advertising the dental clinic above which we would be living. This clinic and the apartment are owned and run by Dr. Rodrigo Urena Bogantes, who is our landlord.
And, finally, we arrived at the place that will be our home for the month of March. The apartment occupies the entire second floor. The entrance to the dental clinic is to the right.
Rodrigo Urena Guest House, Atenas, Costa Rica.
We are welcomed by Hisano Bell, who has been waiting for us and greets us warmly. She orients us to the apartment, which is newly decorated in a tasteful contemporary style. It is a spacious apartment with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry area, and a living room-dining area-kitchen combination leading to a balcony overlooking the street and the hills and mountains beyond. The apartment also has a dressing room off the master bathroom that provides more space for clothes than what we have at home. What a luxury!
Soon after, we meet our landlord, Dr. Rodrigo Urena Bogantes. He, too, welcomes us warmly and asks us to address him simply as Rodrigo. He will be working in the space below us, but the soundproofing seems to be very good. There is a garage below part of the apartment, and if we were to rent a car, we could keep it there. The entrance to our apartment is through the garage, and when we open and close the heavy metal doors using a remote control, the doors close with a heavy clanging sound remindful of prison doors closing. These doors turn our place into what feels like a fortress.
Hisano takes us for a short ride around town, showing us some important places such as the park and church around the corner, the three banks in town, the supermarkets, and some good local places to eat. The best restaurant in town, she says, is just around the corner from our apartment, and that is where we end up eating supper tonight - Restaurante Antano. ( And it IS very good, and reasonably priced. I know we'll be going there often.)
Our favorite restaurant in Atenas, almost our second home! (Photo by Connie)
The nearest, and largest, supermarket - Coopeatenas - is about two blocks away. We made a quick trip there in the late afternoon, just to pick up a few things. Then we came home and unpacked before going out to dinner.
After dark, the view from our balcony is magical. We can see lights on all the surrounding hills and valleys. To the east, in the valley, we can see the sprawl of Alejuela, which is about 25 Km away. To the north are the volcanic mountains of Poas and Barva. The lights below them are from a series of villages and towns, including Grecia. We also saw some lightning in the sky this evening, though as yet there has been no rain.
It is the end of a long day, with many new events occurring. We are two tired pups, longing to hit the sack. Good night!
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What a great summary. thanks for the pictures. hope you are enjoying getting out to explore Atenas today!
ReplyDelete-Tracy