Day Two in Atenas

Saturday, March 2

We awake at 7:00am, somewhat refreshed from our exhausted state of last evening. The first sounds we hear outside are not the sounds of birds and monkeys, as in El Coco, but the sounds of cars, trucks, and motorcycles driving past. We do not live on a major thoroughfare and the traffic is not constant, but some vehicles - especially motorcycles - seem to love to rev up their engines on this street. (I would say that the only complaint we have about this lovely place is the traffic noise.)

Hisano arrived at 9:00 am with a Mac laptop that she is renting to us for the month for $25. After she set it up for us and we tried out the password and wifi connection (which is good here - much better than we had in El Coco), she invited us to return with her to her Casa a few miles out of town. The drive took maybe fifteen minutes on a curvy, narrow mountain road. The views of the mountains along the way were lovely.

We arrived at her place - Casa Megumi - and passed through a tall set of locked iron security gates. There is a small casita on her property that is currently rented to a single woman from Canada. Further on, we reached the Casa Grande, where Hisano and her family live. Here there are two more rental suites available. There is also a lovely courtyard with a small swimming pool and a gorgeous view of the mountains.

Courtyard and pool at Casa Megumi. (Photo by Bob)

 

We were introduced to a couple from Iowa who had stayed in our current apartment in town for the previous two months and were now staying in a suite (The Orchid Room) in Hisano's Casa Grande. We found an instant rapport with Diana and Phil from Des Moines and enjoyed coffee and conversation with them for over an hour. We all have plans to take the bus into San Jose next week and do some exploring.

We took a local bus back to town from Hisano's Casa. It made several stops, took 40 minutes, and cost 350 colones (about 70 cents) each. The road was paved, but very curvy, steep, and narrow, barely allowing two big trucks or buses to get by each other, with deep drop-offs in some places and no guard rails. Bob observed that had we gone off the road at certain points, we would have gone through the roof of a house - it was that steep. Yet, none of the local people on the bus seem to give it a second thought.

All this brings up the subject of worry and fear (mine). I am doing some self-examination on this topic. I do not alway feel safe in this country, especially when riding in a taxi or bus on some of these narrow, rough roads or in situations where I feel vulnerable to being robbed. Am I too fearful? Do I worry too much? When I am in the hands of another driver - whether it is Bob or a taxi or bus driver or an airline pilot or anyone else - I have no control, so do I let go of worry and fear regardless of how scary it might seem? When I walk around on the streets or in places like bus stations in a country that is widely known for its petty thievery and muggings, can I still let go of worry, and trust that I will be alright? When does taking sensible precautions morph into a negative energy that can actually attract the things we fear? I want to live La Pura Vida - the relaxed, don't worry, be happy life. How can I re-program my thinking in order to do this? I seem to worry more than Bob does about these things. I am trying to let go of this excess worry. This is one of my big lessons for this trip. We'll see what I come home with.

Back in Atenas, it is lunchtime and we try a cafe called El Balcon. It is located on the second floor, with open -air seating, and we sit at a table overlooking the street. The food is good, and watching the activity on the street below is endlessly fascinating.

Bob at Cafe El Balcon, Atenas, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

View of Cafe El Balcon, Atenas, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

View of street from Cafe El Balcon, Atenas, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

 

During lunch, we had a lively discussion about our impressions of Atenas, and of Costa Rica, to date. It was clear to us that we were each seeing this place through different lenses and were forming different perceptions. This discussion was long and complex and will be the subject of another blog post. But, in general, it seems, Bob comes at this experience from a cultural-economic-political perspective and I come at it more from an aesthetic and a relational perspective.

Dinnertime brought us back to the small restaurant around the corner - Antano. Here there is a wide selection of Costa Rican style food, well-prepared, nice atmosphere, reasonable prices. We will be having many meals here during our stay in Atenas.

It is Saturday night in Atenas and it is noisy. Traffic in front of our place is occasional but often loud with souped-up engines on everything from bicycles (!) to motorcycles, cars, and trucks. In addition, there is loud music and voices coming from a party or bar nearby. And, it is also very windy - so windy that we can feel the concrete building shuddering. It all seems very foreign at the moment, and a little disquieting.

 

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