Our Last Thursday in Atenas

Thursday, March 28

The intense heat has subsided. It is sunny and fairly clear, and there is a fresh wind blowing. When we awoke, we were once again able to see the mountains - Poas and Barva - with only a thin line of cloud cover at the tops. After a noisy evening last night, we also awoke to the strange sound of silence - or at least way less traffic noise than usual. Today is a national holiday. It is Maundy Thursday.

Although almost no stores or restaurants are open today, we set out this morning hoping to find coffee at Musmanni, and we did. We took our coffee to go and went to the Central Park to drink it. Across the street, in the Catholic Church, there was no Mass this morning, and a band was practicing there. We sat in the shade, drinking coffee, watching people go by, listening to the music, and having an interesting conversation about religion in general.

Parque Central, Church at end of walk, Atenas, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

 

Around noon we met up with the woman who had been the rental agent for our apartment - Hisano Bell. We met for lunch at Antano's - one of the two restaurants in town that were open on this holiday. Hisano is a Japanese-American woman who has lived in Costa Rica for several years. She owns a Casa a few kilometers from downtown Atenas, where she rents out a casita and a couple of rooms to guests year round. She also manages the guest apartment in downtown Atenas where we are staying.

Bob and Hisano at lunch at Atano Restaurante, Atenas, Costa Rica. (Photo by Connie)

 

We had a very long lunch over which we lingered with fascinating conversations that covered cultural differences and similarities, relationships, life in Costa Rica, our own professional journeys, our families, and more. By the time our time together ended, more than three hours later, we had become friends with a very special woman with a fascinating story to tell. We all regretted that we had not gotten to know each other sooner.

There is something very special about the ex-pats and repeat winter snowbirds that we have met in Costa Rica. Most are semi-retired or retired, with interesting professions in their past or present. Many have been world travelers whose perspectives range even beyond their home country and Costa Rica. Most are actively engaged with life in Costa Rica. And most we have met are strong, hardy, confident individuals who are very adaptable and able to cope well with challenges. We have met many interesting people here - Gringos and Ticos - and I will miss them when we finally fly home.

 

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