Rough Road to a New Year's Bash

Dennis & Gerardo

We’ve had a great start to the New Year, beginning with a festive New Year’s Eve party at the home of our friends, Dennis & Gerardo of Pure Life Development real estate. In the two years we’ve been here, they have been our go-to guys in finding great places to live in Atenas. They are building an “eco-development” up the mountain from our first apartment in Alto del Monte in an mountaintop area called Estanquillos and they are now living in one of the first homes they’ve built there, a magnificent hilltop villa with an indoor pool, out-of-this-world furnishings and fantastic panoramic views of the Central Valley and the surrounding mountains.

When Gerardo invited us to bring in the New Year with them, we were delighted. We so enjoy their sense of humor, zest for life and big smiles that we knew we’d have a great time. And indeed we did, AFTER we managed to get there!

In English, the directions to their house sounded easy enough: “Take the road to Estanquillos. Go up till you come to a pulperia on the left.  At the next curve, turn right and go down the hill...Cross the bridge and then up the hill.  Our entryway is on the left hand side (bright Orange)!”  But the Spanish directions for the taxi driver were something else again: “200 metros norte del recibador de cafe, Calle Iris....Entrada naranja....” Unfortunately, they didn’t mean much to our cab driver, who was unfamiliar with Estanquillos. So after some hits and misses, we found the  bridge and started uphill as instructed, only to encounter a road that embodied every dire description of Costa Rican streets you ever read. Rocks, dirt, gullies, washouts, big humps. And remember, it was after dark. Oh, and of course, there were no streetlights.

As we slowly eased up the steep slope, our taxi high-centered with a wham. “Oh no, señor!” I said to our driver. “Este es no correcto!” This can’t be right! He understood and began slowly backing down the rough roadway. I had already tried Dennis’ cell phone but there was no signal this far out. In desperation, we returned to the pulperia, a small grocery, to ask for directions.

Dennis & his mom, left; new friends Peggy & Rick, right

With the driver and Layne waiting in the car, I tried calling on the store’s landline but Dennis’ cell phone still didn’t respond. Then I described Dennis and Gerardo to the proprietor. Yes, she told me, pointing up the mountain to a lighted house at the top. That’s where those two gentlemen live and yes, that’s the right road. Unsure that I understood correctly, I sent our taxi driver in to discuss the situation with the grocers. Layne and I watched anxiously from the car as the animated conversation carried on. Finally, our driver returned and despite our protests that it would wreck his car, in true Tico style he headed back up the road, determined to transport his passengers to their destination.

Which he did, bless his heart, gunning his engine and banging his oil pan in order to make it up and over the rough spots. He totally earned the big tip I gave him. Finally, we arrived and hiked up the last steep slope of driveway to a festive atmosphere of music, laughter, salsa dancing, great food and new friends to boot. At midnight, we opened champagne then watched firework displays all across the nighttime vista. Thanks, Dennis and Gerardo, but maybe we’ll wait until that road is paved before we come for another visit!

Sadie and Marcial

Still, it was satisfying that my Spanish is improving enough to converse as I managed to do that night. But Layne and I have begun a new system for learning Spanish --  “language dinners” with our Tico friends Marcial and Sadie. Sadie wants to learn English so it seems a good fit for us to get together and speak our different languages over a good meal. Layne and I hosted our first evening “class” last Thursday and it was a grand success. Marcial served as our “teacher” due to his fluency in English gained from teaching physical education at an English-language school for some eight years. Over guacamole and big bowls of chili, we alternated English and Spanish, with Marcial correcting us and offering grammar rules here and there. Sadie made homemade tortillas in a matter of minutes that were so much better than the packaged kind. And Marcial, who plans to compete in the big Chili Cookoff next month, was impressed with my chili recipe, which I had adapted to incorporate his wonderful Italian Sausage as the meat. We plan to repeat these dinners every two weeks or so and “poco a poco,” little by little, I know our Spanish will improve even as we have a lot of fun learning it. 

Tico Kids' Parade and Jazz in the Jungle

It’s 2:30 p.m. and the rain is pouring down, accompanied by flashes of lightning and loud thunderclaps uncomfortably close by. The computers are unplugged to protect against surges and the lights flicker now and then, but so far so good. In all likelihood, the storm cell will pass over and within an hour or so, the skies will clear. Such is life in the tropics.

We’ve had a busy few days, what with Independence Day celebrations last week and a Sunday afternoon luncheon in a trendy jungle hideaway with a jazz band over the weekend. My volunteer work with the Partido Verde Ecologista (Green Ecological Party) has also picked up steam, so all in all I’ve had little time for blogging lately. Still, I much prefer to be busy than bored so I’m not complaining, especially when the activities are so much fun.

On Independence Day last Thursday, Layne and I hadn’t planned to go into town for the parade but as we started out on our morning walk, we realized we’d probably hit downtown just about parade time. And sure enough, as we approached the Parque Central (Central Park), the youth groups, including drum and xylophone corps, twirlers and marching flag troupes, were circling past the Municipal Building where dignitaries sat. The entire parade is made up of children, it seems, all decked out in the red, blue and white of the Costa Rican flag. I was so pleased to see one large group of children carrying environmentally-oriented signs stating the value of medicinal plants, environmental education, “a tree for a child” and other messages regarding ecology. This year’s crowd was much larger than last year, with layers of people standing six or eight deep along the sidewalks, craning their necks to see the colorful procession. We wandered along and ended up on an elevated sidewalk with a good view alongside our good friend and beautician Mariana.

We watched and took photos for a few minutes before hiking on to our destination, a small Tico neighborhood on the backside of the cemetery. We had looked at a house for rent there recently and thought there might be others in the vicinity. Indeed, one newer Tico house tempted us as the price for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath was only about $300 per month. Once again, it was the kitchen that was inadequate for my spoiled Gringo tastes, but clearly you can find bargains if you look around.

That afternoon we taxied up the hill with Mariana for an Independence Day dance party at a lovely resort and event space called Roma Vista. Our friend Marcial, the sausage maker, was there grilling his fine meats and other Ticos were on hand with picadillo, a typical Costa Rican dish of well-seasoned potato hash folded into a tortilla.

Our festive table!

Although the rains kept the faint-hearted away, there was still a respectable crowd of about 200 people who braved the weather and enjoyed the festivities. We sat with our friend Melanie, who runs an excellent restaurant in Atenas, the Balcon Café (Balcony Café), and her husband and a couple of her Tica wait staff. Plus, we made new friends of Dennis and Suzanne, a charming couple from the States who have settled here in Atenas. It was a suitable way to celebrate Costa Rica’s 190th birthday.

Sunday morning found us heading up the hill once more, this time with our friends Sally and Leonard to take in some live music at Vista del Valle, a spectacular resort and restaurant between Grecia and Naranjo. A colorful Gringo friend named Joe is the drummer for an accomplished jazz band that plays at Vista del Valle the third Sunday of each month. Sitting there enjoying the beautiful mountain views, relishing the lively music, savoring good food and laughing with friends -- Sally said it best: “This is why we live in Costa Rica!”

Oxcarts on Parade!

Monday, April 19, 2010
(Note: Click on photos to enlarge)

         This was Climate Fair weekend here in Atenas, the town National Geographic once proclaimed has the “best climate in the world.” That’s quite a reputation to live up to but for the most part, in our limited experience, it has. So with two days of fair activities scheduled, the central park alive with vendors setting up their turquoise-canopied booths and an oxcart parade on the agenda, Layne and I had every intention of spending much of the weekend at the fiesta. But Mother Nature has her own ideas on these things and it is April, after all, the beginning of the rainy season. So when we arose on Saturday ready to catch the 10 o’clock bus into town, we were disappointed and a bit amused to find it was raining with no indication of stopping any time soon. Some perfect climate! Of course, we were not just disappointed for ourselves but also for the many participants scheduled to present events outdoors in the park: an exercise class, a dance performance by some children, other dance workshops, a magician and much more. So Saturday found us ensconced in our mountain chalet, Layne working on his novel and me reading, doing laundry and watching the rain come down.

         In early afternoon, the phone rang - if you can call the timid sound our phone makes a “ring.” More of a tinkle which we can barely hear. The call was from Leigh, a Tica friend we met on the dance floor a few weeks back at Kay’s Gringo Postre's monthly party. It was Leigh’s beautiful daughter and her boyfriend who set the house on fire that night with their skillful and passionate salsa dancing. Since Leigh knew we love to dance, she was calling to invite us to opening night at her new discotheque, El Mirador (The Lookout). As I struggled to understand the directions through her strong accent, I deduced that the location was somewhere just up the road from us. 

         But the rain had cleared by late afternoon so at the appointed hour we called a taxi and headed uphill with no clear idea of where we were going. Remember, there are no addresses here and since it was a new club, the taxi driver did not know the place either. But after a couple of miles of dark deserted highway with Layne and I giving each other a questioning eye, we saw the lights and cars at El Mirador and made our way inside. What a beautiful facility! Situated on the very edge of the mountain (with no doubt a fabulous view in the daytime), the restaurant and bar offers several levels of outdoor terraces and a large dance floor surrounded by countertop bar seating. More remote tables offer a quieter experience. And what tables they are! Clear glass tops affixed to huge - I mean really huge! - gnarled tree trunk bases. With pulsing salsa beats coming from the DJ booth, Layne and I soon joined other dancers with our own style of Latin boogie. It was a great evening.

         On Sunday Atenas dawned bright and sunny, warm and breezy, exactly as the guidebooks promise. After a short bus ride into town, we walked to the park and found it filled with colorful booths and happy Ticos wandering from one display to the next, nibbling on ice cream or sipping cold drinks. In the middle of the park was an exercise group, headed by a muscular guy on the small stage, pedaling away on their stationary bikes with the bright awnings of vendor stands radiating out to all corners from the central plaza. As we wandered along under tall palm trees snapping photos of the crowd, we saw children learning origami or getting their faces painted; we chatted with our own organic vendor, Genevieve, who had baskets of vegetables for sale, and Tom the organic baker, cooking up barbequed pork burritos alongside chocolate chip muffins; we stopped to watch artisans at work designing lovely creations with rock (yes, rock!) or fabric or wood; we inhaled the rich odor of chicharrones cooking in a monster pot and the sweet smells of blended fruit drinks. For much of the day, we simply enjoyed the smiling faces of adults and children alike. At one booth offering beautiful jewelry made from exotic woods, we bought a few gifts for friends and family, pleased with the high quality and low prices. We laughed at the makeshift electrical wiring running overhead through the trees and along the ground, commenting that in the U.S., strict regulations would prohibit such improvisation. Uniformed policia were apparent in the area but they seemed to have little to do besides chat with Ticos and look at the displays.

         When we heard the approaching fire engine wail, we realized the parade of boyeros (drovers) and oxcarts was about to begin so we found a place across from the main viewing stand where spirited Latin music had been blaring from giant speakers all morning. In loud and rapid Spanish, the announcers began introducing the passing parade participants, enthusiastically praising the size and beauty of the animals as well as the intricately painted designs on the carts.

         Atenas and neighboring towns are recognized for their role in the nation’s history as the pathway of the original oxcart trail created in 1843 for transporting Costa Rica’s famous coffee many miles down to the port cities of Puntarenas and Limon for export around the world. Although more modern transportation is used nowadays, the skills of training and working with these magnificent animals have been preserved along with the artistry of painting the beautiful carts. Even the children get into working with the massive animals and one little fellow seemed very much in control of his smaller pair. This young boy’s size and competence drew cameras all around him, slowing the parade until he could calmly make his passage through. In a few cases, the oxen (and some uncastrated bulls!) seemed to have a mind of their own, eagerly pushing forward despite the boyero’s efforts to slow them down with a gentle tap on the nose or a skillful application of the long drover’s stick many of them used lightly across their broad backs. Layne and I had to wonder if there had ever been any wild romps through town when an ox team decided to ignore the boyero’s instructions and literally “bulled” their way through! Not today, in any event, as the fair’s entertainment continued on into the evening’s dance without mishap. But having danced our quotient the night before, Layne and I soon headed back to our little hillside retreat for a quiet dinner and time to start blogging about what was a most enjoyable festival. 

Salsa Dancers and Chirping Bats!

Monday, March 15, 2010

         The palm fronds are shivering in the brisk ocean breeze today and a wispy fog has begun rolling up off the Pacific. This place has us intoxicated with sensuous pleasures and the manana lifestyle makes the discipline needed for writing a blog difficult to muster at times, like today. Still, there are things to convey and excitement to share so I shall attempt to cover the last few days for you.

         We have had quite a lovely weekend, in fact, with a Saturday evening out dancing and a delicious Sunday chicken dinner here at home. There have been sunny days with abundant birds to watch and time for sunbathing with a good book and luxurious evenings of watching the bats flit around catching mosquitoes. I read online recently that of the 200 varieties of mammals in Costa Rica, over half of them are bats! We hear them chirping above us and hope they are not making themselves too much at home in our upper floor.

         On Friday, we made a trip into town after a long wait for the bus at the corner below the chalets. The wait was not that the bus was late but that Layne had mis-read the schedule! But eventually, and for only about $1.25 for both of us, we arrived at the downtown parada (bus station) ready to explore. Our first stop was Kay’s Gringo Postre, the local expat gathering place and eatery owned by a pleasant couple from South Dakota, Kay and Tom Costello. (Thanks to http://gonzosincostarica.blogspot.com/ for this photo.)  Their breakfast is extravagant and delicious! Not perhaps as cheap as Tico fare but a satisfying repast for sure. One of the main attractions of Kay’s is the lending library, a vast selection of fiction and non-fiction that spans three walls of the dining area. It’s all based on the honor system: you bring a book, you take a book. If you don’t have one to bring, you take one then you have one to bring back. It works!

         The main purpose of our trip to town, however, was to check out the organic farmers’ market we had learned of and to put in our order for the next week. It’s a sad truth that most Costa Rican farmers have turned heavily to pesticides. With this climate and rich volcanic soil, it does beg the question, Why? But Montsanto and Dow are nothing if not marketing geniuses and the lure of bigger and better fruits and veggies appeals to all but the most savvy gardeners. You will recall the push for increased crop yields that was billed as The Green Revolution back in the 70’s and 80’s, promising a magical means to feed the burgeoning world population. Sure, just add poison!

         According to a 2007 study done at the University of Toronto, pesticides used in lowland farming in Costa Rica and other countries are carried on air currents to higher elevations where they precipitate out in the form of rain. They then accumulate in the upland ecosystems and are now suspected as a cause in the declining amphibian populations in the cloud forests of this beautiful country. (See more here: http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0121-cr.html)

         As former organic gardeners ourselves, clean food and free-range meats are very important to Layne and me so we were thrilled to learn of this small organic effort here in Atenas. The lovely proprietor, whose name we failed to get, holds her market in their open-air garage, taking weekly orders on a printed list of offerings. Lucky for us, she had a few extra items this week so we were able to pick up two packages of homemade ravioli, one huge organic chicken and a half-pint of delicious homemade Smoked Chipotle Salsa. Using the last of this yummy salsa last night, I concocted a tasty sauce for some plain old chicken thighs and leg sections we had bought at the Super Mercado. We decided I had won the Iron Chef challenge for pulling together a bunch of unlikely ingredients into a successful dish.

         On our Friday visit to town, we had learned that Kay and Tom were hosting a St. Patrick’s Day dance on Saturday evening at the cafe. So off we went to celebrate the Irish with good music and good company. The DJ-hosted song selections were by request and ranged from rock-and-roll to Latin, with some 50’s classics thrown in. The crowd was mostly Gringos but a few Ticas were there as well. One Tica woman’s beautiful daughter and her Tico boyfriend came along late in the evening and danced salsa like finalists on Dancing With The Stars. They were a fantastic sight to see! We made a few new friends and enjoyed the evening immensely. We understand that Kay’s hosts a dance once a month so you’ll no doubt find us there again next month with our dancing shoes on and our spirits high.