.........It really hasn't sunk in completely. I have been here since Thursday afternoon last week -- seven whole days -- but it still doesn't seem real.
Costa Rica has charmed me, scared me, and delighted me during the last seven days.
When I first walked into the kitchen of the little 'cabina' by the lake, I burst into tears. It was just that beautiful.
The view changes constantly. This is the rainy season. The mornings have been clear and sunny and bright. Then, each afternoon like clockwork, the fog rolls in from the ridge across from us, and in a few minutes there is a rainstorm. Sometimes it lasts only a few minutes. Sometimes it lasts the rest of the day and evening. Sometimes just an hour or so. The rain comes in and cleans up everything and cools down the air. I love it.
The farm is wonderful. Full of life and charm. The horses roam by several times a day in their search for green grass to nibble. I think they stop by for a treat and out of curiosity to see who the new residents are.
There are a few cats that stay at the main house, and there are four dogs that roam the property. Tarzan is a large dog that appears to be a shepherd mix of some sort. He stops by most often looking for some attention and a treat. I often find him on my front porch napping and keeping watch over me. The other three, Benji, Mama-sita, and Little Sister also stop by a lot, too.
The owners of the farm,
Finca Las Alturas, Bob and Patsy, have lived in Costa Rica for 12 years. They live at the main house which also doubles for a bed and breakfast. They grow coffee and citrus here. All of it is delicious! Bob and Patsy have been so kind. Patsy took me grocery shopping in Santiago de Puriscal on my first day here and showed me around the town. They have taken us to several events to get to know people of the small village -- San Juan de Puriscal -- and other expatriates. Bryan and I have become the new 'gringos' in the village. In Costa Rica, that is not a derogatory word, so I am wearing the term gladly.
We have had a few adventures, and I am trying to settle into a country where everything grows really big. We went to the local farmer's market on Saturday morning. Bryan and I roamed through the different vendors before choosing our produce, cheese, and meats for the following few days. Everyone was so friendly, and I wanted to buy everything -- it looked so good!
Sunday evening, we went out for dinner at a local 'soda' and had a sampling of Costa Rican cuisine. I had a sampling of chicken, beef, and fish, and Bryan had a chicken 'casada' -- which means marriage. It was roasted chicken with rice, beans, and vegetables. All of it was very good!
After dinner, we returned to our cabina pretty late. It was fully dark and had been raining. Bryan was carrying a foam mattress pad that Bob and Patsy had given us to help make the bed more comfortable. I unlocked the door and stepped inside -- and then I saw it! The BIGGEST spider I have ever seen just a couple feet inside the door. I jumped away further inside the kitchen saying, "BIG SPIDER!" to Bryan. I shined the flashlight on it and asked him if he could get it. Let me just tell you that I love this man. Even disoriented and carrying a bulky mattress topper, he was able to get the spider and toss it outside. Needless to say, I was a little freaked out.....okay....a LOT freaked out after that. I said earlier that I was adjusting to how large things grow here. Bryan swept the rest of the house, but I had a hard time sleeping that night.
The next day, Bob and Patsy asked what it looked like, and confirmed that it was probably a tarantula.....and a small one at that! Oh Boy! This IS going to take some getting used to, but I am determined to overcome my fears. Bob brought by some spray for around the house to deter them. The next night, my heroes, Tarzan and Benji slept right in front of the door -- almost like they were on spider watch for me -- and made me feel much safer. Needless to say, I have been giving out treats to dogs that keep me feeling safe!
Tuesday was a very busy day. Bryan and I have adjusted to Costa Rican time -- You rise with the sun and birds sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 am. During rainy season, you try to get in all of your chores and business before noon and the rain comes. I rose a little after 5:00am and made breakfast. While Bryan cleaned up the dishes, I started laundry. Laundry isn't simple here, but it is fun. The washing machine isn't automatic. It agitates and spins the clothes for you, but you are involved every step of the way....filling it with water, draining it, moving clothes back and forth between agitator and spinner. Then you hang it out on the line to dry.....and you watch for the rain clouds!!
Tuesday, I got the laundry on the line and headed of for my first Yoga class at the main house just before 8:30am. That was wonderful! I felt very limber afterwards. Bryan came up to meet me after yoga to go into town. We had originally planned to walk to the bus stop about 10 minutes away and take a bus into Santiago, but my yoga instructor was heading there and gave us a ride. This is one thing I have noticed many times since I have been here. People offer rides to everyone. If you have room in your car and you see someone walking, you give them a lift! For Bryan and I, this was our first venture into town alone.
Once we were dropped off in the middle of Santiago, we had about an hour and forty-five minutes to walk around, complete our errands, and catch the bus back to San Juan before the rains. We walked around the town. Bigger cities all have a park, a church, a sports field, and schools. We took a stroll in the park.
Santiago de Puriscal's church was damaged by an earthquake in the 1990's. A new one has been built but the old one is still standing, a crumbling beauty. On one ride into town, it was surrounded by a mist -- so beautiful!
We finished our errands -- which included stopping into a grocery store, a meat market, and a fish market. With our bags, we headed to the bus stop. For 740 Colones (about $1.45) we rode the bus back to our village of San Juan de Puriscal. We walked the 10 minutes home and arrived just as the first raindrops of the afternoon storm were starting to fall. All done before 12:30pm. But our day wasn't done.
On Tuesdays, a local produce vendor stops at the Finca and delivers whatever produce you want from his truck. Around 2:00pm, in the pouring rain, Alonz arrived at our cabin door with a clipboard. He went through his list of what he had with us.....getting by shakily because he speaks little English, and we speak little Spanish! We placed our order, he went back to the truck to get it, and within a few minutes we had our fresh produce and eggs -- all for less than $12.
Let's see -- 21 farm fresh eggs (that don't need refrigeration!), a Papaya, 3 tomatoes, 3 Plantains (platanos), 3 avocados, 3 sweet peppers (chiles), 1 bunch broccoli, 4 chayote squash, 2 beets, 1 cucumber, and 1 carrot. Time for a rain nap!
I am loving the fact that fresh produce is so affordable and easily available here. If I go to the farmer's market on Saturday and receive produce from Alonz on Tuesdays, I can always have fresh produce for my meals. I hadn't had fresh beets since I was a kid, but last night, they were wonderful!
All -in-all, my first week here has been about settling in to a new routine. Things are less convenient than in the USA, but the beauty of this place, the friendliness of the people, and the life we can have here are making convenience a low priority.
Pura Vida!
