Saturday

After our first cup of coffee of the day, we decided we’d take a walk to the beach. I’m not entirely sure why we’ve never taken the walk before – I guess we thought it was a little too long and always opt for taking the car. Plus, I’m generally hauling cool pieces of driftwood home and the car is my partner in crime. For whatever reason, we were feeling full of energy this morning and set off at 7 AM. The walk was long-ish. About 4 kilometers each way, and then the walking on the beach we did. Once home a few hours later, we figured we’d walked about 6 miles. Not terribly far, really. Aside from the hill/mountain we live on, the terrain was pretty flat. The gorgeous ocean with it’s giant crashing waves rimmed by it’s pristine, soft sand beach was our reward. Well worth the effort!

Tad and Cook made a meat delivery today. Rhodeside’s owner Edmund is returning this week for a couple of days to complete a few repair projects and his sweet wife Gwen placed an order so he’d have all his favorites waiting for him when he arrived. I ordered some butter because the butter here is suspect. I don’t know what the deal is. The label says it’s pure butter, but it doesn’t taste right. It will work for baking and putting on your eggs or toast. But when I make my buttered coffee, I need it to taste right. So I’m willing to pay a premium to get the good stuff.

Buttered coffee? AKA Bulletproof coffee. Have you heard of this stuff? This is my jet fuel. I enjoyed it in the US, but haven’t really gotten into it in CR (and now you know why). But I am eager to start drinking it again. Essentially, it’s coffee with butter and coconut oil (or straight MCT oil if you are a purist). This little cup of magic will power you through your morning and leave you filled with ample energy. It’s pretty amazing stuff. Plenty has been written on the topic, so feel free to read all about it if you feel so inclined. I’d start here, with the caveat – you do not need special coffee! Good coffee+good butter+organic coconut oil (or MCT)=Bulletproof Coffee. And that’s as far off on that tangent I will go.

Sunday

After my Sunday morning ritual chat with mom (which we’ve done now for 14 years – since I moved away from home), we got company. First Wendy stopped by for some coffee. Then Mike and his daughter Michelle came for coffee and hot chocolate. Soon, a car pulled up and it was Ernesto and Verena – our Swiss neighbors. Mike’s wife Yearling even stopped in for a bit. As always, we covered a wide variety of topics and a mash-up of English, Spanish and German could be heard coming from our porch, which melded beautifully with the cacophony of birds songs and insect noises. It was beautiful and in a flash my heart was filled with love for these people and this place. Not only these specific people and this exact place, but the people and the place in general.

I do not regularly attend church – and haven’t since I was a kid. But the closest I can explain this feeling is that it is similar to how I feel when I leave a church service – regardless of denomination. There is a sense of calm and as I look around at the faces of fellow seekers and sinners, I am fully aware of our connectivity. We are all one, living and loving the best way we know how. And on my porch this Sunday morning, I am again reminded of that powerful truth.

Our guests all dispersed to get about the business of the day, and soon neighbor Hank came walking up. The look on his face was unfamiliar. Normally calm and cool, Hank looked concerned. Turns out, we were out of water. Good reason for concern.

He sat with us and went through the list of possible reasons, including many he’d already ruled out – like a dry well, which thankfully was not the case. We thought our best hope was that there was an electrical issue at the pump house, so he and Dave set off for the field where it sat to see what they could learn.

The exercise was educational. I’d never really given much thought to where my water came from. Certainly not in the US, where clean water just flowed every time I turned on a spigot. Of course I knew that wasn’t the case for everyone in the world – I’ve seen the news reports. And while I had sympathy for people for whom clean water was a luxury, it took actually facing it for myself to really get a tiny glimpse into how scary that world would be.

Water is life. That is a fact. And when access to clean water isn’t a given, nothing else matters. Can you imagine starting your day with the thought of “Where will I get clean water today?” Never mind washing dishes or doing laundry – all the things I take for granted in my world where water flows. It is nearly impossible to really imagine. No one should have to live with that fear. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.

Our water issue was an easy fix. Turns out in the switching around of responsibilities, the electric bill for the pump house did not get paid. The whole ordeal was eye-opening though and I hope I will remain grateful each time I fill a glass of water.

Monday

Dave and I are heading to a new area of Costa Rica for a few weeks. Friends of friends are in need of a house/dog sitter while they travel back to the US to see family. Rhodeside has been quiet, Edmund will be home for a week, so the timing is perfect for a little get-away. One of our objectives while in Costa Rica for this year is to explore as much of it as possible. Gratefully, Edmund and Gwen understand that, and we are free to take little trips here and there.

In preparation, we have a lot of cleaning and laundry to get done. But the water is still off, so we wait. The Hill People (our neighbors who share the mountain with us) want to wish us well and suggest we get an early dinner and a beer at Los Corrales. It was a lovely meal, and we are continually surprised and delighted that we have made such caring friends here in our remote corner of the world.  While we ate, Hank got word that the water was back on. Hooray!

Back home, the laundry got started, the floors got mopped and by 9 PM that evening, we were all packed and ready for our big adventure the next day!

Tuesday

Alarm went off at 1:45 AM. Yes, AM! It’s the first time we’ve set an alarm since arriving here. We are catching a bus at 2:30 AM, so are up early to get ready, brush our teeth and lock up the house.  2:10 AM, as we are zipping the suitcase, we hear an engine. We both look up to see lights of a bus heading down the road. NOOOOO!!! Oh no! They are early! No way!!!

Quick thinking, and 2 minutes later, we are in the car trying to catch the bus. We hit the first town – no bus. On to the next town, and our last chance to catch it. The whole time I am running through scenarios of how we will get to Atenas if we can’t catch the bus. We arrive in San Fransisco de Coyote and there is no bus. Dejected, we turn the car around and decide we’ll have to take the evening bus and hope we can make our way to Steve and Karen’s in the dark, in an area we’ve never been, in a country where we can’t effectively communicate.

Lights ahead. Is that a bus? Yes it is!

We have no idea what happened or why. But the bottom line is that we didn’t miss the bus after all. No one knows what we saw (there isn’t supposed to be another bus). But in the end, we got on the correct bus and thanks to a sweet friend who picked the car up for us the next day and brought it home, it all worked out in the end.

The bus ride was awesome. Well, in terms of adventure at least. It’s also the best bargain in Costa Rica. For 5 mil (about $9.25 US) the bus took us from our little pueblo all the way to San Jose (though we got off a little early). The trip is about 230 kilometers – a chunk of which is not paved. To not have to drive it myself was such a relief. And at that price, we’ll definitely take this trip again!

I told the bus driver we were trying to get to Atenas. He told me no problem. OK, cool! But as time went on, Dave and I weren’t sure he’d remember. I got up to confirm with the driver. Though it had been several hours, he indicated that he’d not forgotten us. As a back-up plan, I asked the man closest to us for help. He gave me a few suggestions – fragments of which I understood. His idea of where we’d be let off and that of the bus driver seemed to be different. I finally just had to trust it would all work out. Which of course it did.

In the end, we did have to lug a 60-pound suitcase and two carry-ons across a very busy highway. Despite an attempt from Dave’s flip-flop to put an end to our fun, we survived the dash through traffic and thanks to my willingness to speak horrible Spanish to anyone who will listen, we found the bus stop where I found myself asking an Asian girl, in Spanish, if she was also waiting for the bus. In English, she confirmed we were in the right place. Hooray! Dave wanted to celebrate with a Coke (he’s only had two Cokes since arriving here – which I believe is two more that he’s drank in our entire 12-year marriage). I bought him a Coke and as I walked out of the store, there was the bus. Double hooray!

Once in town, Steve and Karen picked us up. We were relieved to have arrived in one piece and proud of all we’d accomplished – and it wasn’t even 10 AM.

We spent the day getting to know Steve and Karen, as well as Shadow the Wonder Dog! We had some time to explore the city of Atenas, found a great little place for lunch, bought a few groceries, got a tour of some of the hot spots from our new friends, and ended the evening with dinner of salad and pizza on the patio. It was such a delight. Lots of laughs! They were so much fun, we were going to be sorry to see Steve and Karen go.

Wednesday

5:30 AM – we said goodbye to Steve and Karen and we were on our own. Having stayed the night before in the casita (the small guest house), we moved our things into the main house and settled in. The evening before, neighbor Judi called to tell Karen goodbye and offered to pick me up for yoga class the next morning if I was up for it. Well, no time like the present, I thought, and happily agreed to go.

So glad I did! I got the chance to meet not only Judi, but about 10 other people as well. Class was great! Exactly what I knew I’d been in need of – but just couldn’t seem to force myself to do alone. For me at least, yoga is 100x better in a group. And when you have a teacher who really knows her stuff, the experience is all that much better. I am spoiled – I admit. My mom is a yoga teacher and she’s THE BEST! She explains the postures in a way anyone can understand and she encourages her students to find their place in the posture that works for them. It’s a gentle approach with an emphasis on listening to your body and connecting to it. I love it! And the instructor here, Leah, is the closest I’ve ever found to my mom’s style. It was perfect!

The remainder of the day we sat by the pool reading, sat on the couch reading, played with the dog, watched a movie, and made dinner. It was lovely!

Thursday

This morning we decided to walk into town. The walk is only about 2.5 miles, but the first part of it is the steepest climb you can imagine. I’m not kidding. If there was a good way to capture it, I’d do so. The total distance isn’t even .25 miles, but the grade necessitates 3-4 stops on the way up to catch our breath.

Something Dave and I learned from our years spent road biking was just how much more intimately you get to know an area where you aren’t in a car. On bike, or on foot, as is the case here, everything looks different. You notice all the details and the journey toward your destination is as big a part of the experience as the place you’re headed.

Karen told us the secret spot for the best cappuccino in town – a little cafe attached to the grocery store. When we got there, we realized it wasn’t much of a secret at all – as we ran into Aad and Marian, friends of Steve and Karen who had stopped by before they left. Sitting with them were several other people, including Leah – the yoga teacher! I love how small the world can be sometimes! We joined their circle and chatted away as we enjoyed the best cappuccino either of us can recall having in our lives. Mmm!!!

Friday

We’d read that Atenas had a lovely Farmer’s Market (La Feria) each Friday in the town square located in front of the big church. Apparently, the week before we arrived, it moved. But luckily, they were offering shuttles to the new location, and since we had walked into town, we were glad to not have to walk the extra mile or so.

The feria was great! Bustling with people, young and old – mostly locals. It was common to see at least two, often three generations of family shopping together. Mixed in with the typical fruits and vegetables for sale were crafts made by local artisans, fresh baked goods, some terrific herbs and spices as well as two stands selling gorgeous flowers and plants. If you tired of shopping, there was a little concessions area set up selling coffee and breakfast. We stopped for coffee and watched the action all around us.

I love any activity that makes you feel like you actually live somewhere – and shopping at this market was the perfect example. The few gringos we did see were only made obvious by the Trader Joe’s bags they carried and the whispers of English they shared between them.  Not tourists, but people who were trying to fit in as they built a life in a new country – grateful for the opportunity to do so and working to learn the language and the customs. It reminded me of a similar scene back home – in America, land of the immigrant, who’s face has been changing since the first immigrants arrived. Perhaps getting away from a problem for a bit is all it takes to shed light on it. Because as I sit in this country, about to leave for three days, so I can get another 90-day tourist permit, I realize I am not much different than the “illegal immigrants” back home trying to find their way in a great country that offers so much promise.

In case you missed Week 1, Week 2, Week 3,  Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7 , Week 8, Week 9 or Week 10 of the big Costa Rica Adventure – you might want to go back and get caught up. If you’re curious how this adventure began, we created a FAQ to cover most of your burning questions. If we missed one, leave it in the comments below and I’ll do my best to get you an answer.

Thanks for your support and for reading the blog. We hope you are enjoying the journey as much as we are. Feel free to share with your peeps – we love new readers and new friends!

If you think you might like to buy the Bed and Breakfast we are care taking this year, here is the link with all the info. And then make plans to come see this paradise for yourself!