And as a nature lover, I do not always embrace “progress” that henders nature, but as always, I learn to live with it! 🙂 This old dirt country road called “Calle Nueva” winds over three or four hills through the woods and farms on the western edge of Pueblo Atenas running from the western side of town to the nearby village of Rio Grande at the entrance to Ruta 27, our controlled access highway between San Jose and Jaco Beach. This narrow country dirt road has been considered an emergency exit road in case of a disaster requiring evacuation. Now it is about to become a major street or road to enter or exit Atenas. They first graded and widened it to 9 meters taking a few trees and lots of wild flower with their backhoes, graders and chainsaws. Now they have started at the Rio Grande end widening it to 14 meters and paving it! Working this way! And more than half finished! Already traffic has increased and when all is paved it will stay busy!
Of course I am disappointed that I am about to lose my little “shady lane” country road for birding and butterflies along with other nature photography, but even with pavement and more cars it will for a while have more birds and other nature than city streets, just gradually the farms along this road will be turned into housing developments as more foreigners move here in both retirement like me AND now so many younger adults who work on the internet and can live anywhere are choosing to live here! 🙂 It’s all part of our big changing world! At least I’m already living in one of those more desirable places in the world to live! 🙂
I will continue to walk this road for its nature until there is no more nature. The additional people, traffic and greater speed of vehicles will discourage the birds and other animals in time, but for now it is still a nature path, even when the pavement goes down. And I will continue to document here the birds and butterflies I find through these woods and farms, but for you who live here, be aware than “progress” is coming! 🙂
More photos of the road below from my March 10 sunrise walk . . .
Views Along Calle Nueva in Atenas, Costa Rica
For those who don’t know Spanish, “Calle Nueva” in English is “New Street.” And it is about to be even “newer!” 🙂
¡Pura Vida!
And I have a trip gallery on this Calle Nueva Sunrise Walk:
Costa Rica will be loved to death over the next 25 years but it is what our species does.
Steve, you said it just right! And “our species” have “loved to death” many popular places here already like Manuel Antonio and La Fortuna, both of which remind me of what happened on both sides of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the states with the horrible tourist traps of Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Cherokee. (I came here from TN.)
I settled in Atenas as a tranquilo y pequeño pueblo de las fincas de café and in just 8 years with a continuing rise of new expats and even new Ticos moving in, there is a noticeable increase in cars and people and a little less tranquility! But I still like it here! 🙂 And paving an old dirt road IS “progress” that native Ateneans are rightfully proud of. 🙂 And I will still walk it occasionally for birds and other nature, though it was better as a dirt road.
Charlie,
Same thing happening in Tamarindo. We’ve been there 17 years and the new development is out of control. We still love it but it has changed and I’m not sure how much longer we will feel that way.
“Developing” countries eventually get developed! 🙂
😢
I am so sorry that you are losing the pristine beauty of undeveloped
area. Unfortunately that is the way of civilization growth.
Yep! That’s life! But I still have more wilderness than I did in Nashville and still love it here!