A Pleasant Evening in Atenas, Costa Rica!

Overlooking my house on a cloudy sunset around 5:15.
 “And all is well on the western front!”  🙂
Yep, the sun shines from between 5 & 5:30 AM to the same in PM
Every day, year around – 12 hours of dark & 12 hours of light! Nice!
That’s because we are close to the equator. Same sunrise/sunset daily.

And to my fellow Americans, forgive me for saying I was ashamed last night. The election did not go the way I thought was best, but God just may have something much better in store for us! So today I posted on Facebook the following quote and Scripture verse that better reflects my faith:

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come and
the mountains crumble into the sea.” Psalm 41:1
¡Pura Vida!

More Beaches & Another Sunset

I’ve already shown the main beach at Flamingo Beach. (Click to see again.) It ties with Hermosa as the two best or prettiest beaches seen. I was not excited about our Tiny Hotel Paradise Beach we walked down the cliff on steps to get to which is down the road from the real Flamingo Beach above. Here’s THREE OTHER BEACHES WE SAW:

Tamarindo Beach was my least favorite, yet it had the most people and
was the biggest and busiest beach town with most housing, shops, restaurants.
There were a lot of surfers here who I guess go out beyond those rocks or
at a different spot. This is where we saw possible rent houses, but
the last I heard from John, he is probably not going to buy one.

Playa Hermosa or “Beautiful Beach”
The one in Guanacaste – there are 3 or 4 in Costa Rica with this name!
I think it is prettier than the bigger one in Flamingo, just not as long.

Coco Beach (As sun is setting)
North of Flamingo and Hermosa with brown sand but more recreational.
It is the “Central Park” of the local community with big Catholic Church
across from it and the big soccer field. There is a long boardwalk (sidewalk)
along the whole beach with children’s playgrounds, skateboard ramp, volleyball,
basketball, and many restaurants and bars right on the beach, plus statues, showers,
water fountains, flower gardens, etc. The best beach for local people and children!

Coco Beach Restaurant/Bar
We sat in this restaurant for a drink and watched Tico families walk by with
little children on tricycles or running and playing beyond those flowers.
Further down teens were skateboarding or playing volley ball and
a few were on the beach. Sorry I didn’t make more photos! A people place!
Then back to Flamingo Beach . . .

Another Flamingo Beach Sunset
We went back to our favorite restaurant for dinner, Coco Loco & sunset!

Flamingo Beach Sunset Changes Color!
Watching the sun set while eating a great seafood meal is the perfect way to
end another day of adventure in Costa Rica! And I found another A+ restaurant!
I would even consider living on the beach just for these scenes if it were not
SO VERY HOT, VERY HUMID, VERY EXPENSIVE!
So I am sticking with my mountain sunsets, perfect weather, and lower costs.  🙂

I am thankful that John invited me to go with him to the beaches and the jungle boat ride! I got to see a whole new part of Costa Rica this week and it is as cool as all the other parts I’ve seen. Plus seeing several condos and how people live there compared to Atenas was fun and educational. Of course my favorite part was the boat trip on Rio Tempisque in Palo Verde Park! My next trip is the end of September to Manzanilla on the southern Caribbean coast where I will stay in a luxury safari tent hotel on the beach adjacent to a wildlife reserve. Hoping for more new birds and experiences. I got two new birds photographed this trip! (Crested Caracara & Crane Hawk) Now here’s one last photo from this trip, shot through the glaring windshield on our way to Palo Verde:

A Tamandua Anteater ran across this road as did an Agouti, but sorry, no photos!     🙂

For more beaches and other scenery,  see my VISTAS Photo Gallery.

Or go directly to my total Costa Rica Photo Gallery called Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA

Scenery Shots from Lost Canyon Nature Reserve

My favorite view from the mountain trail in Lost Canyon Nature Reserve. There are volcanoes way over there!

The new reserve’s nice, small sign at the farm house where we ate lunch.
Like most private reserves it is operated by a foreigner.
Our van driver finds the hammock at Lost Canyon!

From the reserve and enroute there we saw several volcanoes.

One volcano from the van window.
Yep, I had a whole van! Me, a driver and my guide.
That is the transportation for all tours with Tours Nicaragua.
By the way, I highly recommend them if going to Nicaragua for any reason!

And don’t miss my Nicaragua Birds photo gallery for 98 different species!
And remember that both my trips to Nicaragua were provided by Tours Nicaragua!  Check out what they offer! I’m happy with them!

Pura Vida!

Staying Local Today!

We started today after breakfast with a visit to the Feria or Farmers’ Market. See my photos from earlier post or how I use fresh fruits in an earlier post. The Feria is always a place my visitors want to see even if we don’t purchase anything.

The little Railroad Museum is nearby, so we went by it to make sure I knew how to get there Sunday afternoon which is the only time it is open. So some snaps of it before . . .

Ice cream at POPS, then we hang out at home rest of today.

And have dinner at a neighbor’s house nearby, Richard next door. It was really nice! I’ve included a shot of the view from his house looking over the roof of my landlord’s house. Quite a bit more expansive than my view!   🙂

View from Richard’s house at dinner tonight, looking over the roof of my landlord’s house.

Follow Reagan’s Blog for his view of his visit here!



Pastoral Hills of Atenas

On the walk through my neighborhood I just couldn’t include all the images, so here are two more that a few of our homes have as their vista, the pastoral farm hills around Atenas. And the third is a similar view from my bedroom and office/guest room.

 

Some have farms, cattle, coffee, or other use while other hills are investments.
Hopefully they will not all be developed as the wildness around us disappears!
Some have roads over them like above, for what reason I know not.
Some of these hills are coffee farms or were in earlier times.
And from my office/guest room before I added fishtail palms for privacy.

And how appropriate that on the day I post these pastoral scenes Sarah Bartlett at McKendree sends this link to a visual version of Ode to Joy by Beethoven. 

Walk with me through my neighborhood

View from an available lot on top of my hill. You look over Central Valley to northeast, San Jose at left. Your home here?
This is the above lot for your dream home. A large, old-growth tree at entrance.
I can give you the phone number if interested.  🙂  Come be my neighbor!

Looking over my house which is below the orange roof, lower center.
The orange roof is my landlord Jean Luc & Nicole, brown roof is Richard’s.
You can see cow pasture in front of my house, central Atenas beyond that. 
Anthony’s house next door to me. He is a Spanish Class friend from Indiana, a
bachelor artist who has a clay bird I plan to buy and install in my garden after he
has it fired. His house is rented from Richard, is below brown roof, above photo.
Some neighbors can see church steeple at Central Park Atenas. 
A few homes are visible from the street, most are not. 

All have privacy/security gates & I think this the most creative one on this loop. 
All are lushly planted for our tropical weather year around.
It is like walking through a garden to walk through my neighborhood.

Come visit me and you can physically walk with me over this and other hills in Roca Verde. Some of you know that I earlier said I would never live in a rich, gated community like this, but people change their minds! Living in a Tico neighborhood has the closeness and familiarity with the people around you that is not what this old independent, private person is real comfortable with. Plus the closeness of dogs barking, roosters crowing, parties going on, constant music, highway traffic, motorcycles, teenagers, is just more noise than I prefer to put up with all the time. I have some noise here, but nothing like in town or at the apartments where I lived for four months. It is mostly birds singing which I love and the roosters and dogs are further away. 

Several of the large houses in Roca Verde have “casitas” (little houses) for either guests, parents, or to rent which is what I have. Some of the main houses are lived in by “Snowbirds” only in the North American Winter or dry season here. I am fortunate that this particular one was for rent by a year-round resident landlord on the hill above me. He is also one of two developers of Roca Verde. Though barely affordable for me (cheaper than McKendree Village!), this is the only one of this quality I was able to find within walking distance of Central Atenas, one mile. Not having a car was always part of the plan for living here. 
Walking to town most days is my exercise program and now I have several choice walks in my neighborhood for when I don’t go to town. The above loop is just 1.3 miles and of course I did not show all the views and houses. I am so blessed in so many ways at almost every turn of this retirement adventure. I feel so fortunate! Almost everything has worked out positively, even if slower than an impatient American wants it! Just two more main things to finish: a residency card and conversational Spanish. Both are on track for early next year maybe! I’m starting to relax more and be more creative. Life is fun! Pura Vida! Jubilado!

The Central Sierra

The mountain range I watch daily from my balcony includes Grecia, Sarchi, and Poas Volcano. A five-shot panorama.
It is La Cordillera Central or in English, The Central Sierra (a jagged mountain range)
As always, CLICK PHOTO FOR LARGER VIEW

 

I live in Costa Rica’s Central Valley (link is to a map) though if you visit you would say I live in the mountains. It is kind of both. I’m in the little mountains or hills of the big central valley surrounded by two huge mountain ranges, the big mountains with volcanoes and cloud forests, much higher than Atenas hills.

I chose to live here rather than some of the most beautiful beaches in the world because of the weather (70’s and 80’s year-around in Atenas while beaches are hot and humid year-around), the central location is also for me to eventually visit all the national parks, the closeness to San Jose and some of best hospitals in the world, and more shopping and entertainment possibilities nearby in San Jose and Alajuela. Also, the small town atmosphere and friendliness, laid-back way of life, no car required, just an hour and a half bus ride from a beach is perfect for me. I’m really not “a beach person,” as some here claim to be. I’m more of a “nature person,” if you please, and nature is everywhere in Costa Rica!

Once my nest is comfortably feathered in the central valley, I expect to be all over the country in some of the special nature places. Right now I’m enjoying the nature in my yard and nearby places, learning the language, and adapting to a new culture and government! Takes time! And I really enjoy sharing my experiences in this blog, whether anyone reads it or not! It is one of my creative outlets now. And yes, I’m living a dream! I consider myself one of the most fortunate persons in the world to be here and leave all the old junk of my life back in the states and my dim memories. It is a happy last chapter of a 74 year old living in Costa Rica!

Rainforest Beauty

View from my bedroom window (between the power lines) during the afternoon rain today.

The fact that there are power lines, houses, and a street below this scene doesn’t diminish its beauty for me, even though an uncluttered view like this would be nice! This is looking west at end of today’s rain. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” said Oliver Pratt, and that is why I like this kind of selective photography. And yes, it’s a compilation of 4 shots merged into a panorama. Fun!

“People often say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.”

-Salma Hayek (emphasis mine)

“Your beauty . . .  should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”  

1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV

God help me to have a gentle and quiet spirit that people might see your beauty in me!  -Charlie