Category: Places

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CATUCA

CATUCA is in an historic old house near Central Park by La Carreta, one of my cafes

CATUCA is an acrostic of the Spanish name for the Chamber of Tourism and Commerce for Atenas, Costa Rica. They just reorganized and opened this building last week. There was suppose to be a craft fair there today, but only about 5 crafts persons showed up. Inside is a room with a person to help tourists and newcomers find things in Atenas and they have free post cards which would have been nice when Kevin was here! They hope to add T-shirts, etc. 

There are about 4 or 5 permanent craft shops with everything from wooden toys and clothing to a frame shop. There is also a little cafe serving Tico food. It reminds me of some small towns in Tennessee who turned their old train station into such a tourist stop, then had trouble staffing it and getting tourists there. The truth is, Atenas is not a regular tourist town. We will get some on Saturday 18 April for the Tope (horse parade) and Wednesday 29 April for the Oxcart Parade. 

For friends coming to visit, let me be your tourism information. It is hard to find out what is happening when, but I’m learning how to beat the bushes. 

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The Majestic Vulture

Turkey Vulture glides over my balcony,
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

The poor ol’ garbage collector gets a bad rap and he is really graceful in the sky and so beneficial on the ground! And note this cool quote from a bird book . . .

The face is ruddy and wrinkled and topped with an embarrassingly sparse cap of feathers.  Its expression is uncommonly serene and there is something about it that suggests infinite patience.  Huddled on their perches, wrapped in shabby vestments, the birds look like a group of balding monks gathered in prayer.
Pete Dunne, The Wind Masters

Spoiler alert: Tomorrow I’m scheduled to look at a new house for rent in the Roca Verde development. Downside is it will cost a little bit more and the walk to town is a little bit further, but upside is much better construction than what I’m in, better maintenance, more privacy, and I’ll still have a deck or balcony view and lots of birds around. We’ll see. I have to decide now whether I stay or move with my current contract up for renewal and some boxes ready for delivery. Hopefully this is my last big decision for awhile. You can pray that I make a good decision, not that either would be bad.

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Lilting Notes & Interesting Folks!

As I walked through Central Park after Spanish Class this morning, headed for the hardware store , I heard beautiful music in the air (like bells), not sure where it was coming from. Then on a corner opposite the park I discover this man playing his xylophone or marimba and the music made me feel happy! Atenas is such a simple and happy place with surprises around every corner!

Just making music on the sidewalk outside the Me Gusta Shop

Around the corner, at his usual spot, a fruit & veggie vendor.
Only 2 blocks from the Central Market, his biggest competition.
Though there is another guy at the next corner.  🙂
Nearer the market and the hardware store, my destination.

Yes, in Atenas some guys still
come to town on their horse.
Small town Costa Rica!
And watch where you step!

I also discovered the CATUCA today, but I will tell about it another day!  🙂  

MEDICAL INSURANCE
And oh yeah, I forgot to say that beginning March 20 I have Costa Rica Private Health Insurance which will last a year and hopefully by then I will have my CAJA or government insurance after I get my Pensionado Residency. One step at a time! And timing was good because my Medigap Policy was going up in price next month, like double! I’ll be cancelling it now! Medical costs is one area where I really do save money living here instead of the states – big savings! The only drawback on my private insurance here is that they won’t cover preexisting conditions for a year. But the government plan will  and for a lot less money! This time next year I will be on it.

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Cashew Fruit

Cashew Fruit is ripening on trees around Atenas now.
Photographed from my balcony, Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

This shot was made from about 50 meters away on a tree in a neighbor’s yard, shot from my balcony! The fruit reminds you of a red or yellow (come in both colors) bell pepper except for the seed or nut that hangs below it. Only one nut per fruit. No wonder cashews are somewhat expensive. Read about them in this Wikipedia article. New uses for the fruit itself are being developed, including one by Pepsi Cola. It is not a major export from Costa Rica. They grow in most tropical climes and we even had them in The Gambia. Most of what you get in the states probably come from India, Indonesia or Nigeria, where they are big exports. We stick with exporting bananas, pineapples, and coffee here! 
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Sharing the Mangos

The Male Mantled Howler Monkey eating one of the apartment mangos.
A few are getting ripe, though most are still green as you can see.
So the howlers will be here for awhile I suspect.
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

If you’ve never heard a howler monkey you must listen to the howler monkeys. We are hearing them more often now, day and night. But they don’t bother my sleep.

Mother-child don’t show their faces as much as Papa.
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica
Papa keeps a watchful eye on us humans looking up at them.
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica

If you liked my simple cell phone photos of the Easter Procession at our Atenas Catholic Church yesterday, check out this video of Easter Procession in an Escazu, Costa Rica church.

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Resurrection Morning Mass & Processional

The Priest leads congregation behind the costumed children and statue of Christ.
Iglesia Catolica San Rafael De Atenas, Costa Rica
After the 9 AM Easter Mass, April 5, 2015

I finally did it! I went to the beautiful Catholic Church for worship instead of the evangelical church I have been attending and it was wonderful, though still in Spanish and not generally understood. The standing room only 9:00 AM Mass had an unseen choir of young voices leading the congregation in singing a few songs/hymns/choruses accompanied by a single acoustic guitar. Beautiful! I will never miss the loud, rock-style “Praise Band” here or anywhere else. The music was so much more worshipful at the Catholic Church – but I’m not yet ready to become a Catholic! There was a small processional into the service and a grand one afterwards that led the whole congregation around the Central Park as shown in the photos. 


Altar Boys and Girls Lead the Processional

Followed by a statue of the Risen Christ

A haphazard collection of unorganized shepherd boys (disciples?)
with family members and others following along with them
(The Mamas did great job on costumes! Probably Dads who didn’t organize them.)

And the girls, the only organized ones
marching in a straight line (Love the girls!)

Followed by the priest and as many of the congregation who wanted to follow
the march around the central park block (on left). 
The 9:00 AM Standing Room Only Easter Mass before procession.
There were also masses at 6 AM, 11 AM, and 5 PM
Sorry about low-light cellphone photo – It is really beautiful!
The room was made for worship and prayer. It helps you to do so.
Someday I’ll get a good photos inside with tripod, etc. 

Another interesting observation was that there were many more young adults and children than old people, which might have been related to the time and/or processional with children included. Never counted, but the Iglesia Biblica worship services seem to be about 50/50 older/younger adults with most children leaving after the hour song service for a children’s church. Both congregations are very family oriented with even teens sitting with their parents. This mass was a little over an hour long while the evangelical service is always at least two hours long with more than an hour of music and a 45 minute sermons, while the priest’s was maybe 15 minutes. Both churches are made up of very happy, friendly people, typical of Costa Rica! 

CHECKED OUT A LOCAL HOTEL
After this Easter Morning experience, I walked the half block to La Caretta’s for a brunch omelette to supplement my earlier bowl of cereal. Then walked to the upscale Roca Verde housing development and the nearby Colinas del Sol Hotel to check it out in case any future visitors want something different from my house or the Vista Atenas B&B I have already used. Colinas is larger, offers more services, and is within walking distance of the Central Park – for me, at about 12 blocks estimate. But Vista Atenas has the best view! You just can’t easily walk from there, up on a mountain top 2+ miles. And of course one person or a couple can stay for free in my guest room like Kevin just did with both view and within walking distance!


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Good Friday Mass

A cross draped in red and candles are
about to be brought into the Good Friday Mass
Atenas, Costa Rica

I love symbolism, ceremony, and beauty in worship and keep saying I will go to Mass and wish I had been dressed differently today for I would have enjoyed this probably more than the praise band I will hear Sunday morning at the Bible Church. But hey, I may surprise everyone and go to Mass instead. 

During Lent the cross in front of the Catholic Church has been draped in a purple cloth which was removed this week. 
Lent Purple at Catholic Church
Atenas, Costa Rica
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My “DIAPAUSE”

Diapause: a period of physiologically enforced dormancy between periods of activity.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary

My new word today is usually referring to animal dormancy, particularly butterflies in the pupae stage. I’m not in a pupae, unless you call my apartment that, but after preparation for two differents sets of visitors and a particularly full week with Kevin, I’ve kind of pulled into my apartment and mostly resting, reading, and taking care of just necessary business – not running all over Costa Rica looking for birds to photograph! This pre-sunset photo kind of symbolizes my diapause. It frequently looks like rain without ever doing it. It makes me look forward to May when the rain actually starts. It is very dry and grass fires are common. 

Rain Clouds that Don’t Rain!
Atenas, Costa Rica

It is fun to just sit on my balcony, watch the town below me, the sky, the birds and listen to the howler monkeys who are hollering as I type. Click to hear them yourself: Mantled Howler Monkey  Oh, go ahead! Click it and listen for 20 seconds! I hear every morning & evening.


Male Howler Monkey
Hacienda La Jacaranda, Atenas, Costa Rica
My photo made by me here at the apartments in a tree along the river

And by the way, it is pretty easy to rest this week as most every business has closed already or will after today for Holy Week. No Spanish Class either! Semana Santa.



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Tarcoles Catch-up Photos

On March 24, our first night at Manuel Antonio, we had a slow internet connection and I only shared one beach sunset photo. Here’s a few of many from our stop on the Tarcoles River enroute to beach.

Yellow-headed Caracara
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Striped Basilisk
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Common Black Hawk
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Tiger Heron
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
Black-necked Stilt
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
American Crocodile (Great Egret in background)
Tarcoles River, Costa Rica
This was my third time on the Tarcoles River and we always see and photograph more than 20 species of birds along with the promoted crocs and usually basilisks and iguanas plus some other lizards. That night I got lots of different kinds of beach sunset photos. Here’s one more I just have to show: 
Sunset over the Pacific Ocean
Manuel Antonio Beach, Costa Rica

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Alajuela & La Garita

Museo Histórico Cultural Juan Santamaría, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Kevin’s kind of museum! And a country without an army finds
all forts to be historical! This is across from the central plaza.
Alajuela Plaza Cathedral

Church of the Agony, Alajuela

We stop in La Garita at a plant nursery called a Vivero in Costa Rica
Kevin enjoyed shooting flowers there

We also tried to find a sugar cane mill we had passed earlier in the week, but failed to get on the right country road. So missed that photo op!