Our mechanic, Carlos, had our Subaru Forester for a few days recently to do the front brakes. In order to go into Grecia, we needed a taxi and our friend, Minor, helped us with that. This time he sent a taxi driver whose nickname was Pipo. Pipo had a good laugh when we called him that. I’m not sure what it means.
Before getting out of his taxi, I asked him for his phone number and he wrote it on the 1,000 colon note he gave us as change for the fare. You can just see the number on the upper left. The bill is very worn. Lance put it in his pocket. Click on photos to enlarge.
Walking along the street, we came up to an elderly lady selling small goods on the sidewalk. Lance didn’t buy anything but put the 1,000 mil note (about two dollars) in the dish she used for donations. I said, Wait! what? you gave her Pipo’s phone number and we want to call him to take us home! What to do? Take the bill away from her?
So what Lance did was show her another 1,000 note and then pointed out the phone number on the first bill and indicated he would do a trade. She thought that was so funny and we all had a good laugh.
Further along the street, we came upon a fellow selling Covid-19 face masks in all kinds of interesting patterns. I asked him how much - precio? A wag leaning against a building yelled out “one thousand dollars” - more laughs. I bought a mask with a nice pattern for 1,000 colones, not dollars.
We bought some groceries at Peri Mercado (a grocery store) and waited on the sidewalk until Pipo arrived. Grecia on a Saturday can be very busy with people and cars everywhere - lots of noise and activity. It’s very vibrant. I took a couple of photos. The lady sitting down in the first picture was selling juicy red tomatoes. You can see the twin spires of the cathedral in the distance. A landmark for people like me who have no sense of direction.
The second photo is of one of the entrances into the Mercado Municipal de Grecia, or the central market. It’s huge inside with many, many shops selling just about everything.
I found a YouTube video featuring the indoor market:
Once we had our vehicle back from Carlos, we decided the next day to drive into Grecia and have breakfast at Arte Latte. I think they have the best breakfasts around and certainly one of the best locations - across from the park and the cathedral. Great spot for people watching. They are under new management and have a new menu.
Lance ordered the carga de energia, or energy plate. I opted for the saludable, or heathy option. The portions are generous and include good coffee and an orange juice. My choice included tropical fruit with yoghurt, egg whites scrambled, slice of ham and, for some unfathomable reason, potato chips scattered over the top.
Lance’s plate included a corn tortilla, gallo pinto, fried queso, shredded beef, ham slice and the best sweet plantains I’ve ever had. The shredded beef, or carne mechada, was so good that I looked up a recipe on line so that I can make it at home.
There were bags of coffee for sale and I bought one - Don Cayito. It has won three awards of excellence, well deserved. The bag has a little hole at the top where the wonderful aroma wafts out.
Even with Covid-19, we can still go out and about by carefully choosing where we go, always wearing a mask and frequently washing our hands.
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