Haircut, Glasses and Pizza

In the last two weeks, I have had an eye examination by an opthalmologist at Optica Centro Visual, ordered new glasses and picked them up, had my hair cut by Ingrid at Ingrid's Hair Design, and we have eaten pizza twice at the same restaurant with two different sets of good friends.

Optica Centro Visual - we have always purchased contact lenses and eyeglasses from Rigo and Rosa here in Atenas. An eye examination by an opthalmologist can be arranged at their store, which is what I did. Rigo and Rosa helped me select frames and I chose progressive lenses which are also transitional. This means I can see far, middle and close distance just by moving my head up and down, and transitional means they turn into sunglasses when appropriate. This is important for anyone living in the tropics. They are pricy but well worth it and I imagine less expensive then in Canada or the USA.

Ingrid's Hair Design - I have been going to Ingrid for quite a while now. I showed her a picture of what I wanted but, after a consultation with some other ladies in the salon, they all agreed that what I wanted done was not possible with my hair. Ingrid went on line and found the perfect cut for my wavy hair and she was right. Ingrid has scissor skills! One thing I really enjoy at Ingrid's salon is the cold water they use to wash hair ... it is so refreshing.

Photo is me with new glasses and new haircut.

 

Pizza: Last week, we had pizza twice at Pizzeria La Finca in Atenas. First with our friends from France - Claudia and Barry:

 

And, secondly, with our neighbour Sharon and her friends and ours from Washington State ... Linda and Clifford.

 

Both times,  Lance and myself ordered a grande sized pizza ... half with anchovies and half without. I love anchovies but Lance does not.

Saturday Morning in Atenas

I was long overdue for a haircut so drove into Atenas bright and early this morning. On my way to Banco de Costa Rica to use the ATM, I met Carlos - one of our taxi drivers. Hugs of course and he said he hadn't seen me for a while. I think I explained adequately in Spanish that I had the use of a vehicle for a week and would see him soon.

We've been house and cat sitting since last week - eight cats - and the subject of another post for another day.

Walked past the strawberry truck and the lady there recognized me and we said our hellos. Today I decided to try Ingrid's Hair Design because they were open. Ingrid's is on the same street as the correos (post office) and quite close to it. A very nice shop and I was welcomed in by Ingrid Quesada (phone 8622-2619).

There were a couple of ladies ahead of me but I didn't have long to wait before being called into another room. There my hair was shampooed and conditioned with some great smelling products. Hair is washed and rinsed with cold water here and it feels so good, especially if one has been walking around in the tropical sun.

I had a good time just being there - five women speaking rapid Spanish and laughing and enjoying each other's company. I have a bit of Spanish and Ingrid has a bit of English and between us she gave me the perfect cut for my hair, which is wavy and thick. She didn't try to straighten it. She left it at chin length, thinned it out a bit and coaxed the waves into shape in no time. It's a cut I can easily handle, perfect for the beach or the pool.

Final price: 6,000 colones (about $15.00 Canadian). Ingrid also has a selection of bags and jewelry for sale.

Walking back to the car, I stopped to buy three pints of strawberries from the berry lady (1,000 colones - a steal). Time to head home but first a quick stop at the Coope grocery where I met several people that I know. Atenas is a place where you can make friends easily, slow down your life and just enjoy it.