Beach Day

On Tuesday of this week, December 3, 2013, a group of us from the Atenas and San Ramon areas of the Central Valley met at Playa Doña Ana, 10 km south of Puntarenas at the mouth of River Canyon on the Gulf of Nicoya.

Playa Doña Ana is a black sand beach (volcanic sand) protected by the ICT (Costa Rica Institute of Tourism). It has been awarded an Ecological Blue Flag by Costa Rica's National Blue Flag Commission. This is an annual certification awarded to communities scoring a minimum of 90% for all requirements: ocean water quality; quality of potable water; quality of coastal sanitation areas; coastal garbage and garbage containers; treated industrial waste; treated runoff water; environmental education; security and administration.

There is a nominal charge to enter, with plenty of parking outside the gates. There are showers, washrooms, change rooms, BBQ's, and covered and uncovered picnic tables. There is now also a restaurant but I do not know their hours of operation or if they are only open for special events. We always bring our own food and drinks so have not tried it.

One thing I like about this beach is that it is a Tico beach. We get to mingle with the Costa Ricans, who come here with their families. On this day, there was a Pops ice cream company picnic, with 72 people attending. Lance heard the number being counted off as he was waiting to pay our entry fees. So there were a lot of people at the beach, but still it was not crowded and not very noisy.

The resident white-throated capuchin monkeys are usually visible and will readily come part way down the trees for bananas. Please don't feed them anything else. I've seen junk food being offered.

Playa Doña Ana was the first Costa Rican beach we went to after moving here. I remember being so amazed, seeing the Pacific Ocean this far south, the waving palms, the tropical breezes, and then floating in the warm, salty water. Overhead flew flocks of brown pelicans and large seabirds (frigatebirds?) massing on the cliffs.

 

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The Rat Race

I got my mitts on a North American style women's magazine this week. You know the type (if you are a woman) - "favorite family dinners", "easy decorating ideas, "15 ways to avoid colds and flu", numerous articles on style, family, health, food - it never ends. This and many other similar magazines come on the market every month, if not more - and they aren't cheap.

It was exhausting reading it - so much so that I was thinking about it while trying to get to sleep last night. I used to enjoy reading these magazines but never was able to achieve everything they told me I should be doing or saving or creating or wearing or baking or decorating or gardening or entertaining .... and so I always felt a bit as if I never measured up to what I was supposed to be.

And that is truly dreadful. Imagine believing that magazines should tell us how to be and how to live our lives. They are fine for the odd recipe or cleaning tip now and again or just for amusement when sitting in the dentist's office waiting for your appointment.

So I started thinking about how my life now in Costa Rica differs from my life in Canada. I buy clothes at Ropa Americana, a few things at the Multi-Plaza in Escazu, and I've also ordered clothing on line, which has worked out well. And I get family and friends to mule me down things we need.

I need bathing suits and shorts, cool tops, nice sandals, pretty cotton dresses, but not the latest suit design. I don't need winter clothing, spring clothing, fall clothing. I don't have access to actual English magazines - they are available in Spanish but I'm not up to that level yet and that's a good thing in this case.

I brought a few cookbooks with me, and bought a Costa Rican cookbook here, so I can make just about anything that is tasty and healthy. Not hard to do with the food available here. On line recipes number in the millions I think so no lack there if I want to look up Asian recipes. Oh, and by the way, I can buy my beloved Asian ingredients in San Jose.

Our rental house is furnished and clean, we have banana trees and mangoes, fabulous neighbors. I take Spanish lessons once a week and yoga/pilates/pool exercises twice a week. We have friends from all over - some are already here, some are on their way down, quite a few are Ticos. We have friends here from Germany, Canada, the USA, Brazil and Bolivia. The weather is terrific. Many social activities are available - our friends in San Ramon organize Beach Days.  Lots of local and excellent restaurants. It's fun to shop in Atenas and interact with Ticos and Ticas. My ears are becoming used to hearing more than just the English I grew up with. I am learning about different customs and foods.

My point? I don't have to live the trumped up life of magazines any more.

Sixth Month Review

We have been here for six months now and still feel the same way about this wonderful country as we did upon arrival. We don't regret the move for one minute.

It is so beautiful. We are meeting lots of Ticos and making new Gringo friends from all over North America. Our Spanish is coming along in baby steps but that is still more than we knew when we arrived.

We agree that Atenas and the surrounding area seems to be a perfect place to live. It has the quiet rural atmosphere that we both like yet is close enough to the airport, San Jose, larger towns, the beaches and so on. Atenas itself offers lots of restaurants, groceries, shops, and services for day to day living.

The dry season has arrived - not much rain, sunny and warm days, cool nights and I love the brisk breezes that blow most days. We have started walking into Atenas more often.

Started tomato, basil and melon seeds. Finally won the battle with the leaf cutter ants by using an organic insecticide called Omitox but will still have to keep watch that they don't set up more colonies.

We have days at the beach with interesting friends.

Plus, we can buy this brand of cheezies here: