Fun Times with Friends

Late last year, I was contacted by Linda from Arizona - she had read my entire ten year plus Costa Rican blog in one night! She wanted to try living in Costa Rica for a period of time, to see what it was like and if it suited her. We upset her plans to live in Atenas by moving to Grecia, so she decided to live near our new town.

After Linda’s arrival, we got together and it was fun to show her around and go to different places. When we first moved here, we met our Canadian friends Diane and John and they were so generous with their time and driving us around, showing us the ropes. So we were more then happy to pay it forward. Unfortunately, Linda has now returned to the USA but says she will be back and is going to try out Atenas next trip. 

Linda took lots of photos and here they are.

Breakfast at Kay’s Cafe y Restaurante in Atenas - me and Linda.

I always order the BELT sandwich (bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato) at Kay’s. Lance usually gets the egg and bacon breakfast with gallo pinto because he says Kay’s gallo pinto is the best!

Lance and myself at our house in Hacienda el Paseo:

Visiting our wonderful neighbours in Vista Atenas (where we used to live) - Rose Mary and Tony:

Tony, Lance and Rose Mary. They fed us good food! Linda fell in love with their house and the location. This is their outdoor kitchen which I think is so practical in a tropical environment. They also have an indoor kitchen. Like us, Rose Mary and Tony are from the Pacific Northwest.

One day, we planned on having breakfast at Dave’s Restaurant at Zoo Ave but discovered it had been renamed Kivu and didn’t seem to be open for breakfast. There’s a story behind the name Kivu and the lion icon - find out here. On to Plan B - you always have a Plan B in Costa Rica.

Plan B - breakfast at Restaurante La Casona del Maiz in La Garita. This is a super place to try typical Costa Rican food, at reasonable prices, and if you sit near the back there are great views as you can see. I usually get the omelette, which is a very generous size, and a fresh fruit drink.

Next stop - Vivero Central La Garita  because I needed orchid supplies. This photo is funny because .... Lance looks amused, I’m desperately trying to convey to my assistant in Spanish that I’m looking for clay orchid pots with holes in the side and my assistant is giving me the “okay lady, try again” look! Having an assistant in a store is common in Costa Rica - you can wander around but as soon as you find what you want, you give it to the assistant, who puts it all in a pile somewhere. When you are finished, he tallies up the bill, which you take to the caja (cashier), pay, and your assistant loads everything into your vehicle. We always tip them.

Thanks so much for the photos, Linda. It was great meeting you and come back soon!

Garden Shops and More Breakfast

Today, we decided to go to a vivero (garden shop) in La Garita, Alajuela, for some bags of soil and orchid supplies. It is a trip of about 23 km from where we live in the Grecia area, depending on which route one takes.

Our plan was to stop for breakfast enroute and when we saw that Restaurant Café David at Rescate Animal Zoo Ave was open, we decided to try it. A good choice - not just for the food but also because of the surroundings and the peacock who gave us a display for most of our meal. He and his peahens were just a few feet away from us. In fact, one peahen strolled into the restaurant (open air as as usual). The peacock was absolutely stunning. He tried so hard to impress the ladies but they were totally disinterested.

Restaurante Café David is on the grounds of Rescate Animal Zoo Ave - a must see place. This is not a zoo in the traditional sense but a rescue and rehabilitation centre for injured Costa Rican wildlife. We’ve been there a couple of times. Some of the animals/birds can never be returned to the wild so they live here protected and so well looked after.

They we headed to Vivero Central La Garita  not far from Zoo Ave. I think it is the biggest vivero in the area. I have been told that the reason why there are so many viveros in La Garita is because the area has lots of aquifers and so there is plenty of water for all of them. The way it works at garden shops here is that you will be approached by a worker who will be your helper during your visit. We asked for bolsas de tierra (bagged soil) and our helper took us to where they were piled up. We selected two. No need for us to move them to our car. Next I needed orchid bark mix and he took me to that aisle. Bought three of those and then two bags of coconut coir, which I use to line the wire orchid baskets. Couldn’t resist buying two plants (not orchids) because the colour of the flowers was so lovely. The underleaves are purple. I forgot to note the name. All of these purchases were taken by our helper and when we reached the checkout, everything was piled up for us and he was writing out the prices and totalling it all up.

He gave me the slip, which I took to the cashier and paid. Back to the car and our helper was loading everything into it for us. This is such a great system  and as usual everyone is friendly and helpful.

Here are the pretty plants I bought:

My orchid supplies and the two bags of soil:

A Busy Day

Up at ten to five this morning, not an unusual time for us. I thought I could see sheet lightning in the sky but Lance thought it was the airport beacon rotating. I think he is right because the "lightning" was so regular.

Today's weather was reversed from the usual - rain this morning and then sun this afternoon.

Thursday is exercise day and off I went at 8:00 a.m. with my two exercise companions to climb Mount Vista Atenas (at least, it feels like that) to where the classes are held. We allow half an hour to get there but I think the climb may becoming a wee bit easier.

No pool exercises today because it felt cool but we practiced breathing (that is really hard, most humans are shallow breathers), balance exercises, stretching and so on. At the end of the hour and a half, I know I felt like I had had a good workout.

Then my Canuck friend Diane picked me up and off we went to Vivero Central La Garita, a very large garden shop. I bought a selection of herb plants and almost bought some more orchids but have decided to wait until an orchid show where I can buy named varieties.

Next stop: Pequiño Mundo in Alajuela. I love this store. You never know what you will find there and I got a whole bunch of stuff on my list for a total of $50 CAD. The only items that have to be returned are two pairs of exercise/swim shorts - I should have tried them on.

Lunch: very important. We went to Princesa Marina in Alajuela. Sorry, I cannot find a website for them but here is the address: Costado Norte de la Iglesia, Bo. San Jose, Alajuela. I like this place a lot - they specialize in seafood. I ordered fettuccine with shrimp in a white sauce - very good and they don't skimp on the shrimp or the serving size - enough for take-away. Diane opted for a chicken Caesar salad with shrimp and it was very generous (super ensalada), with all kinds of fresh vegetables in it. Two mora con aqua drinks rounded out the meal.

A perfect day in a great country.