GENERAL LIVING ENVIRONMENT

These three weeks in Costa Rica were challenging but delightful.  Last year we realized that flying from Florida was much less expensive and a shorter time on the airplane.  Also, we realized that we were not getting any younger, so if we were going to go, we had better get on with it.

Heredia was chosen both for its climate and safety and for the incredible friendliness and honesty of the people.  Also, we would better immerse ourselves in the culture here and escape other tourists.  Elizabeth found this fine school, and a fairly upscale house for Costa Rica, and so we decided to try and learn more Spanish.  Old people do not learn second languages well, but we are not going to get any younger.  So, seize the day!

For $35-$40 we rented a two bedroom house with full kitchen and laundry area.  The refrigerator was huge.  It was just fine.  There was a good hot shower, but I needed to buy a shower mat to avoid the slick tile floor.  $12,  Expensive.  Elizabeth missed having hot water in the kitchen, but I just heated it up on the stove.   The landlord said that hot water was not necessary for cleaning dishes.  A cultural difference.
This house was protected with the large iron gates common here as well as an electric security system.  This last was probably more bother than it was worth as the other tenant, Oscar, would often not know we were around and we would play a game of off/on with the security.  One day we did that because he was not there with his car, but someone else was.
We did not have air conditioning, but used fans.  On some days late afternoon was hot in the house, but once the evening came, cool mountain breezes and our fans kept us comfortable.  We had picked Heredia in part for climate and the was a great idea.  Just as our stay was ending, the rainy season started.  We had the best of the weather.
Personally, I don't much mind rain as long as I have my raincoat with me.
A cleaning lady came once a week and did a fine job, but moved things where she knew they were supposed to go rather than where I had put them for convenience.  The only bugs were some ants that did not bother us much and once I killed one of those large roach like bugs that I remember having in Spain and are in Florida.  They don't infest like our Northern roaches.
There was a television in the living room area and another in the bedroom.
The eating area was a bit awkward with a bar and stools for much thinner Costa Rican butts.  I moved one piece of furniture near the couch for computer access, and Elizabeth set up a small table.
It was a quiet, gated house with electronic security.  We certainly felt safe.
Of course, in general, Heredia is safe.  I like it for that reason.  Coming back in a little Uber one day I was stiff in the backseat and a passing fellow reached in and helped me out.  Another passing fellow held the dustpan for a man cleaning the road.
Our neighbors brought a few homemade empanadas.

We had taken a great risk by booking a year in advance with no promise of getting out money back if the drip did not pan out.

There were a few sounds of dogs.  They are popular there as they add security and the gated nature of the house makes it easy to have them outside most of the day.  One directly across from us had a very annoying howl, but it was not constant.
The neighborhood was very quiet most of the day, but three places in the block are getting major construction, so we hear those noises.  At about six thirty in the morning an emergency vehicle often pulls up across the street for a fellow who was disabled.  The driver played a loud radio while he loaded up his rider.  That was annoying, but we were generally awake by then.

There was a wonderful bakery nearby, but that is off diet.  However, the Mas x Menos grocery was a short walk and we easily stocked our house with things to cook.  It was hard to find much appealing  food in the area.  We found a couple nice restaurants, but we did a good bit of cooking at home.
Wine was expensive, but rum and guaro were cheap, so I drank that.
We were a short Uber ride into downtown Heredia.  The buses were too confusing for me and Elizabeth a not a great bus person.  Uber was just a few dollars per trip, at most $6.  Cabs were a couple dollars more.   Usually, we could find a wifi hotspot to order the Uber, but sometimes we needed a cab.

Most annoying in the primitive way in which Costa Ricans think about their streets.  Although Heredia was a grid of numbered avenues and numbered streets, people navigate by buildings or stores, and after getting off the bus in downtown Heredia, no one seemed to know the street we were on, and fifty percent of the time the signs were missing.
Uber drivers had the GPS and most knew where the school was located.  If not, they knew the bar across the street.  Coming back was easy because they all knew where the grocery store was and our road was marked a huge archway, so we could direct them.
People are a friendly bunch there, helpful.  They understand that tourists don't know local places.  Uber drivers were friendly and very helpful.  It gave us a good Spanish practice almost every ride.  Once we directed the fellow to a restaurant that was closed and he located another and took us there.  No charge.  Of course, we tipped him.

The school has some fine apartments that might be open were we to go again.  We'd book last minue there, as they are right near the school and in the city of Heredia which we could explore on foot.

We walked to banks to get money, but we did not do well.  Then we got too much in Colones and lost when we turned them in at the airport.  We'll have to get smarter on that.

It took Elizabeth a while to get smarter on phone service.  She called and negotiated a reasonable deal.  That is the most challenging part of going outside the country.  It would be nice to have a phone GPS while walking, but we can't figure how to get it cheaply.  Others seemed to figure it out.