We love it. It's tranquil and off the beaten path. We have one good restaurant, one good pizzeria, a nice supermarket and a quiet town square where the kids hang out at night to "snog" because they can't do it at their parent's house. And that's about it. No movie theater, no haute cuisine -- just a small town, a lot like Costa Rica must have been like 50 years ago. And the sunsets are to die for. This one is not the one from two nights ago -- it was better. I just didn't get a picture.
So, what's it like to live in small town Costa Rica? Here's a story from today that pretty much captures the town in a nutshell.
Yesterday, we ran out of gas in the tank for our grill. So I put the tank in the car and drove into town to the one, and only, gas supplier. In the past, when I've gone, they've done an exchange for me -- take my tank and give me a different full one. Not this time though -- they didn't have one to exchange. So they told me that I could leave the tank and it would be back the next day. To identify me, they asked me my name and I told them Pablo (since "Rosenzweig" is a mouthful even for native German speakers!). They took my phone number and said they call when it was ready.
The next day (today) … no call. I waited for a while and then went into town for other stuff. On a whim, I stopped at the gas store. As I walked in the woman behind the desk looked up, gave me a big smile and said "Hola Don Pablo" and told me that the tank was read. I paid my $17 (9000 colones) and left.
And that captures the town. It's a place where they know your name and they don't need a receipt or anything -- just a smile and a "hello" when you come in. But it is also a town where they tell you that they'll call you when its ready and then …. just don't. Life here is slow and easy and if you can get used to the way people operate it's delightful. Pura Vida.
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