First you decide where you want to go: Then you decide when you want to go; then you go – and the adventure begins.  

Whenever you are traveling, each day is its own adventure.  Maybe it’s an airline delay – you are so ready to be on your way.  After all the anticipation, what another few minute – or hours.  Well, that’s how our adventure began.  

Last year our departure from Orlando International Airport was delayed, first for a few minutes, then for an hour, and finally, after 3 hours we were in the air.  Of course that meant arriving in San Jose at 3 PM instead of noon, which had been ideal, allowing us time to pick up our rental car and find our way to the Autopista and on the Puriscal.  

Might I add that by the time we got the car, it was 5 PM on a Friday afternoon.  Now, San Jose is no different from any other major city at “get off work at 5 PM on Friday” time, so you can imagine what the traffic was like.  

Alejandro, the rental car guy, had given us directions since the route Jim was familiar with was closed due to construction, but we missed something somewhere.

Our first (but not our last) experience with Costa Rican kindness came at a “gasolinera,” where we had stopped to try to get some help.  

When we found that none of the attendants could speak any English and we were unable to make our needs know, we started to drive away.  Before we could leave, a middle-aged man, a customer, came over to the car window and offered, in scant English, to lead us to the point where we needed to go to get on the Autopista headed toward Puriscal.  

When he left the station in his pickup truck with all his family aboard, we were right behind him.  

We didn’t realize how far we had strayed, but he led us through all that awful traffic for the better part of an hour,  well after the sun had departed from the sky.  When he pulled over and pointed out the on-ramp we should take, all we could do was to call out Muchas, Muchas Gracias!  Our task now was to find our way to Puriscal.  

Finding the exit was not difficult, but remember, it was dark and we had never driven that curving, mountainous road before. (We were later told that there were 220 curves between Ciudad Colon and Puriscal).  

We made it in about an hour and pulled into a Pali parking lot to call Julie, from whom we were renting a casita.  Oh yes, there was another act of kindness on the part of Alejandro. We did not have a Costa Rican cell phone.  Normally the rental car dealership give clients a cell phone, but its use is limited to calling them in case of emergency.
 


Knowing our situation,  Alejandro provided 2 days of full usage so that we could communicate with the people that had been looking for us for several hours.  As a result, we were able to reach her and she came to meet us and guide us to what would be our residence for the remainder of the month.  

She even cooked us a meal when we got there. There was no unpacking that night, just go to bed and try to explain things to Heidi, our miniature dachshund, who I am sure was at least as confused as we were.  

It was a long day, providing us with unforgettable acts of Costa Rican kindness.

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Written by VIP Member Anne Harper who is a retired English teacher, having taught high school English for 33 years. Anne was not a well-travelled person, or at least until Jim Kavney came into her life. Anne and Jim love the Central Valley with its small towns and local personality. With Atenas as their headquarters, they are visiting and exploring many of Costa Rica’s wonderful and exciting places.

Anne confesses that her horizons have been broadened and her awareness of the world heightened by her visits to this amazing country – the land, the native people and the cross-section of ex-pats from all over the world. When Anne says: “It isn’t the destination; it’s the journey,” she is referring to her continuing journey during which she sees amazing places and meets amazing people….and her world continues to expand

The AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) ranks Atenas as one of “The Best Places to Retire Abroad.” For more information about homes and land for sale in the area please contact our Recommended Realtors in Atenas Dennis Easters and Gerardo Gonzalez-Porras using the simple form below:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.