Athens, Greece? Not yet, We're in Atenas, Costa Rica

Somehow you do something and you don't even realize why you did it.  I mean, we do things and know why, but after it's done, we have to look back and wonder, what in the world were we thinking?  Let me share with you our crazy learning process.  We wanted to leave for the Canary Islands in July.  However, the flights were super expensive, except on one particular date.  Or so we thought.  So instead of leaving for the Canary Islands on Thursday July 13th, we decided to leave on Thursday July 20th.  Why?  Because the air fare (and dates fro the Airbnb) was cheaper.  But then we still had one week in Costa Rica.  What to do?  And where?  Tamarindo was not cheap!  So I decided to do something completely different and head to the central mountains of Costa Rica to a teeny town called Atenas. 

Funny, when I told a taxi driver about Atenas, they were like, "why would you want to go there, there is nothing there."  Yikes.  I almost regretted booking our place but we had done it and that was that.  Why Atenas?  Because I wanted Scott to enjoy a little taste of cool and refreshing mountain life and possibly visit some coffee plantations.  Atenas has been deemed as one of the best climates in the world with it's consistent average in the low 70's year round. According to Trip Advisor it's a "must see" or something like that. 

I found this amazing stilt home on a farm in the middle of the mountains in Atenas.  It was yellow, which I love!  It wasn't square and it was very unique.  It wasn't exactly inexpensive as I had hoped thinking that the further from the beach maybe, just maybe I would find a place like our farm in Masatepe.  Nope!  But in the end, it was a good find!  And yes, the climate was absolutely perfect!  Refreshing to be exact!

After the "no water/water heater" incident in our townhome in Tamarindo, staying at Jen's and then having to pack in a hurry and all, I was ready for a new location.  After hugs and kisses to Jen and her girls we left in our taxi for an almost 4 hour drive to Atenas.  What a beautiful drive it was too.  Boy is Costa Rica beautiful! 

We arrived in Atenas not knowing exactly where we were supposed to go.  We have gotten used to the whole "there isn't really an address" issues of Nicaragua.  We have dealt with that in Nicaragua so being lost in Costa Rica wasn't unexpected.  However we did finally find the farm we were to call home for the next week and it was so different than any location we have found to this date.  

It was a stilt home, octagonal (I think) in shape with windows everywhere and space, space and more space!  It was so spacious I didn't know where to begin.  It was called the Tropical House and it had views galore!  Views of the clouds, the mountains, the valleys, coffee plantations and tons and tons of birds!

What we soon found out during the first few days of our stay was shocking.  And hey, maybe this is why we were supposed to be in Atenas.  God always has a plan!

Back story - we had met a family with a daughter with special needs back when we were at Hotel Riu and they were from Atenas.  We had made plans to keep in touch.  We invited them over just a few days after we arrived and believe it or not, they recognized the owner and the place.  

Apparently this farm and this particular house, the Tropical House, we were renting was on a show showcasing the farm and it's amenities.  Basically a local show about local neighbors - I think.  This show was broadcast on the local television station just weeks before our arrival.  But wait, it gets even more crazy.  Our friends recognized the owner for another reason, one we didn't find out until after they left.  

You see, the owner and his wife were recently on the news station just shy of 2 weeks before we arrived.  They were involved in a freak accident while fixing a bridge crossing the Rio Grande.  The wife died 3 days after the accident.  3 days!  That was just 10 days before we arrived!  

Please understand it was a freak accident so please don't freak out or worry about our family.  We are safe.  We just want to let you know accidents happen, I am sharing with you what we are experiencing and you have nothing to worry about.  Our travels and experiences will bring about the happy stories and the tragic stories. 

The day our friends came to visit was also the night the owner offered us coffee and a chat at his place.  That was when he confided about the accident.  

The owner is a Christian and knows God has a plan and trusts in God.  It was sad to hear the story but we heard so so so much more that we invited him to our place the very next day for lunch just to continue our conversation about his life, our life and more.  

Our stay at the Tropical House was absolutely amazing.  We were meant to be there.  We were meant to meet him, listen and become instant family!

We ended up not going anywhere in Atenas because we just loved the Tropical House.  That means Scott never got to go to any coffee plantations and he doesn't regret it!  

We walked the trails, made campfires and explored every inch of the property.  

At night Scott and I laid in the master bed star gazing with the occasional airplane flying by with its blinking lights.  Amazingly quiet it was a great way to end the day.

Our week stay flew by and the next thing you know, we are now in Tenerife,Canary Island!  Boy that just happened so fast.  We now have a massive time zone change so please forgive me if messages come early or late.  Hopefully your phones are on Do Not Disturb or Silence as I will continue these posts from across the pond.  Until then, g'nite.  It's late here.