Low Season

Also known as Rainy Season, it refers to the six months of the year that very few turistas come to Costa Rica. At the moment, its immediate meaning to me is that I am the only guest at Colinas del Sol, up here at the top of the hill in my suite overlooking the mountains north of Atenas.

The owner and staff members who run the place have either left for the night or gone to bed in the “main house” across the little glen, and all the lights are out in the common areas. The pool is closed, the TV is off, (there is only one, in the rancho where they serve breakfast) and even Blackie (the hotel cat and boa constrictor chaser) is in for the night. I am very, very alone.

I can hear some a couple of dogs in the distance, the occasional moo from the cows in the field at the bottom of the hill, lots of crickets, and the light rain falling on the tin roof of my room and patio.

Today I drove into San Jose to meet with Ruth, our business partner down here. This is a beautiful trip, involving crossing over the western bit of the continental divide, which in this case means winding up to the top of the mountains, then back down again into Atenas, down further into the river valley and up into La Garrita, then onto the main highway into San Jose.

There is nothing like a drive through San Jose to boost your metabolism and get you running to the nearest pharmacy to refill your Xanax. (Ah, I have just been joined by a gecko). Our neat little car has one teensy, tiny little flaw. You can't see out of it, except in optimal conditions. The windows are so darkly tinted that I have to roll them down to see in the side mirrors, and the defogger is actually a fogger. No matter what setting you have it on, in the slightest bit of coolness, warmth, humidity or dryness it fogs up, and nothing you can do will clear it.

So today, after the excellent drive in, the rather intense navigation through San Jose to Ruth's house, (the best bet is to allow yourself to go into a zen state of no mind, and allow your subconscious to drive, otherwise it is just too dangerous for the uninitiated) the even more intense rush hour exit as the sun was setting, then the dark, the rain, (can't roll up the windows or I won't be able to see), the foggy windshield, the major accident on the highway that resulted in a 25 minute delay and the crazy windy mountain roads, I got as far as Atenas – and decided enough was enough. I just didn't have it in me to do the hour/3 hour depending on circumstances trip back across the mountains to and all the way down to the coast in the dark and rain.

Colinas del Sol is a lovely place, (just as well because it is also the only place in Atenas) and maybe a quiet night is just what I need to clear my head.

Hasta manana.