Update: Potrero/Guanacaste area

Just another bike ride in Playa Potrero


I take a step to avoid a string of atv's passing a narrow, dark red clay road, my leg is swallowed in mud. This is the second time on my walk today that i have almost lost my foot in the thick, musculus road that was flooded by heavy thunderstorms during the last few days.

But today is sunny and I have taken the opportunity to walk the beach, think about my time here, and go to 

the bank before I leave for the capitol of San Jose in the morning. Playa Potrero too, has been hit hard by the recent storms, making the walk along the beach almost impossible with the sea of newly acquired beach wood, assorted trash, and flooded creeks that now resemble neck high rivers.

Yet this is a slice of paradise. The central, "gold coast" of the pacific is littered with anywhere from white to black picturesque beaches and rugged peninsulas separating the bays like shallow spaces between fingertips.

In this area of Guanacaste, prices and advertisements are point directly towards wealthy (relative to the locals) travelers looking for an escape from their current lives. 

But this is not that season, and many businesses are empty, with a few Tico's sitting at the bar or taking a stroll to the bus stop or local market. The people that I have met, and the things that I have seen so far have been great context to the readings and thoughts I have had for this place.

"Tranquilo" lifestyle spills over into many aspects of life here. At any time of the day you can see a family at the beach, men taking a break in the shade with a local beer or banana, and creatures of many shapes and sizes calling out for something no one really knows. The Tico's I have talked to call themselves lazy with a touch of pride, noting that they have little stress and a good life. Almost everyone holds the view that life in Costa Rica better than their "crazy" northern neighbors of Nicaragua and the disparity that covers much of Panama to the south.

Carlos, my tourismo taxi driver told me he doesn't know if the people here are happiest, but he knows they are happy with what they have. As I took in my first sights of the country I was surprised by the number of shacks, tiny towns/villages and number of people walking around. It was as if the country is their house; they may not have any insulation in their walls but their community provided the warmth they need.

The vibe I'm picking up here so far is not outlandish happiness but satisfaction with the current life, not striving for anything more than what they have and thus happy with what they need.

But Jennifer Dalton, a local real estate agent, tells me that this may not be a current view of the younger population on the rise in Guanacaste. She describes a age group that is seeking materialistic items, shiny things, and alot of money. She pointed out that the age gap of marriages is growing to a uncomfortable gap, with local very young women (many under 21) tying the knot with much older, wealthy men from America and other imported countries.

As I get ready to leave I wonder what the capital and beyond holds in terms of attitude towards life and the happiness the inhabitants posses.