I’ve been trying to connect with more Ticos and fewer tourists but to no avail. In a desperate attempt to pop open a cold one and chat with the locals, I decided to go looking for a bar in the nearest “non-tourist” town, Huacas. I took off this morning in my rental car in search of adventure. The “main” street in Huacas is actually Route 155 which takes you toward the airport in Liberia. There are a few shops, a pharmacy, pizza joint and sodas (small family run restaurants) and the traffic is pretty busy there.
I turned off the main road onto a side street, and I use the term “street” loosely, that took me back into the residential area of Huacas. True to form, there is a soccer field, a school, and a Catholic church. I suspected my trip would be doomed when I spotted the sign hanging on the building (see above). However, the community is dirt poor. And I do mean dirt. The streets, the yards around the houses, even the soccer field is mostly dirt. Every time a car goes by, it kicks up a cloud of dust that must infiltrate every single window, door, nook, and crannie in the town. Although the life expectancy of Ticos is better than ours in the USA (79.32 years vs 78.64 years in the USA), I have little doubt that Ticos die of respiratory diseases from breathing all that dust–what we anthracite region folks might think of as “brown lung.” Most of the homes I saw in Huacas are run down and not well maintained. They are open air (i.e., no air conditioning) with windows and doors wide open. Most had bars on the windows, doors, and some porches. I saw padlocks hanging on many.
I gave up my search for a local hangout in Huacas as the couple I saw didn’t look too inviting, particularly for non-Spanish speaking Gringos. I ended the morning with breakfast at a very nice little soda on the main road called Soda el Guanacaste. I continue to be amazed at the cleanliness of these little places…including those that look run down as you drive by. Even the bathrooms are typically spotless. They may be worn, but they are clean. Even though my search for a “non-touristy” hangout didn’t pan out, I had a delicious omelet and Costa Rican coffee. Doesn’t get much better.
I find it interesting that while in search of a drink at a bar you find and post a picture of the AA meeting. Are you telling me that the people there have alcohol abuse problems? I’m sure that is a universal, world-wide problem. The other thought was that perhaps you were indicating that you were going to a AA meeting there to meet locals. That’s an interesting idea. Anyway, I am sorry your excursion was not more successful. Better luck next time.
David:
No, I wasn’t in search of an AA meeting. Just found it interesting that while I was looking for a bar, I came across that sign. Maybe it’s an omen….
We’ll have to get some beer and talk about your experiences when you get home. From the way it sounds going off in search of a drink alone could be dangerous.