COSTA RICA DIARIES v1n7
Las Catalinas
So I’m at the sweetly named Casa Chameleon hotel in a tiny town called Las Catalinas and feeling much better — about everything. It’s a truly stunning place. They have little chameleon doorknobs. The beach sands are actually black — a remnant of volcanic activity here going back to the beginning of time.
Later today, I’ll move to a condo in Conchal and hopefully find a recording studio — which has been a bit of a task but I’m not giving up. The towns here like Las Catalinas are tiny and simple. Not a lot of rockstars running around. I think, honestly, so there’s little demand.
Alas. Total first world problem. I don’t have much else to say today beyond that I’m excited for Conchal, where I am promised I will see more monkeys, which along with birds and my beloved Pacific Ocean is really why I’m here. And I suspect I’ll spend a lot of time at the W Hotel, which is next to my condo complex, because it’s almost as pretty as Las Catalinas and I’m a little nervous about being on my own.
A friend asked me this morning if language was a challenge here, and it absolutely isn’t. English is a big part of the Costa Rican education system. I’ve not had to use my translation app once because they all speak great English — better than a lot of Americans I know. It’s vastly different for me than, for example, Mexico was earlier this year when I spent most of my time reaching for the phone so I could dial up the app to have a basic conversation with a taxi driver or waiter. I had to hire an assistant to help me navigate the town. (Not a slight on Mexico or Mexicans, whom I adore, they just speak Spanish and if you don’t, it’s your problem, which is actually kind of baller).
I’ve tried learning Spanish, but I have difficulty with retention ever since a car accident a few years ago. Whole different story, that one. But at least I’ve tried. No matter how easy it is here to communicate in my native tongue, I would love to do so in theirs.
Anyway. So yeah, this is an easy place for English speakers. Which makes it quite ideal for a numbskull like me!
I’ll be back with stories of Conchal….
