A Vision Of Las Catalinas In 2016

This is something that I wrote back in June of 2006 when we were still working on getting the Las Catalinas land under contract. I can't believe I haven't posted it here before now! A rewrite today would mention a few things that are omitted here.  But not much else would change. I know, because a shortened version of this is a key part of the presentation I make these days! I hope you enjoy.

Charles

Las Catalinas, June 21, 2016

By Charles Brewer, June 21, 2006

Waking up in Las Catalinas is a joy. The sounds of the ocean, the birds, the monkeys, and the early stirrings of the village always lure me straight to the terrace. A look out to sea tells me something about what is in store for the day. A calm day for snorkeling? A nice swell for body surfing? A good wind for sailing? That view of the Pacific with the beautiful town nestled up to it and rising up the hills behind is something I just can't get enough of.

For me the view is always enough to lure me up and out and doing something in the water first thing has become something of a ritual. It might be a swim, or kayak, or maybe just a walk on the beach, but I like to reconnect with that ocean first thing every day. Today it was a day for kayaking. We have great equipment at the beach club here. Not that dumbed-down low-performance usually-out-of-order stuff that you so often find at hotels and rental places. We have real gear! And I don't have to be the guy that takes care of it! I like to paddle out halfway to Flamingo and just sit there quietly and see what I notice. Usually I can count on a turtle, or some dolphins, or a manta coming to check me out. I am imaging that they actually know me now. Afterwards a walk through the village to gather fresh baked goods and fruit for Ginny and the children (and especially me!) is another ritual. Francois at the bakery always has a friendly word and comments on the local news - and has delicious chocolate croissants. Sr. Fernandez will have the day's selection of fresh local fruits. And I can count on seeing a few early morning regulars, as well as an interesting collection of visitors. We morning people stick together.

By the time I'm headed home the young children are making their way to the town pre-school and the older ones are gathering at the bus stop for Country Day School.

After breakfast with the family I take some time for work. I'm still amazed at how effectively technology lets me be somewhere else - work wise - even when I'm here. What it can't do, of course, is let me be here - living wise - when I am somewhere else.

Our fellow homeowners in Las Catalinas are a fascinating multi-national bunch. And while we are different in many ways we share one bond that seems to be quite profound, which is that this place - this beautiful, one of a kind, quirky place - is the place that captured our hearts enough to have us make it our home. Or at least our home away from home. And that seems to mean that we share a number of characteristics. We are passionate about nature - preserving it, enjoying it, and being a part of it. We passionately love being able to live a rich life here under our own power, on bike, foot, or boat, the great majority of the time. It makes us healthy, it makes us feel healthy, and it just seems to bond us to this place, and to each other. While most of us have accumulated some wealth (prices here have escalated so much that it would be hard to own here otherwise!), that certainly isn't what defines us. We are a curious lot, and we enjoy the constant ebb and flow of visitors in the town, be they hotel guests, house guests, month-long renters, or tourists who have wandered over from Flamingo or some nearby place.

I love our house here. We are right in town, yet we have tremendous views. And with our courtyard, we even have plenty of privacy. But it is not the house that really makes this place for us. It is what lies outside our door. And that is the village of Las Catalinas and the incredible Costa Rican nature that lies right at the edge of town, and is even interwoven into the town. The town is absolutely seductive. Every street seems to lead to stunning view. Every little passageway seems to lead to a beautiful fountain in a piazza. Of course I can't really get lost here anymore, but I still like to try! And where else can you find monkeys living in the big Guanacaste tree in the town square?

No can believe that this place has been built just over the last 10 years. It seems like it has been here for centuries! Until you get inside the houses, that is.

Anyway, back to my day. The family scattered after breakfast. Lucy and Charlotte had a race this morning with the town sailing club. McHenry went to the beach to play soccer with his pals at low tide. Ginny went to her workout. So after a morning of work I rode my bike out to the Sunset Bar on Punta Guachipelines for lunch. I knew half the people there, so I sat up at the bar and had a great time. Afterwards, nap time. We have this big swinging bed up on the upper terrace, looking straight out to the Catalina Islands. I love to take my guitar up there and play myself to sleep, which I did today, quite blissfully.

After naptime I had a meeting down at the town council office with the Zapotal Peninsula Trails Commission. We have hiking trails connecting everywhere through the area, and mountain bike trails too. Lots of bikes on the roads too - way more bikes than cars. A favorite ride is to do a loop of the Zapotal valley and then go to Ernesto's Cantina in Guacamaya for lunch. Anyhow, the commission built the trails in the first place and now maintains them. I've enjoyed working on this, and it has been a nice way to connect with some folks in the other towns out here on the Peninsula.

Then Ginny and I hiked up to the ridge for sunset. I still can't get used to how magical the sunsets are here. The place up on the ridge where we hike reminds us of where we got engaged on Mt. Tamalpais up above Stinson Beach. But warmer. And with monkeys. Then dinner at home. Then everyone was off for a stroll around town. It's not quite the old Spanish tradition of the evening promenade. But it is close! We all love it. And each other. And this place.