Wow, I love my new place! And the owner really puts his heart into it. He and his 85 year old father run the place and the two of them are so helpful and friendly. The view from my private patio is the real star the show.

He did mention big boas in the forest behind the house but not even in a bad way! LOL WTF. He was saying how beautiful they are and that they wouldn’t jump on you and squeeze you. And that even the deadly poisonous snakes back there are timid and would rather run than bit you and that their mouths are so complicated that it would be hard for them to bite you anyway. Oh that and if I find anything in my room like a scorpion, I could feel free to call him to get it out. I feel much safer now. Not.

Not only did he give me some eggs and an avocado so I’d have something to eat last night, but today he drove me all around town showing me so many things; places to eat, hikes to go on, where to shop, etc. etc. Then he dropped me at the grocery store so I could stock up. It would be hard to carry all that wine home from the store if I had to walk! LOL

Along with the few things I lugged up here from Zancudo, I got all stocked up on $30 for groceries and $27 for wine.The studio was lacking a few things but I simply asked him about them and he had them here quickly (a frying pan, sharp knife, extra blanket, etc.). I asked him if he minded if I rearranged (since I can’t help myself and I’d have to do it anyway). Thankfully he’s so easy going and told me I could even rearrange the wall hangings if I wanted! Fortunately, there are not wall hangings that are misplaced so I don’t have to have that temptation. Santa Elena sure has grown since I was here 19 years ago. But in some ways it feels the same. Small mountainy town vibe, artistic and nature-focused. We even drove by my old hostel (Pension Santa Elena) today and I saw my old room and even the hammock where I would lay and read the Chronicles of Narnia - it was still there!

It’s amazing how much there is to do here. A ton of it requires some hefty entry fees, but there are a lot of free things to do here, too. He gave me so much information that I finally had to start writing it down and I’ll still forget a ton of it.

So for now I’m just nesting and getting settled in. The internet seems to have gone out in the entire country due to some tree falling on a line (?) so hopefully it will get fixed soon. I normally wouldn’t mind but Dave might worry and I do have a lot of work to do on my site.