Close to Flying the Coop
Well, I moved from my more remote (though beautiful) apartment in the country to Melody and Chris' neighborhood, San Felipe del Agua, about 15 minutes away. I love this neighborhood, and I'm right around the corner from those guys, which is awesome, but the place is not so hot. It's small and lacks any charm or style, but that's not the biggest issue. When I first arrived, I was overpowered by a mysterious smell. A foul smell, no pun intended, considering I finally determined it was coming from the neighbor's chicken coop. A chicken coop is a very distinct smell, if you've never had the pleasure. I remember it from being in Costa Rica because along one of my favorite hikes, I used to pass one, and it was pretty overwhelming (like, run-past-the-coop overwhelming). Here at my new house, it was more subtle, but still completely invading my already sensitive nostrils.
On top of the smell, I had the sensation that little things were biting me. It was that annoying, pinprick feeling of dust mites or something along that line. And, when I went online to check the Internet speed, I started having issues; it would work really well for a few minutes, and then suddenly take a minute to load a page. This was not going to work. I have a really busy work week coming up, and plus Mike is going to be here in about a week, so these combined factors put me into panic mode and I started to search for other Airbnbs, or even hotels.
Finally, I stepped back and decided to go to the grocery store to get out of the house and think (and buy some scented candles). I was gone for a long time because I spoke to Shannon on the phone for a while, too. (Thank you, Shannon, for listening to me freak out). When I got back, I didn't smell the chicken coop. The wind must have shifted or something– I don't know. With the smell gone, things seemed manageable. I noticed I didn't feel the pinpricks on my skin anymore either. Maybe it was some cleaning product she was using, since she was mopping when I arrived? I had also spoken to the homeowners about the Internet and they were going to try to move the access point. Sure, the place was still small and kind of crappy, but it was suddenly seeming tolerable.
I slept well in my windowless room last night (despite a loud band playing at a neighbor's until midnight) and woke up feeling better about it all. I can handle this place... which is good since it's already paid for for the month. As long as the Internet is functional, it's fine. In the big picture, I've had a lot of luck with the Airbnbs I've rented up until now, so if this one just didn't hit the mark, I can't complain too much. I mean, talk about a first-world problem, right? Anyway, I'm here until June 2nd, at which time I can move on, lesson learned.
Money spent yesterday
70 pesos -taxi to new house
1,000 pesos - at the grocery store (including a hairdryer, cushion to sit on while I work, and melatonin)
=1070 pesos or $56 USD
 |
| As you can see, the place is fine, just small |
 |
| Workable |
 |
| Ripped pleather couch? Oh well |
Finally, I stepped back and decided to go to the grocery store to get out of the house and think (and buy some scented candles). I was gone for a long time because I spoke to Shannon on the phone for a while, too. (Thank you, Shannon, for listening to me freak out). When I got back, I didn't smell the chicken coop. The wind must have shifted or something– I don't know. With the smell gone, things seemed manageable. I noticed I didn't feel the pinpricks on my skin anymore either. Maybe it was some cleaning product she was using, since she was mopping when I arrived? I had also spoken to the homeowners about the Internet and they were going to try to move the access point. Sure, the place was still small and kind of crappy, but it was suddenly seeming tolerable.
I slept well in my windowless room last night (despite a loud band playing at a neighbor's until midnight) and woke up feeling better about it all. I can handle this place... which is good since it's already paid for for the month. As long as the Internet is functional, it's fine. In the big picture, I've had a lot of luck with the Airbnbs I've rented up until now, so if this one just didn't hit the mark, I can't complain too much. I mean, talk about a first-world problem, right? Anyway, I'm here until June 2nd, at which time I can move on, lesson learned.
Money spent yesterday
70 pesos -taxi to new house
1,000 pesos - at the grocery store (including a hairdryer, cushion to sit on while I work, and melatonin)
=1070 pesos or $56 USD
Comments
Post a Comment