Calle Matapalo and the Matapalo Compound

After three months in Texas, I have finally made it back to Costa Rica. Several friends in Texas asked me about where I live. This first post provides some details about that along with photos. Those of you who live in Costa Rica may not find this particularly interesting, but bear with me so I can pass along this information.

I live in Cajon arriba de Grecia located in the Province of Alajuela. Grecia is located about an hour north northwest of San José. Five ridges lead up the mountain to the north and northeast from Grecia. Each ridge is named after a small community located on the ridge. I live on a street called Calle Matapalo which is located on the El Cajon ridge. The reference to Cajon arriba means "above Cajon" so our street is north and a of the community of El Cajon and farther up the mountain. The Poas Volcano is located just on the other side of our ridge. When it blows ash, we definitely get it here in the compound. I call where I live the "Matapalo Compound". The compound is located about 500 yards/meters to the east of the main road and bus stop. The compound sits behind a large wall and consists of two buildings. The larger building has six apartments and the owner lives in that building. I live on the lower level of the second building which only has two apartments.

The main building

My building with the main building in the background.

As you can see, my apartment has a little patio with large glass windows allowing for a great view. The apartment has two bedrooms and one and a half baths.

The large main room looks out to the patio and yard. Same room looking back toward the kitchen.

Main bedroom - notice the hummer feeder through the window. I have four of them, upstairs neighbor has one and owner has one.

Second bedroom a/k/a the tomb (sorry no bathroom shots!).

View from the deck. The view straight out to the south from the deck is impressive as well - but no good photos. On a clear day, I can see the mountains beyond the Central Valley. Lots of coffee and lots of birding from that deck starting many mornings by 5:30.

The property is almost completely surrounded by coffee plantations. Work is often going on in the plantation. There are plenty of banana plants mixed in with the coffee as well.

The views in either direction from outside of the gate are breathtaking and change regularly depending on season, time of day, weather and cloud and fog formations.

The video provides an indication of the scope.

Photos in both directions just outside of the gate.

The compound is located about twenty minutes from central Grecia. A bus runs up and down the Cajon ridge going either direction about once an hour. The bus stop is at the intersection of Calle Matapalo and the main road (a seven minute walk from the compound). The yellow marker is the official bus stop although most drivers will stop if you wave them down. Just before the bus stop, you can look down into the Central Valley and see the western edge of San José. The building with the slanted white roof in the center of the photo is the national stadium.

There are about fifteen houses between the compound and the bus stop. Most of them are set well off of the road. Going in the other direction there are only four houses past the compound before the road dead ends at a gate into one of the coffee plantations.