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En Ciudad Porta Norte nos esmeramos en facilitar la conexión con la naturaleza y la actividad física. Esto lo hacemos preservando los cauces naturales, sembrando árboles en todas las aceras, construyendo parques y plazas con mucho verdor, apostando por el deporte y más.
Henry Faarup, CEO and Co-founder of #ElNuevoCascoViejo, envisions what a family man’s day will be like enjoying nature and physical activity in Porta Norte’s eco-friendly urban development:
I wake up on a Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. I open my eyes and see my ceiling supported by wooden beams made from trees in Porta Norte. I place my feet on the bamboo floor and stretch my arms.
I step out onto my bedroom terrace, take a deep breath of the fresh air, and watch the treetops lining the ravine dance to the rhythm of one of the last summer breezes. I remember that I have a tennis match at 6:00 a.m.
I’m on my way to the kitchen. To get there, I walk thru an inner courtyard. Mornings there are spectacular because the sun shines on the mango tree and the birds are singing. Before heading out to the patio, I make myself a cup of freshly ground coffee—nothing beats the smell of freshly brewed coffee—and grab a plate, a knife, and some salt.
I step out into the inner courtyard and am greeted by my dog, Max, wagging his tail as always. I walk barefoot thru the grass until I reach my morning chair under the mango tree. Before sitting down, I stretch out my arm and pluck a ripe mango. I sit down to listen to the garden’s voices while scratching Max’s furry neck. The birds sing as they drink water from the little pool waterfall.
Many little animals come here in the summer when they need water. That’s the beauty of having a patio connected to Mariposa Creek. I breathe in the fresh air before I start meditating. I close my eyes and focus on my breath.
At the end, I give thanks for another day and start planning my day while peeling the mango and eating it with a little salt. Should I go to the bike park at noon? Should I go for a bike trail? To the office? To the garden? To the park? To the river? To any park? How about going for a walk?
I get ready for tennis and head to the sports club to play with a friend from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. I get back home, grab the hose, and cool off the ground and my head. When I’m done, I start watering the plants. I love watching plants grow, especially my tomatoes and cucumbers—it’s a dynamic work of art. My garden is pesticide-free, because I want birds, bees, and butterflies to thrive.
I continue my virtuous morning and head to the sauna for a few minutes. Inside, I’m brainstorming my new project: a small house overlooking the ravine. I’m going to set up a small office there.
When I’m done, I take a dip in the pool, play with Max for a bit, and go change. Then I meet up with the rest of the family. They say they want to go to our usual café in Plaza Fundadores for breakfast. We grabbed Max and went out the front door onto a pedestrian street.
This is my favorite street; it’s lined with planters and ends at a lookout point with access to the Mariposa Creek. We walk a little further and, in the distance, we see some children running around the community garden and the amphitheater in the park. The laughter of children running is the music of the neighborhood. My son wants to go play with them, but I tell him later.
We walked along some sidewalks with plenty of space. Along the sidewalk is a row of lush trees whose canopies touch, creating a vast green canopy that casts spectacular shade. The squirrels spend their time moving from one tree to another. It’s nice to see how some rays of light pierce the canopy of the trees. At this time of year, the bougainvilleas in vivid colors are overflowing from the balconies, displaying themselves in all their splendor.
We arrived at the plaza in just a three-minute walk. We greet our neighbors and friends. There are a couple of people sitting and enjoying their hot coffee while reading the news in the shade of the guayacan trees. The older folks are in their usual corner, chatting.
The guayacanes are a sight to behold, but even more so when they turn yellow. In the middle of the square there’s a fountain running, and you can hear the water droplets falling. The base has some brightly colored mosaics.
My favorite places in the plaza are the bookstore and the market where they sell fresh food. There’s a park for kids to play in and another one for dogs. We left everyone in their place and sat down at the tables in the square. What a delight the smell of freshly baked bread is.
Marco, the waiter, smiles at us and asks, “The same as always?” We tell him yes. We enjoyed our toast in a relaxed manner until we finished our family breakfast.
My office is on the second floor of the plaza. I say goodbye with a hug and a kiss, and I’m off to work. My office has an antique wooden desk facing my balcony, which overlooks the María Prieta River, is filled with plants, and has a hammock with mola-patterned pillows.
I like to keep the doors open to take advantage of cross-ventilation and enjoy the view of nature. It’s a great inspiration for writing. The eaves covering my balcony keep the rain out.
At lunchtime, I decide to exercise. I’m grateful to have direct access to the river from my home and office. I go down to the plaza and walk thru the pergolas that lead to the river. Next to the volleyball court, I join the yoga group and then go for a hike.
There’s a microclimate; the air feels more humid and fresh by the river. The smell of the tropical forest is identical to that of El Valle or Cerro Azul. I take a several-kilometer hike and see howler monkeys, blue butterflies, iguanas, agoutis, little fish, bees, and hummingbirds.
The riverbank has countless species of trees. Some are huge, centuries-old trees. What I enjoy most are the fruit trees, because I love taking papayas, bananas, and avocados home. The canopies form a green roof that shelters me.
From time to time there are cave-like passageways formed by bamboo on either side of the path. I feel like I’m in a movie when I walk thru them. The trail is made of small pebbles, and every two minutes there are rest areas with benches, picnic tables, and barbecues made of wood, stone, and brick.
Many people love going down to have a barbecue and a picnic. How nice to have that dose of tropical nature on any given Tuesday, just a few steps away. It’s food for the soul. After finishing my workout, I walk to the riverbank where some children are bathing and playing with little frogs. I watch the water flow between the rocks, kneel down, dip my hands into the cold water, and splash my face.
I go home, take a shower, cook, and have a homemade lunch with my partner. Lunch includes a couple of vegetables from the community garden and the free-range eggs we bought at the market.
Before heading back to the office, I pick up my son from school by bike. I go out the front door and grab my bike, which is parked next to the door. On the way, I greet many parents who are walking back with their children. I pass by the Plaza del Amor. When I arrive, I wait a few minutes for him to finish playing soccer on the sports fields next to the school.
On our way back along the bike path, my son decides he wants to stop and play at the park, so we go for a little while. The part of the park we like the most is the garden. He enjoys getting his hands dirty with soil to pull up vegetables and see the roots.
There, we both learn about permaculture. There is an enormous variety of flowers, vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants. Medicinal plants used to be a mystery to me, but I’m learning more and more. Now I drink anti-inflammatory teas. I really enjoy feeding the fish in the irrigation ponds. I’ll take a couple of vegetables for dinner.
I leave him at home and walk back to the office to work a little longer. The bells ring in the distance, so it’s 6:00 PM; as usual, I settle into the hammock on the balcony to watch the sunset.
A few minutes pass and I see a couple of friends downstairs getting together to have some beers in the square, under the trees. I give in to temptation and go join them. I get to the table and a smile spreads from ear to ear, and we all greet each other with a hug. I order a glass of wine and an appetizer, and we start swapping stories.
I have plans for the evening. I’m going to cook on the wood-fired barbecue on my terrace with my family. I’ll say goodbye to the table. Some people had already gotten up to dance to the guitarist’s songs, so I raised my hand and waved goodbye from afar.
I walk back home and a smile spreads across my face as I see so much life on the street. The nighttime lighting has a warm touch. I cross my pedestrian street under the carnival lights and enter my house, where I’m greeted by some nephews who arrived early to play.
I start preparing the wood-fired barbecue and rinsing the vegetables from the garden. We ended the nite sharing the asado, dishes that each of us brought, wine, and good conversation at a long, narrow wooden table under the full moon.
Some nephews decide to take a dip in the small jacuzzi while others water the potted plants. At the end of the nite, we all said goodbye and went to bed. I check my phone and get excited because I reached my 10,000 daily steps. I close my eyes, looking at the Porta Norte wooden beams on the ceiling.
What a great day.
