Tomorrow I will be in Colombia... yeeeeeeeehawwwwwwww! Two weeks ago my enthusiasm about landing in one of the most dangerous places in the world, alone, at midnight, with no certain direction to go, was a bit obsolete. I was more apprehensive then excited, but somewhere in the last 10 days I'm really looking forward to it. Perhaps it is because I'm getting restless in Costa Rica. After a month of being here I can honestly say I've seen it all. It is a beautiful, culturally rich and diverse country that I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring, but I am ready for some Ecuadorian hitchhiking, Andes mountaineering, WWOOFing at a Chilean vineyard, teaching children, Bolivian hostel volunteering, and encountering the unexpected. Costa Rica was a nice easement into what is to come, but tomorrow and really the rest of my journey's from here, are going to be left up to the unpredictable.
Here, I lived in a nice home with a wonderful lady named Lily who cooked the most delicious meals and always made sure I had clean clothes. The last time I lived that well was when I was in the 5th grade! If only Lily knew that before I came here I ate pizza off of a trash can, have a pair of underwear that I found on the streets of New York (I drycleaned them by the way..) and bicycled an ungodly amount of miles everyday she probably wouldn't believe me. In Costa Rica, I feel like I have been living the high-life, which makes me feel a little odd. When I leave here I'll be back to the old ways of peanut butter tortilla wraps and rationed beans. Every now and then I'll splurge on ceviche or a mojito or a cappuccino, but I like seeing what is the minimal I am able to survive on. It makes me appreciate things much more, and understand the weightlessness of not being bound.
Like the Stars say, "when there is nothing left to burn you have to set yourself on fire."
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
beer fruit
Mamochino, my new favorite fruit. A beautifully odd spike ball of a thing that looks like it should live at the bottom of the ocean..
This is the placenta-like, martian baby part you eat. Sounds unappetizing, but tastes amazing!
Ohhhh Imperial. Not as good as it looks, but for $1.40 I really can't complain.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thoughts on San Jose
As my time in Costa Rica comes to an end I figure here is my chance to explain my thoughts about it. Hmm, hmmm, let me begin with San Jose.
- PDA is out of control. I have never seen so much hands on, lip-locking, cop-a-feel, ain't ashamed, let's dry hump in a field, or on a bench in the mall action then here. It has been explained to me that this is part of the culture. Since it is not socially accepted for girls and guys to go over each others homes they make do elsewhere. If this actually prevents teen pregnancy, I don't know, but it is definitely helping the public learn the steps to third base.
- Terrible is a mild way to describe traffic. You have a 50% chance of dying every time you cross the street. Pedestrians do not have the right-a-way. The roads do not have distinct lanes. The car honking here would mute New York City. Taxi drivers pretend they don't speak Spanish or English. No such thing as speed limit. Every San Jose car owner should move to LA and become stunt drivers. Everyone drives a standard. [Good news] The public transportation system is impeccable! The US should take a few pointers in this department.
- Music & movies from the States is inescapable. For an entire month I tried to find a place that showed foreign films. I had no idea that my quest for a good Spanish film would turn into disappointment. The closest I got was Hannah Montana dubbed in Spanish. No thank-you. Music is the same. I've heard more 80s music from the States then ever. Ohhh globalization.
- Mannequins go to the plastic surgeon before they head to the mall. What do I mean by this? They are curvaceous and busty, and when I say busty, I mean breast that resemble inflated balloons.
- Food food food. When in doubt just say, Quisiera comida tipica, por favor. and you will get a heaping mound of rice, beans, meat, plantains, salad, and juice for under $3 bucks. This translates to affordable deliciousness.
- Nightlife can be a little pretentious. If you are from Dallas, I think you'll be fine. But don't worry, there are cool dive bars & the karaoke here is nothing short of amazing.
- Let's talk liquor You got two choices of beer. Imperial or Pilsen. Both taste like Natural Light. The reason? Well, Costa Rica has a national brewery and so that is the only thing you are going to get. They also make their own liquor from sugar cane called Guaro. Surprisingly, it isn't sweet but very smooth. It is a lot like vodka minus the potato taste. The typical mixed drink is guaro and fresca. As far as open container laws.. They don't exist and you can even bring your own boos to the bars.
- Oi Rasta! I got this everywhere I went. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it was annoying, but often useful. People gave me discounts on things if I let them touch my hair, a little strange, but it saved me a few bucks here & there. The most frustrating part was trying to explain to folks that I'm not a Rastafarian from Poland. No one seemed to understand, so towards the end I just learned to accept it.
- PDA is out of control. I have never seen so much hands on, lip-locking, cop-a-feel, ain't ashamed, let's dry hump in a field, or on a bench in the mall action then here. It has been explained to me that this is part of the culture. Since it is not socially accepted for girls and guys to go over each others homes they make do elsewhere. If this actually prevents teen pregnancy, I don't know, but it is definitely helping the public learn the steps to third base.
- Terrible is a mild way to describe traffic. You have a 50% chance of dying every time you cross the street. Pedestrians do not have the right-a-way. The roads do not have distinct lanes. The car honking here would mute New York City. Taxi drivers pretend they don't speak Spanish or English. No such thing as speed limit. Every San Jose car owner should move to LA and become stunt drivers. Everyone drives a standard. [Good news] The public transportation system is impeccable! The US should take a few pointers in this department.
- Music & movies from the States is inescapable. For an entire month I tried to find a place that showed foreign films. I had no idea that my quest for a good Spanish film would turn into disappointment. The closest I got was Hannah Montana dubbed in Spanish. No thank-you. Music is the same. I've heard more 80s music from the States then ever. Ohhh globalization.
- Mannequins go to the plastic surgeon before they head to the mall. What do I mean by this? They are curvaceous and busty, and when I say busty, I mean breast that resemble inflated balloons.
- Food food food. When in doubt just say, Quisiera comida tipica, por favor. and you will get a heaping mound of rice, beans, meat, plantains, salad, and juice for under $3 bucks. This translates to affordable deliciousness.
- Nightlife can be a little pretentious. If you are from Dallas, I think you'll be fine. But don't worry, there are cool dive bars & the karaoke here is nothing short of amazing.
- Let's talk liquor You got two choices of beer. Imperial or Pilsen. Both taste like Natural Light. The reason? Well, Costa Rica has a national brewery and so that is the only thing you are going to get. They also make their own liquor from sugar cane called Guaro. Surprisingly, it isn't sweet but very smooth. It is a lot like vodka minus the potato taste. The typical mixed drink is guaro and fresca. As far as open container laws.. They don't exist and you can even bring your own boos to the bars.
- Oi Rasta! I got this everywhere I went. Sometimes it was funny, sometimes it was annoying, but often useful. People gave me discounts on things if I let them touch my hair, a little strange, but it saved me a few bucks here & there. The most frustrating part was trying to explain to folks that I'm not a Rastafarian from Poland. No one seemed to understand, so towards the end I just learned to accept it.
I'm a one-hit-wonder karaoke singer
A few shots, several beers, and one hour later.. I find myself on stage at a karaoke bar belting out My Girl and Bust a Move. Next thing I know I'm dancing with the prettiest girl in the room and getting roses handed to me by a bunch of guys. I'm not sure why or exactly how that happened, but I had one fantastic time nonetheless. I think I'm going to continue karaoke when I get back to the States. Apparently I don't look as silly as I feel, plus I got a lot of free stuff singing with a prompter and seawalking across the dance floor. The downside is that somewhere along the night I lost my voice again. Oh well. Oh well. And goodnight.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
adios escuela!
I have my last Spanish test in the morning. If I pass then I'm one giant step closer to graduating! I think I only have one semester left and my tentative schedule will be: jogging, Texas history, and canoeing (wish I was joking, but I'm not).
adios escuela, hola Colombia!
adios escuela, hola Colombia!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
An appeasing evening of art at Teatro Nacional
Every now and then I like to go to a fancy place. So last night I buttoned-up my one and only dress shirt, put on some slacks, got in a cab, and then found myself stumbling through the front doors of the most prestigious building in all of San Jose-- Teatro Nacional. The building was constructed out of so much marble and gold I felt that it should be located at the end of a rainbow. The architecture and artwork was astounding. The attention to detail from everything to architectural structure, life-like marble sculptures, ceiling paintings, and the blatant depiction of colonization distributed throughout all of the art/infrastructure was very interesting.
(History spiel below)
Costa Rica didn't gain independence from Spain until 1821 but Teatro Nacional wasn't completed until 1897. The reason for its construction was because of a famous Italian opera singer, Adelina Patti, who refused to sing in Costa Rica because there wasn't an appropriate enough theatre for her perform. Appalled and embarrassed by how Patti's comment implicated that Costa Rica was inadequate, the rich coffee plantation owners decided to put a levying tax on all exported coffee to raise the funds to build Teatro Nacional to prove that they were indeed independently wealthy from Spain. However, they commissioned Europeans to build Teatro Nacional and ended up with a replica of a typical Spaniard style building. The women in the artwork were drawn to resemble European beauty instead of Costa Rican since darker colored skin was still considered inferior at this time. I find it fascinating at how Costa Rica made an earnest attempt to prove their originality and individuality, but instead got this beautiful replica of a building that only depicts colonization after they gained independence. I didn't mean to go on a tangent.. I just find it ironic & fascinating.
(Back to the story)
The reason I went was to see a piano concerito. Little did I know that it was Sergio Saldi who performed and played some of my favorite, less recited pieces from Bach, Beethoven, Schumman, and Prokofiev. He was very thematic and played with this magnetic fervor that was exciting to watch. I sat intrigued on the 4th row absorbing all I could from the setting, the sound, the applause, the silence. Any type of art that I can watch unfold, especially from someone who is talented and passionate about what they do, what they are creating, I'm awed by. It's been a while since I've had a tranquil evening like that, and one I'm probably not going to experience again for a long time.
Salud! to a night filled with fancy cocktails, button-ups, impressive piano playing, and gold-plated everything.
______________________________
Pianist
I called him fervor.
The way his fingers reminded me of waves breaking shore upon the keys.
Every hair of mine resonated like the ping of tambourines as he played.
We all watched
delicate.
crippled,
by how the pianist was able to make our blood breathe.
every key struck shook the dust off of us
for there is no need for words when the unspoken says enough
language leave me now for all I need to understand is
a blink
a smile
a clap
but I know that when this ends we all will leave
back to the traffic and the debris
we will forget fingertips made of fire
the city built underneath the notes he pounded out
our words will come back
as we attempt to explain what it was we felt
but no matter how hard we try
our words will never be able to capture the sound
(History spiel below)
Costa Rica didn't gain independence from Spain until 1821 but Teatro Nacional wasn't completed until 1897. The reason for its construction was because of a famous Italian opera singer, Adelina Patti, who refused to sing in Costa Rica because there wasn't an appropriate enough theatre for her perform. Appalled and embarrassed by how Patti's comment implicated that Costa Rica was inadequate, the rich coffee plantation owners decided to put a levying tax on all exported coffee to raise the funds to build Teatro Nacional to prove that they were indeed independently wealthy from Spain. However, they commissioned Europeans to build Teatro Nacional and ended up with a replica of a typical Spaniard style building. The women in the artwork were drawn to resemble European beauty instead of Costa Rican since darker colored skin was still considered inferior at this time. I find it fascinating at how Costa Rica made an earnest attempt to prove their originality and individuality, but instead got this beautiful replica of a building that only depicts colonization after they gained independence. I didn't mean to go on a tangent.. I just find it ironic & fascinating.
(Back to the story)
The reason I went was to see a piano concerito. Little did I know that it was Sergio Saldi who performed and played some of my favorite, less recited pieces from Bach, Beethoven, Schumman, and Prokofiev. He was very thematic and played with this magnetic fervor that was exciting to watch. I sat intrigued on the 4th row absorbing all I could from the setting, the sound, the applause, the silence. Any type of art that I can watch unfold, especially from someone who is talented and passionate about what they do, what they are creating, I'm awed by. It's been a while since I've had a tranquil evening like that, and one I'm probably not going to experience again for a long time.
Salud! to a night filled with fancy cocktails, button-ups, impressive piano playing, and gold-plated everything.
______________________________
Pianist
I called him fervor.
The way his fingers reminded me of waves breaking shore upon the keys.
Every hair of mine resonated like the ping of tambourines as he played.
We all watched
delicate.
crippled,
by how the pianist was able to make our blood breathe.
every key struck shook the dust off of us
for there is no need for words when the unspoken says enough
language leave me now for all I need to understand is
a blink
a smile
a clap
but I know that when this ends we all will leave
back to the traffic and the debris
we will forget fingertips made of fire
the city built underneath the notes he pounded out
our words will come back
as we attempt to explain what it was we felt
but no matter how hard we try
our words will never be able to capture the sound
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Lions, tigers, and bears... Hell yeah!!
Corcovado.
One of the most difficult places to get to in all of Costa Rica. A piece of land that houses the most biodiversity than all of Costa Rica combined as well as one of the most impressive in the world. It is basically Costa Rica's Amazon. From San Jose it would take me at least 10hrs of bus rides, figure out how to cross the Drake Bay, hop aboard a Jeep, and depending on where I would get dropped off I would have to hike anywhere from 4 hrs to 2 days. It is the only piece of land in Costa Rica where tigers exist and contains the most venomous snakes (most will release enough poison to kill a person within less than 4 hours and with the nearest hospital located 6 hours away it isn't hard to infer that your chances of survival if bitten are less than good). There are piranhas, killer bees, African ants, and wild boars as well. This place is survival of the fittest and bravest. Every Tico I have talked to has told me not to travel here alone, and I never thought that I would until I was reading an article about how an American backpacker got lost in Corcovado for 2 days and came across and indigenous tribe!! Half dehydrated and about to give up hope he came across the only indigenous tribe in all of Costa Rica. I haven't made up my mind yet about whether or not to attempt the unthinkable, but lately the unthinkable is the only thing I've able to think about.
Corcovado here I come!
One of the most difficult places to get to in all of Costa Rica. A piece of land that houses the most biodiversity than all of Costa Rica combined as well as one of the most impressive in the world. It is basically Costa Rica's Amazon. From San Jose it would take me at least 10hrs of bus rides, figure out how to cross the Drake Bay, hop aboard a Jeep, and depending on where I would get dropped off I would have to hike anywhere from 4 hrs to 2 days. It is the only piece of land in Costa Rica where tigers exist and contains the most venomous snakes (most will release enough poison to kill a person within less than 4 hours and with the nearest hospital located 6 hours away it isn't hard to infer that your chances of survival if bitten are less than good). There are piranhas, killer bees, African ants, and wild boars as well. This place is survival of the fittest and bravest. Every Tico I have talked to has told me not to travel here alone, and I never thought that I would until I was reading an article about how an American backpacker got lost in Corcovado for 2 days and came across and indigenous tribe!! Half dehydrated and about to give up hope he came across the only indigenous tribe in all of Costa Rica. I haven't made up my mind yet about whether or not to attempt the unthinkable, but lately the unthinkable is the only thing I've able to think about.
Corcovado here I come!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pictures Finally!!!!!!
If you look close you will see a tornado in the distance. Do you know where I was during this? Stuck in the canopy of the Rainforest overlooking a waterfall
random rock art on Montezuma beach
part of a mural
doing what I do best.. thinkin'...
The view
Jerry & I taking a break from getting beaten up by the ocean
Beach hiking in Montezuma at 7:00AM
Chicos.. The only bar in Montezuma where me and this fem boy named Nikita got mistaken for "newlyweds". We thought it was great so for the rest of the trip we decided to claim each other as life-partners:)
Montezuma waterfall II
Montezuma waterfall
Deb and I at the top of the Rain Forest
Every morning these monkeys would climb the trees next to our balcony and throw mangoes to us.
Montezuma is covered with these friendly little neon colored crabs!!!
And some still believe that dinosaurs never existed... sureee, I say, try telling that to this guy
white throated magpie bluejay decided to join us for eggs, but I like to call him Spudnik (Montezuma)
What of it? I think smoking a Cuban and playing poker with Tinkerbell cards @ 8:00am is a wonderful idea
La Luna Llena hoste, Montezuma II
La Luna Llena hostel Montezuma
Gulf of Nicoya sunset heading to Montezuma II
Gulf of Nicoya sunset heading to Montezuma
La Escuela!
Good times in our beautiful bungalow in Puerto Viejo
Comida Tipica... a heaping mound of rice, beans, fruit, and meat for $2.50 US dollars :)
Volcano Irazu.. Still active & the Ninja Turtle green water below changes a different color everyday
This was part of a Macadamia nut and coffee plantation.
another beatiful view
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Amazing Race to Montezuma
Montezuma is a town.. no let me rephrase that.. more like a village. It is this cute/eclectic/bohemian/bizarre/tranquil community that takes forever and a day get there, but when you do it is quite apparent why no one wants to leave. The village is the size of a small square consisting of 8 restaurants, a food store, 4 hostels, and a bar. They even have a phone book that is literally 1 page! One side of the town is the Rain Forest and the other is the Pacific Ocean. I guess that is why it took 4 buses and a ferry ride across the Gulf of Nicoya to get there. After about a days worth of transportation all 11 of us (10 ladies and a gent to be exact) managed to make it. We stayed at the beautiful Luna Llena hostel perfectly situated in the middle of the Rain Forest overlooking the ocean. I don't know exactly how I did it, but I managed to book us an entire part of the hostel for only $10 bucks a piece a night. The hostel even came with monkeys who thought it was funny to throw mangoes at us in the morning and iguanas that resembled dinosaurs. Absolutely breathtaking place! The waterfalls of Montezuma were equally as stunning, but the hike to them was another adventure. We were warned by the manager of the hostel that if it starts to rain to immediately get out of the waterfalls because landslides are quite common and happen rapidly. We smiled and said we understood as we continued on our way- me looking like a gypsy pirate, Kaitlin in the yellow sundress, and Jerry the only Gent. After an hour of slipping on river rocks, hanging on to whatever vegetation we could find on 90 degree angles, and trying to get rid of barefooted mountain man who came out of nowhere we made it to the roaring waterfall! We jumped off the cliff just when the sky decided that it was a good time to rain. We all looked at each other wondering what to do next. Should we take our chances and stay in the waterfall? Should we curse the sky? Should we hike back? I decided to take control of the situation by suggesting we climb to the top of this canopy we passed and wait for the rain to stop. It never crossed my mind that it could rain harder and we would get stuck in the worst place possible...on top of the trees... over the waterfall. We stayed stranded for about an hour in a colossal downpour until we all thought the best thing to do was to take our chances and hike back down all of the 90 degree angles we had to walk up. Luckily, we came across a short cut that led us to another trail that wasn't as near as dangerous as the one we found on our own. When we got back to the hostel, though, Debra was sitting there with a cup of coffee smiling and eager to show us what she saw. We all huddle around her video camera and see the replay of the tornado that just finished dancing over the Pacific Ocean. Hmmmm, I think, now that is a story. The time I went hiking and got stuck in a Rain Forest canopy with a boy and a girl in a yellow sundress during a tornado over the ocean.
Later that night we all decided to go to the food store and get the supplies to make a cheap and delicious dinner. 15 avocados, 3 packs of tortillas, frozen shrimp, and a bottle of rum later we have one enormous bowl of guacamole, scrumptious fish tacos, and thirst quenching mango mojitos. After we were all fed and happy the only thing left to do was go to Chico's, the only bar in town. I left my shoes at the hostel and danced like the floor was on fire and met my favorite dancing partner of all time. His name was Nikita. He was quite possibly the cutest boy I have ever seen wearing his tight black pants, shirtless, barefoot, and totting a white purse. He was dancing like a madman all alone and I just couldn't help myself so I decided to join him on the dancefloor. Next thing I know everyone in the bar clears out the middle and it is just me and Nikita dancing as if we are dodging stars with no care in the world at how out of rhythm we probably were. While dancing for 4 hours with Nikita I discover that he is a Russian immigrant turned impressive New York artist who decided to escape the city and come to Costa Rica for a few weeks with his buddy Dan. He and Dan hitchiked from San Jose to Montezuma and somehow got to stay in this unfinished mansion. I wanted to talk to Nikita more on the dance floor but when 4:00AM came I had to tell him farewell.
Everyone else decided to get back at 6:00AM and wake up the rest of us to go hiking to the beach. With only 2 hours of sleep I managed to wake back up and fumble my way downstairs to the free coffee. For some reason I decided that it would be wise not to bring shoes since we were going to the beach, but little did I know that the beach we were going to was about 2 miles away. We walked across everything from sharp rocks, seashells, hot black sand, and driftwood. By the end of the day my feet felt like limp bags of pudding, but the beach was gorgeous. Jerry and I decided to run as fast as we could and tackle the waves, but instead they ended up knocking us face first into the sand and gave us both whiplash. I wouldn't exchange my ocean bruises for nothing, though:)
Montezuma has been my favorite place so far. It has definitely been the most adventurous, scenic, and eclectic. It is it's own little entity, which in that aspect, reminds me of Austin. A town that confuses the hell out of some and comforts others. A place where people just are and enjoy being..
My top 10 of Montezuma:
10. Meeting the town drunk named Table (he is the equivalent to Leslie "the queen
of Austin" minus the bad drag
9. Making enough guacamole to feed the city
8. Attempting to bitch-slap the ocean early in the morning with Jerry
7. Seeing the tornado over the ocean
6. Dancing the night away at Chico's with Nikita
5. The ferry ride at sunset
4. Me loosing my voice while attempting to light a Cuban cigar @ 8:00AM with a
citronella candle. (bad idea)
3. Staying in the beautiful Luna Llena
2. Getting stuck in a Rain Forest Canopy and jumping off waterfalls
1. The new stories I have and the inspiration I got by going there
Later that night we all decided to go to the food store and get the supplies to make a cheap and delicious dinner. 15 avocados, 3 packs of tortillas, frozen shrimp, and a bottle of rum later we have one enormous bowl of guacamole, scrumptious fish tacos, and thirst quenching mango mojitos. After we were all fed and happy the only thing left to do was go to Chico's, the only bar in town. I left my shoes at the hostel and danced like the floor was on fire and met my favorite dancing partner of all time. His name was Nikita. He was quite possibly the cutest boy I have ever seen wearing his tight black pants, shirtless, barefoot, and totting a white purse. He was dancing like a madman all alone and I just couldn't help myself so I decided to join him on the dancefloor. Next thing I know everyone in the bar clears out the middle and it is just me and Nikita dancing as if we are dodging stars with no care in the world at how out of rhythm we probably were. While dancing for 4 hours with Nikita I discover that he is a Russian immigrant turned impressive New York artist who decided to escape the city and come to Costa Rica for a few weeks with his buddy Dan. He and Dan hitchiked from San Jose to Montezuma and somehow got to stay in this unfinished mansion. I wanted to talk to Nikita more on the dance floor but when 4:00AM came I had to tell him farewell.
Everyone else decided to get back at 6:00AM and wake up the rest of us to go hiking to the beach. With only 2 hours of sleep I managed to wake back up and fumble my way downstairs to the free coffee. For some reason I decided that it would be wise not to bring shoes since we were going to the beach, but little did I know that the beach we were going to was about 2 miles away. We walked across everything from sharp rocks, seashells, hot black sand, and driftwood. By the end of the day my feet felt like limp bags of pudding, but the beach was gorgeous. Jerry and I decided to run as fast as we could and tackle the waves, but instead they ended up knocking us face first into the sand and gave us both whiplash. I wouldn't exchange my ocean bruises for nothing, though:)
Montezuma has been my favorite place so far. It has definitely been the most adventurous, scenic, and eclectic. It is it's own little entity, which in that aspect, reminds me of Austin. A town that confuses the hell out of some and comforts others. A place where people just are and enjoy being..
My top 10 of Montezuma:
10. Meeting the town drunk named Table (he is the equivalent to Leslie "the queen
of Austin" minus the bad drag
9. Making enough guacamole to feed the city
8. Attempting to bitch-slap the ocean early in the morning with Jerry
7. Seeing the tornado over the ocean
6. Dancing the night away at Chico's with Nikita
5. The ferry ride at sunset
4. Me loosing my voice while attempting to light a Cuban cigar @ 8:00AM with a
citronella candle. (bad idea)
3. Staying in the beautiful Luna Llena
2. Getting stuck in a Rain Forest Canopy and jumping off waterfalls
1. The new stories I have and the inspiration I got by going there
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Cartago
Cartago (june 4, 2009)
Through the city
I sit on the back of buses
just rhythm and tongue, rhythm and tongue
feel the bends in the earth
notice the glisten of sun and hardwork on the necks of those
who don't have faces
these busses contain stories spoken through passing conversations
don't tell me that paths don't cross.
That miracles can't open at forks in the road
perhaps the purpose of blackeyes and bruises
is for us to know that we got butterflies flying inside of us.
I close my eyes so I can feel
all of which I may never
be able to comprehend.
The moon and the mountain
the glow in the shadow
the town that can't be found on a map
the earth and it's constant rotation
and still I wonder as I sit on the back of these busses
if we are aware of what great existences we share
Through the city
I sit on the back of buses
just rhythm and tongue, rhythm and tongue
feel the bends in the earth
notice the glisten of sun and hardwork on the necks of those
who don't have faces
these busses contain stories spoken through passing conversations
don't tell me that paths don't cross.
That miracles can't open at forks in the road
perhaps the purpose of blackeyes and bruises
is for us to know that we got butterflies flying inside of us.
I close my eyes so I can feel
all of which I may never
be able to comprehend.
The moon and the mountain
the glow in the shadow
the town that can't be found on a map
the earth and it's constant rotation
and still I wonder as I sit on the back of these busses
if we are aware of what great existences we share
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Debit card drama
When my debit card got swallowed by the ATM machine I figured no need to fret, this must happen all the time, I was sure that all I would have to do is call a number and a new card would be sent to me within a few days. Terrible assumption! I should have known that when something like this happens it takes more than a phone call...
At first I contacted Bank of America online to cancel my debit card and get a new one since I do not have a phone and international calling cards are expensive. They said they would cancel it immediately but I wouldn't get a new card sent to Costa Rica for another 16 days. What! 16 days?!! I yelped. Here I am, 18 days left in Costa Rica, all I have is a one way ticket to Colombia and a handful of Colones coins and a $10. All of the money for my travels is on this little plastic pain of a card so not having access to my own money for the next 16 days thanks to a robbing ATM is not an option. I politely tell the online operator to give me another solution because the first one is pretty dumb. She then tells me all I have to do is call a number and within 3 days I will get it. Pefecto! Why didn't you tell me this before? I wondered. All problems solved, back to square one, nothing to fret about. Well after 15minutes of searching for a phone to use I finally found one, but the number she gave me turned out to be incorrect.
Long story short.
4 .5 hours, 18 telephone numbers, and 7 countries later- I get my debit card tomorrow with complimentary bonus cash. You know why??? Because I'm a business woman ;)
At first I contacted Bank of America online to cancel my debit card and get a new one since I do not have a phone and international calling cards are expensive. They said they would cancel it immediately but I wouldn't get a new card sent to Costa Rica for another 16 days. What! 16 days?!! I yelped. Here I am, 18 days left in Costa Rica, all I have is a one way ticket to Colombia and a handful of Colones coins and a $10. All of the money for my travels is on this little plastic pain of a card so not having access to my own money for the next 16 days thanks to a robbing ATM is not an option. I politely tell the online operator to give me another solution because the first one is pretty dumb. She then tells me all I have to do is call a number and within 3 days I will get it. Pefecto! Why didn't you tell me this before? I wondered. All problems solved, back to square one, nothing to fret about. Well after 15minutes of searching for a phone to use I finally found one, but the number she gave me turned out to be incorrect.
Long story short.
4 .5 hours, 18 telephone numbers, and 7 countries later- I get my debit card tomorrow with complimentary bonus cash. You know why??? Because I'm a business woman ;)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
say it ain't so...
I haven't been out of the country but 2 weeks and in the past three days I managed to get:
1) sunburned
2) blistered
3) robbed
And believe it or not, I had the time of my life despite it all!
It all started in this little Caribbean town called Puerto Viejo. After a 4.5 bus ride filled to the keel with a whole assortment of folks my friends and I finally arrived to this Rasta beach bum of a town. We drove through mountains, rain and fog, and banana plantations before we found the best bungalows in town- Coco Loco. If you are ever in Puerto Viejo this is where I'd suggest you stay, for 10 bucks a night you can't beat it! You may even get to meet who I deem the mayor because he had the ability to be everywhere at anytime. He was this little scrappy looking thing, greasy hair, cruising along on a rusted bicycle, partially blind, and humming tunes as he told you anywhere you wanted to go. I thought he was a great:) Along the 10 minute walk escorted by the mayor I could have sworn we had entered the whimsical land of Narnia. We came across
huge crabs walking the streets, roosters and chickens, so many dogs that I felt like Puerto Viejo would be a good location to film All Dogs Go to Heaven part IV, and horses just hanging out in the streets as well. This was literally a place where all is welcomed- no such thing as leash laws or open containers- and good reggae is played everywhere.
Since we got in at night we didn't do too much, but the next day I woke up bright and early at 5:30AM with the sun on my face, a small dog in my lap, and a gecko on my leg thanks to me sleeping outside on the hammock:) I think everyone else woke up around 6:30AM in which we all headed towards the beach to grab some breakfast and tackle the waves. After breakfast the smart ones started applying sunscreen while Jerry and I got distracted by a coconut tree in the distance in which we decided to climb the tree so we could crack coconuts and drink the juice instead of shielding ourselves with sunblock like the rest. This is the reason why my body is in pain right now. My face looks like a Hot Tamale and my back & belly could pass for a picturesque strawberry.
We rented bicycles and biked down the coast so we could see more of the scenery and get away from the crowds. We weren't at the beach for more than 10 minutes until our friend Lauren had to get rescued by a lifeguard because the riptide had nearly taken her to the middle of the ocean.
One minute we are leisurely biking and the next Lauren is doggiepaddling in the ocean while getting suckerpunched by waves! Needless to say, the lifeguard wasn't too happy with us so we moved on to another part of the coastline where we continued to play in the ocean and push through the waves for another 4 hours.
After we finished getting manhandled by the ocean and sunbathing on black sand beaches we got back on bicycles and rode back to town until the sky broke apart and started to downpour. It was one of those rainshowers that happens during clear skies; no thunder or lighting, just thick drops of rain falling from the sky... so so beautiful.... one of the highlights of my trip so far. It was a trail of us just laughing and living in the moment of it all while other people scattered about searching for their umbrellas. We took our time getting back to the bungalows in which I decided it was the perfect time to take an outdoor shower. I went inside and got my peppermint barsoap and began to scrub-a-dub-dub outside in the rain. Before I knew it we had a handful of folks partaking in the communal outdoor shower. We then just sat on the porch air-drying, someone started brewing coffee, I lighted up a Cuban cigar, and Jerry started reading Hemingway. It felt like I was living in a dream, all my favorite things happening at once: rainshowers, coffee, cigars, and good books, amongst strangers now turned quick friends all sharing experiences by simply existing. We finally all fell asleep and then woke up dry and ready for seafood, mojitos, and a night filled with dancing at this reggaeton club. We ate, drank, and got our groove on- spent way too much money- but had one full day of nothing but goodtimes.
Now that I've explained my sunburn and blistered feet from me not breaking in the sandals I bought a week before I left I can talk about how ATM machines turn into great white sharks. The next morning I realized I was running low on cash so I waltzed on over to the ATM machine to get some cash. Everything was working fine; my cash comes out, the receipt is printed, and then it tells me thanks and goodbye without giving me my card back! I think to myself Shit! I just got mugged by the ATM machine. Some guy outside tells me to call the bank, another informs me that they don't open until Monday which doesn't do me any good since I leave Sunday, and then a girl tells me not to worry because I couldn't get my card back anyway since ATM machines shred them once they ingest them. So there I am, burned and blistered, holding enough money to maybe get me through 3 days.
Pura Vida, I said, Pura Vida
Because when things like that happen there is nothing you can do but laugh about it and figure it out later.
1) sunburned
2) blistered
3) robbed
And believe it or not, I had the time of my life despite it all!
It all started in this little Caribbean town called Puerto Viejo. After a 4.5 bus ride filled to the keel with a whole assortment of folks my friends and I finally arrived to this Rasta beach bum of a town. We drove through mountains, rain and fog, and banana plantations before we found the best bungalows in town- Coco Loco. If you are ever in Puerto Viejo this is where I'd suggest you stay, for 10 bucks a night you can't beat it! You may even get to meet who I deem the mayor because he had the ability to be everywhere at anytime. He was this little scrappy looking thing, greasy hair, cruising along on a rusted bicycle, partially blind, and humming tunes as he told you anywhere you wanted to go. I thought he was a great:) Along the 10 minute walk escorted by the mayor I could have sworn we had entered the whimsical land of Narnia. We came across
huge crabs walking the streets, roosters and chickens, so many dogs that I felt like Puerto Viejo would be a good location to film All Dogs Go to Heaven part IV, and horses just hanging out in the streets as well. This was literally a place where all is welcomed- no such thing as leash laws or open containers- and good reggae is played everywhere.
Since we got in at night we didn't do too much, but the next day I woke up bright and early at 5:30AM with the sun on my face, a small dog in my lap, and a gecko on my leg thanks to me sleeping outside on the hammock:) I think everyone else woke up around 6:30AM in which we all headed towards the beach to grab some breakfast and tackle the waves. After breakfast the smart ones started applying sunscreen while Jerry and I got distracted by a coconut tree in the distance in which we decided to climb the tree so we could crack coconuts and drink the juice instead of shielding ourselves with sunblock like the rest. This is the reason why my body is in pain right now. My face looks like a Hot Tamale and my back & belly could pass for a picturesque strawberry.
We rented bicycles and biked down the coast so we could see more of the scenery and get away from the crowds. We weren't at the beach for more than 10 minutes until our friend Lauren had to get rescued by a lifeguard because the riptide had nearly taken her to the middle of the ocean.
One minute we are leisurely biking and the next Lauren is doggiepaddling in the ocean while getting suckerpunched by waves! Needless to say, the lifeguard wasn't too happy with us so we moved on to another part of the coastline where we continued to play in the ocean and push through the waves for another 4 hours.
After we finished getting manhandled by the ocean and sunbathing on black sand beaches we got back on bicycles and rode back to town until the sky broke apart and started to downpour. It was one of those rainshowers that happens during clear skies; no thunder or lighting, just thick drops of rain falling from the sky... so so beautiful.... one of the highlights of my trip so far. It was a trail of us just laughing and living in the moment of it all while other people scattered about searching for their umbrellas. We took our time getting back to the bungalows in which I decided it was the perfect time to take an outdoor shower. I went inside and got my peppermint barsoap and began to scrub-a-dub-dub outside in the rain. Before I knew it we had a handful of folks partaking in the communal outdoor shower. We then just sat on the porch air-drying, someone started brewing coffee, I lighted up a Cuban cigar, and Jerry started reading Hemingway. It felt like I was living in a dream, all my favorite things happening at once: rainshowers, coffee, cigars, and good books, amongst strangers now turned quick friends all sharing experiences by simply existing. We finally all fell asleep and then woke up dry and ready for seafood, mojitos, and a night filled with dancing at this reggaeton club. We ate, drank, and got our groove on- spent way too much money- but had one full day of nothing but goodtimes.
Now that I've explained my sunburn and blistered feet from me not breaking in the sandals I bought a week before I left I can talk about how ATM machines turn into great white sharks. The next morning I realized I was running low on cash so I waltzed on over to the ATM machine to get some cash. Everything was working fine; my cash comes out, the receipt is printed, and then it tells me thanks and goodbye without giving me my card back! I think to myself Shit! I just got mugged by the ATM machine. Some guy outside tells me to call the bank, another informs me that they don't open until Monday which doesn't do me any good since I leave Sunday, and then a girl tells me not to worry because I couldn't get my card back anyway since ATM machines shred them once they ingest them. So there I am, burned and blistered, holding enough money to maybe get me through 3 days.
Pura Vida, I said, Pura Vida
Because when things like that happen there is nothing you can do but laugh about it and figure it out later.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Things to remember when traveling to another country:
1) a translation book
2) a camera that works
3) more than 2 shirts
Did I remember these?? Of coarse not! But for some reason I packed 4 jumbo boxes of tampons and 3 toothbrushes as if they are items only found in the States. A translation book with how to conjugate words would make my life so much easier, especially in class, but instead I get to be the bum who looks on with someone else. For some reason I thought I would be speaking fluent Spanish the moment I set foot in Costa Rica, but I quickly found out that was just a self-imposed optimistic illusion. Maybe I'm being hard on myself, but today I realized how great my verbal handicap was when this beautiful girl sat next to me on the bus and I couldn't say a word. I couldn't say Hello because she would have proceeded (hopefully at least..) into a conversation in which I would embarrassingly have to stop her and say Lo siento, un poco hablo espanol. (I'm sorry, I speak a little Spanish). So instead I just sat there thinking to myself how unfortunate the situation was and practiced in my head what I would have liked to say:)
Now I know it must sound a little strange how someone could be traveling for 6 months and not remember to bring a camera. Well, I brought the camera, but it didn't occur to me that I might want to check if I had a memory card in the camera. While taking a bus to Volcano Irazu I realized this after I tried to look at the photos I had just taken and nothing was there. Luckily, one of my new friends, Andres, had a working camera and offered to send me copies. And as for my lack of clean clothes... I got donated 2 new shirts by a very nice girl. Things are looking bright so far.
1) a translation book
2) a camera that works
3) more than 2 shirts
Did I remember these?? Of coarse not! But for some reason I packed 4 jumbo boxes of tampons and 3 toothbrushes as if they are items only found in the States. A translation book with how to conjugate words would make my life so much easier, especially in class, but instead I get to be the bum who looks on with someone else. For some reason I thought I would be speaking fluent Spanish the moment I set foot in Costa Rica, but I quickly found out that was just a self-imposed optimistic illusion. Maybe I'm being hard on myself, but today I realized how great my verbal handicap was when this beautiful girl sat next to me on the bus and I couldn't say a word. I couldn't say Hello because she would have proceeded (hopefully at least..) into a conversation in which I would embarrassingly have to stop her and say Lo siento, un poco hablo espanol. (I'm sorry, I speak a little Spanish). So instead I just sat there thinking to myself how unfortunate the situation was and practiced in my head what I would have liked to say:)
Now I know it must sound a little strange how someone could be traveling for 6 months and not remember to bring a camera. Well, I brought the camera, but it didn't occur to me that I might want to check if I had a memory card in the camera. While taking a bus to Volcano Irazu I realized this after I tried to look at the photos I had just taken and nothing was there. Luckily, one of my new friends, Andres, had a working camera and offered to send me copies. And as for my lack of clean clothes... I got donated 2 new shirts by a very nice girl. Things are looking bright so far.
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