Wedded and out of the country. Probably a good place to be right about now, seeing the state of affairs in the US of A. The first few days here have been great, and although I have vowed to use little or no internet (that is, "unplug") while here, I felt it would not only be fun for others to read, but good for me in the sense of wanting to remember the fun bits I might not in months/years to come.
We traveled 2 days ago with a British couple to several sites in the area and the man made a good social commentary about his work partnership with an Austin, Texas based company. He frequently flies to the US from the UK, and recently one of his more permanant compatriot coworkers said, " I always wanted to retire in a developing country, and now I dont even have to move". haha...right? kinda. Nate and I decided that if the 700 Billion dollar deal is a bust, we will just stay here. again-- haha, right? well, maybe.
Besides all the international commingling, we have downright settled into the relaxed "Tican" attitude. But of course doing some of the touristy things. We have visited a Sloth Sanctuary, a Chocolate Lady (a local native-blooded woman) who grows and makes chocolate from her cacao trees (fantastic!), and a really great but difficult to get to/somewhat scary waterfall and natural pool -- all great! We´ve even rented a couple bicycles and ridden to town (Puerto Viejo in the province of Limon). We have found some neat souvenirs and tried homemade coconut ice cream. I think the most memorable bit of bicycling was when a cat came out of no where chasing a giant bearded lizard which was running on its hind feet and ran right under my pedals!! That is definitely NOT something you see everyday!!
The beaches in our area and right outside our hotel are all "playas negras", black volcanic beaches. There are no volcanos in the area that we know of, but the country was at one time fairly active seismically and still has one continuously erupting volcano (since about the 1960s I think), Mt. Arenal, about 8 hours NW of where we are. The sand and ocean are very warm, so the waterfall pool in the jungle was more refreshing in a way. I like the salt water though; always good for your skin and hair.
When we first arrived in San Jose (4 hours N/NW of Puerto Viejo) and started on our shuttle ride toward our hotel, I could really see the allure of the country and why people travel and retire here. Although it is a developing country, it has a lot of flavor and history, both native and European, and mixed Carribbean influences, clearly visible all over. Driving along you see vast banana groves, huge coffee farms, lush vegetation, and of course the bicyclists, motorbikers, and cars vying for space on the roads. The road into our final destination was good until about the last few kilometers, where it alternated between patches of spottily-paved roads and terribly gravelly ones with massive potholes, making you wish the shuttle provided a helmet inside the car should you hit the next big bump. Oh yeah-- sleeping that first night was a wonder to be sure-- letting our backs relax after 4 hours of rattling.
Anyhow, when we first arrived I was dismayed to not find a hair-drier. This is standard in a nice hotel, right? Well, after noticing several "lacking" conveniences, I allowed myself to not care and then rightly realize that it just didnt matter and who wants to blow that much hot air on yourself in this heat anyway??? Not I. This has been the general attitude I was talking about; taking it slow, not having to go anywhere, sleeping in the hammock, reading endless amounts of books, playing chess, and heading to the beach at any moment should the urge strike.
And there is still so much to do!
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