costa rica

if i could describe my experience here in costa rica in one word, it would be catharsism.  

i have learned so much about this country and more importantly, the moral fiber of the people that bring it together.

the main allure, it seems, for outsiders to visit this country is for the unprecedented raw beauty. the jungle wraps itself around costa rica...completely untamed...the beaches pepper the coastline and offer affectionately warm waters year round.  in only a day, via ground transportation, you can visit the pacific as well as the atlantic.  the sun is shining daily.  and for those that love thunderstorms, as i do, you are given a hearty serving in the late afternoons.  surfing is out of control...attracting surf entrepreneurs from all over the world.  there are beautiful butterflys like the blue morpho (my favorite), horses that roam the beach, monkeys and more monkeys, colorful fish, birdies...and on and on....

this may sound like some sort of sales pitch for paradise, but i guess it really is.

okay, so now that the costa rican feel good, eye candy has been exposed....for me, it is the people here, that really make costa rica a magical place.  the locals.  

i have yet to meet a culture of people that is more gracious.  that is more welcoming.  the extent to which the locals touch, kiss, listen, laugh, eat, sing, dance, tell stories, work....supercedes anything i have ever experienced.   their honesty...and lack of judgement...their legitimate concern.  it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. :)

i love these people.  i love what they stand for, their drives, their ambitions, their peaceful ways, their dinner conversation (some of which i can't understand completely), their morals, their food, their work ethics....their HUMBLENESS!  

i have lived with a surgeon and a pyschiatrist here and been taught by two general practioners in class.  instead of flashing their credentials, they were more interested in talking about their passion for caring for people. the benefits of socialized health care.  the stuff, when it all boils down, really matters.  

i understand, i have been fortunate enough to meet and greet only a handful of locals.  and it is fairly presumptuous of me to generalize...  but, the places i have traveled here, the locals that i have met in passing, have all offered me a comparable vibe.

so, i love it, and i feel a strong pull to return...

a few bits...  i haven't seen ONE cat here in costa rica, but plenty of dogs.  the majority of guys use ALOT of product in their hair.  puma is the most popular clothing brand.  i haven't seen northface once.  imperial is the king of beers.  skinny pants are taking over the country.  it really isn't as cheap as most tend to think.  technology, clothes, cars....all comparable to u.s., its the food, real estate, housing, and manis + pedis that are cheap.  ticos love blondes.  honking is normal everywhere you go.  i have been told more than once that the best way to learn the language is by getting a tico boyfriend so that i can 'feel and smell' the language of costa rica. techno is predominant.  most of the girls, women, elderly women have french manicures and french pedicures.  manis and pedis cost $2.00.  the water is safe.  bus systems are huge.   tatoos are scarce.  and...hmmm....pedestrians DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY!  

day four-last day in costa rica

good morning all~

beginning of day four of my cleanse. feeling full of energy, and amazing. my mind seems clear and my hunger pangs are keeping themselves at bay. so, 3 more days... i think i can i think i can i think i can....

my last day in costa rica. driving to san jose with claudia in less than an hour.... my flight doesn't take off til early tomarrow morning but, i am getting dropped off at the airport tonight...and waiting it out.

i am going to bring a part of costa rica back with me, and intend to use my newfound tranquillity to combat any potential hazards that may be lying in wait back home.

pura vida!

day 3

so...end of the third day of my cleanse. it was much easier for me today....but far from 'easy.' it takes some serious will power to say no to such instinctiveness.... as hunger. but there is also a sort of masochistic satisfaction in holding on to the last thread of will power, dismissing temptation, whose sole purpose is to taunt the shit out of you... so beating that, feels good.

the sun was fierce today... so i practiced my version of a starfish on the lawn. all morning. took a walk. sitting in the church pew, i realized that as soon as i let my incessant thought process go, i could hear the noises all around me... birds chirping, kids laughing.... walked home in a daze....

and in the afternoon, claudias grandpa, ernesto, asked me if i would like to see his rooster cage. at first i told him no, because, i really didn't want to see it. but, he asked me again, so, out of dutiful elderly respect, i entered this dark rooster cage.....
and, i found that it wasn't merely a roost... ernesto had built this massive space for rooster fighting.



equipped with numbered rooster cages...



and a kitchen...


so, with as much dislike i have for the whole idea of roosters sporting razors and fighting to the death, for no godly reason other than sick entertainment... it was interesting to see this underground illegal operation....in full force...

day 2

end of the second day of my cleanse...
i have been substituting lemons with fresh limes, straight off of the front yard tree. up until this morning, we hadn't been adding cayenne. because, suprisingly, it is a hard ingredient to find here. after 3 stores, finally found it....
so, today has been tougher than yesterday. sounds like i have caged lions and tigers in my belly.... little low on energy.... feelin a bit ethereal... and can't stop thinking about food. naturally. but i haven't cheated.... still going strong. however, starting to believe i have masochistic tendencies. no joke.

did get out for a nice walk this morning...and ventured to see the...wait...for....it.... WORLDS LARGEST CARRETA....!!!
whats a carreta, you ask, well its basically an ox cart. a cart made of wood, pulled by ox, to transport loads of stuff...



the carreta is extremely significant in costa rica...this wooden cart was used as the main transport from inland towns to the coast...transporting coffee beans, sugarcane, and other crops. the design on the wheel would distinguish towns from one another and the locals took alot of pride in painting these carretas.



claudias grandfather, who lives right next door...seems to be a bit of a local celebrity. not only was he born and raised in the same house...but he also was resonsible for naming the current neighborhood 'barrio latino.' he owned, painted, and used his own carreta to transport goods to the coast. what is a 4 hour drive would take him more than a week, but as a means of survival, it was necessary.

day one-master cleanse

today is day one of my master cleanse. ha. fresh limes/lemons, cayenne, maple syrup, and water.
i decided this after a bite of food this a.m., 2 cups of coffee, and 3 cigarettes.
time for some serious detoxification. for those that don't know, these ingredients are supposed to provide enough nutrients and energy to appease the body, while eliminating toxins from the body and mind.
it is recommended to go at least 10 days. i am thinking 7. the longest i have ever gone on this diet was 5 and i felt amazing. will keep updating...

today...

jumping the fence

i think its important for each of us to continue to reach out, to continue to follow our satiable appetites for happiness...until we have a handle on it.  on our individual potential.

as of lately, my disenchantment for counterfeit people is overwhelming.  those hiding behind that mask of ingenuity, confessing nothing resembling sincerity or veraciousness.

when we are children, we live and breathe the truth.  the only restrictions we have are those placed on us by our parents, families, caretakers...we roam, mystified by the newness of life.  

generally speaking, the older we get, that childish tendency for innate explorative truth is convoluted with lies.  white lies.  black lies.  rainbow colored lies even.  we are told certain things...things which end up defining who we think we should be.  like the blacks and whites of life.  the goods and the bads.  the devils and the angels.  the heavens and the hells.  the rights and the wrongs.  when we fall short of these unrealistic, maddening games we play with eachother...we can feel inadequate.  so we get so accustomed to sugarcoating shit...to make it look pretty and desirable.  before you know it, you forget what is real anymore.  what is natural.  what is the truth.  

the realization that i have been caught in the middle of these cobwebs made up of rights and wrongs that have nestled themselves inside my mind...has made me aware.  aware that theres no point in holding on to the spiders of the past.  clearing my mind of all that has had such a firm grasp on me for so long is essential in moving forward. theres no sense in holding on to something that has no bearing on who i am. no bearing on who i am because...its all merely cobwebs upon cobwebs of secrecy and lies...figments of my imagination that have been manipulated and chiseled by someone else. so, i suppose the logical thing to do  is have a good look around...at those boundaries that we tend to set for ourselves, that others have set for us...those restricting fence lines...and jump over.  then the real exploration begins.