It is Friday morning - the day after Thanksgiving. I woke up at 5:15 am which is usual for me. With the sun just coming up, from my pillow I can hear the surf, see that it is low tide and can actually see reflections of a brewing spectacular sunrise in the tide pools. I threw on my shorts and top then ran down the stairs out to the beach and snapped a shot of Minior's boat caught in those few short moments of golden splendor. Within minutes the sun was behind clouds and everything now had that morning gray. I could already see blue out over the ocean and knew the coming day would be beautiful. We appear to be heading into an early summer.
When I got back to my room, the bed so inviting and back I went. I then laid there reflecting on the wonderful 4 days just past.
Monday morning before Thanksgiving: Myself and my 29 year old Dutch friend Elizabeth met Minior on the beach at 6:30 am. He was taking us fishing. Minior is 43, Tico and has been fishing since he was 7. He is like the old man of the sea and knows everything! We spent 3 hours on the water. The sky was blue and the view of the coast is breathtaking. You can clearly see all of Esterillos, the homes in the hills and the magnificent mountains that are in the distance. Everything is lush green. We are in a huge bay and to the south you can see Manuel Antonio - famous for it's national park and to the north Punta Mala - a reef that is about a 45 minute walk from where I live that goes about 1/2 mile out into the ocean even at low tide. No fish were caught but it is just a wonder to be at sea.
Monday evening: Enjoying a fish taco at LowTide - the one of two bar/restaurants on the beach. The favorite of gringos as you can watch surfers and meet the visitors of the week. It is dog friendly. The manager has 2 dogs who are always there - Carly the old female who determines just who can and cannot be present and then there is Deohge (the same name as my beloved dobbie back home) who is a young female pit bull mix that keeps Carly on her toes and loves everyone. As with the locals it is the same with the dogs - the regulars are often there. I know all the dogs by name and always acknowledge their presence. My friend Jimmy is a surfer from Houston who has been here for the past 3 years. He was my friend from the moment I met him last year. He is very aware of the DVD's I make from the many photos I take of CR and the people who live and travel here. Just recently he and another friend started a tour business in Jaco that will provide arrangements for a variety of tours - mostly sportfishing. His friend Dave knows 2 captains that have the boats. Jimmy asks me if I would be interested in going on tours, taking photos and producing DVD's for the participants. This is a no brainer - of course I said yes. He then told me there is a group of 10 coming in from Houston in January for a week and would I cover that. I just smiled. I have a new job.
Note: When I came back from Nicaragua I was informed that the clinic I had been working at as a volunteer had been sold. I knew this was a possibility but none of us who worked there thought this would happen so soon. By the time I got back, it was gone and so was Victor - the young Tico doctor I had come to love and respect. I still keep in touch with him by e-mail but of course nothing is the same. I did go by the clinic and offer my time. Now there are 2 vets there - one woman, one man - both appearing to be in their 30's - both Tico. I was told by the English speaking doctor that it would be discussed and I could call back. The day after that I left for Granada and simply have not had the inclination or time to deal with it. I am sad this ended so abruptly and unexpected but so grateful for the time spent and for the wonderful experience it was.
Tuesday morning: I am starving - spent much of the night thinking about being a photographer on tours. I decided to go the Margarita's soda. Margarita is the mother of the woman I live with- Cecilia. She and her husband - Moncho - live in the very poor house next door to the house I am currently living in. My fisherman friend Minior is one of their 4 sons plus they also have 4 daughters - all grown - most with children of their own. Margarita is 58. She is heavy set with a constant smile on her amazingly beautiful face. Every day she serves breakfast and lunch from her "soda" which is a very small restaurant - usually out of one's home. Margarita's soda is not out of her house but has it's own small place in the center of the homes she and her family live. It is very small, wooden of course with a tin roof. It is very obvious this structure has been there for many years. In front are many flowers, plants and trees which Margarita is very proud of. There are always chickens - many of them with small chicks clucking behind them. I have had many meals at her table which is outside with a view of the garden and beach. Almost always I bring my Spanish book with me and attempt to study but most of the time I just sit there in the wonder of just being there. This morning was the best ever.
On the Saturday before, I had the opportunity to take a "Tico field trip". I had been invited by one of the sisters to go to an amazement park in San Jose. The trip had been arranged by an adult ed school that Ginira - the youngest sister - attends Mon-Friday nights in Parrita - 12 miles south. Cecilia, Ginira and 2 other sisters went. About 10 kids arranging in age from 4 to 15 plus one son-in-law also went. All of us rode in a 40 passenger bus that left Esterillos at 5am and arrived at the park about 8:30am. I was the one gringa on the bus with only Cecilia and Ginira able to speak English. The park was amazingly modern and clean. I could go on and on about that but just know it was a joyful day for all of us. On the return trip, about 8pm - approx. 2 miles from Esterillos, many of us saw a man riding a bicycle get hit by a car on the highway as he was in the other lane coming toward us. The car that hit the rider did not stop. This area of the road is very dark, there are no houses or structures. The bike probably did not have reflectors. For sure it had no light. This is a very common occurrence in Costa Rica. There are always people on bikes day and night. Anyway - the bus stopped. I was about the 7th person out the door. The car behind us had also stopped and there was a man with a flashlight shinning the light on the bicyclist who was tangled up in the bike, laying on his back in the middle of the road. I ran over to the man and dropped to my knees. Fortunately and thankfully I could see that he was breathing as he had no shirt on, but was unconscious. I held his hand and tried to talk to him - no response. The man above me was speaking Spanish but I knew he was calling 911. About that time I could see a vehicle coming straight for us and in the last moment before it past us I actually thought I was going to get hit. I got up and stepped to the side. As the car flew past I went back to the injured man. Two more times this happened before someone got far enough down the road to slow down traffic. By now other cars had stopped and I vaguely remember people around me but no one else came to my side. I continued to kneel there - holding the man's hand believing if he died that it was important that I be there. After maybe 15 minutes I heard Cecilia calling my name. I looked up and through the crowd she was telling me the bus needed to leave. Reluctantly I got up and left but knew the ambulance was on it's way. As we were turning off the highway into Esterillos the ambulance went speeding by.
Back to the soda. After having spent a full day at an amazement park on Saturday, taking photos that had been printed up and shared the next day - I am now one of them. So being at the soda early in the morning as the kids are getting ready for school, of course they are all stopping to say "Buenas dias" "Como esta" "Muy bien gracias, e usted?" 12 year old Carla and I are working on colors in English and Spanish. 4 year old Kiera is repeating her numbers in English. I am saying caballo, gato, tortuga and culebra. She is repeating horse, cat, turtle and snake. Then they are gone and I am enjoying a typical breakfast of rice and black beans, avocado and a fresh mango drink. The beans have been cooking since early on the wood burning stove and are simply the best. With the chickens and the surf I am so in this moment. Suddenly music comes from the house 2 doors away. Something so surreal. "Love is Blue" - an old instrumental from the mid 60's. Simple and beautiful and so out of place! It took my breath away. I started to cry but within moments was afraid Margarita would see me and think something was wrong with the food. I made sure she did not see - but at that moment I was overwhelmed at just being. The song then played to the end and then there was no more. Why this song - why just one - I have no idea. Another gift that comes from living here.
Minior was checking his lobster net that morning and had invited to me to go along. I enjoy this more than anything. It takes about an hour to get the boat out, pull the 400 foot net into the boat, remove the day's catch, put the net back in the water and return. Short but very sweet. This morning there was only one lobster - but a monster. I asked Minior if I could buy the lobster for my friend Eleanor. Her birthday was several months ago and a lobster dinner had been promised. She insisted she would rather have lobster from Minior and here it was. As soon as we got back to shore I put the lobster in a bucket with water and started down the beach to find my friends Mike and Erin from Santa Maria. Mike and Kurt were surfing at the "Secret Spot". As I rounded the point I could see all 3 of them headed back. Once the surfboards were placed on top of the car they gave me a ride up the hill with the lobster in a bag. I was so excited to show El the lobster. I felt like a proud hunter returning home with the trophy kill. As soon as she saw it, Eleanor the magnificent who was the first to build on this hill - when there was still no water or electricity and it was all jungle, started crying out "no, no" I can't eat something if I have seen it's eyes. I simply cannot believe what I am hearing. Matcha, her housekeeper, is Tica and was laughing. I have to admit I was a bit freaked out by the long antennas or whatever they are called that went whirling around when picked up. Matcha went off to the kitchen and a few minutes later we were told it was in the refrigerator. Now Eleanor was smiling.
That night was a tremendous storm. From my large sliding glass window I sat and watched the ocean turn as white as day as one after another lightening bolt would hit very close by. The thunder was so loud the house was shaking. The day had been so perfect and this was the finale. (I found out the next day that the woman who lives in the "Presidential Palace" was also up watching the storm at 3am. Suddenly a bolt hit a tree about 100 feet in front of her house. She told me she actually saw liquid fire - I would love to have seen that. I have seen the tree. It is fried!)
Wednesday: That evening was the social event of the year in Esterillos. The wife (Brigitte - same one who saw the lightning bolt) of the couple who owns the beautiful house I lived in for 4 months has a young friend who helps her clean house twice a week. When you live on the edge of the jungle with gecko, iguanas and bats, it is crucial to stay on top of the cleaning. About a month ago Angelica mentioned to Brigitte that she was worried about her mother who still has 7 children at home and lives in a house badly in need of repair. Angelica is also known to those of us who know her as having an amazing singing voice. She simply loves to sing and quite often she can be heard from her house singing a wide variety of music from Patsy Cline to Latino. Brigitte thought about this for a while and suggested Angelica give a concert. Long story short, many friends including myself got very involved with printing and selling tickets. Arrangements were made with a local bar/restaurant. Decorations were made and placed in the afternoon. That evening over sixty people were in attendance - making this a huge success in this very small village. Angelica's desire was to raise $400. Tickets were sold for $4 or less depending on what could be given. With the numbers present, the goal didn't seem possible - but - when the total was counted at the end of the evening we had 198,000 colonies which is about $2 short of $400. Donations were given by people who didn't even know her. Overnight , Angelica has become the star of Esterillos. She was in tears at the presentation of this seemingly impossible amount of money. Miracles can happen when the need is addressed.
Because many of us knew this would be the social event of the year, my friend Erin visiting from CA, my other friend Kristi who lives here and I all wanted pedicures. Normally this is a subject that would not even be a subject of discussion but here in Esterillos an appointment with Elianna is a very humbling experience. Elianna, her husband and young daughter live at the horse stables. They have been there since March. One of the "tack" rooms is their bedroom, kitchen and living area. I am talking about a space that is about 12 feet by 10 feet. To get there you walk past the horses, 2 turkeys, many chickens always with chicks, and a few dogs. A loaded rifle is kept close by to shoot the iguanas that go after the chickens. 5 year old Adallete is very sweet and beautiful. This family has so little but is always smiling and sharing the most simple things like a box with a hen and her 20 new chicks born that day. For $8 you get the most thorough pedicure and foot massage with a choice of over a 100 designs. When I give her $10 Elianna is beyond grateful. We Americans have so much and waste even more. The people here have so little but in many ways so much more.
Thursday: Thanksgiving. I was up early and on the beach. It had been awhile since I had been out searching for shell fossils - at least that is what I call them. These are shells that were molted into lava, hundreds - who knows how many years ago. I discovered one about 3 months ago and now know just where to look and can easily spot them if they are present. I have decided that looking for fossils, sea shells or sea glass has got to be the very best therapy. Once the quest begins, one loses track of all time and space. You cannot be thinking of problems once consumed with this obsession. The mind is on holiday from all its worries and puts all its energy into this simple task. In the past year I have seen a number of my friends and new aquantenances get lost in this activity. I have actually stopped and watched them become a child again lost in the moment. This is one of the many wonders of Costa Rica.
At 2pm I headed up the hill with fruit salad in hand and went to Kurt and Kristi's. Mike and Erin from Santa Maria arrived. Another visiting couple from Santa Barbara with their 2 girls plus Janet - also from SB and her daughter all came to the house about the same time. We then all piled in cars and drove to a favorite spot on the beach. The afternoon was spent enjoying coconut rum with pineapple juice and a pot luck dinner. We sat in our beach chairs discussing the joys of no kitchen and no dishes. As the sun was going down each of us told one thing we were grateful for. I expressed my gratitude for the pleasure of knowing the people of this village like Minior, Margarita, Elianna and Angelica. For the example they have been to me and for the happiness they share with me daily. We then shared best skinny dipping stories. I had the best one, but that is another story.....
I keep telling people something magical happens to me every day in Costa Rica. The above was just 4 days - 4 amazing days but so typical. I am so very blessed to be here and I know it.
Before my recent trip to California I had plans to return for Christmas. My plans have now changed and I will not be going back until next May. The next 5 or more weeks will be very hectic for most of you. May each of you take notice of the magical moments in your life and remember that often less - is more. Be safe and Happy Holidays.
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