I'm awake because the dogs like to bark at random animals and things on the road. It's good that they pay attention because they protect the property but my sleeping schedule is rearranged, along with being in total seclusion.
I turn the hot water fuse to "on" and hope for a hot shower a few hours from now. I can hear the hens calling for the sunrise and I check all the dog bowls for food and water. Later, I'll go out and check on the chicken eggs. Life here is simple. The sun rises, the sun sets. I speak to no one, I learn more Spanish from TV, I bask in my own thoughts and the sun. I cook fresh food, I bathe the dogs, I pull weeds and water the plants. Is there anything to blog about?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thoughts
I have heard people say that when you're in seclusion, you are left with your thoughts, as if it's a contemplative time, a reflective opportunity. I haven't been thinking much, to be honest. I have been taking care of 11 chickens, six dogs, keeping the plants in the yard healthy and enjoying the view while listening to the TV in the background to improve my Spanish.
I am all alone in a place that is a two hour climb over rocky hills to get to town to buy food and sundries. I know four people here; my cab driver, the gardener, the maid and the woman who watches the house while I go to town with the driver. I've been invited by the gardener to have dinner with his family. He's 18 but I'm looking forward to his mother's Costa Rican cooking. The following week, I will make a Brazilian dish for her.
I have been taking some fun video footage along the way. It will be a part of the low-budget narrative film about traveling solo on a shoestring budget. I wonder where the term "shoestring budget" comes from. I could google it, but it's more fun to imagine someone carrying a wad of cash by a shoestring, or having their cash in their shoes so they have to untie them to get to it. Or what if people used to be so poor that they couldn't buy shoestrings, or they sold them on the street for extra cash, or traded them for food? Wow. That was a waste of time. And I told you I wasn't thinking. What can I say? It's 4:35 in the morning and I was awaken by the dogs barking. I went to look outside and almost stepped on a poisonous frog the size of my fist. That woke me up.
The thing with all the animals and critters here is that I always feel like something is crawling on me. I hear insects buzzing, see wasps and beetles and moths stuck inside the house, trying to get out through the window (they're so stupid) and sadly, I just let them die. I don't like to interfere with nature. If you're going to come into my house, unless you can kill me, I'm just going to let you die. Then I sweep their bodies off the floor once a week. With that comes piles of dog hair.
Speaking of dogs, bathing them is fun. They hate it so I have to tie them up outside so they'll stay still. They are pretty subservient to me because I give them rewards. Besides, what is better than getting a massage on a beautiful cliff in Costa Rica in the sun? Being doused with cold water. The dogs love me. They really do. They protect the house and I. I'm sure they won't remember me when I leave. I wish I could live so "in the moment". Like a dog.
The beetles are flapping around me, my internet connection is gone, the hens are screaming for the sunrise, and I have nothing left to say for today.
I am all alone in a place that is a two hour climb over rocky hills to get to town to buy food and sundries. I know four people here; my cab driver, the gardener, the maid and the woman who watches the house while I go to town with the driver. I've been invited by the gardener to have dinner with his family. He's 18 but I'm looking forward to his mother's Costa Rican cooking. The following week, I will make a Brazilian dish for her.
I have been taking some fun video footage along the way. It will be a part of the low-budget narrative film about traveling solo on a shoestring budget. I wonder where the term "shoestring budget" comes from. I could google it, but it's more fun to imagine someone carrying a wad of cash by a shoestring, or having their cash in their shoes so they have to untie them to get to it. Or what if people used to be so poor that they couldn't buy shoestrings, or they sold them on the street for extra cash, or traded them for food? Wow. That was a waste of time. And I told you I wasn't thinking. What can I say? It's 4:35 in the morning and I was awaken by the dogs barking. I went to look outside and almost stepped on a poisonous frog the size of my fist. That woke me up.
The thing with all the animals and critters here is that I always feel like something is crawling on me. I hear insects buzzing, see wasps and beetles and moths stuck inside the house, trying to get out through the window (they're so stupid) and sadly, I just let them die. I don't like to interfere with nature. If you're going to come into my house, unless you can kill me, I'm just going to let you die. Then I sweep their bodies off the floor once a week. With that comes piles of dog hair.
Speaking of dogs, bathing them is fun. They hate it so I have to tie them up outside so they'll stay still. They are pretty subservient to me because I give them rewards. Besides, what is better than getting a massage on a beautiful cliff in Costa Rica in the sun? Being doused with cold water. The dogs love me. They really do. They protect the house and I. I'm sure they won't remember me when I leave. I wish I could live so "in the moment". Like a dog.
The beetles are flapping around me, my internet connection is gone, the hens are screaming for the sunrise, and I have nothing left to say for today.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
new stuff
I have not met many people because I stay at the house all the time, which is totally fine for me. The people I meet are my driver, the gardener, the maid and the house-sitter (for when my driver takes me to town). I am asked where I learned to speak Spanish, to which I reply, "first, school, then language-learning CD's, TV, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Mexico, then add the mixed Portuguese vocabulary and you have my Spanish." They reply, "oh".
I was invited to dinner with a Costa Rican family here. I can't wait! I'm going to cook Brazilian food and they're cooking a traditional CR meal which is going to be most likely the same as what I'm cooking which is rice, black beans and meat.
I awoke to the sound of howler monkeys and cayotes. It's really invigorating to live in such a wild place! Tending to chickens, caring for 6 dogs, keeping the yard watered and being constantly on guard for potential thieves is a job, believe it or not. I'm loving my experience here and am grateful every day I am able to sit and look at this beautiful view and be in this beautiful place where every day is a perfectly warm temperature and the rain is cooling, making all the scents of the earth come alive.
I was invited to dinner with a Costa Rican family here. I can't wait! I'm going to cook Brazilian food and they're cooking a traditional CR meal which is going to be most likely the same as what I'm cooking which is rice, black beans and meat.
I awoke to the sound of howler monkeys and cayotes. It's really invigorating to live in such a wild place! Tending to chickens, caring for 6 dogs, keeping the yard watered and being constantly on guard for potential thieves is a job, believe it or not. I'm loving my experience here and am grateful every day I am able to sit and look at this beautiful view and be in this beautiful place where every day is a perfectly warm temperature and the rain is cooling, making all the scents of the earth come alive.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
On lockdown
I'm in the Northwestern part of the country of Costa Rica. My time here in the small village of Tilaran is waged in Colones, the national currency. I have not spent much money since I've been here. I have only spent it on groceries I buy at the market just a 30 minute car ride away. How is this possible? With mindmyhouse.com, I found Terrilynn, a woman who wants to get back to the States for a while and is looking for someone to watch over her house, her 6 dogs and tend to her chickens.
I arrived a week ago, and I am situated on the lake Arenal, a 20 mile lake whose only road to town is a rocky dirt trail. Terrilynn tells me that her house has been robbed several times. I guess it's a way of life here. So I am here to protect her house and her possessions while she's away.
The weather here is warm and a bit humid, with daily rain that lasts about an hour. It's cloudy and there's a constant buzz in the air from the sacaidas, birds, howler monkeys and many insects. The night chirps with the sounds of animals, and the days are lazy. Most of my time is spent keeping in contact with friends on the internet, drawing, watching TV and tending to the animals. My Spanish is improving as I talk to the driver, the maid and the gardener once a week. Life is rough.
My plans are to stay here for ten weeks, then leave my things and run to Nicaragua to ensure my stay here without a visa. From there, I may continue traveling throughout Central America, maybe go to El Salvador for the New Year and hit Honduras and Guatemala. My time in Costa Rica ends when I fly out in May of 2012. At that point, I will stay in San Francisco, Ca. for 6 days, then it's off to Puerto Rico. I don't know what awaits. I just know that these are the things I have to do to lead an unimaginable fulfilling life.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
New Digs
I am here in Costa Rica on the lake of Arenal on the Northwest coast.
I am living in a house that belongs to an American woman who is going back to Dallas for a few months. All my living expenses are paid. The dream is to live and work and travel indefinitely. Indefinitely.
I am not near the ocean really. It's 2.5 hours away by car. I plan to leave my things at the house and travel in late October so as not to overstay my allotted time here (90 days). I don't have a visa so I will only be able to stay in the country for 90 days. From there, I will have to cross another country for 24 hours to renew my stay here.
Life is beautiful. There are birds, howler monkeys, poisonous snakes and frogs, a lake to fish on (no matter how much I fail, I will try, try again). I live with 6 dogs who protect me and my landlady ave me 2 machetes so I can attack anyone who tries to enter the house (Seriously).
I am living in a house that belongs to an American woman who is going back to Dallas for a few months. All my living expenses are paid. The dream is to live and work and travel indefinitely. Indefinitely.
I am not near the ocean really. It's 2.5 hours away by car. I plan to leave my things at the house and travel in late October so as not to overstay my allotted time here (90 days). I don't have a visa so I will only be able to stay in the country for 90 days. From there, I will have to cross another country for 24 hours to renew my stay here.
Life is beautiful. There are birds, howler monkeys, poisonous snakes and frogs, a lake to fish on (no matter how much I fail, I will try, try again). I live with 6 dogs who protect me and my landlady ave me 2 machetes so I can attack anyone who tries to enter the house (Seriously).
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Safe in Costa Rica
It's day three in Costa Rica! I flew out of SFO, had a stop over in Houston and then a short skip to Liberia airport welcomed me.
The driver picks me up at the airport and drives me 2.5 hours away to a small tropical town of Tronadora, near the Volcano Arenal in the Northwestern region of the country. I am greeted by windy dirt roads flocked with lush vegetation, coffee and palm trees, birds, and a huge lake, of which I have a view.
We pull up to the house on a hill that overlooks the Arenal lake and volcano. 6 dogs are barking but loving as I step out of the car. Terrilynn, the woman who owns the house, gives me a hug and takes me inside. She shows me to my room and around the property. It's stunning. Surrounded by flowers, a little zen garden, a chicken coop, sweeping views of the lake and land, and a fresh yard of grass lets me know I have arrived.
The first day, I drink the water. I am told it comes from spring water. There is no chlorine. I immediately get sick. I believe in drinking the water. I have been drinking it for 3 days and have no other symptoms. My first meal is a ham and cheese sandwich I made from groceries I purchased at the market in town. It's a 7K hike to town, so I have to stock up. After going to bed quite early, I wake up refreshed and headed down to the lake to fish.
I take Taco, one of the dogs, because I am told there are poisonous snakes on the grassy trail leading down to the point where I will fish. I collect my supplies; just a simple spool of line, a tackle box with hooks and lures and an ice chest full of ice, should I catch any fish. I am told this is how the Ticos (Costa Rican men) fish.
Up hot and windy dirt hills, and down that grassy trail, with Taco walking ahead, I arrive at the point with my rubber boots, ready to toss the line into the water. I spin it like a lasso and let it out. But the wind is too strong and blows my hook baited with chicken back to shore. I try again, and the line is stuck on the side button of my pants. I try again, this time, holding the line away from my pants. It blows back. I try again, this time, adding extra weight. It still only makes a ten foot distance. I try again, and at this point, Taco is trying to eat the chicken on the hook. I tie Taco's leash to the heavy ice chest, and throw another line. Taco comes running, and since I hadn't thought to zip up the ice chest, when it tips over, all the ice spills out and the chest comes dragging across the mud, with Taco pulling it with a big smile, eager to get the chicken.
At this point, I just sit and stare at the two fishermen who are just offshore, most likely laughing at this Gringa. But I try, try again. To no avail . . . So I head back after about an hour and return to the house, enjoy the storm that rolls in over the lake, cooling me off and keeping the bugs away. I sleep well and wake up to another beautiful view of Costa Rica's mountains, the sounds of monkeys, different types of birds, sacaidas, squeals of animals I cannot see. I am told there are also poisonous snakes that come onto the property and I'm given a 3 foot machete to kill them. At night, Terrilynn goes out onto the grass and picks something up and throws it over the edge of the brush. She says there are poisonous frogs (frogs, my ass. They're the size of my fist!) So she picks them up and discards them. You have to do it quickly or your hand will burn.
My internet connection is slow, taking 4 hours to upload 15 second videos, and I realize I left my camera in San Francisco. I haven't had contact with many people, as I am in a very remote area. I will be living here for ten weeks, guarding the property while the owner is away. Then, I will leave most of my things and travel around Costa Rica and through Central America. My plans are to volunteer on a sustainable farm with waterfalls, horses, chickens and a greenhouse here in CR, then I'm onto Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Ecuador.
I promise to upload videos ASAP!
The driver picks me up at the airport and drives me 2.5 hours away to a small tropical town of Tronadora, near the Volcano Arenal in the Northwestern region of the country. I am greeted by windy dirt roads flocked with lush vegetation, coffee and palm trees, birds, and a huge lake, of which I have a view.
We pull up to the house on a hill that overlooks the Arenal lake and volcano. 6 dogs are barking but loving as I step out of the car. Terrilynn, the woman who owns the house, gives me a hug and takes me inside. She shows me to my room and around the property. It's stunning. Surrounded by flowers, a little zen garden, a chicken coop, sweeping views of the lake and land, and a fresh yard of grass lets me know I have arrived.
The first day, I drink the water. I am told it comes from spring water. There is no chlorine. I immediately get sick. I believe in drinking the water. I have been drinking it for 3 days and have no other symptoms. My first meal is a ham and cheese sandwich I made from groceries I purchased at the market in town. It's a 7K hike to town, so I have to stock up. After going to bed quite early, I wake up refreshed and headed down to the lake to fish.
I take Taco, one of the dogs, because I am told there are poisonous snakes on the grassy trail leading down to the point where I will fish. I collect my supplies; just a simple spool of line, a tackle box with hooks and lures and an ice chest full of ice, should I catch any fish. I am told this is how the Ticos (Costa Rican men) fish.
Up hot and windy dirt hills, and down that grassy trail, with Taco walking ahead, I arrive at the point with my rubber boots, ready to toss the line into the water. I spin it like a lasso and let it out. But the wind is too strong and blows my hook baited with chicken back to shore. I try again, and the line is stuck on the side button of my pants. I try again, this time, holding the line away from my pants. It blows back. I try again, this time, adding extra weight. It still only makes a ten foot distance. I try again, and at this point, Taco is trying to eat the chicken on the hook. I tie Taco's leash to the heavy ice chest, and throw another line. Taco comes running, and since I hadn't thought to zip up the ice chest, when it tips over, all the ice spills out and the chest comes dragging across the mud, with Taco pulling it with a big smile, eager to get the chicken.
At this point, I just sit and stare at the two fishermen who are just offshore, most likely laughing at this Gringa. But I try, try again. To no avail . . . So I head back after about an hour and return to the house, enjoy the storm that rolls in over the lake, cooling me off and keeping the bugs away. I sleep well and wake up to another beautiful view of Costa Rica's mountains, the sounds of monkeys, different types of birds, sacaidas, squeals of animals I cannot see. I am told there are also poisonous snakes that come onto the property and I'm given a 3 foot machete to kill them. At night, Terrilynn goes out onto the grass and picks something up and throws it over the edge of the brush. She says there are poisonous frogs (frogs, my ass. They're the size of my fist!) So she picks them up and discards them. You have to do it quickly or your hand will burn.
My internet connection is slow, taking 4 hours to upload 15 second videos, and I realize I left my camera in San Francisco. I haven't had contact with many people, as I am in a very remote area. I will be living here for ten weeks, guarding the property while the owner is away. Then, I will leave most of my things and travel around Costa Rica and through Central America. My plans are to volunteer on a sustainable farm with waterfalls, horses, chickens and a greenhouse here in CR, then I'm onto Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Ecuador.
I promise to upload videos ASAP!
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