Note: I wrote this in shifts so if I repeat myself...that is why.
Time seems to be going by incredibly fast! I have just about 3 more weeks left in this country and while I have previously been counting down the days until my return I fear that once I escape the ranch I will be able to finally enjoy all that Costa Rica has to offer, and therefore not want to leave. Only time will tell. Three more days of work and even that won’t be too bad. We’ve completed all requirements, hours, and are just here almost as a formality at this point. The past few days we’ve been making signs and just started a data entry project to create a massive mailing list. Good times!! Saturday is moving day and right now the plan is to leave super early Sunday morning to head towards Tortuguero, a national park reachable only by air or boat. We’ll be taking a boat and it is known as Costa Rica’s Amazon so naturally, I am pumped. Don’t worry, I’ll be taking pictures like crazy! After that we’ll head to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, two reggae towns on the Caribbean with lots of Afro-Caribbean influence. Look forward to more stories on the way about all of that. After our travels we’ll be learning all about how to throw pizzas and coming up with cool marketing ideas for Pizza John’s. I think I’ve mentioned all of these plans in the past few blogs, but it’s all something I’m clearly very excited about.
This past weekend I embarked on a solo adventure to San Jose or more specifically, the suburb of Moravia to visit my friend Michele and her husband Lisandro. I met Michele 7 years ago while here in Costa Rica on a mission trip with my church. It’s been about 5 years since we’ve seen one another and it was great to catch up and hang out and share life for a few days! I left immediately after work on Friday and arrived 5 hours later after switching buses twice in a super sketchy area of San Jose at 9:30pm. Luckily Michele and Lisandro were right behind the bus waiting for me! Saturday they had a wedding to go to for most of the day so I spent a wonderful morning eating delicious, real people food like toast with JAM and CREAM CHEESE and FRUIT and ICED TEA. I was in heaven! I had an apple with peanut butter and really, was so happy. I got to talk to my family via Skype Video Chat which takes the joy of Skype to a whole new level—how great to be able to talk AND see the people you are chatting with! And with a good connection too, rather than sounding like I was stuttering or had suddenly turned into a choppy robot. Ah the simple joys of life. Around noon I decided to hop onto a bus and start a day of exploring. I had no idea where I was going or what to do so I just got off at the end of the route and wandered around until I found a few plazas and lots of people. Saturdays are busy days in the city with tons of people selling all sorts of pirated DVDs, random things, and lots of fruit stands! I bought a really cheesy/awesome t-shirt semi on impulse and semi because I spent about 15 minutes in the store looking at each and every t-shirt and asking for specific things that they just didn’t have for sale. It’s really not that bad, but I definitely laughed at myself later in the day. Can we say minor buyer’s remorse??
I found a pedestrian path that wove its way through the city that cars are not allowed on so I followed that for a while until I got distracted by cool statues and plazas and intricate churches. I’ve always appreciated massive cathedrals and all the ornate architecture and symbolism that goes on. I then decided to embark upon an impromptu church tour, finding and entering as many churches as possible that I deemed were not in too sketch of an area. Inside was so peaceful, and I spent almost an hour in the first one! Being able to walk without any direction and do absolutely whatever is one of the most freeing feelings in the world. I like plans, but more and more I am falling in love with being even more spontaneous and just entering situations on pure impulse. It’s much more adventurous and adds a whole new element of surprise to the situation! Don’t worry though; I’m always smart and cautious before jumping in too fast head first.
So beyond the church tour I also visited the Mercado Central (Central Market) and wandered around the stalls. I saw some nasty pieces of animals, lots of herbs with all their respective cures etc, lots of fruits and veggies that I’ve never seen before, and tons of people. Saturday was definitely an enjoyable people watching day. Unfortunately there weren’t many places to just sit down and watch the world go by as many of those spots were already taken by allll the people out enjoying the day. (It was perfect! Slight breeze, slight sun, perfect temp, and only rained a little bit!) I finally entered the “Food Mall Palace”, home of Church’s Chicken, Papa John’s, and Burger King for an hour while I waited to hear back from another friend Ross, who was visiting his brother in Heredia, another suburb of San Jose. I had bought National Geographic Traveler in Spanish at a little bookstore along the way during my wanderings so it was fun to sit down and read through that. Only after I brought it back to the ranch did I realize that it was actually not the most current issue, but at least it was only $3. Traveling stories don’t change all that much from month to month. Ross showed up and thanks to Michele lending me her cell phone for the day I was actually able to find him, his brother, and his brother’s girlfriend. We enjoyed a delicious meal from Burger King: hamburguesas ticas. It’s a so-called Costa Rican hamburger, which I wouldn’t agree with as I’ve had others that seem more “tica” but hey, it’s BK, they’ll call it however they want. So this burger had a fried tortilla in the middle of it, along with refried black beans (and probably some rice too! …just kidding) and then the burger, lettuce, and tomato and mayo. Good stuff! We walked around after dinner and perused a market that was very reminiscent of the feria that I frequented back in Viña during my delightful Chile days. I was hoping to buy some earrings to replace some of the ones that I had to throw away thanks to the mold attack but no such luck this time. We enjoyed a banana split with orange, blackberry, and guanabana ice cream, whipped cream, nuts, and the banana of course. Mmmmmmmmm. If you didn’t already know this about me, one fun fact is that I definitely possess a deep appreciation for good food. And variety. ;)
They walked me to my bus stop and I headed back to Moravia where Michele was baking up some delicious desserts. Why oh why have I stayed so long at this ranch??? The three of us watched a movie and I read a little before falling fast asleep.
Sunday was a wonderful day. I woke up at 8am, read more, and then had another delicious breakfast and a yummy cup of coffee. At 10:15 we hopped into the car and drove up the mountain to Coronado, another suburb where their church is located. It wasn’t my first time attending church in Spanish, but it was definitely one of the first that I attended that I actually understood about 90-95% of what was going on. Singing in Spanish is always enjoyable, and trying to follow along with the pastor was a challenging yet enjoyable experience as well. There was so much joy in that place, I enjoyed being there immensely. In the afternoon we made oatmeal cookies and enjoyed a leisurely walk through the plaza and town of Moravia before heading off to Cultura Extrema, the youth group that Lisandro began and that he and Michele now lead. It’s in a small part of a warehouse and the kids are awesome! Everyone was so welcoming and fun-loving. They taught me how to play Skip Bo, which was a challenge in Spanish and with loud music playing, this made it harder to hear. I still got the hang of it though, and ended up winning. Definitely beginner’s luck as I didn’t have a clue what was going on most of the time. Or maybe I did…who knows. We played a game of Spoons and then everyone joined in a competition of guys vs. girls trying to guess and then begin to sing songs that Lisandro chose. I knew a few, but not before someone else had run up and grabbed the microphone. Worship was again awesome as everyone’s voices rose to the ceiling as one, so moving. There was a talk and we partnered up and asked one another questions about our lives…so much great Spanish practice in one day!
The three of us went and got Subway after Cultura Extrema and enjoyed our sandwiches in front of the TV back in Moravia, watching the end of the Miss Universe 2009 competition. For those of you that know me well you know that I rarely watch TV while in the States but it was another good dose of healthy civilization and pure entertainment for the weekend. The best part was that it was a channel broadcast directly from Colorado so not only was it all in English but it also had advertisements for places and news happening around Colorado. Good night!
Monday morning I woke up at 5:15am, said goodbye, and hopped into a taxi for the bus terminal. Surprisingly there were a decent number of other people, mostly gringos, waiting for the bus when I arrived. I got onto the bus around 6:15am and promptly fell asleep while staring out the window watching the world wake up and head to work. It was a long journey and I finally arrived to Fortuna around 10:45am. The shuttle back to the ranch leaves around noon, so I wandered around, read some, and generally enjoyed the day. The shuttle hadn’t been running all that regularly lately, so I took a risk that it might not be there to take me back at noon. In that case my plan was to either a) hitchhike or b) hope that I ran into someone I knew who was headed in that general direction, not an entirely ridiculous hope as Fortuna is small and I know people. ;) Around 11:50am I was scoping out the area, trying to decide who might be the best candidate to ask for a ride, as well as if I should just start walking and see how far I could go before I got too tired. I really was in no hurry to get back to work, and doubted that I’d even be missed. I ran into Memo a little before noon and he also had plans to head back to the ranch. We waited until 12:15, and the shuttle still hadn’t showed up. He suggested we go to the river and enjoy the day out there, but I was still excited about the prospect of trying to hitchhike. A little later, we ran into Derek who told us that the shuttle was leaving at 12:30 that day. Strange, but good to know. I went to the bakery to grab a few things to eat and then hopped onto the shuttle back to the ranch. Great trip, and no one minded that I hadn’t been there.
This week has been super great, tying up loose ends and finishing up mini projects, hanging out and just enjoying life. I climbed up the Mirador again, which was great fun just as it has been the last couple of times I’ve done it. It has been raining more, which is hard to believe I know, but we’ve still had some great few hours of sunshine that are appropriately cherished.
Today is our last day at the ranch and we’ll be moving tomorrow morning to Pizza John’s. Yay! I went over there a couple of nights ago to train and even got to wait on a couple tables and make a pizza. Judging by that first night of learning how things work around there, I am confident it’s going to be a great time. More details as they arrive! The great news is that the internet at Pizza John’s is near normal high speed quality so posting pictures and talking on Skype will be even easier. Hoo-rah.
Enjoy the weekend, check back in 10 days or so for some travel stories!
Cheers,
Katie :)
Friday, August 28, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
This is what it means to feel alive *UPDATED*
Great news! I have just completed my last internship course requirement and upon receipt of my employer’s evaluation of my work, I will officially have completed college! As I’m currently in a foreign country the ramifications of this situation have not fully sunken in though I am sure that upon my return to the States and a state of normalcy it will hit me that I have no classes to attend, and only a job to find. But that’s fodder for another day, and another dollar.
I have 6 more work days left at the ranch, and then from there 3 weeks to fill however I so choose. I’m thoroughly looking forward to working at Pizza John’s, spinning pizzas and living la pura vida and whatever else is ahead. And traveling to another part of the country, even though today I found out that where we are planning to head is apparently one of the wettest areas of the country, year-round. Just my luck! Oh well, if anything I’ve grown used to the frequent downpours and uncertainty of when it will stop falling.
Speaking of downpours let me recount to you the adventures of this past weekend.
Last Saturday morning began an adventure that started rather spontaneously, as great, epic, and memorable adventures often do. We randomly decided to go to the national park for the volcano, until we heard from a few locals that not only does the national park cost $10 to get in, but there aren’t that many trails and it’s not that great. The volcano observatory lodge is closer to the ranch, and only costs $4 to enter. When you aren’t making any money, anything that is even remotely cheaper is going to automatically be the best option! The change in adventure location also prompted our motley crew to change our mode of transportation. Dustin suggested we rent mountain bikes from the ranch, an idea that of course I immediately agreed to. So Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful, the perfect day for an all-day, out-of-doors adventure. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was absolutely pumped.
Jean Baptiste, Dustin, Andrea, and I selected our bikes, donned helmets, filled up our camelbaks and hit the bumping road. Dustin and I sped off, being more of the serious biking types, though I will say that Dustin is much more experienced than I am. Neither of us had been biking in a while though we had both arrived in good biking shape. Nevertheless I powered up the rocky hills as best as I could and made sure to hit a good number of puddles on my way down, just to feel the spray of the water hit and feel just that much more alive. It was exhilarating being on a bike again and feeling my adrenaline and heart pumping and sweat pouring off my body like rain drops. Whoever said “girls don’t sweat, they glisten” was clearly not an athlete.
After a brief pit stop at the bridge to survey the great Arenal Volcano and its surprisingly clear state, we headed up the road towards the observatory.
Jean-Baptiste, Dustin, Me, Andrea
The jungle changed a bit as we climbed and we entered a pine forest! Glimpses of the volcano kept us going and eventually we got to the entrance. It was literally straight up for 1.3 km, which is only about a half mile but it sure felt like more than that. I’ll admit, I didn’t make it all the way up without getting off my bike, though I definitely tried. By this time we had traveled 10km, which really isn’t all that much, except for the fact that it was in the hot sun, over many rocks and up and down many hills and twists and turns. And at 3000 feet no less! ;) Whatever, it’d been a while since I’d biked and we all know that Indiana is not a hilly place. I’m a flatlander through and through though I have many plans to change that.
We all finally made it to the observatory lodge and by this time it was the lunch hour so we sat down at the restaurant with an incredibly close and spectacular view of Arenal, as well as the lake. I devoured a cheeseburger and fries (anything that isn’t rice and beans!) and promptly fell asleep on a very comfortable couch after lunch while Dustin and Andrea played a game of chess and Jean Baptiste rested his eyes too. After this break we decided to go exploring and go for a hike as there is over 9 miles of various hiking trails and sights to see on the property. The volcano went in and out of visibility, as did the sunshine. We hiked out to a waterfall, deep into the jungle and decided to continue on to a hanging bridge and then on to Cerro Chato, a now sunken volcano that has a lake where its exploding crater once was. Right before we were about to walk across the hanging bridge it began to rain. And then pour. Luckily we’d grabbed some neon yellow reflective jackets that turned out not to be waterproof but at least they were bright!
We found a shelter to wait out the storm. When the downpour didn’t stop after more than a half hour we decided that it probably wasn’t going to stop any time soon so we made a literal run for it, scampering back down the now trail-turned-river and muddy conditions. The jungle takes on a whole new look during a downpour. There’s water everywhere and when you decide to run through it, the intensity level quickly increases. We ran and laughed and dodged sticks and stones along the trail and loved our drenched lives. Back at the observatory we sat up in the lookout tower and watched the volcano and watched some large hot stones fall down the side of it, crashing and steaming along the way. It was perfect. Eventually the rain dissipated and we decided it was time to head back. The way back was much easier than the way up as we were energized by fake fruit gummy dinosaurs and some slices of bread, along with a much-needed break and a nap. Dustin also made the great choice of buying chocolate covered espresso beans which likely also aided in our increased energy.
Anyway, we zoomed down back to the main road from the lodge and jean baptiste and andrea were completely wiped so they headed back towards the ranch while Dustin and I decided to continue the adventure and head into La Fortuna, about 20 km from where we were at that moment. There’s a shuttle that goes back to the ranch at 6pm so we figured we would ride into town and catch the shuttle back towards the ranch.
The ride into Fortuna was incredible!! Not only incredibly difficult at some points, but also incredibly awesome! Once we got to the main paved road it was fairly smooth sailing, despite the few massive hills we had to conquer. I’ll admit, I got out and walked up part of them. By this time my legs were freaking out: “what! Another hill! nooOooooOOooo” The sun began to set, which looked awesome with the mostly clear volcano smoking in the distance. The downhill into Fortuna was some of the best downhill I’ve ever experienced. That is a moment in which you truly feel free…zooming down a hill at who knows what insanely fast speed, feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your face and smiling this massively goofy smile because you just love your life in that moment so incredibly much! Obviously, I was happy to have made the choice to ride into Fortuna. We made it just in time to grab the shuttle back (there was NO way I would have made it back, especially once it got dark) and had it drop us off at Pizza John’s since we had missed dinner. We enjoyed good conversation and delicious pizza, as always, and played stick ball in the yard with Mao, an incredibly entertaining 6-year-old Tico.
I also had the pleasure of waking up in time to catch the last bit of night blend into dawn around 5am the other day. I told you I’ve been enjoying waking up early! This day was great, and dawn is indeed a magical time. The last star eventually disappeared into the growing light and the clouds were perfect. It was a great mixture of clouds and clarity, with pinks and oranges and light blues appearing all over the horizon. If you’ve never watched the sun rise, I definitely encourage you to do so! The birds along the lake were flying around, I watched a couple kingfishers searching for fish for a while, on power lines above the lake. Everything slowly but surely sprung to life all around me and I soaked up every second of it that I possibly could!
Another blog is on its way so I’ll cut this one off here.
Love Life!
Cheers,
Katie
I have 6 more work days left at the ranch, and then from there 3 weeks to fill however I so choose. I’m thoroughly looking forward to working at Pizza John’s, spinning pizzas and living la pura vida and whatever else is ahead. And traveling to another part of the country, even though today I found out that where we are planning to head is apparently one of the wettest areas of the country, year-round. Just my luck! Oh well, if anything I’ve grown used to the frequent downpours and uncertainty of when it will stop falling.
Speaking of downpours let me recount to you the adventures of this past weekend.
Last Saturday morning began an adventure that started rather spontaneously, as great, epic, and memorable adventures often do. We randomly decided to go to the national park for the volcano, until we heard from a few locals that not only does the national park cost $10 to get in, but there aren’t that many trails and it’s not that great. The volcano observatory lodge is closer to the ranch, and only costs $4 to enter. When you aren’t making any money, anything that is even remotely cheaper is going to automatically be the best option! The change in adventure location also prompted our motley crew to change our mode of transportation. Dustin suggested we rent mountain bikes from the ranch, an idea that of course I immediately agreed to. So Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful, the perfect day for an all-day, out-of-doors adventure. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I was absolutely pumped.
Jean Baptiste, Dustin, Andrea, and I selected our bikes, donned helmets, filled up our camelbaks and hit the bumping road. Dustin and I sped off, being more of the serious biking types, though I will say that Dustin is much more experienced than I am. Neither of us had been biking in a while though we had both arrived in good biking shape. Nevertheless I powered up the rocky hills as best as I could and made sure to hit a good number of puddles on my way down, just to feel the spray of the water hit and feel just that much more alive. It was exhilarating being on a bike again and feeling my adrenaline and heart pumping and sweat pouring off my body like rain drops. Whoever said “girls don’t sweat, they glisten” was clearly not an athlete.
After a brief pit stop at the bridge to survey the great Arenal Volcano and its surprisingly clear state, we headed up the road towards the observatory.
Jean-Baptiste, Dustin, Me, Andrea
The jungle changed a bit as we climbed and we entered a pine forest! Glimpses of the volcano kept us going and eventually we got to the entrance. It was literally straight up for 1.3 km, which is only about a half mile but it sure felt like more than that. I’ll admit, I didn’t make it all the way up without getting off my bike, though I definitely tried. By this time we had traveled 10km, which really isn’t all that much, except for the fact that it was in the hot sun, over many rocks and up and down many hills and twists and turns. And at 3000 feet no less! ;) Whatever, it’d been a while since I’d biked and we all know that Indiana is not a hilly place. I’m a flatlander through and through though I have many plans to change that.
We all finally made it to the observatory lodge and by this time it was the lunch hour so we sat down at the restaurant with an incredibly close and spectacular view of Arenal, as well as the lake. I devoured a cheeseburger and fries (anything that isn’t rice and beans!) and promptly fell asleep on a very comfortable couch after lunch while Dustin and Andrea played a game of chess and Jean Baptiste rested his eyes too. After this break we decided to go exploring and go for a hike as there is over 9 miles of various hiking trails and sights to see on the property. The volcano went in and out of visibility, as did the sunshine. We hiked out to a waterfall, deep into the jungle and decided to continue on to a hanging bridge and then on to Cerro Chato, a now sunken volcano that has a lake where its exploding crater once was. Right before we were about to walk across the hanging bridge it began to rain. And then pour. Luckily we’d grabbed some neon yellow reflective jackets that turned out not to be waterproof but at least they were bright!
We found a shelter to wait out the storm. When the downpour didn’t stop after more than a half hour we decided that it probably wasn’t going to stop any time soon so we made a literal run for it, scampering back down the now trail-turned-river and muddy conditions. The jungle takes on a whole new look during a downpour. There’s water everywhere and when you decide to run through it, the intensity level quickly increases. We ran and laughed and dodged sticks and stones along the trail and loved our drenched lives. Back at the observatory we sat up in the lookout tower and watched the volcano and watched some large hot stones fall down the side of it, crashing and steaming along the way. It was perfect. Eventually the rain dissipated and we decided it was time to head back. The way back was much easier than the way up as we were energized by fake fruit gummy dinosaurs and some slices of bread, along with a much-needed break and a nap. Dustin also made the great choice of buying chocolate covered espresso beans which likely also aided in our increased energy. Anyway, we zoomed down back to the main road from the lodge and jean baptiste and andrea were completely wiped so they headed back towards the ranch while Dustin and I decided to continue the adventure and head into La Fortuna, about 20 km from where we were at that moment. There’s a shuttle that goes back to the ranch at 6pm so we figured we would ride into town and catch the shuttle back towards the ranch.
The ride into Fortuna was incredible!! Not only incredibly difficult at some points, but also incredibly awesome! Once we got to the main paved road it was fairly smooth sailing, despite the few massive hills we had to conquer. I’ll admit, I got out and walked up part of them. By this time my legs were freaking out: “what! Another hill! nooOooooOOooo” The sun began to set, which looked awesome with the mostly clear volcano smoking in the distance. The downhill into Fortuna was some of the best downhill I’ve ever experienced. That is a moment in which you truly feel free…zooming down a hill at who knows what insanely fast speed, feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your face and smiling this massively goofy smile because you just love your life in that moment so incredibly much! Obviously, I was happy to have made the choice to ride into Fortuna. We made it just in time to grab the shuttle back (there was NO way I would have made it back, especially once it got dark) and had it drop us off at Pizza John’s since we had missed dinner. We enjoyed good conversation and delicious pizza, as always, and played stick ball in the yard with Mao, an incredibly entertaining 6-year-old Tico.
I also had the pleasure of waking up in time to catch the last bit of night blend into dawn around 5am the other day. I told you I’ve been enjoying waking up early! This day was great, and dawn is indeed a magical time. The last star eventually disappeared into the growing light and the clouds were perfect. It was a great mixture of clouds and clarity, with pinks and oranges and light blues appearing all over the horizon. If you’ve never watched the sun rise, I definitely encourage you to do so! The birds along the lake were flying around, I watched a couple kingfishers searching for fish for a while, on power lines above the lake. Everything slowly but surely sprung to life all around me and I soaked up every second of it that I possibly could!
Another blog is on its way so I’ll cut this one off here.
Love Life!
Cheers,
Katie
Friday, August 14, 2009
Breaking the routine and finding peace and tranquility
It’s been a good while since I last wrote, and much has happened. If I told you everything we’d be here all day and long into the night. Chalk it up to me being busy, the internet being non-functional, and while we’re at it, let’s blame the rain too. Though I will admit that it has actually been quite sunny for most of the day recently, which has been a most welcome change. I’ll enjoy it while it lasts before the “real” rainy season starts! I’ve decided I enjoy living up kind of in the mountains; it’s cooler here. I hate heat. And humidity. So, while I am drenched in humidity and all my stuff feels wet 99% of the time and gum sweats and passports wilt and gather all sorts of different colors of mold, I like the cool night breeze and the need for a hoodie and long pants from time to time. I could never survive in the tropics, or in the south. But that’s another story entirely.
So get on with it, you say! What on earth have you been doing that has prevented you from updating us on your life? Honestly, I’ve been filling my days with spontaneous fun and since I spend a good amount of the work day on the computer sometimes the last thing I really want to do is sit here and type out a blog or send an email about my life. That being said, I’m feeling the need to reach out to all of you right now. Hi! How’s it going? I miss you! I can’t wait to come home and share a few good laughs with each and every one of you, no matter where you live right now. Montana friends: I know you’re betting on whether or not I’ll make it out there before the year’s end and let me assure I am going to do all that is within my power to make it so.
A couple weeks ago now I embarked on an incredibly spontaneous adventure. I needed to get off the ranch and break the routine of the work week where I sit most of the day on the computer, writing blogs, going through pictures of the ranch, creating brochures, etc. Isaac had the weekend off as well and Andrea was sick, so he and I decided to make a weekend of it and do whatever. We hopped onto the 9am shuttle Saturday morning, carrying backpacks ready for an adventure hiking through the rain, hanging out at the beach, or wandering through the city—always be prepared! I wanted an adventure, and adventure is what I got! We randomly hopped on a bus to San Ramon, a city about 3 hours from Fortuna by city bus that stopped every 2 feet at times. I mean, it wasn’t THAT bad, but it felt like that sometimes. I slept most of the way. When we got to the city neither one of us had any idea where anything was, but it didn’t really matter. We got off and wandered around and honestly, I felt slightly overwhelmed at the hustle and bustle and Costa Rican city feel. Spanish, people, loud music, speaking, yelling, singing, begging. I tried to look beyond the buildings to see what I could see. I saw a few mountains surrounding the city and suggested we climb one of them so as to see the sunset that was obscured by grey cement.
We paused at the plaza, tried to find a restaurant and failed so we ended up eating in one of the dirtiest bars I’ve ever been in but that’s all we could find where we were in the city at that point, so it was fine. Next we grabbed a few items for the road and headed out to climb to the mountain at the edge of town before the sun set. Surprisingly enough we made it, and it was a great climb…very steep but with a good road that led all the way to the very top. I can’t imagine climbing that every day, just to get to my house but I guess I’d be in brutally good shape. I felt great once we got to the top! We could see the sun setting, lighting off brilliant oranges and yellows and reds amongst the puffy clouds. The lights of the city began to come on on the hillside and it was perfect. Night fell quickly and we decided to continue being spontaneous so we hiked down the opposite side of the mountain into a whole different town. We walked for quite a while, just enjoying the evening. The stars started to come out, and we found a highway so we walked along side it in the residential highway portion that was less traveled. We came to a bus stop and waited for a bit, then asked someone how to get to San Ramon and were told to cross the street. In doing so we stumbled upon a cute looking bar/restaurant/hotel so we decided to hang our hats there for the night. The place was barely 2 weeks old and served some amazing “bocas”: rice and chicken aka arroz con siempre, red beans and bacon and rice, and a swordfish ceviche with soda crackers that definitely hit the spot! We even found Nicaraguan beer that actually had flavor, compared to the beer normally served in Costa Rica. The evening was spent hanging out with Bombi, a crazy Tico who wanted to practice his English. There were music videos playing from the 70s and 80s and he enthusiastically assured us that each new song that came on was his absolute favorite, along with the best song in the world—and he knew every word. I was exhausted, but he made me pay attention to his singing along. Isaac convinced me it was necessary to create alter egos so for the night I was Ana while he played Victor. That was about as far as we got in coming up with characters to portray to the people we met, but Bombi was sure not to forget our names. Ana! ANA!!! Conoces esta cancion??? Es mi FAVORITA!!! AHHH (insert singing here) translation: Do you know this song?? I hope so, because guess what, it’s my favorite.
The next morning we got up and embarked on our trek back to San Ramon since we’d never really made it the night before. That Sunday morning was gorgeous. There was a perfect breeze and the most amazing thing about San Ramon aside from the perfect temperature was a complete LACK of humidity. I wanted to stay there forever!!! We hiked along the road, finding out that we were in Palmares, about 4 miles or so from San Ramon. As we walked, a van pulled up and a friendly Tico couple asked if we were going to San Ramon and wanted a ride. We accepted, and hopped in the back seat with their son. We zoomed through the mountains for a little bit, until at the bottom of one of the hills the battery died and the van came to a stop. We all got out and pushed it up the hill, which was not an easy task. At the top our friends told us that we should probably just continue walking to San Ramon because the fixing of their van could take a while. We kept trekking on and I am happy to report that once we got to the plaza our Tico friends passed us in their now running van and waved and honked as they passed. :) The best part of that story is that we weren’t even trying to hitchhike; they just thought it looked like we needed a lift, so they offered! Good people. The rest of our adventure consisted of eating, waiting for the bus, riding the bus, waiting for the shuttle, and riding the shuttle back. A pretty regular end to an irregular and awesome adventure. What a blast! As much as I enjoy maps and guidebooks and planning what to do before I go somewhere, I loved the feeling of complete freedom. We could do whatever we wanted and walk for however long we felt like because there was no plan. The only plan was to have fun, enjoy the weekend, and break the routine of mediocrity. I’d say it was a mission thoroughly completed.
Midweek last week we switched out one of our weekend days off and joined Derek, Dustin, Isaac, and Oon to go make a visit to “Tomas’ farm.” Tomas is originally from the Czech Republic and about a year and a half ago purchased some land on the top of one of the nearby mountains and built a farm, utilizing the ideas of primitive agriculture and organic production to grow and produce much of what he consumes. He harvests yucca, peach palm, tarrow root, bananas, soy beans, corn, and many other vegetables and plants. He also dabbles in creating moonshine and homemade salsas. We tried a concoction of his made with coffee that was originally supposed to be coffee wine, but now is something of a carbonated and fermented coffee liquor. His farm is one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited on earth and I loved spending the day there, relaxing in some of the hammocks at the top of a building he’s constructed that overlooks the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, a large area of rainforest that has been protected for future generations. Birds flew overhead and howler monkeys screamed off in the misty distance.
The clouds rolling in added to the tranquility of the place and a light rain on the tin roof above us was incredibly soothing. We munched on bananas grown on the property and looked out over the expanse. A tree stump carried into a type of twisting ladder along with a few other strategically placed pieces of wood served as our means of entering and exiting the open-air hang out. For lunch we ate off banana leaves and had a delicious combination of beans and rice with some tuna and other delicious spices thrown into the mix. We enjoyed some delicious coffee along with Tomas’ homemade fry bread—a combination of barley, oatmeal, and other flours as well as peanuts, brown sugar, and who knows what else. Either way, it was all incredibly delicious! We ended the day listening to Tomas play his accordion and hiked down the mountain, enjoying the views and the rolling misty clouds amongst the sounds of the rainforest. All in all it was an amazing day and a great break in the routine. :D
Since then I honestly don’t have too much to report, other than the fact that many people have left the ranch for various reasons and the food has taken a nosedive into barely sustainable mediocrity. Beans and rice and fruit juice are all that compose our meals—we haven’t even gotten extra food leftover from the tourists lately! In other news, for all of you that sent me mail, I finally received it!! Thank you for sending it, it definitely made my night when my boss showed up and handed it all to me. Please don’t send any more as I assuredly will not receive it before I get back—5 weeks from today! :) Email is great, though the internet has been pretty inconsistent and was out for 3 days this week. The power cord on my computer decided to break and die so I’ve been borrowing a friends’ computer for the past week and as of yet have been unsuccessful in obtaining a new one. My goal for Monday is to go and find one in Ciudad Quesada, a 2 hour journey but worth it if I can find something. Pray for me! I’ve also been working hard on finishing up the internship requirements for Butler and am happy to report that I only have my portfolio reflection to complete and then I will be done with college! I can’t wait!
So I’ve decided, for a number of reasons, to end my internship here at the ranch in 2 weeks. By then I will have logged approximately 320 hours +, which is enough to fulfill Butler’s requirements. I’m not entirely sure how I will spend the last 3 weeks of my stay in Costa Rica but do know that one of those weeks will be spent traveling to the Caribbean side of the country and logging more bus time and pretty pictures. :) For those of you checking into my Facebook page I apologize for not having updated it in a while, I have plenty of pictures to post but a weak internet signal that has been preventing me from doing so.
I love the moments when I receive emails and messages and Skype calls from all of you, you have no idea how pumped I am to return and see you all so soon!
Today is Friday and therefore it is Pizza John’s night. If any of you ever come this way and visit you MUST check out Jardin Escondido, right outside of El Castillo near Lake Arenal. John DiVita is one of the kindest persons I have ever met and does anything for anyone. This past week Andrea and I packed up our dirty clothes and washed them all over at John’s, which turned into an entertaining adventure with the washing machine but we got it done! He’s always willing to engage in lively conversation and open his doors to anyone in need. We are contemplating spending some of our 3 week time frame staying at Pizza John’s and helping him implement some marketing initiatives. Beyond that, he makes some killer pizza and delicious ice cream. He just recently started also serving specials: BBQ, pulled pork, ceviche and all sorts of other goodies. Great times!
For those of you back in school or just about to start, enjoy and best of luck! For all the rest of you, enjoy your days as well! And as always, adventure on :)
Cheers,
Katie
So get on with it, you say! What on earth have you been doing that has prevented you from updating us on your life? Honestly, I’ve been filling my days with spontaneous fun and since I spend a good amount of the work day on the computer sometimes the last thing I really want to do is sit here and type out a blog or send an email about my life. That being said, I’m feeling the need to reach out to all of you right now. Hi! How’s it going? I miss you! I can’t wait to come home and share a few good laughs with each and every one of you, no matter where you live right now. Montana friends: I know you’re betting on whether or not I’ll make it out there before the year’s end and let me assure I am going to do all that is within my power to make it so.
A couple weeks ago now I embarked on an incredibly spontaneous adventure. I needed to get off the ranch and break the routine of the work week where I sit most of the day on the computer, writing blogs, going through pictures of the ranch, creating brochures, etc. Isaac had the weekend off as well and Andrea was sick, so he and I decided to make a weekend of it and do whatever. We hopped onto the 9am shuttle Saturday morning, carrying backpacks ready for an adventure hiking through the rain, hanging out at the beach, or wandering through the city—always be prepared! I wanted an adventure, and adventure is what I got! We randomly hopped on a bus to San Ramon, a city about 3 hours from Fortuna by city bus that stopped every 2 feet at times. I mean, it wasn’t THAT bad, but it felt like that sometimes. I slept most of the way. When we got to the city neither one of us had any idea where anything was, but it didn’t really matter. We got off and wandered around and honestly, I felt slightly overwhelmed at the hustle and bustle and Costa Rican city feel. Spanish, people, loud music, speaking, yelling, singing, begging. I tried to look beyond the buildings to see what I could see. I saw a few mountains surrounding the city and suggested we climb one of them so as to see the sunset that was obscured by grey cement.
We paused at the plaza, tried to find a restaurant and failed so we ended up eating in one of the dirtiest bars I’ve ever been in but that’s all we could find where we were in the city at that point, so it was fine. Next we grabbed a few items for the road and headed out to climb to the mountain at the edge of town before the sun set. Surprisingly enough we made it, and it was a great climb…very steep but with a good road that led all the way to the very top. I can’t imagine climbing that every day, just to get to my house but I guess I’d be in brutally good shape. I felt great once we got to the top! We could see the sun setting, lighting off brilliant oranges and yellows and reds amongst the puffy clouds. The lights of the city began to come on on the hillside and it was perfect. Night fell quickly and we decided to continue being spontaneous so we hiked down the opposite side of the mountain into a whole different town. We walked for quite a while, just enjoying the evening. The stars started to come out, and we found a highway so we walked along side it in the residential highway portion that was less traveled. We came to a bus stop and waited for a bit, then asked someone how to get to San Ramon and were told to cross the street. In doing so we stumbled upon a cute looking bar/restaurant/hotel so we decided to hang our hats there for the night. The place was barely 2 weeks old and served some amazing “bocas”: rice and chicken aka arroz con siempre, red beans and bacon and rice, and a swordfish ceviche with soda crackers that definitely hit the spot! We even found Nicaraguan beer that actually had flavor, compared to the beer normally served in Costa Rica. The evening was spent hanging out with Bombi, a crazy Tico who wanted to practice his English. There were music videos playing from the 70s and 80s and he enthusiastically assured us that each new song that came on was his absolute favorite, along with the best song in the world—and he knew every word. I was exhausted, but he made me pay attention to his singing along. Isaac convinced me it was necessary to create alter egos so for the night I was Ana while he played Victor. That was about as far as we got in coming up with characters to portray to the people we met, but Bombi was sure not to forget our names. Ana! ANA!!! Conoces esta cancion??? Es mi FAVORITA!!! AHHH (insert singing here) translation: Do you know this song?? I hope so, because guess what, it’s my favorite. The next morning we got up and embarked on our trek back to San Ramon since we’d never really made it the night before. That Sunday morning was gorgeous. There was a perfect breeze and the most amazing thing about San Ramon aside from the perfect temperature was a complete LACK of humidity. I wanted to stay there forever!!! We hiked along the road, finding out that we were in Palmares, about 4 miles or so from San Ramon. As we walked, a van pulled up and a friendly Tico couple asked if we were going to San Ramon and wanted a ride. We accepted, and hopped in the back seat with their son. We zoomed through the mountains for a little bit, until at the bottom of one of the hills the battery died and the van came to a stop. We all got out and pushed it up the hill, which was not an easy task. At the top our friends told us that we should probably just continue walking to San Ramon because the fixing of their van could take a while. We kept trekking on and I am happy to report that once we got to the plaza our Tico friends passed us in their now running van and waved and honked as they passed. :) The best part of that story is that we weren’t even trying to hitchhike; they just thought it looked like we needed a lift, so they offered! Good people. The rest of our adventure consisted of eating, waiting for the bus, riding the bus, waiting for the shuttle, and riding the shuttle back. A pretty regular end to an irregular and awesome adventure. What a blast! As much as I enjoy maps and guidebooks and planning what to do before I go somewhere, I loved the feeling of complete freedom. We could do whatever we wanted and walk for however long we felt like because there was no plan. The only plan was to have fun, enjoy the weekend, and break the routine of mediocrity. I’d say it was a mission thoroughly completed.
Midweek last week we switched out one of our weekend days off and joined Derek, Dustin, Isaac, and Oon to go make a visit to “Tomas’ farm.” Tomas is originally from the Czech Republic and about a year and a half ago purchased some land on the top of one of the nearby mountains and built a farm, utilizing the ideas of primitive agriculture and organic production to grow and produce much of what he consumes. He harvests yucca, peach palm, tarrow root, bananas, soy beans, corn, and many other vegetables and plants. He also dabbles in creating moonshine and homemade salsas. We tried a concoction of his made with coffee that was originally supposed to be coffee wine, but now is something of a carbonated and fermented coffee liquor. His farm is one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited on earth and I loved spending the day there, relaxing in some of the hammocks at the top of a building he’s constructed that overlooks the Children’s Eternal Rainforest, a large area of rainforest that has been protected for future generations. Birds flew overhead and howler monkeys screamed off in the misty distance.
The clouds rolling in added to the tranquility of the place and a light rain on the tin roof above us was incredibly soothing. We munched on bananas grown on the property and looked out over the expanse. A tree stump carried into a type of twisting ladder along with a few other strategically placed pieces of wood served as our means of entering and exiting the open-air hang out. For lunch we ate off banana leaves and had a delicious combination of beans and rice with some tuna and other delicious spices thrown into the mix. We enjoyed some delicious coffee along with Tomas’ homemade fry bread—a combination of barley, oatmeal, and other flours as well as peanuts, brown sugar, and who knows what else. Either way, it was all incredibly delicious! We ended the day listening to Tomas play his accordion and hiked down the mountain, enjoying the views and the rolling misty clouds amongst the sounds of the rainforest. All in all it was an amazing day and a great break in the routine. :D 
Since then I honestly don’t have too much to report, other than the fact that many people have left the ranch for various reasons and the food has taken a nosedive into barely sustainable mediocrity. Beans and rice and fruit juice are all that compose our meals—we haven’t even gotten extra food leftover from the tourists lately! In other news, for all of you that sent me mail, I finally received it!! Thank you for sending it, it definitely made my night when my boss showed up and handed it all to me. Please don’t send any more as I assuredly will not receive it before I get back—5 weeks from today! :) Email is great, though the internet has been pretty inconsistent and was out for 3 days this week. The power cord on my computer decided to break and die so I’ve been borrowing a friends’ computer for the past week and as of yet have been unsuccessful in obtaining a new one. My goal for Monday is to go and find one in Ciudad Quesada, a 2 hour journey but worth it if I can find something. Pray for me! I’ve also been working hard on finishing up the internship requirements for Butler and am happy to report that I only have my portfolio reflection to complete and then I will be done with college! I can’t wait!
So I’ve decided, for a number of reasons, to end my internship here at the ranch in 2 weeks. By then I will have logged approximately 320 hours +, which is enough to fulfill Butler’s requirements. I’m not entirely sure how I will spend the last 3 weeks of my stay in Costa Rica but do know that one of those weeks will be spent traveling to the Caribbean side of the country and logging more bus time and pretty pictures. :) For those of you checking into my Facebook page I apologize for not having updated it in a while, I have plenty of pictures to post but a weak internet signal that has been preventing me from doing so.
I love the moments when I receive emails and messages and Skype calls from all of you, you have no idea how pumped I am to return and see you all so soon!
Today is Friday and therefore it is Pizza John’s night. If any of you ever come this way and visit you MUST check out Jardin Escondido, right outside of El Castillo near Lake Arenal. John DiVita is one of the kindest persons I have ever met and does anything for anyone. This past week Andrea and I packed up our dirty clothes and washed them all over at John’s, which turned into an entertaining adventure with the washing machine but we got it done! He’s always willing to engage in lively conversation and open his doors to anyone in need. We are contemplating spending some of our 3 week time frame staying at Pizza John’s and helping him implement some marketing initiatives. Beyond that, he makes some killer pizza and delicious ice cream. He just recently started also serving specials: BBQ, pulled pork, ceviche and all sorts of other goodies. Great times!
For those of you back in school or just about to start, enjoy and best of luck! For all the rest of you, enjoy your days as well! And as always, adventure on :)
Cheers,
Katie
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