Filed Under : by Greg L. Miller
Thursday, May 27, 2010Made by Greg Miller: mid May through mid August, Costa Rica
Sun, rain, sun, rain, sun, and yet more rain. Oh look, its the sun. Life in Costa Rica. The people are very nice but almost all of them tell us in whispers not to trust people outside of them. I have to say they are what Kiwi's wanted to be but didn't know how to pull off which is laid back. Kiwis were lazy. Ticos remind me of busy ants. Wherever you go there are Tico's (Costa Ricans) and they are busy busy busy. They are a smart lot and seem to always have a smile and time to say hi. Its weird for even though I never accept it I'm offered both sex and pot whenever I walk down town to the beach. Its a hedonistic paradise and there is mud everywhere. The people are very clean and seem to have their shit together. My small cabana has no television but they do have all the modern marvels and toys mixed with extreme poverty. One block is colorful and vibrant and the next block has mud huts. Most of the people seem to know a little English and my lack of Spanish isn't getting in the way. I did have two years of Spanish at NMU but it doesn't do justice when it comes to communicating with the locals. I find myself resorting to pointing a lot.
I wake up around 10:00 AM and start my day walking to the beach. On the way I have to walk downtown and the same people ask the same questions every day such as, "Taxi?" "Smokes?" or simply "Hola!" Many times I sit back and watch tourists fall around the mud as they slip and slide. There are exotic animals and insects the size of your hands everywhere, including in our little apartment. I'm not sure who screams more when a big bug comes our way. The bugs and animals are smart. Crabs the size of a foot often play tag with you as they run up to you then run away. Its actually the same with all the critters. They are fast and they always have an eye out for what your doing. After chilling on the beach I then make my way back after a few hours and lounge in the house. I have to be careful to not walk to far down the beach for there are crocodiles which I haven't been able to take pictures of yet that hide in the trees. When I wander back I either make my self and Kelly lunch or we eat out. Its chicken and rice daily but I have been spying on some hamburger. Steaks and pork chops are to expensive for we are on a tight budget for another 4 weeks. We then go out together and wander around for a hour or two because its not healthy for Kelly to work non stop. The sun sets around 6:00 PM and we often go back out every other day at sunset to have a few drinks. Tonight we are going to a nightclub/bar that has live reggae. After 9:00 PM Kelly will be able to have alcohol drinks for free for two hours for its lady night. There are enough bars and nightlife to keep us busy as long as we want and when we scope out ladies night we cut our drinking bill in half. Its really cool. After that we are beat and go home to either relax at our pool or to watch instant streams on our computers via internet. This is truly what they refer to as pura vida or as we would refer to it as, "the good life."
The cops are a lot different then in New Zealand and America. They have a sharp predator behavior that Kelly refers to as creepy and they seem to like to play games with tourists. Thankfully we have not experienced this yet but we see they way they act and hear the stories. There are many Americans here and they give us good advice. We make sure to always have a copy of our passports on us that are stamped by immigrations. Apparently they enjoy rounding up immigrants and if you don't have your papers they will detain you for up to 12 hours as they try to get bribery money off of you. They have problems with Nicaraguans who do most of the petty theft and crime. The beach is nice but yet its muddy. The mud doesn't really come off your clothes but its still very nice. Surfers are everywhere. You can't really walk 20 feet on the beach without being offered something which was totally not like New Zealand. In retrospect I like the people here a lot but I enjoyed the beach in NZ more. On the other hand NZ didn't have all the exotic creatures and the music here rocks. I currently hear a life Latino band playing next door and it really reminds me of the bands you see on tv. Give and take in everything I suppose. This place definitely has vibration and character which is a total plus. Knowing my luck people will tell me I'm being negative but to be honest this is my way of analyzing and critiquing what I'm experiencing. In my world I'm being unbiased while I let my experiences and senses shape how I think and feel. The food here is egg free and is wonderful and has much color and taste. Surprisingly the fruit is not to good though and left me feeling not so good at times. America has the best food as far as I'm concerned. To take that point one step further I would have to say that America spoils its people through comfort but at the same time its something I appreciate when I'm in the States. I remember one week ago I went to the grocery store in Michigan and was able to buy fruit the size of your hand that had 100% taste and looked wonderful. Here in Costa Rica and in New Zealand the fruit is small, blotchy, and often is to expensive. I think America is onto something with our genetically engineered food and our fresh produce. Well, enough of this rant, its time to hit the bar! Ciao- Greg
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