How can a month pass by so quickly? The weeks seem to have flown by, however it also seems like forever ago that I was just meeting my group in Miami and flying to Costa Rica. Shoutout to my friends and family: I miss you all and hope everything is going well! I will catch up with you when I find WiFi and post this blog.
I am in a campground of sorts which is situated 100 meters from the beach, and about 2 miles from Uvita (Sorry if the rapid switch between metric and imperial measurement muddled your mind). This section of the trip is formally known as "surf camp", and over the past two days we have been shredding the waves and getting thoroughly water-logged. On the first day I upgraded from a floaty soft-board to a small, hard-board that skilled surfers use (not to say that I am a skilled surfer...). The transition was difficult at first, but today I caught numerous unbroken waves and had some terrific surfing runs, which were much more fun on the small board. This surf camp is nostalgic as well, because I am only about 7 miles away from Dominical where I first learned to surf with my dad and brother 6 years ago! When I am not busy getting water-logged, I am helping cook the meals for the group, reading or exploring the area and chasing iguanas. Last night, the trip guide, Franco, and I cooked 15 pounds of chicken plus rice, beans, Platano, and a variety of fruit for a dozen people.
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| Mixing concrete for the frog pond |
Considering I have only been in Uvita for 2 days, you may be wondering what I did the the prior week. Or, you may simply be reading raptly without paying attention to chronological order (perfectly okay as well). During the week prior to surf camp I was in a little hacienda situated above a tiny mountain town called San Isidro de Dota. There I spent my days mixing concrete, laying concrete, digging an irrigation system, and creating a frog pond. For the irrigation system, we dug a rut about 700 feet long and 1.5 feet deep, into which we laid piping to carry water. For this project we woke up at 5 AM, ate breakfast and then embarked upon a 3 mile hike down to San Isidro to begin mauling the earth with pick-axes and shovels. At first, the process was mind-numbingly slow, then Brett and I formed a rather efficient pick axe and shovel team, allowing us to scour a trench at a slightly less mind-numbingly slow pace.
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| Verdant valleys and mountains of jungle |
Surrounding the Hacienda where we stayed were an abundance of low-hanging clouds and dense forest. That's doubtless why they call it a cloud-forest. The mornings would be clear, and the sun would shine down on verdant valleys and mountains of jungle. Then, in the afternoons, the clouds would settle in the valleys and creep their way up, enveloping the hacienda in a heavy fog.
At the hacienda I also had the opportunity to pick a cacao pod and grind the cacao nuts into powder, help cook with the mother of the family that owned the hacienda, search for glass frogs at night, and milk the cows in the morning. After the tooth-grindingly frustrating job of rounding up two cows into the corral, I happily took to squatting and squeezing. After several thousand repetitions of squeezing, not only had my hand turned into a thoroughly exhausted piece of putty, but I had also gone from a novice ta-ta squeezer to an expert ta-ta squeezer in a remarkably short amount of time! Also, I got to try some of the fresh milk, which tasted like. . . well . . like warm milk.
Anyway, the waves are waving at me and beckoning me to come ride them. So, I ought to be going now. I will be sure to catch a wave for you mom (as requested in your comment). Also, in 2 days I will be flying to Quito, Ecuador where I will struggle like a fish out of water to breath at the 10,000 feet of elevation. Till next time!
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| Sleeping quarters in the jungle |
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| Finished Frog Pond |
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| Photo Cred: Franco |
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| Meredith turning her hand into exhausted putty |
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| "Graduating" from spanish school |
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Reading The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Last night in Costa Rica, having dinner above San Jose (Maya and Brooke being silly) |
Well, I am so very happy to hear that all is well at the completion of this first month of your GAP semester. You have traveled, worked, played and the adventures seem to be non-stop! From night turtle patrol, to dawn frog-pond creating, to 'chores' including milking by hand... not an easy skill... (Although your Boppa was a master...) and grinding cacao, serving up rice & beans and plantanos. I got a chuckle when you told me your clothes seem to be miraculously cleaner once you've stuffed them away and drag them out again days later... Haha! You really are a Traveler when that happens to you! So, Cheers! Thanks for catching the wave for me! It has been a Pura Vida in Costa Rica for you! What a month to remember! ox Mol
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