TravelStream™ news feed for member xanadu72 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/xanadu72 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 20 Jul 2005 02:38:24 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120799040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120799040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120799040/tpod.html Wed, 20 Jul 2005 02:38:24 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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San Ramon, San Jose, Costa Rica

Well, it has been a good hard week of working with the Habitat brigade and my going away party was a blast, thank you guys!! I even got to do the Uma Thurman circle of love dance with you all!! It still makes me smile to think of it. As I sit here in the airport reflecting on my trip and the bittersweetness of leaving, I try to think what was the most poignant thing that I saw or did here in CR. After pondering everywhere that I went and all that I saw, I realized that what comes to mind the most is the people I have had the opportunity to meet. Yes, of course it was beautiful and green and amazing. But it is the people that make CR what it is. The Pura Vida way of life. The staff and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. The families that I lived and worked with and their friends. My wonderful teachers and fellow students. Fleeting yet somehow meaningful moments with mere strangers. Vagabonds and surfers and wanderers in the hostels, laughing and exchanging traveling stories. And those few exceptional people that I hope to see again, Leila, Katy, Kerry Jo, Emma, Sara, Big Red, Joe, Ted, Sasha, Wilfredo, Alnain, Devin, Fredericque, and of course Marianita and Wilson and Rebekah. I am sure more names will come to me in time. What fun, smart, generous great people!!!

I am truly blessed to have had this experience. I am definitely not done traveling, and think that other countries lay ahead for me and Costa Rica will have to wait awhile, but WOW, what a place! I will have this journal and photos and memories to look back on years from now and I know when I think of Costa Rica it will always bring a smile to my face! Thank you to those of you who took the time to follow the pod and to keep in touch. It was pretty fun to write and I look forward to documenting my future travels here as well. It's FREE!!! That is so great. Sturgis is coming up and then the 2 week build at my Indian Reservation in South Dakota, so that will be fun to write about. I might start taking donations for my future adventures... hmmmm. I just saw that I can do that through Travelpod..... That's not wrong, is it??? I know, I know, get a job....

Different than a lot of folks, I live my life in the moment, like tomorrow isn't a promise. There are pros and cons to that but in the end when it is all said and done and I am looking back on my life I think I will be glad for taking my own weird path to have gotten there. So, goodbye for now, CR, and thank you for the pura vida! It's home for me now, to the good old USA! Then, hmmm, who knows!!! In the meantime, LIVE, LAUGH, DO, BE!!!! Hasta Luego! Caio* Christy
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120802160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120802160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120802160/tpod.html Wed, 20 Jul 2005 01:19:33 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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Siripiqui, Volcan Poas, Amistad, Costa Rica

Dear God the itching. That is one thing I will not miss about this place. Every time I shower I fine new bites from who knows what. My newest is pretty big and is t.t.a.r.o.o.m, and at this point in the venture that is saying something. So anyway, onto more important things. This might be a long one since yesterday was one of the best days I have had since I have been here. On Monday Emma and Joe, 2 of my favorite people here, came up to me in the internet café and told me that they were planning on going to El Volcan Poas the following day, which I have been wanting to see since I got here. So of course when they ask me to go the answer is a good old fashioned Eastern Washington, "You bet your ass I do!" Hey, Erin, if you are reading this Awkward boy says Hi and yesterday we saw an Ocelot and 2 Crocodiles, sorry, wish you could have been there!

Anyway, yeah, we went to this tour guide and arranged the deal of a lifetime, a full 14 hour adventure packed day where we started out at before 6 am and shortly were headed to Alajuela to meet our tour bus for the first of 5 stops for the day, the Coffee Plantation. I got my picture out front with a guy with some oxen and an oxcart and when I pet it the thing pooped a lot and everyone laughed. But it was a good photo and the guy let me wear his hat in it. The oxcart here is a real symbol of how they work in a very old fashioned way, being one of the only countries in the world to still pick the coffee beans by hand. They take great pride in their work and come December when it is time to harvest the bright red beans, all workers end up working 20 plus hour days. It was really interesting and also beautiful to watch the morning sun shining off of the rows and rows of juvenile coffee plants.

The next stop was breakfast. Typical, gallo pinto with eggs, coffee, fruit and a fresca. Fresca Freddies was the name of the place. Good food.

Then we headed off to see the Volcan Poas, an active volcano in which the crater at the top is filled with liquid. Usually the photos of the water show it as a deep aqua green- blue, but due to very recent activity the water looked as white as milk, a poignant picture amidst the jagged rocky edges of the crater. There was a lime colored powder floating on the top of the water and steam rising and pouring out of the cracks in the rocks. The smell of sulfer was pungent and the view was absolutely overwhelming. I had never seen anything like that before and probably never will. The photos turned out cool.

Then we hiked to the nearby lagoon but unfortunately the clouds had set in and we couldn't see anything. The walk up was nice though, and Joe and I got a good opportunity to talk. I really like that guy. Then we met up at the museum, had a quick look around and then caught the bus to the next stop, the Catarata de La Paz.

At the waterfall, before we hiked down, there were 4 different little farms, butterfly, hummingbird, botanical and the serpentarium. We checked out all of those and it was pretty sweet. There were butterflies that just landed on me as I walked around and hummingbirds oblivious to our presence as they buzzed from feeder to feeder with lighting fast speed. There were snakes and frogs of all kinds calling the Serpentario their home. I'm glad we did that. Then we had lunch- a killer buffet and I ate too much.


We then started the descent to the bottom of the 6 tiers of the waterfall. This thing is just huge, falling over 3000 feet down the mountain before culminating in a big river at the bottom. As we hiked down the well groomed path and arrived at the first cascade the force of the water hitting the pool at the bottom created a fine mist and a wind that blew my hair straight back. We were soaked in minutes. We did this 5 more times, hiking down and down to eventually lay our eyes on the namesake waterfall La Paz. It was stunning, with another smaller waterfall shadowing it to the side and both sending torrents of water plummeting to the base to continue on down the river Amistad. Truly breathtaking.

Then the hike back up and onto the bus to go to our tour of the Rio Sirapiqui. We pulled up to a quaint farm after an hour or so and were greeted by two ancient locals playing the mariachis side by side. They loaded us onto the boat and with Jose Luis at the helm we started downstream where he had seen a 90 year old giant croc taking a siesta on the riverbank. His homing skills finely tuned, we located the croc after about 10 minutes, a huge blast from the past, looking Jurassic as all 20 feet of him lay motionless covered in dried mud. Jose Luis was able to navigate our craft REALLY close to the creature before he got irritated and walked towards the water, disappearing immediately beneath the murkiness.

Turning and heading with the flow of water we saw not only beautiful countryside and other animals including an ocelot, toucans, monkeys, a sloth, turtles, bats and countless singing birds. About 3 months ago the river was flooded and the evidence littered either side of the river. Huge trees, uprooted, created a maze that only a professional like Jose Luis could navigate without problems. The trees that were still standing had plastic bags and other debris high up in their branches, indicating the level the water had risen to.

As we passed by one of the houses, conveniently built on stilts to avoid damage from such floods, there were 5 young children jumping off of the rocks, swimming and laughing and playing in their underwear, waving and smiling as we passed. I was thinking how cute they all were and also how different it would be in the US. Kids playing in the river without their parents and with crocodiles none the less.... Scary. But they were having a blast and my thoughts drifted to other things. As the sun started to wane we pulled back up to shore, were greeted with yummy frescas and cookies then were off on our way to our drive through the Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo.

There was a storm that was rolling through at the time and the strong winds had the rain and the trees blowing parallel to the ground. Quite a site to see, but I was alone other than our bus driver and guide as the others slept. At one point the top of a tree had broken off and was in the road and our very apt driver used his 20 years of experience to keep us all safe. Lightning flashed vividly and mind blowing thunder clapped in the jagged, tree covered landscape. It was just surreal, like something out of a sci-fi movie. We never got out as the weather didn't allow but the view from the bus was great. We emerged into sunshine just as it set and finished the drive, ending up in San Jose in time for the next bus to San Ramon and then home by 8:30.

So, wow, is that all, you say?? But of course not, as the going away party for Emma and Joe had started without us and was in full swing. It turned out to be a hell of a night and there was dancing and bonding and photos and yada yada, you get the point, Fun times! What a way to go out with a bang!

This was one of the best, awesome, and most action packed days I have ever had in my whole life. To my peeps, Emma, Joe and Eugene, thank you for the idea and for sharing with me an experience I will never forget. And thank you, too, for the pictures, for without those all I have is my words to describe what we saw and you and I both know that wouldn't do it justice.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120453200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120453200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1120453200/tpod.html Wed, 20 Jul 2005 01:02:31 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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Cahuita, Moin, Tortuguero, Barro Del Colorado, Costa Rica

So after what I thought would be my last day of work I hopped on a bus and headed off to San Jose for a few winks before catching the 5 am bus to the Caribbean. I forgot the address for the hostel so asked the taxi driver to take me to the cheapest hotel close to the bus station. Why oh why don't I learn my lesson about bargain shopping from the last time??? #1 rule in life: Lessons will be repeated until they are learned.

So anyway, San Jose is a dangerous, crime ridden city and I can't count the number of times that I was warned to be careful and to not walk at night. Well, the cab driver found me a hotel, a doorway with stairs leading up to who knows where, and asked me if I wanted him to wait and of course I say no because I don't want to pay the freakin 25 cents for the meter. I go up and knock on the door and eventually receive the answer to my unasked question when a woman yells No Habitaciones- (no rooms) and closed the cracked door. Ok, great, now I have to walk, on the dark street, at 11 o'clock at night in San Jose by the bus station. Not good. Long story short I saw another place about a block up and started walking really fast but got sidelined by 2 men who were hanging out in the alley, who pushed me around a little bit and took my decoy purse- the one with the valuables was under my shirt and tucked in my pants- before another nice man came and scared them off. I was scared though and ran from the guy and into the hotel and just as fast I was in my 8 dollar room with no toilet seat or toilet paper and someone else's pubic hair in the bed. Great, I say out loud but am not about to search for a new place so just as I lay my head down on the towel covered pillow, the police are knocking on my door wanting a police report. The nice man had watched where I went and called the police. I did the paperwork and actually slept like a baby despite the heels of all of the prostitutes clicking up and down the hallway all hours of the night. Don't walk on the streets of San Jose at night, especially alone. Gotcha, lesson learned!!

I had figured I would spend the night in Puerto Viejo but at the last minute I changed my mind (I love that) and got off the bus in Cahuita, called it an early night and was up to watch the sunrise on the beach. AND I FINALLY DID IT!!! I SNORKELED!!! And I even have the pictures to prove it! It wasn't easy and I honestly didn't really enjoy it with the inner panic going on but granted it was beautiful. I am so glad I finally did it. Baby steps, right? After that I took a bus to Limon, then another to Moin, then walked to Playa Bonita before making it to catch my boat to Tortugero. The guy who sold me the ticket gave me wrong info on the departure time so I missed my boat but one guy had to make a run back at 1 so he offered to take me. I felt like the Queen of the Nile as he blasted me through the lush man made waterway that runs parallel to the Caribbean. We followed the National Geographic CR Guidebook to a T, stopping at the Madre de Dios bar and also the other one I forget the name. After 5 hours on the water, just as the sun was setting we docked in Tortuguero, a little oceanside village famous for it's endangered turtle spawning and conservation programs.

I ended up wearing black and on the beach in the full moonlight watching dozens of female turtles, some as big as 6 feet long, ramble up the beach, dig holes and lay an average of 103 eggs each, all of which are quickly gathered up after she hits the ocean again. There are 5 or 6 different organizations who then incubate the eggs until they hatch then release the little guys to swim to freedom in the ocean. They will return, just like salmon, to the beach of their birth in 10 years or so to lay their own eggs. All of the eggs in one nest, like crocodiles, are usually the same sex. Has to do with the temperature of the sand or something like that. So that was totally killer!! Slept well then was up before dawn to watch the sunrise on the beach. I found an old wooden chair and set it right above the tideline and just took it all in. It was amazing. I took a photo of the chair on the beach and it was kind of cool. I think I will frame it. Walked about 2 hours down the beach looking for sand dollars, found 6, then a storm rolled in so I had to head back, soaked, smiling and satisfied with the adventure.

Then I bought a ticket to the water taxi to take me back to the bus to go to San Jose since I had been told that my trip to the Barra del Colorado was impossible on a Monday unless I rented my own guide, which would be an arm and a leg so instead I decided I missed my Habitat family and wanted to go back to work. On the way what luck I had, the driver, once again with just the 2 of us in the boat, told me he lived in Barra Del Colorado, (which is the northernmost part of Costa Rica on the Caribbean side, bordering Nicaragua), and if I would go with him to drop the boat off that he would take me to his brothers and get his boat and take me around in that, so of course I ask how much and he says well, probably 2 thousand colones each way and 4 thousand colones for a room. 12 bucks for a full day of boating and lodging? OK!!! I was so excited because I had put 50 stars on my guidebook of places I wanted to see and this was the last one, so I will have accomplished all I wanted to see and do on my journey, and WOW, what a finale!! We arrived at the little canal town of only locals in the early afternoon, pulling up to rows of multicolored haphazard homes on stilts, where Mr. Ramos introduced me to his family, and invited me to their home. His mother was an ancient soul, with the leathery twisted hands of someone who had carved her life from the land. I wanted to take her picture because she was so beautiful in that wise old woman way, but I thought she would take offense so I didn't.

We got in the boat and he took me to some of the most amazing lagoons and swamplands, zipping the little boat in and out of the trees as I ducked vines and looked for monkeys. It was absolutely incredibly and unbelievably beautiful. We got back and went for a bite to eat and a beer then Mr. Ramos walked me through the town to my room and got himself stung by a scorpion by holding onto the banister. What a trip! Thank you so much Mr. Ramos!! We were waiting at the dock by 4:45 with about 25 other people for the 5 am taxi. As I took my seat in back by the driver, I looked behind me at the trail of light on the water leading up to the sun in a tye dye sky and I said goodbye to Barra del Colorado and Turtle beach. It was a great photo, with the wake of the boat disturbing the water that mirrored the rising sun and all of these silhouettes of trees on the mountains like little mini bonsais. Another framer.

So a couple of boats, a couple of buses (actually more than a couple as I thought I knew how to navigate the bus system but was wrong- 2 times- total- 5 buses) and a taxi later I was at the front door of Ted and Devin, with a new tan and a huge smile! Pura Vida!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119736020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119736020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119736020/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jun 2005 19:02:48 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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San Ramon, Costa Rica

Well, a lot has changed since I last blogged. I am at a new homestay, AGAIN, as of last Monday. I am living at the home of the volunteer coordinator, a nice enough guy named Ted. It is a cute house up on the hill with a great view of the city of San Ramon, although every day since I moved it has been nothing but rain. It´s pretty cool, though, since the little town is tucked in this valley below the house and it has been blanketed in a fine mist that creates the most surreal view of the white church with the three huge red roofed domes topped with crosses. Very pretty but I do question the placement of the huge radio tower in the middle of the town.

I decided to leave the other homestay due to problems. It was truly the Casa de Loca. There is a wayward boy living in the house tiene 15 anos and he was staying there due to problems in San Jose with drugs and alcohol etc. Nice enough kid but lacks guidance and motivation. Which is why I think he eventually stole from me and Fressia, the woman who cooks and cleans. This lead to more problems but I have to say it was poopie that pushed me over the edge. That damn poodle barked at everything at every hour and I never understood why nobody told him to shutup. Truly an irritating little guy. And you know how much I love dogs, but he could sense my dislike and he peed on my shoes and my pillow. That was it. But I think the dog had problems because of being made fun of by other dogs because he was named Poopie.

So it is good to be in another house. BUT of course my luck continues and my first weekend here someone broke into the house while we slept and took Ted´s cell phone and money that he had left on the counter. So that was pretty trippy. They picked the lock. I am always a little sketched out at night since there is no phone and Ted is a chronic dater so he is never home at night and the house is in BFE. Oh well, cést la vie, such is life, right? Only a couple more weeks to go, and the view is really great! And no poopie.

We had a going away party for Erin, the red headed Canadian, and Sarah, my fun British friend. It was their last day with Habitat so we invited all of the volunteers over to our house for a fiesta. I was surprised when over 40 people showed up. I played bartender again and everyone seemed to have a really good time. Isn´t it funny at parties, though? When you are the person who is hosting the party you never really get to visit with everyone because you are so busy working. But of course it was fun and I will really miss those girls.

So I had this great expererience on Saturday. I was sitting at the Barro Calientes, which is an outdoor gathering place with 2 pools for the kids and a huge soccer field always active with people. Ted left on his motorcycle to go do something and left me there with a full pitcher of cold beer and the view. I listened to the conversation going on with the 3 girls behind me and tried to figure out what they were talking about while watching the kids in the pool trying to be cool for each other and the hectic energy coming from the soccer field livening up the foggy day. Out in front of me was the church shrouded in mist and the layers of trees in the distance had changed from their normal deep green to different shades of gray, making silhouettes in the clouds. The Costa Rican flag was waving from the near edge of the cabana and my Imperial (the beer of CR) Logo´d glass was collecting the dew of the day. A little breeze brought a smile to my face as I thought of my ebbing time here. It would have been a great photo and I regretted not having my camera.

They have cut all funding for the Habitat program here in CR, which I guess isn´t a new thing. The affiliate will have to make some changes then hopefully they will start building new hoomes again. Ted said that he doesn´t think it will be for a long time and that they do finish the homes that are started. But I am done with Habitat at the end of this week.

I had my favorite day of work last week. We finally completed the digging of the septic tank hole. About 8 feet deep in solid packed terra cotta earth. A lot of buckets and pick-axing and the time came for us to drop the big concrete tanks into the hole. It took 7 of us strong and despite our lack of faith in Javier´s assurance that the tank woulnd´t break when we dropped it on the other one, everything went great. It was so nice to see the progress of all of the sweat and efforts. Now there is a place for poop to go and every house needs that. After next week I will be really ready to go. Habitat is already planning my going away fiesta and my foreman who has worked for them for 8 years told me and Ted last week that I was one of 2 of his favorite volunteers EVER! What a great compliment and such a nice thing for him to say. I really do try to bring a lot of good energy to the jobsite every day and I think he appreciates that. Nice person, and I told him I would send him some Karaoke songs in English after I get home.

I miss cooking. I realized that when I moved in here and my first night I spent alone reading and cooking myself some chicken and pasta. It was the first meal I have cooked in over 4 months! I am also doing my first load of laundry right now. I can´t believe I am saying this but I missed that too. I also miss having a dryer, since for about 8 days straight I have been soaked to the bone for the majority of the time. I miss being able to take a bath. Paper towels. Soft TP. My cell phone. Driving. Ahhh, the luxuries of the states.

My first night here after cooking dinner and then taking some time for myself to enjoy the view after work I went to go to bed and read and out of the corner of my eye I saw something quickly crawl under the bed. No big deal since I am so desensitized to crawling things anynmore. Hopped onto the bed and read for awhile then because I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes I went to get deeted up. Picked up a pair of socks and to both of our surprise discovered a little black scorpion clinging for dear life before I dropped both he and the sock and we both scampered to a spot of safety. I chose the bed, while Scorpio chose to hide under my suitcase. I didn´t know what to do because I didn´t want to kill him but at the same time didn´t think I would sleep well with him in the room. Lucky for me but not for Scorpio, Ted came home in a couple of hours and killed it.

I am thinking about going to Pamama, to Boco Del Torro. Heard it is beautiful and cheap and I still need to get that snorkel goal done. I WILL go home with an underwater camera full of pictures of me out way over my head! Yeah, I have felt a little weird the past couple of days. I have been thinking quite a bit about going home and right now I feel a little separated from things. It will be good to get back home and recharge my batteries. My life right now is just so trippy, so different than any of my other life experiences. When I first got here I felt so freed up inside. It was a relief. I still feel good about being here but I am definitely feeling ready to come home. I miss people and things familiar. I talked in English to a guy yesterday at the motorcycle rally and found myself thinking how wierd it was to be talking freely in English. And my Spanish is still horrible!

After the motorcycle rally the group of us, Alnain, his girlfriend, Ted and Sonjy and myself went to this place that was pretty neat because you can go out to the ponds behind the restaurant and catch your own fish then they fry it up for you. OK, so you know me and how much I love to fish. Of course the challenge is on and there is only one taker. Alnain and I were handed these peices of plastic tubing, about 5 inches long,with the fishing line wrapped around them. Interesting approach but undaunted I bait the hook and threw in. Didn´t take long before I was soaking wet from the storm that had rolled in but with an ear to ear grin as I pulled in my lunch. I have no idea what kind of fish it was but it was a decent size, a 10 or 12 incher.

When they said that the fish was fried, I thought they meant filleted and fried, not we take the whole fish and drop it in the fryer then bring it out to you resembling a prehistoric fossil on a plate with a lime. The now skinless, eyeless skull is somewhat of a delicacy here but I had no problem offering it up after someone asked: Are you going to eat the head? And as you can imagine I sat there trying not to cringe as my new friends happily crunched away on the fins and tails of thier fish while telling me that it tasted like potato chips. So when in Rome, I tried it and it wasn´t that bad. Oh, yeah, one other thing I miss. Ordering food and knowing what is going to come out to you. It is always a stab in the dark thing for me here.

Well, anyhoo, to those people who have sent me emails and received no reply I am sorry. Hotmail is an on and off thing here. So thank you and I will respond asap. Love and miss you and only 14 more days until I am back with my Harley Family and in familiar territory!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119307980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119307980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119307980/tpod.html Wed, 22 Jun 2005 19:50:21 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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Rio Pacuare, Turrialba, Siquirres, Costa Rica

As I was startled awake by Emma, I couldn't believe it was already time to get up. We had to be at the bus station by 6 or so, and our motley crew did great, making it in plenty of time. The ride was beautiful, as usual, and different scenery than I had seen in other parts of Costa Rica. Rolling grassy plains with random clusters of trees would appear in lieu of the usual dense forest for large parts of the ride. We finally hit the dirt road and start going down towards the Rio Pacuare for our all day trip. There were these huge spiders hanging off of their webs, no joke as big as my hand. It was cool.

We pull up and the boats are already in the water, so we get geared up and after a brief safety lesson we were off. Bear in mind this all happened in Tico Time. Anyway, I was in a raft with Emma, Erin, Katy, Lornett and Ruth, the guide, Phil and myself. Now Phil was quite a character, a very large chain smoking man with huge Wayfarer glasses taped together in the corner with electricians tape. Said he had a ton of experience on the river and that his safety record was impeccable. Well, we changed that!

The first part of the trip went very well. We went over quite a few rapids, class 3 and some 4´s, of course the whole time surrounded by the rich landscape of the area. We cut through canyons, wound around some plains and creeped through the jungle that was alive with the sounds of the Esmeralda, a huge beautiful green grasshopper looking insect that just makes an immense loudly unique sound. We stopped at some little thatch lodge where our river guides made us lunch and I soaked in some rays and tried to skip some rocks. (My best was only 6 skips, but there was a lack of good skippers, I must say.)

We get back in the boat and I think it was the 2nd rapid, a class 4, that took us down. It was called The Wild and the Untamed. Was it ever!! We entered the rapid after a couple of practice sessions, since he told us this one was really technical and if we didn´t do it just right we would hit, HARD, and that wouldn´t be good. So we navigate the boat so the nose is facing shore and go over the first drop sideways, with everyone leaning towards the high side. He then tells us NOW, and we paddle as hard as we can but apparently not hard enough, because before I know it I am under the boat. I reach up and can feel the flat bottom of the boat above my head as I am being knocked around by the huge rocks on the riverbed. So I push off and back, trying to get the boat in front of me. To no avail, since suddenly I am above water and realize I am facing the next drop. Trying to turn around and get my feet up as fast as I could I see the rock in front of me and tred to kick off of it but it is slippery and instead I take it in the tailbone, HARD! The water carries me over the rock and for a little bit I am stuck in the swirling current on the other side but soon I wash out and look around and see a variety of different colored helmets bobbing in front of and behind me. Then another drop, another rock, another bruise, another scratch, another mouthful of water. Then I see one of the kayaks and try to swim to him then hear Lornett behind me, yelling for me to watch out since the boat is heading right for me. I turn around and grab the rope on the boat and eventually they pull me in. But not before I was able to casually drift by the other people in our group and wave a quick hey guys, whassup? With a smile, of course, which ended up in more water being swallowed.

Lornett and Ruth pulled me in and then the question, who is bleeding and who is missing. Blood was everywhere and we finally figured out the source was Lornett´s head and ear, but no time to stop since another rapid was right around the corner. I grabbed a paddle and so did one other person and the guide and we navigated through that while the injured just held on. We stopped and got out to assess the damage and realized that Emma had injured her foot quite badly and couldn´t walk on it very well and that Lornett had gashed through his ear and had another cut on his head. Got him bandaged up and headed back, and with Emma being the trooper she is she still laughed during the rapids that followed. The rest of us were just a little battered and shaken up but other than that great! Off we went to finish the day.

We cut through this canyon, with cliffs rising straight up on either side of us we entered a calm area where we could get out. I hopped out and floated on my back enjoying the amazing view of the jungle contrasted by the bright blue sky. National Geographic Magazine has touted the Rio Pacuare as one of the Top 5 most scenic white water rafting locations in the world. It is truly something to behold. Each corner brought me to a new level of awestruck.

Made it back to San Jose and hired Mario Andretti to drive us in his Toyota Tercel cab back to San Ramon. At the bus station Graham realized that his wallet had been stolen out of his backpack either on the bus or at the station, so that was a bummer but he handled it really well. Lornett was still bleeding so we called a doctor to the house when we got home and he said too much time had transpired for stitches, gave us some gauze, antibiotics and painkillers and went on his way. I patched him up for the night and hit the sack.

I do have to say that being that it is Fathers Day I am already thinking of my dad and how lucky I am to have such a good person to look up to. Between transferring buses I told everyone I had to go buy a phone card so I could call my dad. I only had 30 minutes before our bus so I had to hurry. I asked everyone if I could pick them up a card since it was Fathers Day and all, and they all said no. Then as I headed off I remembered that out of the 10 people in our group, that 2 of their dads had passed away, one girl hasn´t spoken to her dad in over 10 years, one guy just met his dad for the first time last month, and another girl never knew her dad. So that is half and I don´t know about the other people´s parents. I felt kind of like a jerk because I should have thought of that before bringing up how I was going to call my dad and how much I missed him and how great he is. Obviously unintentional but yet again another lesson. I wish things could be different for them, because they are all good people.

But it is the truth, Pa! I am so lucky, and I couldn´t imagine my life without you. Being apart from you and being exposed to people who don´t have the luxury to call their Dads made me miss you even more on this special day. Sorry I couldn´t get to a phone but I am glad I was able to email you, albiet briefly! I smile thinking of our next fishing trip, because this time I think you might actually save some of the fish for me to catch! Since you miss me so much and all! A girl can only hope, right?? I can´t wait to see you and I love you Papa! Happy Fathers Day!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119046980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119046980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1119046980/tpod.html Mon, 20 Jun 2005 18:25:42 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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Puerto Viejo De Limon, Costa Rica

Well, it was another interesting weekend. I will be writing the next couple of entries about taking a sunset kayak tour, getting robbed, rafting the Pacuare River and the accident that ensued, problems at the homestay, why I felt so lucky on Fathers Day, walks on the tide pool beaches, Flying J's, Tripod the Dog and watching the sunrise, among other things. I try to help myself not to forget things but so much happened these last few days that I think new memories will keep popping up throughout the next week...

So we started our journey on Thursday after work, since we decided to take a break from the digging of septic tanks and spackling bricks to head off early on Friday morning. We made our way via bus and taxi to the CR Backpackers Hostel for the night. It seemed really upscale despite the cheap price of 9 bucks a night for a dorm with 6 beds, which worked out great since there were 6 girls out of the 10 of us. This place had 2 huge kitchens, free internet, and a swimming pool, none of which I utilized since soon after I arrived I went right to bed. Tired girl after working with a cold all week.

We got our wake up knock at a quarter of 5 am, made it to the bus station Caribbean by 5:30 only to find out they only had 5 seats left on the 6 am bus. We opted to buy on anyway, which meant that 5 of us would have to stand for the 4.5 hour ride. This standing thing is really common here and they will just cram people onto these buses. I was standing and listening to Led Zeppelin's Black Dog on my Ipod, and caught myself dancing in the aisles of the crowded bus at 6:45 as the morning sunlight kissed the scenery flying by. It turned out not to be so bad since we all took turns standing and we made it to Puerto Viejo De Limon before 11.

Once again it was hotter than heck there, I would say in the 90's with matching humidity. Emma and I parted ways from the crowd, deciding that since we had both brought some valuables, electronics and cash, that we would stay in a cabaña for 12 bucks each a night instead of the hostel for 5 since we could lock up our things. We opted to stay in Puerto Viejo for the day and hang out and the rest of the crew headed off to Cahuita, which is really good for snorkeling. I swam in the bath water of the ocean again, and due to the reef system here the waves were really mellow. We could walk out for hundreds of feet and the water would stay waist to chest deep. And it was warm, almost hot water. So we floated for awhile then ventured the town. I got a few souvenirs for some of you, one of which I am wearing around, just taking it for a test run, you know...

Ate at my favorite restaurant in Costa Rica, the Loco Naturale. I am telling you this is the best food I have had in months. Soooo good, and since Emma is a vegan it worked out really well since every dish has the option of vegan. I ordered the Indonesian Madras Chicken Curry, which has lemon grass, a touch of sesame and coconut milk with the perfect green spicy curry. Chick peas, 2 salads, fresh vegetables and a pinto gallo carribean style all for 6.50 USD. (So good that I talked the rest of the crew into going on Saturday night and there was live music and everyone loved it. Yummy!) Truly, if you are ever in Puerto Viejo, this is the place to eat.

Emma and I went out for a couple of drinks and then she said her book was calling her so I went off to find the rest of the crew, who were dancing on the beach and in quite rare form, I must say! WOW!! They are such a fun group and we laughed on the beach and did a little dancing then a couple of us went for late night munchies at the only place still open. I talked to the locals in my cave man Spanish, which ended up in a 2 hour free lesson for me! By this time the sun was nearly coming up so I decided to head back to the patio of my room which has a great view of the ocean and watch the sunrise over the Caribbean. As the birds started to wake up and the ocean was crashing over the beach the sun started to peek over the trees. I could literally watch it crawl into the day, blanketed in rich coral and lavender skies. I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day so I myself crawled into bed blanketed only by the whiteness of my sheet.

After 4 hours of rest I was up with Emma to conquer the day. When I looked in my wallet to get some money I realized that it was all gone. Hmmm.. Did I put it somewhere else? No, and as I looked in my bag I realized my Ipod was gone too and that we had been robbed. I told Emma who said that she also had some $ missing. They left our passports, though, which was really nice of them. There were absolutely no signs of forced entry so we knew that the person had come in with a key so I went to talk to the manager. He didn't seem surprised or concerned and didn't bother to apologize. He then said that there was a pretty good chance that he could ask around with the locals and figure out who had the Ipod but that we wouldn't get our cash back. Then he told us that the only bad thing is that I would have to buy the Ipod back from whoever stole it from me. Or that he could get my email and if I wasn't in town that he would buy it back and then I could pay him. He told us 'this is how it works around here'.
You can imagine my lack of restraint at continuing to bring up the point that someone got into the room with a key, and so how can he not hold himself somewhat responsible? He said that I had the only key to which I of course called bs, but he then insured me that the only key was in my possession, and that there used to be 3 keys but they got lost. And you didn't change the locks??? At one point he said that someone must have taken the key out of the pouch around my neck, went to the room while we were at dinner and then found me and put the key back into the pouch without me noticing. Yeah, good theory but mine goes more like this: You and the locals have some sort of scam going on here where they steal our $ and our valuables with a key that you provided them, they keep the $ and give you the valuables, which you offer to sell back to us. They leave the passports because there is a lesser likelihood of the police getting involved, and in the long run, everyone's a winner, right?

I have done my best to write it off since it is just stuff, but I have the ball of negativity in my stomach at the thought of being set up. This just didn't have the feeling of 'random hit' at all. The irony of it all is that our group at the hostel slept like babies and woke up to all of there belongings. We refused to pay for our room or breakfast and moved to the hostel RockingJ's for the Hammock House experience for night 2. ( For any travelers, the name of the place was the Café Rico, and I guess there was another 'break in' with keys the same night at the Hotel Yucca, so I would suggest avoiding either place.)

Not letting it ruin my weekend, since there was nothing I could do about it, we decided to head to this corner café for some killer hummus and lemonade, then off to find our friends and book our rafting trip. Met up with Lornett and Graham and walked these coral and lava reef beaches for a bit, checking out the tide pools and gathering shells. You couldn't swim there since the reefs were so sharp and there was no sand but it was starkly different than the other beaches I have seen and it was very pretty. Then found the rest of the group who were going to book our rafting, which we decided to do on Sunday since we could leave in the morning and then be dropped off halfway to San Jose to catch the bus home. A couple of the girls were going on a sea kayak sunset tour. At the last minute I sucked it up and decided it was time to finally get out there on the ocean, in the deep water, with just a tiny kayak separating me from the deadly Great Whites I am sure frequent the area. So we got set up and headed out, but not before the woman who was helping us talked to us about our stuff getting stolen and told us that she knew people and could talk to the crack addicts and find out who had my stuff and try to get it back for us. Then she said it would be a good idea for me to go to the corner where they all hung out and just talk to them. That they wouldn't hurt me, and in fact crack addicts are just nice people with a big problem and that they would be glad to help me if they thought I would pay them a few bucks. Wow. Different justice process here, that's for sure. Yeah, maybe later.

So anyway, we went out on the kayaks and I did just great. There were a couple of times that I looked down when we were really far out there and could see big rocks and other things that at first looked like whales or could have even been Great Whites but after looking again I realized they were rocks. I was glad to have received the kayak with the holes in the bottom of the seat so in case I had to pee I wouldn't have been in dire straights, because we were WAY out there and I just didn't see myself getting out of the kayak, even with the life jacket. But you never know, desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess! Either way, I was glad I didn't have to get out and ended up having a great time. Emma on the other hand turned absolutely green and had to go back to shore due to motion sickness, which she was happy about because she was just about to book a few week kayak tour in another country so she learned a good lesson out of that one. Went out to this island that had tons of pelicans, herons, egrets, frigotbirds and doves, paddled around it just in time for the sun to set and headed back. The moon was out and shining brightly so we could see just fine. It was really beautiful and relaxing, just floating out there surrounded by the vastness of the ocean watching the sunset, to be then guided home by the light of the moon.

We met up with the rest of our group at the hostel, showered and went to dinner. I will save you from hearing what everyone had and how good it was. The music was great and after dinner we all went out to shoot some pool then in for an early night at the hostel. We had to be up at 5 something to make it to the bus stop for our rafting trip. A few of us stayed up and played Texas hold'em for colones. I didn't win but was dealt a crap card on my last hand. I had 2 pair, pocket aces with a pair of 3's showing on the board. I go all in and of course my opponent has a 3 and ends up with a boat on the river card. Oh well, probably a good thing to get me to bed, or hammock, should I say. I settled in, wrapped like a cocoon in a sheet to fend off the mosquitoes. As I pulled the edges of my hammock snugly around me, leaving only an opening around my face to get some air, I thought for some reason how we all must look like 50 hanging, brightly striped large string beans. Then I smiled and contentedly drifted off to sleep.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118860980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118860980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118860980/tpod.html Wed, 15 Jun 2005 15:08:35 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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San Ramon, Costa Rica

Well, despite the years passed I remember the day like it was yesterday. I got the call in the middle of the night that it was time. I rushed around the house and gathered some things to race to the hospital. I sat outside of the room with Wendy, both of us acutely listening through the crack in the door to our other sister inside. Then we heard it. The joyous first cry of life! Kathy and Jack had successfully created an amazing person, the first Grandchild of the family, Cassidy! Cassidy, when I held you for the first time I couldn´t believe how perfect and tiny you were! It was love at first sight! Wow, how you have grown! I also can´t believe how much time has passed and to you, my dear and special nephew, I wish éverything that is good! I love you and miss you much and hope that today and every day are wonderful days for you!

And hey, guess what? You share the same birthday as my good friend Jeff, who lives in Phoenix and rides a Harley Davidson. He´s really cool, so I think that only cool people were born on your birthday! Jeff, wish I were there to celebrate! Since I can´t sing here it iS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSIDY AND JEFFIE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! I love you!

Other than that not much happening here. Work is work, still digging the septics for all 3 homes. We are in about 5 feet now so are using buckets. Tedious process but there is progess. Possibly by the end of the week all 3 and maybe even the trench will be dug. There is a brigade from Ohio State U here so I heard they will help us for one day this week. There are 12 of them so that will be good. Too bad they didn´t come on Monday...

This weekend we have reservations at a backpackers alliance hostel for 7 bucks a night in Puerto Viejo. Hopefully Senor Stinkydog remembers me. We will spend the first night in Turrialba, go rafting on Saturday, then spend the last night in PV. Excited to see the scenery from the river. I hear it is beautiful. We were going to go last week but changed plans at the last minute. I love that.

Anyway, my head hurts so I will maybe write more later but am going to bed now. Love ya!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118785800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118785800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118785800/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jun 2005 18:37:57 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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San Rafael, Costa Rica

Today we were rained out by the torrential storm that rolled in last night. We tried to work but the conditions got so bad it was impossible to continue. I asked if this was going to be a problem in the future but they said no, that we still needed to dig the drainage system. Yay. We have spent the past couple of days digging the septic tank holes. Big holes in terra cotta earth. Very fun. Actually, despite the sarcasm the people I work with and I make our own fun. We try to find a laugh in most everything, so it makes the time pass more quickly.

Here are some photos of the homes how they looked after my 2nd week. I will write a little bit with each photo and take more at the end of this week so you can see the progress. The property is located on a "grassy knoll" surrounded by lush mountainous grazing area for the nearby farms. There is a creek right behind the homes down in the little mini valley. Two of the owners of the homes have opted to only have 4 inches divide their homes on either side to give them room for a garden on the outside edge. The family that owns the middle house is Vanessa and Nain, who have 2 daughters, ages 5 and 7. Very nice people. The lady on the other side is the tiniest of Tica's, Victoria, who has one daughter. Both homes have 2 bedrooms but Vanessa's home you might notice has 2 openings for doors on the front. One will be for her salon and she will share the other room with her daughter.

ok, I just tried to upload more photos but internet connection is not good so more later! LY.

The house on the left is the largest and belongs to Maria, who has a 4 children, 1 grandchild and one on the way who I think will all be living in the home. It has 3 bedrooms and one bath.

I am anxious to get back to work tomorrow because the more time we miss the less of a chance I will have to see the walls and tile go into the inside of the home. At this rate I think I will be lucky to see the electrical and plumbing go in. I do think we will at least be able to get the roof onto Vanessa's home and frame out the walls in all 3 homes. Ok, it takes awhile to download so hope you enjoy. There is some tech difficulty with the camera since it is a cheapy so I wouldn't bother trying to zoom in. Hasta Manana!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118717460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118717460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118717460/tpod.html Mon, 13 Jun 2005 23:10:20 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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Jaco Beach, Puntarenas, Costa Rica

So this weekend was fun. A bunch of volunteers decided to spend the $4 to get to Jaco Beach and found a hostel to stay in for dirt cheap. Since there were 14 of us we worked the group rate thing everywhere we went. There was a wonderful phenom in this town where for much of the night the ladies drinks are free so needless to say we took total advantage of this.

They had these mango margaritas that were to die for. They came in Scorpion Bowl size glasses with all kinds of umbrellas and fruit hanging off the sides. Very tropical. Makes you feel like you are on vacation just to have one sitting in front of you. (Mango is my favorite but you can't have too much of it or bad things happen the next day if you catch my drift.) It was pretty funny because around the table there was the periodic brain freeze. We started taking photos of this and some of them are hilarious! I retired a little earlier than the rest of the group since one of the girls with us needed some help so I opted out. Very interesting night. With the free drinks and the $8 round trip transpo, $6 a night accommodations, $3 bracelet, and $2 a meal this is a vacation I could afford. Pretty happy about that since some of my weekend excursions have been a little draining on my budget!

I have thrown caution to the wind and despite the lack of knowledge of the local dances I figure I won't learn if I don't try. Well, ok, I still haven't learned all of the moves but I am certainly having fun trying! I usually make up my own dances anyway. The Robot went over really well as did Under the Bridge, but the Sprinkler didn't get as big of a response.... I will barely touch on the fact that I did actually stand on top of the bar and perform these moves, true story. Since I am so tall my elbows have been termed Weapons of Mass Destruction by the rest of the group. But in my own mind I am a good dancer and as long as I avoid the mirrors I can continue the illusion. Eventually I ran through the gambit of moves I have been perfecting over the years: The Shopping Cart, Stir the Pot, The Cabbage Patch, Oyo ComoVa, and even tried the Moonwalk and the Running Man. Of course this was later, by myself in my room, but.... Good times. I miss dancing with my nieces and nephews; they must have got their skill from me! They also have a few originals: The Kung Fu and The Worm, for example, which I am a little scared to try. I haven't perfected any ground dancing yet, so I usually avoid that, except on Joys' hardwood floors! I can't say there haven't been the occasional late night attempts at break dancing with my friends in Seattle!

So there was a girl in the group who is volunteering with an orphanage here. She was from England and has been blind since birth. She came here by herself. Can you even imagine? We talked for a lot of the night since she ended up sitting by herself quite often. She opted to come with the group but there is no way she could have made it around by herself. Very brave girl. I ended up leaving early to walk her back to the hostel and didn't want to pay for a cab to take me back to town so I got a better nights' rest than the others. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise since the bus ride back was quite beautiful and I enjoyed it whilst the rest of the group slept. Hmmm, whilst. Is that a word I used to use in the states or did I pick it up from the UK gals?? No se...

So I won't say who but someone in my group and I ended up talking for quite some time during the day on Saturday. After awhile it came out that about 10 years ago her dad, who, unbeknownst to my friend, used to hit her mom in private when he had been drinking. One night in a drunken rage he tried to kill her mom with the banister he had ripped out of the floor. So they had to make a break for it and change their names and everything. I don't want to give too many details, even though the chances of him running across my travelpod are remote, I wouldn't want to contribute any more drama to her life. Her sister still speaks to her dad on occasion but is forbidden to reveal the location of my friend and her mom. She thinks that if he knew where they were that he would possibly try to finish what he had started years ago. She hasn't been able to talk to him or any of her friends or to her grandparents, who have since passed away, for this whole time. As she gave me different details of her childhood I tried to keep my mouth from dropping open in shock at what she had been through. And her attitude is wonderful, just a great person.

Then this other guy, who is living with me at my homestay, tells me that he was adopted after being passed around to over 20 different foster homes in the Bronx for most of his life. He was 10 at the time and it was after he had to be removed from the home due to drugs and abuse to him and his sisters and brothers. He was separated from his siblings and his mom never tried to get any of them back. His adopted mom ended up to have mental problems and stayed with this guy who had been sexually abusing his little adopted sister for 6 years. After everything hit the fan very recently his adopted mom chose to stay with the guy anyway so he doesn't speak to either person much anymore. He did recently make contact with his biological father but kind of shrugged it off when I asked him how it went. So much loss for him and he is only 21 years old. I just want to hug him but fear it might open the floodgates. Might be a good thing. I don't know. After all of that he signed up for the military and just got out after 4 years. He says even though part of him hated the Navy, that it might have saved his life. Dear lord in heaven.

There have been so many experiences here that have helped me put life into perspective. I have a beautiful family, wonderful friends, my mind and my health, (including my sight). Seeing how people live here and hearing different stories has changed me for the better. I hadn't realized I had been functioning in this tiny, yet wonderful, bubble of a life. Maybe now my bubble is a little bit bigger and I can float a little farther than before.

Ever since my friend Jason Bozarth- love you- beat leukemia after a long and grueling many year struggle, he was the first one on my list of Perspective People. He did it with a tenacity of spirit and a bravery like I had never seen, coupled with the support of his family and now wife, Tracy. These are people that have stood at the base of a huge mountain of adversity only to left foot right foot it to the other side, without letting the difficulty of it all ruin their spirit. I try to recall these people every time I think I am having a hard day, because it really does help me put things into perspective. It could always be worse! Since that list started I have added a select few people to it and the longer the list gets the luckier it makes me feel that my name has no reason to be on it.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118458860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118458860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xanadu72/costa_rica_05/1118458860/tpod.html Mon, 13 Jun 2005 23:03:28 -0400 And she's ridin' on a motorbike in the strongest winds....

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San Ramon, Alajuela, Costa Rica

When I think of how I felt about the idea of leaving the country for several months, it seemed like a long time and I was excited and a little nervous. I worried about how it would be for me navigating this strange land where I didn't speak their language. But the other part of me felt differently. A dormant part of my Sagittarian spirit was awakened and I could hardly wait to tackle the unknown path before me. I was setting out on my very own journey, nobody else's. A strange unfamiliar calmness started creeping in, because I was finally doing something I had wanted to do for a long time. Venture out of America!

When people would ask why I wanted to do this the question always seemed silly to me. Hell, why not? It was perfect timing! My question was who would not want to do this? Since I have been here I have done my typical best to create the fog of busy-ness so as not to have to think about my long term goals. About what responsibilities await me when I go back to the states. It's a good system, this self created chaos. I've been using it for years! But the past week the need for clarity has been strong on my mind, so I have been doing some much needed soul searching.

It would be nice if life were to hand me this perfect situation and I could just settle in and everything would be hunky dory but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. I know I have so much potential to do something good and wonderful and meaningful- I am certain of that because I feel it inside. I just don't know what it is.

So I keep waiting for the opportunity to save someone's life or something like that to give my life this huge purpose. The fatalist in me is always on the lookout for the drowner or choker so I can pull out the Heimlich Maneuver (although I like to call it the Heimlich REMOVER- haha) or use CPR or something like that. I think it would be so cool. Am I sick or what?

But the funny thing is that sometimes the most important things in life hide in the little things. In sharing a private joke with a friend, helping a stranger, accomplishing a goal, or being able to communicate with a person by not saying a word, only with a look. Little things that evoke emotion and strengthen our bonds with others. I think that is the main reason we are here. Wow, such deep thoughts! And now, since I have figured out the purpose of life, maybe next week maybe I will tackle the concept of infinity.....

Don't get me wrong, I am all for working hard to buy the creature comforts I want in life. Like a black Chevy Avalanche with orange racing stripes and a factory lift kit. But when all of the working gets in the way of having healthy relationships is it worth it in the end? Not for me it isn't. Been there, done that.

I guess I never wanted to admit that I don't really have the need for a plan. Because everyone has a plan, right? I have felt in the past like I somehow need to justify my personality to others, even to myself sometimes. But being here has made me realize that I am truly blessed to have these free spirited qualities and I love it about me. And I am not alone. I have met a lot of people here, particularly travelers from other countries, who have similar adventurous personalities and it has been a blast to hear stories of their travels. I am walking a different path and glad for it. It is a good one! This experience, albeit short, will have lasting effects on the way I view myself and the world.

But sometimes it is necessary to plan, for example, I do need to figure out the work thing soon, since the flow is running low. I have decided that I would like to travel the world for a few years so I am trying to figure out how I can do that and get paid at the same time. It would be so sweet if I could get a job with the Lonely Planet or some other travel rag and they could sponsor me to travel the world and write about my travels. I would really like to backpack around the world in a year. I wonder how much that would cost? Maybe I could petition Patagonia and some other manufacturers to see if I could be a practical tester of back country hiking gear and clothing. That would be so awesome. Well, anyway, the chances of that are slim so time to get out of dream world and back to reality.

And as far as work, yes, I have thought about it. I have spent some time online looking and also contacted the company in Des Moines that I was working with before. I always have the corporate thing to go back to. Even though I rarely felt like wow, this is so fulfilling, I was successful and found some reward in the work. Is that like chasing tail, trying to find a job that "truly fulfills" you? The search should be interesting. Maybe I could work for half of the year and travel for half. Hmmm...

It is so rare for a person to have the time to just take off and do what I am doing. I appreciate the fact that my family and friends have taken an interest in my goings on. There are days when I get homesick and hit the internet café and one of you has sent me an encouraging email and it makes me happy. I feel really special and that is an amazing feeling! Thank you. Although I am having a great time it is no lie that I am counting the days to see you all again!

My work with Habitat is going great. It is tough on the body but good for the soul. I am really happy right now. I think that my future holds good things. I tend to be really lucky landing good jobs, so I am really not too worried about that. I am mainly looking for work in Seattle and the surrounding areas but Coeur D'Alene has been a victim of my search as well. I like both of the areas and they are both in a growth mode. There have been a few international searches as well but nothing of interest has come up yet.

I will keep the flow of kharma going in a positive direction and continue to soak in every minute of every day. Even when I am mixing my 10th batch of concrete with a shovel on the muddy ground in the rain...
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