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| Es una problema! |
Heading home today after my workout at the gym, the bus
unexpectedly came to a stop in the middle of a stretch of road that runs
alongside the river. We passengers all looked out the windows to see what the
slow-down was and discovered that ahead of us a large limb had fallen across
the road. Leaning down from the main trunk of the tree, the branches were
spread all across one lane of the street with just room enough for small
vehicles to squeeze under the bole hanging over other side. Until that limb was
removed, there was no way our bus was getting through.
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| Students start walking as the school bus turns around |
A school bus and several cars were beginning to stack up on
the other side and I knew the same was happening behind us. As I sat there
wondering what I should do to get home, someone rang the bell to get off the
bus. With the doors now open I realized that once I made my way up the long
hill ahead, the rest of the way home was pretty easy and although it was still
a distance, I knew I could hike it with no trouble. So off the bus I went and
began walking on the narrow shoulder next to the traffic as it crept along to
slip underneath the limb. I glanced to my left and noticed a white taxi, one of
the "pirate" taxis that are cheaper than the red ones, right beside
me and it was empty.
"Señor," I
said to the driver through his open window, "¿Disponible?" meaning, Are you available?
"Sí," he
said, and I hopped in the back seat, thanking my lucky stars for the perfect
timing.
We took our turn carefully negotiating the small opening and
once past the traffic jam, continued on up the hill toward Santa Eulalia,
chatting a bit in Spanish about the weather, always a safe subject for my
limited language skills. You'll recall that Costa Rica uses no addresses, no
street names for the most part and house numbers are rare indeed. As it turned
out, this taxista apparently didn't know
exactly where he was going for his fare. At the school near our home, he
stopped and asked a couple of schoolboys where blah-blah was. Of course, I
couldn't understand his question but he let me know that he had to turn around
as he had apparently gone past his destination. But since he had saved me that
long uphill hike, I was happy to walk the short distance home. When I tried to
offer him some money for the lift, he said, no, no monies, instead handing me
his card so I could call him directly for a future ride. And I think I will!
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| Dry hillsides in the distance |
Our conversation about the weather focused on how dry it is
right now. The hillsides are turning brown and our grass requires regular
watering. But whoever said Costa Rica has no seasons just didn't recognize the
kind of cycles that occur here. Right now, for instance, it's sugarcane-cutting
season and huge fields of the tall plants are disappearing here in Santa Eulalia.
On my solitary walk the other morning, I encountered workers with machetes,
hacking away at the plants while a tractor stood by to cart away big metal
cradles full of the harvest.
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| Gorgeous bougainvillea |
Partly because of the dry climate, the bougainvillea is now
in full bloom all over the neighborhood, a riot of fuchsia, orangey peach and
pale pink. Our mango tree is heavy with fruit; we expect a bumper crop in a
month or two. The avocado tree in the front yard is also showing its coming
yield and unlike last
year, I hope to be around to enjoy it in April and May.
On our Sunday hike this week we learned of another fruit in
season, the Starfruit, a unique yellow oblong with parallel peaks along its
sides. When cut crosswise, the resulting section is shaped like a star. The
firm flesh is sweet tart and very refreshing. Marcial explained how to make a
"fresco," or fresh fruit drink, by putting the fruit - seeds, skin
and all -- into a blender with a bit of sweetener and some water and ice. Turn
on the machine and voila! you have a delicious drink.
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| Starfruit in abundance |
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| Marcial cuts up Starfruit as Bonnie looks on |
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| Stephen's smile says it all |
We retraced part of our steps from last week's "hike
from hell," stopping at the pig farm to visit with the family that
lives in the small shack on the property.
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| A very humble abode for this family |
One child was a cute little girl who
spoke enthusiastically to Marcial and Seidy, although their rapid conversation
was lost on me. However, I did manage to communicate a bit with the man who had
a boot in his lap along with a big needle and thread. "¿Arreglar su
zapato?" I bravely asked. With a big
smile, he looked up and answered yes, obviously pleased that I was trying to
speak Spanish.
As we started down the steep hill just beyond the pig farm,
we stopped to watch some men trying to capture a boa constrictor, another
chicken killer, by rousting it out of its hole. Their plan was not to kill
it, they said, but just to move it elsewhere. The leader really wanted us to video his
efforts but clearly it was going to take too long for us to stay and watch. Later Marcial told us that this man is a jack-of-all-trades, catching snakes being only one of his many skills.
So
we started off again down the trail but poor Bonnie took a spill on the powdery
dirt injuring her knee enough to force her to turn back. She and Eroca headed
off for smoother terrain while Marcial, Seidy, Stephen and I continued on, back
down to the lovely little river. This time, however, we opted to walk on land
instead of the riverbed but Marcial and Seidy's dog Blackie took a dip to cool
off.
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| Marcial and Stephen enjoy the scenery |
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| Stephen waits in the shade as Marcial hikes down |
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| Blackie wades in! |
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| View from the top |
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| "Our" little valley |
As we hiked through a beautiful secluded valley, we fantasized
developing our own small community there. According to Marcial, it's the
perfect climate and terrain for growing Plumeria; we could see a number of wild
white Plumeria trees all over the hillside above us. In our imagined future, we
would export Plumeria cuttings and make our retirement fortune as we relaxed in
our quiet little valley by the river. Ah, Pura Vida!
