it's almost thanksgiving...
i've so missed the holiday season... leaves ablaze, like the oven. inside is a turkey changing colors like the leaves.
stuffing.
cranberry sauce.
green bean casserole, even.
love and laughter.
hope everyone's thanksgiving is wonderful. and i hope you all get a piece of turkey. :)
i hope everyone remembers what they're thankful for. home. hot water. tomatoes. electricity. haha maybe that's just me....
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
bye sea
not much time to talk...
i'm in san jose now, away from the sun and the sea. it's so cold here, and it seems fitting somehow.
i'm spending the weekend with friends, barbequeing and cooking and exploring the city. i'm excited for a hot shower on monday...haven't had one in two months now. HA.
i've had so much fun, and i'm already planning my way back soon.
gotta go...onions need chopping, avodcados and tomatos need opening, fish needs frying.
love,
b
i'm in san jose now, away from the sun and the sea. it's so cold here, and it seems fitting somehow.
i'm spending the weekend with friends, barbequeing and cooking and exploring the city. i'm excited for a hot shower on monday...haven't had one in two months now. HA.
i've had so much fun, and i'm already planning my way back soon.
gotta go...onions need chopping, avodcados and tomatos need opening, fish needs frying.
love,
b
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
pescador
i´ve been neglecting the blog... sorry.
to catch up:
my internship ended about a week ago, and i´ve been having a blast enjoying electricity and fresh warm bread and coffee (yes. i´m drinking coffee now. sighhh, pura vida, i guess. haha)
last week, caitlin and i spent some amazing days visiting beaches nearby, some of which are the most beautiful i´ve ever seen in my life.
picture perfect: playa carrillo, just south of samara. a long crescent shape bordered by gorgeous self-manicured palm trees in white smooth sand. the water is perfectly blue and clear. it actually reminds me of samara, but here there are no houses, no restaurants, no buildings or people or parking lots or trash... just the sand and the silver sun on calm water.
best waves: camaronal. hands down. with the strong offshore wind from nicaragua, these waves represent some of the best of costa rica, swelling high and tubing in an unbelievable arc. to watch these guys disappear inside that tube and live to pop out the other side is mindblowing. downside: the strong current makes it impossible to paddle out and get in the pocket. takes forever, man. even trying to swim is taking your life in your own hands.
i was planning to go to san jose over the weekend and begin traveling around costa rica, determined to see as much as i could and try all the flavors of each region. however... plans changed pretty quick:
we´ve been hanging out with a couple of local surfers from samara who came to the project a lot of help out. they´re awesome and funny, and let cat and i crash in one of their bungalows (which they rent out.) they´re the best tourguides in costa rica, and we´ve seen and eaten so many things that traveling like a tourist would never get you.
they work everywhere here; renting bungalows, giving tours of the beaches by kayak or boat, teaching surfing, fishing.
on friday they took us fishing. yes, that includes both fishing poles AND spearfishing. i´ve been snorkeling with sharks in hawaii, but never while trailing a bait bag with four dead fish inside.
i won´t lie. i was nervous. haha
it seems sort of silly to go traipsing around costa rica like a tourist, spending two days in each city, barely having time to look around before i buy some cheap trinket, get a cafe frio, and get back on the bus. i´ve had enough of buses.
there´s also something irresistable about living and working in a small surf town in costa rica. i can walk down the street, and say hi to all the shop owners, who i know by name. mauritzio comes down on his bike, and we stop and chat and make plans to have a barbeque later. i stop by alejandro and ricardo´s place, and we hop in the van with Marc, their fishing boss from California. awesome guy. we head to the other side of the beach, where all the fishing boats bob out in the water. out to sea we go, fishing and snorkeling from 7 am to one or two in the afternoon.
when we get back, we´re sunburnt and exhausted. time for coffee! and pan con queso! the rest of the day is spent lounging in chairs and calling out to all the locals who pass by, commenting on the offshore wind or the lack of waves in samara. (they are very small here.)
it´s so much fun living here, working the sun and the ocean. the water here is startlingly blue and clear. going spearfishing with alejandro is crazy...he can hold his breath for three minutes, and i have to work hard to keep up with him. it´s amazing what he pulls out of the water. yesterday, a four foot durado (mahi mahi). he dives down to get what he´s caught, and goes so far that i have to dive down a bit as well so i don´t lose sight of him.
later, we cook what we catch. he´s the best chef in costa rica, i think. possibly the best i´ve ever had. it´s awesome that i´m working for such amazing food. we have a barbeque around the bungalow, with music blasting and locals showing up from the woodwork. i think they can smell the durado from the other side of samara.
bad news...my camera is broken. the lens won´t work. so i have no pictures of my fishing adventures. too bad, considering. but makes it more priceless, i guess. anyway...i should go ... gotta pick up some queso and agua for the guys. it´s a give and take :)
miss everyone...i´ll be home soon!
to catch up:
my internship ended about a week ago, and i´ve been having a blast enjoying electricity and fresh warm bread and coffee (yes. i´m drinking coffee now. sighhh, pura vida, i guess. haha)
last week, caitlin and i spent some amazing days visiting beaches nearby, some of which are the most beautiful i´ve ever seen in my life.
picture perfect: playa carrillo, just south of samara. a long crescent shape bordered by gorgeous self-manicured palm trees in white smooth sand. the water is perfectly blue and clear. it actually reminds me of samara, but here there are no houses, no restaurants, no buildings or people or parking lots or trash... just the sand and the silver sun on calm water.
best waves: camaronal. hands down. with the strong offshore wind from nicaragua, these waves represent some of the best of costa rica, swelling high and tubing in an unbelievable arc. to watch these guys disappear inside that tube and live to pop out the other side is mindblowing. downside: the strong current makes it impossible to paddle out and get in the pocket. takes forever, man. even trying to swim is taking your life in your own hands.
i was planning to go to san jose over the weekend and begin traveling around costa rica, determined to see as much as i could and try all the flavors of each region. however... plans changed pretty quick:
we´ve been hanging out with a couple of local surfers from samara who came to the project a lot of help out. they´re awesome and funny, and let cat and i crash in one of their bungalows (which they rent out.) they´re the best tourguides in costa rica, and we´ve seen and eaten so many things that traveling like a tourist would never get you.
they work everywhere here; renting bungalows, giving tours of the beaches by kayak or boat, teaching surfing, fishing.
on friday they took us fishing. yes, that includes both fishing poles AND spearfishing. i´ve been snorkeling with sharks in hawaii, but never while trailing a bait bag with four dead fish inside.
i won´t lie. i was nervous. haha
it seems sort of silly to go traipsing around costa rica like a tourist, spending two days in each city, barely having time to look around before i buy some cheap trinket, get a cafe frio, and get back on the bus. i´ve had enough of buses.
there´s also something irresistable about living and working in a small surf town in costa rica. i can walk down the street, and say hi to all the shop owners, who i know by name. mauritzio comes down on his bike, and we stop and chat and make plans to have a barbeque later. i stop by alejandro and ricardo´s place, and we hop in the van with Marc, their fishing boss from California. awesome guy. we head to the other side of the beach, where all the fishing boats bob out in the water. out to sea we go, fishing and snorkeling from 7 am to one or two in the afternoon.
when we get back, we´re sunburnt and exhausted. time for coffee! and pan con queso! the rest of the day is spent lounging in chairs and calling out to all the locals who pass by, commenting on the offshore wind or the lack of waves in samara. (they are very small here.)
it´s so much fun living here, working the sun and the ocean. the water here is startlingly blue and clear. going spearfishing with alejandro is crazy...he can hold his breath for three minutes, and i have to work hard to keep up with him. it´s amazing what he pulls out of the water. yesterday, a four foot durado (mahi mahi). he dives down to get what he´s caught, and goes so far that i have to dive down a bit as well so i don´t lose sight of him.
later, we cook what we catch. he´s the best chef in costa rica, i think. possibly the best i´ve ever had. it´s awesome that i´m working for such amazing food. we have a barbeque around the bungalow, with music blasting and locals showing up from the woodwork. i think they can smell the durado from the other side of samara.
bad news...my camera is broken. the lens won´t work. so i have no pictures of my fishing adventures. too bad, considering. but makes it more priceless, i guess. anyway...i should go ... gotta pick up some queso and agua for the guys. it´s a give and take :)
miss everyone...i´ll be home soon!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
winding down
my last sunday in Samara is fresh and sweet. the sun isn´t as hot today, after the massive storm last night. the tide, too exhausted to move, is low and lets the white sand dry itself in the morning wind.
we crossed the river this morning, laughing and struggling against the extreme current. hey, if the dogs can make it, so can we. i´ll miss fording over the river on our days off, proving just how desperate we are for a cold drink, ceviche, and an escape from carrying sand. we´ll go to the bakery soon, and sit down with cafe frio and a warm croissant.
some of the tico surfer guys we´ve befriended here, alejandro and ricardo, will drive us on their fishing boat to isla samara, which is a stunning paradise, even compared to the deserted beach we walk every night.
on wednesday is my last day in this little town, before i leave and begin the life of a solo backpacker again. i´m excited to see other places. puerto viejo. montezuma. monte verde. arenal. it´s been strange to spend such a long time in one place!
yesterday a marine biologist from the ASVO project showed up at the camp, intending to stay through the weekend to survey our activity. she and i got to talking, discussing the turtles and the science behind what we do here. it was probably the most intelligent conversation i´ve had with anyone in two months. she discreetly revealed that ASVO is in dire need of biologists to oversee their projects, and she wiggled her eyebrows at me. i laughed and told her i´d give her a contact email.
hey, working in costa rica with marine biology conservation programs? why NOT?
we crossed the river this morning, laughing and struggling against the extreme current. hey, if the dogs can make it, so can we. i´ll miss fording over the river on our days off, proving just how desperate we are for a cold drink, ceviche, and an escape from carrying sand. we´ll go to the bakery soon, and sit down with cafe frio and a warm croissant.
some of the tico surfer guys we´ve befriended here, alejandro and ricardo, will drive us on their fishing boat to isla samara, which is a stunning paradise, even compared to the deserted beach we walk every night.
on wednesday is my last day in this little town, before i leave and begin the life of a solo backpacker again. i´m excited to see other places. puerto viejo. montezuma. monte verde. arenal. it´s been strange to spend such a long time in one place!
yesterday a marine biologist from the ASVO project showed up at the camp, intending to stay through the weekend to survey our activity. she and i got to talking, discussing the turtles and the science behind what we do here. it was probably the most intelligent conversation i´ve had with anyone in two months. she discreetly revealed that ASVO is in dire need of biologists to oversee their projects, and she wiggled her eyebrows at me. i laughed and told her i´d give her a contact email.
hey, working in costa rica with marine biology conservation programs? why NOT?
Sunday, November 1, 2009
samara
when you´re walking down a deserted beach
in a raging Costa Rican rainstorm
you´re soaking wet, even inside your rainjacket
and you just walk...for ten kilometers...for four hours
there comes a point while i´m walking, i wonder:
¨this must be the most ridiculous idea i´ve ever had in my entire life.¨
but the turtles like the rain. isn´t that interesting? when the rain pounds so hard, it´s hard to believe anything will get dry again, the turtles eagerly come out of the ocean, letting the sky wash away the salt as they dig a bed for their eggs.
it makes it worth it. it´s worth getting up and working three hour shifts in the middle of the night. it´s worth the rain. it may feel ridiculous at times, but the truth is that every day i dig my toes in the sand and it´s hard to believe i´m actually here.
more hueveros...egg stealers. i was put in charge of the hatchery shift, since we had several new people. it felt cool to run around with a machete, giving orders and protecting my ¨charges.¨nothing dramatic happened, but it´s still fun. haha
said goodbye to a lot of our friends yesterday. it´s amazing, the friends you make in three weeks. i feel like i´ve been with them for years. we all sit around the table, and a dozen languages are flying around...spanish, german, dutch, swedish, english... i´m so used to not understanding anything. i love hearing all of it, and i´m sad to see them all go.
Costa Rica knows how to do Halloween! Samara was lit up with excitement last night. the food was incredible, and cooked right on the streets. every store, every restaurant was blazing music and lighting up food on the barbeque. i didn´t know so many people existed in this town.
i only have a couple more weeks here... time is flying by so fast, and i know i´ll be sad to go. but i can´t wait for my bed at home. :)
in a raging Costa Rican rainstorm
you´re soaking wet, even inside your rainjacket
and you just walk...for ten kilometers...for four hours
there comes a point while i´m walking, i wonder:
¨this must be the most ridiculous idea i´ve ever had in my entire life.¨
but the turtles like the rain. isn´t that interesting? when the rain pounds so hard, it´s hard to believe anything will get dry again, the turtles eagerly come out of the ocean, letting the sky wash away the salt as they dig a bed for their eggs.
it makes it worth it. it´s worth getting up and working three hour shifts in the middle of the night. it´s worth the rain. it may feel ridiculous at times, but the truth is that every day i dig my toes in the sand and it´s hard to believe i´m actually here.
more hueveros...egg stealers. i was put in charge of the hatchery shift, since we had several new people. it felt cool to run around with a machete, giving orders and protecting my ¨charges.¨nothing dramatic happened, but it´s still fun. haha
said goodbye to a lot of our friends yesterday. it´s amazing, the friends you make in three weeks. i feel like i´ve been with them for years. we all sit around the table, and a dozen languages are flying around...spanish, german, dutch, swedish, english... i´m so used to not understanding anything. i love hearing all of it, and i´m sad to see them all go.
Costa Rica knows how to do Halloween! Samara was lit up with excitement last night. the food was incredible, and cooked right on the streets. every store, every restaurant was blazing music and lighting up food on the barbeque. i didn´t know so many people existed in this town.
i only have a couple more weeks here... time is flying by so fast, and i know i´ll be sad to go. but i can´t wait for my bed at home. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)