(Andy and Kevin on the porch)
Tuesday June 1st, 2010On the News
7am on the Casa TV
Well, as it turns out, the Arenal volcano erupted last night. That’s what must have caused the tremors that I felt, because no word of an earthquake. If I knew Spanish, I could write more. The language barrier thing. I could figure out that it hasn’t erupted in over 42 years, The footage they showed wasn’t a giant eruption, but lava was spilling just the same and a pouf of smoke. Actually, during last week, a much larger eruption happened in Equador. Once again, language barrier, but figured out they closed the schools there…a volcano day in lieu of a snow day…things really are different in Central America.
Lori called today, first time in 2 weeks. She seemed to be just checking on us. I told her all was well, and about the $50 they were short and she said that we could get it from Gypsy. Later, Gypsy called to say she would have our money in a few days.
We realized that it was the 1st and the only reason Lori called was to find out about Mike. Fishing for money, I would guess. Today was the day that their ‘lease agreement’ with Mike was to begin. Looks like that agreement had been broken.
No Water at Noon.
12:30 pm in the Casa kitchen
The eco tank will usually last us all day. We usually still have water when we flip it over to public pressure at night. This seemed unusual to us so I called Lori back to talk with her about it. We decided that if we didn’t get water that night, we would call back.
We got water aright…
8pm at the Casa
After Andy left, I cooked some dinner, and we had public pressure to wash dishes and shower. This meant if the eco tank didn’t fill overnight, there was a problem. It started to rain after dinner, and by 8pm it felt like we were in the middle of a hurricane. Winds were gusting and clocking around randomly. We heard noises in the open attic, we hoped the surfboards were OK, trees were knocking against the tin roof and we heard all types of strange noises in the storm. By 9pm we had no water or electric and it sounded like the plastic sheeting on the roof was being torn off…and that it was. Kevin was asleep and didn’t know about the electric and I accidentally woke him up looking for my flashlight to go investigate. Coming back in, drenched from the heavy rains, I confirmed exactly what I heard. We were worried about Andy, he has an open style structure on land that easily floods. With all the wind and rain we hoped he could find a dry spot. All we could do was try to sleep and hope by morning we had water and electric. Little did we know what was in store for us at daybreak…
Wednesday June 2nd, 2010
Should I stay or should I go now?
5:30am at the Casa
Packs of dogs were running wild all night barking in the yard. Which, in turn, Made Pixie bark while nestled by my head. Needless to say, not much sleep was had and the morning sun crept up quickly. I heard Kevin get up and the sun wasn’t quite up yet. Then I heard Andy’s voice and the poodle started her barking. Fuck! So, I got up to access the damage, too. It was a disaster. We still had no power or electric, but that wasn’t a surprise to me. Looking outside, it was a disaster. The tin roof on the outhouse was ripped off, the plastic sheeting on the roof was hanging off at the gable ends, pieces of the plastic littering the yard. 2 large almond trees, that were part of the property fencing, were down, tearing down the fence and blocking the path to the beach. Andy jumped right on it with his machete. Hacking limbs and trunks like a professional. Kevin wrangled with the barbed wire and I grabbed the machete Dan left behind. Heading to the beach, I hacked up some smaller downed trees. Andy and Kevin went to check the electric box and all were torn out of their places by winds and downed trees, they too need repair. We got word that a village outside of Quepos was destroyed and that most of the region was without power. All the way up to Jaco, which is an hours drive north. So, the guys went to town to see more of the story. Andy speaks Spanish, and can gather information from the Ticos. They were really going to see what kind of damage occurred in town and gather whatever information they could about the electric and water.
Coffee anyone?
9am in the Casa kitchen
After the guys left, I decided to build a little wood burning grill out of cinderblocks and wire racks. I saw the Ticos next door do it and I thought maybe I could eek out some coffee. I got the fire burning well enough and hot enough to make about 1/3 of the pot of my little stove top espresso maker. The fire was hard to keep burning, not having any dry wood. So, I drank my 2 sips of coffee and gave up.
Kevin took the phone with him to town. He plans on informing the Whitefield’s of the damage to their roof, outhouse and fence. Not to mention the days of clean up that were needed. Now, this isn’t our property. We are just renting and its only been 2 weeks in. Up keeping on the yard was one thing. Roof and fence repair plus extensive clean up are not in our contract…to do or pay someone to do. Andy concurred and I know Kevin isn’t going to do that type of work on the property, nor is he going to pay someone to. So, Ben and Lori will have a choice this morning. Either come back and fix it or send us the money to have it done. Neither, we know is in the cards. As the guys see it, unless the Whitefield’s do one or the other, they will have to relinquish rights to the property. That’s all fine and well, but unless we get power and water within a reasonable time period, I don’t think Kevin will want to stay. Quite frankly, Ive already said it out loud, we may be changing those plane tickets soon and packing our shit.
WTF?
10am same place
As I here alone writing, I cry. We had such high hopes for the coming year. But with all the bullshit, I wonder what the fuck. We gave up everything we owned to come here and live this dream. OK, fine 2 weeks after I moved to Key West, hurricane Georges hit the island had no power or water for 10 days. But we aren’t in the States and I didn’t give up everything to go to Key West. Honestly, it could be an infinite amount of time to get power and water here. Especially since the power meter box needs repair. If Ben doesn’t pay to have it fixed, we might as well start packing now. Plus this is just the beginning of the rainy season.
I smell like smoke from trying to start the fire. Maybe I will go for a swim. Maybe that will make me feel better…
Not that bad…?
12 noon At the Casa
The guys returned with news that all was well in Quepos. They had electricity and it was business as usual…a good sign. Although, problems still loomed at the casa. So, the three of us, machetes in hand, started chopping the large branches that were down in the yard. I was frustrated and swinging that machete like no ones business. Then the guys took off to see what they could do to help the neighbors and wound up putting up ours and our neighbors electric boxes, among other things. I proceeded to clean up the yard and all was looking normal by the time the guys got back.
Tico monkeys
3pm on the casa roof
While cleaning up the yard, I saw the Tico neighbors in the almond trees, topping them so they wouldn’t do any damage in the next storm. They were high atop trees hootin and hollerin, having a great old time. I loved it. These locals were amazing.
The next problem at hand was the roof. After seeing the Ticos and how the climb, I thought maybe we should ask the neighbor how to fix the problem. The pitsch on the roof is so steep that Kevin nor Andy could figure out how to navigate the slope. So, with Andy able to speak enough Spanish to get by, we had him ask how to fix the problem. Within minutes, he got the neighbor on the other side of us and they were stringing up our ladder to the roof, climbing up on precarious spots, fixing our roof. The whole time we stood in amazement helping any way we could. Kevin was exclaiming, “And you want to leave this??”, encouraged by the ease of the Tico help we received and the sense of community he experienced that day. After all, we were left, with the idea that the locals were people not to be trusted, for Ben and Lori. This just didn’t seem to be the case. Although, while in town, Kevin called them to inform them of the situation and they told us not to worry that everyone would help us. They did just that.
Dinner time
4:30 pm on the casa porch
With everything coming together, we decided to start a fire with the charcoals Kevin picked up in town and managed to prepare a meal for the 3 of us. We were getting a sense that all would be alright, even without electricity and water. The rains began again and we took every bucket we had to catch rainwater. Some we used that night to bathe, flush the toilet and wash dishes. We hoped that the new day would bring us the things we were still missing.
Thursday June 3rd, 2010
The case of the missing board shorts & 1 month in Costa Rica
7am at the casa
Well, we woke to no water or electric day 2. The stresses were starting to get to us both, with Kevin ready to throw in the towel. We needed to recover one or the other to keep our hopes up. So, we busied ourselves with yard clean up after I managed to Kevin breakfast, coffee for myself. I decided to keep the fire going and cook off all the meats that had defrosted in the freezer. I accomplished it all with charcoal left for our evening dinner.
After some yard work we were filthy and decided to take a swim to clean off. Then Kevin realized that his designated work board shorts were missing. He remembers them being in the shower that morning and not wearing them because they needed washing. From there he cannot remember what he did with them. So, off and on the search for the board shorts continued into the next morning. They were no where to be found and this left Kevin wondering what the hell he did with them. He had put some damp clothes on the line but swears they weren’t hung with them. The casa was small so finding them in there would have been easy. Had someone stolen them or were they misplaced?
Well, with one month in Costa Rica under our belts, 10 days in a tent, a volcano eruption, 2 earthquakes and one surprise tropical storm, we were nervously excited for the next 11 months to unfold.
ELECTRICITY!
3:30pm at the casa
With Kevin frustrated, he had me calling ICE, the electric company. I can barely speak Spanish and understand just a
bit more. So I tried. The first call yielded me the information to call back and press 1, and I did. Not understanding the recording, I just gave up. Within minutes of my call, we heard the hum of the refrigerator and realized the power was back on! Hell yeah.
With renewed hope, we decided to conquer our last task at hand, fixing the fence where the tree had fallen. With shovel and machete in hand, I headed out and Kevin followed. In no time we had the fence fixed. Things were really getting back to normal. We just had to see what would happen with the water.
Rain and Water
4:30pm in the casa yard
It started raining again, with winds kicking up. The almond tree by the porch was swinging and Andy and Kevin thought we should trim the tree. So in a light drizzle, Andy climbed the tree chopping the precarious branches off with his machete. I chopped them up and Kevin hauled them off. We were all soaked and Kevin decided to walk down to the public water faucet and fill up 2 gallons with fresh water. By the time he came back, the rain had stopped for a short while. With our buckets filling with rain water, I prepared another meal for the 3 of us.
Public Pressure
7pm at the casa
With dinner finished and the rains still coming we realized we had water. The public pressure lasted the whole night and we were stoked. The eco tank should be filling up so we would have water the next day. That is unless there is a problem with the water on our end. We would have to wait till morning to see. We decide to watch a dvd and I chose “The Perfect Storm”, quite a choice considering the news we would receive in the morning.
Friday June 4th, 2010
Word of another storm tonight
8am at the casa
Kevin has bites on his feet and wanted to stay off them for a day. Meaning, no walking to town or laborious yard work. While having coffee, Andy came by with news from Ricky, a Tico neighbor, that another storm was coming tonight. Kevin had put the TV on and I saw some news of the last storm not realizing they were telling of another storm tonight. Andy was going to town to check online to see the possibility of this happening again. So, Kevin decided to go with him to get supplies in case the worst was to come again.
I prepared garbanzos for hummus, along with black beans for dinner tonight. I also used all of our unused rainwater to do laundry, while I had the chance. We would just have to wait and see.
Is it Sasha or Alex?
3pm in the casa front yard
As we were continuing our storm clean up in the very front of the yard, a guy walks up and says ‘You must be Sherri’. Needles to day, I was a little surprised as no one here knows my name, let alone some gringo dude Ive never seen. He was coming from the way of the commune, so I thought he may be a friend of Andys. H e said hes staying at the commune and his name was Sasha. Interesting, Andy didn’t speak of anyone coming or staying at the commune besides Alex. A friend of Dan’s who came to live in the commune but, left a day or two after our arrival. I thought I remembered Andy say that he and Tracy (‘bike girl’) as Lori named her) had been back for a day or so talking about going to the states. So after asking a few questions, I finally said, ‘are you Alex?’…and he said yes. I asked why Sasha and his reply was ‘Its Alex in Russian’. Hummmm… Something tells me this wasn’t true.
Anyway, he proceeded to give us information on Ben, such as he was growing and selling weed on Cocal and selling mushrooms in Quepos. So maybe the Tico rumors were true… He also informed us that before they came here they took out a bunch of credit cards and ran them up to build their life here. Funny thing was, it seemed that only half of the information we were given was true. Mostly random things he lied about, like his name. Weird.
Setting the neighbors straight
4pm in front of the casa
After our talk with Alex, I decided to paint over all the rasta colors on the front and back fence rails. With the rumors of drug dealing and the Whitefield’s ‘running away from trouble’, we thought it would be a good idea to try and disassociate ourselves from the ratsta’s. After I was finished, the neighbors across the street asked, again, about Ben. He tried his best to explain that we were no primo to Ben, meaning that we were not his cousins as he told everyone, and that Ben had to leave because of no dinero.
Saturday June 5th, 2010
Market in the am…dinner with Andy in the pm
8:30am downtown Quepos
Another Saturday like last. We got up and headed for the market, Pali and internet. Its always so nice to go to town and change my scenery. I like that.
With all the fresh veggies, I invited Andy to dinner. He accepted and we had a nice dinner and conversation that night. Andy spoke of his eminent departure for his passport stamp. He said he was planning a trip to Panama but would be back in a few days. We smoked and chatted after dinner until after sundown.
Bad dreams and anxiety attacks all night
9pm in the casa bedroom
I cannot remember what could have caused the horrible night I had. I having bad dreams and anxiety attacks. It could have been anything. I just had this feeling of impending doom or that something is wrong with someone I love. With no internet, its hard to check on people, or at least check in. These thoughts probably intensified the anxiety and bad dreams. The next morning would be the first time I let Kevin know the negative feelings I have.
Sunday June 6th, 2010
Admitter of dismay
8am in the casa kitchen
This morning I told Kevin about how I was feeling. He totally understood and we talked of many things. Our mixed emotions, feelings about being here and the isolation. It was a long talk and we both got a lot out. We talked over coffee and I started feeling better, but not 100%.
Visitors galore
11am at the casa
Alex, Andy, Alvin & Susan, Catalina & Bano….and Ricky all stopped by today. Alex first then on his leaving Andy arrived. We were on the porch chatting it up and I looked towards the front yard. There were 3 unknown people rolling toward the house on Segways. It was a little alarming so I called for Kevin. He came around and looked dumbfounded. Then the man said that it was Alvin. Alvin is the person who helped Ben and Lori with their yard sale in town. Kevin had met him but I never had.
He had with him Catalina and her son. Catalina owns 2 hotels in Manuel Antonio and just bought property on Cocal. She wants to start a Segway tour out here. She was exclaiming how beautiful Playa Cocal is but we need to clean it up. She was talking about the trash that litters the road. Alvin was trying to help us out by bringing a new business owner to us who is in the tourism industry thinking we could help each other. Alvin let us know he offered to help the Whitefields get business but from what I gather they were unreceptive.
After they left, we got a good laugh about the Segways. A laugh that lasted days, If you were here you would understand that this is not the place for Segway tours. Everyone is hoping they pave the road on Cocal, but some of the Ticos say there is no way it will happen.
Moldy and Musty
2pm in the casa loft
There was a suitcase left by a friend of Lori’s in the loft. We know that before they left, Lori went through the bag before putting it up in the loft. The first 10 days it was left on the porch, I don’t know how long it had sat there.
Today Kevin noticed it was covered with mold, as was his board bag. We decided to take the suitcase down and check the contents. It wind up that the roof issue during the storm left the bag full of mold, inside and out. I separated what I thought I could salvage for their friend but the suit case itself was a total loss. Before the storm, it had been outside for 4 months. I washed what I could get the mold and musty smell out of, which wasn’t much. The rest went to the trash. We felt bad but there wasn’t much we could do. We did not know this Sara or any way to get in touch with her. Lori was suppose to let her know they were leaving and to come get her stuff asap. No one heard from her before Ben and Lori left and Kevin let them know we weren’t going to be responsible for other peoples things and that we were not going to allow people to just leave stuff here.
There was another person with a bag in the loft and a boogie board. Someone form Quepos. We also had watched Ben and Lori going through his things wanting to keep his IPOD. He had come the day after they left to pick up his stuff. I think it had only been there for a couple weeks, but according to Lori she was hoping he didn’t come before they left so she could keep the IPOD. I wonder how much of Sara’s stuff they took with them to the states…
Monday June 7th, 2010
Andy’s announcement
1130am on the casa porch
Today Andy had gone to town early and was home before noon. He told us that while online at the bakery he found real cheap tickets to Barcelona and bought them. He said he would be back in 2 and a half weeks. He was going to tour Europe and go home to Germany to see his family. We were happy for him but in the back of our minds the nagging thought that he wouldn’t return ate at us.
Clean up with Ricardo
1pm in front of the casa
When Andy arrive he and mentioned that the neighbor across the street was asking about the pile of debris out front. Ben had started a pile to burn on the street before he left. He never burned it because it never dried out, the spot was shaded from the sun. After the storm Kevin added to the pile and this was the 2nd time a neighbor had mentioned the pile to us though Andy. So, the guys went out front to see if they could decipher what the neighbors wanted done.
It turns out that the neighbors name was Ricardo, an older man who obviously liked to drink. Kevin and Andy told him they were on the way to the pulperia and when the returned he could move the branches to his back yard as fill from the mangroves. He asked for a couple of Mil and some drink from the store. So, when they got to the pulperia and asked for the drink, the owner looked at him funny and shocked that they knew he sold liquor. Another local came by and just told them to give them what Ricardo drinks because Andy was trying to explain it wasn’t for them.
They returned and Kevin helped Ricardo with the clean up. Ricardo downed half of the small bottle before they started and before they could finish was passed out on the ground. Kevin just laughed because the drink turned out to be straight vodka so, he knew Ricardo was drunk. Kevin finished up and came home telling me this funny adventure with Ricardo.
Tuesday June 8th, 2010
Off to town
9:30am downtown Quepos
Bright and early Ricardo came by looking for the colones we owed him for moving the tree limbs, which Kevin did most of…lol. We were surprised he remembered considering he was so drunk. He remembered everything and we figured he woke hungry and needed the money for food. We got a kick out of Ricardo and got ready to go to town to pick up some necessities from the Pali. It was just another typical run into town and for me the always welcome change from the casa property.
Alex stops by, he’s leaving
6:30pm on the casa porch
Just when Andy needed someone to stay at the commune, Alex lets us know hes leaving. We talked about it with Andy and he just figured that Alex just didn’t want to stay out there alone and, like us, was afraid he wouldn’t return. His ticket was in a few days, he would be gone before Andy. He said he might be back in a month, but he probably wouldn’t.
Later, with Andy, I joked, ‘If you don’t return, we will have officially run all the gringos off Cocal.’ He just laughed. I hoped that wasn’t true.
Wednesday June 9th, 2010
Morning of chores
7:00am around the casa
Same ole, same ole at the casa. Some days are just your typical day in Costa Rica…cooking and cleaning.
Kevin gets Spanish lessons
2pm on the casa porch
Today Ricky came by. Andy had told me he sells fruits grown from his yard, in town. I had not gotten any fruit this week so I let Ricky know that when he had fruit I would buy from him. Later he came by with avocados, passion fruit bananas, coconuts, mangoes and another indigenous fruit I cannot remember the name of, it was quite a deal at 2 mil or $4.
Afterwards, Kevin and Ricky sat on the porch chatting and then started exchanging words in Spanish and English with a dictionary. It was a good thing, Kevin’s first Spanish lessons. If I could get the verbs down, I’d be doing good. It was fun watching Kevin bond with a local, it made it feel like we were really becoming a part of the community.
Thursday June 10th, 2010
Strange call from Mike and peeping neighbors
7am in the casa kitchen
Early in the morning the phone rang. It was Mike from the bakery asking us to go to the commune and tell Alex he needed to see him. Yesterday Mike got some pills from Alex and while Andy was in the bakery a woman came in with the police because Mike owed her money. Mike referenced this and said something about Alex knowing people who could ‘take care of this’ for him. Something about beating people up. WHAT THE FUCK? You call here at 7 am for this crap…I told you I wasn’t real impressed with this guy.
Then, Kevin watches a kid from next door peeping over the fence every time he heard the door close. He watched him for a while and swore he was sizing something up to steal. He also thought maybe he took his board shorts. We never figured out what the older teen kid was doing, but this started a new wave of paranoia in the house. I didn’t think much of it, but Kevin did. It took a while for this wave to subside and nothing ever came up missing.
Alex and Andy stop by
10am on the casa porch
Today is the day Alex leaves. He came by while Andy and Kevin went to town. I told him about Mikes call and he got sketchy. He wound up leaving his backpack on the porch and took off for town. He said he would be back for it, he had to catch the bus to San Jose today. Well, he came back…a half hour before the bus was set to leave for downtown Quepos. No one thought he would make it…who knows if he did.
Friday June 11th, 2010
Baking bread
10am in the casa kitchen
Today I found enough ingredients to bake bread and make rice pudding. So, for a change of pace, this is how I spent my morning. I had fun and the bread came out yummy but a little heavy. The rice pudding wasn’t sweet enough for
Kevin to enjoy but, still came out good.
Charlie arrives
6pm on the casa porch
This was our last night to spend with Andy. So, we invited him for dinner. He enjoyed the bread and suggested trying more yeast and kneading, to make it lighter.
Just as we were finishing Charlie showed up. He is someone Andy met at the bakery. A gringo from New Orleans who has been in Quepos for 5 days and wanted to stay at the commune. Excellent. Someone to watch Andy’s stuff and another gringo on Cocal. He speaks pretty fluent Spanish so, that helps. Someone to communicate with the Ticos when we need it. He seems cool enough and we were glad he was here.
Saturday June 12th, 2010
Off to the Market
8:30am downtown Quepos
Today Andy watched the house while we went downtown. Charlie came to the market with us. Went online no word from anyone. Lori booked a guest. One person on July first for a few days. He was interested in work stay. Fuck, we had told Lori we wanted to find our own person…someone who we vibed with. Why cant people just listen? This whole Ben and Lori thing pretending they are still here bullshit was getting on my last nerve. We paid to be here, we aren’t their fucking staff.
Anyway, grabbed some fresh veggies and went to the Pali. We made it home by noon, just like we promised Andy.
Andy leaves
12:30pm on the casa porch
As easily as he was in our lives, he walked out of it. Just like any other day, going to town. Just this time to catch a bus to San Jose, where he would, in turn catch a direct flight to Barcelona, Spain. I’ve said it before. I don’t remember how or when I met Andy but, he has left the best impression on us. He’s a no bullshit person, straight up. That’s Andy. We have found full truths in all he has spoke of. Not the half-truths of the other. It should be easy to believe him when he says he will return in 2 ½ weeks. We are already were jaded by the transient line that return was eminent…someday. Everyone one who has left so far is not coming back, within said time frame. We don’t even
think Ben and Lori are returning to their home.
There’s just that something different about Andy that gives us hope that he will return. He love the land he lives on and the lifestyle it takes to live there. He is an honest person and if wasn’t planning on returning he would simply say so.
The New Moon
Sundown at the casa
This month’s new moon brings with it Charlie. A new face staying on the commune while Andy is away and quite possibly up to a year. Let’s hope the changes this new moon bring are positive new beginnings.
Sunday June 13th, 2010
Frustration and sadness rains
1:30pm at the casa
The day started normal enough. Today with Charlie stopping by around 8am. We all drank coffee and talked. The guys talking about security and the chance of things getting stolen out of the commune. From there conversation flowed into our situation and the sense of feeling trapped, without a way to leave Pixie and the property without worry. We mentioned finding someone to fill the ‘Dan’ role, someone we could trust so we can go see and do things
also. At that, Charlie mentioned that he saw on our website that we were accepting applications. This set Kevin off, internally. He didn’t say a word till Charlie left.
Over lunch Kevin and I spoke about our hopes that Charlie could be someone we could trust with the dog and the
house. Plus, if Andy comes back, like he says, both we and the commune would have our bases covered. We could all help each other watch the others properties. But frustration was boiling under the surface. Kevin was angry and frustrated with Lori posting the ad on their website. We specifically told her that we didn’t need her help finding someone, we had our own avenues. But in their farce of running the website and Facebook page from home they advertised for help. Help they were not interviewing for nor forwarding us applications.
She had mentioned that we had a guest coming on July 1st and 2nd and that he was interested in a work stay. We aren’t. We don’t trust anything that comes form Ben and Lori. We can find our own help…that actually sirfs and knows what they are getting into.
The frustration of no internet or American t.v. is taking its toll. Compounded by the Whitefield’s farce, Kevin is at his wits end. I understand how he feels. I feel much more isolated than he. Sadness overwhelms me as he airs his feelings. I feel helpless. I cry. There are days that you can go on and be happy here, with life in this simplest form. Then there are days the isolation is overwhelming and you just want the comfort of something familiar. English speaking television would be great. Internet or a cheap calling plan even better. We both long to touch something from home. Whether it be a phone call to a familiar voice or a ride on the Buell. We also long to not be haunted by the conniving Whitefield’s.
Hopefully this week the internet card comes and that gives us a little hope and eases the feelings of isolation.
Monday June 14th, 2010
Officially one month in the casa
6:30pm Quepos
It seems like its been forever but, its been 4 weeks. 40 days, altogether. Life on Cocal has not been what I’d hoped, not yet. My life is consumed with raking and burning leaves, cooking, laundry. All the usual things but with overwhelming feelings of solitude and isolation.
The beach couldn’t even give me a refuge here. Strong currents and rip tides make swimming hard to do. What I get is the occasional dip after yard work. Both to cool and clean off. The beach and water is littered with massive pieces of driftwood. Drift trees and logs. So much so, I worry about Kevin surfing and thoughts of getting whacked are in the back of my mind when I swim. These aren’t the beaches you lay out and pass time on. They are more the utilitarian beach, for practical use only. Some days, the beaches and water are cleaner of drift and debris. I guess living on beaches for so long, I am just not the hard core beach person. You can swim and lay out on any beach, maybe I’m a little spoiled. You never know.
The hardest thing to deal with is the boredom and isolation. Some days there aren’t many chores to do and my days drag on. I fight urges to break down and cry. I know its only been a month, but it has been a long month. Earthquakes, tropical storm and the clean up in its wake, volcano eruptions, overcoming the lies and reputation of the Whitefield’s, not knowing the language enough to communicate, long walks to town, dirty beaches, no internet, no campers, people leaving. Its been a lot to deal with.
I must admit, the walks to town don’t seem quite as long or dirty. I look and see the beauty of the ocean views across the open lots, the beautiful plants and flowers in the front yards of the Ticos. I enjoy seeing young and old playing marbles , together, in the sand and looking into the faces of the children here. The views from the beach are
beautiful. I have a humming bird that visits, nearly everyday, who brings a smile to my face.
Yet, I still cannot settle my heart and mind enough to do simple things, like paint, to pass the time. This is what I do. I write. Trying to purge all of the internal emotions onto these pages. Some days it works, other days it doesn’t. I have begun to collect the more interesting pieces of driftwood from the beach. Hoping someday to fashion them into equally interesting pieces of furniture. As helpless as we both feel most days, they are peppered with tiny sparks of inspiration and a lot of hope.
All we have is each other here. Neither wanting the feelings of being overwhelmed wash us away. We have conversations about both the good and the bad. The ones about the bad leave me with huge feelings of anxiety. The others optimism. We both express ourselves and we feel closer. Sometimes the fear and stress drive us apart but, not for long. Each day brings a new day and although they don’t differ much something inside us changes and brings us closer. For this, I am thankful.
There was another person with a bag in the loft and a boogie board. Someone form Quepos. We also had watched Ben and Lori going through his things wanting to keep his IPOD. He had come the day after they left to pick up his stuff. I think it had only been there for a couple weeks, but according to Lori she was hoping he didn’t come before they left so she could keep the IPOD. I wonder how much of Sara’s stuff they took with them to the states…
Monday June 7th, 2010
Andy’s announcement
1130am on the casa porch
Today Andy had gone to town early and was home before noon. He told us that while online at the bakery he found real cheap tickets to Barcelona and bought them. He said he would be back in 2 and a half weeks. He was going to tour Europe and go home to Germany to see his family. We were happy for him but in the back of our minds the nagging thought that he wouldn’t return ate at us.
Clean up with Ricardo
1pm in front of the casa
When Andy arrive he and mentioned that the neighbor across the street was asking about the pile of debris out front. Ben had started a pile to burn on the street before he left. He never burned it because it never dried out, the spot was shaded from the sun. After the storm Kevin added to the pile and this was the 2nd time a neighbor had mentioned the pile to us though Andy. So, the guys went out front to see if they could decipher what the neighbors wanted done.
It turns out that the neighbors name was Ricardo, an older man who obviously liked to drink. Kevin and Andy told him they were on the way to the pulperia and when the returned he could move the branches to his back yard as fill from the mangroves. He asked for a couple of Mil and some drink from the store. So, when they got to the pulperia and asked for the drink, the owner looked at him funny and shocked that they knew he sold liquor. Another local came by and just told them to give them what Ricardo drinks because Andy was trying to explain it wasn’t for them.
They returned and Kevin helped Ricardo with the clean up. Ricardo downed half of the small bottle before they started and before they could finish was passed out on the ground. Kevin just laughed because the drink turned out to be straight vodka so, he knew Ricardo was drunk. Kevin finished up and came home telling me this funny adventure with Ricardo.
Tuesday June 8th, 2010
Off to town
9:30am downtown Quepos
Bright and early Ricardo came by looking for the colones we owed him for moving the tree limbs, which Kevin did most of…lol. We were surprised he remembered considering he was so drunk. He remembered everything and we figured he woke hungry and needed the money for food. We got a kick out of Ricardo and got ready to go to town to pick up some necessities from the Pali. It was just another typical run into town and for me the always welcome change from the casa property.
Alex stops by, he’s leaving
6:30pm on the casa porch
Just when Andy needed someone to stay at the commune, Alex lets us know hes leaving. We talked about it with Andy and he just figured that Alex just didn’t want to stay out there alone and, like us, was afraid he wouldn’t return. His ticket was in a few days, he would be gone before Andy. He said he might be back in a month, but he probably wouldn’t.
Later, with Andy, I joked, ‘If you don’t return, we will have officially run all the gringos off Cocal.’ He just laughed. I hoped that wasn’t true.
Wednesday June 9th, 2010
Morning of chores
7:00am around the casa
Same ole, same ole at the casa. Some days are just your typical day in Costa Rica…cooking and cleaning.
Kevin gets Spanish lessons
2pm on the casa porch
Today Ricky came by. Andy had told me he sells fruits grown from his yard, in town. I had not gotten any fruit this week so I let Ricky know that when he had fruit I would buy from him. Later he came by with avocados, passion fruit bananas, coconuts, mangoes and another indigenous fruit I cannot remember the name of, it was quite a deal at 2 mil or $4.
Afterwards, Kevin and Ricky sat on the porch chatting and then started exchanging words in Spanish and English with a dictionary. It was a good thing, Kevin’s first Spanish lessons. If I could get the verbs down, I’d be doing good. It was fun watching Kevin bond with a local, it made it feel like we were really becoming a part of the community.
Thursday June 10th, 2010
Strange call from Mike and peeping neighbors
7am in the casa kitchen
Early in the morning the phone rang. It was Mike from the bakery asking us to go to the commune and tell Alex he needed to see him. Yesterday Mike got some pills from Alex and while Andy was in the bakery a woman came in with the police because Mike owed her money. Mike referenced this and said something about Alex knowing people who could ‘take care of this’ for him. Something about beating people up. WHAT THE FUCK? You call here at 7 am for this crap…I told you I wasn’t real impressed with this guy.
Then, Kevin watches a kid from next door peeping over the fence every time he heard the door close. He watched him for a while and swore he was sizing something up to steal. He also thought maybe he took his board shorts. We never figured out what the older teen kid was doing, but this started a new wave of paranoia in the house. I didn’t think much of it, but Kevin did. It took a while for this wave to subside and nothing ever came up missing.
Alex and Andy stop by
10am on the casa porch
Today is the day Alex leaves. He came by while Andy and Kevin went to town. I told him about Mikes call and he got sketchy. He wound up leaving his backpack on the porch and took off for town. He said he would be back for it, he had to catch the bus to San Jose today. Well, he came back…a half hour before the bus was set to leave for downtown Quepos. No one thought he would make it…who knows if he did.
Friday June 11th, 2010
Baking bread
10am in the casa kitchen
Today I found enough ingredients to bake bread and make rice pudding. So, for a change of pace, this is how I spent my morning. I had fun and the bread came out yummy but a little heavy. The rice pudding wasn’t sweet enough for
Kevin to enjoy but, still came out good.
Charlie arrives
6pm on the casa porch
This was our last night to spend with Andy. So, we invited him for dinner. He enjoyed the bread and suggested trying more yeast and kneading, to make it lighter.
Just as we were finishing Charlie showed up. He is someone Andy met at the bakery. A gringo from New Orleans who has been in Quepos for 5 days and wanted to stay at the commune. Excellent. Someone to watch Andy’s stuff and another gringo on Cocal. He speaks pretty fluent Spanish so, that helps. Someone to communicate with the Ticos when we need it. He seems cool enough and we were glad he was here.
Saturday June 12th, 2010
Off to the Market
8:30am downtown Quepos
Today Andy watched the house while we went downtown. Charlie came to the market with us. Went online no word from anyone. Lori booked a guest. One person on July first for a few days. He was interested in work stay. Fuck, we had told Lori we wanted to find our own person…someone who we vibed with. Why cant people just listen? This whole Ben and Lori thing pretending they are still here bullshit was getting on my last nerve. We paid to be here, we aren’t their fucking staff.
Anyway, grabbed some fresh veggies and went to the Pali. We made it home by noon, just like we promised Andy.
Andy leaves
12:30pm on the casa porch
As easily as he was in our lives, he walked out of it. Just like any other day, going to town. Just this time to catch a bus to San Jose, where he would, in turn catch a direct flight to Barcelona, Spain. I’ve said it before. I don’t remember how or when I met Andy but, he has left the best impression on us. He’s a no bullshit person, straight up. That’s Andy. We have found full truths in all he has spoke of. Not the half-truths of the other. It should be easy to believe him when he says he will return in 2 ½ weeks. We are already were jaded by the transient line that return was eminent…someday. Everyone one who has left so far is not coming back, within said time frame. We don’t even
think Ben and Lori are returning to their home.
There’s just that something different about Andy that gives us hope that he will return. He love the land he lives on and the lifestyle it takes to live there. He is an honest person and if wasn’t planning on returning he would simply say so.
The New Moon
Sundown at the casa
This month’s new moon brings with it Charlie. A new face staying on the commune while Andy is away and quite possibly up to a year. Let’s hope the changes this new moon bring are positive new beginnings.
Sunday June 13th, 2010
Frustration and sadness rains
1:30pm at the casa
The day started normal enough. Today with Charlie stopping by around 8am. We all drank coffee and talked. The guys talking about security and the chance of things getting stolen out of the commune. From there conversation flowed into our situation and the sense of feeling trapped, without a way to leave Pixie and the property without worry. We mentioned finding someone to fill the ‘Dan’ role, someone we could trust so we can go see and do things
also. At that, Charlie mentioned that he saw on our website that we were accepting applications. This set Kevin off, internally. He didn’t say a word till Charlie left.
Over lunch Kevin and I spoke about our hopes that Charlie could be someone we could trust with the dog and the
house. Plus, if Andy comes back, like he says, both we and the commune would have our bases covered. We could all help each other watch the others properties. But frustration was boiling under the surface. Kevin was angry and frustrated with Lori posting the ad on their website. We specifically told her that we didn’t need her help finding someone, we had our own avenues. But in their farce of running the website and Facebook page from home they advertised for help. Help they were not interviewing for nor forwarding us applications.
She had mentioned that we had a guest coming on July 1st and 2nd and that he was interested in a work stay. We aren’t. We don’t trust anything that comes form Ben and Lori. We can find our own help…that actually sirfs and knows what they are getting into.
The frustration of no internet or American t.v. is taking its toll. Compounded by the Whitefield’s farce, Kevin is at his wits end. I understand how he feels. I feel much more isolated than he. Sadness overwhelms me as he airs his feelings. I feel helpless. I cry. There are days that you can go on and be happy here, with life in this simplest form. Then there are days the isolation is overwhelming and you just want the comfort of something familiar. English speaking television would be great. Internet or a cheap calling plan even better. We both long to touch something from home. Whether it be a phone call to a familiar voice or a ride on the Buell. We also long to not be haunted by the conniving Whitefield’s.
Hopefully this week the internet card comes and that gives us a little hope and eases the feelings of isolation.
Monday June 14th, 2010
Officially one month in the casa
6:30pm Quepos
It seems like its been forever but, its been 4 weeks. 40 days, altogether. Life on Cocal has not been what I’d hoped, not yet. My life is consumed with raking and burning leaves, cooking, laundry. All the usual things but with overwhelming feelings of solitude and isolation.
The beach couldn’t even give me a refuge here. Strong currents and rip tides make swimming hard to do. What I get is the occasional dip after yard work. Both to cool and clean off. The beach and water is littered with massive pieces of driftwood. Drift trees and logs. So much so, I worry about Kevin surfing and thoughts of getting whacked are in the back of my mind when I swim. These aren’t the beaches you lay out and pass time on. They are more the utilitarian beach, for practical use only. Some days, the beaches and water are cleaner of drift and debris. I guess living on beaches for so long, I am just not the hard core beach person. You can swim and lay out on any beach, maybe I’m a little spoiled. You never know.
The hardest thing to deal with is the boredom and isolation. Some days there aren’t many chores to do and my days drag on. I fight urges to break down and cry. I know its only been a month, but it has been a long month. Earthquakes, tropical storm and the clean up in its wake, volcano eruptions, overcoming the lies and reputation of the Whitefield’s, not knowing the language enough to communicate, long walks to town, dirty beaches, no internet, no campers, people leaving. Its been a lot to deal with.
I must admit, the walks to town don’t seem quite as long or dirty. I look and see the beauty of the ocean views across the open lots, the beautiful plants and flowers in the front yards of the Ticos. I enjoy seeing young and old playing marbles , together, in the sand and looking into the faces of the children here. The views from the beach are
beautiful. I have a humming bird that visits, nearly everyday, who brings a smile to my face.
Yet, I still cannot settle my heart and mind enough to do simple things, like paint, to pass the time. This is what I do. I write. Trying to purge all of the internal emotions onto these pages. Some days it works, other days it doesn’t. I have begun to collect the more interesting pieces of driftwood from the beach. Hoping someday to fashion them into equally interesting pieces of furniture. As helpless as we both feel most days, they are peppered with tiny sparks of inspiration and a lot of hope.
All we have is each other here. Neither wanting the feelings of being overwhelmed wash us away. We have conversations about both the good and the bad. The ones about the bad leave me with huge feelings of anxiety. The others optimism. We both express ourselves and we feel closer. Sometimes the fear and stress drive us apart but, not for long. Each day brings a new day and although they don’t differ much something inside us changes and brings us closer. For this, I am thankful.
Also, with Charlie here, there is renewed hope that we wont be quite so alone in this Tico world. Charlie brings a fresh perspective, ideas and the offer to help. This, too, brings some comfort to our weary minds that at times are overcome with worry. Ben and Lori left us with unnecessary feeling of paranoia. I can see , with the way they were perceived, why they worried. Slowly, we are learning that we are not them, and the locals just might see us differently. Which is exactly what we want. We want to live with the locals not above them. We have no more money than them and we want to live like them. Not live in fear of them, like Ben and Lori. We aren’t selling drugs, we don’t have any kids and we are not paying everyone around us to work for us. We don’t act like rich gringos because we aren’t. That
was the biggest mistake the Whitefield’s could have made and they did it. We, day by day, are gaining good vibes and respect from the Ticos around us, and that makes us proud.
The first month has brought a mix of emotions. But, then again, its only been a month.
was the biggest mistake the Whitefield’s could have made and they did it. We, day by day, are gaining good vibes and respect from the Ticos around us, and that makes us proud.
The first month has brought a mix of emotions. But, then again, its only been a month.
Tuesday June 15th, 2010
Fucking computer
10am on the casa porch
Ok, I’m bored. I sat down to catch up on my journal to find my computer screen flashing every few seconds. Now it has stopped. . . For now. I’m getting the feeling that I will be buying a new computer this year. Between it melting down in Ft. Lauderdale and now this monitor/screen issue, I’m not real happy. Yet another thing to bring a level of disappointment to my life.
Fucking computer
10am on the casa porch
Ok, I’m bored. I sat down to catch up on my journal to find my computer screen flashing every few seconds. Now it has stopped. . . For now. I’m getting the feeling that I will be buying a new computer this year. Between it melting down in Ft. Lauderdale and now this monitor/screen issue, I’m not real happy. Yet another thing to bring a level of disappointment to my life.
But, we are holding out hope. If both Andy and Charlie stay, life here can become what we hoped. We would have people that we trust to watch Pixie and the house. This would give us some of the freedom we long for, to explore outside of Quepos and Costa Rica. Plus, if the internet card comes today(they were due in today), or this week we can feel comfortable with fixing up the campground. With the internet, we can finally actively seek surfers to come camp. This will be the motivation to put time and effort into the property. Without having the ability to market ourselves, there is no one booked to stay. Well, except for Loris work stay person. Even that will be crushed when Lori finds out we don’t want anyone for a work stay. With Andy and Charlie, we don’t need anyone. If Andy doesn’t return, we should still have Charlie for a while, till we can find our own person.
These were our morning conversations. Holding out hope. We are ½ way to our first 90 day visa renewal. If things don’t start going our way, we may be heading home. But what we’d really like is for it to work. To be able to travel every 90 days and see someplace new. Then after 12 months return home. Then again, if things become profitable here, maybe we would stay longer. That would take a lot of work, though, and life on Cocal is already a lot of work.
We figured by 6 moths we would know something solid about what we will do. Five and a half months. We have been in the house for 1 on the property for one and a half.
God I hope that internet card gets here soon…
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