Day 31
DECEMBER 16, 2008
"One of the greatest feelings in life is the conviction that you have lived the life you wanted to live--with the rough and smooth, the good and the bad--but yours, shaped by your own choices, and not someone else's."
--MICHAEL IGNATIEFF
Extreme low tide in Playa Coyote
We have lots of visitors today! Last night, Alan and Joel came across two French backpackers who were looking for a place to set up camp, so we've invited them to stay with us. They went on south patrol last night, and now here they are next to me having breakfast quietly and romantically, while speaking in French and cooing at each other. Does that sound like a stereotype? Oh, who cares. There is one other person staying with us as well. Alan's brother, Christian is here for two weeks to catch some surf and visit his old stomping grounds. Him and Alan were caretakers here at the beginning of the year. I assume that he traveled here from Connecticut, but he rented a car to get here from the airport and for us, that is a lavish commodity to have access to. We also had the NANI (I believe) government inspection people pass through and they are supposed to be checking out the legality of the barbed-wire fence that Sylvester's henchmen put up around our camp.
Everyone is only speaking in either French or Spanish and it is driving me batty! They are speaking Spanish, then French, then Spanish, then English. I never would have thought that some of my campmates were fluent in French, as well. I can speak Japanese! Ok... no I can't. Crap.
Lets see what's on the agenda today. It's only 8am now. Too early to lay out and it's a bit overcast today. Had my first and second breakfast already. Perhaps reading? Excellent.
[Oahu - surfing competition in Hawaii "Eddie Aikau"]
Alan's brother was telling us stories about all of the crazy animals he's come across while here as caretaker. There was a tiger shark that breached near him while he was surfing, a 4ft boa constrictor, 2 howler monkeys, a wounded parrot that would hang out on peoples' heads.
Howler monkeys on the way to the bar
We walked to the bar today. I had my first ever bottled Coca-Cola. So cold and refreshing. Having cold drinks is the best treat because we drink nothing, but warm water all day long. I wanted to keep the bottle, but someone said that they have to send them back to the distributor to be reused. Same thing with Imperial and Pilsen bottles. It was really nice to sit there listening to a mix of Latin music and 80s rock; forgetting about life down at the beach for a minute. I felt a part of society again for that short time. There was Christmas decorations up, but it didn't seem to put me in the spirit, or remind me that I am spending Christmas in Costa Rica. Or that I am having Christmas at all this year. What can I do? There is always Christmas next year.
I am eating fresh coconut meat right now and it is so good. I could probably eat an entire coconut everyday. It is my favorite thing here. I wonder if I can get these in Japan? Probably not.
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