Catching up in montezuma

2/9/10

Montezuma seared us for four days, but last night it rained. Around six a.m. Rick and I went for a quick walk in the rain. It's one of the few times rain hasn't been cold when it hit his skin. For me, it still feels chilly-- but I am chilly just about anywhere.

Last night Elisa and Ian ferried and bussed from San Jose into Montezuma. Since they don't have a phone (and since Montezuma is a one street town), the plan boiled down to "we'll find eachother". Sure enough, within five minutes of sitting at Cafe Organico (closed yesterday because of the elections) Elisa and Ian walked up.

We traded stories over dinner and imperial beer, then continued with Cuba libres (in a can!) on the starlit beach. They've spent the last three months travelling from Mexico through Central America. They have stories of scratching three-toed sloths, surfing amazing barrels, sketchy cab drivers, the works. They are a joy to be with.

Accountability:

I've promised to account for my acts of non resistance. After several acts of nonresistance when we first arrived in Montrzuma, the streak (thankfully, considering the events that precipitated the other acts) have slowed down considerably.

Day two in Montezuma:
To escape the boiling sun, we hiked to the waterfall. If you are planning a warm trip with any hiking involved, I recommend shelling out for some sturdy sandals. While slippers are comfortable and easy for me to use on most terrain, the rubber ones are useless once thy get wet. Hence the muddy patch on my surf shorts.

The first set of falls are pretty high. Even the Ticos who would do back flips from about fifty feet uperely joked about jumping the top.

I didn't do a backflip or jump from 50 feet, but I did jump from the little rock that the tourists and Ticos jumped from. That moment right before I jumped my brain pretty much calle me an idiot. There was no reason to jump, I could posibly get hurt-- and for what? A little self imposed wager? I had to look at Rick who held the camera and waved me on. Before I could think again I jumped.

I am still alive. I definitely would have regretted it if resistence got in the way. Even if you meet with resistance at first, you can overcome it. You don't have to preempt it to win.

Day three and four:
Did I mention that we wake up to breakfasting capuccin(???) monkeys in the morning? They are super cute. In the distance we can hear howler monkeys, and a few branches from our door or porch we find iguanas, bats, and squirrels! It's a good life.

On these days we resisted the urge to do everything. Beaten by the heat, we had enough energy to snorkel before a long nap, Spanish vocabulary, and some Pablo Neruda.

Sometimes i think snorkeling is an act of nonresistance. There is a part of me that would rather not know I'm swimming near the dreaded pufferfish. In a place unfamiliar to me (and where I've seen beached pufferfish) the smidgen of anxiety is hightened when I put on the mask and dive in.

The waters in the small bay were cloudy due to the waves. This does not make me feel better. It's a catch 22. On one hand I kind of don't want to know what dangerous creature I'm swimming with. On the other hand isn't it better that I know so I can get the heck out of here?

In the end the evil that is known is better dealt with than the evil that is not. To my fortune though, I saw no pufferfish-- just a school of silver fish and one fish that resembled an angel fish with the two tendrils but grey bodied and yellow fillaments.

At night, when it was cool enough to venture out we experienced the clipping pace of Montezuma night life. Hippies were juggling in the street, the restaurants were pack, and people wandered alon the road with their Imperial beers in hand.

After a rather expenisve cachaca (I'll let you know when I know what it is) drink, we hit the beach for a starlit walk. The milky way strips through the center of the sky. Directly above us stood Orion. Even though the beach is just a few meters from town, this sky is perfect for watching shooting stars. One exploded in the atmosphere over the horizon.

We are in Costa Rica