Well today is my last official day in Costa Rica after three amazing months of seeking not only my own path and truth but also sharing with many other inspiring and interesting people on their path. I came to Costa Rica with a heap of ideas and plans which have twisted and changed on a daily basis. Despite this, I couldn’t have asked for a better journey and the way it has all worked out is better than anything I could have imagined…

Tomorrow I start the long flight home, once I have settled back in I will start posting my stories again of my travels and experience. Thank you for your patience

I trust that this finds you all healthy, happy and enjoying all the wonderfulness that life has to offer!!!

Until next time,

Janie xo

At the Tambor Airport I was greeted by Ronnie, a short balding Tico man in his late 30’s to early 40’s of slightly cuddly proportions. He was to be my taxi driver from Tambor to Cabuya and was sent by my host and neighbours Jeff and Tara.  I was supposed to arrive at 14:45 and didn’t end up arriving until 16:45. With the sun starting to slink low in the sky we commenced the 30klm drive to my final destination of Cabuya. I was surprised at just how familiar the drive to Montezuma was, about 22klms from the airport passing through the main town of Cobano. It felt like only a couple of weeks ago I was driving this road with my guide on my last trip here. It was like a strange sense of Déjà vu.

I was silent for most of the trip after Ronnie and I had exhausted our knowledge of each other’s language. As Ronnie made numerous calls on his mobile while navigating the dirt roads, I lost myself in the scenery. My rose coloured glasses were most definitely on and everything looked so beautiful in its own unique and special way. Even the ugliness is beautiful if you have rose coloured glasses on. The small shack like houses with rusty tin roofs, animals and barefoot children in the yards, people casually walking along the road sides in their thongs and paddocks fenced with barb wire and living trees as posts.

The smells changing every couple of kilometres; from fresh flora, to sewage, to fermenting mango, to someones cooking wafting through the air. My mind was split between the present and wondering about my destination which was getting closer by the second. As we finally came up to Montezuma I was awash with the memories of my last trip and thought about how cool it was to be here again so soon. The sun had slunk even lower in the sky now and there was a beautiful glow over the tropical surrounds and ocean.

Driving through Montezuma and winding our way down the dirt road towards Cabuya, I find myself asking if I have done the right thing? Have I chosen the right place? Will I really like the people I meet? I eagerly take in the surroundings of my new town and try my hardest not to be too judgemental about what I see. Once we finally pulled up at my new home, I could feel my resistance still sitting heavy on my mind. It didn’t take long after meeting Jeff my new neighbour and sharing a few birthday beers for my resistance to fade and trust that I was exactly where I needed to be, no question about it.

During my first week here in Cabuya, I was in a sweet euphoria induced by the fact that I had finally done it, I had made it. It was this and the knowledge that I didn’t have to live in the real world again for another three months. My first week floated by slowly, allowing me to fall victim to the feeling of “I have all the time in the world” mindset. I have been here for four and a half weeks and I realise I haven’t got all the time in the world and I haven’t achieved a quarter of what I set out to do. I feel the guilt rising up in me occasionally because I haven’t done that much writing other than the work I am actually being paid to do.

Then I realise that I have been doing what I set out to do, I have been learning at the “Costa Rican Universidad de Vida”.  I can look back now and see that I perhaps wasn’t supposed to get too deep and heavy with my work until I could see clearly and the rose coloured glasses were off.  During my first trip to Costa Rica last year, I was blessed to have a wonderful tour guide and friend who was able to take me all over the country and show me the tourist trails. He also showed me behind the scenes and gave me a very colourful account of his life and the people around him. This was a party holiday for me and yes I got to see a lot and learn a lot but I also had a lot of fun so my filters were not always clear.

This time, I feel a bit like I am living in my very own Costa Rican Summer Bay (Home & Away), only a lot more dangerous. Yes, this sleepy little fishing village at the far tip of the Nicoya Peninsula is a potentially very dangerous village as is every village, town or city here in Costa Rica. This is a town where everyone is forced to accept the dark side of human nature due to the widespread desperation. Every human being has needs and wants, and good people do bad things in order to fulfil a need. Sadly a lot of the youth (and not so youthful) here in Cabuya and neighbouring Montezuma have a need and that need is for drugs and alcohol.

The tourists come here every summer in their flocks, spending lots of money and employing the locals. Tourism and fishing is the regions bread and butter with a bit of farming thrown in. I am often reminded of the story “The grasshopper who sang all summer” when I am talking with the locals. Once the tourist disperse after the summer, life returns to a slower and quieter pace here in the Nicoya Peninsula. The prices however remain high for the tourists which makes it increasingly difficult for the locals to support their families once the work dries up.

Despite some prices being very low most items at the supermarket I have found to be of equal if not greater value than in Australia at times. For instance a packet of cigarettes will cost you anywhere from ₵700 – ₵1500   ($1.50 – $3.00USD) per packet and beer at the supermarket sells for around ₵540 – ₵900 each ($1.10 – $1.80 USD) and strangely enough glass bottles are cheaper than can.  However if you would like to feed your family healthy meals, other than beans and rice, it can get very expensive in deed.

Here in Cabuya the population is just over two hundred with about three quarters of that population being men. The closest town to meet girls is a 7klm dirt road to Montezuma where all the action and partying happens with the tourists. With an hourly pay rate in this region of only ₵1200 Colones and ₵800 in the cities ($1.50 – $2.50USD per hour) and a beer costing around ₵1000 (or ₵1500 in San Jose) each at the bar, there isn’t any money left for taxis after a night out. Sadly drink driving or more appropriately drink riding is all too common in villages like Cabuya and Montezuma.

Most people here have a motor bike because the dirt roads get so bad anything other than a 4 WD vehicle would be wrecked in no time. Push bikes are also a must have and all the children seem to have one but not much else as far as toys go. It is not an uncommon sight to see a family of four; Mum, Dad and the two kids taking the family motor bike out for a cruise, not a helmet in site. Children as young as one year old sit up proudly at the front of the motorcycle holding on tight loving every second of the ride.  It’s little wonder there is a certain thrill seeking attitude throughout the Costa Rican culture.

Almost everyone I have spoken with has been in hospital at least once as a result of a massive accident on either a pushbike or motorbike. Perhaps the Costa Ricans are similar to cats only they seem to have more than nine lives here.

Until next time love and joy,

Janie xo

Dear friends,

I just wanted to take this opportunity to apologise for the lack of postings these past two weeks… I have been travelling and moving around with limited access to internet, or at least for this kind of work. I hope you are all well and I should have some posts coming in the next couple of days.

I thank you for your patience and hope you have been enjoying the stories so far… Like most well laid plans, mine haven’t quite worked out like I imagined. I had thought I would spend endless hours in front of the computer downloading all of my thoughts and ideas… Turns out life had other ideas and after only three weeks of being in my writers head, I found myself falling into the trap of procrastination and living in the moment with my new friends. Turns out when you are living in a tropical paradise like this, time can easily loose its meaning and suddenly you have lost a whole week or seven…

As of a few days ago I am now living in Golfito on a small beach called Playas Cocao and it is the perfect location to really get stuck into my writing. It turns out that it is my novel that seems to be the loudest talking project at the moment. So this blog will most likely continue to be a little slow over the coming months while I work on this, however I will continue to post as often as I can.

Despite these minor setbacks with timing, I am still confident that I should be able to achieve most of what I have set out to achieve and looking forward to seeing the results of my labour of love. I hope you are too!

Once again, thank you for your patience and support, I hope to have something up in the next day or so.

Until next time,

Love and Joy to you and your families!

Janie xo

There is always something magical about going on holidays to an exotic new destination. Everything is seen through a different kind of lens, rose coloured glasses if you like. Our filters aren’t quite as sharp due to the natural euphoria that comes with the excitement of the unknown and the wondrous possibilities that may lie in wait for our discovery. It’s almost like the start of a new relationship; you are only seeing what the other person wants you to see on the surface. It’s not until you spend some quality time together that you start to see the different shades of light and dark behind the superficial exterior. After all isn’t it human nature to protect thy self?

After arriving at the San Jose International Airport at about 19:00 on Friday night (27^th April 2012), I was met by my shuttle bus driver Alex. I had found a little B&B in the city on a site called www.airbnb.com prior to my last trip but didn’t end up staying that time. So this time I decided to stay my first night at Kaps Place in Down Town San Jose. Karla the owner organised my transfer from the airport and I was sent the lovely Alex who fortunately didn’t speak any English. I say fortunately because all I really wanted to do was look out the window and witness Down Town San Jose on a Friday night without interruption.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed; the $30us for the trip was not just a taxi ride it was also like going on a night tour of the city. There were all sorts on the streets of Down Town San Jose; there was your typical little old Grandpa, Mum & Dad and the kids, young well-dressed party goers and lovers, drug addicts and dealers, transsexual prostitutes and so much more I saw it all. The landscape of the city changed from ghetto to upmarket to ghetto to commercial to ghetto again. I was fascinated by what I was seeing from the safety of my taxi, although there were a few times I wondered if I was really that safe.

I was so excited to finally be in Costa Rica, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep. When I arrived at Kaps Place I was met by a lovely young girl Mae who showed me to my room. I was in awe of the cool interior of the B&B and my room was really clean and comfortable with my own bathroom. I did manage to sleep and the following day I was up bright and early to inspect the facilities closer. Francis a jovial man in his 50’s, was on the morning shift so over a cup of coffee we made friends as I waited for my taxi to the Tobias Airport.

My flight to Tambor with NatureAir, (Costa Rica’s internal airline) was delayed by a little over an hour so it was a long wait at the airport. This was an especially long wait seeing as I was over cautious with getting there on time. Not quite knowing what to expect and I was about three hours early. Again I was served by a really patient and helpful young Tico called Brandon who went above and beyond to help me organise my luggage so it didn’t cost me too much. The Tobias airport is only small however very clean and safe. It even has its own little bank however they have forgotten about hungry travellers and there wasn’t any food or drink for sale within walking distance. (I highly recommend NatureAir, they are very professional and safe)

It wasn’t long before other passengers for the flight started to roll in and finally I was on my way to Tambor, joined by several Americans. I found it interesting that I could spend nearly three hours sitting in a small waiting room with these people and yet I never once felt the need or desire to engage any of them in conversation. Even once we were on the small but comfortable aircraft I felt no pull to communicate, for all they knew I could be German. I did however thoroughly enjoy eves dropping and people watching as always. It was not really until everyone disembarked at the Nosara airport (tin shed) that we all exchanged more civilities as is custom otherwise all communication on my part had been through smiles and facial expressions. Everyone who embarked the plane with me in San Jose were all heading for Yoga Retreats which are very common here.

More people embarked the plane at Nosara on their way back to San Jose via Tambor. There was an American family of four with a very friendly and talkative Father who I also choose to only smile at after the initial polite exchanges. There was also a mother and daughter from Costa Rica and two girls from the original group stayed on the flight with me. While we were waiting for the other passengers to board we exchanged a few details about ourselves and our reasons for our trip. These girls were Yoga Instructors and staying for a month at a retreat near Montezuma. It didn’t take long for us to all turn back to our own occupations before disembarking at the Tambor airport (tin shed) where we said our mannerly goodbyes.

I always find it interesting how you can meet some people and you feel no energetic connection to them what so ever and then there are others you just can’t override the need to connect with them. Since arriving here, I have seen those same two girls on a few occasions in Montezuma. Despite both of them seeming very nice each time I have seen them I have had that crazy little conversation with myself… “Should I go and say hi?” “No, you didn’t want to talk to them on the plane so why now?” “Yeah, but I’m being rude aren’t I?” “Nope, you don’t feel the pull any more now than you did then so just leave it, it doesn’t make you a bad person” and so I’ve left it deciding something’s are just best left alone.

Until next time Love and Joy,

Janie xo

This morning I woke at 4:45am with little to do other than eat my cereal, brush my teeth and pack the few things I had left out the night before. I was down stairs in the lobby by 5:20am just in time to meet Trini, the shuttle bus driver I had yesterday when I arrived in LA. He is a very sweet man and I really enjoyed our conversations.

Once I arrived at the airport I met another lovely man at the American Airlines counter. The majority of workers in the Airports are either Latino or African American. His name was N.Duke as is common for their name tags. After several minutes of conversation and going through my paperwork, N.Duke kindly handed me my boarding pass and advised all was complete.

Hang on, I had a whole 23Kgs extra in a second bag and yet there was no extra charge? All I can say is thanks Travel Angels

I managed to make my way through to security where I spotted my first TV star through the glass windows in the other room… you know the guy in Grey’s Anatomy who is married to the blonde Heart Doctor and is dying from tumours? Yeah, that guy… he is actually a lot better looking in real life, I had hoped I’d bump into him again but I guess he was up in the fancy lounge keeping a low profile.

Once through security and safely inside the terminal I made my way towards my gate (I still had nearly three hours to go…) Once I knew where I needed to be I walked back down the long hall lined with little eateries, news agents etc. I couldn’t help notice the LONG line snaking out the door of the Burger King. When was Burger King so popular? Ah… the Starbucks store was tucked neatly in the corner and this was the reason behind the line.

Now at first I thought, how stupid who would line up like that for a coffee? Ok, so maybe I was curious and I did have three hours to kill so why not line up and find out if it was worth the wait. It did get me thinking though as I shuffled forward every couple of minutes towards my prize. Was the coffee really that good or was it a case of sheep mentality?

How many others had simply lined up because everyone else was; believing it must be great coffee if all these other people are lining up for it too. I also wonder if the coffee simply tasted better because I had to wait so long for it or if it really was pretty good coffee?

I remember years ago watching an interview with Hugh Jackman and his wife Debbie. They told the story of how years earlier before kids they had waited in line for some tickets to a performance they had been desperate to see. They waited in line all night, along with numerous other eager fans. To pass away the time everyone in the line started up conversations left right and centre, making new friends and turning what could be a boring night in the cold into fun and laughter.

By the time they got to the ticket booth the following morning and bought their tickets to the show Hugh and Debbie had made lifelong friends in the que. Once they got into the show after only a few minutes Debbie fell asleep and Hugh struggled to stay awake also. At least this is pretty close to the way I recall them telling the story a few years back. According to them the moral of their story was “It isn’t always about the destination. It’s about the journey on your way to the destination that can be the most amount of fun.” This was the main thing I took away from their story and remind myself often of this when I am traveling.

I always meet the nicest people when I travel and more times than not it is during a line-up that I meet these people. My line up at Starbucks was no different. Today I met a lovely lady from Ohio. It turned out that her daughter had been learning Spanish for eight years and still didn’t speak it well. She had booked herself a month’s holiday in Costa Rica in a few months’ time to try and master the language. This lady was a little concerned about her daughter’s choice and I was the perfect person, in the perfect place at the perfect time to put her mind at ease about this trip and give some useful tips. We had a lovely chat about all kinds of things and once we collected our coffees, we both felt more enriched than we did before meeting. No names were exchanged only knowledge.

Now I am waiting for my flight as I type, eager with anticipation about what awaits me upon my arrival. It is actually my thirty-first Birthday in Australia today; however I am going to squeeze one more day out of my thirtieth and celebrate it in Costa Rica tomorrow instead. Actually I wouldn’t mind another caramel latte but I really don’t think I want to line up a second time…

Love and Joy,

Janie xo

My neighbours (and landlords) are building a new cabin next door… don’t be surprised if you get some interesting photo’s and reviews on the standards here in Costa Rica in coming weeks. I think of some of my friends in the construction industry and I’m pretty certain they would all be in their element and their worst nightmare simultaneously. Great for people watching though, I don’t understand a word any of them are saying but I am still learning a lot about the culture right here in my own back yard. More on that later.

I’m pretty sure they do their own fair share of people watching right back at me, for the first week I was like the bright new shiny toy in Cabuya. Great place for the ego, so much attention for having pale white skin and an English dialect. Every day I am told at least once how beautiful I am in a multitude of Spanish equivalents. Although, this is great for my ego to know what it’s actually like to be a small town celebrity I am careful not to encourage any of the attention.  However, the guy’s next door working on the construction site must think I’m like the “Loco Aussie Chica”.

I can’t explain the kind of enjoyment I am getting from my writing and my imagination right now, this is exactly where I needed to come for inspiration. There is definitely magic in the air here in Costa Rica and I feel like I am breathing it in like an addict. Now that I am in my writers head space I tend to zone into my own little self-created dimensions in my mind pretty frequently. Part of the reason I felt I needed to leave my home to write was so that I could disappear and not upset anyone because I wasn’t giving them enough attention. It is a truly amazing experience to be able to simply focus 100% on yourself and no one else; it’s just all about you (ok, and sometimes about the neighbours).

Make sure if you haven’t made some special time just for yourself to solely focus on your needs and space recently, make it happen! Even if it’s just half an hour to walk around the park without anyone else bothering you, you will feel better for it and the people around you will thank you for it in their own special ways too.

Anyway…

I had never noticed it before, but when I am working at home and working on my writing, I pace around the house, I dance randomly just because I can, or just start laughing out loud at something I have thought of, I stop suddenly and stare at objects blankly for what feel like long periods of time, I just potter with no real purpose and I mumble and talk to myself pretty regularly. To me, I am processing, I am creating and imagining another reality. This has never really been an issue until I started living in a house with no walls, talk about feeling exposed.

The word has also got around that I am staying with Jeffry and Tara. Jeffry’s family have been living in Cabuya for over thirty years so there is an instant kind of respect for his guests privacy. I feel very safe here not only because I am surrounded by Jeff and his family both sides of my cabin but because I have a new best friend in Jade pronounced Haddy. I’m not really sure how it happened, as most of you know I am not a big dog person but she is a beautiful dog with a relaxed temperament and a good guard dog.

Haddy belongs to Jeff and Tara and while Tara is away working in the States, I think she has decided that she might like to hang with me in her absence. So everywhere I go, two feet behind me is Haddy slow and faithful always watching my back. Everyone in the town knows her, and she gives them all a smile but keeps trotting by not distracted from her mission to protect (except for the occasional pee stop!) When I go for a walk to the Panaderia or anywhere really she will follow me, sit with me and wait patiently (sometimes for hours) until I am ready for her to walk me home.

I’ve never really been a dog person but they seem to be re-entering my life again in different ways this past year. My resistance to them is admittedly breaking down and I think I might like to have a dog before I have kids. Kind of a trial run perhaps…

Love and Joy be with you, until next time!

Janie xoxo