Blog, Interrupted

As a bookend to my travels, I decided to wait out my return flight back in quiet little Liberia. (That happens tomorrow afternoon.) The past 10 days have contained enough excitement that I don’t really mind a day off. My original intent, of course, was to write daily or semi-daily, counting on the reputed ubiquity of cybercafes to make this possible. Cybercafes here are, in fact, quite ubiquitous even in the remotest parts (and I’ve seen a few). The quality and upkeep of the machines leave a lot to be desired, though. But ultimately, being in the Present has taken precedence over any urge to document it. No easy way to upload pictures, either. So the Big Travel Adventure Tale will have to wait just a little longer. On the other hand, the people I have met and situations I have been in should make for some good storytelling, all upon my return. See you soon!

Liberia (The Other One)

Seeing Liberia, Costa Rica, for the first time in the light of day. Surreal, as if someone created a brand-new city in my ancestral Puerto Rico: completely familiar, but with enough subtle differences (money quantities cited in Colones, unfamiliar slang here and there) to keep my head spinning. It’s clear that this town came belatedly to its position as tourist hub, since the pace of life here appears to continue being that of the sabanero (a local version of a cowboy). I’m kinda relieved, frankly.

Nevertheless, today’s major goal for me is getting out of town and into the countryside, which is what I really came here to see.

Many Partings

As the routine of my days dragged on it became increasingly difficult to derive pleasure from life in any lasting way, especially given my recent emotional upheavals. So on impulse I decided to organize a quick trip to Costa Rica, my first ‘vacation/holiday’ in two years. It is my hope that a change of pace, accompanied by exotic scenery far removed from that of a typical late Autumn Midtown Manhattan, might do me some good. Three days into my sojourn, I can already feel sanity seeping back into my bones, and I haven’t even left the country yet: I’ve been visiting a couple friends in the lovely metropolis of Houston, TX, and availing myself of Lone Star’s finest (its beef!) at every opportunity. I figure I’ll need all the energy I can metabolize for the days when I’m hiking up volcano faces and confronting the Wild Unknown. By this time tomorrow I should be harboring under crisp Costa Rican skies. I hope to find internet access and be able to write here during my stay but, if I can’t, wish me luck! If all goes well I will be back home on 1 Dec. Happy Thanksgiving!