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!

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.