Muchos Crocodíles
Costa Rica Day 3

hello hello,

day 3 here in Tamarindo, Costa Rica! Pura vida.

 

more of an 'independent play' day today and love being here on my own. if the place wasn't so great, it'd be a different story!

 

didn't sleep great - kind of in and out of sleep (plus Yoda joined me in bed and really wanted to snuggle - i'd shift away from him at points in the night and then he'd sidle right back up next to my leg or something. i need my space, yoda!) - but it honestly wasn't because of the cat. probably light sleep with my body/mind still feeling like it's in a new environment and tbh not the comfiest pillows but that is no complaint from me! 

 

up at 7ish before the alarm (atypical for me) and ready to carpe the diem. cred to my brother in law, Dan, for this saying and i like it. my first day 'working' from Costa Rica and my only call was with Jamie at 8:30 my time (9:30a EST) so I was glad to have plenty of time to meditate, stretch a bit and go get myself settled at a cafe i'd already had picked out for this call. Yoda slept all the way in until I did as well until I opened the curtains and he/she/them(i don't know yet haven't asked) was verrry happy and enjoyed basking in the sun on the bed while i did my own thing. when i sat back down to relax she came right on over to me when she noticed i was taking her picture. nice start to the morning with a kitty that was purr's aplenty!

 

got over to the Surf Oveja coffee shop within less than five minutes from my place and it's so spacious in there/ pretty/ AC/ an ideal spot to go work and take a call. i get my iced chai latte order in and am not seated for more than five minutes when the power goes out and we're less than ten mins out from hopping on the phone with Jamie. a transformer blew across the street. i pull out my MiFi (device to provide WiFi access regardless of where you are) to try and set that up instead of using Oveja's wifi but of course i didn't charge it before actually needing it - that would be *too* prepared of me! i ask to pay for my coffee (comes with a free Argentinian equivalent of a croissant! it's delish, more sugary) and head back to Villas Macondo to take the call from there. We have a small room that is specifically for direct internet access via cable if for any reason the wifi is acting up in your room or if you want to work from there. There's a couple of desks and it works great for everything i'll need while staying here. 

 

good to see Jamie! it gets hot here by 10:30//11isha so i want to go down to the beach for a dip while it's still a comfortable temperature out in the AM. i stash my flops and shorts under a resort's lawn chair and go for a dunk and it's SO NICE! so warm but not gross warm in the water. i've got my keys and phone in this little Outdoor Voices pouch and am just down to holding this above my head when going under (don't worry-i've figured out how to swim without holding anything above water at all lol. this comes later today) bc i wanted my phone camera to capture anything noteworthy this morning. i head for a walk up north of us on the beach - same direction i did yesterday chatting with those girls headed surfing - and make it to the mouth of the river meeting ocean. one boat is about to take off and another man is there with his boat, waiting. we get to chatting (i am sure i asked him a question ) and wowie this is a good one. It's my first conversation here in full Spanish!!! with a local. i'm pumped (when I realize this on my walk back). honestly, piece of cake. i have to ask him a couple times 'que?' ('what' in english) so that he'll repeat a sentence when it's a little too fast for me to keep up but i get it when it's slower! this part of the conversation was a hoot and has provided endless chuckles all day --- i asked about the crocodíles (very concerned about my proximity to these crocs) by saying 'cuantos crocodíles?' (my best shot at 'how many crocodíles' while pointing to the river) and i don't know what i thought i'd be getting in response, maybe a rough number or something, but he just goes back "MUCHOS crocodíles!" i was not prepared for this reaction and am like whaaaat!!!?!?!?! muchos crocodíles?!!! - it was great. we were laughing after and he goes on to tell me that the river goes for 4 kilometres and is part of a national park. did not know this. I'm still hung up on the crocodíles though, naturally, as he'd said that they're both in the river AND in the ocean, as he warned me not to swim in the river and i said no no i like to swim but over back thattaway where it's safe, sir. but they're in the ocean now too?!? i'm like okay how big are we talking here and he draws a couple lines in the sand to mark the size of crocs. it's not too bad - a few feet - so i'm feeling okay and am visibly showing my relief, when he goes on to gesture with his arms length larger sized crocs (of course) and draws again in the sand to depict the large croc length. back to scared again. he even tells me that they're on land too (not in plain sight on the sand or at least not typically but back in the wooded area where you hopefully wouldn't go on your own anyways) and i'm like. okay. WHAT are these crocodiles eating on land?? i hadn't really thought of this threat yet - guess i hadn't gotten that far being that i've already seen one on the way in on NYE and have been specifically warned not to swim where the river meets ocean aka an 'estuary' -- so i am super curious to learn now. he rattles off a couple things and i hear 'monos' - a word i don't know yet - so i stop him when i can't put together what this might be and say 'que es "monos"?' (spanish for 'what is "monos"?'). Monkeys. monkeys! these crocs can eat monkeys while on land. no more questions from me as i've had about enough information i can handle to process in one convo about 'dangeroso' animals here ha. i do ask his name before leaving and politely if i could take his and our photo before i take off. Wilfren is our guy. he doesn't smile for these photos (respect. we just met. but we bonded i thought?) and he tells me as i'm walking off that if i need a boat ride to go to him! alright. i've got a boat guy for when i head to Playa Grande down here. and he's all smiles before i've departed telling me to enjoy my vacation (where the f is the happy-tear emoji when you need it gmail?). i know this because i had only learned the word for 'enjoy' on Day 1 here in CR. what a sweetie! i do explain that i'm not solely here on vacation and that i am working from the computer too for the full month. he's still happy to say enjoy vacation here again and i just now realize while writing this that pretty much every local/ non-expat that i've connected with has been so genuine in wishing me to enjoy my vacation here. so nice and quite different from the reaction you'd maybe get in other places of the world from someone who encounters an inquisitive traveler/tourist. I am down with these Costa Ricans. Pura vida baby. (that's their sign off, i'm not embellishing)

 

8:25p CR time, 3 Jan 2023