From a writer friend of mine, who has wintered in Costa Rica, comes a five-page email, excerpts of which paint a colourful picture of the slower-paced life they enjoy. Here, in part, are some of those verbal pics.
“It’s just before 5am, and the morning is beginning its emergence all around me as I write in our open-air kitchen. The winds from the Pacific are just right, brushing over all day long with gentle caresses, so I’m comfortable in long cotton pants and a long-sleeved shirt. I can hear roosters in the distance and howler monkeys even further off.
“If I turn to look behind me, I see a white cumulus cloud hanging low in the valley. I can just make out the silhouette of the surrounding mountains and the Pacific Ocean peaking through in three spots. The light of a firefly floats past.
“I can hear the hum of insects, the chirping of birds, including the forlorn call of the mourning dove. There is a steady dripping sound from the roof spouts, the aftermath of the light rain earlier this morning.
“Well, the weather can’t be called the ‘rainy season’ quite yet. There have been only two hard rains and two light rains since I’ve been here. They were in the late afternoon or evening and under an hour in duration. Afterward, the smells and energy are tremendous. I notice that all the creatures seem to have a change in their behaviour.
“I bus into the towns of Dominical or Uvita to purchase my supplies. Plus, there’s a fellow named Joe who comes here every Saturday in his old blue Datsun truck with a varying supply of different fruits and vegetables.
“I started to make oatmeal cookies this week, leaving out the baking powder, salt, baking soda, egg replacer, and cinnamon (as these are either not found ingredients or too expensive) and was delighted to find the cookies taste even better. I’ve also adapted them using bananas and dates instead of raisins. It is interesting to use the stove, as it uses gas on both the range and the oven.
“It has been good to have Tortilla, the dog, a small stray that is a cross between chihuahua and terrier of some sort. Her bark is mighty so she provides some sense of security. She’s also incredibly proficient at catching any beetle-like flying things that come into the kitchen in the evening.
“There really has been no problem with creatures with the open nature of the casa, although a giant spider jumped out from behind my shampoo bottle one day.
“I haven’t seen any scorpions (knock on wood) but did see a green, thin snake about three to four feet long today. A regular party of two to four huge, beautiful moths comes here daily just after sunset. The occasional bat will fly through the kitchen.
“There are other regular visitors: a toucan, soaring skytes, and turkey vultures. Yesterday afternoon, five turkey vultures sat in the same tree with their wings spread out as if they were drying them in the sun. I’ve only seen three geckos in this location. One tiny one sat on the frying pan handle while I was making dinner tonight. I don’t hear them chirping at night, though.
“There is an occasional huge, fat toad, large iguanas, and a regular tree frog. The latter makes an amazing loud sound the odd time after sunset. Sometimes in the night “something” eats the bananas I have hanging, and during the day, birds will come to eat them as well. Blue and grey birds and tiny bright green birds often eat one banana until it is just an empty skin. (I’ve often seen horses enjoying bananas, the equivalent to ours eating apples.)
“When the cylinder of gas for the stove became empty, Joe took it into Platanillo and back to get a new supply. I gave him $1,000 mil ($2 US), which is the pay for an hour’s work in Costa Rica. This was a great tip for Joe for a ten-minute round trip.”
“An old tree hugger like me could be exceptionally happy enjoying the sights and sounds on a mountainside in Costa Rica. Don’t you think? But I happen to be in love with Ontario.”
Take care, ‘cause we care.
Barrie@barriehopkins.ca
519-843-4544