Did you catch Week 1 of the Costa Rica Adventure? If not, you may want to pop over and give it a read, and then come back to see how Week 2 plays out.

Saturday

Up early today to enjoy a final cup of coffee with Gwen and Edmund as they looked around the place for last-minute items to stick in their suitcases. I know the feeling. When you are leaving for an undetermined amount of time, maybe even forever, packing is less about ‘what do I need for the journey’ and more about ‘what items here are most important to me and what would I be sad to lose?’ You don’t pack your best hat, you pack the one that was a gift from someone who loves you and who you will miss. You leave behind your favorite dress to make room in your bags for that ancient set of embroidered kitchen towels your grandma gave you. Value isn’t monetary, but instead is about a memory, or a person or a moment you want to hang on to.

7 AM sharp, Gwen and Ed were off, with a couple of final hugs and well wishes, and suddenly I was alone. Alone in Costa Rica, with no one around to interpret the language, or to remind me how to clean the pool or where the garage keys were. I realized in that moment that now the real adventure would begin.

I spent the next several hours nesting, so to speak. I hadn’t unpacked, knowing once I was alone, I would move from the guest room into the master bedroom. Although I only had three suitcases, unpacking and making a home for everything took a fair amount of time. The heat does that to a person. You find yourself moving slower and then sitting down in front of the fan periodically to cool off and re-energize. But don’t sit too long, or getting up becomes much harder.

The sun was out and the sky was blue, so I decided to reward my hard work with a smoothie and a dip in the pool. I found a nice spot in the sun by the pool to read and relax. Ahh, the sun felt so nice.  I had on a swimsuit that I recalled giving me some strange tan lines, and since I lived in the jungle, surrounded by trees, I figured I’d be bold and take a tan, European style. Yes, my friends, the top came off!

After a few moments of feeling really akward, I embraced the idea that the area was totally private and no one would see me. When it came time to get into the pool to cool off, I didn’t even worry about putting the top back on. Just cooled down and then back to my towel for more sun. And there I laid, reading and drifting off for a few moments, then back to the book.

During one of those moments of drifting, I heard a car on gravel. Assuming it was just another car driving by, I didn’t worry about it. But then the car sounded closer and closer. I popped my head up to discover a car hand pulled in. A car I didn’t recognize. Crap! Oh no, crap, crap, crap!!! I quickly found my top and after three failed attempts, finally managed to get it back on – sort of. Wrapped up in my towel and headed down to see who was here.

Now I should mention, the entire week of training, we didn’t have a single guest. Not at all surprising, since this is the beginning of the rainy season and not many people are planning vacations in the jungles of CR during this time. So imagine my surprise when the couple who I greeted, with swimsuit top perilously hanging onto me and my towel cinched around me tightly, told me they were here to check in.

Oh, really? Um, yes, of course you are! Welcome to Rhodeside! Can I get you a beverage? Something cold, you say? Sure, how about a lovely fruit smoothie to enjoy while I make your room ready for you?

Fortunately, my morning of cleaning and nesting paid off, and all I had left to do was put the freshly washed sheets on the bed and put the clean towels in the room. I came back down just as they were finishing their smoothies and showed them to their room.

Wow, my first night alone would not be tonight, after all. I was happy for the company.

The lovely German couple wanted to spend the day at the beach, so I sent them to Locos Cocos where they could get beach time, cervezas and sushi for dinner if they wanted. Which they did, and enjoyed. And I got to feel proud that I was sending business to my new friends Zene and Haner, who own the recently opened beach club.

Sunday

The next morning, as I finished up making breakfast for my guests – eggs, homemade muffins, fresh local fruits, juice and a coffee drink of their choice, another car pulled in. What? No way!?!  Sure enough, two unfamiliar girls got out and walked up? Turned out all they were in search of was breakfast. And I was happy to accommodate. Two “Deluxe Breakfasts, coming right up!”

The girls were Americans. One was from New Hampshire, living in Costa Rica for school and was here doing an internship in a local fishing village. The other girl was her friend, who had arrived a few days prior for a visit. I got the feeling, as she talked to me about the apartment in New York she had just bought, that Costa Rica wasn’t exactly what she expected it to be. But she was a good sport!

I told the girls about the Butterfly Tour my neighbor Mike hosted and I must have done a good job selling it, because they asked me to call to set it up. Before they headed off, I reminded them that Costa Rica was playing that afternoon in the World Cup and that Locos Cocos would be having a party. I said I’d be there and they said they’d meet me there. Cool!

When I got to Locos Cocos that afternoon, I saw many familiar faces. Neighbors I’d met the week before were there, along with the locals, who call themselves “ticos”. And sure enough, the breakfast girls were there too!

The place was packed! I sat with the girls on the ground by a tree and watched the game. I also had a chance to hear more about the girls. The girl who is here for school told me more about the program she is interning for. It is about conservation; her job is to measure the fish the fishermen caught each day, and then once they are gutted, to measure their insides – well, sex organs actually – to get data about the age of the fish being caught. If they are old enough, then the fishing methods are deemed sustainable. If not, well, fishing won’t be possible for much longer. The results aren’t ready, but she told me things were looking good.

It was such fun watching the Costa Rican’s play in the World Cup, and since that particular game ended in a shoot-out, with CR taking the win, it was beyond exciting! Everyone – locals, expats (those living in CR from other countries) and tourists all jumped for joy, hollered and hugged one another when the last goal was made. It was the most emotion I’d ever seen at any sporting event. I was glad to be a part of it!

Monday

6 AM brought the sound of the motorcycle. Jonathan, the gardener, was reporting for duty. I don’t speak Spanish and Jonathan doesn’t speak English, so communication was exhausting, for both of us. We managed. Together, we checked the chickens to confirm what Jonathan suspected, some of them were sick. He’d figured it out because they were clucking funny – sort of like they had sore throats. He had some medicine along, and we put it in their water and he was confident we cold get them back to full health.

Jonathan was so patient with me as I tried to understand him and communicate my questions. He showed me some fruit that was new to me – nances – a small yellow fruit that was slightly sour, but tasty. He brought me a young coconut so I could try the water, and when it was obvious I enjoyed it he cut down four more so I could fill jars and keep it in the fridge for later. I also cut out the flesh of the coconut, which was delicious and, I learned, even tastier once I froze it.

At the end of the day, he’d worked harder than I knew a person could – chopping down trees, trimming back the plants and the trees – essentially keeping my tiny spot of the jungle tidied up and habitable. And thanks to Google translate, I promised to study and get better at Spanish each week.

That evening I had the pleasure of joining my neighbors and new friends, Hank and Marie, for dinner at their place. They’d also invited neighbor Bill, and the four of us enjoyed a wonderful meal, terrific conversation and the most incredible sunset I’d ever seen – made even more beautiful by the fact the Hank and Marie overlook the ocean. My first CR sunset, I realized. I live a lot lower down the mountain and hadn’t managed to catch a sunset yet. It was spectacular!

Tuesday

Woke up thankful that I had made so many friends already and that there’d been no shortage of interesting strangers and conversations. But I was also feeling tired and in need of some alone time. I wondered if today might actually turn out to be that day – the day of no visitors.

6:30am – Hola Melissa! A young man I had met the week before, Luis, was just letting me know he was here to ride the horse. OK Luis, have fun!

Then the rain came. Ahh, perfect for reading and sitting in a rocker on the porch. And I did just that, for the better part of the day. Until I heard a ruckus in the trees. Huge branches were falling down and I looked up to discover a monkey! Finally, the monkeys were here! I ran to grab my camera and snapped some pics from a distance, not wanting to chase them off. When they retreated into the woods, I followed them, enjoying them swinging from the branches and climbing, like, well, little monkeys!

I was way up the hill, in hot pursuit of the band of monkeys, when I heard a voice from down below. I should tell you that I have thought someone was talking to me earlier, repeating the same word over and over. I realized in that case, that it was just a remarkably human-sounding bird. Must be that bird again, and I carried on into the woods.

Hello? Hello?!?

Seriously? I stopped and looked around.

Is anyone here?

Yes! Up here! Hang on, I’m coming down.

A man came walking around the corner, holding a large smart phone, obviously trying to get a signal. “Can I help you?” I asked.

Turns out the man, Neal, was riding a quad (a four-wheeler ATV) back to his home in Nosara when it died on him, in front of my place. He said he’d driven by many times over the years and always thought about stopping for a cappuccino. This must be the day to do so.

He asked about using the phone or internet and since they were one in the same, I explained he was out of luck because the rain had knocked the internet down earlier that day.

As he tried to figure out what he could do, I made him that cappuccino he’d talked about. We brainstormed and decided he could stay here, if need be. But another option was that in 30-45 minutes a tico neighbor, Colin, would be home from his job as a mechanic, and maybe he could help Neal get the quad going again.

We talked as Neal drank his coffee. He told me he’d moved to CR seven years ago after narrowly losing a mayoral election in the small Colorado town he’d lived in the previous 20 years. Neal told me it was the best thing that could have happened, as it led to him moving to CR. He loves it here and can’t dream of ever leaving.

Neal worked as a builder in Colorado, but before that had been in product design. He told me he was excited to be getting back into that line of work. He had just finished making some prototypes of garden tools made with local wood and copper, and he had hopes of getting them into large retail – maybe Target or Home Depot.

Good for you, Mr. Neal! I hope that dream comes true. For now, let’s see if that magic of time worked its wonders on the quad.

Neal asked what he owed for the coffee and I told him it was on the house. he thanked me and we both crossed our fingers and he set off to the road to see if he could get going. First attempt, nothing. Second attempt, it started right up! Yay! Neal drove it up my drive to make sure I knew he was successful and to thank me again and promise he’d be back someday for another cup. I have no doubt he’ll make good on that promise.

Wednesday

One thing I have to get used to is things breaking. It seems, from time to time, things just stop functioning for no apparent reason. Or sometimes there might be a reason, but it’s not known to me. Tuesday had been one of those days. The coffee grinder on the coffee machine stopped, the internet and phones were out, Neal’s quad broke down and the garage style door we used to secure the kitchen/coffee shop wouldn’t close. So at 5:30 AM, I made a call to Bill to see if he’d come take a look at the door. He said he would, and wondered why I thought he’d be up at such an hour. I explained that Edmund told me he would be and I figured a die-hard surfer like he was, was always up with the sun. He laughed and said I was right.

I had attempted to fix the door, in the dark, for at least 30 minutes the night before. Bill arrives and gives it one tug and the thing pulled down. He did give me credit and said he could see where it had gone off the track, and gave me a few pointers to keep it functioning.

I offered Bill a cinnamon roll, which he gladly accepted, and generous as he is, he shared it with his pack – the four dogs who follow him where he goes. Dogs aren’t exactly treated the same here as they are in the US. Most dogs just roam free and scavenge for food. Dogs are viewed more as utilitarian – protection, than they are as companions. Not Bill’s dogs. He loves those dogs fiercely and, in fact, I learned that Bill won’t patronize the nearest little store because the shop keeper told Bill his dogs weren’t welcome.

The other visitors I got on Wednesday were the monkeys. They came right up to the house and were hanging out in my trees. I had a huge bunch of bananas that were almost ripe and ready to come down and I was worried they would eat them. So I stood guard while I watched them play. I counted at least 10 of them, though from the noise I heard in the trees, I imagine there were at least another 10 hidden from view.  I must have watched them for an hour and eventually they moved on. When I walked up to the pool to check on things, I noticed that the monkeys had stripped one of the papaya trees almost bare. Darn monkeys!

Thursday

Jonathan was back for his second shift of the week and he was impressed with the Spanish I had learned since his visit Monday. He seemed really proud of me, and although he wasn’t trying any English, he was speaking slower and using smaller words. I knew then that we’d be OK. Every week it would get better and easier to communicate.

I’ve got a random question for you. How many bills do you pay online or via autopay? If you’re like us, it’s most of them, right. I can’t remember the last time I wrote a check or paid a bill some way other than online.

I should have appreciated that luxury more! I had to pay the internet bill  and I’m here to tell you, the task was difficult! First I went to Neal’s store with the account number but he said he couldn’t help me. Edmund had assumed he could do it, so I didn’t have a back-up plan. I called a neighbor, who decided he might be able to pay it for me, but suggested I call the internet guy first. Third time was the charm – Saul, the man with the internet power, after some very broken Spanish, figured out what I was asking and offered to take payment via Paypal. Hooray, I managed to pay for the slim possibility that I’d have daily internet! I felt victorious!

Friday

Last day alone! After two weeks apart, Dave and I were both very ready to be together again, at long last! I spent the day cleaning, baking pineapple cookies (with a pineapple I picked from my yard – how cool!), and getting ready for his arrival. Neighbor Hank had offered to draw me a map, for my 3.5 hour drive to Liberia Airport, and I was never so happy for a surprise gift before! Having relied on the GPS built into my phone for so long, it was such a bummer to realize it was useless if I didn’t have an internet or a cellular connection. Which, in the mountains, don’t count on! I had been given lots of verbal directions, but I am extremely visual, and the seeing the route on that map made all the difference! Suddenly my apprehension and worry turned into confidence and I was ready to hit the road, first thing. I think I will save that map forever!

This week was full of reminders of things taken for granted. Internet, chief among them, as I realized how much I’d come to depend on it for communication, paying bills, gathering information and help with directions. This week was also a confidence booster as I leaned to fix things, to ask for help when I needed it, and to stay calm and confident, no matter who or what shows up that day. I spent a week alone in the jungle, with the bugs and the critters and the things that go bump in the night. I had moments of fear, but for the most part I was courageous and strong. Stronger than I knew I could be.  I realized this week that I was kind of a bad-ass. And damn it, I was proud of Jungle Pioneer Woman!

It wasn’t just the modern conveniences I had taken for granted. I realized I had taken something even more important for granted – people. Especially my husband and best friend, Dave.

Two weeks apart will make you realize that although you are a bad-ass Jungle Pioneer Woman, and you can make it in the remote wilderness alone, it’s not nearly as much fun as sharing the journey with your other half. Dave and I talked daily, and he was always so proud of me and amazed at all I had done, but he missed me and I missed him! Absence, it turns out, not only makes the heart grow fonder, but also more grateful. Can’t wait to show Dave all I’ve learned, and to continue to learn new things every day – side by side!