My View - SJdS (Nic) to Tamarindo (Costa Rica) [Rob´s entry (#5)]
Standard disclaimer: Anna does an excellent job covering the positive aspects of our trip, and I try to fill the ‘other side’.San Juan del Sur (Nic)
Not too much to say about SJdS. Lots of Gringos buying up property. As we are looking for a possible place to live someday, we try to place ourselves in towns like this. While picturesque, we think we'd go crazy in these places. They seem so small, and we tend to be more urban. That said, we spent a great morning with a picnic breakfast at the beach consisting of yogurt and dirt-cheap dead-ripe tropical fruit. One huge treat for us are the cheap bananas, papaya, pineapple, oranges, etc. We frequently have fruit for breakfast, on the bus, or for a quick snack. The harbor around SJdS was studded with mansions of affluent Nicaraguans and gringos. We found some great street food from vendor's BBQ's from what seems to be grills made from automobile rims. We have observed these grills all over CA.
Ometepe (Nic)
Anna covered pretty much all the high and low points of the location. A couple of things she missed was that our first night's experience was pretty miserable as we stayed across the street from a roaring disco. It's construction resulted in the sound basically being in the street rather than contained by the 'walls'. This went on late into the night/morning, as was followed by the patrons carrying on the party after closure. We quickly changed location after learning that was a nightly occurrence. Another thing we observed was that while many of the rural homes viewed were unimaginably poor by western standards (corrugated tin and board construction, like a dilapidated farm shed for example), many of the people (particularly women) were very well dressed (far better than us for sure). Many of the women were well groomed and wearing dresses, etc.It was a contrast that we both noticed, and were at a loss to explain. Anna thought it was an attempt not to look poor, and I wondered if the women might get treated more respectfully if the appearance was more upscale.
A note on poverty. As early mentioned, I've given a lot of thought about the 'poverty' I've seen. I may try to write a separate entry regarding some of my views at some point.
Liberia (Costa Rica)
This entry is more about the weeks of travel before CR, but the contrast and discovery between other countries and CR hit us on our first stop- Liberia.
Again, Anna pretty well summarized our initial impression of Costa Rica. It was the sharp contrast that opened our eyes to the experiences we had in the northern countries. We has a employee at a bank quietly suggest another bank for us to get a better deal exchanging money, and a store worker 'take' heavy coins from us in exchange for paper money so we'd have less weight to carry. We received coupons for a free drink, smiles and helpfulness in stores, etc. It was then that we realized how beaten down we had become. It puzzled me for a long time why this contrast was so overwhelming. Anna's theory sounds about the best that our time spent in these countries has resulted in us absorbing of 'everything' than one normally would. For example, if one were blowing through for a couple of weeks on a vacation, you wouldn't try to find the best value on where to stay, eat, etc. Of course, we are always looking for the best value (typically at the lower price end), even in the poorest of places. Even though the taxis are cheap, we still travel by 'chicken bus'. We are closely examining what it is like to live in these places, medical care, how the people are, what we would do with our time, etc. As Anna grew up in a poorer country, she recognizes many things (mostly bad) going on and calls attention to them. It stirs past unpleasant feelings in her. Without her insight , I'd likely not even notice certain things (like how we are treated sometimes), or would blow it off. It is harder for her sometimes, adding to the stress. It is difficult at times to be treated poorly or disrespectfully, to stumble through on limited Spanish ability, in areas where life is difficult (for the residents), constantly being hustled to buy something, and dealing with many people who have developed a hardened harshness to them (no doubt as a way of dealing with their environment). I think we absorbed more of all this, making the whole experience more challenging, and at times, certainly less enjoyable. At the same time, I also think we have perhaps seen a more accurate portrayal (as an outsider) of the places visited. Our first day in CR brought all this to our attention in a confusing way that will likely be in our minds for a long time to come. While absolutely great travel experiences, it does help resolve some questions of where to (or not) live someday.
Tamirindo (CR)
One thing Anna failed to mention was that we lost two shoes (one of hers and one of mine) during the swim back to shore. That was a major bummer, along with getting a couple small cuts in my wetsuit. The other travelers we met there were largely uninteresting (with a couple of exceptions), spoiled, complaining, consumed with partying, hooking up, and full of attitude because they were surfers (many other travelers we met had much more character, but unfortunately, I had hoped for more on this trip). The nature and waves helped make up for all that however, and we found the stopover enjoyable overall.
Current location: Isla Bocas del Toro, Panama. Next stop- Panama City (another doctor visit, rashes and vomiting still persistent).
posted by Rob and Anna @ 12:12 PM
1 Comments:
You guys are an amazing family for me and my inmates at Oakdale. I am so glad we found out about the point it's not too late for me too.
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