Pura vida

Thursday was Labor Day in Costa Rica, so I didn't have class. I'm always free on Fridays, so yesterday I set out early for a bit of adventure. Really, I just wanted to get out of my town for awhile, so I hopped on a bus, and then another, until I arrived in a medium-sized town called San Isidro.

I checked into a hotel, dropped off my backpack and wandered around until I found a nice park and a decent-looking restaurant. As soon as I sat down, I realized I had found the gringo hangout. Almost immediately, an old man from California sat down at my table. He's some sort of healer, and to prove it, he drew a picture of a damaged cell on a napkin. I listened politely while my hamburger got cold. He didn't want to go into his exact cure for cancer right then and there, though, because he feared I wouldn't understand the nuances of the biology involved. Fair enough.

After he left, another gringo with an orange hat, orange polo shirt and orange backpack showed up at my table. He had just flown into to Costa Rica the day before and was on a two-fold mission - to buy cheap land and find the love of his life. After telling me how much he had to pay for a hooker the night before, he offered to buy me a beer, which I promptly refused. Luckily, the first gringo came back and changed the tone of the conversation. Turns out, he works in real estate in addition to curing cancer, so he and the sleazy guy shuffled off to talk land prices.

Just about then, one of my fellow volunteers showed up. We exchanged hugs and talked about our plans for our weekend. She was heading to the beach, and I said I might go to there too today. But I don't think I will. I am enjoying being alone and independent. Last night I watched a movie in English in my hotel. This morning I slept late and woke up slowly with the help of the television. I had forgotten how relaxing it is to stay in bed and watch TV.

I don't know what I'll do today. Maybe I will go to the beach. Or maybe I'll go to the Post Office. Or maybe I'll shop some more. Ah, it's so nice to have options. I'll be sure to let you know what I decide.

In the meantime, I've added some photos to the blog. Scroll on down.