One week is hardly enough time to become acquainted with this country and people, but it is an appetizer. So, I took a much needed vacation and below are a few stories of my week which started with an overnight in Miami.
MIAMI BEACH
Elaine and I walked through Miami Airport talking about memories of the last time we were here together. It was August 25, 2008, the day we left as trainees for our new country of Saint Lucia. “Remember all the luggage? Why did we bring so much stuff? I was so nervous. Oh, that’s where I had a pastry and coffee while we waited for the plane.”
We sat on Nikki’s patio eating blueberries and raspberries which tasted so good. Nikki, Elaine’s daughter, and her friend Mary laughed at us as we talked about the small treat. These are fruits not readily available in Saint Lucia. Later we walked along South beach and sat in an outdoor café eating crepes and drinking mimosas. Everything tasted so good. We flagged a taxi to rush over to our six o’clock hair appointment. Oh, I feel human again!
After a quick shopping trip we went to Bill’s house, a high rise apartment with an incredible view of the city. A mannequin dressed as a bandit with a toy gun greeted us in the entry way and another mannequin dressed as a nurse holding toilet paper invaded the bathroom privacy. Barbie’s hanging from the ceiling fan and swinging in the breeze were illuminated by the colored light wheel that bounced off the aluminum Christmas tree. To say the least, it was interesting décor. We talked and laughed with Bill and his three sisters while we ate the pear tart they had spent an entire afternoon making.
IS IT PROGRESS OR DESTRUCTION?
The sign reads, “Costa Rica is not for Sale”. We hired a driver to navigate the three hours of road, mostly paved but then again some is not. A few minutes before we arrived at our hotel, we stopped to look at the ocean view. That is when we spotted the sign painted on the bus stop’s concrete wall. The colorfully painted words had the same meaning as the comments I hear from Saint Lucians about their country.People are attracted to Costa Rica, as they are Saint Lucia, because of the beauty of the land and also because it is a less expensive means to retire or own a vacation home. When riding on the long two land highway there is billboard after billboard advertising luxury housing in Costa Rica.
A few miles and villages away from my village in Saint Lucia is an abandoned hotel development thanks to the Westin. The beautiful points overlooking the sea were leveled and a half finished and now a decaying hotel sits on this site. In Costa Rica there are long drive-ways leading to gates with guards that lead to homes with beautiful ocean views. It’s probably safe to say not many, if any Costa Rican’s live behind the gates.
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“A new company is here to build roads. They are taking rocks and sand from our river.” It was toward the end of our trip and we were on our way to raft on the river. I asked the river guide how he feels about the company building roads. “Well, I don’t like it, but there’s not much we can do about it. They are taking our river from us.”Although Costa Rica is far ahead in its conservation and eco-tourism and considered a leader by many, still I wonder where the holler monkeys, lizards, snakes, birds, sloths, and frogs are that occupied the beautiful views that were once home. Their home now belong to wealthy foreigners who come here to retire behind the guarded gates.
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Many people in Saint Lucia are disappointed with the exploitation and destruction of the beauty that belongs to them. The message at the small Costa Rica Bus Stop appears to compliment the sentiments of many in Saint Lucia.
THE SHOPPING
Why would anyone come to Costa Rica and buy a colorfully painted wooden chicken? This was just one of the unanswered questions I had as I browsed the stores.
Why would they name a store that sells bicycles and washing machines “El Gallo, Mas Gallo”? This is one of those questions that will likely be a mystery for my entire life.
When I die my first two questions might be “Who shot JFK and why did they name an appliance store El Gallo, Mas Gallo?” And, really . . . why do they carry bicycles and washing machines?
“Que Café es strong”. The woman has a confused look. We are on our own to choose between many brands of coffee. Elaine says, “I like this packaging”. She picks a couple of pounds of Costa Rican coffee and I follow suit choosing three packages of coffee based on which packaging is the prettiest. Coffee and chocolate. I think I might have enough to get me through a couple of months.
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“Que Café es strong”. The woman has a confused look. We are on our own to choose between many brands of coffee. Elaine says, “I like this packaging”. She picks a couple of pounds of Costa Rican coffee and I follow suit choosing three packages of coffee based on which packaging is the prettiest. Coffee and chocolate. I think I might have enough to get me through a couple of months.
THE PEOPLE
The tourist industry is well developed and organized in Costa Rica. Hotel workers, taxi drivers, tour guides and shop owners are all eager to share their country and make tourists feel welcome. Humor is frequent and teasing tourists is a national pastime.
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After a brief 10 minute walk going up many steps we were finally at the top. Strapped into a harness with hooks around our waist and helmets on our heads we reached the first platform.
Linda approached the first line, jumped up and George hooked the zip line that would carry her across to the next platform. Hanging by one hook and clutching the tethered rope while hoping for the best, she shifted her feet from the safety of the platform to the thrill of suspension.
Just as she began her ride across the rainforest George calls out “wait!” Humor bordered between kind of funny and downright funny. Actually, I likely thought that was more funny than Linda did.
There were many huge iguanas, frogs, and lizards on the grounds of our hotel. One night I saw this small white and fluorescent colored lizard. I’d never seen anything like it before. Elaine and I were captivated by this creature. We went to get the manager and brought him to see this beautiful creature. He says, “it must be a chameleon.” Then another worker walked over to it, picked it up and put it back on the night desk next to the other plastic toys.
”Look Elaine, they use the same hand signal we do!” A family was standing by the roadside in humid heat. They put their hand high in the air and brought it down, elbows straight. The only difference between flagging a bus in Costa Rica and flagging a bus in Saint Lucia is that our bus holds 14 passengers and their bus likely holds 114 passengers. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, the bus is an interesting thing to see.
“Mi familia!” he said. “Do you mind if we take my family home? It’s only five minutes.” We were all tired, but it didn’t matter. We had been rafting on the river most of the day and our guides made the trip a lot of fun.
No one spoke until the door opened and Miguel’s sister, mother and two children climbed into the van. “They are my nieces; my sister’s children.” The youngest crawled onto the seat next to Miguel. He gently put his arm around her and whispered in her ear and then kissed her forehead. The love he has for his family poured through the van.
We stopped and Miguel pointed up a dirt road, “this is our home”. He explained that it was at the top of the hill with a view of the river at one side and the ocean on the other. This is a poor family. Miguel is highly regarded in the village because he has a good job working with tourists and has learned to speak English.
Miguel has long curly hair, dimples and enough presence and charisma to light up a stadium. Witty and energetic and animated, the first time we saw him he popped in the van, laughed and said, “Does my hair look ok? They call me the crazy one.”
The sign reads, “Keep going. You are not lost.” We had been on dirt roads for more than an hour. When row after row of African Palm Farms were not seen, we would see row after row of Teak Tree Farms. We passed two small villages just before arriving. El Silencio and another village name I cannot remember.
The villages only have about five hundred people in them. They operate as a coop village. Most don’t have cars, but have oxen and carts. They work on the Teak and African Palm Farms. Things have changed over the last few years. The government understands the value of the land and the devastation cutting down a rain forest can bring. They pay people to not use the land for anything other than growing enough food for survival.
We pass the secondary school where about 25 students study. There is an outdoor café and bar which resembles so many I see here in Saint Lucia.
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There were many huge iguanas, frogs, and lizards on the grounds of our hotel. One night I saw this small white and fluorescent colored lizard. I’d never seen anything like it before. Elaine and I were captivated by this creature. We went to get the manager and brought him to see this beautiful creature. He says, “it must be a chameleon.” Then another worker walked over to it, picked it up and put it back on the night desk next to the other plastic toys.
*************
”Look Elaine, they use the same hand signal we do!” A family was standing by the roadside in humid heat. They put their hand high in the air and brought it down, elbows straight. The only difference between flagging a bus in Costa Rica and flagging a bus in Saint Lucia is that our bus holds 14 passengers and their bus likely holds 114 passengers. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, the bus is an interesting thing to see.
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“Mi familia!” he said. “Do you mind if we take my family home? It’s only five minutes.” We were all tired, but it didn’t matter. We had been rafting on the river most of the day and our guides made the trip a lot of fun.
No one spoke until the door opened and Miguel’s sister, mother and two children climbed into the van. “They are my nieces; my sister’s children.” The youngest crawled onto the seat next to Miguel. He gently put his arm around her and whispered in her ear and then kissed her forehead. The love he has for his family poured through the van.
We stopped and Miguel pointed up a dirt road, “this is our home”. He explained that it was at the top of the hill with a view of the river at one side and the ocean on the other. This is a poor family. Miguel is highly regarded in the village because he has a good job working with tourists and has learned to speak English.
Miguel has long curly hair, dimples and enough presence and charisma to light up a stadium. Witty and energetic and animated, the first time we saw him he popped in the van, laughed and said, “Does my hair look ok? They call me the crazy one.”
SMALL VILLAGES
The sign reads, “Keep going. You are not lost.” We had been on dirt roads for more than an hour. When row after row of African Palm Farms were not seen, we would see row after row of Teak Tree Farms. We passed two small villages just before arriving. El Silencio and another village name I cannot remember.
The villages only have about five hundred people in them. They operate as a coop village. Most don’t have cars, but have oxen and carts. They work on the Teak and African Palm Farms. Things have changed over the last few years. The government understands the value of the land and the devastation cutting down a rain forest can bring. They pay people to not use the land for anything other than growing enough food for survival.
We pass the secondary school where about 25 students study. There is an outdoor café and bar which resembles so many I see here in Saint Lucia.
We stopped at a home with a well manicured lawn and orchids hanging in a shady area. A man comes out and waves to the driver. “Would you all like to stop for a cold drink?” It’s amazing how friendly people are.
After a considerably long ride on a bumpy dirt road where the signs kept saying we were really not lost, we came across the last sign, “bad road ends here”.
We drove up the long road and the scenery looked like we had entered a piece of Africa.
After a considerably long ride on a bumpy dirt road where the signs kept saying we were really not lost, we came across the last sign, “bad road ends here”.
We drove up the long road and the scenery looked like we had entered a piece of Africa.
The owners, it turns out, are from South Africa and built Rafiki Lodge with a vision of conservation, sustainability, eco-tourism and economic community growth. The lodge employs twenty-one people and sits against 800 acres of national land preserve.
People in the villages look up to the workers who are paid above average wages. One is a recent college graduate.
We are taken on a tour of the land, shown the incredible “Tent” accommodations and they explain the vision for the property.
We are taken on a tour of the land, shown the incredible “Tent” accommodations and they explain the vision for the property.
They want to develop eco-tourism to help the nearby villages, continue the hotel business to sustain eco-tourism to help local villages, to be a sustainable lodge and also to raise and reintroduce the Tapir, an endangered animal, into the rain forest.
We are here today to enjoy a somewhat leisurely raft trip down the river. We stopped at a local waterfall and a picnic lunch. In between stops we jumped out of the raft and floated in the calm pools of water.
We wound up the day enjoying a peaceful view while rocking our chairs and drinking cool refreshments.
They make the equivalent of $20 a day, but only if they produce a bounty of the small almond shaped pods. They carry large sticks with knives attached to them to cut down a bunch of palm nuts. Each bunch weighs upwards of ninety to one hundred pounds.
The workers hoist them into large containers and then set them on a cart powered by large oxen. This back-breaking work is done in the tropics. It is hot and humid.
It takes three to five years for a tree to produce and after twenty years, give or take a few, the palms are injected with diesel fuel to kill them. New palms replace old ones. Palm oil is exported and exports ring up a big economy for Costa Rica. 
Do you ever think to yourself, “I wonder where henna die comes from?” I didn’t think so, but if you did, look no further for I have the answer.
On the way to zip, repel and swing through the forrest, Meffey, our driver stopped and pointed to one of the many teak trees on the farm. Teak Trees have very large oval shaped leaves.
FARMING
They make the equivalent of $20 a day, but only if they produce a bounty of the small almond shaped pods. They carry large sticks with knives attached to them to cut down a bunch of palm nuts. Each bunch weighs upwards of ninety to one hundred pounds.
The workers hoist them into large containers and then set them on a cart powered by large oxen. This back-breaking work is done in the tropics. It is hot and humid.
It takes three to five years for a tree to produce and after twenty years, give or take a few, the palms are injected with diesel fuel to kill them. New palms replace old ones. Palm oil is exported and exports ring up a big economy for Costa Rica. 
Do you ever think to yourself, “I wonder where henna die comes from?” I didn’t think so, but if you did, look no further for I have the answer.
On the way to zip, repel and swing through the forrest, Meffey, our driver stopped and pointed to one of the many teak trees on the farm. Teak Trees have very large oval shaped leaves.
Meffey picked a leaf and broke off a small piece. He squeezed it into a ball and a bright red liquid poured out of the veins and oozed onto his hand while he explained the value of this brilliant color. Teak farms are plentiful in Costa Rica, not just for the wood, but also for the Henna they export.
There were sloths, monkeys, bats, stickbirds and flowers. I can't remember the technical names of most of the things I saw.
WILDLIFE AND NATURE
There were sloths, monkeys, bats, stickbirds and flowers. I can't remember the technical names of most of the things I saw.
I usually take meticulous notes so I can remember details. This time I was there for pure enjoyment. No notes and little technical memory.
We hired Michael to be our guide at Manuel Antonio National Park. Michael carried a large telescope that allowed us to see details of birds and frogs and other assorted animals and creatures. Costa Rica has daily life that includes spotting black squirrels and iguanas.
The land is filled with colorful birds with sounds that I’ve only heard in tropical settings. Frogs and lizards abound. Butterflies are ever-present companions on the trails.
It seemed like we were always looking up. Oh, my poor neck! But the massage therapist we met later in the week took care of that problem.
“Look over there. Ten o’clock! Do you see the Booby Birds?” They always lead us to them” said Jason. On this day we were on a catamaran.
The catamaran shifted into high speed and other boats were chasing too. The race was on. The motor went silent and all that could be heard was “ooh, ah”.
It’s always a special treat to watch wild dolphins. There are no pictures here as I spent the day in freedom.
Earlier in the day we boarded the boat for an afternoon of dolphin watching and snorkeling. On the way back we were served dinner as we watched the sunset. Life is good.
I thought this trip was going to be about taking a break from work, which it was. I thought this trip would be about relaxation, seeing wildlife and countryside beauty and it was. I thought this trip would be about water holes, rivers and oceans and pools and it was. I thought this trip was going to be about monkeys and lizards and sloths and iguana’s and it was. It was also about de-compartmentalizing friendships and bringing diversity to our experience. We were four, oh-so-different people and it was fabulous to hang out with them for the week! So here we are: Carol, Linda, me and Elaine.
After a little shopping and a wonderful last Costa Rican dinner we headed across the street to watch the sunset. Local families were waiting on the rocks as the sun danced into the Pacific waters and peaked out from the clouds. Families rode by on fishing boats and everyone was waiting for the predictable nightly show.
As we walked back into the town to catch a ride, we noticed no one had power. Upon returning to our hotel we discovered that we didn’t have electricity or water. Ah, the Peace Corps life. Elaine and I looked at each other and said, “We know how to deal with this!”
This is the last meal until I walk down the plank and plunge into a pool of peanut butter.” Elaine and I are sitting at Yoko’s Restaurant in Miami Beach and talking about the last ten days with Nikki and Mary. We had an amazing meal and possibly one of the most decadent desserts I’ve eaten, a warm tempura fried cheesecake with whipped cream and raspberry sauce – be still my heart…literally! We walked outside and Nikki took our picture under the Yoko’s sign.
As we left the restaurant, we reminisced about our friend Yoko, a Japanese Volunteer. Nikki took our picture under the sign and Elaine sent it to her to let her know she isn’t forgotten and we miss her.
It is my last flight into Saint Lucia. It is a beautiful island and I want to remember the incredible vision from the plane. So, as a typical tourist, I snapped a few shots for my memory bank.
Earlier in the day we boarded the boat for an afternoon of dolphin watching and snorkeling. On the way back we were served dinner as we watched the sunset. Life is good.
FRIENDSHIP
I thought this trip was going to be about taking a break from work, which it was. I thought this trip would be about relaxation, seeing wildlife and countryside beauty and it was. I thought this trip would be about water holes, rivers and oceans and pools and it was. I thought this trip was going to be about monkeys and lizards and sloths and iguana’s and it was. It was also about de-compartmentalizing friendships and bringing diversity to our experience. We were four, oh-so-different people and it was fabulous to hang out with them for the week! So here we are: Carol, Linda, me and Elaine.
IT'S TIME TO LEAVE
After a little shopping and a wonderful last Costa Rican dinner we headed across the street to watch the sunset. Local families were waiting on the rocks as the sun danced into the Pacific waters and peaked out from the clouds. Families rode by on fishing boats and everyone was waiting for the predictable nightly show.As we walked back into the town to catch a ride, we noticed no one had power. Upon returning to our hotel we discovered that we didn’t have electricity or water. Ah, the Peace Corps life. Elaine and I looked at each other and said, “We know how to deal with this!”
This is the last meal until I walk down the plank and plunge into a pool of peanut butter.” Elaine and I are sitting at Yoko’s Restaurant in Miami Beach and talking about the last ten days with Nikki and Mary. We had an amazing meal and possibly one of the most decadent desserts I’ve eaten, a warm tempura fried cheesecake with whipped cream and raspberry sauce – be still my heart…literally! We walked outside and Nikki took our picture under the Yoko’s sign.
As we left the restaurant, we reminisced about our friend Yoko, a Japanese Volunteer. Nikki took our picture under the sign and Elaine sent it to her to let her know she isn’t forgotten and we miss her.It is my last flight into Saint Lucia. It is a beautiful island and I want to remember the incredible vision from the plane. So, as a typical tourist, I snapped a few shots for my memory bank.
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