Hillary and my Dad have an affinity for a writer/scholar/motivational speaker named Anthony Robbins. One of his (many) mantras includes: “if you’re going to laugh about it someday, why not laugh now?" Hillary and I spent a lot of our time together this winter coaching each other through situations like this. The last 48 hours have been one big laughing matter so I am doing my best to 'laugh now'.
I left Santa Teresa early Sunday morning and hauled myself along the ghetto bus system via Cobanyo to a small town called Montezuma. Pegged in my book for being an "offbeat spot with a huge yoga community" I thought this might be the ticket for my next journey. When I arrived in Montezuma, however, what I found was serious lack of accomodations (lets add to that... in my price range) and settled for a hostel which was as knarly as any hostel I have stayed at anywhere in the world. Ever. The room was very small and the walls paper thin, the toliet in our building didn't flush (but you can walk down the beach to our sister hostel to use that bathroom, Mr. Unhelpful Hostel Guy tells me) and the walls were wooden two by fours haphazardly painted. The cords ran exposed through the walls and the bed looked like something out of Heritage Park. Yes, dear folks, it was not so great of a night. Montezuma itself was chalk full of backpackers and Tiko Kitch; gift shop after gift shop lined the streets and endless hoards of people with tour books wander the streets. The "incredible yoga community" consisted of one hotel offering classes four times a week... not quite the mecca of all things yogic I was after. Quite a change from the incredible Santa Teresa where you learned everyones name and the one street ran through our entire town. People ride through on cruiser bikes and gift shops are non existant. I got spoiled, it seems.
Not loving Montezuma, I packed my bag early this am and took a water shuttle across to Jaco. The water taxi itself was a brutal 65 minute ride with the small vessel alternating being airborne and slamming us down on our seats. The two tikos driving seemed non pulsed as the rest of us clung to the sides of the small boat and focused on not throwing up (or maybe that was just me?). Jaco holds a dear spot in my lovely friend Lacy's heart and she highly recommended it as a stop. Jaco is more of a "city" than a town, but I have not seen too much of it as I am sick. Thats right, ill. It started last night pre bed and has carried on into today: naesea, an outrageous fever and a splitting headache. Not so cool for this chick- initially I self diagnosed with swine flu and then I realized it could be a number of things... the water, the food, heat stroke... old just a good old cold/flu. As painful as it is... I am trying to be present and enjoy being here even with what ails me.
Best sign off and carry on with the day. It is a sweltering 36C outside... and people call this the "green season", HA!
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PS. The photo up top was taken on Saturday night. Santa Teresa's one and only night club is bumping that night, so myself and the roomies and some other folk decided to get dressed up! 80s style...