San Gerardo

The journey to San Gerardo de Rivas wasn’t as straight forward as we thought it would be. According to the schedules, the bus was due to arrive at 730 but after 3 weeks in Costa Rica we knew that meant it could arrive anywhere between 710 and 750. We woke at 650 a little behind time, no problem we would make it for 710, no big deal. We rushed down to the bus stop and arrived at 712 to find out that the bus had just left. uhoh. The next bus wasn’t till 130 and our connecting bus was at 2. So what to do? Stay another night in the hellish Dominical or leave? That was a no brainer, leave we did.
We made it to San Isidro and after a little bartering we got a taxi to bring us to San Gerardo for about 20$. The journey from San Isidro to San Gerardo took about 45mins and it we went from dirt track to tarred road and back to dirt track. We went up into clouds and back down through them again. The further we went the fewer the houses and fields we saw and the further into the Jungle we found ourselves. We eventually arrived to a small misty village overlooking the mountains; this was to be our home for the next six weeks. Right in the centre of the village I saw a football pitch. Brilliant! At one end of the football pitch was the church and the school, at the other end was the community centre, in between was a shop and a hotel called the Roca Dura (the hard rock).
Soon after we arrived, a tattered blue pick up truck pulled up and out jumped Jenny, the founder and director of Proyecto San Gerardo. After introductions we went to the Roca dura for a couple of beers and a chat. My initial feelings were good, the people all seemed really nice, and everyone smiled and saluted us. The manager of the hotel who had himself built the place gave us a discount on our room when he found out that we were volunteers. The landscape surrounding the village was breathtaking.
The following day we met the family we are staying with for the duration of the programme. We are staying with Rafa and Ineida both locals who have lived in San Gerardo all their live. They live with their son Sylvianny and are also regularly visited by children, grandchildren, cousins, brothers, sisters and in laws. The family is huge and they are all delighted to meet us. Remembering everyone’s name is probably the biggest challenge of the moment.
This morning I went with Ineida and Gabriel her grandson to the fish farm. At the entrance to the fish farm were three dogs that immediately started growling and barking as we approached. One looked more like a wolf than a dog so I decided it wouldn’t be wise to try and make friends. Their owner soon came out and shushed them, and explained they were there to keep the coyotes away from the fish. He led as down a path where there were a number of ponds, the first had small fish; the second were a little bigger and so on and so forth till we got to the 5th and final pond. Inside this pond were large trout waiting to be caught, the owner produced palm sized sticks with fishing line wrapped around them, these were the fishing rods. We started throwing our lines into the pond to see what we would catch. A few moments after the first baited hook was put in the water there was a fish pulled out flapping, the owner grabbed the fish and killed it instantly with his hands. Id like to say it didn’t bother me in the slightest but the truth is I’m from the city, I’m used to buying fish from the supermarket, the blood and guts unsettled me a little. I decided to give it a go anyways. The first few attempt yielded no reward but a few attempts later I felt a pull, I caught my very first fish at 25 years of age, picture below. It tasted even better than it looks.
Life here is slow and simple and a million miles away from what I was used to in Dublin and Madrid. The day starts early, almost everyone is out of bed by 6.The morning is spent working and in the afternoon it usually rains, this is the time for relaxation. People usually go to bed at 8 as it’s completely dark by then. Television doesn’t have a prominent place here, we don’t have a television in our house and I’ve been told that you can only get two channels and to change the channel you need to move the antenna. Thankfully I brought a good stock of books. Most people don’t have mobile phones either as there is no signal in the village. Only a few people in town have the internet and all the connections are dial up. Our family get their food from their own farm, what we eat at night is usually picked during the day. Although life here takes a little getting used to I must say I’m very happy here, people are nice and are willing to spend time to talking to you and to getting to know you. They want to know who you are and were you’re from and are very appreciative of the fact that you’re volunteering in their village. And although the days aren’t action packed there’s always something to do. Tomorrow is the fair in the neighbouring village and on Sunday I’m playing football with some of the locals. We have only been here for three days, but we have learnt and seen so much in this time it feels like we’ve been here a year! Imagine what it will be like after 6 weeks,

First impressions

Last winter as I sat near the fireplace at home in Santa Fe, coming in from a snowy evening out, I dreamed of being somewhere away from the cold. Somewhere tropical. Somewhere quiet and tranquil with a different pace of life. I was visiting Santa Fe, but living in Spain. Who was I to complain? Living a great life in Europe, learning Spanish and teaching English, making very decent money for such an easy lifestyle. However, after a year and a half, the city life was wearing on me. For the first time since I left, I truly did feel home sick and by the time I left Spain in July, I couldn't wait for the next adventure. I will always treasure my memories of Madrid, and will definitely go back one day, but having purchased one way tickets to Costa Rica following a month at home and me on the track to the tropics. And, I wasn't looking back.

Kevin and I arrived in San Jose on September 1st after flying over the lush green mountains, and through some very dark and ominous clouds. Rainy season? Oh we'll just pack a raincoat.

Our first 3 days were spent in Sarchi at a dear family friend's house. It was quite an introduction to real Costa Rican life. A small house perched on the side of a hill, with lush greenery and vibrant flowers. However we must admit that the tranquility was stripped by loud, fuming engines from the street below, as well as a 6 am aerobics class at the attic-turned-gym next door. Although it is on the exact same time zone as Santa Fe, I felt like I was on a new planet, and completely exhausted from only a 4 hour journey. Nevertheless we enjoyed the first few days, learning accupressure methods from Dale, a dear friend of my aunt Robbie. We also visited a beautiful river and waterfall which was breathtaking.

From Sarchi we journeyed back to San Jose, a big, dirty and loud city to the bus terminal. Just in time for the daily thunderstorm, we took shelter and watched men preach the bible and sell fresh, raw fish hanging from bicycle handlebars. We boarded the bus to Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific coast.

Manuel Antonio was beautiful. The park itself was completely worth the trip. We walked along a muddy, overgrown trail and monkeys and sloths climbed the trees above. We swam in the ocean and hiked out onto a small peninsula where the view was worth the "death defying" encounters with large iguanas and mystery rodents. The day after the park we watched the sun set from a restaurant on the cusp of a valley, overlooking the dewey palm leaves and glowing western sky.  We had a lovely, quiet dinner at the Agave Grill at Hotel La Colina.  We enjoyed amazing nachos with homemade chips, and fresh, zesty ceviche.

We're now on day 10 and it feels like it's been months. We're growing accustomed to the heat and humidity, to the bugs and to the daily storms. However, we're feeling very far from home at the same time. We're on an adventure, and enjoying the challenges that face us. We're spending 10 days or so at Hotel Tucan, volunteering in exchange for bed and breakfast. It's a great spot, though remote, with a mellow vibe. If there's no work to be done, we run around with the two month old chihuahua puppies and swim in the river or hike to the beach. Trying to take the tranquility in stride...after all, that's what I was dreaming of sitting by the fire just 8 months ago.