Costa Rica 6, Nineteenth Day In Monteverde

This morning, I was greeted by a local green parrot squawking its head off from a tree near my room. Then I went down for a two hour nap after breakfast. I needed it today, following a not very full night's sleep, thanks to rather a difficult dream that I am still processing. I won't go into detail, but it's about realizing that I do have a place to live and that I have to claim this at times. This is mostly metaphorical, by the way, but these quiet days and nights in Monteverde are faciliating in me a lot of thought, introspection, prayer and insight. Which is the idea for being here. Right now the sun is getting ready to set and the light transfigures the green foliage into something fiery green and magical, especially as the trees seem to be dancing in the wind. Different folk, especially those working in some of the cafes, now recognize me and are always friendly. There are also a number of people visiting longterm for work or study. And of course, the dumb tourists. I seem to be neither fish nor fowl, being here for a month, being a frequent flier and having friends here. I also tend to behave rather differently from other visitors. Especially given that I don't drive a car, and live on a low income, and yes, I am keeping a tight, but not quite onerous budget. I'm not the only person who walks, and I do see a lot of other folks, locals and visitors, on foot as well. But my guess is that a lot of them also have vehicles or motorbikes, and they do drive at least some of the time. The visitor arriving by bus and going everywhere on foot is a bit unusual. And here in Costa Rica, there does appear to be quite a strong car culture. This seems more like a necessary evil, unlike in cities like Vancouver, where we suffer from a lot of unnecessary gridlock, and just because people are too lazy, arrogant and spoilt to want to give up their precious automobiles. Here it's different. Outside of San Jose, the capital, public transit is a bit sketchy, and there isn't that much of an infrastructure. Here in Monteverde, which is very remote, a car is often a necessity. There is a local public bus, but it runs only five times a day, or so. And I can't imagine that they'll ever put in a skytrain or light rail, or a monorail here, to discourage car use and vehicle emissions. Methinks that most visitors and locals would still opt to drive instead. I don't get the idea that there are a lot of electric cars here. I have just read an article about the Costa Rican president, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, who wants to get Costa Rica off fossil fuels completely by 2050. He is also encouraging electric cars, so maybe there is still time. I have also just heard from Esteban that the president is passing laws to ensure that electic cars are affordable to Costa Ricans. We have less than twelve years to significantly lower our carbon emissions, and after that, it's schnitzel for you, Tootsie! In the meantime, people are going to go with whatever is cheap and convenient and if that means burning more fossil fuels, then more fossil fuels are going to get burned. Unless electric cars turn out to be cheaper. And if more people begin to csre more for the welfare and future outcome of the planet than their own bottom line. If worse does come to worse with disastrous climate change, then I can hardly visualize the future outcome for places like Monteverde, or some of the ecological treasures in my own province of BC. I'm not a Pollyanna, but I still refuse to cave in to despair.