Quarantined, Days 10 and 11

Gentle Reader, one more time a timely email that I have written says it all for my daily essay...We will pause for me to listen to something on CBC about the psychological impact of isolation and physical distancing.  This impacting us, and we badly need to keep reaching out to one another in which ever safe way that we can.....

hi Renita

I just want to say thank you for getting me those groceries on the weekend.  I will be okay after this, and I'm just re establishing communications with my supervisors at work (I do peer support work with two mental health teams and the ACT team).

I am confident that we will get through this, okay.  I also believe that we are not going to come through this collective trauma unscathed, but in some crucial ways, transformed.  I think that finally more Canadians are recognizing that our human values are greater than money values, and there is already talk about some major changes coming in humanizing the economy.  

I believe that God is going to use this crisis to really touch people's hearts.

When I was on Skype with one of my friends in Colombia yesterday, he assumed that I am afraid of the virus.  But I told him that I'm not afraid. I spent the eighties and nineties in pastoral and palliative care of people with AiDS, when it was a death sentence, one hundred percent mortality rate.  This has hardened me somewhat, and I am not afraid of this virus.  I do want to reach out to those who are afraid.

talk to you soon.

have a great day!  And I''m glad the chili recipe turned out (I gave her my recipe for vegetarian chili, and apparently her family loved it)

and here is the bird I am currently drawing...A plum-throated cotinga, based on the colour scheme that Alonso, my friend in Colombia suggested.

He also suggested orange and grey as part of the composition, and it seems to be working.  i am also thinking of doing a similar colour composition with an orange dove from Fiji

Quarantined, Day 9

Not a lot to report today, Gentle Reader.  Fortunately, I have rather a rich inner life, so this time of solitude, rest and quiet, rather than leaving me bored, is enhancing and helping me marshal my creative and spiritual forces.  I have enlisted a friend, who is particularly isolated right now, into collaborating with my art.  I ask him for ideas about colour, subject matter, etcetera, then I go with his ideas.  It seems to be working.  Here are two species of hummingbirds in my most recent drawings.

Royal Sunangel   



and a Sparkling Violetear 

here are excerpts from correspondence this morning with the guest host on a popular radio program:

My friends in Colombia are under a particularly strict and brutal lockdown and quarantine, so I am trying to give them support by going on Skype with them every day.  I am also on regular Skype with a friend I stayed with in Costa Rica, as well as two of my English-speaking friends here in Vancouver.  This is particularly an important time for us to hang together and be there for one another.

You know, while I was in Costa Rica and Colombia I really noticed how much people in those countries are present to each other, very unlike so many Canadians, and it seems to be taking this pandemic, and the necessary nuisance of physical distancing to remind us of how much we really need one another.

I am actually enjoying this quiet time, and I'm doing a lot of art these days

Yes, we will get through this.  i have actually been through worse.   I was at or near ground zero during the AIDS pandemic in the eighties and nineties, in Christian ministry, and palliative care.  The mortality was 100 percent.  I lost many dear friends during that time, so i suppose I'm a bit hardened, or toughened.  Even though my age places me in the risk category (I'm 64), I am not worried, afraid or even remotely nervous.  Certainly taking care to not be a risk to others.  I think that by taking care of each other, we will get through this the better and faster.  Love is the gift that grows the more we give it away.  I experienced that when I was staying with Alonso, my friend in Colombia, who for three weeks showed me unconditional love, and this I think is what helped tear my heart open towards others, in Colombia, then in Costa Rica, and now here at home.

All for now, Gentle Reader.

Quarantined, Days 7 and 8

Well, if you must know, Gentle Reader, I'm feeling rather well today.  So far, no symptoms, and still managing to get out for a walk while maintaining safe distance from others.  And I am sleeping surprisingly well.  The streets are quiet, and despite the circumstances, I like quiet.  People are fearful, some even paranoid.  That's to be understood and accepted.

Yesterday I did a good six and a half mile walk.  This morning, I am still feeling well, almost uncommonly well.  I am not at all worried about this pandemic. I think that living at and near ground zero during the AIDS pandemic really toughened and seasoned me.  God also feels very close, and I am enjoying my daily Skype visits with my two friends in Colombia, and more frequent contact with other friends.

I'm doing a lot of art, not a lot of reading, except in bed, and then I'm so tired, I just have to put the book down after a couple of perhaps then turn out the light.

I of course listen to CBC in the mornings, enough to make me concerned, but not miserable, because the air is usually pretty quiet in my apartment during the afternoons and evenings.  I was binge-watching Murdoch Mysteries and Schitt's Creek, my favourite TV programs on CBC, and now that that's done, I will probably be watching more videos in Spanish.

This pandemic makes me imagine the first Passover in Egypt, when the Children of Israel were all hunkered down in their homes and the Angel of Death was doing his thing among the Egyptians.  Later, liberation.  I like this image and have decided to own this as my personal theme for this crisis. 

All the tragic results of the dismantling of our social safety net are now coming back to bite us in the ass during this crisis.  Well on the late side, our governments are finally starting to make a real effort to support and help the people who elect them.  Small steps.  We still need a nationwide, comprehensive and aggressive housing program to get everyone off the street.  There is also reasonable hope that we are already seeing a sea change in social political and fiscal policy, and it is becoming evident that a pragmatic government is also going to be a compassionate government.  Wait and see, perhaps, but I am optimistic.   

Quarantined Day 6

So far so good.  I did a three mile walk this morning over the Granville Bridge then back over the Burrard, then when I got back to my building I walked up 71 stairs, no difficulties, no extra sweating or weird body temperature sensations, and I feel fine, so, I must be okay.

In case I might be carrying the virus, I have responded to the offer from my housing providers to do grocery shopping for me, since I don't want to put grocery staff at risk, given that I might be sick.

It is really difficult to think or write about anything that is not related to this pandemic.  This is inevitable.  We are being collectively traumatized.  This coronavirus has become omnipresent.  Like President Dump.

I just took another walk, almost two miles or so in the light chill rain of the early spring.  It is as if the earth is completely unconcerned, completely unaware of our little pandemic.  Trees are already showing forth the beginnings of new leaves, and flowers are blooming everywhere.  Why walk around sad and worried about a highly contagious flu while the earth is singing and life is being renewed everywhere?  Even if you're not allowed to go outside, if you can at all get away with it, go outside. Spring is not going to stop on our account.  The earth is not going to quit sending forth life because of our fears and worries.  We are still permitted to celebrate.

Quarantined, Day 5

So far, no symptoms, and so far so good.  I have decided to treat this time as a kind of spiritual retreat, given all the enforced solitude and stillness and quietness.  I actually like this.  I am also more present to friends, especially in Colombia, where they are enduring a particularly harsh lockdown by authorities.  One is Alonso, who was my host and was particularly kind to me during my three weeks recently in Colombia.  The other is Juan, a young man who lives on the Caribbean coast.  two very special people, and particularly dear friends.

On the other hand, there is the getting through each day.  Not everyone can stay home all the time.  The people that tell us we have to do this, themselves, are reasonably well off, and live in spacious houses or condominiums, and like all people who live well, they seem always to assume that everyone else enjoys their privilege.  Privilege makes the privileged blind, and usually helps them stay blind.  Some of us live in tiny apartments, and two weeks spent inside less than 300 square feet could induce trauma.

I have also found that it is possible to have it both ways.  I will give you, Gentle Reader, exactly thirty seconds to stop jeering and hooting and catcalling.  You still have twenty seconds... ten seconds...five seconds...Now all of you shut up and listen!  Times of crisis really bring out black and white thinking.  One  of the purposes of this blog is to work against black and white thinking.  To get you, my Gentle Reader, to learn not only to think in shades of grey, but even better...I want you to learn to think in colour. 

When I leave my apartment, I take the stairs, not the elevator, to avoid  contact with tenants.  When I step outside, I look both ways.  If someone approaches within two meters, I step back.  Then I take a side street.  If there are others on the same side, I cross over, to keep distance, and I continue walking on quiet side streets, staying away from others, though I still say hi to strangers, if from a safe distance, because it is essential that we find safe ways to connect.   I go to neighbourhoods or parks where there are few people, and if I have to shop, I always keep a safe distance from shoppers and staff.  I am avoiding public transit during this time, so I have to buy just small quantities of things as I will always be walking.  The way I am doing this is safe, and protects me and others from infection,  If you don't like it,m Gentle Reader,m then too bad for you.  If you really don't like it, then here is my recommendation for you:

Simply print off this blog post.  Given the shortage of toilet paper, since the reptilian brained are going to hoard irrationally, next time you have to sit on the toilet, there it is.  Wipe your butt with my blog, for all I care! 

And now, I will share with you a poem song that I wrote during my last two days in Monteverde, Cost Rica:


We're more than nothing

We are children of the earth

formed of the dust from the ground

More than nothing

at the moment of birth

primal cry that echoes the sound

of the anthem

piercing the dark night

exploding in brilliant dying stars

We are children of the light

sons and daughters of peace

and our cries echoing the primal song

of our earliest beginnings

before the worlds were spinning

on the silence  of the love that made us all

We are more than nothing

We are children of fire

flames of gold that warm and destroy

tongues of burning flame

that purge us of our shame

making pure our most intimate desire

sparks from the sun

igniting all the earth

into one great incandescent flame

We are children of the light

sons and daughters of peace

and our cries echoing the primal song

of our earliest beginnings

before the worlds were spinning

on the silence of the love that made us all.

We are children of the water

the torrent´s sons and daughters

drowning in mute baptismal joy

Children of the rain, offspring of the dew

and nothing will ever destroy

the primeval garden

that flourishes again

Eden reborn and restored

We are children of the light

sons and daughters of peace

and our cries echoing the primal song

of our earliest beginnings

before the worlds were spinning

on the silence of the love that made us all

We are children of the air

carried on the wind

like seeds of life that scatter on the ground

Winds of hurricanes, and morning summer breeze

the love that blows across the earth

So the spirit blows, messages of love

very breath of the very living God

We are children of the light

sons and daughters of peace

and our cries still echo the primal song

of our earliest beginnings

before the worlds were spinning

on the silent love that sustains us all

We are sustained by the silent love

We are sustained by the silent peace

We are sustained by the silent joy

Quarantined 2 and 3 and 4

I'm back.  I am no longer sending out this blog as people misinterpret or take out of context what I write, get nasty and panicky, and this has already put at risk a couple of friendships.  So, if you are a friend of me, and you are reading this blog right now, STOP IMMEDIATELY!!!!  For the sake of our friendship.  You know who you are.  Thank you.

Even if I am in isolation, it is self-imposed, and I am still allowed to go out, to buy food, go to the bank, medical appointments, and to walk in the fresh air, provided that I stay away from people.  And that's what I'm doing.  A lot of people won't like that.  They want to punish us as potential carriers (though it doesn't seem to enter into their narcissistic little minds that they too might be carriers, they're only interested in keeping themselves safe, to hell with everyone else., and have the same kind of mentality as people who want criminals to rot forever in their jail cell, no parole, no rehabilitation, only absolute resentment that the death penalty has been abolished.  I refuse to go there, and if you don't like the way I am doing things, then kindly son't read my blog, and just go away and please stay away.  Don't go away mad, as my dad used to say, just go away. Thank you.

I am still staying home as much as possible, and I am respecting the two metre physical distance from others.  Regardless of what I might think of the way they are doing things, I do not want to put others, or myself, at risk.  I am a less than likely carrier.  Were I was in Costa Rica for sixteen days before coming home there have been no cases of Covid 19.  I have been on two airplanes and inside three airports since, and all of those places are notorious germ traps, so who only knows, but I am being careful.  It is rather strange these four days of isolation and it seems to be affecting my mind a bit.  I feel a little less organized, and not really as productive as I had been hoping.   But I am sleeping well, getting lots of art done and still spending quality time with people on Skype or the phone, or email, and that always helps..

I think that with the coronavirus being the dominant theme and throughout the world, that we are already entering into  new phase of collective trauma and had might as well start getting used to it.  I'm still limiting the amount of time that I'm out, even if I am being careful.  Even if saying in all the time isn't realistic, there is the matter of at least trying to comply.

Not Today, Darling, I have a Headache

No blog post today, Gentle Reader.  Too many overreactions during this difficult time.  Maybe I'll write something tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next year.  Ta-ta....

Quarantined 1

Well, I'm not exactly quarantined.   This is voluntary.  There are no armed guards wearing hospital masks standing outside my door.  I am free to come and go as I please, at least I am going to live as though I am.  I just went out today for a walk to Stanley Park, and a little time on the trails, followed by grocery shopping, and a bus ride home. 

This is a very interesting return home.  I have had conversations with various kind and interesting people I have been meeting along the way, and the common theme that I hear is simply, what is all the fuss about?  And quite simply, Gentle Reader, your guess is going to be about as good as mine.   At the hotel where I spent my final night in Costa Rica, in the evening I was chatting with a very pleasant Dutch retired couple, and they seemed more concerned about the fear than the virus itself.  Likewise a fellow from Toronto I was chatting with over breakfast.  On the plane back to Vancouver I had a lengthy conversation with a couple who, like me, were just returning after several weeks away.  Again, why all the fuss.  Yes, It's a highly contagious flu virus, yes it spreads rapidly, but the mortality rate is less than two percent, and most people recover quickly.

on the Skytrain coming home from the airport I had an interesting chat with one older fellow who believes it's a government conspiracy to control people and take away all our freedoms.  Well, I don't see much evidence to the contrary, so I am at least going to give him the benefit of the doubt, even if I don't necessarily agree with him.  One tenant in my building with whom I chatted briefly this morning when I was on my way out seems to think the virus was manufactured to control us and spread fear.  I replied that i really don't know what's going on, that I don't want to  buy into the fear, but also I want to be kind and respectful to others, to what they are going through, because fear really harms and disables people.

I will conclude with part of an email I just sent to a friend this afternoon:

"Well, here I am, starting my lovely little quarantine.  So, I celebrated it by going for a long walk into Stanley Park, then buying some groceries, all necessary for healthy body, soul and mind, and as much as I try to maintain a safe distance, I still end up talking to people, and they also seem to hunger for contact, so one lady and I were both trying to spot a woodpecker we heard tapping on a tree on Barclay Street, and a fellow at the line up in front of the West End No Frills and I had an enjoyable talk about Mexico and Central America, and it seems that people really like it when I say hi to them.  I felt strongly that one of the things God wants me to do back in Vancouver is to try to bridge the gap with people and interact in kind, friendly, and healthy and respectful ways, especially with this climate of fear that we are living in.  It's really impacted one close friend of mine with whom I had a long phone conversation this morning.  Yes, I agree that we have to be vigilant and take precautions, but people are really frightened and need lots of kindness and reassurance right now."

Costa Rica Again 16

Here is my response to an email from my apartment manager, who like me is a devout Christian:

"I listened, acted and God has opened doors, so I will be returning home this Friday night 20 March.  I will be in voluntary isolation, so, except for the laundry room I will be avoiding all common areas in Candela Place.  I will be going out every day to buy groceries and go for walks but will be avoiding areas where there are lots of people.  I will not try to see you in person, but I will give you a phone call to tell you about my trip.  And seriously, God has been providing.  When my travel agents refused to accept my visa credit card, a good friend stepped in, went to their office for me and paid everything (just under 1000 CAD for the flight change).  When the place where I tried to reserve one night's lodging for tomorrow before I go to the airport couldn't accommodate me, my host here in Monteverde, who is also a good friend, stepped in and made some phone calls for me, and now I have a place to stay when I arrive at the airport tomorrow.  Then, when I arranged to pay my friend for the two weeks I spent here, even though I cannot stay the full month, he charged me only half the amount for my sixteen days here.  You could say that I am feeling well cared for right now, and well loved.  I have also, despite the ups and downs, been enjoying the spirit of adventure these last couple of tumultuous days.  I think I'm going to put this in my blog.  So, Renita, thanks so much for your prayers and support, I'll phone you on Monday, and in a couple of weeks, I will come down to the office to sit a spell if you have time."

In other news, a very dear friend, Dave, stepped up and went to the Flight Centre on Davie Street this morning and paid for my flight change, and of course I am paying him back. I am hoping my travel agent and I are reconciled, after I expressed displeasure about the lack of flexibility for paying, and how frightening this got for me for a while yesterday.  So, today, I walked to Santa Elena, about four miles or so, to buy my bus ticket for tomorrow, stopped for a cold drink, chatted with the cafe manager, then went to the Cuchara for my last meal there and had a pleasant chat with the young lady working there.  There re two very snotty French couples staying next door to me.  One of them did say hi but the others, well, they are French so they are special, I suppose. Tomorrow I leave for Alajuela where I will spend one night, then Friday, I fly home.  Ta-ta.

Costa Rica Again 15

So here's the deal, Gentle Reader  Since I don't have a valid credit card other than Visa Debit for online purchases, my travel agents at Flight Centre refuse to change my flight for me.  The flight will be on Friday, March 20, Air Canada, leaving San José, Costa Rica for Toronto.  i have to pay a difference of $941,90.  The only option is that someone phone them in advance, then come down to their store, 1051 Davie Street, and they will open for someone to pay on my behalf, cash or debit.  I will repay you in full upon my return to Vancouver, plus, you get a free drawing of mine (your pick)

Here's the phone number 778) 783-4972 Otherwise, if I wait till my scheduled departure April 2, and there is no guarantee that flight will be available.  I am truly stuck and am really relying here on your good will,Gentle Reader.  Many thanks

Costa Rica Again 14

It looks like I'm going to have to cut my visit here short by a couple of weeks, given the pandemic pandemonium that is now sweeping the world.  I heard Prime Minister Junior's speech today, bidding that all Canadians come home from wherever they might happen to be as soon as possible.  It's not going to be quite so financially onerous as I feared, so I think I'll be able to get everything covered okay. Costa Rica and Colombia have both closed their borders to all foreigners.  None of this bodes well.

It was still an enjoyable day, despite the worry.  I only resent that it took Prime Minister Junior so long to get to the microphone and make his little speech on the CBC today.  So he wants us all to come home.  No place like it!  So I finally got outside about an hour and a half later than usual today. It was an enjoyable walk, and I saws more morpho butterflies, the big iridescent blue ones, on the usual side road.  They seem to have their own gated community.  I also saw two more motmots, those green and bluebirds with the long tail that ends in those two round little racquets.

In the Café Monteverde I enjoyed chatting with staff, their friends, and some Canadians, then some American visitors.  They all seemed to like my art.  Unfortunately, covid 19 is the only thing people are talking bout.  I even came across some uniformed schoolboys outside playing coronavirus tag....in Spanish.  I kid you not, ducks!

Costa Rica Again 13

I did another hike in the reserve, taking an extra long and steep hill.  Try to imagine the ups and downs of the track of a giant roller coaster and you will get an idea of what it's like for walking, except that it's much bigger and higher than any giant roller coaster.  The steps kept going up and up, and no sooner did I think I'd be reaching the top then it would continue going even higher in another direction.

I did have a little bit of trouble getting in and the woman working at reception didn't know me, so she had to make some phone calls to verify that a special arrangement had been made for me to get in free after paying the first time.  It costs thirty-five bucks Canadian to get in, so, if I had to pay for each time I wanted to go hiking in there then I would soon have to give up eating.  Eventually she got all the information and Bob's your uncle, or, in Spanish, pan comido, and I was in.

I quite wore myself out on this hike, only two hours but lots of climbing.  The lush dripping vegetation there is one glorious tangle.  I will ask Uncle Google for a visual aid or two.










Seen enough yet?

That is the stuff that surrounds me here in Monteverde.  It started raining so I began singing one of my favourite songs from when I was fourteen,  It's titled Rain O and it's by a Vancouver band, Chilliwack.  Here it is on Youtube if you want it for soundtrack:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvIIVF5swYc

Of course I was getting looks from others.  Why wouldn't I!?

There weren't a lot of people in the cloud forest today.  There aren't a lot of people in Monteverde right now, or at least there aren't that many visitors.  The pandemic paranoia panic has scared everyone away.  It's rather nice having the whole jungle to myself, if in a decidedly creepy sort of way.

I stopped and rested for a while in the onsite restaurant, and couldn't really sit outside on the patio because I was feeling cold and wet from rain and perspiration and quite chilled to the bone.  The waiter brought over a couple of customers to admire my art, and I think I'm getting sort of used to that now.  Gorged myself on pasta, then on my way back to the bed and breakfast I saw my second motmot today.  The first one was this morning perching on a wire just outside my room.  These birds have a powerful resonance for me, as they do for my friend in Colombia for whom I did a drawing of one of these birds, before leaving Colombia for Costa Rica, so, Alonso, this one is for you!

Costa Rica Again 12

Another nothing day in Monteverde.  Once again I have a new cable for my computer.  the one I bought three weeks ago in Colombia just died on me two days ago.  The family that runs the Mariposa have been super supportive, and Esteban's dad ran my laptop over to get repairs in Santa Elena, and I only had to pay for the new cable.  So, let's keep hoping...

Otherwise, everything quiet and boring...I spent a couple of hours in the café with my sketchbook, chatting off and on with staff.  We are agreed that everyone's overreacting about the coronavirus.  It seems that the cloud forest reserve is so empty of people because folks are cancelling out of fear of contagion.  be afraid, be very afraid!

The sun is getting ready to set.  The leaves are turning a brilliant golden green with  hint of copper.  So splendid.  I met a couple of more friendly dogs today, and also a friendly cat.  I do feel very at home here, otherwise I wouldn't be bored.  All for now, ducks!

Costa Rica Again 11

Today I went to the reserve.  The cloud forest reserve.  Yes, that reserve.  The crown jewel of Monteverde.  I started in Café Colibrí, where I already seem to have a rapport with the family that runs the place.  I asked the two guys there if they are brothers.  The older one replied disdainfully while pointing to his younger brother, "De ninguna manera.  El es feo!"  Or, in English, No way, he´s ugly.  So, yes, they are brothers, and actually the younger brother is very handsome.  Then later, when the younger rother was singing, said big brother, "Callete" which means shut-up, so yes, they are brothers.

I seem to be getting very bold these days when it comes to talking to strangers.  I had a pleasant chat with the couple at the next table when I asked where they were visiting from.  Minnesota.  Then, in the cloud forest reserve, when I was resting on a bench, three rather confused looking visitors around thirty years old, give or take, seemed to have trouble figuring out where they were.  So, I tried to help them.  Turns out they live just across the water from me on Vancouver Island.  The woman looked like quite a badass, and her hat had just as much character as she did.  She was also smoking a cigarette, which is prohibited in the forest, but I only pick fights with other Canadians when we are on Canadian soil, otherwise, it just ain't fair to anyone.  They were contemplating climbing a very steep path that they had no way of knowing would be very steep, so I warned them.  Then looking at her cigarette, I added, especially if you're a smoker.  Take it from someone who is twice your age (oh, I just love being able to say that to people!), so they took the gentler route,

Further down the trail things got a bit muddy and I came across a group of four Americans from Illinois struggling to find safe passage, so I gave a hand of assistance to the two older ones (probably the same age as me), but when it came my turn to cross, there was no one there to help me, so I had to do it with extra care and quite on my own.   Seems to be the story of my life!

I took another trail back and ended up sharing a bench with three workers in the reserve and we had an interesting and enjoyable visit in Spanish.  It feels like I made some new friends.  They were telling me a bit about how climate change is also affecting things here in Monteverde, with things being drier than they used to be.  There is an onsite restaurant where I stopped for something to eat, but here I haven't even said one word about the cloud forest, which is...Magnificent!  Huge towering trees, all wrapped, adorned, swathed and festooned with ferns, moss, epyphytes, flowers, and it is just incredible.  I heard, but didn't see a lot of birds.  They stay hidden.  They're smart.   I did hear  a few bellbirds.  Check this Youtube video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gnu8QbpImWw   Something diferent, eh? You almost never actually see them, they stay so well hidden.  This is my seventh time here and I still haven't seen one!  I have to admit that I'm pretty used to this place, and the awe has worn off for me considerably, but it's still beautiful here. 

On the way back to the Mariposa, I ran across three German Shepherd cross dogs, one still a pup.  They started barking, but I told them in Spanish Calmense, or settle down, and they all came over tails wgging to be petted, so I have three new friends.  Very different from the aggressive dogs behind an electrified fence just down the road.  But when I said to them in Spanish,  May you be reincarnated as cats, and then told them what bad dogs they were, they shut up and calmed right down.

This has been for me emotionally a difficult and challenging time for me in Monteverde.  I am still processing and making sense of a lot of what happened while I was in Colombia, but even though there has been at times, last night for instance, a lot of emotional turnoil, I am feeling positive about this process.  I think that I am beginning a new path in life and this sense of trauma is actually a time of preparation.  I have never felt so vulnerable and open to others in many many years, and even though the emotions are very intense right now so is the love for other people, and the openess and ability to connect rapidly and instantly with strangers.  I am looking forwared to seeing how God further opens things for me in the near and distant future.

Costa Rica Again 10

Another quiet day,spent on emails, researching my blog, walking, seeing more blue morpho butterflies, stopping in a cafe for a cold drink, finishing a drawing, going for another walk, sitting in Caburé, the fancy schmancy cafe with the stunning balcony view and high prices, where I started a new drawing while getting annoyed by people standing around my table and talking in loud voices, where I moved to a very distant and quiet table and worked some more on the new drawing while sipping decaf coffee (only place where you can order it in Monteverde), then walking over to the Cuchara de la Abuela for a bite to eat and a chat in English with a young woman who is studying Spanish here (she's from Texas), and also chatting in Spanish with her house mom, who happens to be Marina, who is like my pal in the restaurant, and she and I had a very interesting conversation in Spanish, when she asked me how things are going for me here and I told her about my very intense three weeks in Colombia.  And once again nearly started crying when I told her about the two mothers begging in the rich neighbourhood with their babies in their arms,and my eyes are starting to tear up again, this just will not go away and I'm okay with that, Gentle Reader.

Costa Rica Again 9

Well, I didn't write anything yesterday, Gentle Reader, because, really, nothing happened.  I went for a walk, saw some fabulous blue morpho butterflies, stopped for coffee, then walked down to Santa Elena where I bought a bag of trail mix, then on the way back stopped for a while longer in the same coffee shop, then ate something in la Cuchara, then walked back to the bed and breakfast, where I mostly stayed in my room because the grandchildren were being rather energetic in the reception area and I was feeling rather grumpy.  I  also saw some more white throated magpie jays, those big blue and white magpies the size of crows, and one of the local guys and I were watching them together.  In Spanish they are called urracas.  Well, this little paragraph would have made up my entire blogpost for one day.

Boring.

Today was more interesting.  I did laundry this morning.  (Oh, I can see you are all on the edge of your seats.)  Well, I basically make myself at home there, and I have full permission to go into their home and use the machines, with a little support if I get a bit confused, which happens sometimes.  Meanwhile I was reading some more of my blog in preparation for putting together some material for a presentation at work, and possibly for other future uses.  

Esteban was on the phone to the manager of the cloud forest reserve, and it is now confirmed that I have to pay only once, and all my other treks in the jungle will be free.  I only need to show my passport to confirm my identity each time I arrive.  Not a bad deal, eh?

I walked up there anyway, after my laundry was done, and went to the Café Colibrí (or Café Hummingbird) near the entrance because I thought I might owe them some money on an accidental dine and dash that happened on Sunday.  So I told them that I was there that day and couldn't remember paying for my drink.  Well, neither could they, so they forgave my debt, so I stayed and ordered another drink, which I promptly paid for up front.  As I was sitting down, they asked me if I could share a table with a young American woman from Boston instead, since there was a big tour bus full of senior visitors coming in, and soon the place was swamped by geriatric Americans all from Arkansas, all Christians, and they all seemed to have Red State Republicans written all over them, and they ended up all sharing my table once the young Bostonian had left.  Of course, nothing was mentioned about El Presidente Dump, and lo and behold, I found them to be kind, charming, engaging and really nice lovely people.  We talked about my art and the cruise they were all on, and the correct way to pronounce empanada, etcetera, and one old guy insisted on giving me a ten dollar bill and wouldn't take no for an answer.  They also enjoyed seeing some of my art, and I was taking care to carry dirty dishes to the counter so nothing would pile up.  .And the old guy even took my picture!

After they left, I stayed a while to work on my current drawing, then explored again some trails above the cafe, only to come across a private property sign, but that didn't stop me from exploring a bit further, though I did try to take care in case I ran into any aggressive dogs.   I did a good long walk on the way back, stopped again in the Cafe Monteverde for a banana and orange juice smoothie, chatted a bit with staff, then chatted also in English with another American, a rock musician and DJ who is on the opposite end of the political spectrum from the old folks from Arkansa, so we could safely talk about the situation in the White House, and also just a downright pleasant dude.  When I mentioned that I'm from Canada, the first word that came out of his mouth was Vancouver, where he has visited and loves the place.  Instant friends.  Then I had dinner again at la Cuchara next door, where one of the staff scolded me affectionately for not coming in sooner when there's still more food available.  Marina, the other worker  there and I, as usual, had an enjoyable chat in Spanish while I was filling my face with fried plantain (platano), beans, rice, cheese, salad and broccoli and cauliflower and green beans. 

Since I have spent a good part of today talking to Americans, here is a link to Rick Mercer's famous (in Canada, anyway) "Talking to Americans" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZREHsC6eNM

One further word, Gentle Reader, and then I'll shut up for the night.  There is a sense of, not exactly unreality here in Monteverde, but kind of a collective sense of suspended disbelief.  There are many layers to this, and this is further augmented by the wild, almost savage beauty of Monteverde.  But there are also all the restaurant and shops and services geared towards tourists, the sizeable community of landed Gringos (many of whom are actually pretty progressive, open-minded and well integrated with the community here), and the noticeable absence of poverty and other social problems that are usually more evident in other parts of the country.  Add to this mix the many visiting students and research scientists, and this indelible atmosphere of magical realism, and you have Monteverde.  All for now, Ducks!

Costa Rica Again 8

I didn't do much today, either.  At breakfast I met a pleasant Canadian couple from Winnipeg.  It is their first time here and they are in awe of the place.  I met them again at La Cuchara de la Abuela so we ate together and had a pleasant Canadian visit.  Tey are also avid CBC listeners and we agreed that on the As It Happens program they probably have a quota of Newfoundlanders to have on as guests every week so everyone can laugh at their accent.

I saw some more blue morpho butterflies on the usual walk, and for the first time in decades I also stepped in dog shit, but I appear to have successfully wiped it off the bottom of my shoe.  In this case it was easy to miss because I was walking on a narrow trail above the road and much of it was concealed by low hanging leaves, etc.  It appears that Café Monteverde has become my regular hangout.  I spent two and  half hours there, chatting with staff and other visitors.  It wasn't busy, so the two workers there were able to rehearse their presentation in English for when they are explaining to tourists about the process for harvesting and preparing coffee beans, and I was giving them a little coaching in English.  i also chatted a bit with an American woman from Oregon, who has lived in Monteverde for three years now.  She appears to speak rather passable Spanish.

I also took a walk up a road into a really quiet area where I saw a couple of motmots, one on the way up and the other on the way down.  The first one seemed quite chill and let me approach it almost within a metre or so.



That's all, folks!

Costa Rica Again 7

I would like to begin today's post by providing you with the link to a local artist here, Marco Tulio Brenes http://www.hiddengardenart.com/marco_tulio_hidden_garden.html.  Marco is the artist I had a conversation with yesterday at Cafe Monteverde.  Today at the same café we sat and drew together for almost an hour.  He seems locally well known and respected and his style of surrealism is pretty amazing.

I otherwise didn't go far today.  I did walk up to the cloud forest reserve, walking past all these amazing trees and ferns.  I stopped at the Café Colibrí (Hummingbird) and sat in the hummingbird gallery on a bench to look at the hummingbirds as they visited the feeders.  A tall white woman came and sat nearby with her baby which she began to nurse, rather openly, you might say, so I didn't stay long, more from respect than squeamishness.  I did try to explore some forest trails above the café, but didn't go far as I wasn't sure how safe they were, and it was a bit muddy and slippery.  I tend to be a risk taker, when it comes to travel, and I am trying to be a little more careful, since I'm not about to get younger.  I had a nice visit in the cafe with a cold drink where I started a new drawing.  I walked back to the bed and breakfast where I rested in my room for about an hour.

In the afternoon I walked to Cafe Monteverde where Marco and I drew and chatted together, a very pleasant honour.  Following a lovely pizza at the Italian restaurant next door, where I enjoyed a balcony table with a view of the forest, then walked home in the rain, with a lovely rainbow to accompany me.

Costa Rica Again 6

I still feel like I'm writing about nothing.  One can only wander around aimlessly for so long.  I have come to know this place so well, it's almost as though I've lived here all my life.  The rough wild beauty here has become for me almost Disney-familiar, and that is rather alarming.  I fear that I might be becoming jaded.  Then there is the other salient feature of Monteverde, which is the people who live here.  I feel that I am only just beginning to know them, and I would have to pass a long time here if I really want to scratch  even a little bit deeper than the surface.

It's been raining off and on all day, usually drizzle, sometimes a strong drizzle, if you can imagine such a thing as a strong drizzle.  And usually it's sunny, so there are often rainbows.  I just stepped outside to look at a rainbow, but it was rather faint and the drizzle too strong, so it really wasn't worth getting wet over.  I also saw a lot of morphos today, those huge and outlandishly blue butterflies that flutter lazily like drunken rock stars. 

I sat again for a while in Cafe Monteverde.  Inside the few tables were all taken, but it was difficult sitting outside because the strong wind made it difficult for me to work on my art, so I went back inside and a young woman willingly shared her table with me.  I asked her first in Spanish, but she is American and speaks only English.  This American is actually very nice.  She is from Massachusetts,   and works as a volunteer guide at the butterfly garden where she is also staying.  The table with the couches soon became available, so I sat there, then a German couple joined me, so it was nice having a chat with them.  Shortly before, a local artist took sudden interest in my artwork and we had a very enjoyable conversation in Spanish.  Later, while I was showing the German couple one of my drawings of a quetzal, a local bird here (here's an image or two or three to refresh your memory:








I also held up my quetzal for the local artist to see, then I gestured to his artwork on display for the German couple to see and eavesdropped as they chatted with him in English.

I really didn't do much else today.  I just walked as far as the mall (about a forty minute walk), then back again to the café for a banana orange smoothie, then a plate of vegetarian casado in La Cuchara de la Abuela, or, Grandma's Spoon.

I am back at the bed and breakfast in reception.  The wind is blowing something fierce and it is really raining.  It is now twilight.  Esteban's mom just got back yesterday following cataract surgery, and is happy to have her good vision again.  Really lovely people, this family.

Costa Rica Again 5

Another low impact kind of day.  I walked down the mountain almost to San Luis and stopped at the two lookout benches where I enjoyed an unfettered view of the mountains, and the ocean and the Nicoya Peninsula in the distance.  Then there was the long and arduous walk back up, but I survived okay.  I stopped again in the Café Monteverde for three hours, working on some art and Gringo-watching.  Two of the staff used to work at other establishments last year, and both greeted me very warmly in Spanish and it was great chatting with them.  Then two loud and obnoxious American women sat on the couch opposite me, and I was not sad to see them leave, followed by a really pleasant Canadian couple from Montreal (English speaking) who were curious about my art.  We visited for quite a while, and it turns out they are here in Costa Rica to learn English, so I helped them get registered on the Conversation Exchange Page, which has been invaluable to me for helping me connect with native Spanish speakers.  This was the first lengthy conversation I had in English since arriving in Colombia more than three weeks ago, and I now speak English with a Spanish accent.  Really!!!!  Then I went to the café next door for a bite to eat where I had a lovely chat in Spanish with the lady who works there.  Now I am back at the bed and breakfast.  Sunny, mild temperatures, and very windy today.  Kind of awesome, actually.  Bye for now.

Costa Rica Again 4

It is hard writing about nothing, Gentle Reader, and that is precisely what I am about to do.  From the intensity of Colombia to the chill peacefulness of Costa Rica is a transition that I am not about to complain about.  I am not complaining by the way.  I love Colombia and I love Colombians, as well one of my best recent friends happens to live in that country, so of course I am going to return.  I equally love both places and both peoples, for largely different reasons, but also for the same reason.  Both Colombians and Costa Ricans are equally kind and generous. 

I did have a good sleep last night, and got so distracted working on a new drawing in my room this morning that I forgot about the time and almost missed breakfast, but they still had something for me.  I call it el desayuno de los camioneros, or the truckers' breakfast, featuring gallo pinto (beans and rice), two eggs and toast.  Very substantial.  Then I read some of my early blogposts, since I am using this time in Monteverde to go over my blog and mine it for material.  I am doing research in order to prepare for a presentation that I want to give for each of the three mental health teams I work with in Vancouver, before I officially retire, and I also plan on kicking a few asses, so I had might as well prepare for not having a job much longer.  And I expect it is going to be interesting. 

During my first long walk today, I saw two morpho butterflies.  Here is a video and photo to refresh our memory:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29Ts7CsJDpg



Then I sat in a cafe where I worked on a new drawing. and indulged in some gringo-watching, since this place is always crawling with tourists,  I really prefer the local people, though from time to time I do engage with the odd decent and friendly visitor.  I took another long walk, wandered for a bit on a small trail in a forested area, and saw several white throated magpie jays:



I stopped at La Cuchara de Abuela, or Grandma's Spoon for a vegetarian casado, a uniquely Costa Rican dish featuring, beans, rice, salad, cooked vegetables, cheese and fried plantain, and an enjoyable chat with the lady working there, all in Spanish.  A young American couple were struggling to manage their hyper-energetic four year old boy who kept running into the restaurant brandishing his grandma's cane, twice nearly hitting me with it.  When I asked his dad if grandma might be missing her cane, he joked, "No, she's fine on the floor."  Probably his mother-in-law.  The weather has been sunny and mild all day, and the leaves positively glitter in the tropical sunlight. All for now, ducks.

Costa Rica Again 3

This is my first full day in Monteverde.  I didn't do a lot.   Sleep is still difficult and I had to go down for a nap after breakfast.  Plus, I am so used to this place (it's my seventh visit here) that a lot of the wonder has worn off.   I am also transitioning between two very different travel situations.   For three weeks in Colombia I stayed with my friend in rather close conditions in a state of total cultural immersion.  So it is rather strange and emotional being alone again in another country, though Costa Rica is quite familiar to me. I am still adjusting and it isn't easy.

People here are enormously kind and friendly, which also helps a lot.  I popped in to visit two cafes and staff there were so welcoming and glad to see me that they seemed more interested in chatting than taking my order, which is also okay.

I did a long walk to Santa Elena and back, and now I am getting ready to retire to my room.  Sorry about the short post.  More tomorrow.

Costa Rica Again 2

This is my final hour...in Alajuela.  At  two, my cab arrives and will be dropping me off at the bus stop on the highway where I will be waiting for up to forty minutes in the sweltering sun for the bus to Monteverde.  I was not given the room I had asked for here in Alajuela, so it hasn't been as comfortable as before, but still okay.  It turns out that the guy in my usual room, which is apart in the garden, wanted to stay some extra days.  I saw him briefly this morning while having breakfast.  A man of about my age, but appears to have really bad energy, quite scary-looking, and didn't seem at all interested in visiting with anybody.  So...I think I understand.  Mario, the owner, has been very good about it and gave me a ten dollar USD discount.  We had a really enjoyable chat over breakfast this morning, and he was telling me about his trips to Argentina and to Iceland, and I was telling him about my time in Colombia.  There was also a pleasant young European couple.  He is Italian and speaks fluent Spanish and works here and in other parts of Latin America as a rafting guide.  She is German and her parents are Tunisian so she gets mistaken here for being Latina and people often start talking to her in Spanish, a language in which she is not conversant.  She is a kindergarten teacher and is studying to be a social worker.

We were also chatting about how much fear and panic appear to have overtaken common sense as people all over the world are being gripped by terror about the coronavirus, and we all seem agreed that a lot of parents are raising their children to grow into emotionally crippled anxious neurotics.

I went out after breakfast  and stopped again in the cathedral where I sat quietly and enjoyed the cool breezes.  Then I went to a cafe upstairs from the nut roasters where I bought some nuts and dried fruit to sustain me during my long bus ride this afternoon.  People are so friendly and I had enjoyable chats in Spanish with two of the workers there.  I was the only one in the upstairs cafe and it was like a cool sanctuary and I had a great time doing art.

Then I went to the market in search of a cheese and veggie sandwich to also pack with me on my trip today.  The two guys in one of the stalls were super-accommodating and made me something to order.  Then I walked around town for a while and on my way back was accompanied by another guest here, who seems to be a personal friend of the worker here at the bed and breakfast.  He seems like a very pleasant young man and we walked together back to the  bed and breakfast, chatting in Spanish.  I was just giving him a geography lesson about Vancouver, and showed him some images on my laptop of our beautiful and very expensive city.

This has been for me a very enjoyable day and a half here in Alajuela, and people have been wonderful,  I am also feeling a lot more social and open to people than I ever have before on these trips, and I owe this to my three weeks in Colombia with Alonso who helped keep me open and sociable.  (muchas gracias, don Alonso!!!)  My taxi arrives in ten minutes.

I'm in Montverde now.  The cab arrived a bit early.  He is the same guy who has driven me to the same bus stop over the last three years, so you could say we've become friends.  He is a very strong Christian and a very kind and engaging man so it's always enjoyable talking with him.  Mario, the owner of the bed and breakfast also phoned him to make sure I was okay.  Then, at the bus stop, a stranger approached me, also to see that I was okay.  He asked me where I was going and I said Monteverde.  He checked his phone and assured me the bus would be arriving in around fifteen minutes.  These people are kind.

The three and a half hour bus ride was uneventful.  As we got near our destination the young couple who were in front of me seemed a bit anxious and confused about where to get off, so I asked them how they were doing and what there destination was.  When they told me I recommended that they stay on the bus till the terminal, and if they're still uncertain, to look in one of the many restaurants nearby and ask the staff because people here are very kind, and kindness must always be passed on and paid forward.  I am now in the Mariposa and just had a nice visit over orange juice and fried plantain or platano frito with my friend Esteban who is the owners' son, and now I am about to take a walk in the dark while hearing the crickets sing.

Costa Rica Again 1

We had to get up at three this morning so I could catch my 6:22 am flight to Costa Rica, only to discover when I arrived that my flight was delayed by two hours.  That was still okay, though I did feel sorry for poor Alonso having to get up so early for nothing.  I walked around the terminal for quite a while for exercise then had breakfast in one of those crappy and overpriced restaurants for which airports are famous.  The flight was less than two hours and I arrived in Costa Rica before ten. 

There was a nice couple seated next to me.  They were speaking Spanish to each other, and I was sure from their accent and appearance that they were not Colombian but Costa Rican.  We were chatting afterwards and, yes, they are Costa Rican.  Both countries, despite their surface similarities, are decidedly quite different.  I think that because Colombia has quite a strong military, and that Costa Rica, not having a military, is a pacifist nation, has probably had some effect on how people develop and express themselves.  The people of both countries are very beautiful, but they are different kinds of beauty.  The beauty of Colombians is like the beauty of diamonds or emeralds, hard, brilliant, dazzling.  The beauty of the Costa Rican people is more soft and luminescent, rather like the gentle beauty of pearls and opals.

I did not get the room that I asked for at the bed and breakfast, but it isn't so bad and I am staying here only for one night.  I went for a long walk today, stopping in the cathedral for a bit of quiet time.  Here are some images:














Then I passed through the central square in front and walked to the edge of the town and back. A kind security guard introduced himself, Carlos, when I asked for help when I was lost.  The people here are lovely.  Since the temperature was over thirty degrees, I was feeling pretty hot and tired after an hour and a half of walking, so I sat more than two hours in a cafe with my artwork.  I did some more walking around, and paused to admire some of the lovely green parrots that fly and squawk in town, and chatted a bit with a friendly German couple, also watching the parrots.  After the walk I went to eat in a Mexican restaurant,  I at first was the only customer, then a young white guy came in speaking Spanish to the staff.  I asked where he is from.  Turns out he's an American from Arkansas who works travelling throughout Latin America as a kind of teacher's aid.  We got into a long and interesting talk about social issues and political and spiritual matters.  He's a Christian with the Methodist Church.  Soon, his mother and several family friends came in and they invited me to join them.  Very kind and friendly people.  It turns out they are here in Costa Rica doing volunteer work, helping to build and repair houses.

I am back in my bed and breakfast.  It's been a long and pleasant day.

Colombia 14

 This is my last night here in Colombia.  We are back in Madrid, following an eight and a half hour drive, and it is rather nice to be back in the cooler air of the Altiplano, where the temperature is around 20 degrees.  Medellín is hotter, but not intolerable.  Rather like one of Vancouver's warmer days in July.  It is a city that I hope to return to next year, for maybe three to four weeks, to be able to explore and know the place more thoroughly.  The drive back was enjoyable, with varied and often beautiful and awe-inspiring scenery and we passed through a number of towns and villages, all of them looking much the same after a while, with markets overflowing with fruit, and small stores with tables and chairs in front, and other colourfully painted,  if rather dilapidated buildings and some very humble looking hotels and lots of chickens, dogs, cows, horses and sometimes goats.  The temperature goes up and down with the altitude.


Travelling through much of Colombia, one often gets the sense of struggle.  This is not a rich country, and income inequality is very high. The government is attempting to tackle this huge problem but the progress is slow and results are mixed, with Medellín having seen a recent rise in poverty.  This, I wonder, might have something to do with the sense of unease that I felt while visiting there for three days.

Yesterday we visited a poor area on the mountain slope, that had previously been infested with crime, but there has been a dramatic turnaround.  It is called Comuna Trece, or 13, and I imagine there have been some significant investments in the place, encouraging all kinds of vivid and incredible street art and performances.  It has become a popular tourist draw, and that was the first time in Colombia, almost, that I saw a lot of visitors from elsewhere, probably mostly from North America and Europe.  There are also tonnes of crafts on display.  The area is made up of a series of steep stairways, and now there are also a number of escalators, making it a bit easier to climb up the steep hills.  Here are some images:













As you can see, there is a lot to see, absorb and digest.  The crowds make it a bit difficult as does all the noise, especially from some of the raucous hip hop performances and dance.  I also feel a slight unease at the way the locals perform for the well-off tourists.  I mean, sure, they are making a living, and it's better than selling drugs, stealing and getting shot, but there is also a certain sense of animals performing in a circus side show, or the grateful natives entertaining visiting royalty.  Not a perfect solution, but better than nothing, I suppose.  And the art is pretty amazing.

Later, we visited the downtown area, super crowded with people, and vendors and anyone out to try to scrabble for a living.    We visited the Botero Square, featuring some of the statues of Colombian artist Fernando Botero, famous for his paintings and sculptures depicting persons of size.  Here are some images






Then we found refuge in a church nearby where we sat quietly for around a half hour.
Alonso took me out for dinner for my birthday (I am sixty-four now, February 29, which makes me sixteen years old.  Finally!)  It was a rather nice upscale vegan restaurant in the nice, upscale neighbourhood of Poblado.  The food was delicious, but the portions ridiculously small, as though vegans are expected to look malnourished and skinny.  And it was occupied by the same kind of pretentious hipster crowd that one would find in Vancouver.  In fact, I felt like I was in Vancouver, except in Spanish.  Still, I am not going to look a gift meal in the mouth, and it is totally awesome of Alonso to treat me.  As we left the restaurant we were confronted by two poor mothers, each carrying a baby.  They were begging.  I tried to be generous.  This sort of thing I always find heartbreaking, as if things aren't bad enough already in my own sweet little Vancouver.  We went to a crepe café for dessert, and the place felt somehow more authentically Colombian, and our server was awesome.

Later, when we returned home, I shared with Alonso how painful it is for me being in Colombia, because the inequality and poverty and suffering is still on a fairly wide scale here, and I only wish there was something I could do besides feel anguish and give a little money out of the very little that I personally have.  Perhaps God will open a door in the future where I can be more help.  But this also makes me feel like a bit of a hypocrite, as I mentioned earlier, because we already have plenty of problems with homelessness and poverty in Vancouver, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.   And I am counted among the poor, myself, so really, how much can I do, other than make a lot of strategic noise and try to live as a kind person?  

Still, I feel an incredible connection with Colombian people, and plan to return next year, and who only knows, Gentle Reader...?