Costa Rica 6, Second Day In Monteverde

It's been rather an actively inactive day. I tried to explore a road above the bed and breakfast, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere, so I did some roadside walks, stopped to look at a herd of cattle, saw a morpho butterfly, then a blue crowned motmot, a beautiful and common bird in these parts. As I do not have a camera or a cell phone (because I do not make a living wage), and something happened to this page a couple of years ago so that I cannot add images to my blogposts, I am afraid that you are going to have to look for the images. A bit of a loss, I fear. But enough minor complaints. Even though I have to accept certain trade-offs and sacrifices in order to make these trips, they're still more than worth it. I know, some of you think I deprive myself, I am sure, but since when did having a smart phone become a necessity? Those things are luxuries and I don't care if some of you are addicted to your little tech toys, because in the long run, you could easily live without them. It's all about priorities, I suppose. But some of you, like me, will remember a time when all we had was rotary phones and TV and we still did okay. Yes, dear, we also had toilet paper in those days! And the wheel had already been invented and fire had already been discovered. So, this is what travel without a phone is like. It can be a bit inconvenient, since there are no convenient apps at my fingertips. On the other hand, I think this lack also leaves me more open to my surroundings, and more inclined to engage with those around me. And on this trip, it seems to be happening in spades. I really can't understand travel without engaging with the people who live there. I know, a lot of people do this, and I have ranted on ad nauseum about it, and I am ranting some more. Yes, it is great and lovely to be able to get on a plane and fly halfway across the world and arrive at your destination the same day you left your own country. And it is also wonderful seeing places, sights and things that even a couple of generations ago would have been beyond the reach of some people. And, yes, I know that some people prefer to travel just to see things and not necessarily to engage with people. By the same token, I also trust that you are aware that there is a certain rule of etiquette regarding how we treat our hosts, and when you are visiting a foreign country, this makes you a guest in someone else's home, and, like it or not, every single person who lives in that country, even the poorest and most wretched, is also your host. This runs completely against the grain of consumer tourism, and I really wish that more people would travel with the idea that they are guests in someone else's home, and with a desire to learn, engage and contribute. Of course this is going to be easier if you already speak the language, but for heaven's sake, Gentle Reader, at least give it a try. Okay, you can stop yawning now. So, what else did I do today? I sat on the long balcony of Cafe Caburé, where I sat with a coffee and a brownie and salsa de mora, which is a sauce made fron a local wild blackberry. The view from this balcony is stupendous, lots of trees and lovely birds. Tourists come here a lot. I had some really enjoyable conversations in Spanish with the server, who is a young woman living in the area, and also with the owner, who is Argentinian, and also likes to do some language exchange with me. After another long walk, I returned for an early dinner, and had to bring back to the bed and breakfast half of my pizza, which will serve me for dinner tomorrow.