Sun., Nov. 21, 2010 at 3:24 p.m.
This bed and breakfast has turned into Little Amsterdam. That´s right, we´ve all gone Dutch. There is a Dutch family of four and a Dutch couple, so being neither Dutch, nor travelling with a family or partner, it made breakfast this morning a little bit lonely. I wish at this bed and breakfast, which is a wonderful place and I do want to return here, they would just have one big breakfast table so that we all would have to interact and talk to each other more or less, but this place is really more geared for couples and families, but la familia Vargas es maravillosa, or the Vargas family is wonderful and I do hope to enjoy their hospitality again sometime. The only thing that really did annoy me was when Daddy Amsterdam was playing his radio at the family table from his laptop, thus somewhat dominating and controlling the atmosphere. Usually there is nice soft music playing here in the mornings. So, I asked Esteban, in Spanish, because I already know that they don´t speak it, they have only talked to him in English so far, if he could turn the music on. He sort of acknowledged and ignored. Then again I said to him ¨no estan la unica gente aca, ¿tal vez toque la musica?¨ (they´re not the only people here. Maybe you could turn on the music?)Same response. I have acknowledged that Ticos do passive-aggresion rather well. Also, there is a kind of unspoken heirarchy of value when it comes to people here. Families rank on top, couples in the middle and single people somewhere at the bottom. No matter how much they might otherwise like you. So, I let it go and kind of glared at Mommy and Daddy Amsterdam. They likely assumed that it was their kids I didn´t like. Not at all true, two well-behaved little girls, maybe ages four and seven. The kind of kids who are able to play, have fun and laugh without behaving like shrieking little savages. No problem at all. Eventually the English talk-talk-talk on Daddy´s laptop gave way to some music. I liked the music (it was techno) and decided to enjoy it and let it go.
At the Cloud Forest Cafe (actually named Cafe Colibri, or Hummingbird, and this is where they have all the hummingbird feeders and of course the lovely little hummingbirds) I sat down at table with my friend, Alejandro the owner, who was reading a newspaper. I announced to him that I am leaving tomorrow, then went and got my coffee. When I returned to the table he basically ignored me and continued reading, so I dug out a book and did likewise. I am assuming that this could be his way of digesting the news that I am going to be gone and perhaps he might be a little pissed off that I´ve spent so little time in his cafe. Just guesswork on my part I suppose. But I knew not to leave the table till after he did, then I went to sit on the love seat, which was a bit awkward because this young man was resting his butt on the back of the seat while waiting for his order. So I said to him, ¨con permiso, chamaco¨. (excuse me, buddy) He didn´t move. Twice I moved the loveseat forward to reach the table easier (ha-ha). He still didn´t budge. So, I got over it and just hoped he didn´t have any problems with gas if you know what I mean. Oh well, you know I´m at the age where it is so easy to turn into a grumpy old man, and I read recently that most men in their early fifties usually start to turn into old grouches, so I am doing everything in my power to resist this trend. I love a challenge... And also, these visits to Latin America really do challenge me to be more tolerate and flexible with others.
I had cheesecake at the cafe, only to discover when I sat down to eat it that it was covered in a Jell-O glaze. Well, I´m vegetarian and Jell-O is made from, of course, gelatin, which is a meat product. So, I decided it wasn´t going to kill me, it didn´t taste bad, and I just thought of when I was an innocent child and how nice it was to have it for dessert. Being vegetarian and trying to eat ethically is one thing but there are limits and sometimes one has to decide that it´s not worth making a fuss over. By the way, I also wear leather shoes, and a leather belt. And I don´t buy free-range eggs. Such a hypocrite.
The clouds are really peeing on us today so I haven´t gone very far.
Even though I´m sure I´m going to miss the beauty of this place there is something about being home for the winter that makes spring worth it. Also, there is something about winter that I still feel I need to experience every year. Kind of like a stripping down, a cleansing and purging of nature. The death that comes before rebirth. After a while too, all this tropical beauty becomes a bit vulgar and garish. I kind of like to be away from Canada during Remembrance Day, because instead of being a time to honour, respect and thank the war veterans (and pacifist that I am, I do!) it has in recent years turned into such a pro-military propaganda exercise that I want no part of it.
I just saw the most glorious sunset ever here, the sky was awash in brilliant golden orange and Luz Mery, the lady who owns the bed and breakfast, watched it together and chatted. I have promised her that I would recommend her place to others and I am doing this right now. If any of you ever want to visit Costa Rica and are interested in Monteverde please feel free to talk to me. Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Alajuela, where I´ll be spending the night, then in the early morning I fly to Mexico City.
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