It’s only an hour behind NY here but it feels a million miles away. A direct 5 hr flight was so easy breezy, made me think I should do this more often. I’m internetting right outside my hotel room on my stone patio, which has 3 beds. Maybe I’ll switch off every night to mix it up a little.
The owner just came over and chatted with a saw in hand. Nice guy with a nice life. I heard him speak to the staff here and knew immediately he was El Jefe.
This little hotel is just far enough outside of town to avoid the throngs of tourists and tacky stores selling “basura” - the word the airport shuttle driver Jose used, as he gave me the drive through tour of the town. Jose and I talked about music, dancing, mostly the basics. Feeling comfortable with practicing Spanish is a feeling I need to get used to more. In Spanish I told him that I have work to do: improve my accent, and improve my dancing.
This town feels like a little beach community with lots of Norte Americanos pumping dolares into the economy. I didn’t even check out the exchange rate until just now. Funny how prepared I am with certain things, and other things, I figure, will work out. But being at the ATM and not knowing how many colones to take out made me feel a little silly.
Along the same line, I couldn’t exactly walk to the beach after an ATM trip and go swimming. Who’ll watch my bag. I walked out to the sand but didn’t hop in the ocean, yet.
The bugs are vicious here. I’m covered in OFF and can feel the mosquitos waiting for their chance to swoop in. They’re a bug halo, inspecting me. Circling to find a part of my skin that isn’t doused in Deet.
Hit the grocery store today to make sandwiches and the cashier had to count my money out of my hand, it is annoying when I don’t know the currency just yet.
Surf lesson tomorrow with Santiago. Tonight, reading by the pool and going to bed super early after I eat at the hotel restaurante.
