Day 5: 6/25/18
So I started my day again at the market. I wanted redemption from yesterday. When I walked in, a cashier greeted me and I returned the greeting. She asked me something and I was again stumped. When I checked out, I told her (in Spanish) that I only spoke a small amount but that I was learning. She laughed, as did the cashier from yesterday so I honestly felt better about the whole ordeal.
Rather than do nothing today, I decided on a half-day tour to the La Paz waterfall gardens and animal refuge. They were very adamant that it was not a zoo, as all of the animals were to be released back into the wild once they were able. The pictures of the animals that I was able to get were fantastic! I think I like this photography thing…because I totally need another hobby to be mediocre at.
We stopped at a coffee plantation on the way to La Paz, and got a history of the importance of coffee to the Costa Rican culture. The guide kept referring to the “green bean” which threw me off until I actually saw the green coffee bean he was referring to. I found several of the facts rather interesting. For example, all the coffee trees are uprooted and replaced every 30 years in order to maintain the highest quality. The workers work each day from 6am to 2pm in order to avoid the rain.
The drive to La Paz was as expected, with the exception of my first experience with the one lane bridges. You can probably guess how that went. An area we drove through look very familiar to me: it was called “hydrangea city”…gave me an idea for my back yard.
More fun facts continued to interest me, such as that coffee can’t grow at certain altitudes, and only one area of the country makes wine, as grapes are only found in one region. Those sorts of tidbits used to hold no weight to me, but for whatever reason, I found them to be ridiculously fascinating.
I saw another sloth in the wild today. The tour bus stopped in the middle of the road and backed up in order for us to see it… still pretty cool to have seen three wild sloths during my time here.
The waterfalls themselves were absolutely beautiful. I am starting to develop a real affinity for the beauty of landscapes, especially as I try to paint them! As I figure out how to use my camera, I discover more and more ways to capture the beauty in the images. The entire experience at La Paz reminded me of Jurassic Park, although most things in Costa Rica have, and rightfully so considering it was filmed here and so much of the story was based on this environment. Then I saw a goat…perfect.
I ate lunch with two Mexican girls around my age. One invited me to eat with them as I was the only person alone on the tour. It was an absolutely phenomenal experience, as they spoke only a bit more English than I do Spanish. When borders are broken and effort is made, it is amazing at how the human spirit can connect so positively. I realized that there are others in the world with similar lives as I have, and it is so inspiring to realize that I may not be as alone and isolated as I once thought. The world is cruel in that people can pass in and out of your eyes in an instant, but how beautiful the footprints are that they leave in your heart. This world is full of beautiful people, beautiful scenery, and beautiful experiences… It took me 3500 miles, but I think I finally understand.