Carate, Costa Rica

I spent the past 3 days and 2 nights camping with my favorite travel buddy, Rory.  Camping is one of those things I wanted to do out here but do not have the necessary equipment or confidence to go alone.  Being an economical traveler rather than a luxury vacationer I refused to pay for a guide or rent equipment and go with a group.  Rory had all the basic, necessary equipment: small tent with rain flap, shovel, hatchet, small propane stove with a cooking pot and wilderness experience and confidence.  Add that to my car-camping knowledge from growing up (basic fire starting and maintenance skills, cooking, gathering firewood) and the 2 most-used utensils I travel with (spork-knifoon from Sarah and switchblade knife from Dad) to establish a potentially successful experience.

It started with us taking a collective taxi from Puerto Jimenez to Carate.  This was a 2.5 hour ride of bouncing up and down in the back of a tarp-covered truck filled with locals, boxes of food and beer, and budget travelers with their large packs and surfboards.  The benches, with their thin padding filled up quickly.  Stops were made along the way to pick up locals needing to hop on for part of the distance.  They handed over their bags of rice or young child to the passenger closest to the back and then crawled over the barred-up door to find a small standing space.  The jostling was intense but as a first experience rather delightful in my eyes.

We arrived at our destination by 4pm and took a path out from the trees that led straight toward the ocean.  Rory scoped out the location and found a neat little camping space up on the ledge covered by trees.  We set up his little yellow tent and did our own thing.  I wandered back into the forest, intrigued by the coconut trees extending high up - too high to climb or knock one down with a length of bamboo - and within a couple hours found 6 coconuts on the ground that were not yet ravaged by monkeys.  Add that to the 4 cuadrado (square) fruit I scavenged from deep in the thicket of meshed trees and vines and we had ourselves fresh tropical fruit to last the duration of our trip.  I used my firewood gathering skills from childhood to haul armloads of dry driftwood back to the campsite.  I definitely earned the sweat and dirt that still stains my clothing.  And, even better than that, the sense of satisfaction, self-sufficiency, and strength that goes with finding and creating those things which sustain our basic human needs.

There was only a sliver of a moon and as dark settled in I felt very small and afraid of the dark in the wide open space.  On one side of me the powerful ocean churned out waves continuously while on the others there were rainforest noises impossible for me to identify and, therefore, feel easy about.  Occasionally I saw a shadow on the beach that turned out to be somethings random, such as a horse-drawn cart being driven by a Tico.  Rory recognized my fear and from that simple understanding helped me feel more relaxed.

We watched the fire burn until midnight and found easy entertainment and tranquility in each others company.  Staring up through the vent in the tent I saw the palms and leaf silhouttes waving high above us.  We hid our bags under the rain flap and hoped the monkeys would not steal our stuff in an effort to locate food. 

My first night was restless and so I was up early.  Rorys stove was not working so we got a morning fire going and enjoyed oatmeal that I doctored up with mango, cuadrado (similar tasting to a banana) and bits of coconut.  Coconut was my glory of the trip!  After chopping the husk off and peeling it I cracked open the tops to drink the water, dice the meat and pulverize a small bit of it into a thick milk.  I invented a mortar and pestle using the shell, small bowls and cups for holding coffee and soup broth. 

The sun on the beach was intense so I was burnt by 8am before I even took the time to apply sunscreen.  I took the opportunity to nap for a couple hours mid-day and then it was back to fire-building and exploring.  Wandering down the beach before dusk we found a shaded inlet where a river ran through.  We used river water for drinking after purifying with a pump and Rory fashioned a bathtub of sorts by damning up the space using rocks and natural materials.

After finishing up in this space we made our way back to the campsite, 20 minutes away.  We talked and played like big kids, skipping, sprint racing and yelling obscenities into the open space.

No longer afraid of the wild I was free to be in my body.  I did yoga on a log half-covered by ocean waves and moved from the water to the fire on my own terms.  As I sat on this secluded beach nestled right up to the Costa Rican rainforest I let go of emotional and physical restrictions.  There was some skinny dipping.  And joy.  And a sense of freedom.

On our last morning I awoke at 6am and took a stroll down the beach.  I watched trees that held a dozen scarlet macaws squawking and playing around.  I sat still to observe the 30 pelicans in their morning routine on the water.  I wandered without a goal or expectation. 

When I returned to the campsite at 830am I had coffee from a coconut, some tropical oatmeal in the shade.  Anticipating a full day of blazing sun, we packed a small backpack with water, a snack of peanuts and raisins, a camera and a towel.  We made our way to our shaded river and spent hours there.  I relaxed on the rocks and watched the trees for natural entertainment: monkeys, birds, lizards, gorgeous greenery and flowers.  Rory entertained himself doing man jobs.

The time came when we needed to return to the campsite and pack up.  We did so quietly.  At ease in our surroudings and with each other.  It was a beautiful experience, one that can never be replicated and so will always be appreciated.

We bounced up and down all the way back to Puerto Jimenez on the Collectivo - not as fun having your insides rattled out as the first time, but an experience of its own. 

Today we are off to Uvita.  In this beach town there will be space for relaxing, story-writing reflection, bicycling, surfing and cooking in our hostel.  I have only 2.5 weeks left here in Costa Rica.  I am reminded how much time is left every morning that I wake up.  And so I breathe.  Absorb the moments and try to enjoy them fully.

I am filled with love and sending a special hug to my favorite mom on this Mothers Day.  May your day be wonderful!