Making friends

Last night I went to a local restaurant in Santa Elena for dinner and to sit on the deck to watch the sunset. A beautiful evening only made better by meeting new friends. Sitting there, a man named Jeff approached me and asked me about Hank. I asked how he knew I owned the Jeep. He said the staff at the restaurant saw me drive up. He had also seen the Jeep parked in town. And he knew I was camping at Charley's. His friend arrived and joined us. Turns out his friend, Matt, owned the restaurant (along with some other businesses in town). We sat and talked and shared stories of travel and of life. I won't share details since some of it is personal. I will share that Matt has lived nearly all his life in Monteverde. His grandfather was among the first Quakers that settled in Monteverde in the early 50s. Quakers are pacifists and moved to Costa Rica from the United States to avoid fighting in the Korean War. They set up dairy farms in the area, and set aside a large tract of forest that became the Monteverde Reserve. It was interesting listening to Matt and Jeff talk about the local community of Quakers and Ticos, including about some of the local characters. It seems like a pretty close-knit community despite the constant influx of tourists. Jeff moved here six years ago and he and Matt have been close friends ever since, including being there for him during some of his tough times at the moment.

And then there's Charley, the person that has the small camping area that I have been staying at the last four nights. Charley is the epitome of pura vida. Pura vida is the appreciation of the beauty of living simply surrounded by nature and the feeling of well-being, peace, optimism, humility, and contentment. It permeates Costa Rican culture. He is extremely friendly and helpful. This evening I sat with him and a young man from Belgium who is doing an internship in San José and camping here this weekend. It is sometimes difficult to follow all that Charley is saying since my Spanish is not good, but it seems he lost his home and all but the clothes on his back on this plot of land eight years ago in a deluge of water during a hurricane. As he told us the story, tears came to his eyes. He has since rebuilt his home in a "recycled" bus and provided this space for a few campers. He is a gentle soul, a good person. I very much appreciated staying at his place.

And I cannot fail to mention the two people, now friends, Will Nunez and Christian Menan, that were my guides on a night walk and birdwatching. So incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about their work. More about them in a blog post to come.

Simple Gifts - traditional Shaker song

'Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed, To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.