Cahuita, Costa Rica

We settled in a bit to our temporary home an unwound from a long day of travel.  After unpacking we walked the short 3minutes to the beach to dip in the ocean, and then had a rum at the reggae bar before heading back home for dinner.  Between the rum and the eggs/tortillas/mango we bought next door (oh, and paying for the casita) we literally were down to our last 5bucks.  Luckily, our day was over and we crashed not long after.

I woke up with a start at 4am not sure where i was and what the hell that sound was.  As my senses finally returned it sank in that the unforgettable moan of howler monkeys was what woke me.  They weren't even close.  It was a distant but familiar rumble and i honestly have no idea how i even heard it in my sleep, much less why it woke me.

As i lay there in the darkness other noises started to join in.  First a few then dozens of different bird calls, a chirping of the gecko from downstairs and the call of insects i wont even begin to pretend to know.  Soon it became a symphony of foreign noises all highlighted by the complete lack of any other sound.  I actually had to try to quiet each in my mind just to hear the rhythm of waves breaking behind it all.  I chuckled to myself as i realized the howlers woke me up early just so i could hurry up and focus on the fact that there was absolutely nothing to do.

Jen lay with me listening for a while and eventually rolled back to sleep.  I grabbed the computer, opened a browser out of habit and realized i wasn't even sure what to look for.  Surely there was something i had to research, some task to look into or some project to contemplate.  But there isnt.  Just 6 days of nothing...which also would have been really difficult for me to deal with a few years ago.  But it actually almost seems a bit exciting right now.  A chance to catch up on sleep and heal completely from this bug that's been haunting me on and off for a month.

I then think about the bar we sat down at last night.  An idyllic reggae bar set just across the street from the ocean and with a view of nothing else.  This is the type of bar that always makes me reconsider our goals and dreams.  Historically, it made me start looking for an empty beach to build one on, or for or a cheap one to buy online.  I would spend the rest of our holiday trying to figure out how to make that life my own.  I would gather the possibilities and show them to jen- hoping one caught her eye and that we'd quit our jobs, pack up and sling ritas for a living while staring at the ocean.

It wasn't really a dream.  Not even a desire...but it felt like an escape of sorts to picture the other side.  Last night it felt different.  I still had the thought about how nice it must be to stare out at those waves when scooping ice out of the small cooler at the end of the bar.  But i had no desire to trade places with young girl pouring our rum.  In reality, if i allow myself to admit it... I'd far rather be sitting on this side.

We don't want to be tied to the maintenance plan and worries about the next shipment delivery or taking the garbage out.  To worry about how we'll piece it together in low season or who will watch it in our absence.  In reality it sounds fun to find the place, to design it and plan the ambiance.  To make a make it a place people make friends at,  people want to come back to, to spend time sipping drinks at and share mutual stories at...but the actual long-term day to day activities of running a bar...that's no more a dream than putting on that old suit and tie everyday and loading the bus to work.

Perspective is key.

We eventually rustle from bed and head onto the balcony to hang in the hammock.  The whole world seems to be moving at the speed our hammock sways back and forth- which is barely at all.  After a nap we leave our casita...nowhere to go really just to look around the yard.   Orchids and flowers are everywhere, butterflies and birds abound, a poison dart frog who likes to guard our shoes, an agouti eating last night's mango rind and even our own sloth hanging out above us.  Not a horrible show, and I don't think we ever got more than 15' from the front door.

I'm bit embarrassed to post these photos after the great technical shots we posted from new orleans...but Brock seems unwilling to hop on a plane and bring me his camera at the moment.  I guess this is the part of our plan that occasionally hurts the most... luxuries like a new camera/lenses simply aren't part of the budget.... Hopefully the memories will stay crisp despite the blurry images.