Bienvenido a Costa Rica

Hola!  Here I am on my first day in Costa Rica.  Altogether, I’ve had quite an amazing day. It is hard to believe that I was in New York at 6 am this morning.  On the plane to San Juan I was stuck in the aisle row which at first seemed to be a sweet deal but turned out to be crappy since my seat wouldn’t recline at all!  I managed to sleep a tiny bit but kept waking up. 

Out of nowhere, I heard a voice behind me ask his friend if he wanted Goji Berries!!!  Hmm.  My ears perked up, since goji is not (yet) an everyday snack that people think to bring as plane food.  I started a conversation with the three friends behind me.  Their somewhat clichéd opening question was whether I am Costa Rican. I should be glad I blend in when I travel.  Once the conversation got going I couldn’t believe it — these three guys, Steve, Zach, and Jake, were not only from New York but two of them (one in particular) were aspiring raw foodists.  We spent the last 2 hours of the flight talking about Acai, raw tacos, salad dressings and natural health.

It impressed me immensely that they, like I, had researched sunscreen, and found many of the same studies that I had.  Sunscreen keeps the skin itself from getting red, but it is still chemical, is reactive and can still promote cancer from within.  The guys were facing the dilemma of how protect their skin while surfing, and settled on a zinc compound to put on their face, wearing a rag shirt to surf, and keeping out of the sun as much as possible when not in the water. 

Amazing!! I mean, what are the chances that I would sit on the plane right in front of 3 guys in their mid-20s that speak some of the same health language that I speak?!  I guarantee that no one else on the plane would have wanted to talk about raw apple cider vinegar and dinosaur kale.

Anyway, I of course referred them here.  I hope that this very minute they are reading this post at an internet cafe somewhere near the panama border and chuckling.

Right now I am in a small town named San Ramon, on my way to the mountains.  So far, Costa Rica has impressed me with its lush, incredibly diverse plants.  It reminds me of Laos in some ways, though it is also quite different.  The people have been awesome and friendly.  Its too bad that I speak hardly any Spanish.  Why did I pick to study French in school!?! 

It is the beginning of rainy season, so it sometimes rains in the afternoon.  I love watching the Costa Ricans walk around in the rain- some with umbrellas and some without.  Either way, they seem really happy and content in the warm rain, which doesn’t seem to bother them at all.  The people here seem pretty synced up with Mother Nature, at least in that way.  It is part of life.  It’s so green and full of life here that I think everyone is grateful for the rain. 

I am very grateful, on this first day of a new adventure, to be out of the city, in nature, not wearing any makeup, letting the rain come down on me and letting my hair be as curly and frizzy at it wants.