6th of July 2020
I am sitting at the edge of a nice river run, listenting while the water splash across the rocks. I just went for a refreshing dip, the stream running…I can see a big clothing line, the product of a full bag of laundry we washed. We finished our 3 days gracie’s birthday celebrations in the Rincoln de la Vieja National Park, hiking, swimming in icy waterfalls, relaxing in hot spring while I am reflecting what the world has seen and lived in the last 6 months, we have so much to celebrate and to be grateful for. I couldn’t bring myself to write about our experiences of the last months and I, like the rest of the world, still can’t make sense of what is happening. I guess it will be difficult to explain it to our grandchildren; we have two now!...all started in March…
The first we heard just before going back to Australia to visit archulino and the kids was a big virus outbreak in China that devasted the country. A few days later, while we were enjoying our grandson the virus spread really quickly to Europe and people in mass particularly in Spain and Italy where dying. We were confused and anxious and still looked like very far away but…as news were bombarded us from all parts of the world countries started to closed their borders! So 10 days into our 24 days visit to Sydney we were faced with a terrible decision: hurry up, we need to go back to Costa Rica as they were also closing borders. Sufficient to say, we entered the country on the last flight allowed, borders closed just behind our backs. It was difficult for all to understand why we would come back here rather than stay with family in Sydney. It was clear for us when orders all over the world was “stay at home” that the only “home” we had was SalSolcito. That is our home, it has been our home for the last 6 years and the idea of loosing her to customs or anyone was really frightened. We got reunited with our home and headed off to La Herradura who has been a paradise to us just before we left. We faced, as probably lots of others, the best and the worst in people. As usual, crisis made the souls to come out. It was first the woman who owns the restaurant in the corner who so generously cut the fences of her house so we could fit in the back and then Manuel, the man who worked in the parking lot, who protected us from the ugly owner. We made that place and the people our place for the next 40 days! It was so weird that the first time we took our bikes to just go around the corner we found ourselves so unprotected and worried. As more news were coming, thousands of people dead, infections going in spike, no flights anywhere, people forced to be inside their homes, no work, no schools. It was one of those sic-fi terror movies that we so often seen and dismiss in the cinemas. The possibility to go to Sydney become grim by the minute and the chance to be with Braian and Allie for the birth of their first child (and our grandchild) was cero.
We took some courage and after those first 40 days and running from the heat we decided to go back to La Fortuna. This time, for our anniversary, we bide ride around the Arenales lake for 3 days, 120 km of hills and gravel! Ended up sleeping in a awful place (everything was closed) but we so much enjoy the freedom! In Sarcero we met El Sapito, Jorgelina y Mauri, an incredible, young and delicious couple who changed our outlook and our health habits! We owned to them how great we are feeling at the moment!
Playa La Langosta was our second big stayed. 12 days to pure sand , sea and beach. The only beach opened in the whole Costa Rica. We could not believe the place, it was like another world. All “gringos”, no one speaking in Spanish. Very elegant, big and stylish houses on the beach. We really had so much fun here! The big canal a few houndred meters on the beach that with the current and tide become like a water park for us! We also met Pamela and Adrian here, a vibrant, kind and hard work couple.
It was then in playa La Langosta, after being there for 10 days that one sleepless night we received via video our little Salvadore, Salvi for us!
Today, as a second wave of Corona Virus is attacking the whole world and more and more people become infected, we are making the best of this terrible situation. And while we are waiting for flights to go back to Sydney, we are going around Costa Rica again, this time taking the time to truly stay, enjoying every minute of it.
The first we heard just before going back to Australia to visit archulino and the kids was a big virus outbreak in China that devasted the country. A few days later, while we were enjoying our grandson the virus spread really quickly to Europe and people in mass particularly in Spain and Italy where dying. We were confused and anxious and still looked like very far away but…as news were bombarded us from all parts of the world countries started to closed their borders! So 10 days into our 24 days visit to Sydney we were faced with a terrible decision: hurry up, we need to go back to Costa Rica as they were also closing borders. Sufficient to say, we entered the country on the last flight allowed, borders closed just behind our backs. It was difficult for all to understand why we would come back here rather than stay with family in Sydney. It was clear for us when orders all over the world was “stay at home” that the only “home” we had was SalSolcito. That is our home, it has been our home for the last 6 years and the idea of loosing her to customs or anyone was really frightened. We got reunited with our home and headed off to La Herradura who has been a paradise to us just before we left. We faced, as probably lots of others, the best and the worst in people. As usual, crisis made the souls to come out. It was first the woman who owns the restaurant in the corner who so generously cut the fences of her house so we could fit in the back and then Manuel, the man who worked in the parking lot, who protected us from the ugly owner. We made that place and the people our place for the next 40 days! It was so weird that the first time we took our bikes to just go around the corner we found ourselves so unprotected and worried. As more news were coming, thousands of people dead, infections going in spike, no flights anywhere, people forced to be inside their homes, no work, no schools. It was one of those sic-fi terror movies that we so often seen and dismiss in the cinemas. The possibility to go to Sydney become grim by the minute and the chance to be with Braian and Allie for the birth of their first child (and our grandchild) was cero.
We took some courage and after those first 40 days and running from the heat we decided to go back to La Fortuna. This time, for our anniversary, we bide ride around the Arenales lake for 3 days, 120 km of hills and gravel! Ended up sleeping in a awful place (everything was closed) but we so much enjoy the freedom! In Sarcero we met El Sapito, Jorgelina y Mauri, an incredible, young and delicious couple who changed our outlook and our health habits! We owned to them how great we are feeling at the moment!
Playa La Langosta was our second big stayed. 12 days to pure sand , sea and beach. The only beach opened in the whole Costa Rica. We could not believe the place, it was like another world. All “gringos”, no one speaking in Spanish. Very elegant, big and stylish houses on the beach. We really had so much fun here! The big canal a few houndred meters on the beach that with the current and tide become like a water park for us! We also met Pamela and Adrian here, a vibrant, kind and hard work couple.
It was then in playa La Langosta, after being there for 10 days that one sleepless night we received via video our little Salvadore, Salvi for us!
Today, as a second wave of Corona Virus is attacking the whole world and more and more people become infected, we are making the best of this terrible situation. And while we are waiting for flights to go back to Sydney, we are going around Costa Rica again, this time taking the time to truly stay, enjoying every minute of it.
