Saturday Nov 19

Another one bites the dust – Queen

Saturday we met at the computer center with Ernesto and Vince, and started repairing broken computers. The climate here is not kind to the machines. Travel, humidity, heat, dirt, all contribute to a short lifespan, so there’s always repair work to do.

I’ve already mentioned Ernesto as the main man at the computer center, but Vince might need an introduction, if you are not close to the project. Vince lives just outside Kanata, and is visiting Cahuita at about the same time we are. When I returned from here almost 4 years ago, and decided I’d try to get some computers for the group, I was introduced to Vince through the former Telephone Pioneer organization. Vince enjoys helping several groups with computer acquisition and repairs, and he has run all the computers we have sent (and now have ready to send), through the shop in his basement. Since he’s prepared over 700 machines for Cahuita, he though he’d like to see where they are actually going.

We discussed the project, cultural differences and expectations, and of course, technical talk, including repair shortcuts and the best tools for troubleshooting. Dianne and Louise (Vince’s wife) soon got bored with us, and headed off to “the office” to get a little work done. If you’ve forgotten, Dianne’s “office” is a stretch of pristine white sand beach about a kilometer south of town.

A lot of Cahuita is overgrown after the rainy season, and people are starting to clean things up in anticipation of the tourist season about to start. The computer center is certainly no exception, and I was about to ask how we could get the grass cut, when a young gentleman arrived and asked if there was some work to be done in trade for some internet time. After some discussion, Ernesto gave him a machete, and the grass was falling before wicked swipes. About an hour later, he was happily surfing the web for the rest of the afternoon.

The barter system is alive and well, and living in Costa Rica.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea - Howard Ashman Alan Menken

Saturday night we did not sleep well as we are still acclimatizing, and we woke to overcast skies with continuous rain. Dianne decided to forgo the office – after all it was Sunday – and I headed off to find Ernesto. While I did eventually find him, I also found the market. Apparently, in the rainy season, Cahuita gets its fruit and vegetables in the market on Sunday, rather than every day at the store or from vendors in trucks. It certainly was nicer to shop without trying to hold the umbrella.

I bought the ingredients for salsa (planning to put Dianne to work chopping) and some strange “fruit of the day”. I scurried home with my treasures, but on inspection, Dianne discovered I had forgotten cilantro. So we went back, and she supplemented my purchases with a few others. Her cooking is magic, so I’m happy to tote the bags and reap the benefits.

We went to the black beach in the afternoon, but an onshore breeze was driving many jellyfish into the shallow water, so we cut our play short. Instead we spent the evening quietly reading, and snacking chips and homemade salsa, which is my personal favorite dinner. Life is good.

By the way, here’s Dianne’s fruit. It’s possibly called a passion fruit. The outside is hard like a gourd, but the inside is a white jelly full of seeds, which you also chew and eat. Strange, but sweet and tasty.


Dianne writes…

It is a rainy morning. I’m sitting on our tiny, tiny porch watching the rain fall just past my toes. I hear its steady rhythm while off in the distance the howler monkeys complain. There are many little birds flitting around, chipping and peeping, looking for bugs. Behind it all I can hear the crash of the ocean. I have never heard a more beautiful song.

This afternoon we went to the beach. There were many jelly fish in the water. Some had washed on shore and that made me a bit sad. I know it’s the natural way of things, but is there anything sadder than a sea creature who has lost its way? I gathered up the sand around it and carefully placed it back in the waves. Charles was not too impressed as he worries about me. He said something like…. Those things sting you know…Put it down….oh geeez.

We played in the waves for a while. There really were a lot of jelly fish in the water. After Charles got out I just stood there and watched them. They were bumping into me and mostly ignoring me. They were very slippery and they swam with their curved side out, not leading with the part that stings.

Something to think about.