Technically, we were in Los Zorros, or The Foxes and Various Other Wild Forest Animals. From what I understood, a few short years ago there were more of those wild forest animals in the mangroves, but many had been killed for food, apparel, etc. and the survivors had largely retreated deeper into the forest that was in a protected area. Speaking of the mangroves, I’ll start there and move on to the beach.
We took a boat tour of the mangroves at a questionable time. The tide was out, so the water in the estuary was low. By the time we returned, the water was noticably higher. Our boat was made of a Ceiba tree, and our guide told intense rowed us through the trees. At one point, we had to pull over and fix the peg in the bottom of the boat because we were taking in water. He wrapped a sandwich bag around the peg, scooped out water, and we were off again. Resourceful.
My favorite story he told was when the big storm of 1992 approached and the alarms went off. His mother was so adamant about the season finale of a show she liked that she ignored the alarm and went to her friend’s to watch it. This actually saved her life, and several blocks were completely destroyed.
Another story I heard later was when he was a baby, and his mother decided to stay in their home when a tidal wave came. The water came in and went out. They were fine.
The other tidal wave story I enjoyed, because it was in retrospect and no one was hurt, was when the alarms went off the first day that our host at Rancho Tranquilo was working her job. She freaked out and ran down the street, not spilling a drop of her rum. She got a ride up to the mountain, though no wave came. The alarms go off any time an earthquake size 8 or more hits anywhere in the world. Mostly, no tidal waves come.
However, there is some worry about climate change. They had to move a road inland quite a bit because the land is quite flat near the coast, and the waterline has risen.
Our stay at Rancho Tranquilo was wonderful. The food was some of the best I’ve eaten, and the ocean was a chunk of magic. I surfed for the first time. I caught my first wave, and it was the same one Chris caught. Laughing, we rode up to the sand together. It was the only wave I caught really well, but whatever. Fun is fun. You don’t have to be good at stuff.
Pages of my journal are filled with beautiful memories, but I think I will keep them for me for now. Retyping on a tiny screen sounds unpleasant. So, here are some photos to make up for it.
Where did my other photos go? Nethersphere or some such. Technology. I’m too much of a plant to always fight technology, or go around retyping all the time. Slow it down.
Now, why does the publish button disappear? Oh technology, you foil me so.
bozzlore 