So much has happened since I last wrote!Farm things have been relatively smooth, a few new people joined the mix, and a few olds ones came back so it was getting to be a great group. Seven of us decided we wanted to go to this thing called a Rainbow Gathering for a few days. Some of us had been before, but most of us were more curious ab it in an anthropological sort of way and as a way to meet some other travelers. It was on the peninsula and we caught a bus from San Jose to Golifto which is most of a days trip. From there, the owner of the property picked us up on a boat and took us across. His land was beautiful and there was lots of it. It was situated kind of in a bay off of the gulf, and so high tide was required to get on and off the island. We had expected lots of people, but it turned out to be only us and one other guest so far. We settled in with tents and in the "boathouse" since it was already dark and cooked a quick meal in the owners home since we had arrived so late in the day. The rest of the night was torture! There was no breeze at night, and the mosquitoes were ravenous. Those of us in the boathouse were both cooking and getting eaten alive. Martine and I finally rigged up a bug net over a single mattress on the porch and slept as best we could curled up into little balls trying not to touch the edges where the bugs awaited. Since there was noone there the place was pretty much ours, and the next day after hanging out in the morning, we hiked up to the top of the property to check it out. It was a steep road, but when we got to the top we discovered was was basically a small abandoned resort! There were 3 triangular structures with a bottom screened in room (though the screens were now worthless) and lofts above and a large lodge with a huge empty pool, more rooms, and a big covered deck with an awesome view of the gulf. Apparently the guy had bought the land from a company who couldnt finish it then he ran out of money too. It could have been an awesome, profitable place. The breeze up here was amazing as well as the view so we decided to move camp up top in attempt to get some better sleep. We all set up on the deck, I got a hammock and some sort of netting to hang over it in case the bugs were as bad up there. When we hiked down for lunch and to get our gear (2 trips bc the hike was too wicked for really heavy gear) we saw squirrel monkeys, which are apparently very rare! They were tiny and adorable and didnt seem to care at all about us. The rest of the day was just relaxing, and we made a small fire and hung out a little after dinner because of the full moon. When we got back up to the lodge for the night we were sad to find that the wind had died down almost completely. And then to discover the bugs were there as well. My bug screen was not good enough, anywhere where i was pressed up against the hammock they ate me alive. I fought them for hours then finally squeezed into a tent with Gaby for the few sad hours of sleep that were left. The next morning we decided to head out. The Gathering wasn't really happening, and we were miserable at night, so we made plans to travel elsewhere. I am currently at the Bambu Hostel in David, Panama! Four of us wanted to travel for about a week longer, so we came here and are going to Panama City, then to Bocas del Toro to get in some beautiful beach time before heading back to the farm. No problems at all crossing the border, and the people are super friendly and everything has been very cheap so far as well. Dinner last night was $5 each, and we each had 3 beers in addition to a huge plate of fish and plantains! The hostel has a pool (that's why we chose it)and there were no rooms left so we are just camped in the rear of the yard behind the pool. It is actually much cooler out there than in the dorms, and Gaby and I scored an extra mattress to put in the tent with us so it is an awesome thing. Today we will explore a bit here, then head off to the city! I will update again when I can!
Hope everyone is well. Talk to you soon!
Erin
