Weekends are a time for WWOOFers
to get away – to see the country and experience more than just Cuidad Colón. Having been to Costa Rica twice
before, I’m more interested in a cultural experience than traveling to far off
destinations for sightseeing. This weekend I was one of four to stay on the
farm while the other 11 volunteers fled for Monteverde and Volcán Arenal.
Our first night alone was
incredibly peaceful – no stress about meal preparation or cleanup.
It was laid back, and rather than head into town for karaoke, we spent the
evening sitting in the kitchen slowly eating dinner, listening to music, and
enjoying each others company. When the whole house began to shake, panic
filled the once tranquil room. “What do we do?!” Since this was clearly an
earthquake, one suggestion was to get into a door frame. Realizing that the
closest door frame was also part of the elevated porch, fleeing the house seemed
like a better idea as the intensity of trembling increased. Only 40 miles from
the epicenter – the 5.9 earthquake was a pretty exciting start to the night.
Robert quickly joined us outside
to make sure we were all safe and okay. As we stood around talking, the silent
evening was punctuated by loud bangs from the other side of the mountain,
accompanied by flashes of light. Fireworks! We rushed to Robert’s second-story
balcony and were delighted to see the light-show from a nearby town, Santa Ana.
In the clear night sky we could see for miles the lights of San Jose and
surrounding cities. For a short while we embraced the return of tranquility to
our evening, then headed off to bed.
In the morning, we took a group
trip to the city for the weekly farmer’s market. Fresh fruit and vegetables,
eggs and even honey were loaded into the car, as well as pineapple heads that were
planted later in the day. A quick stop at the grocery store for coffee and
other non-produce essentials, then a visit to Orgánica: a Costa Rican owned organic juice bar with a cozy
atmosphere and splendid drinks. While I sipped my mango, strawberry, pineapple
“tormenta tropical”, Carlos Vives played familiar Latin songs in the
background. Outside were beautifully crafted wooden furniture, a small garden
and a hammock. Another small slice of heaven.
The
others returned to the farm, but I decided to walk around the busy cultural
center. Stopping in a few shops as a manner of gaining a feel for the town, I
was greeted with friendly smiles and the smells of delicious food. It turned
into a pretty gluttonous day – a large plate of casados con pollo, ice cream,
and tres leches cake on my walk home. My cultural encounter was completed by a
return to town at night with Emily to a local bar/restaurant. Half of the larger-than-expected
venue housed a family birthday party complete with DJ, photographer and
videographer, while the other half was full of local folk. People danced
to songs I recognized, and a few visitors approached our table, including a
Ciudad Colón
native that is also a college lecturer and organic farmer in California. Small
world! A mariachi band paraded into the restaurant, and played a few songs that
were met with great applause. My love for this culture grows with each
experience.
