Mantarays and Dorados

I went fishing yesterday! I have been wanting to go for quite some time and finally the opportunity arrose. Some tourists invited us to go on their charter boat. We headed out of the harbor and out to the huge white rock which makes up a little island. All around this rock there is tons of sealife. Mantarays with a 15 to 20 foot span from tip to tip were swimming around and under our boat. One of the guys on the boat had a fancy underwater camera so a couple of the guys got in and swam with them. Then there was a huge tutle just swimming along.

The first catch of the day was a rainbow trout. Then I got the pole and within five minutes I caught a dorado (mahi mahi). It was pretty big, about two and a half feet long. This was the catch of the day so I won the ten dollar bet. Everyone else caught mackeral :) Seeing the coast from a boat reminded me how beautiful this country really is. Since I´m on the Nicoya Peninsula it feels like I´m on an island. In fact, since you have to take a ferry to get here many people refer to it as an island. THe palm trees and pristine beaches never get old to look at. THe ocean was pretty calm too. Our captian, Emiliano, has been fishing these waters his whole life. He´s missing a front tooth and has a sunbeaten leathery face but he smiles huge and its contagious.

Back on shore Emiliano fileted our fish for us and we took it to the restaurant nearby (Sunset Reef) and had the kitchen prepare it for us. It was awesome, particularly the mahi mahi of course. There were ten of us at dinner all together, we almost were able to eat it all.

I quit the two jobs I was working. I only have a month left and want to spend more time on my writing. My friend Amber is coming on monday so I´ll be going to San Jose to meet her and then bring her back here. Then I will put my car up for sale and start thinking about my return to Portland.

I can´t imagine how this experience could be improved in any way but it will be interesting to see how this last month is different if at all. It has been raining more, about three hours each day for the last three days. Everything is really green. Salud and Hasta Luego mis amigos.

It Rains!

We finally had our first rain of the season. It was a hot sunny day like anyother and then these huge clouds rolled in with a crash of thunder and lightning in the middle of the afternoon. It was so beautiful. We walked out onto the beach from the garden and just stood in the lapping surf getting soaked by this torrential warm downpour. It was the kind of rain that soaks you within seconds. Fortunately I already had my bathing suit on! We just let it run down our faces and soak our hair. The ocean was still really green and it just churned.

The bar I work at had to shut down because it's mostly outdoors, and the electrical outlets had some problems. However by the following day it was all up and running again.

After the first rain of the season all the little crabs that have been living in the mountains head to the ocean to mate or lay their eggs, not sure which. Millions of them stream across the roads and across kitchen floors and into bathrooms and bedrooms and over pets and they just get everywhere. Tessa and I were relaxing at home not realizing what was going on and I went into the kitchen and there were about 50 of them scurrying around on the floor. At first we were screetching because the clickety clack of their little claws is kinda gross but after awhile we got used to it. They run away from you anyway so its not so bad. By the next day they were mostly all gone. Have of them flattened on the road seems like. They have purple bodies with little beady black eyes and pink legs. The largest are about three inches wide and long. What a trip!

My roomie has left, Tessa is off to Pavones to visit some friends for a while. I'll miss her but I'm looking forward to more alone time. The town is beginning to empty out. Easter Sunday will be the last hurrah of the season and then this place will be like a ghost town compared to February when I arrived. The quiet is a little eerie but calming.

Take care everyone at home and abroad who is reading this.