The time we spent in Tortuguero felt like no time at all – probably because it wasn’t really any time at all. The community around us seemed to live in a different dimension in that respect: one the one hand, I felt like they were in slow motion compared with us, but on the other, one of their days seemed like nothing in the grand scheme of things. They seemed to plod languorously by the flip-flopped, hammocked permanent residents like the turtles we saw sliding to the sea: I guess ‘permanent’ is the word. There was a reassuring constance about the place – a sense that the community would shift and change only superficially, its roots and trunk remaining firmly grounded and secure. Continue reading
Episode Thirty Two – Turtle Town
In Tortuguero it seems that everyone makes a living from tourism. Those locals with sharp enough eyes and ears, and a keen enough interest for wildlife, must have started their tour-guide training as soon as they can pronounce ‘resplendent quetzal’. Our boat guide, Riccardo, was able to spot wildlife on the move that I still couldn’t make out after 15 minutes of pointing: it seemed impossible. I’m still not sure I was looking at the right grey mass at the top of that tree 100 metres away; but the guide and a girl with the foresight to bring binoculars both insisted that there was a sloth up there. Continue reading
Filed under Costa Rica
Episode Thirty One – The Slower Path
When I first arrived in the Caribbean, I cried.
Mum seemed a little offended by this, and I was quick to explain that they were not sad tears – although exactly what kind of tears they were I couldn’t say.
I think part of it was stress and exhaustion from a long day’s travelling. Our bus from San José to Cariari was three hours long, and once there, a man with a strong Caribbean accent and no official uniform stuffed me and our luggage in a taxi with a French couple and whisked Mum off on foot to the bus station on the other side of town, from where our next coach left. Turns out he was legit, but at the time I was less than at-ease. From this other bus station, it was another 90 minutes of bumpy, non-air-conditioned journeying to La Pavona where we waited an hour for a boat to come along and take us on the two-hour ride to final destination Tortuguero. Continue reading
Filed under Costa Rica
Episode Thirty – No Way, San José
If you’ll allow me to backtrack a little, I’ll share with you one of very few photographs I’ve taken from aeroplanes. I took this six months ago (okay, backtrack a lot), when my Christmas return flight ascended over New York City at night.
Do you see why I don't take a lot of aeroplane pictures?
Filed under Costa Rica
Episode Twenty Six – Words on Paper
Hello, everyone. It’s been a little while.
So last time, I said I was going to make more of an effort to keep you all updated with what I’m getting on with during my time in Scotland. I went a bit crazy for a while, posting every couple of days, and I decided to try and cool it a bit and find a good balance. So this entry has been sitting in my notebook for a week or so but here it is in all its glory. I was on my way to a talk at the French Institute, and because of my pathetic lack of ability in dealing with the 24-hour clock, I arrived a couple of hours early and had to duck into Caffè Nero for a bit. I just so happened to have brought my notebook so I could take notes on Les Musées de Paris, so I whipped it out and knocked out a few words. Continue reading
Filed under Scotland
Episode Twenty Five – Goodbye, America
The other part of my spring trip I want to tell you about is our egg-dyeing session. Of course. As I’ve mentioned, Grant has an account of our D.C. trip in the pipeline, and while I’d love to tell you the whole story from my perspective too, I don’t really think anyone cares so much about those three days to require two separate accounts. Plus, I might have a shot at finally getting this blog up to date if I let him take this one. Continue reading
Episode Twenty Four – A Fathers’ Day Card Tutorial
Hello to everyone, for the third time this week! I am such a good little blogger these days!
So today I just want to point you to Scrap-A-Little.com where Helen has posted a brilliant tutorial on how to make an origami shirt-and-tie Fathers’ Day card. I spent quite a while looking for a design I could make myself that wasn’t too cheesy or small-child-y to make for my dad and Grant’s. I love this one because you can play up the cute factor or you can tone it down and make it more suave. Continue reading
Filed under Crafts
Roamward Bound 