Ok, not really. Being stupid gringos we came at the beginning of the rainy season, and will probably leave just as it starts to become nice and dry. I'm just missing the crisp, cool air of fall (which I think nobody has yet, but that doesn't stop me missing it....). Nonetheless, change is in the air, and I thought I'd update this with some of our current musings.
When we came in July, we coincided with a lot of volunteer turnover, meaning that we got to know a lot of new faces but not a lot of old. Tom, the manager, left at that time for a two month vacation in Canada with his partner, and Holly came in as interim manager. Now, at the end of two months, everyone else who came when we did is leaving. Holly left two days ago, Max and Kyle, who got here the week we did, leave next week, as do the two other volunteers currently on the reserve. Luckily, next week's mass exodus coincides with our already planned visa renewal run to Nicaragua, so we'll be leaving temporarily as well. We're excited for our Nicaragua trip because we'll be meeting up with Casey, a Middlebury friend, and traveling for a few days - probably to an island in Lake Nicaragua (the largest lake in Central America). When we come back, Tom and Linda will be here, and maybe a new short-term volunteer. But otherwise, we're looking ahead to a very different feel around Cloudbridge.
One of the biggest things I think we'll miss (other than the people - Miss you already, Holly!), is the freedom to hang out in Tom's beautiful house whenever we want. Holly stayed here, and hosted lots of game nights and potlucks, and we came up to bake several times a week. In the transitional time while we're managers (so far nothing has gone wrong while we're in charge, fingers crossed it will stay this way), we get to stay in the big house! I'm including some pictures here - the house is gorgeous, but Tom-sized. Which is to say, everything is too tall for those of us of a normal height. But it's nice and airy, and a few big boulders which were already here are simply built into the house, lending a lot of character.
Besides taking care of the house and the reserve, we also get to take care of Rose, Tom's elderly dog. We're certain that Rose was once sprightly and fun, but at the ripe age of 16 she has lost most of these characteristics and now her favorite pastimes are staring at nothing and licking rocks.
The work in the plot has gone more quickly than expected, so we've decided to leave after 3 months rather than the 4 that we had originally planned. Beyond giving us a change of pace, we are hoping to find something to do that will be cheaper. Somehow money always gets spent more quickly than hoped, and our trip is already shrinking - there's no way we'll be able to afford staying until late next spring. But that doesn't mean we won't make the most of the time we have in Latin America! We're thinking that our next step will be to return to Nicaragua, and find some sort of a volunteer opportunity there. We're waiting to hear back from an eco-lodge on the San Juan River, and otherwise looking at an opportunity working at an organic farm on Ometepe Island, in Lake Nicaragua. Nicaragua is supposed to be much cheaper than Costa Rica overall, and one of these opportunities offers free room and board, while the other costs $4/day, everything included. We're also waiting to get some more details from Casey about his bird-banding volunteer opportunity, something that we might end up doing for a while. After about a month in Nicaragua, November is shaping up to be a month full of visitors, first Matt's dad George, and then hopefully Becca and Dave from Denver. Everyone wants to come to Costa Rica, so we will be back here traveling with them. After that we expect to make our way south, through Panama and into Colombia. After the Lost City trek in Colombia, we will probably make our way back to the states - so you can expect to see us sometime in January or February.
Ok! So there's the proposed outline of the rest of our trip. We're looking forward to more travels, and will, of course, keep you updated!
*Speaking of updates... before I even finished this blog, the electricity went out at several of the buildings, and as interim manager I had to trek up the hill to the hydroelectric intake. After scrubbing some filters armpit deep in the tank, I'm hopeful that the electricity will return at any time. Otherwise, the real manager returns tomorrow!
When we came in July, we coincided with a lot of volunteer turnover, meaning that we got to know a lot of new faces but not a lot of old. Tom, the manager, left at that time for a two month vacation in Canada with his partner, and Holly came in as interim manager. Now, at the end of two months, everyone else who came when we did is leaving. Holly left two days ago, Max and Kyle, who got here the week we did, leave next week, as do the two other volunteers currently on the reserve. Luckily, next week's mass exodus coincides with our already planned visa renewal run to Nicaragua, so we'll be leaving temporarily as well. We're excited for our Nicaragua trip because we'll be meeting up with Casey, a Middlebury friend, and traveling for a few days - probably to an island in Lake Nicaragua (the largest lake in Central America). When we come back, Tom and Linda will be here, and maybe a new short-term volunteer. But otherwise, we're looking ahead to a very different feel around Cloudbridge.
One of the biggest things I think we'll miss (other than the people - Miss you already, Holly!), is the freedom to hang out in Tom's beautiful house whenever we want. Holly stayed here, and hosted lots of game nights and potlucks, and we came up to bake several times a week. In the transitional time while we're managers (so far nothing has gone wrong while we're in charge, fingers crossed it will stay this way), we get to stay in the big house! I'm including some pictures here - the house is gorgeous, but Tom-sized. Which is to say, everything is too tall for those of us of a normal height. But it's nice and airy, and a few big boulders which were already here are simply built into the house, lending a lot of character.
The work in the plot has gone more quickly than expected, so we've decided to leave after 3 months rather than the 4 that we had originally planned. Beyond giving us a change of pace, we are hoping to find something to do that will be cheaper. Somehow money always gets spent more quickly than hoped, and our trip is already shrinking - there's no way we'll be able to afford staying until late next spring. But that doesn't mean we won't make the most of the time we have in Latin America! We're thinking that our next step will be to return to Nicaragua, and find some sort of a volunteer opportunity there. We're waiting to hear back from an eco-lodge on the San Juan River, and otherwise looking at an opportunity working at an organic farm on Ometepe Island, in Lake Nicaragua. Nicaragua is supposed to be much cheaper than Costa Rica overall, and one of these opportunities offers free room and board, while the other costs $4/day, everything included. We're also waiting to get some more details from Casey about his bird-banding volunteer opportunity, something that we might end up doing for a while. After about a month in Nicaragua, November is shaping up to be a month full of visitors, first Matt's dad George, and then hopefully Becca and Dave from Denver. Everyone wants to come to Costa Rica, so we will be back here traveling with them. After that we expect to make our way south, through Panama and into Colombia. After the Lost City trek in Colombia, we will probably make our way back to the states - so you can expect to see us sometime in January or February.
Ok! So there's the proposed outline of the rest of our trip. We're looking forward to more travels, and will, of course, keep you updated!
*Speaking of updates... before I even finished this blog, the electricity went out at several of the buildings, and as interim manager I had to trek up the hill to the hydroelectric intake. After scrubbing some filters armpit deep in the tank, I'm hopeful that the electricity will return at any time. Otherwise, the real manager returns tomorrow!
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