Day2

Tuesday 1st May

An early but easy start. Just a couple of hours so far working on the medicinal plant trail, then an outing to a hidden waterfall which operates something like a tap :-) Am so glad I learnt to swim.... Felt much easier in the water and really enjoyed it!!

Went with Luis and his son and spoke a lot about indigenous rights: many are protected except when it comes to exploring for oil. No rules there :-(

I'm guessing Luis is my age. He works as a nurse at the local clinic, responsible for out-patients so is often on his motorbike for hours on end visiting patients in the mountains. He earns pretty well for CR standards. Around US$400/month. Think he's saving for a computer with internet (col30000/month - expensive!). Perhaps we can do something there?? Need to think what to send these guys when I leave...

What does it mean to volunteer? Wait to be assigned to something or take the initiative and look for ways to help purposefully?

Think Timoteo is waiting for the mysterious Roberto to materialise. He seems to have started the building project here, Hope I'll be able to contribute more as soon as he arrives. However, somebody was telling me today they have no more wood, so maybe we'll have to find a way to find some money for that before we can start working.

My Spanish is coming back to me and its pretty easy to understand most of the indigenous here. They are all unbelievably friendly and all want to practice their English! Not sure what will happend to my Spanish lessons, though....?

It seems very easy to accept the poverty and destitution here. Sanitation is basic to nothing, water is sparse and electricity a luxury which isn't always available. One thing that seems to work well is the telephone. As of 5pm people from the whole community line up to make calls to who knows who....

Families here are generally big and start young, but somehow everybody survives. A unique community spirit here which would be difficult to find in Europe or the US: OPEN-ACCEPTING-CURIOUS-INTERESTED-CONCERNED-FRIENDLY-SATISFIED-HAPPY(?)-PURA VIDA!

Spoke to Timoteo this evening and am beginning to realise how much help he really needs. He is at the beginning of a long journey and seems to want to do it independently, which will make it much harder and he's not getting any younger (63!).

I can understand his point of view: he's been screwed so many times by the people in Puerto Viejo who have promised him "turistas con plata", but they only ever brought them at the beginning and are now taking them to the "cascadas", charging them $80 and not paying the indigenous for entering their land.

Perhaps I can come up with something to bring them here directly: a few signs, some advertising, spreading the word or finding an organisation who want to get involved with experience similar to Los Pueblos Mancomunidados in Oaxaca. Or a website? Hmm... Need some advice, I think. Should talk to Laura and Scott from Tropical Adventures. Perhaps Dawn Robinson back in te UK? But how to do it without turning it into a tourist trap? Ah, the joys of eco-tourism!! Tricky....