Finally in the Caribbean 11/07
I had to spend another two days in San Jose to look for clothes and to have my car, which broke down again, repaired. It was only the clutch cable, so that wasn’t too bad. Gina, my friend from Puerto Viejo was inSan Jose to pick up her boyfriend, Renzo, at the airport. I stayed at the sweet little hotel where they were.
Gina is from California. Her parents moved the family to Costa Rica when she was in high school and she went to an only Spanish speaking school. She learned Spanish by immersion. She met her husband while in college and moved out to his home in the Caribbean. She’s been there for 30 years and is fluent in Spanish and Patois. Patois is a combination of English, French and Spanish with some made up words thrown in. It is what the Blacks of Jamaican decent speak among themselves. They also speak English. At 19 Gina jumped into the totally foreign black culture and made herself at home. She says it is because the people were so warm and welcoming to her. She has raised her children, who live in San Jose where there is more opportunity, her husband died a few years back and now she manages her property with various rentals and a restaurant. When Renzo is here he helps.
Renzo spends time in both Puerto Viejo and Newark, New Jersey, where his family is. They come from Argentina, I think, but Renzo was also once a taxi driver in Peru. He is a great, big, teddy bear of a guy who is very outgoing and fun.
They took me all over town, with the plan to go shopping with me for clothes, but first we had to go see Gina’s daughter’s new house. Laley is a gorgeous 23 year old mulatto with dreds/braids down past her butt. The family had just sold some land and she was thrilled to show us her brand new Toyota RAV 4 that she had paid cash for, with her part of the profit. A comedy of errors kept me from my shopping, as we drove all over San Jose, looking for Laley’s house. We got lost a number of times and I realized that, contrary to my presumption, two people are not better than one when trying to drive in San Jose. They got lost more than I did!
The next day I spent some time in the “Ropa Americana” stores. Ever wonder what happens to the Salvation Army and Good Will rejects. They are being worn in third world countries and by me!
On this attempt to get out of Dodge, I took the northern route, through the mountains and rain forest national park. I stayed over night at a hotel off the highway and slept with one eye open toward my car, just outside my window. All went well and as I reached the Caribbean shore, a good feeling came over me.
These photos were taken on the way to Puerto Viejo. Big difference between here and the Pacific!
Puerto Limon in the distance. The largest port on the Caribbean coast.
