More Adversity 11/07
On September 30th, I set out for the Caribbean, to follow my heart. There are two ways to get there from San Jose. The northern route goes through the rain forest mountains and the national park. It is the fastest and most efficient with the best roads - a four hour drive. I went that way by tour van last February. This time I would take the southern route, through the valley, passing farmland and many little towns. It was a longer drive but I wanted to see the country. I would take my time and find a place to stay over, on the way.
My first stop was in the town of Cartago, which is the capital city of the state of Cartago. Most towns have a central church. The church in Cartago is famous. In 1635 a statue of the Virgin Mary was found there. It was removed and miraculously reappeared in the same place. The church, Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, is a pilgrimage destination for people all over Central America. It was breathtakingly beautiful! I felt the special Presence inside and I was awed by the devotion shown in the detailed craftsmanship.
My trip had a lovely start. The weather was pleasant, I was away from San Jose traffic and the pastoral farmland was charming. I continued on to the town of Orosi. Orosi is a small town, famous for it’s beautiful views, coffee plantations and hot springs. On a mountain, above the town, is a park with views of the town, in the valley below. It was enchanting! As I drove into this quaint little place, I began to feel as though I was falling in love! It felt almost magical, to me. I found an interesting looking guest house and stopped in to get a room.
The man who rented me the room has lived in that town all his life. We talked of how nice it would be to live there. He assured me that my car was safe, parked in front of the hotel and I thought nothing more of it. This was not San Jose, where you had to think twice on every move you made. This was a sweet, innocent little village, where anyone could live happily ever after - in my mind. The next morning I woke up to the devastating sight of my car with no top, and the stereo and the suitcase with all my clothes (which I had been unable to fit into my security trunk) gone!
I can’t tell you how that feels. It is like living a nightmare and you can’t wake up. I was shaken. I was surprised that I did not cry, but I was in shock. The crying came later and lasted all day. I went to the hotel owners, the police were called, there were a few sympathetic observers, but that was it. The police did not come, nobody did a thing. I had to go back to San Jose to get a top for my car and I had to drive vulnerable, in the open and get there before the afternoon rains.
I was scared and still shaking but I pulled myself together and did it and it actually wasn’t so bad. I had no problems, the weather was fine and I got to drive my convertible with the top down! I never did that in San Jose.
In San Jose, I stopped to see an American guy who’s name, I had been given, to help me find another top for my car. Rick owns an auto accessory shop. After guiding in Alaska for years, he moved to Costa Rica and started a windshield repair business. That was 20 years ago. He now has a bustling, busy auto accessory shop that is very successful. On the Pacific coast, he owns a 1500 acre farm with 60 horses. His dream is to give horseback tours across the country. But his auto business will not allow him the time to pursue his dream, so he feels stuck in San Jose.
Rick’’s shop installs stereos and alarms and since he was helping me I thought I’d have him put both in my car. I was determined to recover from the traumatic events of that day. Regardless of the money, which had become a concern, I was not going to see the missing stereo every time I drove and be reminded of this incident. And the alarm would help prevent my new convertible top from being stolen. By now it was afternoon. The used top Rick had found for me was unacceptable and the rains had started. I went to dinner with Rick and his friend Carlos, a charming, retired Costa Rican police captain and I accepted Rick’s invitation to use his spare bedroom for the night. I couldn’t go anywhere in my car in the rain. The next morning I drove across San Jose, found a new top for my car, paid $75.00 more than I had been quoted and I was off to replace my stolen clothes.
I have never been robbed before. At first I was not sure I would write about it. I could imagine people saying “I said she was nuts for doing this, I warned her never to trust anybody.” But I am not yet ready to run home with my tail between my legs. I am determined to make this venture a success. From the start, I have established that I am writing an overall account of my journey, including the good and the bad. And so here it is.
Many, many different thoughts on this experience have gone through my head. I think the hardest part for me was admitting that I had done something really stupid! Am I a bad person? Did I do something wrong? How could this have happened to me? And then humor came to save me. The thought popped into my head that - no, I’m Ok, I just fell in love, and when I fall in love I get stupid! It’s true, this time I had fallen in love with a town, not a person. But for me, it was the same. When you fall in love you only see the best characteristics in your loved one, you may not know them well, but you imagine that they are wonderful. You want to relax, enjoy the moment and you want to trust. Which is exactly what I did in Orosi. I take this as a lesson in the exercise of caution. And, as always, it could have been worse. Most of my irreplaceable things, like my laptop, credit cards and passport were either with me or in the security trunk, which, by the way, worked very well. They did not even try to get in there.
View of Orosi
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