Mary J. May Have Saved My Life

I am going to go with complete honesty for this adventure both for the cultural context and the adventure itself.

Let's start back at last Wednesday night. Wednesday was a great day full of classes, yoga, and surf. Wednesday also happens to be ladies night here in Jaco. Ladies night is not the usual dollar off drinks, instead, it is free, free pour hard liquor drinks for hours. It proved to be a saucy night of bar hopping. We began the night at the 'Backyard.' The backyard consists of Hermosa Beach, the best/most dangerous surf spot reserved for the pros. Here Sean was my prince while I played Cinderella. I was hanging out on the balcony (you know how I love living on the edge.. he he) and lost my shoe and he rescued it. From there we continued dancing at a couple other bars including a dodgey monkey bar where I got my groove on with some nice prostitutes. Prostitutes in Jaco bars are the norm. For the majority, they are not Ticas, but Colombians, El Salvadorians, and Nicaraguins with quite a mafia background. Either way I was safe as there were 20 people from the school with us. At the end of the night Sean and I decided to walk home. I was jumping on curbs and dancing in the street... then the minute I started walking I lost my footing and fell in a trench. I went straight to the ground and decided to lay out to laugh off any pride that may be left and decipher how hurt I was. Sean was baffled. This lay out on the side of the street action caused my chariot in the form of a dollar taxi ride to swing around and pick us up. Needless to say, this rather hilarious moment put me out for two days worth of activities and now a week later it is still stiff. grrr.

The following Saturday after being trapped at Esculea del Mundo for two days I decided I would go with two of the nicest girls from Holland and check out small town, Puteneras. It was nice to get out of Jaco tourism and see some of real Costa Rica even if the place was a complete dive.

I arrived back at the school around 4 and knew that my two best mates, teachers from New York, were going to leave for a couple days to the Carribean side,a 5 hour drive. I was really unsure I wanted to go, it wasn't well planned, and quite expensive. In the end though, I rationalized that life is about experiences/adventures and couldn't resist.

The night began with Freddy picking us up in a white decked out surfer van. Before leaving we had to do an apparently necessary weed run. Now I have a zero tolerance policy for drugs for myself. I am personally not interested in experiencing foreign prisons and back home I value my professionalism and don't think it is worth any risk. That said, I am super liberal about what other people choose to do and I get that perhaps the risks for them are quite different and I am apparently a little prudeish. I thought ahh well whatever it is for the beach and regaee party.

4 minutes out of Jaco and my companions began rolling a joint with the light on in the back of the van. Freddy, was speeding through the dark mountain. At this point I am supremely quiet wishing I knew how to do a 'Hail Mary.' Joint is finished being rolled and all of a sudden on the side of the road there is not one, two, or three policia but 8! I can't believe my life. The kids in the back are stuffing their butt cracks and bras with the stuff while Freddy is getting out of the vehicle to go talk to the police. The police man comes over to our quiet van and looks in my window. Meanwhile I am sure the fumes of the weed is like an aural attack. I break the silence by giving a cute 'Hola.' Freddy says we are Americans which I interrupt with a 'No! Soy de Canada!. As Freddy leaves to talk to the police again, he picks up his cell phone and says 'If they ask you if you paid me say, no' I am thinking he has quickly called his dealer and warning him in case the police check his phone. Sure enough the police come back to talk to us and we answer back honestly in Spanish that we paid him to take us to the Carribean side. Apparently this wasn't the best thing to do because if they knew Freddy had money they would have taken it from him... but alas he knew on of the police and got off clean. Therefore we were off, and luckily nothing happened to us.

Surf boards on the roof, regaee music blasting... this surreal surf movie experience I am apparently starring in. We made it just outside of San JOse to the toll booth. It had begun to pour rain and a woman with black makeup running down her face starts waving at us arms flailing. Think horror movie. She told us that the Panamerican highway has been shut down due to a landslide and large accident while and ambulance roars up behind us. In Freddy's 15 years of doing this, this is the first time this has happened.
We decide to turn back and look for a place to stay in San Jose. We search hostel after hostel, finally find one but the guy was a jerk to me... and Freddy would have non of that so we had to keep searching. After an hour or so we find a place... and then the hunt for food follows a similar turn and takes at least another hour to find a place that is open. Finally, sleep welcomed us but not before I had to scream and kill the largest cockroach I have ever seen. What a great start!

The next day we leave early. We took a different route due to the road still being closed and the drive through the mountains was breathtaking. We passed a church, that every year all Costa Ricans are supposed to walk to for a pilgrimage. Once at Peurto Viajeo (spelling is probably wrong) Freddy drove us around van doors open, similar to showing off prized cattle. We stopped and said hi to everyone in town. I didn't mind so much, because the fact that we were there paying Freddy for his services is a testament to Freddy. Freddy is actually an amazing person, albeit a ridiculous chronic. He grew up on the streets of this lazy hippie town. He slept under boats, didn't go to school trying to fend for himself. Since then, he has learned to read and write, speaks amazing English, became the MC for the weekly surf competition in Jaco, became a great surfer, opened a surf school, bought his mother and siblings a small house in San jose so they are not on the street, gives back whenever he can... bringing all his friends gifts and giving change supporting anyone who is trying to make money. The man parties non-stop but is constantly thanking God we are alive, not in hospital or Jail... saying things like it is meant to be. I have the most respect for this ambitious crazy 27 year old.

That day it rained so we looked around the gift shops and then had a night of dancing and bar hopping. One of the coolest places was a local gathering where everyone was doing the salsa. I looooooooooved it!! Freddy was no where to be found all day... he was much too busy catching up with his friends... but his companion also street kid, Chino, stuck by us the whole night. We practiced our Spanish and he was an excellent host/trouble guard. Really, Chino's kind quiet nature though very similar past to Freddy... at age 10 his mom stopped giving him food... made the trip for me.

The next day more rain, we walked around... went to a different beach for dinner. We were to be back at 6pm to leave back to Jaco. After non-stop waiting on my part to do anything, stoners are not too productive, we finally arrived back at the hostel to go. Freddy, greeted us at the van and said the rain had caused the other road to be washed out too. Both highways were out. Freddy wanted to try it but we convinced him that night driving on a road he didn't really know was not wise. Alas, we were stuck one more night. More street walking and then I retired early.

It was a good choice to stay put as the beautiful drive back did have piles of mud on the side... and had it come down while driving we would have been pushed off the mountain side. Marijuana therefore saved my life twice because, because of it I had to wait around a lot and missed not one but two mudslides.

All and all, it was a trip, both literally and metaphorically but a good experience to look back on and again be thankful for the life I had while growing up and the many experiences I am afforded, including flying 'high' through Costa Rican jungle highways.

As Freddy would say;
"Ya buddy, Pura Vida! Thank God we are alive and well!"