plural

Just arrived in my final
destination within costa rica
Tamarindo
on the pacific coast
the beach looks beautiful
and the scenery is not slacking either

I spent the last two days
exploring the cloud forest
of Monte Verde
on the ride there from
Las Fortunas (where the Arenal Volcano is)
I shared a cab with a young lady
of tibetan heritage
Her father is the Consular General
in the southern US
representing the nation of India

we had most pleasant
conversations about a
variety of subjects
shared meals and
provided each other
company to the various
tourist attractions

In the cloud forest
there is a tour called
the Sky Trek
it costs about $38
but if you bring your student id
you can negotiate it down some
[other people got it for as low as $23]
[but i was being a bad jew]
[and not worrying about the cost]
the same place provides the Sky Walk
which i dont recommend, it was nice
but pricey for an hours walk ($14)
[they claim its closer to two hours]
[but even taking it easy I made it]
[in under an hour]

The sky trek is a combination of
Trails, Bridges and Zip Lines
through and around the forest

the terrian is beautiful
and the feeling of wishing
through the trees on the
zip lines was great
all my tarzan fantasies
got cleared up nicely
[wait no]
[there is still one left]
[anyone seen jane?]

the company was nice
as i had grown tired
of eating alone every meal
and
i am never one to shirk
from doing my duty
to foster international relations

any this morning
i left to come here
and damn near didnt make it

about an hour into the
four hour trip
the jeep i was
hmm
leashed to
[i think riding is]
[being too generous]
[i spent easily as much time]
[being bounced above the jeep]
[as inside it]

started smoking
personally i think
smoking just about anything
[crack pot etc] is a matter
of personal choice
and
as such I generally
decide in each situation
whether i want to be a
party to said activities

in this case
i did not really want
to partake in the smoking of the car
but was not given any
other options

so after about ten minutes
crouched behind a tree
in a ditch beside the road
we figure the car has smoked enough
and probably isnt going to explode

we amble over
carefully lift the hood
and find that
one of the cables
that connect to the battery
has been severed
melted to be exact
the clamp is around the terminal
the screw that holds it in place
has been liquified and
has dripped down and through
the top surface of the battery

now i may not speak
fluent spanish
but that pretty much says
your fucked in any language

so feeling brave
i hold the cable to the terminal
completing the electric circuit
so the driver can attempt to
reach help via the CB radio

no luck

so sitting on the side
of the road
[in reality more a path]
[likely formed because]
[a llama took a leak]
[and liquids flow down hill]

we wait for about twenty minutes
and a car comes down the road
waves and continues on

an hour later the next
vehicle
a large semi comes around
the bend
stops
and two guys get out
they talk to the driver
for a few minutes
and
grab their tools

it was twenty minutes
of the most impressive
"McGyver"ing I have seen in a while
and in short order
we were back on the move
sure with the occasional splash of
battery acid
but who wants to be beautiful
forever?

i can not honestly say
how it was fixed
but i can assure you
that more parts came out
of the vehicle and
more strange things went into
the vehicle than were
probably a good thing

so
about two hours ago
i arrived in tamarindo
went to the bank
[one of my two]
[credit cards worked]
[so YAY!]
which took about an hour
found an internet cafe
which i am obivously using
and
in short order
will be heading to my hotel
and getting something to eat

oh and i forgot to mention
Monte Verde
it rained
it poured
sweet jesus redemption rain
makes everything clean
even that laundry list of sins
i call my soul

except the roads
those it made
into foot deep
sliding mud trenches
i lost one of my
feet and spent
about twenty minutes
looking for the damn thing

head in the clouds
feet mired in mud
i would say
the cloud forest aint much
different than home
but then again
i aint got no fancy
edumaction to being saying
stuff like that