"Hola Hola, Coca-Cola"

For the last 9 weeks I have been in what has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Central America has flora and fauna that aren’t seen anywhere else in the world. The beaches are world class and the food can be phenomenal and cheap. I have been thoroughly enjoying my travels in this amazing part of the world. But 3 weeks ago I got thrown in a pickle.

 One morning after waking up to the howler monkeys at Global Creek, Zach brought up that he was ready to head home. He explained to me that he felt is trip was full and complete. He had seen what he wanted to see and gone the places he wanted to go and wanted to change his departure date. Whhaaaatt? I thought. We still have a month left and tons of things to do and see, how could you want to go home? I kept those thoughts to myself and explained to him that he needs to do what he needs to do in order to be happy. An unhappy Zach is not a very enjoyable Zach. So then my thoughts turned to my experience and future travel plans. Does my trip feel complete? Do I want to continue traveling by myself? Of course I do, I quickly said. I am in fucking Costa Rica on the trip of a lifetime; there is no way I am going home early.

I quickly got online and started looking for farms in the area that accept volunteers and would have some fun things to learn. I came across a farm in Nicaragua that was perma-culture oriented and taught bee keeping and bread baking classes. How cool would that be?  I immediately sent off a request form and waited for a reply. In the meantime, both of our mothers arrived. We headed straight to Monte Verde and the cloud forests. It brought a big smile to my face to be able to “show-off” what we had been experiencing for the last 2 months. We went on long hikes through the jungle and even did the oh-so-popular zip lines above the forest canopy, wow was that fun!

The response I received from the farm in Nicaragua was not a very cordial one. It was short and sweet and didn’t give me a direct answer to whether or not I was welcome. In a way that was my excuse. After much thinking during the weeks after Zach broke the news, I realized I was ready to head home as well. I felt that without this farm to go to and no one to travel with, I would be a little lost and quite lonely.  I feel that being able to spend 10 days with my mom is the most enjoyable way to end this trip.  Not to mention the closure I will have, starting and ending this trip with my best bud Zackypoo.

So there it is folks, I am leaving this beautiful country 2 weeks before my original planned departure date.  It wasn’t quick and it wasn’t easy but the decision has been made. I am already looking forward to climbing trips and Frisbee playin’ and good beer back in the states.  But I do have 2 more weeks here to enjoy myself to the fullest. A great, late friend once taught me the mantra of  “Be Here Now”. Don’t let the past or the future cloud your thoughts and keep you from enjoying where you are in this very moment. I have had to remind myself that very thing many times this trip and even now more than ever.

Mums