Con Limon y Sal

There is a type of citrus fruit here called Limon. It is not an orange, lemon, or lime, but rather a type of sour mandarin. It is usually a deep green color with distinct bumpy skin which, when scratched, released that delicious, fresh, mandarin smell. It is everywhere here, replacing lemons and limes and oranges en total. And, in my opinion, good riddance. Ticos make ceviche with it, dress salads with the juice, sweeten it to drink, and if you are on the coast, you order your cervesa "con limon y sal".

Every time I travel, I find that my most favorite memories are either taste or olfactory-based. In Greece, I can still recall the taste of the sweet cherry kir served to me along with the best chicken gyro I have ever eaten. To remember that taste opens up other memories of that day: the feel of the hot sun filtering through the branches of the large tree shading the cafe's patio, the sound of the pigeons in the tree and of the man who's only apparent job was to scare the pigeons away so they wouldn't poop on people. The church bells, my aching feet, white tablecloths, and feeling quite grubby compared with the impeccably dressed Greeks.

In Australia, it was the smell of the frangipane flowers. Like it's Hawaiian cousin, the plumeria, the scent was all over the city of Darwin. I looked and looked for a perfume, a soap, anything so I could take that smell with me and finally found a shampoo and conditioner that I ended up using that whole trip. It brings forth memories of sunshine, sand, canyons, waterfalls, urban Sydney, pints of beer, and steak and potatoes.

Here, it's totally the smell of the effervescent limon.

And maybe weed...

Up, up, and awaaaaaaayyyy!!!!

Plans plans plans plans...

It seems that all these last two weeks have been filled with plan making. Plans that were never actually commenced. Plans that have a slim change of commencing. Plans that are a non-pot-smoking girl's idea of pipe dreams. And then there is my Master Plan.

Did you know that you can take a sailboat from a port in Panama on a 5-day trip to Cartagena, Colombia? Yes, you can. It costs about as much as flying from San Jose (Costa Rica) to Cartagena. This is exciting. Apparently, Cartagena is a beautiful old city that attracts lots of backpackers and travelers. There is also the chance of taking the sailboat BACK to Panama, giving me a total of TEN (gasp!), TEN days on the water.

This dream is very far off in the future. But I really want to try and accomplish it. Sounds like a nice adventure for a girl like me.

In the meantime, I have another month of Spanish classes gearing up. I start on Monday in a town called Turrialba about two hours outside of San Jose. After a week there, I travel to La Fortuna, near the volcano Arenal. This is a huge tourist trap, but should be fun to wander around for a week. Finally, I get to return to the surfer's haven of Dominical for two sunny weeks.

This next round of studying is going to be a blow to the head: six hours a day, four in the morning, two in the afternoon of tutoring. I expect to see a huge improvement in my language skills. I'd BETTER see a huge improvement in my language skills. Especially if I want to go to Colombia.

Today's musical choice: Soundtrack to Eagle vs. Shark which is mainly composed by the Phoenix Foundation. Good for your traveling spirit.