Those places that call

Well, I am feeling guilty for not continuing here, so I will give it a go. I think I will pull up a subject that inspires rather than one that is sequential. There was an article in the newspaper today about a tragedy in one of my favourite places in the world, Costa Rica. This little country in the middle of war-torn Central America has no army, has one of the highest educational levels in the same area of the world, and some darn nice people. Amazing coffee too.
What a beautiful place....now, I love forests and mountains, and volcanoes and oceans. Not everyone can take the true experience. I find a certain invigoration from being in places that remind me very definitively how incredibly small and unimportant in the grander scheme of things I,...we,...really are. Some part of you can come alive when walking in a place where, were you to lose your guide, you would become part of the food chain in a heart beat. And good luck to you beating the odds. They will NOT be in your favour.
Even in December, Costa Rica is heavy with humidity. That odd creature sits on your back,even inside in the air conditioning. It is like living so close to a living creature : one has to breath in its scent with each inhale, feel its presence somewhere in the confines of your home 24 hours a day. I have only experienced that feeling once before, and that was in New Orleans. There they admit to the true life of the creature, knowing they have to live with it daily. Rumour has it that is why the natives eat so much of the local food over standard fast food. They know how to fight the beast off: sensual satisfaction. It's really just the heat, you know. It is just that it is so much easier to have someone else to blame later.

In Costa Rica, this thing permeates life itself, even in San Jose. One is living so close to the earth that the creature is almost a part of you. You have seven active volcanoes in your back yard...and front yard, too! The land is tremendously fertile because of the volcanos, so plant foods and shelter is provided for, even for the poorest. The rearing of meat for food is widespread but getting more numerous are those who buy from others. Still, the creature will not let you forget what lurks outside your window.
It is those of us from the outside that have to come to terms with this relationship. "You can stay here if you show me some respect." I've heard the trees and lianas whispering this as we tourists grazed along the mere edges of a rainforest more vast than some small cities in this country. I wonder what would happen to one who didn't. It is hard to imagine anyone walking in the Moranco wilderness perserve and failing to walk out without understanding the nature of Nature a little better. She is truly in charge, do not be fooled. We are but arrogant pawns, making a noise, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, to quote someone or other.

The silence in places like this is deafening. Your own blood rushing through your ears becomes a roar, and you wonder if you are hearing things or your mind is playing tricks. It would be easy to get turned around, confused. The trees grow irratically, there is no true path, just a person in front who knows this land as if he had been born from her breast.
He blessed each in the group before we walked in, leaving anything negative behind, and letting the forest know we came as friend, not foe. The heaviness in the air was such that we took his actions as normal. Who were we in the face of this vastness to question one who was actually Her shaman? His word was our law, his leadership our preservation. Were we to lose him, we probably wouldn't see home again. Following was simply not questioned. There were none among us who wished to challenge the thought. No city street ever felt this dangerous. I understand something of the explorer now -the amazing rush of adrenalin when you find yourself facing potential death. It is truly a way to remember you are alive. And you come out the other side a little less gripy about all of life's little inequities; you beat the odds today. You walked out of a jungle unscathed, one with no police or EMS or fire department. You got out of a place that saw you for that few hours as just so much food not yet consumed. For now.

long time gone

I have been a bit neglectful here of late. There have just been too many other thoughts vying for attention. My latest exploits of travel have managed to be uneventful, or frustrating, so I have gone to other things to make myself feel better. I will get back to this train through the countryside of my brain soon. There is much I have done and much yet to do
out there beyond Route 66.

I will only say one thing before I leave for now: Alaska.

Okay maybe a couple more. Iceland.
And Costa Rica!