costa rica   bAck January 07: Here I am in Montezuma, Costa Rica! I'm very happy to be with Maya and Luis. They welcomed me in their family, and they say they are happy to share a bit of their trip with me. I arrived in full working season, but I'm happy to keep them company at their stall, or when they produce their handicrafts while drinking "mate". I am even learning how to weave butterflies and dragonflies!! The little beach where we live is called Taquicardia and we have at home a sailing boat that Palacete gave us as a present. We sell our handicrafts at the village center, which is a confluence of very different realities, we always meet persons and interesting people... Well, that's all for today. Now we go back home, we are going to bake some bread with sunflower seeds. Chau! With Maya and Cristián This is the sailboat that Palacete gave us Making necklaces and drinking "mate" Watching the sunset... March-April 07: National Festival of the Arts, San Carlos (Costa Rica) Wednesday 24th March: early morning, we warm up some water for the "mate" drink and we leave for San José in our little house on wheels, I almost feel like a snail... Wow! travelling with the house!! Camilo, Luis and Maya's dog, is also coming with us, he is also a traveller just like me, he left Uruguay already 5 years ago. I was a bit afraid of him at the begining but now we are very good friends, from time to time he carries me on his back, but shhh... this is a secret! It is still night, but it already looks like it's going to be a warm day. Dawn surprises us on the ferry crossing the gulf of Nicoya... Pink, orange, red, the giant appears at the horizon, we breath deeply and we fill ourselves with energy, thank you SUN!!! Then back to the road, everything is green during the trip, even my eyes are green after looking so long time, my blood is green because of so much "mate" drinking. In the capital city, San José... A monocycle is added to our luggage, mind you, I like it! but I can't reach the pedals... Dawn from the ferry National Festival of the Arts San Carlos Friday 26th March: Yahooooo!! We reach San Carlos and we participate in the Art Festival there. There are clowns, jugglers, acrobats, dancers, workshops, muppets, enormous sculptures, open air cinema, live music in a wonderful stage y many many maaaany other things... I was visiting several workshops with Maya, from show to show, I met many people these days, I made many new friends made of papier mache, carboard and rag, and I am learning how to juggle and stay still on top of a ball. I really like the world of art!!! At night, we sleep at the Red Cross, there is logding there for the artists and artisans, we can use their showers and kitchen, very good people indeed! And now that I mention it... Maya and Luis say it's time for me to take a bath and comb my whiskers, but pleaaaaaase no cold water!! I will wait until sunday, when we go to some thermal springs. /td> With some of my friends With Maya At the Red Cross At the Red Cross With the big one Circus performance Sunday 28th March: Today I met someone very special, his name is Charly, he is a gringo mouse, he is also travelling around. We talked a lot and he told me his story. He was also adopted by a travelling couple, Charly was living in a shelf of a artisan shop in Pennsylvania until he met Carlos and Marbella in 2001, he is Costa Rican and she is from Venezuela. Carlos is an artisan, he makes masks with cabuya, a vegetal fiber obtained from a plant leaf. For Costa Ricans, cabuya fiber represents the old days of their grandparents and great-granparents that used it for making bags, lamps, saddlebags and sacks for cofee exports. Charly says that travelling with them is the best thing that has happened to him. They have been together in many places, they lived for 3 years in Pennsylvania and he got to know the whole East Coast, they were in Maryland, Boston and New York, where Charly loved to run around the sewers -such are mice- he claims! Carlos and Marbella say that Charly and Carlos look very much alike, big ears, big feet, big nose. A friend that I will not forget!!! With my friend Charly With Maya, Pablo, Celina and Charly Inside a cabuya mask With Carlos and Charly Tuesday 30th March: Today is our fifth day at the festival. I'm green of so much mate and salad... my god, these vegetarians!! I continue meeting artists from the whole world, a big salad of nationalities, but in reality nationality is the least important thing if we think similarly, borders only exist to encourage smuggling, I met some colombians that are here as illegals? because they cannot enter Costa Rica and they have the same problem in other countries... Can you believe this? things got that far, who gave them the right not to let someone roam freely through the "pachamama", the Mother Earth, which belongs to everybody???? Little friend Interview Last day of the festival: The festival ends today, I really enjoyed it! And I learned a lot, and I think that's the most important issue, since life is a trip, and a trip means learning all the time. I hope you will enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed these days. Big kisses! Hasta la vista malabarista! AKI Mural Mural CostA rICa ConTinUeS...