Movin' my mojo south

Hey guys, all is well here! We have been in Costa Rica for the past week now. We were in San Jose for a few days, then we traveled onward to the most beautifully warm watered beach on the Pacific Coast, Manuel Antonio.  To be honest, it was a little freaky, because there were so many tourists. This is when I was especially grateful that I am a traveler and not a tourist, as there is a difference. The people I observed didn´t seem to interact as much with the locals, and seemed to be there solely for themselves. This of course can´t help but be an overgeneralization to an extent, but that is definitely the vibe I got. With that mindfulness, it was still an awesome beach and Cass and I surfed here and enjoyed some beach exercise. We went out one night, and danced merengue with a few folks. I tell ya, I will dance until I turn green, but when it comes to salsa and merengue, I definitely need some lessons. As the rhythm of the night progressed, lo and behold, I looked across the bar and saw someone wearing a West Virginia ballcap!  As I inquired about his whereabouts, he told me that was his cousin´s hat. I proceeded to chat with his cousin for a good while, and turns out he is a raft guide in W.VA.! It was hilarious! Anyway, they were awesome guys, and a group of us ended up going back to their neat house entangled in the forests. My night was made because not only did I get to ride his motorcycle back to their house, but I was greeted by the friendliest, playful little black mut. Next time I´m in WVA for summer, I´ll have a free raft ride! It was a nice night with the locals.

Now we are back in San Jose and have enjoyed this city for a few days, but I´m ready to feel the cool breeze of the mountains. We stumbled upon an awesome Arts Festival yesterday, filled with local artisans and musicians. Cassidy and I truly were two of the few white folks (which we enjoyed considering most of our time in Costa Rica has been much more expensive and gringofied 5,000!) We were going to travel down through Panama and across to Colombia and over to Ecuador, but for the sake of time, and money also, we went to a travel agency today and booked a student rated flight to Quito, Ecuador for tomorrow morning.

I can´t tell you how stoked I am to be embarking on the second phase of our trip. I of course love traveling, but I am ready to start volunteering and giving back. I got word on two volunteer sites I am able to work at, and both sound absolutely wonderful and extremely authentic. The first one isn´t even through an organization, it is solely this indigenous tribe living deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon wishing to share their richness in culture. I believe there are only 15 families living in the village. They have not seen many travelers, there is no electricity, and bathing will be in the river. We will be helping out with anything from agriculture, health, to arts and crafts, and as their community is aware of the damage being done is other areas of the Amazon, they are anxious to adopt efficient sustainable methods of living. I do not want to attach any expectations to this potential embarkment, as to fully experience whatever may unfold.

On a side note, I´m not sure if any of you have heard (I feel the news down here has been diverting its attention) but a mudslide triggered by heavy rains caused a oil spill from the SOTE pipeline in the Amazon in Ecuador near the active volcano, El Reventador. The SOTE pipeline delivers oil from the Amazon to the Pacific Coast. 4,000 barrels of crude spilled into a swamp in this mountainous region, undoubtedly damaging and killing flora, fauna and wildlife. The crude also leaked into the Quijos River, which supplies water to several towns. A 160-man crew helped to contain the spill and is now removing the oil out of the tributaries by hand. I deeply feel the despair of our land.

The community I hope to volunteer with are aware of similar events in their land, ensued by nature and man alike. Next, I really look forward to volunteering with the Santa Martha Rescue Center. They have two sites, one in the Andes and one in the Amazon. The center in the Amazon seems amazing because they are also working alongside with an indigenous Indian community.  They are an animal sanctuary that rescues and rehabilitates wild animals who have been mistreated or malnourished through unhealthy and illegal situations, and may have been victims of animal trafficking. I met a girl in Guatemala who worked with them and absolutely loved it, saying that she was interacting with lions, tigers, bears, and had monkeys flying all over her head!

I am also hoping to plan a homestay during my first week in Quito, to improve my spanish and gain insight into the authenticity of my surroundings.

Nonetheless, I am so ready to be getting on this plane tomorrow, to be embarking into the mystical coolness of Ecuador, to ground my feet on the mountainous soil.

How are all you doin??? I hope life is going well in all of your respective locations. Don´t you know, I´ve been carrying you all in my pockets throughout my travels! I see each and every one of you in my travels and through particular experiences. Traveling really does allow you to appreciate those you love back home so thank you for being one and all of those people in my fondest of thoughts!

Well, that´s about all the juice I´ve got for now gang! Thanks again for everything!

Much love,

Whitney