The Frog Whisperer and Other Stuff

First, an update on my well being. I put a whole whack of photos on my FaceBook, so if you're not my FB friend, email me to see the photos!

I have traveled from La Fortuna to Monteverde to Santa Teresa in four days. I have walked down and up 330 hard steps to a waterfall then back to town, walked hanging bridges, zip lined across the canopy in Santa Elena, hiked 16 km to photograph hummingbirds, saw volcanos, yet another sloth, more toucans, lots of slimy creatures, eaten Tico food - there's a casada - rice, beans, meat or fish, maybe a bit of salad, eaten gallo pinto for breakfast - more rice and beans and eggs and cheese and imbibed awesome coffee and tried to swim in the ocean  I have tons of mosquito bites, ant bites and something other bits that itches more than anything ever has...but I feel absolutely great.

I ate sea bass in Monteverde, seared tuna in Santa Teresa, drank a Tico beer called Pilsen in every place, watched a Tico soccer game.

More importantly, I met my friends Jean Paul and Simone again - spent a couple of days hanging with them, laughing and being. They are off to Honduras and Mexico, and perhaps we will meet again in January in Ecuador so we can go to the Galapagos Islands together.

In Monteverde, I hung out at the coolest hostel - http://pensionsantaelena.com/ - where I met Milan and Marissa who live there and Milan's brother Francis - Milan is Panamanian, Marissa from LA, Steve from Germany, Lisa from New Hampshire - people who come into your life and leave in a day, and yet teach you something.

Now in Santa Teresa, chilling by the beach, watching surfers surf and tanners tan - everyone is so tanned...here until whenever...

So enough about me. Meet Geovani.

I don't know how old he is. I know he speaks many languages, mostly words for animals and repltiles and anphibians and birds. We met him at out hotel. He offers tours of some private land almost right in the town of La Fortuna. He's been changing trails and building bridges on this land and giving tours for ten years.
He lives there on a raised platform, no electricity, no plumbing...
He has two kids that he visits three or four times per week and when he talks of them, he smiles and his face is filled with love...he talks of how he is raising them and not making the mistakes that his parents did with their 11 children
He worked with the Smithsonian Institution for ten years at the Arenal volcano
He has a grade 2 education
He knows his land, he knows his plants and animals, where they are, where they will be, when they will come out and play...
He gave us a free night tour
He showed us a plant that we chewed and it numbed our tongues
He made us coffee at 5:30 AM in the pouring rain, and talked about his passion for three hours as we walked
He spots things so far away and then shows us a parrot in a tree or a falcon in the air
He makes frog noises and finds them and shows them to you
He has big plans for the land and big plans for telling people about what is so special about the land
He just rents the land
He feeds the raccoons bananas so he can watch them.

He is happy.

He showed me that having things does not make us happy. People say to us that living our dreams will make us happy. The difficulty is that most people strive so hard in looking for their dream, or beat themselves up for not accomplishing their dreams.

His dream is his journey.  With this small piece of land, one in which he brings everything into the land himself, and makes the trails and finds ways to make money to continue. His dream is this place and it sustains him.

I learned from him, and not only with what he showed us, but with how he treated us, how he treats others, how he gives so much without being anyone but him. I learned that you can be happy while you live - with goals and passion.

The journey is the happiness.

An aside before I sleep. As my friends and I walked the 4km back from the waterfall near La Fortuna, we were met by a wonderful dog. This little guy led us back to town, to the very street that we were staying, from the middle of the countryside. He would go ahead, turn his head, wait for us and carry on. Jean Paul and Simone and I watched this dog, and we followed him. I do not know who or what spirit or friend was with that dog, but I felt safe and happy and taken care of while we walked. It was magic.

When we open ourselves to others, and we accept them as they are, we are rewarded with this magic.

It has been four very good days.

Thank you all, those who read this, for being in my life. You share my dreams and are part of my journey. I appreciate you all.