I just came back from a walk in the jungle. More precisely, a walk in the rainforest with a backdrop of cloud forest behind me and a view of two active volcanoes directly ahead. Once home, I boarded a bus, took a hot shower to soothe a few new purraja bites I picked up outside, then settled into my recliner with a cold glass of tamarindo juice and my laptop.
If anything about that sequence of events seems odd to you, then you haven’t been following my blogs, posts, and video uploads. But that’s okay, because hopefully after finding this article on Vocal or Hive or any of the other places where I intend to share it, you will want to subscribe and follow my content. I think the real-life stories unfolding in my world are pretty incredible, and I’d love it if you can enjoy them along with me.
In 2019 I walked away from everything I’d ever known and began a new journey that carried me across oceans and onto continents I never dreamed I’d see. I spent my fiftieth birthday in France, enjoying the company of a man I’d met the previous year on a trip to Poland. It’s hard to explain how significantly that meeting changed both our lives, or how illogical our connection with each other seemed. Michel was (and is) almost twenty years younger than me, bursting with the energy of someone whose whole life still lies ahead of them. I was (am) a middle-aged frump with health issues that affect everything from my appearance to my ability to cross a street without assistance. Yet we clicked, and from the first email we exchanged after Poland to the hike we shared in the rainforest today, we have been all but inseparable. We’ve traveled internationally together, spent a year locked down in Morocco together, and now we’re settling in Costa Rica together with plans to establish a sustainable mini-farm near a small village called Esperanza.
We intend to document and publish our experiences, since we think they are relevant given the current state of world affairs and the tenuous circumstances so many people around the globe are facing. Some of the ideas we have for the farm include independent water supply and purification, solar and possibly hydro-powered electricity, organic food production, natural plant medicine, and alternative housing. All of these projects will be tackled in stages; we will not move onto our little plot of land with expectations of accomplishing our goals overnight. It will be a learning process as well as a financial challenge. It will also be a test of patience and tenacity. We haven’t for a minute believed any of this will be easy.
For the foreseeable future, Michel and I have decided to make our home in a large converted transit bus rather than buy or build a house. We’ve shared this process in photos and video, and while we are far from finished with the modifications, we are now living in the bus full time. We’re still tracking down issues with the electrical system and the plumbing, which would be infinitely more difficult were the bus fitted with wall coverings and furniture. Being an older bus, it also occasionally has mechanical quirks that we need to learn more about before we travel too far from home. I can say without a doubt, though, that this bus has a remarkably strong engine that doesn’t leak oil or use an excessive amount of fuel. It shifts hard, sometimes quite noisily, and the radiator will need to be replaced at some point. We know these things will need to be addressed, but everything in its own good time. So far, Michel and I are pretty pleased with how things have progressed.
One thing he and I share is a love for animals. We brought six dogs and ten cats with us out of Morocco after the lockdowns ended, only three of which had traveled from Europe to Africa with us the previous year. Five of the cats and one of the dogs found adopters in the U.S., but the others plus another dog of mine who’d been with a foster since the pandemic now live with us in Costa Rica. They frequently star in our videos and have fans of their own. In addition, a native parrot chose us as her family and appears in much of our content. She is a free bird, never caged, and occasionally flies off for her own adventure. However, most of the time she sticks very close to us, going along for walks and rides and even swims. We suspect she must have been poached as a baby and then “set free” at some point. She speaks a few phrases in Spanish and is very comfortable around humans. But she is always free to leave if she chooses. As you will see in our videos, the choice is completely hers.
One of the best parts of this new chapter of our lives is the Quijote Rainforest Reserve located near our property. Still mostly undiscovered by outsiders, this 600+ hectare working farm and protected woodland is authentic Costa Rica and busy developing its own tourism agenda. If Michel and I are successful in establishing a presence on Airbnb and other hospitality platforms, the Quijote Rainforest Reserve will offer endless opportunities for our guests to experience a world most travelers to Costa Rica never get to see. I urge you to explore my various blogs and YouTube channel for new information about this as it becomes available. Please follow my Facebook page, and while I rarely accept friend requests from people I don’t know, you can comment to tell me how you found me and I will add you. My profile is public.
Over the past five decades, I’ve led a very interesting life in its own right. But nothing compares to the experiences I’m having now, after moving to Costa Rica. At a time when most of the world is on fire, Michel and I are finding tranquility in the mountains above Central Valley, surrounded by nature and some of the friendliest people we’ve ever met. We very much hope to open our mini-farm to guests at some point and share the magic of this land both in person and on social media. If all goes well, we will be able to offer private stays, retreats, an event center, and guided tours of many Costa Rican attractions. Our progress with this will depend on level of interest and funding. Either way, we’ll have much to write and show about even the routine happenings of daily life in the rainforest.
Please be sure to subscribe, like, upvote, follow, or whatever it takes to stay current with my content. I’ll be sharing loads of it, as well as occasional fiction. Don’t forget: in addition to my three published novels, I also have many previously unpublished short stories and new material in various stages of completion. You just never know what’s going to show up on your feed from me these days, so make sure you request notifications when possible and stay in touch!
Pura vida!
