Joanna Biggar's Blog

After the initial few dazzling impressions, I have to say I have settled well into paradise. Even with a few bumps on the road. That literally was the case on the lovely day trip we took to the coast, a little piece of tropical beach with white sands (well, it was named la Playa Blanca) and warm Pacific waves. The road there took us through forested hills, thick with flowers and, it was said, howler monkeys and other creatures whom we did not personally meet, and a stop at a river infested with huge crocodiles. (River swimming is ill-advised here). We did cross the bridge by foot though, to admire them, all mud slathered though they were, and remembered generally not to smile. After a few missed turns in the pretty “well-broken in van” that our host Lenny had rented for the occasion, we found the dirt road leading to the beach. Soon enough, going at a reasonable speed, Lenny encountered a speed-bump that was unmarked and my co-conspirator Linda, and I, who were consigned to the very far back, both went flying. Other special features of the van were its lack of seatbelts, and oh, yes, shocks. We both flew to the ceiling and back, with the result that Linda had a huge head ache and a very sore neck for a few days, while I, gentle readers, got what you might call a bum rap.

That is my tail feathers are about as colorful as the Scarlet Macaws we encountered during an afternoon in a bird rescue and breeding center. Altogether, with a stop on the way home at a wonderful Salvadoran pupuseria, it was a great day.

And a great week. Despite a few side trips, including one to a fabulous butterfly farm here in the town of La Guacima where we are staying, this has been pretty much a week of writer’s workshops, wonderful food either here on the Finca (farm) of Lenny and Joan, or at local eateries. Some great little spots in this town even, which is pretty small and without any “bright lights big city” panache — Lenny told us its former claim to fame was as a spot to find a good machete fight in a bar. But as I’ve described before, the grounds of the finca are like a park, the pool is a haven now that the hurricane-like winds have stopped and it has warmed up, and it’s the perfect place to mellow out, and well. write. The writers discovered that too. The workshops went soaringly. It was a great group, and really enhanced by having four locals join our wandering band, and the writing was of an unusually high quality.

On the last day of the workshop, he who described himself as “Remains of Doug” after two weeks of very intense Spanish, arrived. We’ll now be in this little haven a couple of days before taking off with three other companions in a small plane to head for the most “intense” rain-forest, wild life, wilderness spot of Costa Rica, or according to the National Geographic, of the world. It’s called the Peninsula del Osa. Hope to have more postings on blog about it, and now that Doug and our camera are with me, maybe even photos.

Hasta luego amigos, Juana Loca