I'm nervous. Every trip comes with questions about how things will go that translate to a bit of excitement. But, less than 24-hours out, I've gotta say there is some genuine fear mixed in with anticipation right now. Truth? I'm kinda scared.
Wikipedia says this - "Pavones Beach has thick, heavy waves which consistently barrel and can get really big. It's little known, but picturesque and untamed; definitely not for the light hearted." Ummm ... what?!
Once we get to our destination, we won't arrive at some all-inclusive resort. We won't arrive even close to any kind of resort - Pavones is surf camp territory. There are no urban services, no hospitals, no atms, no police, no gas stations. Heck, there are barely any roads - paved or otherwise - and electricity is still a relative newcomer to the area.
A few weeks ago I stumbled across a blog called Nomadic Matt's Travel Site with a post that has a great title - Being Scared and Excited All Over Again. Maybe that's the point of travel sometimes. It shouldn't be routine. It shouldn't be so safe that it's just a trip to somewhere like here but with different scenery. Maybe travel should be about that frission of fear, those unknown and unknowable moments, the shiver that comes with something previously unexperienced.
I remember the first time I camped out - really camped - and the feeling of sleeping outside where anything might happen kept me up half the night. It was awesome. And this is the same. We're not going to a place that has our rules, our sense of liability and risk, our sense of civilization. It will be amazing.
I find myself coming back to Matt's wonderful post for inspiration, and a little humor. In it, he writes a particularly great line that cracks me up - "Costa Rica has so many old Americans living there we might as well call it 'New Florida.'" Now that I know how to handle!
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