cabo matapalo, la selva besa el mar

4/19/2015

A few months ago we joined a group of friends on the Osa peninsula in Costa Rica for Becky and Ian 's jungle wedding. Becky and Ian have always told us that this place is super special to them and once we arrived it was clear that Cabo Matapalo is certainly something that you don't find too often. It's so remote, right in the middle of the jungle where the noises never cease. Rental ads around here don't list amenities, instead they provide a list of all of the wildlife you'll see in your backyard (I know this because Spencer and I checked out what it would take to live here and which places were available for rent as soon as we departed - a fun habit we have that keeps the dream of exploration alive when we're sitting on our couch in snowy Boulder, Colorado). The closest town is Puerto Jiminez, a 45 minute ($50) taxi ride away. There you will find a general store that sells necessities like ice, and a tiny airport where the ATC is one man waving a flag in the middle of the runway. It's small. And we loved it.

Legend has it that Ian found this spot on Google Maps and decided to he needed check it out. So he and Becky booked a house here and went off the radar for two weeks. Then they returned. Again and again. Three years later and we are all gathered at the one restaurant/bar in the area (called Buena Esperanza) drinking Imperial, one-upping each other on whose flight in was the sketchiest.

For the next several days we explore the area a little bit, but mostly we spend time at our incredible house. Specifically, in the outdoor kitchen. Spencer hasn't been able to cook anything since we left Boulder a few weeks ago, and he's pretty delighted to have the time and space to create some amazing food while we cheer him on, drinks in hand.

We rented this house with three other friends, and find ourselves unable to leave - it's too beautiful. And it doesn't hurt that the ocean is a few hundred meters away. And that macaws tend to bunk up in the trees around the pool. Friends stop by for lunch, on their way from the beach, after dinner. We venture out to float in the ocean, walk around looking for monkeys, and hike up to a hidden waterfall.

You know how sometimes you just move so fast, and so much? Like when you wake up in the morning, the first thing you think is "what do I have to do today?" And if you don't actually have to do anything, you still think "what should I do today?" That's totally normal and unavoidable sometimes (maybe even most of the time). That's just life and the way we live it. But...not all of the time. Once in awhile you might wake up because a monkey is making so much noise that you think it might be your friend laughing loudly in the room next door. You might walk out to the ocean by yourself to where your feet don't touch the floor anymore so that you can float on your back within the quiet world. You might steer a tandem kayak a little too far away from shore. You might just book that flight to a place you have never heard of (that no one you know has ever heard of) because two people you love said that it was their favorite spot in the world. I promise, you won't need to learn the word for "regret" in Spanish. It won't be a part of your vocabulary.

xx,
E