As the rain intensifyed I suddenly became aware of the possibility that my camping hammock, my bed and sanctuary the last week, may be in the line of fire. Quickly excusing myself from the communal table I bound up the teak lumber steps to the second floor of the large octagonal hand-built rancho, a back-packers paradise high-up in the mountainside rainforest of Matapalo, Costa Rica.
Fortunately I was only half-right. The wind had given the bug netting cover of my enclosed hammock a good spraying but otherwise it had been spared. With my favorite little flashlight in mouth I managed to get the fly hung which did more to protect my bed from drool than the rain.
In making it waterproof it seems that the makers of my brilliant little flashlight have thought carefully about its practical use in the field.
I am here in Matapalo (not to be confused with Punta Matapalo) to visit Fundacion Matapalo (http://www.matapalo.com), a community-based ecological retreat that oversees several eco-tourist projects including Backpack2basics, where I am staying.
Although its the rainy season the retreat is well attended, currently by a group of young Belgians some of whom are here for as long as five months. I can understand the desire to stay, this place is incredible and the folks who run it are fantastic. Had I not plans to return as soon as this winter I would surely be extending my trip.
In the meantime I have two more days in which to enjoy this incredible country and its many gifts. I'm going surfing.
Perry