Stef and Matt

First of all, I apologize if my spelling of quadciclo is incorrect. My Spanish remains a bit spotty, so please feel free to post any corrections in the comments section. I’ve found that it takes a village to help me learn Spanish (Latin American Spanish, that is. I can’t face the incorporation of vosotros that Spanish spoken in Spain will require. That is next year’s task).

At any rate, Matt and I rented ATVs (quads or quadciclos here in Costa Rica) on Sunday. I had never had the urge to ride an ATV before, but here in Montezuma it is a major form if transportation. The roads are mainly dirt and gravel, so when the rains come, huge potholes and gullies are formed. ATVs are sometimes the only way to get from town to town and you often see people riding them to pick up groceries or to get to another beach (the eternal search for the best waves- los olas buenos).

So Matt and I decided to try our luck. Along with our friends Chris and Raquel, we set out early Sunday morning to see how far we could go. We drove from Montezuma to Cabuya, then through Malpais and Santa Teresa, stopping at the top of a steep hill at La Playa Manzanillo to watch the waves breaking across the coast. Absolutely gorgeous, and even more striking because the view caught you by surprise. We crossed three rivers and drove through lovely mountains, all shades of green and set off by a clear blue sky.

We were also chased by dogs, encountered a herd of cows, and had a dump truck filled with rocks roll backward toward us. Raquel popped a wheelie while passing a bus (accidental, but impressive none the less- the people on the bus loved it!). Chris, as our fearless leader, had no mishaps until the end of our journey, when he misjudged the angle of a turn and got up close and personal with a pick up truck.

We all returned safe and sound- covered in dirt (Matt has pictures he will post later) and bubbling with excitement. It was so much fun!

I also walked away with an interesting thought. As the sole passenger on our journey (Matt and I shared an ATV and everyone else drove their own vehicles), I realized that being a good passenger requires a full commitment. If I held on to the back bars of the ATV, our weight wasn’t evenly distributed and our trip was much more difficult. However, if I held on to Matt and leaned into the turns, we traveled smoothly and could pick up quite a bit of speed.

So even though Matt was ostensibly the one “in charge”, I had an important role to play. I could change the experience by deciding not to participate… or by being fully present. Hmmmmmm. It makes me think- is Zen and The Art of ATV Riding just waiting to be written?

Off to Arenal on Saturday to see the volcano, then to Quito, Ecuador on Tuesday. It is amazing how quickly the time is going by!

Pura vida, everyone!

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