“Why Would Anyone Want To Stay?”

Tags

Being Left Behind, Destiny, Moving On, Moving to Another Country, Wanderlust

While thumbing through archives, I noted a reply that I posted a year ago on an Expat forum.  Several discussions focused on the problems one encounters when living in third world countries, and one person asked, “With all of the problems, why would anyone want to stay?”

December 24, 2011 – Coactur Bus was almost empty!

Play-it-safe conservatives often don’t understand the psyche of the wanderlust.   They second guess their loved ones, who react with self doubt or guilt.   It’s not everyone’s destiny to stay put;  many of our ancestors had the wanderlust spirit and left loved ones behind.  Entire continents were settled by people who had moved on.   Some say that it’s easier to move on than to be left behind; people mean well, though they sometimes pull us apart when they question our choices.

I have met many people who rejoiced in moving to a destination that felt right for them, but their loved ones implanted that twinge of guilt.   “How can we make them understand?” is a question I am often asked.

“Why would anyone want to stay?”   After pondering the question, I scribbled my reply while traveling by bus and later presented it to the forum.    Gary Phillips – Pro Ecuador Blog shared it with his readers as well.  (Thanks again, Gary!)  Hopefully what follows might help others to understand!

Enjoy!  Z

The Whiners

Tags

gardening for the soul, Life on the Farmlet, positive and negative people, Remembering others, strong people, weak people

Immersed in nature, I tended this slice of the Garden of Eden in Costa Rica.

Lynda, at Life on the Farmlet, posted a beautiful letter to her brother for a Daily Post writing challenge.  The sentiment reminded me of something I wrote years ago while living in Costa Rica.  I reached back in the archives and retrieved the following from a collection of writings that I called, Walden of the Tropics.    This one is dedicated to you, Lynda!

V Is For Viche, Specialty Soup of Manabi Ecuador

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biche, Frizztext Story Challenge V, Viche, Viche de Pescado, What is Viche

Ecuador’s specialty dish, viche, comes from the province of Manabi.

Nearing the end of the alphabet, Frizztext’s story challenge for this week is for the letter “V.”    How lucky I am to live in the province of Manabi, home to an amazing culinary specialty we know as ‘viche.’   Also spelled, “biche,” this hearty seafood soup combines a variety of fresh vegetables, ripe and unripe plantains in a unique peanut-based broth.

Rather than making a poor attempt at describing how this soup is made, I am steering you to Laylita, who shares amazing recipes from her home country of Ecuador!  Her version of biche can be found HERE.

Although I have never made viche, I enjoy sampling and comparing the different versions between the local restaurants.  

Tiene Sed? Are You Thirsty?

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Cafe con leche, cooking with hibiscus, DRAGON FRUIT, Maracuya, Mora Juice, PITALLY, Where's My Backpack Liquid

Cafe Con Leche, Anyone?

Ailsa, from where’s my backpack, asks for images of liquid.  My first thoughts for this post flowed to natural streams, rivers, lakes, oceans.  I then pondered the many liquids that we consume, so here are some of my favorite images that might make you wistful to sample these drinks!

BAMBOO- A Natural Resource

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Bamboo construction, Bamboo fence, bamboo siding, Jake's Sunday Post Resources, Thatch roof

Another drive-by shot captures this cliff hanger of a house!

For once, I will participate with Jake’s Sunday Post on the correct day!  His theme is  Natural Resources, an easy one for me on this quiet Sunday morning!  Although all tropical countries value bamboo/canya, the creative use of bamboo in Ecuador catches my eye quite often.

THANKFUL – A WP Weekly Photo Challenge

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bamboo and palm thatch, Bamboo construction, bamboo fences, bamboo flooring, bamboo siding, hand-painted floors, Life in rural Ecuador

(Want a closer look at that 5-door pickup?)

In honor of holiday reflections, WordPress prompts us, “Share a picture which means THANKFUL to you!”

Since I’ve addressed this recently, I will share this image of my amazing nephew and point you to his story.  On a daily basis, his zest for life reminds me to be thankful for the life that I have, and to embrace every moment with a positive attitude.

Don Koen of Little Rock, Arkansas, zippping through Costa Rica’s tropical landscape!

Peer Closer Through Macro Photography

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Butterflies, costa rica, Ecuador, Green Iguanas, Hermit Crabs, Insects, Let's Be Wild Photo Challenge Macro

The foliage thief nibbled himself too fat to squeeze back through the fence!

I’m honored that the image of a flaming sunset at Playa San Miguel was selected as one of the top five for last week’s Let’s Be Wild competition.  This week’s competition is for closeups.  Although my tough little Lumix camera doesn’t have macro accessories, it has a big heart and usually lassos the subject without much fuss.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Walking In Pilgrims’ Shoes – Cultural Immersion in Ecuador

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culture, Friendship, Giving Back, jama ecuador, Thanksgiving

I am thankful for dear, dear Maria, who ALWAYS smiles, reaches out, takes my hand, strokes my arm and showers her childlike love whenever I stop by her stand. I always visit her, even if fresh produce is not on my list!

Pilgrim:  A wanderer, a traveler, a stranger.   Someone who travels a great distance in strange lands to a holy shrine or site. A  person traveling to a place of particular personal interest...

My neighbor

Ecuador captured my heart years ago, and there is an emotional comfort here that is a balm to my soul.  Like the pilgrims that arrived on the Mayflower, I have experienced times of great joy and also faced personal challenges.   Through the good and the bad, I have learned to respect the unselfish displays of love that I receive from the locals.   There have been times when someone stops me, “Gringa! Gringa!” and then hands me a plantain or a piece of peanut candy.   Other times I hear, “Gringita!” and they might share a handful of mandarin oranges or a stick of frozen yogurt!   They all enjoy practicing their English.. “One, two, three, six, eight, seven.”

What’s cooking at the street cafe?!  (Photo by Marie Groff) 

They were all concerned when their normally-healthy gringita suffered from a month-long illness, and I received suggestions of medicinal cures that ranged from honey mixed with rum to a recommendation of ‘manteca de pescado.’   The latter did not sound like a soothing cure – I was sick, but not sick enough to go in search of fish fat from the fishing village!

Beautiful Bloggers

Tags

Beautiful blogger award, Campanulladellaanna, History of the Ancient World, The Forester Artist

Flowers! Flowers For Everyone Who Reads This Blog!

The queue of awards tripped me a little; doing the math, I have ten awards to pass along times seven to fifteen people for each one equals a LOT of names and posts to select and hyperlink.   For starters I’ll address the Beautiful Blogger Award,   which was given to me by three talented and prolific bloggers.

History of the Ancient World: http://historyoftheancientworld.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/beautiful-blogger-award/

The Forester Artist: http://theforesterartist.com/2012/10/20/the-beautiful-blogger-award/

Campanulladellaanna:   http://campanulladellaanna.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/blogging-award-nominations-you-can-get-it/

I am to thank the person who nominated this blog, post the image on this blog, share 7 things about myself, and nominate 15 other bloggers.

Thanks, all three of you, for your kind and generous gestures of your respect for this creative-outlet of a blog!  Now for seven tidbits of information that you might find interesting:

INSPIRATION: Portrait of an Artist

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Andes, Cuenca Tourist Police, Ecuador, Guaranda, i can do this painting workshops, memyblog, Portrait of an Artist, WordPress Daily Post INSPIRATION

Happily Immersed in the Andean city of Guaranda Ecuador, Lisa Brunetti critiques just-shot images of red-caped Indians. (Photo by Marie Groff)

WordPress hurled a curve ball today!   Thankfully the challenge works well with my life as an artist, naturalist and blogger.  Finding images for this challenge was an easy task!

“We want to know what inspires you. For this special mid-week photo challenge, we want to see portraits of you doing something that inspires you to blog  …  Show us photos of yourself doing things that inspire you to blog. Have a cooking blog? Let’s see you in the kitchen. Run a fitness blog? We want to see you in action. ” 

The above instructions used the words “portraits, photos’ and “doing THINGS,” so I jumped in with both feet and retrieved images that reflect those requests!

“Red Capes” in progress; Watercolor by Lisa Brunetti

What inspires me?  What doesn’t inspire me?!  The byline on my main blog states, “An Artist’s Eyes Never Rest.”  

To Climb a Tree!

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Amanda Gibson, Climbing Trees, Destroying the World's Forests, Tanzania, The Observer Tree

This tree (above) could smash those guys into the ground if it suddenly released its toe grip and gave them a fast stomp!

There are trees that seem to take human form and make us smile.  Who doesn’t have childhood memories of climbing a tree and lurking in its branches, sometimes for hours?

My Cup Runneth Over – AGAIN!

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Beautiful blogger award, Blog of the Year 2012 Award, One Lovely Blog Award, Playamart, Super Sweet Blogger Award, Very Inspiring Blog Award, Zeebra Designs & Destinations

Thanks! I’m overwhelmed and honored!

How can one complain about an inbox full of testimonials?!  I am honored and a bit overwhelmed at the positive feedback and awards that arrive from all over the world!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone, for your positive support! The following comments  escorted these awards to this post.

Sunset Alley

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balboa yacht club panama, jama ecuador, manglaralto ecuador, Playa Rosada Nicaragua, San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua, Sunsets, sunsets playa san miguel costa rica, wild weekly photo challenge sunsets

Playa Rosada – Nicaragua

This week’s Let’s Be Wild website is accepting entries in the Wild Weekly Photo Challenge for Sunsets. They stress the importance of enjoying nature – a no brainer for a nature lover like me! Living on the Pacific coast of Latin America has provided a bounty of stunning sunset Pacific views, from El Salvador to Ecuador! Here are some of my favorites!

Z

Green, Green & More Green!

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Green Plantains, Limon Nicaragua, Nicaragua, Nicaragua Landscape, WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge Green

“Busted!”  Oh, how great it is to have the camera ready for action! Z

Journey with me to Nicaragua for WordPress’s Weekly Photo Challenge of GREEN.   The following images were taken on a drive from the Managua airport to the petite area of Limon, where I stayed at Casa Rosada for one month in November of 2010.  The landscape, lush green from a lengthy rainy season, provided numerous photo ops along the way.

Rice Harvest north of Rivas

Enjoy the images, which helps illustrate that Latin America is not as dangerous as many are led to believe!

Z

Mystical Andes

Tags

Ailsa Where's My Backpack Mystical, Chimborazo, Ecuador, HIghest peak in Ecuador

On retrospect, I think that this shaggy burro mystically appeared to lead us out of the Andean mist. (Photo by Marie Groff)

Ailsa’s prompt for this week’s challenge is Mystical. Before dashing off for the day, I wanted to share these images from a magical mystical Andean experience that brought tears to Marie’s eyes and to mine.  Hank, the intrepid driver, most likely suffered from our same affliction!

Wild About Monkeys

Tags

Costa Rica Howler monkeys, Howler Monkeys, Let's Be Wild Photo Challenge - Nature

Who’s There?   Did someone summon me back on stage for an Awards curtsy?

Every so often Life presents us with an unexpected smile, and one arrived in the inbox today in the form of a pingback from Let’s Be Wild!!!   Check out the Editor’s Choice post  HERE: Challenge 5 Wildlife.

How thrilled and honored I was that “Little Bit” placed top of his class in the nature photography contest!   The image below shows a very upset adult monkey that warned the gullible young monkey to come back!  At that moment, I too wanted Little Bit to retreat!  I didn’t want the wrath of one howler aimed in my direction!

Story Alphabet “R, S & T”

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ceibo trees, Commercial Rose Production, Frizztexts Story Challenge T, Hacienda Guachala, spotted skunk

Fashionably behind on Frizztext’s story challenges, I scanned my old posts and wondered how to catch up on the letters R, S and T.

One early post reflects a two for one for the letters S & T!  I am magically transported back to a Carl-Sagan night when I view images taken from Hank and Marie Groff’s home in Costa Rica.   We gawked skyward in awe as the moon changed moods from hour to hour.      The Solstice Eclipse pairs the eclipse images with qutoes from Thoreau.

All I Wanna Do – Daily Prompt

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Daily Prompt Song Title, Daily Prompt This IS Your Song, Friendship, Having Fun, News of the Times Tunes Tuesday, Smiles

Today’s Daily Prompt asks us to write a post influenced by a favorite song.   Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do” triggers images of fun times with good friends.    This song also fits into News of the Time’s  Tunes Tuesday, although my teen years predate this song!    I am blessed to witness pure joy from people I meet as I travel through Latin America.  Had I stayed “home,” I would have missed meeting amazing people and some incredible experiences!

Enjoy the photos and Sheryl Crow’s classic song!

Windows of Hacienda Guachala

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early morning light, Hacienda Guachala, Hacienda Guachala Ecuador, Thursday's Windows, Views from windows, views of windows

The ‘younger’ of two churches at Hacienda Guachala, Cayambe Ecuador

Window images have always fascinated me, and by participating in  “Thursday Windows,” I will be sharing some of my favorites!!  Take an early-morning walk with me and explore Hacienda Guachala, the oldest hacienda in Ecuador!

How Many Artists To Change A Light Fixture?

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How many people to change a light bulb, Unique light fixtures

Calabash Lights at Cybercafe Palo Santo, Jama Ecuador

While Hank, Marie and I toured the Andes,  several projects were underway at the riverhouse.    The carpenters finished details on the kitchen, and the electrician/plumber installed the incoming and outgoing water system for the kitchen sink.

My qualms quieted after I walked through the house and  admired the carpenter’s work.  The electrician did more than hook up the new water system;  he also tacked up three lights that were so high that it takes a very tall ladder to reach the bulbs.  I chuckled and pondered asking him how many artists it would take to change the bulbs!

Oh So Soft, (but what is it?)

Tags

Playa San Miguel Costa Rica, Where's My Backpack SOFT

I am not real sure what this sea creature is, so I will hold my hypothesis and hope for a true identification from one – or many- of you!

Creative Alternatives for Home Security

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acrylic paintings, how to secure a large window, I can do this painting projects, Island Traveler weekly image of life CREATIVE

Some photo challenges seem to be tailored for my interests.   The Island Traveler asked for interpretations for the word Create.  No pondering was necessary for this challenge, as my friends Hank and Marie had just helped transform a problem area of the river house into a creativity chamber!

Moving the kitchen to the far side of the room last month allowed space for a petite sunroom.  The stunning view became the focal point, but the new “picture” window presented a security problem.  How could the window be protected from break-ins?

A creative answer materialized just in time for Hank and Marie, who were on their final week of vacation,  to help with a new “I Can Do This” painting project!     Are you curious to see what we did?

Howler 101 Cultural Immersion

Tags

Costa Rica Wildlife, Howler Monkeys, Wild Weekly Photo Challenge - Nature

Living immersed in Costa Rica’s tropical dry forest, I cherished my time with the howler monkeys.  I was as curious about the howlers as they were about me!   They often slept in the canopy above the roof of my studio.  Some mornings they slipped away with stealth-like silence; many mornings they announced the arrival of the sun with their unique roars, then settled into a quiet contentment.    Every so often they continued to roar until I came outside and greeted them in three languages:  “Buenos dias!  Good morning!  Umf, umph, umf, umph, umf!”