In Love with this Place

As she focused on the map its geography played on her tongue. The two oceans—Oceano Pacifico and Mar Caribe—were separated by a narrow spit of land that was impossibly crowded with temperate plateaus (Guanacaste, San Jose), voluptuous green hills(Braulio Carillo, Monteverde), tropical seaside rainforest (Limon), and peninsulas (Nicoya, Osa, Santa Elena) all rolling toward mountains, the spine of the narrow country tall Cordillera (Guanacaste, Tilaran, Central, Talamanca), each mountainous complex topped with live volcanoes (Irazu, Arenal, Poas), the highest of the mountains called Chirripo, a 10,000-foot snow-tipped cone from which both oceans could be spied. All around the cozy perimeter there were beaches (Playas Cocalito, Tamarindo, Madrigal), spits of land disappearing into the ocean (Puntas Tigre, Escondido, El Barco Quebrado), deeply cut channels called Golfos (Dulce and Nicoya), and sheltered bays (Coronodo) sprinkled with islands (Boca Chica, Boca Brava, Palmitas) and malingering lowlands where mangroves grew (Tempisque, Manzanillo, Tortuguero). It was a country of three million people living in towns called Talolinga, Zapote, Comunidad, Libertad, and Angel Arriba, the nearly ubiquitous Spanish names replaced in places by native reserves (Ujarras, Salitre, Cabagra, Talamanca). Lushly watered by generous rains this lovely country ran thick with rivers (Kuk, Araba, Sku, Volcan).

The names of the towns lodged in her mouth. Pandora, Fortuna, Miramar: she tasted lushness, spice and danger. Germania, Francia, Cairo: she tasted history and homesickness. Bananito Norte, Aguas Zarcas, Finca, Banana Oro: she tasted hard work, sweat, and multinationals. Perla, Esperanza, Delicias: she saw beauty, laughter, and hope.