the roads, and more

3.16.08
I’ve heard of towns so small that they only have one stoplight. Here in Playa Zancudo there are no stoplights. There are no stop signs. There are none of these because in Playa Zancudo there is only one road. It’s an unnamed dirt road that’s covered with more rocks than dirt. Pot holes are large and frequent enough to keep you on your toes while driving. In America we drive on the right side of the road. The law is the same in Costa Rica but in Playa Zancudo, as I imagine with many other small towns, you drive wherever the smoothest section of road is. It’s always to the far outside of the road and when traveling south the smoothest path is as far left as you can get. If another car is driving North you kindly move back to the right side of the road until the dust cloud settles.
There are only a few hundred locals here, both ticos and gringos alike—A tico is what one from Costa Rica is called, a gringo is white foreigner. We’ve met many of them at our at our favorite bar or by stopping in at local restaurants and sodas. We’ve been here for almost a month now and have made quite a name for ourselves. The whole island knows we are here and pretty much everyone likes us. The community is thrilled to have the economic boost. Thirty of us are eating/drinking/renting and buying souvenirs. On th 21st we pack up all of our gear and leave the beach for our third location. We’ll be taking both bus and boats to the Pacific side of the Osa Peninsula. By that time only four contestants will remain. I think some of the crew are getting a little homesick. Even I am looking forward to being back in the states. Amanda and I will be in country for almost another month—two weeks to finish principal photography and two weeks of the B-roll trip, and come mid-April I’ll be able to go back to my normal life.