By the third day, there was no food.  Because there was no electricity the refrigerators were not functioning and whatever food remained went bad in the 120 degree heat. The  plumbing was also dysfunctional and because so many had gotten sea sick the bathrooms had become hell realms.

By the fourth day, even the babies had stopped crying.  We began to lose hope.  When the sun set on that fourth, sweltering, day, the sky lit up in violet, orange, gold, red rainbows of light.Then, far off at sea, from every direction, there appeared water creatures leaping towards the boat.  Getting close and closer we saw they were dolphins.  At the moment they arrived at our ferry, the engines miraculously started up again for the first time in four days, the dolphins leaped and dove in the waves carved by the boat, and we made our way safely to the shores of Costa Rica.

We had heard of the famous Quaker community located high up on the divide, in Monteverde.  We embarked on the arduous journey up the mountains to be greeted by a small, humble community of English speaking settlers who welcomed us with open arms.

Cool, wet and windy, high up on the divide, this is a place of rainbows. After staying a week with Marvin & Flori at their humble little B & B (“The Mar-Flor”), filled with many, sweet, adopted children, we were offered a small, vacant cabin in a forest, on a cliff edge to settle into. Although, the old timers were strict quakers, raised to shun music & dancing, we were invited to offer workshops in world rhythms that a few of the elders participated in.

In 1979, before Monteverde and the Cloud Forest Reserve had become the hot eco-tourist spot that it now is, little did we know that our journey was gradually leading us to our own sustainable eco-tourism business. We were enchanted with Monteverde  and decided that this would be where we would marry. We befriended John & Sue Trostle,  who took us under their wing, They offered their, “Sunset House”, a large geometric structure built on a hill, with many of the various tropical hardwoods John was cultivating on his expansive property, for our wedding ceremony.

In the meantime, Papo’s sister, Sarah, her Ecuadorian husband, Fausto, and their one year old son, Fidel had come to join us in Costa Rica.  Sarah & Fausto made all the extensive preparations for the marriage.