The Full Pocock

I realized today that I better take advantage of my remaining days here by way of blogging. Because as much as a lot of us love the idea of blogging, unless you are abroad, chronicling something new and significant, or in some way being markedly different that your usual self, the mundane inevitably sets in. It's hard to do a blog when nothing happens. So this is me, making something happen. Over the past couple days I have seen too much of my parents. Literally. Two days ago we had an excursion to Uvita. We started our day off by leaving at 8 am (i know, brutal) and driving to a farmer's market in the center of the town. It was mostly gringo wares & produce from their respective organic farms. However, their was one tico (that's what they call natives here) who was selling m.c. escher-inspired clay plates and bowls. I was really intrigued until I came to the sad conclusion that they wouldn't make it in tact back to the states. At the market we met Gary, finally, the infamous vegan hermit who approached me, without either parent around for support, about my post grad plans. I was utterly defenseless. He spoke faster than I could think, at most times, about himself. But even beyond his ego-inducing, spiritual quest babble, it was easy to see how intelligent and kind he really was. When I met him he was a week into a forty-day fast, the fifteenth off which he had taken part in. After a cafe con leche and one piece of organic whole wheat veggie pizza, we decided to follow Gary to his property in search of the perfect waterfall. It was going to be another Oregon Trail knee jerking, bobbling head, four wheel drive wagon ride up the mountain of doom. But it was totally worth it. We got to the trail that led to the mirage of waterfall where my mom and I changed into our swimsuits. Dad went without, well, anything. I had strategically turned my head and closed my eyes at the right moments in order to get by with not a glimpse of my dad, until the end. It pains me to relive this. But here goes...After pulling on our suits my mom and I approached the water. Cold at first, it got warmer as we waded. We swam towards the waterfall only to be pushed away by its force. It was no use. We couldn't even manage a photograph near the falls. I swam to the shore, or the large boulders, where my towel resided and laid out for the duration of our stay. Like I said, I had managed to get by without seeing anything that would burn my eye sockets, when, without even a warning, my parents and Gary, clad in nude tighty whities, approached my towel. I thought I had gone blind. Reeling from the experience, I took the fetal position. It would only be a few minutes until we were back on the road. Please, please, lets get back on the road, I thought. A few minutes later, still reeling from the experience, we approached Gary's humble abode.