My Awkwardness Trying to Make Friends
Feb 24, 2020   Costa Rica
BLOG: Un-related thoughts and activites of the day . . . .

Yesterday Sue told me that I should go to Sol y Mar for the weekly horseshoe tournament at 3pm. Okay, sounds great. Oh wait, I don't go to bars by myself. I just don't. I don't even go to restaurants alone. Oh well, I'll just do it.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to tame my curly hair and headed out to the main drag (aka almost deserted dirt road). Oh wow, I didn't realize I was right net to Sol y Mar! ha ha I rented this place without seeing it and I just LOVE it. Great vibe, bright, nice ocean view, about 150 feet from the water, awesome. And apparently right by the bar. LOL

Hmmm, I don't know anybody here and I haven't heard back from Elena asking if she wanted to meet me there. I'll order a beer and sit at the bar. Eventually a gal came in that I met last time! "What's your name?" "Yeah, we met a few months ago!". Ahhh relief. We chatted a bit, then she walked off to hang out with her friends. :( I chatted a bit with yet another woman, but then she also went off to be with one of her friends and on her way made sure to let me know that if I wanted to do drugs, that the table out by the horseshoes was the place. She's like in her 70s and it was such a funny thing to come from this woman. I'm alone .... I am utterly alone (name that movie).
I'll just keep drinking beers and pretend to watch the horseshoe games because it gives me something to do. Carl came in, he waved. Another fail. I hate this. Eventually I went and complimented a gal on her dress, because I want one just like it! Free People, need to find that particular dress online for sure. I'm really trying here, I'm so lame at being somewhere alone! Then somehow I ended up chatting to another woman. We hit it off and she told me to grab a chair - YES! I was finally having a great time. Her mom was there, too, whom I also really liked. Okay, I'll order another beer!

The 3 of us then had dinner together and it turns out they live just a few doors down. Actually it turns out that my new friend was the only other person I saw on the beach that morning when I was walking. She said, "Yeah, your hair was the dead giveaway". ha ha Sigh, i"m in full travel curly mode right now. I don't think my little travel iron would have a chance right now.

So that went well, I got pretty buzzed though and spent more than I have in a while. But I needed to get out AND have some hot food since there are no cooking facilities in my new room. Just cold potato salad and cereal.

Came home and the power went out. Oooh, pitch black!!! Just a little glow from Puerto Jimenez and from Goflito. I listened to music for a while on my computer, then went out and stood on the beach for like an hour just looking at the stars and soaking in the non-existence of artificial light. Okay, enough of the beach. Hey, I remember last year when the power was out almost all day, Dave, David and I walked down to Sol y Mar and they where open by candlelight. It's right next door, I'll go have a look.

Well that of course led to one more beer and a yummy refreshing rum drink. I seem to be feeling more social now - could it be the booze?? ha ha ha. I didn't stay too long and left after the power came back on. Don't be the last one at the bar, don't be the last one at the bar, don't be desperate and overstay. Okay, time to go home. :) (God, please don't let these people read this blog and know the stuff that goes through my head!)

Then low and behold, one of the women I ran into last night texted me this morning to see if I wanted to come over for coffee this afternoon! :) Awesome. I don't care if coffee in the afternoon seems weird. I'm in. I like her. She even said she'd pick me up because she's too far to walk from here. Or a long walk anyway and in this heat - she picked me up. So she pulls up on and ATV. I'm in a dress. Whatever. We sat so close that she was my crotch blocker. I don't care. She has a nice place down south and has an adorable little gal staying with her as an AirBnb rental. A couple of hours chatting, one cup of coffee, then a beer and she drove me back.

It was one of those "cool, look at where I am right now" kind of moments. On the back of an ATV, crazy hair flying in the wind, on a dirt road in southern Costa Rica. Life is wonderful and interesting and unexpected.

I got back and texted Sue that I was home. Not 2 minutes later she and her new brood (her brother and group) stopped in their car on the road outside my rental and yelled. I ran out to say hi. They're picking me up in half an hour to go back to Sue's place and we'll have a bonfire on the beach tonight. Wow, this is fun! Friends!! Days like these make up for the lonely days.

Oh, and I went for a walk on the beach this morning with the gal that lives a few doors down. I don't think I'd be making friends like this if I were with someone else because we'd be in our own world. Well, maybe if I were with Lynn I'd be meeting people because Lynn would be meeting everyone! haha

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