this is a love affair
no other words describe this better

over the past few years
began spending more time in costa rica

the climate, beaches, jungle, fruits, people, animals
love affair with this beautiful country

two days ago arrived back in new york
after two months in costa rica

when i left new york two months ago
our plane took off in between two snow storms
first they had to defrost the wings for two hours

now when we landed back in new york
it’s still covered with layer of frozen white
friends tell me it’s been cold in new york
during the entire two months i was gone

soon off again to costa rica
back to the sun and the beaches
found the ocean and the sun to be very healing
spending time on the beach every day
enjoying the touch of the salty water
the sand
and the loving rays of the sun

taking a break from harsh cold weather
is immensely healthy
not just for the body
also for the well being of our soul
even a one week break
will fully charge you
tan you
relax you
feed you with exotic nourishing fruits
allowing you to come back new person
ready for the rest of the winter

during the past two months in costa rica
spent most of the time at a spiritual
and ecological village

december was dedicated for inner journey
spent two weeks in total silence
waking up at 5:15 am
going to sleep no later than 9 pm
lots of meditations

then came january
time for festivals
late nights
white nights
two days and two nights trance party
down at the river in the deep valley
brazilian samba school
shamanic week
and many other celebrations

my father came to visit from israel
we spent powerful ten days together
traveling around costa rica
and few days in the village
strong bonding
so many insights and learning for him and for me
from sharing those ten days with each other

fell in love with the village’s vegetable garden
originally this garden was designated to become
soccer field
since the land kept sinking
the soccer field was moved to different location
and the spot became magical hidden source of life

two residents param and viraj
took on themselves to build the garden
they studied the topic by visiting permaculture farms
experimenting with different soils
developing and installing automated watering system
implementing compost system
utilizing the leftovers and peels of fruits and vegetables
from the village’s kitchen

the garden is in the middle of forest
surrounded by trees
unnoticed from the outside
been coming to the garden before 6 am each morning
to pick up greens for the commune’s lunch salad

it’s important to pick up the leaves
before the sun is too strong
in the early morning hours the leaves are full with minerals
later on as the sun gets stronger
the minerals travel from the leaves
down into the stem and roots

the garden is fully organic and wild crafted
allowing plants to mix with each other
no chemicalized fertilizers or pesticides

animals such as birds, parrots, horses, and armadillos
are invited to share the fruit of the land
they take just what is enough for them
leaving the rest for the humans

when horses come into the garden
they walk very carefully
making sure not to step on any plant
walking only in between the garden beds

parsley, rugula, bok choy, mustard greens, basil,
lemon basil, kale, coriander, lettuce, and celery
all rich in minerals
grow proudly with strong flavors that can’t be found
even in the fanciest organic stores

exotic leafy plants in the garden include
katuk with its delicious nutty flavor
cranberry hibiscus with its lemon flavored red leaves
and chia bush with huge edible green leaves

other fruits and veggies that grow in the garden
as well as all over the village are
orange and yellow papayas
gigantic mango trees
avocado trees
palm trees loaded with coconuts
pineapple bushes
bananas and quadratos
which are square bananas with rich flavor
tomatoes
and aloe vera bushes

picking up the veggies in the garden at 6 am
is very meditative
feeling the stings from the coriander bushes all over my arms
the garden becomes my plate
tasting the different leaves as i pick them
not bothering with removing all the soil that’s on the leaves
hence allowing more b12 to enter my body

© 2004. All Rights Reserved.
Zemach Zohar Wilson, Costa Rica, January 2004