Every now and then, I find myself in situation where I’m thinking that “living the dream” feels a bit like “living a nightmare.” Certain days abroad can really test your patience. For me last Wednesday was one of those days. As you know by know the biggest source of my stress here in Costa Rica has been my transportation. As cool as it is to have an ATV, wondering whether it will start every single day is enough to make you batshit crazy.
The Adventures of Me and Rolando
The guy who you see above in that picture is Rolando. He’s the mechanic who owns this ATV. He’s a nice enough guy and honest, but I’ve become better friends with him than anybody should ever be with a mechanic. I’ve seen the guy at least half a dozen times over the last 2 months:
- The Moped Incident: If you read my story about the first two weeks of being a digital nomad, you remember my stupidity in thinking that I could survive with a scooter on these crazy dirt roads. Well that scooter broke down and we had to call Rolando to come and pick it up from the town I live in 30 minutes away from his shop. Prior to that we’d seen the guy a few times already at his location, when I was looking for transportation.
- The Starter Goes Out: After replacing the battery here with a local mechanic, there was a day when I got back from the beach and the starter went completely out. That morning we gave Rolando a call, and he came over, and fixed the starter. He also noticed an oil leak.
- The Oil Leak: When he noticed the oil leak, he told me he’d come back and get it in a few days, take it to his shop and get it all fixed up for me. At this point I’d seen this guy so many damn times I was beginning to think maybe I should go grab drinks with him or something.
- Issues with the Gears: Earlier last week, I woke up and when I turned the quad on to head out surfing it wouldn’t start. I had gone almost 15 days with no issues so I think it happened right in time for another meeting with Rolando. This time I knew I needed a picture with the guy so I could write about him on the blog.
- The Final Break Down: After this last visit, he told me to call him on the weekend so he could take it back to his shop and replace some sort of fibers on the clutch which I was more than happy to take care of if it meant I’d get to ride this thing with no issues. To top it off, the guys I’m working with needed to move me to a different location and when I got there internet was virtually unusable. So, I decided to make my way back to where the condos were at to let them know I’d need a different place where the internet worked. On the way back the quad broke down. I had to ditch it by the side of the road and walk.
After all this, it turns out that I got to choose my new location and I’m done dealing with this ATV. I told the guys I’m working with “if you can put me at a place with WIFI that’s walking distance from a surf spot and I don’t need this stupid vehicle half my issues will be solved.” I don’t mind the 100 person town. I don’t mind the solitude. But when the fuel for my fire is denied (surfing everyday) and my vehicle starting is a continual unknown, it’s enough to make living the dream seem like I’m not. Oddly enough this sequence of events may result in me getting everything I wanted. I’m now living in a new location and able to walk to my surf spot. My productivity should go up dramatically by not spending days wasting time with logistics. Days like this don’t just test our patience. They build our character. They’re a test of how far you’re willing to go in order to get what you want. There’s many people in my life who wouldn’t be able to handle the stress, the uncertainty, the unknowns. But it’s in this territory, in those unexplored avenues the magic of life and amazing opportunities emerge. As I once said before, the payoff is worth anything you have to go through (even if means renting an ATV from a mechanic who seems like he might be drunk most of the time).
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Great to hear you're even closer to the beach and able to "fuel" your life with even more surf juice. That's fantastic. What I love about what you do Srinvias, is that you know what you want, and accomplish it. Although I know, from your bios, that it's taken a few years (like any good thing should), you're doing it. Living the life you've dreamed up. And you'll get these little wrenches that try and screw things up; but only make things better in the long run of things.
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