Costa Rica

In the summer of 1982, I spent two weeks in Costa Rica, courtesy of a very hospitable friend, Ricardo R. de la C. I had become friends with him at TCU through a mutual friend from Puerto Rico, Evita V. Ricardo was the son of a wealthy coffee plantation owner, and you would think that might have given him a snobby attitude, but he was the most democratic, generous person  around. He also had a great sense of humour and was an extremely relaxed person with a great respect for people's individuality, he was a very non judgmental guy. I was really happy when he invited me to come visit him in his home country, as we were friends, but very casual friends. I was treated like royalty at his parent's lavish house. That alone was quite the experience. Because his family was part of the social elite, even breakfast was a ritualized event. I had never experienced etiquette to that degree. There was a separate breakfast room in the house, complete with a small natural waterfall, I kid you not. All the meals were served by housekeepers, and I will always remember his youngest sister, already dressed like a queen before 7:30 A.M., ringing a small exquisitely made silver bell to ring for more toast, fruit, or tea or coffee, which was all served in silver sets. It was like something out of a dream to me, the sound of the waterfall, the sunlight filtering in through the natural stone wall behind the waterfall, the elegant brocaded table cloth on the fancy breakfast table, the silver tea and coffee set, the butler waiting on us in uniform, the elegant dress and make-up of Ricardo's sister, Rosario, the silence as I was too nervous to say much. Lunch and dinner were equally ritualized, with Ricardo's imposing father sternly presiding at the head of the table as each delicious dish was brought in quietly by the head cook who ruled the younger housekeepers. This happened every night. There was a social ball Rosario was invited to,and I remember her waiting in the heavily rococo drawing room for her date. She was dressed like a  movie star, in a glittering white gown, with scarlet red lipstick to bring out the gold of her jewels and the raven black of her long elegantly coiffed hair. She looked like a young Elizabeth Taylor, completely intimidating to me. The family also had a stable of fine Arabian horses, and we all went to a horse parade in honour of the family's contributions to the community at a nearby village. Ricardo also showed me his father's land, the plantations, his father's office from which his father ruled their financial empire. I also got to visit the mountain villages, which reminded me, with their cooler climate and chalet style restaurants, of Germany , Austria and Switzerland. The beaches in Costa Rica are wonderful, and I got to spend time, with a privately chartered pilot and plane, just for me, on a private beach owned by one of Ricardo's family friends. It was amazing, to spend a whole day on a private beach, by myself. The only other person around was a handsome young pilot, whom I painstakingly avoided, as  I knew nothing about him, and did not know what was expected of him when it came to me. He respected that decision of discretion without question, and I felt mostly safe sunbathing with him close at hand as the only other human around for hundreds of miles. What did James Bond have that I didn't at that moment in time? I know what he didn't have: scruples, of which I chose to have plenty. To be part of Ricardo's wealthy surroundings for two weeks, and not make any faux pas, as a single girl with no strings attached and sometimes very attractive men around, is a mark of pride to this day. I wonder how Ricardo is doing these days, whether he married the wealthy and beautiful fiancee his father had picked for him. He was a great friend, I hope he is happy. He was always a bit more free form than his very classy surroundings. I hope that bit of mischief in his personality served him well to find his own groove in his very sophisticated and regulated world.