Lost in Translation

After paying the entry fees to the Volcan Tenorio National Park, in Costa Rica, we were left with zero cash. It was noon time, we hadn't had any breakfast, and barring a dingy restaurant (below) closeby there was no place to eat for miles around.


After 15 minutes of searching every cavity and crevice of our rented vehicle and ransacking all the backpack pockets, we finally came up with 6000 colones (12 dollars), most of it in 100 colones coins! On an average a Costa Rican meal costed $5 / person, but we had no option but to survive on our find today. From the beginning of the trip, I was repenting on my inability to have learnt spanish, and as fate would have it, the restaurant was run by a single elderly lady who spoke no English at all.

Gathering my broken spanish, I said "Yo tengo solemente sies mil colones. Yo quiero comida" (I have only 6000 colones, I want to eat). She said she can only provide 3 plates. I mentioned "Uno vegetariano, dos chuleta....cerdo". (1 vegeterian, 2 chuletas..but pork). She finally understood that and started cooking alone in the open kitchen next to the patio.

I then urged my kind friends to lend her a helping hand in the kitchen.


There was intense feelings on both sides, but language stood a big barrier, and we stayed incommunicado and gestured through actions and a spanish dictionary. The lady was however kind enough to understand our predicament and actually distribute the food into 5 good plates. I greeted her, " Mi mucho gusto" (I like very much).

Finally, we had to pay her for her services, and it was funny as I counted atleast 50 different coins of various denominations to make up 6000 colones. We also managed to get an extra $2 to tip her.


...so we parted ways, our hunger satisfied, and the lady with a nice story to re-tell her comrades. At most times language is a severe barrier and impediment...but this time, it was a source of pure entertainment.