Grumbling Entitlement

 

 

Between a rock and a hard place today sitting at Witches Rock posting because our internet has been out two days.

Yesterday has been a day of privilege. Not my privilege but the misplaced privilege of others. Other gringos here in Tamarindo.

It happens right now we’re hosting some of Jim’s family, and I’ve been some what surprised by behaviors of these ladies in my age group. In all actuality I’m rather horrified by the need to bar hop and drink until late in the night and fry on the beach all day long. Right now they’re at one of many bars in Tama. It’s an effing Monday night, give it a rest!

That part of the culture here bores me stupid. I used to bar tend and wait tables in a night club back in college. I got my fill it then. Add in the fact that I have copious amounts of alcoholics in the family and I am a teetotaler of many years now.

I am so puzzled why older folks are acting like such drunken jackasses. Young people I understand that desire to do those things, but quite frankly it just is anathema to me. So far whenever I’ve questioned anything going on I get the reply ‘We’re on vacation’

Frankly I am not liking that excuse for all sorts of bad behavior here, not them so much as the unwashed humanity that seems determined to come here. Get fallen down drunk in the street. I’m starting to wonder if people from the first world coming to the second world to act very badly is just more white privilege.

One of the women has hooked up with someone we know here. Granted, she’s freshly divorced from a very bad marriage, and she’s of legal age. But Jim’s descriptions of the handsy-footsy play at the beach bar was slightly nauseating. I guess I’m getting old. I’d rather read a book.

It’s been mostly good that they are here. I had to put them in the main house here, so we’re a little tight. As I was making up the bed in the guesthouse I turned on the air conditioning. Got about ten minutes of cold air before it died. We’d been warned that the unit was likely needing replacing when we did the walk through on the property with the home inspector. Not a surprise, just very bad timing.

This morning we all met up at our favorite beachfront restaurant for breakfast. I got to see that the walk of shame when you are 50 plus isn’t so attractive. Today they are out on one of the giant catamarans for the day. Now nighttime and bars. I am here.

But it wasn’t until I got to the restroom that I encountered real entitlement. I had to mosey on in because in the breakfast I’d managed to besmear myself with guava jam. The restroom there is minuscule. So washing up when a lady left one of the two stalls I told her sorry and I’d be out of her way as quick as possible.

What happened was she unleashed a lecture on me I was not prepared for, that women apologize too much, there was no need for me to apologize to her, that I was clearly still under the thumb some good patriarch.

Yes, so I heard all about the wonders of true feminism from some strident hectoring woman. All I did was apologize to her. Trying to be nice. Guess that’s wrong now.

Then later today Jim and I got to witness two different sets of gringos fighting in line at the Maxi Pali (Wal Mart subsidiary). One was chiding the person in front of them because she was angrily insisting the cashier had overcharged her. It was vile with dirty words thrown and accusations that the roughly two bucks the lady wanted back wasn’t worth quibbling over.

Americans here are really bringing the bad behavior like crazy this week. I cannot wait until rainy season starts and most folks go home again. Over the last five years we’ve lived here things are getting more insane daily.

On a lone good note I finally worked up the courage to make small talk with local surfing great Robert August. August has a surfboard shop, and filmed/starred in "Endless Summer" the classic surf film. We also keep running into Jonathan Banks (Mike in "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul"

Coda: I just discovered that my guests, despite being warned not to put toilet paper in the toilet, have broken the guest toilet. With what is it clogged? Toilet paper. So clogged I cannot unstop it with my plunger. So now I must hire a plumber. They never said word one to me about it.

They spent the night with with the hook up last night and are going sailing all day. Broke the damn toilet and said nothing. I’m over this visit.

While we're here working on our computers and having breakfast I got to witness an angry gringo bitching out his father's personal assistant at a high volume of angry crazy. Get me the eff ever out of here!