WORKAWAY - Not So Ethical?

Since I have recommended Workaway many times in the past to an unknown number of people, I feel it appropriate to follow up. Knowing what I now know about the organization, I recant my recommendations and provide disclosure of disappointing practices.

A reminder to my ever faithful family and my new readers – as I know I am welcoming a few here…..I did not join workaway due to wanderlust or a passion for travel. It was to assist me on my quest to finding my place as you can read, or refresh your memory, in Baring My Soul and Planting A Dream.

Initially discovering this travel trade website in 2014, I was so excited and promptly shelled out the money for my membership. What I learned along the way is:

·        Hosts pay no membership….just the volunteers.

·        A greater percentage of hosts I personally contacted don’t respond.

·        Less than stellar feedback (by paying volunteers) is removed – basically false advertising. Obviously this site is geared toward accommodating hosts so workaway will have a product, albeit not always honestly portrayed, to sell to volunteers.

·       Workaway implies situations have, for the most part, 5 hours work, 5 days per week in exchange for food and accommodations. That scenario is actually pretty rare at least with the hundreds of profiles I looked into (unless you also include a space to set up your own tent or paying extra for meals or having a space to prepare your meals).

·        Workaway monitors private messages too in spite of their denial….I have correspondence to back that up but don’t wish to spend any more energy there.

Here is the feedback that I gave for the first place, and ONLY place via workaway, I experienced.

(See: If I'd Have Known & Really......the Desert?!) Through the grapevine I heard that even the owner agreed it was truthful. This feedback was subsequently removed by workaway. It makes reference to the description of the place that was posted at the time and what I actually encountered. Note: I was being kind.

[09/02/2015]

I spent almost a month here. Just a heads up that it isn’t quite a Hotel/Resort and Restaurant in the usual sense. It is more of a backpacker’s hostel. There is a dining hall and kitchen to prepare your own food but not a restaurant that has food and you can get meals prepared for you. A group of young people live there and like to chill. They are great about cutting down coconuts, when available. Nothing like drinking fresh coconut water right out of the coconut! So if you are looking for something more laid back, this might be the place for you. You need to be prepared for all situations like often no water much less hot. You also must like the company of a pack of untrained dogs following you wherever you go….yes, that includes the kitchen. There is much that needs to be done around so you will have no trouble finding ways to help out and can probably choose the jobs you prefer. The facility sits on a beautiful beach backed by desert-like terrain. The beach is constantly littered with trash so Mother Nature would love it if you assisted in the trash collection helping uplift the Planet. It is about an hour drive south of the city of Manta and about ½ hour north of Puerto Lopez. You can easily catch an inexpensive bus right on the road to either location and more if you’d like to do a little sightseeing or shopping.

I must add that I stayed in Nov 2014 and haven't had a chance to post this earlier so things appear to have changed. I know they changed their description after I left a review on another site back in Dec.

Left by Workawayer for host

(Neutral)

for Help a hotel 4 km north of town of the fishing village of Puerto Cayo, Ecuador.

Knowing everything happens for a positive reason, I thankfully see many gifts resulting from being involved with workaway. If I hadn’t joined, I wouldn’t have met a number of wonderful folks – many of whom have since become dear friends.

Mary was one of the first that I made a magical connection with…..no surprise….on the beach! She shares an inspiring blog about her adventures and life as an expat in Ecuador. Mary, in turn, assisted me in making the synchronistic partnership with Hosteria Nantu including Andrea, Mauritz and what quickly became my Nantu Family.  At that time I assisted in getting Hosteria Nantu listed on workaway. Here are the reviews we posted for each other:

(Excellent)

for Volunteer at a Hosteria in Southern Manabi province, directly on the beach

[09/02/2015]

Words aren’t adequate to express my gratitude and happiness regarding my 2 month stay. Andrea and Mauritz were gracious hosts indeed. They and the staff quickly felt like family to me as we worked together….sometimes a little humorously due to my limited Spanish skills. It was an honor leading so many guests in daily morning yoga too. Between my hosts, the staff and a number of special guests, dozens more have been added to my heart for life. It was a real treat living and working right across from the beach. I got a chance to see all the different rooms in the hosteria. The reason this is significant as they are all artfully designed and decorated in their own unique manner. If you get a chance to volunteer here, between the hosts and the tranquil area, it will be an opportunity you remember fondly on for a long time to come!

Left by Workawayer for host

(Excellent)

Michelle

[08/04/2015]

We still miss this lady. She changes our life and the way to see things around. We really appreciate all she did around our hosteria, we still have people coming to look for our yoga classes and massages, I highly recommend Michelle as a worker, friend and person. Thanks a lot for all you did for Us. Everyone here keep talking about how great you were. You will always be part of our family, doors will always be open for you Michelle.
Left by host for Workawayer

Tessa and Alie frequented my poolside yoga class. Thanks to fb and their blog Happy Goats, we are able to stay in touch. Manuela from Italy, another beautiful yoga regular, co-owned restaurant Paella Mar in Puerto Lopez with her partner Toni from Spain. Loved their crème brulee! One more of my yogini friends is sweet Nadia. She shared my gypsy spirit and was on her own quest. Her time to move on came before mine and she gifted me with a beautiful handbag that she lovingly made for me herself. It was perfect for my needs (ok wants) at the time. Of course, I must express immense gratitude for my experiences with my furry, feathered and water friends - dogs, seals, seabirds, turtles and seahorses! 

During my research I came across a significant number of others who had similar, unsatisfactory findings and less desirable encounters through workaway. Will not go into any more detail so as not to immerse in the negative. Just backing up my own findings to save others unpleasant situations in the future.

Bringing the focus back to the bright side…..I am still open to that magical tropical location being shown to me in my night dreams and day visions. In the meantime, I continue Putting It Out To The Universe.... Please share ANY and ALL leads that may come to you regarding where on earth this Paradise might be or ways that I may discover such! Perhaps YOU would like to Personally participate with me in finding this Tropical Retreat?! It would be a powerful way of being the change we wish to see in this world…….Just Sayin’ ;-)

Thank you all for being such Bright Lights in my life!

P.S. Here's my workaway profile in case you can refer me to potential hosts...or if you may be one yourself!

The Gift of Pura Vida

A view of the endless Pacific in one direction and the ever changing mysterious cloud forest in another, our delightful Costa Rica property sprawled almost an acre. Back in 2004, my former husband and I purchased this tropical paradise –  a mere 10 minute drive to the beach. Excitement abounded as well as visions of our dream home we would build there. Shortly thereafter a friend, who bought around the same time as we did, was having marital issues making owning real estate in Costa Rica no longer in his best interest. To help our friend, we purchased that land from him. We weren’t really sure what we’d do with it but it was in the same phase in the development our lot was located. You may have noticed the title “former husband” previously in this tale. From that you would correctly gather there would no longer be a dream home for us. So for years we have offered both lots for sale or trade.

Around the beginning of my gypsy travels (2009) –  I wound up in Costa Rica although Panama was on my itinerary for where I’d be starting my new life. Since Providence landed me a few miles from where our land was situated, I searched for ways that made sense to start manifesting my dreams there. After almost three months, the signs all pointed for me to move on. Clearly this was not the place.

Earlier this year, I alluded to a difficult situation I was experiencing – one in which I allowed myself to be weakened physically and spiritually. Doubting and second guessing myself and my intuition were some of the effects. During this surreal period, an opportunity arose. At this point I’d been offered a few less than desirable exchanges for the two lots in Costa Rica. Really….how would trading for barren acreage in Nevada with precious mineral possibilities interest me? It was then I first thought of giving the property away. Although I know my energetic contribution to the planet and humanity is significant, I got to thinking bigger. If I could donate the property to someone who could make a powerful, positive difference with it, that would certainly expand “being the change I wanted to see in this world”. When I mentioned this to the Jekyll/Hyde lost soul I was entangled with, it was immediately shot down. Would I really want to give the property away as opposed to getting say 10-50K? My first instinct was YES! But when questioned again, my Authentic Self began to fade away once more. Regaining my strength and self-connection in the months following, I remembered that incident again. Give the property away? Yes! That is exactly what felt right!

Presenting my potent idea to my potential worthy recipient had me practically bursting! This man is a high energy healer disguised as a master of chiropractic arts in California. While I was aware of his affinity to Costa Rica for some time, it was my Mom who actually refreshed my memory recently. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he loves the country and, just as importantly, the locals. Not your typical tourist who sees them as “background people”, this guy enjoys interacting with and getting to know the Ticos and Ticas of the land. Visions I had of him dividing his time and talent between California and Costa Rica as he assisted diverse populations from around the world were grand! When I first laid the gift idea in his lap, his mind was spinning with possibilities, questions, and considerations. The “what ifs” were infinite. Knowing the myriad implications of him accepting, I left him to consider -  not wanting to pressure him into an immediate decision. As time went on, his excitement and clarity got us on the path of making it happen.

Pretty much every legal transaction in Costa Rica requires an attorney to get involved no matter how small it may be or how closely the participants cooperate with each other. And, while it might make things easier, real estate transactions do not require one to be physically present in Costa Rica as some people were counselling me. Once my DC friend and I were clear that we were on, we wanted to get things rolling asap. Researching recommended attorneys was turning out quite different than anticipated. I wanted to get an idea of how they communicated with me and how they would handle this kind of situation before committing to use them. Not sure if they don’t need new business, the transaction was too small or complicated or they just didn’t like to be “shopped” as one of them indicated to me. Finally I ended up pulling strings by contacting an associate of a good friend of mine. This gentleman had large projects in progress in Costa Rica and definitely knows how things work there. He recommended an attorney in Uvita that they were considering using for their next project or something similar. She is originally from the United States, married a Tico and has two kids in Costa Rica. She is familiar with law in both countries. Her immediate response to my email left me thrilled and hopeful. Almost immediately my little voice inside told me this is who we were to do business with. My initial excitement dwindled a bit when the communication became less prompt and a bit cloudy. All the information I was trying to get was stated in my original email communication. Yet it took 5 weeks to get it all clarified to the point where monies were being wired to begin to execute the transaction. Strangely, through all of this (unlike some other situations in my life), I felt mysteriously at peace and patient. Events still felt like they were on track albeit perhaps via the scenic route. I had a sense I would have information for what was next in my life when I wrapped up the Costa Rica Gifting Project.

In the meantime, the delays where holding me in a loving place I’d decided to assist in until the completion....or another certain sign. In that place I was thrilled to be making a clear, awesome difference and the Universe was engaging me there, in a sense, as long as I was needed. A highly respectful place I might add...with a beautiful Lady. There is a phrase I often use with people asking me how long I will be somewhere….. “I shall stay until the wind changes” :-)

A while back I created a facebook page to help move the land in Central America. It was called, “Costa Rica Land 4 Sale or Trade”. That title has now been changed to “Gift of Costa Rica Land”. While things may not happen quickly, I foresee updates of the transformation being posted there over time. If you are on fb and have not already “liked” Costa Rica Land 4 Sale or Trade, please visit Gift of Costa Rica Land and be a part of Gaia’s bright evolution.

Things Are Not Always As They Seem!

My next grand adventure was precipitated by the fact I needed to be out of my apartment at the hotel (where I was previously staying) for a few hours due to pest control activity. So I embarked on one of my favorite occupations….moseying along Casey Key musing and reminiscing. In an almost trance-like state, I was about to turn on Blackburn Point to exit the Key when I saw the sign. “Open House”! On North Casey Key? Yes! So I continued north until I came upon “The Property”.

It was a magnificent 8.8 acre sanctuary with a few humble but cozy structures upon it. Definitely one of a kind – super unique to the area. It stretched from its 400 foot private beach to the intracoastal waterway including a totally private lagoon. The agents inside welcomed me and loved my “picture” I painted for them of the spiritual retreat center. Walking the property felt so peaceful….almost sacred. As I approached the lagoon, a manatee suddenly surfaced forcefully expelling air as if in greeting. Since the agent with me hadn’t seen it, I requested an encore of the sizeable but gentle beast. He

immediately obliged then moved on. I envisioned all the different activities and uses of the various areas for people to come for personal transformation in serene nature. In presenting my vision, I immediately made it known that I personally did not have the means to purchase the property…..a mere 15 million. However, if everything lined up logically, I could recruit investors. A couple days later I get a phone call to meet with the listing agent. Delighted, I returned and learned more about the property. Reiterating my position regarding the finances and my wish to respect everyone’s time, I said one of the first things we need to determine, before spending a lot of time and energy in this pursuit, was if we could get it zoned for the intended use. The listing agent got in touch with the architect and got the ball rolling to find the answer. In the meantime, he said I was welcome to visit the property anytime and, if I wanted to access the buildings, to contact one of the other agents and she’d meet me to unlock them.

One day I visited the property with a potential investor. We took our sweet time exploring including going to the beach past the rocks were it opened up for miles. As we were walking, I got a very clear message in my head, “my car is being towed”. Not wanting to fuel that thought with energy or alarm my companion, I continued strolling back at the same speed. Sure enough, when we returned, the car was not there. Without going into all the details, things had lined up like the perfect storm for the incident to have happened. While this event surely was what most people would label “bad”, I was truly provided for every step of the sometimes inconvenient way. In the process of this incident, I realized there was way more to the story other than, "all 4 out of state sibling owners had decided this was a good time in the market to sell the place". 

A couple days later, on another investor friend’s advice, I visited the county clerk’s computer to peruse the public records. All sorts of sensational details revealed themselves to me in the process. The owner, who paid my car’s “bail”, had initiated legal action against his 3 siblings resulting in a court order to sell the place. So everyone didn’t really want to sell this history rich property that had been in the family at least 70 years. Now, even if the price was 2 million dollars, I wasn’t interested. I didn’t want to take a property from someone who didn’t want to offer it…..that’s just bad karma.

In addition to dreaming, I was also frequenting the property which, at the time I was referring to as The Sanctuary, to see how things and people around were “normally” - i.e. not on their best behavior. I didn’t give the whole juicy scoop about the towing incident but it revealed quite a bit about how people were around there normally. Another thing I discovered a couple days later was the tide. The water came up so high that I could not easily navigate the rocks to get to the open beach. Being closed in on that little beach…..well, now even 8.8 acres felt a little claustrophobic. I do realize $15,000,000 is a drop in the bucket for a few folks reading my blog. For me, it’s a lot of money – particularly when I would be potentially the steward of other peoples’ money being invested. I wanted to familiarize myself with the property and possibilities from all angles. 

Clearly, the towing incident and the high tides, which coincided at a similar time, showed me that it was time to wrap up this possibility. It was also an oddly wrapped powerful gift saving me much time, money and energy on something not meant to be. Looking back on the weeks I was there, I was living the dream. Being there daily, once or two times, I got to witness nature at different times of the day. Everywhere I’d look was postcard worthy. I was experiencing the retreat as if it were currently in existence!

So here’s echoing my previous post. I continue living my dreams as most live their worries. Years ago, I used to be a little disappointed when things didn’t happen as I imagined they could. Now, it’s like reading a book or watching a movie with an ending not so desired. One might think, “I’d have written that differently”, and then simply move on with their life. So that’s where I am, calling out to the Universe a confident “Next!”

While I know your journey doesn’t look quite like mine, I also know you have your own flavor of adventures in “the jungles of space and time” as my friend Mike Dooley puts it. If you are getting all the nutrients necessary to fuel your daily activities, wonderful! If not, perhaps you will consider supporting your intake with Juice Plus. Most of you are already familiar with the capsules containing 17 fruits, veggies and grains. Maybe you could also use a boost in your day with a nutritious shake or energy bar. I invite You to my website to learn more and place your order if it feels right for your health.

Dental Dilemma

Since my exploration in Ecuador, I have kept my heart, ears and eyes open for the best place to serve and get me closer to THE tropical island location of my visions.

After months of planting thousands of seeds worldwide, the Universe gave me a unique clue in a manner I totally wasn’t expecting. A shattered tooth was the form of that puzzle piece – bottom back right. Promptly I contacted a dear friend who’d been a Dental Angel to me in the past only to find that she didn’t practice currently. I reached out to an amazing DMD in Encino CA who had gently and expertly done endodontic treatments for me maybe 15-20 years ago. Dr. Thomas Jovicich kindly evaluated my situation to give me an idea of what I needed to get done. I began looking for work-exchange situations in David, Panama and near Uvita,

Costa Rica so I could get my dental work done there as it is 1/4-1/3 of the price in the US. Weeks after the shattering event, while flossing my teeth, a crown popped off – bottom back left. Since I hadn’t found anything that clearly showed me the green light yet, I sent inquiries to 3 dental practices in the States. I was comfortable considering the dentist in Panama as I’d been to him before and, along with being gentle and speaking English, he did a great job. Uvita is near Ojochal, Costa Rica where my 2 beautiful lots are that I am offering for sale. I thought perhaps, if I was in the area, I might make some connection that could help that process. Weeks went by and the communication with both the Panama and Costa Rica dental offices went south. The 3 US practices never got back to me at all. Again, I don’t get upset by these things but see them as signs – that’s not where I’m supposed to go. Since I felt a little urgency with the teeth after a number of weeks, I investigated an opportunity heretofore pushed aside. I’ll tell the story as this is a great example how things weave their way in my life.

Anyone who uses email is familiar with junk mail. Ironically, I got a message trying to sell me property in Costa Rica. I responded, “I don’t know how I got on your mailing list but please remove me……Unless, you truly believe this is a fabulous time to buy in Costa Rica as I have 2 lots to sell.” Amazingly enough, Jason Haney responded and asked me to tell him more about my properties. After some communication back and forth, he agreed to pass on my info to people for whom it may be appropriate. On top of that, he invited me to dinner if I found myself in Costa Rica. Later, when I was looking through all the potential information I had for dental prospects, I emailed Jason to see if he had any suggestions. He highly recommended CostaRica Dental Team as he knew the owner, the practice and even worked a number of years at the connecting lab. I really didn’t investigate it right away as it was in San Jose. If I was going to be somewhere for an extended time period, San Jose definitely wasn’t the place I wanted to be. 

As the weeks and the pressure to get my teeth cared for increased, I called the practice and was amazed at the prices…..significantly lower that even the other places in Costa Rica and Panama. Ok, a sign. Next step, I contacted my lovely friend, Lisa, who I’d visited 6 years ago when I was in Costa Rica after my “failed” move to Panama. You can read about that in my earlier posts. Lisa is a Travel Consultant with Costa Rican Vacations living in La Garita.

 She graciously agreed to host me while I got my dental work done in San Jose. This would require bus and taxi travel both to and from the dentist but that fact that I would be with her made it equal my "next sign". Finally, I’d decided to investigate airlines and had all sorts of parameters necessary in my mind. The travel planets had to line up a particular way to show me, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I should book the trip. Everything lined up and I ended up in the chair of the Costa Rica Dental Team. The place was comfortable enough, everyone I’d met so far was friendly and the lab was on the premises. After the extensive preliminary exam, it was determined I needed way more work than I initially realized. After a cleaning, my first day was done and I contemplated how I could get all the work done. The second day went well as Alejandra was very solicitous, caring and has small hands. Day 3 brought a night and day difference as I encountered “the specialist”. That traumatic day quickly brought an end to any additional treatments I may have been considering. In the meantime, I’d finally been able to get in touch with the real estate agent Jason. We agreed to meet for lunch at Denny’s. It wasn’t quite going to be a nice dinner but I’d be able to get there fairly easily considering I’d need to take bus and taxi to do so. The morning of our lunch, I was greeted by a text from him informing me his wife just let him know of a family event that day and hoped we could reschedule. I was looking forward to meeting with him in hopes that it might help in moving my property in a little more timely manner. I left him a message acknowledging his and have not heard from him since. 

Another interesting situation involves folks in the Osa Peninsula area – where my two lots are. Communication previous to the trip indicated a level of enthusiasm to get together with me. When I had the opportunity to actually travel there, that level of enthusiasm mysteriously diminished. If it was just one, I wouldn’t have thought much of it, but all of them? Another sign, I was not to make the extra effort to visit there. Thanks to some leads from a few friends, I was able to contact an agent in the area that seems genuinely interested and I feel really wants to assist. I also created a facebook page to show people the beauty of the property in hopes of finding the perfect new owner(s). Got some nice attention and a few inquiries via that avenue. The Ocean View Lot is almost an acre and the Creek Lot a little over half an acre. A 10 minute drive from there and you are at the beach! If you are…or know anyone who is a good candidate for some Pura Vida land, please email me for more information.

When I travel to different places, there is always a reason I think I am going that prompts me in that direction. More often than not, it isn’t actually the real reason I am being guided there. As the title of one of my previous blog posts indicates, if I’d have known what awaited me here, I definitely wouldn’t have come. However, I’m not privy to the hows and whys of the Divine but always have an intense absolute knowing in the NOW moment that I am in the right place at the right time. Maybe that whole thing with Jason was to get me to re-connect with dear Lisa and her 6 precious pups.

Maybe it was to have the peace, quiet and personal space to make the myriad of connections I was able to make. The possibilities are infinite!

Those who know me a little more closely will know the significance of this picture.....