Nighttime in Atenas

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I've just had the most peaceful and relaxing experience of my trip so far. In fact, this is the most inner peace I've felt in a very long time.

I've had a good time in Costa Rica so far, and I come back from a nice evening and a nice dinner. I get back to my father's house and just walk out to the edge of the hill. I look down into the valley below and just see little twinkling lights of houses and streets. All of them are anonymous, none can be identified from up here. Across the valley, a long way away, the silhouette of the mountains in the distance is lit up by lightning. The lightning is silent though, too far away for there to be any thunder. I close my eyes and hear nothing but crickets and grasshoppers chirping. Their sound is so calming, almost hallucinogenic. I hear no cars, no people, nothing except nature.

All my senses, all my basic needs are satisfied. I will try to find or take a picture of the view at nighttime from here, although I'm not sure that it will fully convey the feeling from up here. This is the nearest thing to a peak experience I can remember having.

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