true life planet

Ok, folks. There are no photos on this blog-and sorry to say, no new photos on the flickr site, either.

My memory in my camera isn´t compatible with the computers here.  So, please be patient and wait until I get home in a few weeks-when I promise to spend much time getting all the photos on to flickr, putting the best ones on the blog(including the past entries), and revamping the blog.

Thanks for waiting. The photos should be up by the start of May-all 3,000 of them.

gigi

This list is the ¨Top Ten Things I Have Grown To Love In The Comarca¨

In no particular order:

1.  Fried yucca. At first, I had an aversion to the stuff, but after you eat it day in and day out, you actually begin to find it has a lovely, delicate flavor.

2.  Fried bread. Something I never thought I would eat-and enjoy-is bread fried in oil. Now it´s part of my morning ritual.

3.  Hiracha. A stange, wild, green plant that has leaves that look like lime leaves and poisonous berries when ripe, I´ve become accustomed to walking up the mountain and harvesting the leaves of this plant every few days. Terrifically rich in iron they are a local curative for anemia(a traveler´s woe). Delicious cooked with wild lemons, I have fantasies about stealing  a plant and growing some in the USA. (But I won´t, of course.)

4. Killing scorpions. At first when I saw these creatures, I would scream and create a scene, but now I look forward to discovering them in the middle of the night with glee.  I actually like killing them, because then I know they will not end up in my bed or in the bathroom, lying in wait to sting me. And, I might add, I am not a violent person.

5.  Nahuas. The typical dress of the Ngobe women at first seemed very very bright and very voluminous-I think I described them as circus-like in  a past entry. Now, I appreciate them so much more, and there are many finely made ones that are quite beautiful. I even bought one off a woman who was wearing a very intricately designed one.

6. Cipro. A person who in her old life was anti-medicine, hating to even take a Tylenol for pain, I have made Cipro a permanent companion and friend. It had saved me twice on this trip, and I´m sure it will save me again.

7. Caladryl. Hating this pink, goopy stuff when I bought it-but now finding it´s antiítch properties worth more than I can say, it too now has a place of honor in my first aid kit. I couldn´t sleep without it, especially after hiking through the mountains and getting a few pesky bites on places I missed with my bug repellent..

8. Conch-playing. At first I found the sound of men playing conch shells somewhat eerie, but now I find it quite beautiful. I can´t seem to get the hang of it, though.

9. River bathing. I love, love love bathing in the river. I´ve stopped worrying myself about snakes and so on and am now enjoying it. i would, however, prefer to do it not fully clothed!

10. Sweat. Not being someone who particularly enjoyed getting sweaty, messy and dirty on long ardous hikes and so on in the past-and, who, frankly avoided exercise than required more than 15 minutes and made my eyeliner run, I´ve gone over to the other side. I´ve joined the ranks of those nutty people who actually enjoy exercise and getting sweaty in public.

gigi