Rob on the bike

Today when the monkeys disappeared into the jungle, I had a sense of where they were going. Instead of following them through the mass of tangled vines and thorns, I headed off to the A trail and met them there. Way down the A trail almost at the end of the forest patch, there are gobs of fruiting Spondias trees that the monkeys love right now. When the monkeys began going further into the forest patch, I gritted my teeth and wielded my machete, but to my surprise I found a dirt path inside the forest around this area. It was great—I had a place to walk and a rock to sit on while I watched the monkeys go about their business. I was a bit started when all of a sudden two dogs came running up the path. I think the dogs were even more startled to see me. A man and woman were close behind, and each of them was loaded down with piles of chopped wood strapped to their backs. Ah, deforestation. But I don’t really think that local people going into the forest to take enough wood for cooking is too much of a problem. The big logging companies that clear-cut vast tracts of land so that Americans can use the wood to build themselves houses in the ever-expanding urban sprawl of the suburbs is what I’m up against. But I digress. The people also seemed a bit startled to see a pasty gringa sitting on a rock in the middle of their path, but I smiled and said “Hola,” and—despite their heavy burdens—they both smiled and said Hola back.

This evening, Rob took a bike ride up towards Balgue, and I went for a walk into “town.” Rob met me on his way back, and I snapped a couple photos of him—included below. He was trying to convince me to let him give me a ride back to the Hacienda. It’s the Nicaraguan way. I’ve seen as many as four people precariously perched on one bike. Now, I love Rob and all, but I am not willing to balance myself on the frame of a cruddy mountain bike while he pedals up and down hills laced with jagged rocks. I walked back home, and he rode beside me, pedaling very slowing. When we arrived at the Hacienda, we realized that we had locked ourselves out of our room. Rob gave me a boost and I climbed in via a small open space at our bathroom ceiling. Blech. A lot of gecko poop and spiderwebs up there.

For the moment, I am fighting a losing battle against trying to not scratch my chigger bites. Maybe a Bendryl is in order. Tomorrow is Saturday, and I’m not going to the forest. I’m looking forward to sleeping until 7am and having real breakfast. Also, I hope this gives a chance for some of my bug bites to heal!