December 16, 2008

Wow! Only 9 days till Christmas and until I put the date on this posting....I had no idea!! Hope you all have a good one in case I forget it’s just around the corner again.

Arrived in Troncones day before yesterday in the afternoon as planned and all is great here. It was fun to land at the airport, haul our bags out to the local bus stop past all the tourists who were hailing cabs at least 100 times the price to get into Zihuatanejo. Lynda had a little “argument” with the bus driver who thought we were tourists and wanted to charge us extra money for our bags....somehow her fluent Spanish (well that may be a slight exaggeration) came flying out of her mouth and we were in the bus for no fee for our bags. Later we learned that they really do charge a little extra as it takes up a seat but heh...the bus wasn’t totally full so we weren’t taking up any extra seats. Once we were in Zihuat we made a stop at the local market for a few groceries and then on to another local bus to head up the highway for ½ hour to the stop where we would catch the little combi bus (that has a door I just barely fit through) and that just runs from the highway into the village (about 5 kms away). Lynda managed to utilize her fluent Spanish skills again (but for some reason the poor driver didn’t understand her – maybe he only speaks English as he didn’t understand a word she said) and before he knew what was happening I had whipped some money out of my bra to give to Lynda...she jumped out of the combi beside the local store and the Mexican lady who was left on the combi with me and ALL of our bags had to translate for the driver that he was to proceed to her stop and then turn around to pick up Lynda as she’d be waiting on the side of the road with a bag of ice (a critical element in the Margaritas we planned to drink the minute we arrived home). Fortunately, the driver complied and sure enough...there was Lynda at the side of the road with the ice flagging us down in order that she could further explain to him that he was to drive us right to our doorstep before the ice melted. Don’t know if he understood any of it or not but we did arrive ice in tact sooooo....... Feels really good to be “home” again. Weather is perfect, temps are in the low 80’s and humidity is high but not so high that you’re really uncomfortable – especially when the toughest thing you do in a day is lift your drink.

Haven’t done much of anything since arriving.....needed a couple of days to recover from our travels so have been taking our time and just soaking up some sun. Other than laying on a beach chair or lounging in the pool there has been little excitement, although....the night we arrived....Lynda and I checked into our respective rooms (we’re taking advantage of having our own rooms till Mitch’s place gets too busy and we’re into sharing again).....I was just putting my bags into my room when I noticed something moving on the floor. Upon closer examination, I discovered a small scorpion! Mitch came to my rescue and in short order it was gone (forever) but it had been a bit of a thrill as it was the first time I had ever seen one in any of my travels. Later that same night, Lynda and I were putting some sheets into the washer (helping Viri out with some of the housekeeping at the hotel) in the outdoor laundry area. I was sorting out some sheets and when I leaned across the table to reach one from the back I felt a sudden stinging on my right thigh. Sure enough, I had just discovered my second scorpion.... this one wasn’t as small as the first and this one had given me something to remember him by! Once again, Mitch came to the rescue and that scorpion will never sting again but.....in the meantime.....I had a scorpion sting to deal with. I must add at this point that it took Mitch 11 years before he had a sting and he’s only had one the entire time he’s lived here. Two of the local servers at Roberto’s (who are both well over 20 and who grew up here) have never had one....and here I come along, and on my first night I not only see one but also get stung by another! To top it off the one that stung me was described as medium sized (ie: bigger than the first one I had seen in my room) and black in colour which means they’re mature and have a harsher sting. You may be wondering what it feels like....well......simply put.....IT HURTS! The good news is that I lived to tell the story so all is well that ends well and I don’t anticipate any lasting effects – although, I haven’t had nearly as many bites after dark since getting stung....perhaps the bugs don’t find me as sweet any longer, which would be a good thing! So.....the rest of the story is that the treatment for the scorpion sting is pretty much as bad as the sting itself. The first thing is not to panic....just stay calm (yah right....a stupid scorpion just bit me and last I heard....people can die from that!) But the truth is that I pretty much figure ‘what will be will be’ and so I really didn’t get too nervous about it. Second thing you have to do (unless you want to go to the hospital a half hour away or to the local nurse who will give you an injection of antidote) is go to the local back yard restaurant and get them to chop up a HUGE amount of fresh garlic and then try to swallow as much of it as you can (at least 2 or 3 large cloves) with the help of a glass of water. It is important that the garlic sit for about 15 minutes after being chopped so it’s medicinal properties kick in. Anyway....I did as I was instructed and received a lot of attention and here I am.....telling you all about it none the worse for wear. Supposedly only 10% of people who are stung have an allergic reaction (where their throat closes up) and only about 1% of them die....so my odds were not so bad. The really good news is that I now know that I don’t have an adverse reaction to scorpions so I can get stung again and be just fine (as long as I can find a back yard restaurant where they’ll chop up my garlic potion etc). To give you a little better picture about what it feels like.....I told you that it hurts but really, it doesn’t hurt all that much....it’s definitely a sting and then there is a burning sensation that emanates out from the centre of the sting. By the next morning there was no visible mark where I had been stung and there was no more burning. The burning (described by others here – and I would agree) feels a bit like fire flickering out from the centre of the sting. It’s kind of a strange feeling and a very interesting experience that lasts about 5 or 6 hours! Don’t worry mom.....I don’t plan to experience it again though!!! Everyone is surprised that I’ve been stung by a scorpion....it is not a common thing. They say it is lucky though so I’m in for some more great adventures in my life!

So here we sit at Roberto’s (across the street from Mitch’s place) just having finished a massive plate of local lobster that has a story attached to it too. While walking back from watching the local boys fishing on the beach this afternoon we came across a couple of men in their truck selling lobster from the back of it that they had just caught off a beach just up the road in a place I mentioned in an earlier blog.....Saladita (the place where all the surfers go). Of course, Lynda and I just had to buy a couple sooo....before we knew what had happened.....Lynda and I were in the back of the truck (with the lobsters) on our way back to Mitch’s place where our money was.....and once we arrived......I had four of them in my hand and we were $25 poorer. Yes, not only can you buy fresh lobster from the local guys here but you can ride in the back of their truck too! We really didn’t know how to cook the lobster though so we just carried it back to Roberto’s Restaurant where the staff there cooked it up for us along with some rice and veggies all presented on a gorgeous platter and served up in style....we are soooo lucky!!! As we were finishing our meal, Roberto came over to sit with us and before we knew what was happening....we had volunteered to work in the restaurant and bar so he could host a party for all of his staff. There are no walls on the place though so once the party is underway it is entirely possible that the public may want to join in too so Lynda and I will be cooking, serving up drinks, waiting on tables and doing dishes for not only the staff but possibly a bunch of touristicas too. Roberto said that he’s hoping to do it sometime in the next few days so we’ll see if it actually comes about....sometimes things work out as planned and sometimes they don’t. If it does though, it will be fun to turn the tables on the staff and to serve them for a change so I’m hoping Roberto follows through with his plan.

Lynda and I spent much of this afternoon sitting by the pool drinking Tequila and Kahlua with milk (Dirty Mother’s) and once we arrived at Roberto’s we switched to Margarita’s (Viri is the bartender here and she makes a mean margarita!) so we’re feeling no pain at this point! Actually, I sat by the pool watching Lynda straddle a surf board trying to master the skills required to paddle out to the third wave where she’ll be able to “catch one” and experience that thrill with her kids.....however......she says “I don’t think so” but the rate she is going....I think she’ll give it a shot. She may only ride the wave on her belly but regardless.....she’ll be riding it and the practicing is fun for her.

Just back to the computer at the table and still at Roberto’s......Carlos (Roberto’s 15 yr old son) just called us over to see a nest of turtle eggs hatch. Carlos took on the job of finding turtle nests along the beach about a year ago and has been going strong with his environmental initiative ever since. It is a huge amount of work for him but such a valuable service and he has learned so much. He aspires to be a marine biologist so it is in his area of interest and it doesn’t hurt the business at Roberto’s either as tourists are invited to watch him release babies to the ocean every Thursday evening at 6 pm. Tonight, we watched over 100 babies come out of the nest they’ve been sitting in waiting to hatch for the past 45 days. They’ll sit in a safe place for a few days until they’re a little stronger enhancing their chance at survival in the ocean so they can come back to this same beach in 7 years to begin the cycle all over again by laying their own eggs. The work that Carlos has to do for the turtles is quite extensive and he cannot miss a day of caring for them. He has to change their water at least once a day and the babies move through a series of stages before they’re released....they go from sand only to sand and water to water only and then eventually the ocean. It’s a very special thing to watch. A month ago, before we left for our adventure.....we watched a nest hatch during the daytime and one of the eggs even began it’s hatching process in Lynda’s hand. How cool is that!!
That’s about all I have to say for this time – things are pretty quiet here. Hope this finds you all well and I’ll write again when I have some news to share.

Lorrie