Carnival. Wow. As you might imagine, a holiday packed with tradition was celebrated most jovially on the Azuero Peninsula. They have lots of practice with festivals, and this was no different. Parades, fire crackers, and hordes of people could be seen and heard at all hours of the day and night. Days were highlighted by “culecas” which are any type of tanker truck filled with water and an attached hose is used to spray down crowds. It doesn’t matter if the truck sports “Flammable” warnings from its use just hours earlier carting gasoline. It doesn’t even matter that so much water is used most of the city and certainly surrounding towns go without water for the week in toilets, sinks, etc. Who needs a glass of water to drink when there is alcohol? I suppose that is the thinking anyhow.
So I don’t like crowds. I don’t mind lots of people, but when I am shoulder to shoulder, back to front with countless people, I just don’t like it. Needless to say, Carnival was a little much for me. I was okay the first day. I led my friends through the crowd as we made a loop through the main square. We got wet; we caught t-shirts and bandanas; and ya. That was good enough for me. Pat confronted a pickpocket, though luckily didn’t get anything stolen. None of us were carrying much of value anyhow.
That night we went to a discoteca which was absolutely packed with people as well. The night began (at a little past 11pm) with plenty of room to dance, which we all did. As the night progressed, we were again shoulder to shoulder with people getting progressively drunker in an appropriately dimly lit atmosphere. I checked out early, as I’m just not comfortable in those situations anymore. I did have fun though, but again, that was good enough for me.
The following day my eyes ached from leaving my nice sunglasses at home and not buying a cheap replacement to take out on the streets. I went to the culeca again, but only for about 5 minutes as I just wasn’t feeling it. I also stayed in that night as with as much fun I would have had with everyone and all our other friends who just showed up in town, I wasn’t ready to put myself back in that kind of scene.
But heck, I was running on fumes anyhow with little to no sleep the previous two nights. Having the hostel to myself to get some shut eye was great and needed. Plus the others came back with stories of drama that I am glad I wasn’t a part of. I headed out early the following morning and didn’t have any problems with transportation despite the increase in people traveling.
I had my Muchachas Guías meeting on Tuesday as planned and taught the girls how to knit. Man, not knowing knitting vocabulary made things so much more complicated than anticipated! I ended up spending an hour and a half working with each one in turn. Only about half of them got a couple stitches cast on their needle. In fact, the best one is also my youngest, at 7 years old. (Well, that’s if you don’t count her 4 year old sister who I didn’t even attempt to teach. So much for an age range of 10-14 for the troop!) I then headed up for a birthday party of one of my good friends in town. She just turned 17 and has a boyfriend who has already graduated from the university. I don’t know how I feel about that. But at least their families are both behind the relationship, so she won’t end up like many of the other girls in town: knocked up and single.
I headed up into the mountain the following day. I figured I’d try to GPS the trail we’ll be working on this year with a Biological Corredor grant (fingers crossed!). I had some problems earlier with clouds and canopy blocking reception of satellites, but I figured on a clear day all would be good. I got up there and of course the clouds rolled in. Shucks. I couldn’t get signal at the first waterfall: huge rock face, lots of tree cover, and clouds means no chance at getting a point. Before I reached the second waterfall I got freaked out by Ngobes. A pair asked me for money just as I entered the trail. I said I didn’t have any, which was true, but obviously had the GPS with me as well as a camera and phone in my pack. After passing them and doddering on the trail trying to get signal, I ran into one of them further along. As they know the trails far better than me, it’s no wonder that they passed me. But the fact that the one waited until I passed again, thus sandwiching me in between her and the other who could have been anywhere got my gut rolling. So I turned back, as I figured it was a much smarter thing to do especially since I wouldn’t have been able to map the trail anyhow with the weather.
As I came back out to the road again, I passed a group of men from town, who were on a mission to find the problem in the irrigation aqueduct. They invited me to join them, which I accepted in lieu of my failed hike. We followed the line from the source which was overflowing with water through the monte. A note on Spanish vocabulary, monte is referred to any unmaintained forest or hillside. In this sense, we were bushwhacking through dozens of treefalls, trying to maintain footing on eroded, precipitous embankments, and doing our best not to get stung by spiny trees or wasps. I think I failed on all attempts.
In my most heart racing failure, I slid feet first with my chest facing the mountain about 12 feet, sending memories of Kels’s and my adventure up in Sequoia National Park as I slid down the snowfield uncontrollably. Luckily in this case, another downed tree stopped my descent. And of course the guys were far ahead of me and didn’t even notice: what gentlemen. They didn’t even say anything after I caught up with them and was blanketed with dirt all across my front. Lol
About four hours later, we reached the point where the tubes meet the road without finding a single daño. While there were about three new treefalls ontop of the tubing, none of them cracked the tubes. On our way back into town we found a couple spots where the tubing was filled with air, preventing the flow of water. They guys opened up a couple of new holes in the tubes to let the air out and then plugged them back up with sticks once the water started flowing again. All that for some air! It was a good hike though, and the guys did talk about who would take the blame if something did happen to me, which means that they at least appreciate my being in the community with them.
Next week I’m off to an organic pesticides seminar, followed by mud house building, and a girl Scout training then week after that. Oye! Lots of traveling and being out of site. I’m still chugging along with translating Flying WILD activities. I’ve got about five of them done now, but it sure is time consuming! I can’t wait for Kels, Jeff, Mom, and Dad to visit at the end of the month too!
So I don’t like crowds. I don’t mind lots of people, but when I am shoulder to shoulder, back to front with countless people, I just don’t like it. Needless to say, Carnival was a little much for me. I was okay the first day. I led my friends through the crowd as we made a loop through the main square. We got wet; we caught t-shirts and bandanas; and ya. That was good enough for me. Pat confronted a pickpocket, though luckily didn’t get anything stolen. None of us were carrying much of value anyhow.
That night we went to a discoteca which was absolutely packed with people as well. The night began (at a little past 11pm) with plenty of room to dance, which we all did. As the night progressed, we were again shoulder to shoulder with people getting progressively drunker in an appropriately dimly lit atmosphere. I checked out early, as I’m just not comfortable in those situations anymore. I did have fun though, but again, that was good enough for me.
The following day my eyes ached from leaving my nice sunglasses at home and not buying a cheap replacement to take out on the streets. I went to the culeca again, but only for about 5 minutes as I just wasn’t feeling it. I also stayed in that night as with as much fun I would have had with everyone and all our other friends who just showed up in town, I wasn’t ready to put myself back in that kind of scene.
But heck, I was running on fumes anyhow with little to no sleep the previous two nights. Having the hostel to myself to get some shut eye was great and needed. Plus the others came back with stories of drama that I am glad I wasn’t a part of. I headed out early the following morning and didn’t have any problems with transportation despite the increase in people traveling.
I had my Muchachas Guías meeting on Tuesday as planned and taught the girls how to knit. Man, not knowing knitting vocabulary made things so much more complicated than anticipated! I ended up spending an hour and a half working with each one in turn. Only about half of them got a couple stitches cast on their needle. In fact, the best one is also my youngest, at 7 years old. (Well, that’s if you don’t count her 4 year old sister who I didn’t even attempt to teach. So much for an age range of 10-14 for the troop!) I then headed up for a birthday party of one of my good friends in town. She just turned 17 and has a boyfriend who has already graduated from the university. I don’t know how I feel about that. But at least their families are both behind the relationship, so she won’t end up like many of the other girls in town: knocked up and single.
I headed up into the mountain the following day. I figured I’d try to GPS the trail we’ll be working on this year with a Biological Corredor grant (fingers crossed!). I had some problems earlier with clouds and canopy blocking reception of satellites, but I figured on a clear day all would be good. I got up there and of course the clouds rolled in. Shucks. I couldn’t get signal at the first waterfall: huge rock face, lots of tree cover, and clouds means no chance at getting a point. Before I reached the second waterfall I got freaked out by Ngobes. A pair asked me for money just as I entered the trail. I said I didn’t have any, which was true, but obviously had the GPS with me as well as a camera and phone in my pack. After passing them and doddering on the trail trying to get signal, I ran into one of them further along. As they know the trails far better than me, it’s no wonder that they passed me. But the fact that the one waited until I passed again, thus sandwiching me in between her and the other who could have been anywhere got my gut rolling. So I turned back, as I figured it was a much smarter thing to do especially since I wouldn’t have been able to map the trail anyhow with the weather.
As I came back out to the road again, I passed a group of men from town, who were on a mission to find the problem in the irrigation aqueduct. They invited me to join them, which I accepted in lieu of my failed hike. We followed the line from the source which was overflowing with water through the monte. A note on Spanish vocabulary, monte is referred to any unmaintained forest or hillside. In this sense, we were bushwhacking through dozens of treefalls, trying to maintain footing on eroded, precipitous embankments, and doing our best not to get stung by spiny trees or wasps. I think I failed on all attempts.
In my most heart racing failure, I slid feet first with my chest facing the mountain about 12 feet, sending memories of Kels’s and my adventure up in Sequoia National Park as I slid down the snowfield uncontrollably. Luckily in this case, another downed tree stopped my descent. And of course the guys were far ahead of me and didn’t even notice: what gentlemen. They didn’t even say anything after I caught up with them and was blanketed with dirt all across my front. Lol
About four hours later, we reached the point where the tubes meet the road without finding a single daño. While there were about three new treefalls ontop of the tubing, none of them cracked the tubes. On our way back into town we found a couple spots where the tubing was filled with air, preventing the flow of water. They guys opened up a couple of new holes in the tubes to let the air out and then plugged them back up with sticks once the water started flowing again. All that for some air! It was a good hike though, and the guys did talk about who would take the blame if something did happen to me, which means that they at least appreciate my being in the community with them.
Next week I’m off to an organic pesticides seminar, followed by mud house building, and a girl Scout training then week after that. Oye! Lots of traveling and being out of site. I’m still chugging along with translating Flying WILD activities. I’ve got about five of them done now, but it sure is time consuming! I can’t wait for Kels, Jeff, Mom, and Dad to visit at the end of the month too!
