Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Floods, frogs and crocodiles, oh my!

It turns out I didn't win the "when will the rains come" pool. I found out the hard way, by waking up to a flooding house. About 2 inches in my room. All is well, no damage and now we have fixed the issues that caused the flooding. I forgot what real tropical storm rain was like. When you are in it it's like someone is following you around with a hose that has very good water pressure.
We've had a very productive few days since then. Nothing like the aftermath of a flood to get you to do a good deep clean of the house.
I also forgot the intensity of the crabs and bugs just after a storm, the crabs I don't love but at least they are a bit comical. The bugs, now they are not comical. Sometime ones reaction to them flying into their face is comical. But generally, ick!
Another fun thing is all the frogs they really love the rain! They also really love making love in my room on the floor next to my bed. Shown in the video below. 

Now the conversation has changed, no more, "when do you think it will rain?". Now the conversation includes things like, "there is a guy selling pineapples for only 20 pesos and they are big, sweet, and juicy!" and "did you here about the crocodile in the lagoon?", "yes actually, I heard there were two".
Yes, actually I did hear there were two. In the rainy season the crocodiles from way way up in the jungle sometimes wash down into the river here. I think they are pretty small, but in the mean time we are going to keep my brother's dog out of the river...just in case.
Apparently the government wants a photo of it before they send someone out to get it...get out your cameras everyone! And keep your limbs inside the boat at all times.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Summer in Paradise

Well, after dusting the cobwebs off of everything in my house I will now do the same for my blog. There has been a lot of action since I last wrote.
I have moved into Casas de los SueƱos, have had some guests, done some traveling, and as of late a whole lot of sweeping up dead bugs every morning. Not to mention dodging toads and land crabs.
Summer in the tropics is a constant battle against nature, and it always wins. Think of it as one of those time lapse nature videos, that...but in real time. You can spray on bug spray, sit in front of the fan, sweep out cobwebs, but all of these measures are purely temporary. When the spray sweats off, the power goes out, and the cobwebs are back in 20 minutes, you are just where you started...hot and bug bitten.
I know this sounds bad. And to some it would be. To me it is a test of my endurance and I am thoroughly enjoying it. (Not the bug bites, those just itch). The heat lends to my natural laziness and allows me to sleep during the day without feeling guilty. The ocean is calm, clear, and warm. I have been swimming a lot and it is one of most simultaneously invigorating and relaxing things in the whole world.
The jungle around me is alive and full of interesting beautiful wildlife. At dusk the sound of the night creatures are deafening. It is a mystery as to what is making each noise to add to the symphony of sound. I equally want and don't want to know what is making every individual noise.
The rains have not come. There was a storm  a couple weeks ago when I was not here and was sad to miss it. But the real everyday rainy season rains have not come. We are working towards shutting down the houses for this. That means, cleaning, wrapping in plastic, checking roofs, and generally putting stuff away.
The talk on the trail usually includes a comment on how hot it is "Que calor, no?" and when the rains will come "Parece que quiere llover" "No, no va a llover hasta el 25 de Junio". I am always amazed at the exact dates people give...are they taking bets? If not, maybe we should start a pool in town.
Personally I think it's going to start raining on the 19th of June. 
I'll let you know who wins the pool.