Randomitis

A few uncollected thoughts…

The Fayla Super in Los Barriles (Barriles is the correct spelling, despite my previous declarations otherwise) is a wonderful grocery store. You can get a can of Old Milwaukee for ten pesos, just in case you can’t get enough of that classic Midwest flavor. I have yet to find a venue that sells PBR.

It hasn’t rained since Friday, and yet the roads are still wonderfully flooded. The water is more than six inches deep in places. Walking out of our street requires that I squeeze through a bush covered in four-inch spikes. Wayne told me what kind of plant it was, and I believe the name roughly translates to green death.

The old lady at the counter behind me speaks worse English than the Mexican girl she is attempting to communicate with. According to her, the best way to speak with people who are familiar with your native tongue, but not you theirs, is to speak loudly without verbs or grammar.

I try my best to speak Spanish as much as possible, but too often I find myself getting involved in conversations far over my head. I don’t know Spanish. I know the horrible language of a rude little country whose citizens are affronted when you speak English, and are offended when you speak their native tongue. I hear that they respond really well to body language, though, like thrown punches and stuff.

Nay, right now I really wish I knew Spanish. Even the conversations I strike up with four-year-olds down here are making me feel self-conscious.

I have one doctor telling me to take antibiotics and abstain from alcohol, and another doctor telling me to drop the antibiotics and drink more tequila. I haven’t decided who to believe, yet, but I must say that both Leo and Martine make a fabulous margarita.

Today I went kayaking. It is fun to kayak in azure waters and play in the swell.

The back of my head is all but healed. The stitches are starting to itch, which means it’s just about time to get them taken out. On Valentine’s Day, I almost died from a broken heart while watching everyone else out kiteboarding. Thankfully, that night Kelsey and Jeanie treated me and Chris to a wonderful dinner of Alaskan salmon, mango salsa and fresh salad.