Me, and my mosquiiiiitoes!

Everyone here agrees that not only has it been a horrible year for rain, but the mosquitoes have an above average presence this year.

Balderdash, I say!

Just because I am sitting in my room at about 8pm with my legs under the covers, my sleeves pulled over my hands, and my shirt collar raised and buttoned....  I don’t love sitting under the mosquito net, so try to dissuade the wee fiends however best I can.  The myriad of ibtes covering my ankles and arms attest to the fact I am not always successful.  Must also be a different breed too… the welts are really, well, itchy.  For days.

Ok,  so it is a bad year for mosquitoes.

It has continued to be a nondescript kind of laze-about holiday, in that I have no grand adventures to report.  Much visiting with friends, teaching my wee wonders, wandering from bakery to market, sitting in the courtyard and soaking up the sun when it decides to make an appearance.

Today went as follows:  Avocado and cucumber sandwich in my room for breakfast, coffee on the way to class, wee wonders, lunch out with Rosario, abbreviated siesta, lovely long visit with Jose and his family, a fabulously interesting video about the Chachapoyan people and searching for undisturbed gravesites.  Back to the hostal, a laugh or two with Eduardo and Carlos, and now me, my on the fritz computer and you… the printed page and whomever wishes to read.

Judging by my stats there are approximately 5 of you. 

The rest of this week?  If it was sunny I was wandering around town, or reading in the main square.  Raining?  Well whatever I could find.  Yesterday it was heading over to Janet and Carlos’ new abode and sweeping away construction debris for most of the afternoon.  Shirt strategically wrapped around my head, it took  me almost 5 hours.  Blisters yes, sneezing yes, stops to run outside to breath yes, but it left me feeling comfortably tired and productive.

I have started to plan for the next phase of my trip which will see me back on the north coast for a couple of days, and then making my way back to Chachapoyas through cities and towns I have not yet visited.  This will also entail a blood curdling 10 hour bus ride on one of the most challenging roads in Peru.  The payoff?  I am told some of the most spectacular vistas and near vertical descents possible.  This road is dirt-pack, mostly single lane with areas carved out for “passing”.  Which means SOMEBODY has to decide to back up when encountering oncoming traffic. 

Sound like fun?  Maybe like the worst amusement park ride possible?  Go me.

I have done almost no trekking.  Ditto my writing.  Just hanging around. 

The most exciting thing I have done is put a few sentences together in Spanish. 

And dodge the mosquitoes of course.