William and I are both bitten up pretty badly.  These blood-sucking little bastards are so merciless that they bit me on my eyelids while I slept last night!  But it’s too beautiful to leave here.  The 12-acre finca, or ranch, we’re on is atop a wind-swept hill overlooking a broad valley and with glorious views of both volcanoes.  The owner, Carlos, is an amateur botanist who has lushly landscaped the property with a profusion of tropical plants — heliconia, hibiscus, crotons, palms.   There are a gekko and a tiny frog living in our room, which is very basic, with a fan and a cold-water shower..  At night the sounds close in all around us — the whirring and chirring of several types of insects and dogs barking in the distance — it’s so nice to hear the voices of other creatures besides humans…

This morning we hopped aboard the first bus that came our way.  When the driver asked us where we were going we shrugged and said, “To the end of the road.”   We bounced down a bone-jarring, pot-holed road, passing agricultural fields of bananas, tobacco and sugar cane. The houses lining the road were small, one-room affairs of brick or palm fronds.  Indoor plumbing is non-existent in these parts — people use outhouses and hang their laundry in their front yards. Pigs, dogs and chickens laze by the front door.  Because there are so few cars on the island, the bus functions as a delivery system.  People stand by the side of the road and then load their giant bags of tobacco leaves or produce onto the bus, telling the driver the place they want it delivered to.  Such a high level of social trust on this island!

When the bus reached the end of the road, we found ourselves right on the lake.  We asked how long before the bus took off again and were told 3 hours.  We had plenty of time to sit and stare at the water, drink a beer, and take a walk down the road.  There’s nothing to do here but relax, which suits us just fine…

Peace & Blessings,

Jan

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