Buggin' Out!

This is just a small post to describe a little bit of travel pains we have had to deal with down here during the Central American rainy season.  For anyone who thinks adventure traveling is glamorous, take a look at the picture above.  This spider watches you while you sleep and greets you when you wake.  She is not aggressive but she will jump clear across the room when she gets startled.  And she is not the only little critter following our every move.  There are beetles the size of quarters, lizards that like to crawls along the tops of our boots, and one very large creature that hovers and buzzes around like a helicopter that we have been calling the "Dinosaur Bee".

This all comes with the territory and has not stopped us from doing our work or having a good time, but there are two very unique bug related stories that we want to share with you.  The first involves a volunteer named Alex who has been teaching at Amun Shea since the beginning of this year.  After experiencing some serious pain in is big toe, we drove him to the local medical clinic where he was treated for a bug bite.  Apparently while he slept one night, a nasty little creature called a "Chinene" crawled on his foot and excreted a toxin on his toes and it was slowing burning the skin away.  Sound like fun?

The other story happened last night just before dusk.  During the beginning of the rainy season, when the circumstances are just right, like a big rain storm that ends with a few hours of sunlight left, a phenomenon occurs a few times a year.  Last night was one of those times.  A swarm...when i say a swarm I mean a cloud...and when i say a cloud, I mean a plague of flying termites called "Palomillo" (little doves) descended on us and others throughout Morazon.  They were relentless for the few hours these little pests looked for wood to burry themselves into.  When the Polomllo arrive, there is nowhere to hide and all  can do is calmly allow them to surround you until the sun goes down.  We waited and then had dinner and some drinks while the dogs and extra large toads had a field day cleaning up the layer of dead termites.

 

I am not saying any of these bugs/creatures/swarms have detracted from our trip, I am just saying the next time you want to travel far away from home, ask yourself if dealing with toxic Chinene and flying Palomillo is something you could handle.

We will post again later with news from our day spend in Honduras.