Yes, a mosquito net! AND I finally got internet on my laptop. Connection isn’t great, but it’s better than becoming an alcoholic at the local restaurant when I was borrowing their connection.
So on the way to Poo’s party that night, I noticed a ‘gourmet’ grocery store. Now don’t you go thinking I’m talking Whole Foods or something like that. It looked sort of like the typical pulperia as they call it here…I think this one was sort of an A Frame shape, but I was curious as to what they had in there. Now given that we took a taxi, and I know that Playa Chiquita is about 3km from here, I figured it couldn’t be THAT bad of a walk. Honestly it wasn’t considering it was overcast and only around 80 today. So I walk. And walk. And walk. Around each bend I kept saying, “this has got to be it” and it never was. I finally saw a guy with a grocery bag so I knew I had to be close. Now at this point, there has to be something pretty damn good for me to walk back with. So no liquor, even though I could use some rum, but I’ll buy it closer to home. So yes, they had some imported stuff, but nothing I couldn’t do without. And then I saw it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had even asked a local where I could find one and they said “Limon”. No gracias. There was a mosquito net with one of those round things that holds it up, which in hindsight would’ve been perfect and it was only $12. But then I saw a net that was just in a bag for $2 less and figured I could just hang that up and save a couple of bucks. Uuuugghhhhhh. I get home and unwrap it and it’s the kind that you slip through poles over a bed…just friggin GREAT. So I improvised, as ‘we’ do down here…haha, like that one? I found the middle and tied that to the rope that hangs over the bed and it was too droopy on the sides. So I took the front two ties and tied those around the slats above the bed and that made it too tall so it wouldn’t fit right on the bed. Well THANKFULLY I had brought a couple of those little sticky hook things that you stick on the wall and can just peel them off without damaging the wall (I know you’ve seen the commercial) and I thought, PERFECT! I put those on the wall on either side of the bed and tied the net to those and so far, so good. Humidity does what it’s supposed to here so I could find them on the floor tomorrow, but for now, it’ll do. It ain’t pretty but hopefully the mosquitoes and whatever else is out there will cease and desist.
AND to top it all off, the girl with the bike came by today and is selling it to me tomorrow! Wheeeee!!! $75 with new innertubes, a good seat, new chain and a basket. She’ll paint it for me too AND deliver it. How about that!? Now I can have an extra 10 minutes in the morning before going to work and I can finally go to Uva beach and snorkel! I haven’t even gotten in past my knees in this water yet if you can believe that. The surf is too rough here but in Punta Uva, it’s supposed to be calmer. Wow…AND I can visit PV bakery now and go into town without the 20 minute walk. Gee, it’ll be nice.
Oh, thank God! Now Steph, its worth another $12 to get the net with the thing at the top. Then put the two dollar net on top of that one to KEEP THAT MONSTER GIANT ROACH FROM FALLING ON YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!! Oh, I had a nightmare about that thing – I mean its not like you could step on it – it would be like stepping on a rat! Ugh – I never thought I’d say this, but …..”Give me a snake anytime instead of that nightmare roach!
Oh, yes…do you have a snorkel buddy for when a jelly fish or something comes to close? Be careful – its a jungle out there!
Oh man, let me tell you. Last night as I was under the comfort of my net (which worked great, BTW) I was working on my laptop. I look up at my door and see not one, but TWO big ass roaches. It wasn’t the size of that monster one before, but they were close contenders. Then I see my gecko friend eyeing it and I’m saying, yeah, yeah, you GO! He got close, realized he would not win (or be eaten himself) and ran away. GREAT!!!! Just friggin great. So there they stayed…and I had to get up and turn off the light right next to one of them. Wow, I can’t believe I even got to sleep. Had I not had the net, I probably wouldn’t have. Jeez…I hate those things.
Ha ha! Now I know where many of my blog post ideas begin with “Adventures in Housekeeping!” Minor comforts are major triumphs in the bush. Or even in the wilds of Kumasi. I remember my absolute joy at finding a can opener six weeks into our stay. Much love – Cookie
I think of you often, recalling your same little triumphs. You can never really plan for everything, can you? I broke down and bought zip lock bags yesterday. I had brought a whole lot of them and found myself stressing because they were getting used up (although I have only thrown away like one so far). I paid about $4 for 50 sandwich bags and felt great relief at that. I still can’t shell out the $8 for three tupperware containers though. I’ll make do with what I have. haha!
Be sure you have a good bike lock or you’ll be buying it again.
haha I was told to chain it to a big tree or they’ll just take a machete and cut down the tree to steal your bike! I thought my little made in China bike lock/chain would be fine until the girl showed up with one of those huge metal chains you see thugs swinging around in fights. So I have that instead of my little pathetic one that the guys here would just laugh at. They’d probably just break it off with their teeth.