Today we went into Liberia for supplies. It was nice to get out of the park and see something besides jungle for a change. I forgot my camera so sadly I don't have any photos of the city yet, but I will have lots of photo opportunities cause I get to go there every couple weeks. I'll be sure not to forget next time ok?
We started our trip with a lunch at a sushi restaurant. I didn't think I would get to have sushi while I was here - so this was an unexpected treat. I LOVE SUSHI. I could eat it every day and not get sick of it. The more wasabi, the better. I got a big roll with crunchy tempura and chives rolled up in the middle and masago on the outside. The other field assistant got a strange costa-rican sushi roll that had plantains rolled up in it. We traded pieces and hers was pretty good (mine was better though). I also had a bottle of diet coke. I don't know what it is - but Coke that comes from a glass bottle tastes so much more refreshing than Coke from a can or a plastic bottle. Seriously. Its the best. I wish they sold it like that back in Canada.
After lunch we went to the pharmacy to buy itching cream for me and the other field assistant. I don't know what is attacking me, but my arms (especially my elbows) are covered in these hard itchy welts. I look like I have a disease and once I start scratching, I can't stop. The welts also ooze fluid for a while after I scratch them - which is an added bonus. You can't imagine how sexy I look right now. At least the chiggers haven't gotten me yet.
After the pharmacy, I went shopping for some flip-flops. I have one pair of leather sandals, but I wanted a pair that was more beachey and able to get wet. I was looking for a pair of Crocs flip flops cause they are soft and squishy and feel like you are walking on marshmallows but I couldn't find any. I settled for a pretty squishy pair of pink Reef flip flops. Here is a picture of my foot in one of them. I know you're probably thinking to yourself "damn girl, you have some ugly feet". But please keep in mind that my feet are totally broken right now due to stomping through the jungle for 13 hours a day. Also, it is literally impossible for me to take a flattering photo of my own foot. Moving on.
I paid about the same as I would pay for Reef sandals back home - which is not exactly cheap. But my feet need to be pampered when they are not being tortured in the field so I think it is money well spent.
I bought lots of food and supplies for the next 10 days at the park. Mostly things for sandwiches and breakfasts. I also got a lot of juice crystals to put in my water on field days. They have strange flavours like guanabana and horchata which apparently some sort of "cinnamon rice-milk" flavour. Rice-milk flavoured water sounds pretty sketchy to me so i'll let you know how it turns out. I also bought these cool backwards oreos! The cookie part is vanilla and the filling is chocolate. I am excited to try them. Its also great that the bag of cookies comes individually wrapped. This should help to keep me from gold-fishing the whole bag. (when I use goldfish as a verb, it means to eat everything in front of me until I feel sick. Sometimes I do this with sweet things. Its dumb.)
The last thing that I got that's worth mentioning is a big ass bottle of RAID. Every day for the last 3 days, I have found ants trying to make nests in my clothes. Once they were making a nest in a nice new pair of underwear, once in my jacket, and once in a pair of socks. I opened said piece of clothing and it was literally swarming with tiny ants. Thousands of them. They seem to like silky or synthetic fabrics - which sucks cause a lot of my clothes are workout type materials or stay-dry fabrics. Anyway, it felt really good to spray all the edges of my room and watch the ants writhe in agony. Now my room has the "outdoor fresh" scent of insects dying. The other people here were laughing because I bought insect killer in the jungle - but they don't have ants nesting in their gonch so screw them. This raid supposedly keeps scorpions and roaches out too. This is good since 2 days ago, I stepped on a scorpion with my bare foot. Somehow I managed not to get stung - but I would prefer it if they just stayed out of my room alltogether. Stupids.
Anyway, dinner is almost ready (its the other field assistant's turn to cook) so I have to go!
Thanks for reading!
<3 Dayna
1) you have a flower on your toe
ReplyDelete2) oozing welts are sexy /cry
3) get itching cream
4) kill those damned insects
5) sushi is delicious, wasabi is terrible
6) I want a backwards oreo
I have those same sandals but in green. They are the ones i use when my feet hurt as well... sometimes i buy nice foot creams and goo up the sandal since it wont absorb anything. Like a walking moisture bath on my toes. Soooo good.
ReplyDeleteI've tried the guannabana stuff from this weird market down the streat. I liked!
Maybe thats Psoriasis on your elbows???? Maybe not if the other girl has it too. Maybe you both have the herpes.
@ Nathan - I have 3 flowers on each toe >.<
ReplyDelete@ Linds - Its not psoriasis. It could be elbow herpes though. Also, now that you mention it, I totally remember your green reefs. I copied you because I think you are cool.
Glad to hear the feet are happier!
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah... coke tastes amazing down there. In North America we use primarily corn syrup as a sweetener (since it's so readily available and largely subsidized by the government, making it a lot cheaper). However, since pure sugar cane is a large staple in parts of Central America, its the sweetener of choice for their local plants. And of course it tastes a gazillion times better.
Some places in the US actually carry the pure cane coca-cola, which still ships in the glass bottles (my sister and Oliver are a big fan, we actually presently have some in the apartment). Makes for a kick-ass rum and coke.
Another fun fact... Coca-cola in a baggie. In poorer areas of Central America, like Nicaragua or parts of Honduras, glass can be very expensive. The glass coke bottles are often returned directly to the beverage distributors for recycling. If you dine-in you're likely to get a in its classic glass bottle. If further out in the country side, or taking the soda with you to-go, they'll pour it into a plastic sandwich bag and tie off the top. Sometimes you'll get a straw, or you'll just be expected to bite the corner of the bag and suck on it, like in the following:
http://www.vagabondjourney.com/travelogue/2008/03/travel-tip-9-turn-plastic-bag-into-cup.html
Dayna Dayna Dayna you're gonna love horchata juice, it is AWESOME, my mom got these weird mexican crystal lights once and horchata was a flavour. It's very odd the first time out, but I gre to love it and still miss it.
ReplyDeleteI miss you :(
<3 Forresst
@ ives: you have inspired me to buy some good rum and glass-bottle coke to help me unwind after long field days. Also, i wouldn't say the feet are happy...just the agony is slightly less. I think new boots are in order.
ReplyDelete@ Heather: I will send you some!! Gmail me your address and i'll make you a care package! (I miss you too).