The True Meaning of Panic

Just 5 minutes ago:
I get in the shower, water just starting to warm up, only the ends of my hair starting to get wet. I'm just thinking about reaching for the soap, on the floor, when the scorpion walks from behind the shampoo making a B-line for my right foot. He's maybe eight inches away. Soap saves.

I'm glad scorpions are slower than me.

The Ants Go Marching

You may have realized my new obsession with the bugs here in Honduras. I've taken it so far as to buy a glow in the dark 2007 (ok it was on sale, being March and all) BUG calendar! Now that it's the hot and dry season, and we have had a record amount of rain and I still wear sweaters at night becasue it's in the 50's,the cicadas are out in force, singing so loud you have to turn the TV volume to 25 and close the doors to hear. The ant farm in the living room has been abondoned, but late one night, a different colony in back was out on the hunt. What made these so amazing was the clear distinction of order. The small ones stood guard of the large who were ingesting, not carrying, food back to the nest. What a parade, and what tight security to boot.


Take a look at the different body shapes, especially the ones standing guard.


Mmmmm, food.

Sinker

Well, someone wanted to see pictures of my house. How about the bathroom sink.

Pulhapanzak Falls

The guide book says, "local boys,..., will offer their services to guide visitors to a cave behind the falls, where Mayan artifacts are reputed to have been found. The boys will also show you a couple of great places to (safely) jump out into the water."

Let me be the editor. When they say behind the falls, they really mean straight through them, under the downpour falling 43 meters onto your head, which blinds you as you are armpit deep in a pool shuffeleing your way between current and boulder. But the indentation in the rocks gives you a chance to look up into a break to see it cascade down over and behind you with the sun shining through its curtain. And the cave is muddy and mucky and dark and you hudle down in it, finally dry and listen to the downpour and imagine a person that would want to hide there, and what they are hiding from. And safely jump, yes, but maybe they should simply say, how high.






My housemate Ted jumping (safely).