crazy night, interesting day - 24 Nov 07
Encore moi...
Well, in case the title intrigued you (that was the plan, to lure my little 'audience' into opening my email !) I certainly didn't have a crazy night with a toyboy... No, instead I've had a string of things that have kept me awake most of the night. And I couldn't even get a hot shower before I even went to bed (bad omen), not enough water pressure to start off the heater.
I forgot to mention yesterday that when we stopped to have lunch at Bicente's, our driver's, he had an ant nest in his driveway and I happened to step off the bus and stand right in it. It took me about 10 seconds no more to realise my mistake but too late... the ants were NOT forgiving one bit and bit me for all they could... I ended up with about 40 bites on my ankle. It wasn't excruciating but very uncomfortable and painful still. I applied some anti-athestamine cream and my white flower oil, which took the sting away but not the swelling. I also took a couple of pictures as my ankle kept getting bigger, for the record, in case I need to go to hospital on my return (you never know me thought)... then, when we went for a swim in the cave in the cool water it seemed to neutralise the swelling and the pain.
However, when I lied awake at night and didn't have anything else to focus on the pain seemed to come back with a vengeance and my ankle was really hot, so up I was again at 9:30pm (I'd fallen asleep at 8:30pm), applying more cream and more white oil and managed to fall asleep again. Then, lo and below, my toilet started to flush on its own accord... I thought I was dreaming of rain when something in my brain realised it had nothing to do with the rain outside but that water was running on the inside. So, I went to check the toilets, and sure enough, litres of water were being wasted down the drain... It was 11:30pm and we had no phone in the room to call for maintenance, this is not a 5* hotel by Western standards... so I lifted the tank lid and tried to figure out what to do as I could not possibly have all this water wasted ALL night... I pulled on a few chains, nothing... then I lifted the rubber ball and realised that when it was up, the water stopped running immediately. So, I grabbed the soap dispenser bottle to act as a lever and keep the ball in an UP position. It did the trick. Went back to sleep quite proud of myself... then at 4am the howler monkeys started to make their ugly noises.. and I mean, scary, ugly monstrous noises (like the Polar Bear in 'Lost' if you remember the episode). Thankfully that didn't last tooooo long but every time I was awake my brain would go on over-mode about my dreaded journey back, on Thanksgiving week-end, when all the airports will be mad and the queues even longer (I'd better make my connections !!!). Anyway, at 5:30am, as the sun rose, it was the birds' turn to be chirpping away like crazy... and I mean, real loud... even my ear-plugs couldn't help... and then at 6:30am torrential rain happened... and at 7:30am it was time for me to get out of bed... :((( My ankle was really stiff though which worried me. Applied more cream, more oil... didn't really help. So much for my self-labelled 'miracle cure'... I was to find out later why not...
I still went on to the Maya ruins tour and I enjoyed it though it was nothing spectacular.... no huge pyramids or temples in great shape. Most had been restored anyway to give an idea of what things would have looked like in their former glory as it was a heap of stones otherwise. We were told of a famous game with a ball (whose rules are still unknown) that worked around the moon and the stars movement. The players could not touch the ball with their feet or hands, just knees, elbows and grab it under their arm-pit. Whoever won the game, would be sacrified to the Gods. It was such an honour, that it could not be left to chance, you understand... you had to prove your worth... and these people really believed it was the biggest thing that could happen to them, so winning was truly the goal. Hard to imagine,hey?... They must have had such a shock when they came to the Pearly Gate... 'did I miss my stop?'.... hum... At least it didn't rain too much during our walk around the grounds but as soon as we got back to the lodge, it was pouring down again.
So, I read the NY Times to try and keep up with the news (found a fascinating article on stem cell research without the need for embryos - hooray, Bush will be happy and maybe progress can continue full blast from now on !) and then I went to my room to start to pack a bit... as I have to be up at 5:30am tomorrow (I can't believe my first flight is at 7am, and I will land at LHR at 7pm the day after... eeek). Then my ankle got worse and I just needed to lie down and sleep for a little while... I'm a strong believer that sleep helps the body restore itself.
Then the manager who had heard of my misfortune had kindly asked the bush doctor on site to come and see me. So, the lovely man arrived with some tree bark and applied it on my ankle. Then he said he'd come back in 15mns and fetch more plant. Sure enough, he returned with a few rash leaves and made a paste with water and used the juice to wash my foot. Then he applied the crushed up leaves all around my ankle and I put a sock on to keep it in place. He advised me to keep the leaves wet at all times as it's the juice that will reduce the swelling. He said he saw a woman yesterday whose arm had doubled in size after she'd been bitten by an insect she never saw in her sleep and after a few hours she was back to normal. He said that standard cream won't work on ant bites because as they sting you they leave behind a tiny sting, thinner than a hair that you could never see it but that stays in your skin. The leaves will force the stings out thereby relieving the pain and the swelling. He said he'd been studying medicinal plants for 7 years and learnt a lot from his grand father who was so highly reputated that he'd be flown all over the USA for his knowledge when all else had failed and that he'd saved a lot of people's lives, or saved them from amputations by curing their limbs and all. He told me that he himself had helped a friend who had had a bad toe. He'd already had some surgery under his toe to remove some bad skin, but it was still causing him much pain. So he gave him some plant paste instead and he said that gradually the skin grew back and the pain went. Another time he helped a woman who was pregnant whose child was sideways instead of facing down, he said that just with his hands and a prayer, the baby soon learnt to move himself the right way round and now she has a healthly little boy. He was a Christian man and totally worshipped the Creator behind the Creation and totally acknowledged that God had got solutions for all our needs and he always prayed for the wisdom to help people. He never takes money, he sees it as a gift that he can share... but he also studies hard. So many plants look alike and yet some can have the opposite effect and you could easily kill someone if you gave them potion from the wrong plant, so it takes an expert eye to look out for tiny details that make all the difference. He also told me of plants that fight bad luck, and when I looked wary he said that evil spirits are no joke and recently in Belize they arrested a woman who had done some kind of voodoo spell to a school. They found the doll she'd hidden in a jar and most of the kids had been affected by her spell, having convulsions like epilespy fits that were so bad that it'd take 5 big men to pin a kid down. She will be trialled accordingly. But the moment they removed the doll, and applied some 'magic' herb around the school's window to block the spell from coming back (I quote) the effects stopped and all the kids got well again. I DO realise this sounds very far stretched, but hey, there have been many reports of people possessed by evil spirits in the Bible, right?
On this note, I'd better have a look at the gift shop, the owner told me today that since Roberto didn't come, they'd added $100 credit to my bill, so that I can pick up any souvenir I like. Very sweet of them. I don't really collect souvenirs though... and nothing looks *that* exciting to be honest (mainly bead bracelets, not my style).. even their post cards aren't brilliant -- pity, that is one thing I'd have badly needed more of. But at least I thought that was very kind of them as they really didn't have to ! So, I helped his mother yesterday, and they've helped me back today. And I can feel the herbs from the bush doctor are already soothing... It's exactly the philosophy he had. He said he takes no money because when it's his turn to need help, he finds that people he cured in the past are more happy to rally behind him. He said it's how life should be... we all share our gifts and our knowledge and only use money when we really need to. I was very inspired and very humbled by this genuinely kind soul... such a far cry from busy London life... :(
Righteeo, other people are waiting to use the internet, so I'll say bye for now... If I can log on at JFK I will... as it will be a long 7h30 wait otherwise (just between midnight and 7:30am, can you believe it ?). What was I *thinking* ??? But to be fair, having spoken to people who have come from all over the USA, NO ONE has had it easy. Whether people came from Dallas, Houston, LA, wherever, it was always a minimum of 2 planes, average of 3. So, it's not my bad planning, it's just that options are very limited indeed.
Do email me back please... I'll need some emails to reply to if I am to keep myself entertained for a few hours (though I guess I'll spend 4 out of my 7 hours in queues for various things... ). I'm hoping I can send a report on the zoo tomorrow at some stage... we'll see ! I'm also planning to explore Belize City with my driver, it's supposed to be really quaint... I haven't really got any pictures of cities so far and yet their buildings are really colourful, very Caribbean's like... bright pink, bright green... with white balconies... just real 'happy, relaxed feel'.
Encore moi...
Well, in case the title intrigued you (that was the plan, to lure my little 'audience' into opening my email !) I certainly didn't have a crazy night with a toyboy... No, instead I've had a string of things that have kept me awake most of the night. And I couldn't even get a hot shower before I even went to bed (bad omen), not enough water pressure to start off the heater.
I forgot to mention yesterday that when we stopped to have lunch at Bicente's, our driver's, he had an ant nest in his driveway and I happened to step off the bus and stand right in it. It took me about 10 seconds no more to realise my mistake but too late... the ants were NOT forgiving one bit and bit me for all they could... I ended up with about 40 bites on my ankle. It wasn't excruciating but very uncomfortable and painful still. I applied some anti-athestamine cream and my white flower oil, which took the sting away but not the swelling. I also took a couple of pictures as my ankle kept getting bigger, for the record, in case I need to go to hospital on my return (you never know me thought)... then, when we went for a swim in the cave in the cool water it seemed to neutralise the swelling and the pain.
However, when I lied awake at night and didn't have anything else to focus on the pain seemed to come back with a vengeance and my ankle was really hot, so up I was again at 9:30pm (I'd fallen asleep at 8:30pm), applying more cream and more white oil and managed to fall asleep again. Then, lo and below, my toilet started to flush on its own accord... I thought I was dreaming of rain when something in my brain realised it had nothing to do with the rain outside but that water was running on the inside. So, I went to check the toilets, and sure enough, litres of water were being wasted down the drain... It was 11:30pm and we had no phone in the room to call for maintenance, this is not a 5* hotel by Western standards... so I lifted the tank lid and tried to figure out what to do as I could not possibly have all this water wasted ALL night... I pulled on a few chains, nothing... then I lifted the rubber ball and realised that when it was up, the water stopped running immediately. So, I grabbed the soap dispenser bottle to act as a lever and keep the ball in an UP position. It did the trick. Went back to sleep quite proud of myself... then at 4am the howler monkeys started to make their ugly noises.. and I mean, scary, ugly monstrous noises (like the Polar Bear in 'Lost' if you remember the episode). Thankfully that didn't last tooooo long but every time I was awake my brain would go on over-mode about my dreaded journey back, on Thanksgiving week-end, when all the airports will be mad and the queues even longer (I'd better make my connections !!!). Anyway, at 5:30am, as the sun rose, it was the birds' turn to be chirpping away like crazy... and I mean, real loud... even my ear-plugs couldn't help... and then at 6:30am torrential rain happened... and at 7:30am it was time for me to get out of bed... :((( My ankle was really stiff though which worried me. Applied more cream, more oil... didn't really help. So much for my self-labelled 'miracle cure'... I was to find out later why not...
I still went on to the Maya ruins tour and I enjoyed it though it was nothing spectacular.... no huge pyramids or temples in great shape. Most had been restored anyway to give an idea of what things would have looked like in their former glory as it was a heap of stones otherwise. We were told of a famous game with a ball (whose rules are still unknown) that worked around the moon and the stars movement. The players could not touch the ball with their feet or hands, just knees, elbows and grab it under their arm-pit. Whoever won the game, would be sacrified to the Gods. It was such an honour, that it could not be left to chance, you understand... you had to prove your worth... and these people really believed it was the biggest thing that could happen to them, so winning was truly the goal. Hard to imagine,hey?... They must have had such a shock when they came to the Pearly Gate... 'did I miss my stop?'.... hum... At least it didn't rain too much during our walk around the grounds but as soon as we got back to the lodge, it was pouring down again.
So, I read the NY Times to try and keep up with the news (found a fascinating article on stem cell research without the need for embryos - hooray, Bush will be happy and maybe progress can continue full blast from now on !) and then I went to my room to start to pack a bit... as I have to be up at 5:30am tomorrow (I can't believe my first flight is at 7am, and I will land at LHR at 7pm the day after... eeek). Then my ankle got worse and I just needed to lie down and sleep for a little while... I'm a strong believer that sleep helps the body restore itself.
Then the manager who had heard of my misfortune had kindly asked the bush doctor on site to come and see me. So, the lovely man arrived with some tree bark and applied it on my ankle. Then he said he'd come back in 15mns and fetch more plant. Sure enough, he returned with a few rash leaves and made a paste with water and used the juice to wash my foot. Then he applied the crushed up leaves all around my ankle and I put a sock on to keep it in place. He advised me to keep the leaves wet at all times as it's the juice that will reduce the swelling. He said he saw a woman yesterday whose arm had doubled in size after she'd been bitten by an insect she never saw in her sleep and after a few hours she was back to normal. He said that standard cream won't work on ant bites because as they sting you they leave behind a tiny sting, thinner than a hair that you could never see it but that stays in your skin. The leaves will force the stings out thereby relieving the pain and the swelling. He said he'd been studying medicinal plants for 7 years and learnt a lot from his grand father who was so highly reputated that he'd be flown all over the USA for his knowledge when all else had failed and that he'd saved a lot of people's lives, or saved them from amputations by curing their limbs and all. He told me that he himself had helped a friend who had had a bad toe. He'd already had some surgery under his toe to remove some bad skin, but it was still causing him much pain. So he gave him some plant paste instead and he said that gradually the skin grew back and the pain went. Another time he helped a woman who was pregnant whose child was sideways instead of facing down, he said that just with his hands and a prayer, the baby soon learnt to move himself the right way round and now she has a healthly little boy. He was a Christian man and totally worshipped the Creator behind the Creation and totally acknowledged that God had got solutions for all our needs and he always prayed for the wisdom to help people. He never takes money, he sees it as a gift that he can share... but he also studies hard. So many plants look alike and yet some can have the opposite effect and you could easily kill someone if you gave them potion from the wrong plant, so it takes an expert eye to look out for tiny details that make all the difference. He also told me of plants that fight bad luck, and when I looked wary he said that evil spirits are no joke and recently in Belize they arrested a woman who had done some kind of voodoo spell to a school. They found the doll she'd hidden in a jar and most of the kids had been affected by her spell, having convulsions like epilespy fits that were so bad that it'd take 5 big men to pin a kid down. She will be trialled accordingly. But the moment they removed the doll, and applied some 'magic' herb around the school's window to block the spell from coming back (I quote) the effects stopped and all the kids got well again. I DO realise this sounds very far stretched, but hey, there have been many reports of people possessed by evil spirits in the Bible, right?
On this note, I'd better have a look at the gift shop, the owner told me today that since Roberto didn't come, they'd added $100 credit to my bill, so that I can pick up any souvenir I like. Very sweet of them. I don't really collect souvenirs though... and nothing looks *that* exciting to be honest (mainly bead bracelets, not my style).. even their post cards aren't brilliant -- pity, that is one thing I'd have badly needed more of. But at least I thought that was very kind of them as they really didn't have to ! So, I helped his mother yesterday, and they've helped me back today. And I can feel the herbs from the bush doctor are already soothing... It's exactly the philosophy he had. He said he takes no money because when it's his turn to need help, he finds that people he cured in the past are more happy to rally behind him. He said it's how life should be... we all share our gifts and our knowledge and only use money when we really need to. I was very inspired and very humbled by this genuinely kind soul... such a far cry from busy London life... :(
Righteeo, other people are waiting to use the internet, so I'll say bye for now... If I can log on at JFK I will... as it will be a long 7h30 wait otherwise (just between midnight and 7:30am, can you believe it ?). What was I *thinking* ??? But to be fair, having spoken to people who have come from all over the USA, NO ONE has had it easy. Whether people came from Dallas, Houston, LA, wherever, it was always a minimum of 2 planes, average of 3. So, it's not my bad planning, it's just that options are very limited indeed.
Do email me back please... I'll need some emails to reply to if I am to keep myself entertained for a few hours (though I guess I'll spend 4 out of my 7 hours in queues for various things... ). I'm hoping I can send a report on the zoo tomorrow at some stage... we'll see ! I'm also planning to explore Belize City with my driver, it's supposed to be really quaint... I haven't really got any pictures of cities so far and yet their buildings are really colourful, very Caribbean's like... bright pink, bright green... with white balconies... just real 'happy, relaxed feel'.
posted by Sylvie at 6:27 PM
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