Day 8

I have officially lost track of the date, day and time.  We have not made an effort to adjust to the time change, and are still rising and sleeping as we would at home.  It actually works well that way, because we wake up early enough to help with the animal chores.  Today was a quiet day.  Aside from 2 quick trips by car, thanks to the kindness of our hostess, to get some money from the ATM, and pick up bread and cheese, we stayed here.  Our main project was to create my youngest a toy.  We settled on a truck with rolling wheels, with some sort of cart or trailer to pull things along in.  My oldest took a machete and cut some bamboo for the chassis and cart.  With the help of one of the workers who used the table saw to cut it to length, the kids and I used a hand saw and machete to cut it lengthwise and we made significant progress.  A drill press helped in the construction of a hinged covered trailer.  Tomorrow we will find a piece of wood fit for the wheels, and will construct axles.

I had a chance today to converse with two of the adults who live here.  We spoke of the different way of living here.  It is truly possible here in this climate and this economy to live a lifestyle where most of what you do contributes directly to your sustenance and subsistence.  Bamboo grows plentifully here and other renewable wood sources.  Aside from the roof, structures can be built of local renewable materials.  Edibles abound, and food grows vigorously.  Eco-tourism and mindful living and spiritual/emotional growth are thriving businesses.  You can easily make a living as an online coach or adviser, and chat, Skype and email your clients from a hammock.  It really makes me wonder about the importance of extra-curricular activities for ourselves and our children.  Do they enhance or strangle our lives?  The need to earn money to pay for these activities is what seems to drive most of my efforts back in my real life.  Do I have the courage to reexamine the fast paced life we have chosen, or rather, succumbed to?  These questions are good ones for me to contemplate while I am here.

The kids' room

The outdoor shower

The kitchen- no screen on the window

I haven't described the open house style we are living in.  By open, I mean that the walls are all waist high, and then aside from supporting beams, are open.  No window glass, no screens.  There are bamboo shades available on many walls, but half of their strings don't function properly and aren't worth the effort.  As a result, we have learned how to use as few insect-attracting lights as possible in the evening and night.  There are surprisingly few biting insects.  A few mosquitoes and no-see-ums, but mostly flitty moths, and geckos and other lizards ranging in size from 1-8 inches.  The spiders seem to stay outside, for the most part. where there is more to eat.  The bats and birds sometimes fly in and out.  We love it.  Well, most of it.  Frogs in the shower, beetles all over the kitchen  and honey bees on the counter and table have become a way of life for us.  Ants too.  Trails in the bathrooms, kitchen and if someone drops some food in the living room a small swarm of ants desperately trying to carry the morsels away.  And they bite if disturbed. Hard and repeatedly.  We learned that about being outside too.  Rule of thumb is to never stand in one place for more than a few seconds or you'll be sure to get a nasty ant reminder to keep moving!

The dining room, not the deck

My bedroom abutting the living room

The big bathroom- no screens