Hellspiders and Crocodiles!

Another week in Aticama full of friends, crocodiles, chicken wire, and demonic lobster-scorpion-spiders!

We started off the week with a tour of the estuary. On Sunday morning we jumped into a boat with Zoe, Bard, LB and took off into the mangrove trees. Our guide, Pancho was no more than 15 years old, and he’d stop the boat every time we saw something cool. Black crabs with neon orange claws stalked the mangrove roots. Iguanas leapt from the canopies, and there were many amazing birds. We saw a tiger heron, a golden crown heron, many ibises, cranes, and hawks. But the stars of the show were the crocodiles. We saw 6 or 7 wild crocs of various sizes, from babies to fellows that would eat Julia in two bites! The first big one we saw just below the surface took our breath away! Such a terrifying, ancient beast, only a few feet away! The boat ride ended at a crystal-clear freshwater spring called La Tovara. It was fenced it (to keep out crocs), and was full of swimmers and people sipping beers from the small restaurant there. We swam, swung from the rope-swing, and headed back. We drove back MUCH faster, with some pretty aggressive 90 degree turns. I shouted at Julia to record the trip on her camera. She recorded for about 2 minutes and I shout “That’s probably good!” She turns it off, and (no kidding) 4 seconds later we drive right into two MONSTER crocs floating in the middle of the water way! All five of us in the boat shouted and screamed, the driver killed the motor, and they dived down and disappeared. We just barely missed having a home video of floating dinosaurs for you! Afterward we went to the San Blas beach. We drank Pacifico ballenas (Spanish for whales), bogey boarded, and little LB took one of the beach side horse rides. After a little dinner we headed home for our nightly ritual of fresh passion fruit juice and tequila.

On Monday our other house-guest, Gina, arrived. She’s a native of San Antonio, though she’s been working in finance in New York City the past 3 years. She’s 25, and dating a guy in the Air Force. They plan to move to Dayton Ohio to make a home after her Mexican travels. She had spent the previous month in Oaxaca, studying beginner/intermediate Spanish at a school down there. She’s a bit wimpy, but loves food.. She’s not much of a cook, though, so we help her learn techniques. Dinner has become her favorite part of the day!

We were taken off the road as our primary project on Monday. Wally called in a couple professional road layers to re-set the stones and concrete them. I still wake up each day and haul rocks into the truck or shovel cementante with Wally. We’ve stayed busy, though our work is much less back-breaking. We’ve harvested, peeled, and dehydrated coffee beans. We’ve harvested, juiced, and frozen limes. We’ve been up-keeping the gardens and paths, picking salads, helping prepare lunches, and laying mulch in the form of pumice pebbles. We’ve been doing a lot of watering. I helped Wally re-fence in a section of the chicken coop and thread the chicken wire into the existing layer. Apparently something was getting in somehow and munching the sleeping fowl. He also has a live trap, and this week alone he’s caught three hefty opossums. These are about twice the size of Texas opossums, and twice as mean too! Every time he gets a new one, I have to hold a bag while Wally snags a rope around their neck. Once noosed, the opossums splay their legs out, open their mouths, and go paralyzed (except their whipping tails)! In this state, we easily bag them, and Wally drives miles out of town to release the critters.

Zoe, Bard, and LB left on Wednesday. We wished them happy trails, they rolled down the road… and 20 minutes later they were back because the hood was smoking. Wally figured it out, and they headed out to New Mexico. We hope to reconnect with them when we head to Albuquerque later this year.

Life on the farm is pretty quiet. We have a predictable routine, but we still have discoveries and surprises each day. Such as the “noni fruit”, a tropical fruit that smells like an over-ripe Swiss cheese and supposedly has healing properties. I was delighted to order a ½ kilo of ground beef and watch the lady chop the meat off a huge beef side and grind it right there. When I said I wanted a half a chicken, she took a whole chicken, chopped it in half right in front of us, and asked “Which half you want?” We were invited into the home of the local cheese maker to see how she made it and taste the last batch (we saw her making panella)The tequila is delicious and cheap, the shrimps are huge and cheap, and the wandering pack of dogs have taken a liking to us (I like Sparky, but Julia prefers Penny). And after a failed attempt, we even succeeded in extracting delicious coconut milk and shredded meat we pulled from one of the towering coconut trees.

But the biggest shock we experienced would have to be on Thursday. Julia and I were rinsing off in the shower before lunch, and I started drying off. I looked down at my feet and saw a humongously big black thing, which caused me to yell, and jump away. Julia screamed and climbed the nearest wall. It was a hell-bug like none any of us had ever seen. It had the head of a scorpion, the claws of a praying mantis, the legs of a daddy long-legs, and a thorax of a cockroach! Yikes! On top of that, the body was 2 inches long, the legs spread about 7 inches, and the feelers were 11 inches from end to end! Worst of all, it was blocking our way out! We were trapped by this beast, with little weaponry, and no clothing. I threw a towel on it, then crushed it with a box. When Gina came to the house, we were recovering from the fright, and Julia shouted “Okay, Gina… Just know, it’s dead.” Gina tentatively entered the house, and (pre-warned) looked into the dust pan let out a blood curdling shriek! We spent hours musing over what it was and how hideous it was. Wally and Amaranth said they’ve seen one before, but they’re rare. They had no idea what its name was, but told us they think it’s harmless. Yeah. Think. Julia brings a headlamp to the bathroom at night now, and forces me to shake out our towels before any showers.

Eatin’s good on Green Acres. Amaranth always makes delicious vegetarian lunches on the week days We’ve had quiches, pastas, beans, chayote coconut soup, and a fresh salad each day. We sip passionfruit or lime juice as we chat on the patio terrace each midday. Our dinners are always delicious and elaborate. We’ve had barbecued oysters, serrano-stuffed jumbo shrimp wrapped in bacon, shrimp coconut soup, and homemade marinara sauce on pasta, We’ve munched on shrimp tacos, coconut chicken curry, beef stir fry, and the thickest, juiciest burgers you’ve ever sunk your teeth into (with crispy home fries). Gina, Zoe, and Bard always get in on the excitement, and the evening project is a lot of fun. We’ve made mint mojitos, passionfruit margaritas, lemongrass tea, and even French toast with stale bolillos. Amaranth is a wealth of knowledge about the town, the people, home remedies, and food. Whenever we have a question about “How do you…?” she’s usually got a solution. She has a helpful spirit, as is generous with the treasures from her garden.




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Today we leave you with a picture of Alba. Alba is the matriarch of the Mendoza family that runs our favorite minisuper. She loves to yak it up with us, and always greets Julia and I by name. We talk about her health, the town, her hilarious drunk son Jesus, and everything in between. She also gives us free stuff if she doesn't think it looks good (like a free tomato with a "cuerno" or horn on the side). She represents the attitude of Aticama to me, and she really makes us feel like family. Hasta proxima semana!

--Philip