Field Trip to Chocoya

Our days off are usually spent hanging at home, catching up on administrative work, or spending time with local churches. Today we planned to just relax around the house a little. However, when Kemmel went over to our landlord's house to pay rent today he told us about a great little swimming hole nearby. We had heard about it, and even checked it out on Google Earth! But also heard that it was a little dangerous to walk down there. Well, apparently, the local community has taken back the maintenance responsibilities of the road and the pool and things have gotten much better. Our landlord is a director of a junior high, and reported having a great time over the weekend (with about 100 other people!).

So, this morning we decided to pack some water bottles and swim wear and head on down. The road to the pool is about 45 minutes walk from our house. Once we got there, we realized that we were passing by one our church elder's family's house. So we stopped by to say hi, and they said it was a great pool, very safe and clean. They often head out at 0600 to go for a swim before the masses of people arrive. We had another 25 minutes walk ahead of us (a little over a mile maybe), down winding switchbacks through the pine forests until we started hearing laughing and splashing. Just before we got there, we heard school boys running/sliding down the steep trails trying to beat the rest of their schoolmates to the pool. But, they were nice enough to chat with us the rest of the way down.

It was a beautiful hike in and out of the canyon.


It the center of the picture you can see the pool sparkling through the trees.

Awsome!




This guy was trying to get the nerve up to take a dive.

Kemmel taking a mini lap (he couldn't swim the length of the pool due to a hot and heavy water volley ball game at the other end).

What a beautiful little paradise at the bottom of the barranco (ravine/canyon), tucked away from site. The 15-20 meter pool is filled with fresh spring water that continuously runs, keeping the water fresh and clear. It was cold, but not unbearable--just right on a hot sunny day! We had such great time hiking and then swimming and talking with the other swimmers. After enjoying about an hour, we headed back up the mountain--this time a 45 minute hike!

It was a great day, and we enjoyed getting to know a local treasure like that. If you come to see us sometime, maybe we'll take you down!

This week has been a good one so far. Sunday we had a visit from Gaspar and his wife Juana, and we enjoyed a good chat. We had some local honey that someone has gifted us, sitting on the counter in none other than a Johnny Walker Black Label Old Scotch Whiskey bottle. I saw them eyeing the bottle and decided to clear up the doubts. So Juana asked me what we eat with it, and I showed her some homemade flour tortillas we had left over from breakfast. She was fascinated that I could make such a thing and asked for the recipe. While writing and describing how, I decided it would be easier to show her, so we commenced to making a batch of flour tortillas on my gas stove. She was also excited to see how I work my stove and how quickly the pan heated up compared to her wood-burning stove. Anyway, we enjoyed eating tortillas with honey, and being a kindred spirit in the kitchen, she asked what it would be like if we added sugar to the dough or even an egg? We tried the sugar version--very tasty, but felt like it was too late to add the egg this time. We decided to schedule another visit soon to practice making french bread braids and try to figure out how to use her wood-burning stove as an oven........

"Keep Walking"

Yesterday and today we got some more rain, it must officially be the rainy season now. Our front-yard weather station (rain gauge) measured half an inch yesterday and already 3 tenths this afternoon. Yea! Just waiting for my green chile plants to germinate so I can get them in the ground.

My Junior Meteorologist Kit

Tomorrow is Caris clinic. Should be a big one. Seems like our Thursday clinics have been getting more and more popular. Thankfully we have Rebekah and Sheri helping out.

It has rained a little bit for the last couple of afternoons/evenings, which is a welcome sound to us. These sweltering 80 degree days are wearing thin! Actually its just nice to get some relief from all of the dust hanging around. I mentioned the rain to Gaspar today and he said, "Man, I'm not ready for winter (rainy season) yet--I still have to plant my corn and get busy cutting firewood!
We have been hosting an physician's assistant intern this week, Rebekah Daggett. She is settled in and getting the hang of doing the bilingual consult! She is keeping me on my toes (making me look stuff up--before I rattle off any pearls of wisdom!) Today after seeing patients we checked out her Pan-Optic ophthalmoscope--definitely a nifty instrument to have. Maybe Santa will bring me one this year!
Tomorrow we head to Clinica Caris--should be interesting. We have a 60 year old lady coming back with blood work that might help us diagnose her chronic fever and sweats (she admitted that she grew up on a sugar cane finca as a young woman and has had fevers every three days for more than 30 years--possibly untreated malaria).
Kemmel has been getting things ready to assign our summer interns with host families. We have several families offering up their homes, which is encouraging.
I'll post some pictures soon.

Happy Easter!

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44,54-58