Well it’s definitely definitely rainy season. 2 days ago we went up river in the boat and the sky opened up – guess who had forgotten their raincoat (not just me, Kenewa and Bockary too!). We were about 2 miles up so really the ride back was less than fun. On the up side, we found a humungous pygmy hippo trail (exit from the river) that we never knew about. The preferred rainy season food appears to be a plant called kpokpoyola, which appears to be related to the sweet potato. The videos we got of the female hippo are all eating this plant, and this trail we found yesterday was amidst old farmbush on Tiwai where it was also eating the plant.
My wound is still not healed! It has been over two weeks since I burned my leg. One of the blisters had broken open and it’s been this that has been the issue. Humidity is just not good for wounds! Thank goodness (knock on wood) that I don’t get boils like the people do here.
Ramadan is in full swing now. It started the 11th. Many people are fasting. The only redeeming feature of Ramadan is when everybody breaks the fast. I have weaseled my way into a group of guys who all share their break-fast food. They eat stuff like \cassava in tasty sauce, pumpkin, beans…I’m sure it’s wrong for me to be eating with them on some level – I’m not fasting for one. And I’m a woman eating with like 10 men. But they keep inviting me.so what can I do??
I am still loving the kayak. There are still some places we can’t go and the islands are difficult to get to (the smaller ones) but we find ways to get to some places. It sure is fun! And when we get to the bottom of where we want to go, we deflate the thing and walk back up using the farm trails. It doesn’t take very long to inflate. And it fits me, Kenewa and Bockary fairly comfortably.
I am also the proud owner of a black TVS motorcycle. I’ve dubbed him Big Black to the delight of every motorcycle rider in Potoru. I can just see them drooling as I pull up in my shiny new bike. I feel like I am on a cloud riding the thing. It starts up easy, switches gear easy…It’s so wonderful. We’re all travelling to Serabu next week to negotiate me entering the Kambui Hills Reserve South to search for hippo tracks. It’s so awesome to be mobile! My other motorcycle I have named “Little Red.”
So really that is all the news for now. I’m so happy I have a cook now because I am cooking for 12 men. Employment always seems to come with feeding here…Hopefully 6 of those 12 will be finished with the pit traps in 3 days so that will be a bit better. Oh! I am getting shelves. I’m so excited. The arts and crafts training that lasted a very long time (remember all those people who were living at research?) is now helping the people. I approached 2 of the men I knew had trained on the island and asked if they knew how to make me some shelves. They readily agreed and were so excited (I think I may be paying an extravagant amount because they were a bit gleeful). However, I am exciting to have places to put things off the floor!
Now I just have to figure out this whole rat situation. They keep nibbling everything and then I can’t touch it cuz I’m afraid of weird rat diseases. However, if I put something in a closed container or cover it at all, stuff rots in like a day. Any suggestions?? I soooo miss that refrigerator!!!
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