Two concerns:
- Last night when I paid my check at dinner, I had to write down my name and passport number. (that was a first)
- This morning I went out on my litte porch and found two fat ticks. I´m on the second floor. How did they get up here? Is this some kind threat, kind of like the horses head in the bed in the movie the Godfather?
I imagine tick-borne diseases from down here are very potent and, comparatively speaking, make Lyme disease look like a mild case of the hiccups. I squash the ticks with my shoe.
Still figuring out air conditioning thermostat.
- it´s in centigrade (not too much of a problem)
- I set it to 20 (high 60´s) By 3:00 am room is so cold, I need to wear a fleece top
- I asked hotel owner for a blanket. He had to go into town to buy one. (I´m sure he´s not thrilled that one of guests had a/c cranked to the point where they need a blanket.)
Innovation of the day: new uses for a hammock
In my room there is a hammock that you can string up on the porch, lie in it, and let the mosquitos and ticks have their way with you. The hammock is a 4´ by 8´piece of reinforced cotton, kind of like a large, scratchy beach towel.
I have been using it for the following:
- to block mosquitos from flying under the door to my unit
- to wipe off my shoes and feet
- as a blanket (see air conditioning above)
I doubt they wash this thing, so I pity poor couple that wants to lie in the hammock and watch a romantic sunset, only to find that it is rank and slimey with foot grease and bacteria-laden dirt from the outside.