I am alive

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Well here it is Monday afternoon and I am now certain that I am going to live. I went to bed on Saturday night and that was it at 1AM I was up and very ill. I spent all of Sunday in bed not really sleeping but not feeling well enough to be awake either. I am not sure where the past 48 hours have gone but I am thankful they are now behind me. Lisa, Jim and Dana worked magic looking after me. So here I am sipping on gingerale and eating rice crackers.... life can't get much better. The rest of the group have gone out to the building sites and will build stoves again today, I hope to be able to join them tomorrow. I understand from Dana that the hot springs were great yesterday, she went with Tom, George, Paul and Jim to the Fuentes Jorginas and had a wonderful time. Jim and Tom were saying that the hot springs have been much improved since they were washed down the mountain during the last hurricane, the cost has gone up slightly from perviously, but that is to be expected with the repairs I would think.

I did get out of bed this morning to have breakfast with the group but that was about all the strength i could muster, went back to bed and here I am now feeling improved and so I will take it easy for the rest of the day and just relax until the group is back. Lisa and Keith made lunch today and Lisa very kindly put aside some sandwich materials and orange for me.

Pictures today will be of the hotel we are staying in. We found out last evening that it is being managed by a family who take turns looking after the place. Part of the family a young man and his wife (she is from the US) also work helping the street kids get into school and off the streets. They were saying that the drug problem here runs wild amoung the street children and they are working hard to change this. The family which they are part of has been managing this hotel for some time and are giving it up in March as they find it difficult as most of them have another job along with the hotel. The woman who actually owns the hotel lives in Miami and really has nothing to do with the actual running and operating of the hotel. I wonder what it will be like next year, or even if it will be open. It has been a great place for our group as the price is right and it is clean with clean sheets and towels in the rooms on a daily basis. Judy (sister of the man and wife we were speaking with) has been making us breakfast every morning consisting of pancakes, eggs, beans and the staple mush (much like out oatmeal porridge only made from corn). We have been able to have some laundry done in the hotel by Griselda a young girl who has been hired by the family to help out with the cleaning of the place.

I am looking forward to getting back out and building stoves tomorrow and then heading to San Pedro.

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Photos

as you enter our room
the first part of our room has two single beds, one Dana uses to sleep in the other is where she stores her things

the second room
Jim and I stay in the second part of the room which is almost like a room on it's own with a double bed and a single. There really is not much in the way of storage furniture so the beds make due.

the court yard in our room
the sink in the court yard is interesting, just like the kitchen sinks which they use in the villages, although this one does not have water, it is jus there

the lobby and area where we meet and eat breakfast
this area is large and bright as the roof as fiberglass corrogate which lets in the light