Well it's been days since the kids have fallen out of bed, so the Alacran's have been a priority. I fumigated around the property again today and I think it did some good. I'm using a non toxic liquid that isn't harmful to people or plants, but smells bad. It is called Lorspan 480 EM. I only heard it was non toxic, the spanish on the label is way tough to understand for this gringo. Tonight we found a fairly small scorpion almost dead in the casita. After a close inspection, we found lots of various insects and spiders dead after spraying. The scorpions have been a sort of welcoming committee to the new casita and now that we've moved in and are getting settled , they don't need to visit anymore, that's my theory and what I hope for...

You really have to respect these animals. I read this book, The Biology of Scorpions by Dr. Gary Polis and an article in an old Hola Amigo and learned alot about them. Did you know that scorpions came from the sea 400 million years ago and have changed very little since that time? They can still survive underwater for up to two days and can live without food for more than a year. They birth from one to eighty little ones that live up to twenty five years. Scorpions are thought to orient themselves by starlight , so they prefer moonless nights. There eyes are light sensitive and many think they have an eye on the tip of their tails. The hairs on the back of the legs are very sensitive to motion. I find the most interesting fact that can administer over ninety different toxins. They have one toxin for insects, one for animals and one for humans. It reminds me of a dulcimer where there are different tunings for different moods. It makes sense , many here that have been stung, have a wide variety of reactions, from nothing but irritation to near death feelings. Many people speak of your throat closing up , but it is just an illusion, actually your throat is just numbing as when you get a shot of Novocain from your dentist. I laugh at the number one piece of advice... stay calm... probably alot easier said than done. The other tip for success with a scorpion is to drink at least a quart of water, to help flush the poison and also large amounts of vitamin C are recommended. Ice is a must for reducing the pain. With all this said, I still try to be mentally aware of my friend, the Alacran. In Yelapa there are very few compared to the past, where daily stings occurred. Now it is monthly. For peace of mind , we do nightly checks and remake all beds and use nets.

Lets do a whole Bug thing... ticks in Yelapa come in different flavors. The small one with legs is an ANCHITA and when bigger is an GARRAPATA. If he or she is the tiniest speck, with no legs, that is a GUINA. Of course there are lice= PIOJOS, Fleas=PULGA, bedbugs= CHINCHE, noseems and gnats=JEJENES, horseflies=SANCUDAS, chiggers=NIGRA and mites=OBOLO...gracias Chris Moses for this list. There are many more, but there's a few, for now.

Dealing with insects sounds bad at a distance but in reality it's very easy. Sure occasionally you have to step over them or out of there way or they might fly on you to check you out but a quick pass of your hand and your on your way. The Mosquito's can get to me sometimes. But I try to remember to put on long pants and a shirt when they get bad. Here in Yelapa, it's when we have cool air from the east that brings more of them here. At night , me and Veronica dont sleep under a net, so I've learned to swat mosquitos in my sleep. Mornings and early evenings are the biggest feeding times.
Ants, Hormigas come in many varieties. The variety I'm fascinated by most are the Moras. Sometimes hundreds of thousands can visit your casa. Many years ago I saw my first infestation.Well actually I heard them ! The small rumbling sound of the grass blades moving, a line, three feet wide heading toward the casa. Once inside they circle the perimeter and form a thought out strategy to catch insects, mostly our friend ,the scorpion. Once an insect breaks a line, then it it surrounded and consumed. The other cool fact is that they only consume insects and don't bother any of your food. So when they come, which is usually close to the first rains, all you do is leave your casa for a few hours and return to a safer casa. Now that I'm thinking about insects, there are a bunch that I forgot to tell you about. But maybe your on a bug overload. I'll finish up with more later ...

The Joys of being a Dad ... I'm sure you more experienced Dad's out there already know what I'm talking about, There are some moments throughout the day that are so cool ! Waking up and seeing Vivian's huge smile, Playing with a 5 gallon water bottle with Yael, Giving Danny a hug and kiss as he leaves for school, Swinging with Luz in the hammock, Walking with the entire family through town makes me feel so proud. What a trip it must be for them to hang out with a hairy, gordo, gringo who loves them...

A lifetime Yelapense came by the other night and spent the evening reminiscing about old Yelapa days. Looking back twenty five years, the days when there were no ponga's, only canoes. He told stories of the many large boats/barcos that would come here for a day destination. Close to 1000 people per day! At least seven different charter companies. You see at that time, the other little pueblito's, such as Quimixto and Las Animas weren't set up for tourism, yet. So Yelapa was the Jewel of the whole Cabo Corrientes. The beach were packed and impeccably clean ! At that time, there were only four restaurants on the beach, The Hotel Lagunita, Rogelio's, Vago Playero (family of Elena, from the Yacht Club) and Chico's. Locals from the other communities, would come here to work. The money made here off the tourists was huge, especially if you spoke a little english. Yelapa shined, but slowly, as the political tides shifted, tourist scenes grew in Las Animas, Quimixto, Caletas and most recently Pizota. At the same time , a small group of teens/locals started stealing a few cameras, a few backpacks etc. and the word spread. Soon boats stopped coming and looked for other smaller communities to visit for the day. Large boats have dwindled over the last ten years to the present day where there are no large boats but just a few smaller charters daily.

Did you know that 70 years ago Pizota, the pueblito to the south was an Amazing Party Scene? Its True ! A huge marketplace, 24 hour Baille's, Food , Mariachis and fun ! At that time coco's and chicle were the main source of work and income and when you wanted to spend your money and release a little tension, Pizota was the most popular community to visit, in the entire Bay of Banderas. Currently its newest tourist incarnation of a new malecon was destroyed by the Hurricane and it remains a sleepy little village, off the rugged coast of the Bay of Banderas.

3/19/03 Arlomo update, Congratulations are in order ! My friend is finally well on the road to recovery, after a long two month drive. She used the services of a Herbalist/Brujo in Vallarta. Daily at an exact time, she would receive treatments. You see, there turns out to be another component to this story. Someone, put some type of bad hex on my friend. One that came from Jealousy and that added to the confusion. It caused her to get better and then worse, many times. Once she figured out that someone had put this vibe out for her, she quickly began to heal herself. So now, the bite on her leg has started to dry up and she can walk again.

In my eyes the most amazing part of this story aside from the power of this tiny animal is that one of the few healers of this bite who came and offered her services , also got bit by an arlomo, within a few days and couldn't treat my friend, as she had to try and treat herself. Then after a month and a half when she was almost better, a cat scratched her leg in about the same spot as the bite of my friend. Over a weeks period, it grew into a sore that was identical to the bite of an arlomo! I don't think this was a coincidence. I feel that there is much more to this story!

3/20/03 The last few days, the weather and the sea have changed. Two days ago, we even got a little, tiny bit of much needed rain. The ocean has been so calm for over a month but yesterday, the waves were big and high. causing havoc to the tourists that try to disembark on the beach. Strong breezes fly through our open palapa. Thank god for our blankets.

On the full moon, David and Susan got married on the beach. I didn't go but heard it was a nice celebration. Isabel was to marry them. The night before, on her way from the point and down to the beach to a peace walk, she badly injured her knee. But that didn't stop her from her responsibilities. With the assistance of friends, they fabricated a cot, strung to two bamboo poles and four strong volunteers carried her all the way from the point to the wedding on the beach. Afterwards the party headed to the yacht club but the four volunteers forgot of their responsibilities and proceeded to celebrate in Yelapa style... four new sober cargodoros were found to carry her back to her hilltop retreat. Word is that she is being treated by many friends and locals and is feeling better.

A couple of weeks ago my powerbook died. Well sort of. After making the decision to move to OSX and loving it, my baby wouldn't boot into OSX, only in OS9. I performed most of the tricks in my repertoire and still I remained locked out of OSX. I attempted to track down my Mac Tech, Greg who lives on the point. Panic! It turns out he and his wife had left for the season. After Cena, I sat there and concentrated hard on my problem. what had I over looked? As I tried various keyboard combinations from my storage shed, in my brain. Danny was right over my shoulder. I tried to explain to him about physic repair and about how I needed a little space. I continued beating my machine.I prayed and cursed, for the next few minutes. As I was about to give up, I restarted once more and Vivian, our 4 year old yelled out "Gracias adios !" and unbelievably it started up in OSX !!! I guess I didn't have the power that night but she sure did....

I've never had great toes... but not many people in Yelapa do. The terrain here is basically paths, some paved and some not. Walking without concentrating can wreak havoc on your feet. This season I've been doing great. No bad falls, no stubbed toes, no major injuries. Then last week hit ! I can't remember the exact day but it started with dropping a car tire jack on my toes, not once but twice in a day. Then a few days later, I broke through a step on the stairs to the potonco. I walked away with only a few cuts. The peak was when waking from a night time nap I forgot about the missing step and fell head over heals from the loft. Slowly I examined my body, which was in tact and not seriously injured. Why all these injuries? I still cant quite figure it out. This morning while greeting a Jehovah's Witness on the trail, a large rock jumped out and hit my big toe ! Please no more ! I'm doing my part and trying to be super present and concious.

Veronica and her Mom started a small tienda off the path, right at the base of shit creek. They are selling jewelry and clothes to start and will move into other items soon. We are living on very little right now and having money coming in rather than just going out is great !

We have also decided to fix up our small casita for rent. It is a trippy little palapa. It has curves built into both ends and even a round door. It has a shared bathroom. We will be offering a budget rental of $15.00 for one person and $20.00 for two, a night. We also set up a tent site for $10.00 per night. So if you want to stay with us , let us know...

I'm still trying figure out my Garrobo/Iguanas that we live with. Lemonita, the female has been hanging out for the entire time I've lived here at Casa Iguana. Daily, we feed her Hibiscus flowers.She is often curious. I catch her watching me and my activities. The larger male who also lives in the rocks, in front of the casa, is completely different. Whenever he sees me, he runs for cover, Flowers or no flowers. Well, last week was different. All the sudden one day, the male was there, sitting on the front deck. I approached him slowly. Amazingly he remained, bobbing his head up and down. Then Lemonita appeared. The male ran over and grabbed her by the neck. She raised her tail and then the male sort of locked on with a twist of his legs. Cuichi Garrobo Sex ! They proceeded to have sex throughout the day, even with the entire family watching. This continued for a day or two.The next day, some friends were visiting and the male was so content that Joan was able to feed the male by hand ! Then, a day later, like it never happened, the male reverted to his anti social behavior... go figure! So hopefully, one day soon... more kids at Casa Iguana...little green ones !

Last night we had a visitor.... Somewhere around midnight, Veronica woke me up to the sound of an Owl. "Listen"she said. The Owl hooed a few times loudly. Dogs barked. Burros Brayed. Even in my deep sleep I knew this was some type of local custom , I should honor. Many people here believe that the Owl is a person or entity visiting you, chances are with bad news. If the Owl flies into your casa, you've got problems.... In the morning a neighbor visited, of course she too had heard the Owl. I felt better thinking the Owl was visiting the neighborhood instead of just our casa. Hoo knows... I'm paying attention, either way ! The other part of this story, I can't write about, as to protect the privacy of another person and in case someone really does have super natural powers.

We were in El Tuito, which is located on the highway, 40 minutes south of Boca. Our daughter Vivian , was visiting family friends there for a week. Rancho life suits her well. Living in a simple casa with no running water or bathroom didn't hinder her trip at all. Clara and Nacho have four daughters and a son who spent the entire week loving her up. Our visit was special as Veronica and the Kid's had lived in Tuito for ten years and were returning to visit for the first time in a year or more . Sitting on a bench in town and watching life go by was great. The sun was strong. We visited old friends and returned to Yelapa bearing various foods and plants. Here's a few pictures of our day.