Oh, one more thing...: Another couple of eventful days

Snake stories

I got my first snake experience yesterday. We were swimming in the pool when one of the doctor ladies came bursting through the gate asking if someone could come kill a snake! Nate and I jumped out of the pool and grabbed our t-shirts and shoes, grabbed a aluminum pole from the pool skimmer and a koup-koup (a machete-like knife) from the pool deck and took off toward Betty's place.

We arrived just after Dr. Eric Miller had dispatched the snake with a spade. The snake was still squirming when we got there. Apparently they are very dangerous. Not as dangerous as a doctor armed with a shovel!

Here are a couple of pictures of the green mamba here. Feel free to Google it to learn more about it. All I know is that if I see one I should either walk the other way or kill it.

Market Experience

I'm not great a speaking French. I'm better than Nathan, however! I was able to buy some fabric, a Togo national soccer jersey (two, actually - Nate wanted one, too!) and 4 coup-koup tools from different vendors. It was fun. I was surprised how the people were able to understand me. I barely passed French in school. I was having a blast dealing with people, chatting about soccer, the hospital and where I was from.

Here is the fabric lady posing with me. She was very accommodating during our transaction.

Nate bought me a sac de l'eau - a bag of water. It actually is a bag of water. It's 300ml of water in a plastic bag, no bottle, non-refillable, fast to heat up... Interesting idea. I thought I uploaded the photo. I'll try to do it tomorrow because it takes so long to do it. Imagine a clear bag of water...

Tsiko Hospital

Here in Tsiko (pronounced Chee-ko. Don't blame me for the spelling) I was able to take Kylie down to the hospital for one of her IV antibiotic treatments. I wandered around the little hospital to see what was going on. The popular phrase to greet those in getting looked after is "Du courage" - basically have courage or be strong. I was able to wander freely and talk to people - in French again. I met young parents, old folks, a guy with some internal pain. All were very open to chatting. The chaplain comes around regularly to share with them. Even the hospital staff like to converse with them.

Here are a few pictures of the hospital.

Here are some 28 week old twins. They are so tiny, but seem to be doing well. They were born two weeks ago. They are kept in incubators right outside the nurse's station, seen below.

This is the lobby / nurse's station. Notice the guy sleeping on a stretcher and his sibling laying on the ground. Everyone has someone to drop them off and make sure they're getting looked after.

Here is Nate getting his elbow wound cleaned up (from the moto incident) by one of the nurses. They bandaged him up again and after Kylie was done sent us on our way!

Mountains and Downpours

Dr. John Gall is a young guy who has spent two short tours here in Tsiko. He wanted to go for a hike this afternoon, mostly to bail on a lame tennis date he had with a senior doc, and hike up to the top of a small mountain just behind the hospital compound.

Nolan, Nate and I obliged him and we took off in the mid afternoon. We just barely got started when we heard a bit of rumbling. Being the dry season, we never thought about torrential downpours. I think I just gave away the climax of the story.

The hike was hot, and humid. The trail was very rugged, just beaten footpaths wandering their way up the mountain. We'd pop out of the thick trees and be right in someone's little mud hut yard, or goat pen, or chicken coop. It was bizarre seeing where people were living, on the steep side of the mountain.

This is us leaving the flat land for the mountain off to the left. Armed with coup-koups, of course. Mighty snake fighters, we were!

Here are Nolan and Nate in the thick brush. This is the flat land just where the hills rise up. The footpaths wander all around the place. A maze of trails that the locals know like the back of their hands.

A small bridge crossing over the tiny (at the moment) stream.

Due to internet issues the little mud hut photos didn't load up. I'll try again tomorrow, I guess.

Once the rain started it pounded down on us. Torrential is a good word for it. We had to shout at each other as we were walking along because the rain was so loud on the leaves and ground. Nolan chopped off a big banana leaf to shelter his head, but that didn't last long. Soon there were trickles of water running down the trail as we descended from up high. As we got near the bottom an all-out river was streaming over our feet down the trail. We had to slow or pace by grabbing trees and branches to avoid slipping and sliding out of control. It was a blast.

We got drenched. Not a stitch of dry clothing on us. We found a little make-shift shelter to pause in so I could safely pull out a camera and snap a few pictures.

The rains moving in - with no sympathy for the yovo - white guys - trekking down the hillside.

Dr. John keeping his camera dry taking a photo.

Here's two pictures of Nate and I standing on solid ground, and then me standing on the trail where the water was flowing. In an hour it was a stream!