Jellyfish and Scorpions

i met a nice couple (harvey and hillary) from san francisco. they are renting a house on playa majagual, not far from here, and have invited me to stay with them for a few days. of course, i am taking them up on this offer.

yesterday harvey was putting his shirt on, and was stung by two scorpions hiding inside his bundled up clothes. he had to lie down for most of the day as he felt week and numb afterwards.

i didn't sleep last night. i kept worrying about scorpions finding their way into my sheets and pyjamas. hillary says majagual is scorpion country so we should expect to see a lot more. i am actually terrified.

i have been stung about 10 times by jellyfish. one practically wrapped its tentacle around my elbow while i was surfing. it hurt quite a bit.

nicaragua is so different from guatemala. it's noticeably poorer, and more "ladino-ized". no ladies in their traditional dress to be found here. i know i can't compare these two countries, each with their own history and legacy, but i miss the people of guatemala. they really have held on to their way of life, against the odds.