First Day

Usually you like your first day in a new city to be laid back. You like to have your friends show you around. You like to go out to eat. Do things that give you a sense of the place but let you recover from the travel to get there. This was not one of those first days. I arrived in town on a friday night (about 11pm I think). And because we thought there was going to be a huelga (a strike) the next day, we had to rush off and buy our supplies for our trip to the jungle. So I woke up at 8ish the next morning and went over to my friends house. They helped me put together a list of things to buy so that I would be prepared for our time in the jungle. (I would have been completely lost but thankfully they have done this before and were a great help in preparing) So we head into town about 10 and spend the entire time running between stores buying food. I have never bought that much food in my life. I was embarrassed pulling the 30 boxes of Mac and Cheese out of my cart. As we were nearing the end of our shopping day, we were in the market getting spices when a young boy walked up to me and asked in spanish if that was our car parked outside. I said maybe, I think so. To which he responded, you are being robbed.

Well my friend and I run out to the car. A huge 1980s suburban. We had two months of groceries with us for 3 families. So there was a lot in the car. When we got to the car there were about 8 policemen around and a crowd had gathered at the scene. My friend stars speaking rapidly to the cop in spanish while another police officer pulls some bags out of the bed of their truck. Thankfully they had caught the ladron red handed. And had put him in the truck and recovered our groceries. We decided it would be good to press charges, and the police told us it would only take a few minutes. So we head to the police station and because the thief had broken the lock on the car I had to sit with the car while my friends sorted things out with the cops. About two and a half hours later we left the police station but without the stolen groceries! The police said they needed them until an inspector could go through them. At this point we thought the real robbery had taken place! But thankfully my friends were able to go back about and hour later and get the groceries. (Though they waited an hour and a half more at the police station) Not the way you want to but a good introduction to life in this jungle town.

Tomorrow I leave civilization for two months. So I will have a lot to write about when I get back. Until then.
Seth
Kong
Alley Oop
and Hungry