-- Jack Kerouac
 |
| Sunrise on El Hoyo |
Subtiava is a barrio in Leon that predates the town itself. It is where you catch the bus to Las Peñitas and Poneloya beach, it has the oldest church in Leon, a thriving market and Indian culture. It is also the butt of local jokes. When I told a few people that I was going to Subtiava for a 2 hour Thai Message there was a 10 minute barrage of world class jokes.
- Thai Message in Subtiava is the name of the next Quentin Tarantino movie
- In the daytime? Sober?
- Is Subtiava Spanish for Happy Ending?
- I thought Subtiava was a Russian Immigrant
..and on and on. Pretty funny really
My back and hips hurt every day, I mean every single day.When I was a younger teenager they hurt as well but it was passed off as growing pains. When I was about 18 I had a work accident that was horrific by all accounts and from that day forward my early teen pain became my long term best friend. I am not going to share details, past diagnosis, treatments or the like. What I will tell you is I manage the pain through my own methods and the days I do not want to smile or be social I don't. I find a book and a quiet place and do my thing. Only a select few are aware of my daily dance over the years and know to give me my space when needed and I love them for it.
** I compounded this joy by tearing the rotator cuff is both my shoulders in 2010-2011. Those were good times while trying to travel.
 |
| Managua from El Hoyo |
Now, every once in a while, usually on 18 month cycles something flares up and I am rendered useless for anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks.It's roulette really. Hips, lower back, upper back or neck. Each has had their prime time opportunities to shine. Well this week it has been my upper back. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being bed ridden, 5 being walking like a 90 year old man and 1 being my normal 3 minute routine to get out of bed this bout cruised in a at a solid 7.
Three sleep-ness nights, random mystery pills (Mio-Citalgan) from the pharmacy next door, stretching and more stretching and finally the Thai Message sent from the heavens and I am back to about 90% which is all I can ask for. As a guy who is drug free and anti pharma it is rare for me to take a pill. Well sir, that changed this week. You can get anything here in Nica without a script. "I have a sore back and can not sleep" = "here take this and you will be fine". True to form, holy mother of god was I fine. The pain disappeared but so did my ability to keep my eyes open and my head upright. "Next time try it with a beer" was the not so sound advice given to me.
 |
| Starry Sky about the El Hoyo Hole |
Well it goes without saying I have not done much this week. I have a routine set for the next 8 weeks which will pass quickly. Lesson planning and Teaching at the American Nicaraguan Language Institute plus 5 days a week at Quetzel Trekkers which include a couple of hike plus front office time. A nice mixture really. Toss in some Spanish language study and my new desire/need to get a grip on English grammar and suddenly life in Paradise is a full plate with quite a bit to do.
 |
| Campfire on El Hoyo after a long day |
This is more of a diary page then an interesting travel blog post however sometimes life on the road needs some downtime. I am feeling better and now there are volcanoes to climb and cold beer to be had. I did notice today that the scaffolding around the Cathedral has been taken down and it looks brilliant. Picture postcard beautiful.
Speaking of Picture Postcard Beautiful, the next disaster that are the Republic Debates are on in about 5 minutes. I really need the comic relief. To that point, Lou Dobbs is on Fox doing pre-event spin. I use to respect him but now he sounds and acts like a typical Fox News Jackass. What happened Lou?
No comments:
Post a Comment