I have now had a little time to reflect on this next story…..and have come to the definitive conclusion that I have experienced the worst that Costa Rica has to offer.
The previous week there were two tropical storms that passed over Costa Rica and it rained for 3 straight days. When I say that “it rained for 3 days” I am not talking about sprinkling…this is the type of rain that hits you from every angle. All the streets were flooded so badly that you could not even walk down them….as the water was past your knees. In addition to all the flooding……we lost power for 2 days. Losing power in Costa Rica means a lot more here than it does in other countries…..as when there is no power…..it equates to no water. Since there was no electricity, we had classes using candles and watched the storm play out. Shortly after the storm ended….people started getting sick. At first there were a few people missing from class…..then there were 4 people in my family that were sick as well. There was a buddy of mine that was also sick ......I remember thinking how glad I was that it passed me up. One of the aunts in my family was so sick and dehydrated….they had to take her to the hospital. I remember the exact moment that it became my turn to be sick…….it was 3:45 in the morning….. I woke up and ran into bathroom as quickly as I could. One of the great things about the house that I live in….is that there are open/vaulted ceilings……so EVERYONE could hear the hell that I was enduring. As soon as I got to the bathroom…I dropped to my knees and proceeded to expel everything out of my body…….and when I threw up………it was all beans and rice. Now, not sure anyone else…..but when I get sick on something……it is automatically on my boycott list of foods. Once when I was a little kid….I got sick on some Little Debbie Snack cakes…..and to this day my mouth begins to sweat if I even so much as smell them. I spent about an hour on my knees…..and once every ounce of Gallo Pinto was out of my body……I went back to bed. I managed to get a couple hours of sleep but it was around 6….and every farm animal was stirring as well as the family…..so I decided to get up. As soon as I opened my door……the smell of fresh beans and rice hit me…….and I hit the bathroom on my knees. I could not go into the living room as the smell was constantly making me sick. I knew that I needed to go and get some fluids….as I had been throwing up for a good 6 hrs now. When I left the house….I was pretty dizzy……and it was already starting to get hot. I stumbled into the pulperia and got 10 bottles of Gatorade, 2gallons of water, and some crackers. When I got back the house…..Zoraida had a plate of beans and rice for me. I said there was no way that beans and rice will be passing through the gingo anytime soon. I collected my liquids….and proceeded to go back to my room.
As soon as I walked in my room……I noticed that the sheets had been changed. SWEET!!!! There is nothing better in the world than fresh sheets……especially when you are sick I lined up all my bottles next to the bed so that I could reach them without getting up……and as soon as my ass touched the sheets……I swear that I could hear the devil laughing at me. SILK!!!! Where in the fuck are all these silk sheet sets coming from??? Is there a huge silk sheet demand in the world that I am not aware of? I was PISSED! All I wanted to do was lie down, rehydrate, and try to not smell the beans and rice cooking in the other room. I slowly pull the comforter back……. hoping that it was just a silk comforter decoy…….but hell no……. EVERY SHEET was silk. It was now about 85 degrees in my room….I was sick as hell, I was starting to sweat……I was in Hell. Just like the time before, I pulled all the silk sheets off the bed and threw them in the corner.....as there was no way that I was even going to compete with some shitty ass silk sheets…..I was simply too sick.
After two days…….I regained my strength and was ready to make my trip to Nicaragua.
PS…..a photo of the sheets has been added for your enjoyment. And if anyone wants to know...No, I am not sharing a room with Hanna Montana….those are just the sheets that Zoraida picked out for me.
Hasta Pronto
Ashby
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