Today was a slow day. I think Rudy and I were both feeling a bit down. I decided that some jungle exploring in and around town would be good for me so I set off towards the main street and then over the bridge. Not far past the bridge I found a dirt road and turned down it. This mountain village is not on a grid like a prairie town and so I followed a winding road. When a fork in the road appeared I made a random choice and just kept going. I passed regular houses, some hotel/hostel/eco lodge establishments and other random buildings. The trees are massive, the vines aggressive, and the bamboo stands towering. There was really no main attraction that I was wowed by but rather little bits of life along the way.
After a while I was hot and tired. I phoned Rudy and agreed to meet him at the Arabic restaurant for a late lunch. He was already there by the time I wound my way back. The food there is delicious. Rudy had a curry meat bun and a cheese bread. They were accompanied with a garlic sour cream spread. My mouth is watering here even as I remember it. I got a dish called Musabaha which, in Arabic, means swimming. Basically it was a warm dish of chickpeas, corn, fried bread and covered in hummus and olive oil. It was incredible.
Other than that we spent the day reading, drawing, and watching some sketches from the SNL 50 years celebration. When it was dark out we went for a walk and ended up at an Italian restaurant. The courtyard looks over the cancha and it would have been great if a soccer game was in progress. As it was we watched some boys kick around a ball. The highlight for me, as far as food goes was a soda with Lulo fruit. I had never tasted that kind of fruit (much less heard of it). When we were done we made our way down the darkened streets back to our place. There we sat in the hot tub in the cool of the evening.