Our day has been quite eventful. I rolled out of bed this morning at about 8:30, so incredibly late for me in comparison to my waking schedule in UB (4:45 on school days) but the norm here. I treated myself to another go at running the hill. I warmed up withfive hill repeats that got my blood flowing and my breath gasping before moving on to walking as quickly as I could manage to the top of our private drive. One of the neighbors' dogs came with me, for moral support no doubt. The ascent is about a 35 to 40 percent grade in some places; I was dizzy by the time I made it to the top. Oh, but the view was so worth it.... I ran back down the hill, except for the places that were too steep. I looked like I had just step
ped out of the shower by the time I was finished, and in fact, after taking a cool shower it still took a good thirty minutes for my body temp to lower to the point where I wasn't sweating.
We had a light breakfast of cereal and fruit before returning to our room (Greg) and veranda (me) to have our Thai-hot oil massage combo. Our massage lady is named Tu and her female friend is named Dan (spelling not correct on either name, I'm sure) have been determined to 'fix' my ongoing shoulder problem but to no avail. They switch back and forth between Greg and I; I don't present a problem but after massaging and cracking Greg, the ladies need a day's break...I have a hard time lifting just one of his legs they are so big and muscular let alone doing a hard, deep tissue massage for an hour plus. My final three massages have been light as the work they did on my shoulder and neck the couple days before was beyond excruciating and I need some recovery time.
Then....the rains began. An absolute, incredible deluge hit the Villa complete with claps of thunder and flashes of lightning that drove man and beast indoors for the duration. We decided to eat lunch at the Villa alongside Dimitri and Ulya. We shared fresh fruit and stories; Dimitri told us of their latest mishap... driving to the waterfall they managed to bottom-out their rental car in a large hole that Dimitri somehow failed to notice in the road. He got out to take a look under the car and found something hanging down leaking fluid. Back to the Villa they raced with the car so they would have a safe place with which to further explore the possible demise of their rental car. But, after further examination and a quick taste test of the fluid, it was determined that the hose hanging down was attached to the air conditioner and was only leaking some water. It is important to give credit wherecredit it due: Dimitri's wife had guessed that it was only the air conditioning hose before returning to the Villa. And they say that women don't know about cars...
After lunch, when the rain had let up for a bit, we decided to take the scooter to the local sh
ooting range. That's right, we came all the way to Thailand and went gun shooting...it was so much fun! As pretty much a virgin gun slinger, I stuck to the small fry and chose to shoot a 22 pistol. Greg, whose police officer father taught him to shoot at the age of nine, chose to shoot a 45 Glock so he could compare the experience with his Smith and Wesson model 29 357 Magnum. When the ladies brought our targets back to us, I was quite impressed that all of my were on the paper and hovered in the same general vicinity, if not quite centered at mid chest. Greg's target, on the other hand, had big gaping holes directly through the chest region, with a couple overlapping shots that left impressive gaping holes in the shredded paper. We have been discussing going to the shooting club in La Paz so Greg can teach me how to shoot better and keep up on his skills. Full disclosure: I am terrified of guns so feel it is a thing I must deal with so I like the thought of being competent enough with a weapon to use it properly if the need arose.
Another timeout due to rain before heading back into town in search of the same chicken themed dishware I bought in Bangkok last year. On our drive back into town, I noticed a number of people driving their motor scooter holding an umbrella in one hand with while balancing a sleeping kid in the other. How people don't fall off, I will never know but they seem to have it worked out. When we got back into town did find a shop with plates that were close to my existing set, but not exact so I will continue the search when we return to Bangkok on the 2nd.
It's amazing what can be carried on 150 cc motor scooter
Another brief stop for a passing storm to blow by and offer some commentary on our experience:
Back on the bike for the ten minute ride back to the Villa. We had just rounded the corner when Greg stopped the bike and asked me to check the back tire. "Uh, it's flat" I informed him. Luckily, we were no more than 30 yards from a scooter repair shop (as Greg would say, "that karma is just good, clean, honest livin'!"). After commenting to Greg, "This is so much fun!" I took the opportunity to shoot some video, with Greg's supporting commentary, of the ensuing story.
As we were waiting for the tire to be changed, a local wandered over to talk with us, or at us. It took about two seconds to realize he was drunk. Very drunk. As he oogled my breasts, swaying ever closer, I took a step backwards, closer to Greg. The man began gesticulating and muttering incomprehensibly then reached out a fist, tapped Greg and commented, "big man, ha ha." This guy was about a third of Greg's size. Greg, without taking his eyes off of the man, politely asked me to hold his bag. I took his bag and sunglasses then put our still out-of-commission scooter between myself and the drunk man. I figured it would be best to remove my breasts from the equation. At this point, the shop dog had limped over to see what was going on, laying down close to Greg; I guess she was his back-up. After a minute or two, Greg politely told the man bye-bye, ignoring his demand for money. The guy tottered off. Our tire was fixed, there was a break in the rain and we continued on our merry way back to Villa La Kosta.
New Year's Eve celebration began around 8:00 p.m. We showered then wandered downstairs just as the Prosecco was being popped. Earlier, after we had returned from the gun range, I watched Guia and Momma pressing pasta for the homemade raviolis. The recipe calls for the dough to be run twelve times through a pasta machine, folding after each pass. Finally, the dough is passed through ever decreasing press until it is deemed the correct thickness. Mamma spooned a dollop of squash mixture into the center, placed another piece of pasta on top, then sealed with a light pressing of a fork around the edges in quick succession.
Much like Christmas Eve, we began with a glass of Prosecco then moved on to a red wine with each course; appetizers, pasta, main, salad to finish and desert. Dinner was followed by the lighting and releasing of luminaries...and Greg's proposal of marriage to me (see previous post). All and all, an amazing way to usher in 2011.
Miss Chicken enjoying a glass of Prosecco
Top: Us with the Russians; Dimitri and his wife, Ulya
Below: Greg, Pablo and Dimitri...Greg and I were the only ones sober by the end!
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