I’ve spent most of the last week getting acclimated to the altitude, and getting my apartment set up. Yesterday however, I made it out to the Eagles nest orphanage in Solala. It was my first experience on a chicken bus, and while I’m sure it wont be my last, it was interesting.

Once we made the walk to the bus stop, we got on, and fairly shortly left, making about 10 or 12 stops along the way, then got to our stop, and got out and walked the mile plus to the orphanage. Where I played with the kids, walked around the grounds with them for exercise, and helped feed them. Most of them don’t see very many men, let alone gringo men, so I was something of a novelty among the 1 1/2 year olds.

After spending several hours there interacting with the kids, it was time to head home, another mile + walk, and another chicken bus ride. Rachel gets a little worried on the chicken buses going down the mountain, since they tend togo as fast as they possibly can. (I saw that we were trvelling at least 3x the posted speed at one point.) But I wasn’t as worried about it. I might have felt differently if the berms and guard rails hadn’t been there, or if it had been at night, or worse, at night in the rain. But we made it back safely, and then made dinner together in Rachel’s apartment.

I picked up a used george forman grill at a paca. It makes cooking things, like fish, a lot simpler. I’ve been doing a lot to get my apartment in order and set up. I’ve got a difuser ring for my 3 burner gas cook top (not a real stove, more like a camp stove, no oven either.) and I’ve realized, I will not have hot water in my apartment. Nope, no hot water, except in the shower, wich has a “widowmaker” showerhead. A widowmaker, for the uninformed, is a 3500 watt heating element built into the shower head, the heating circuit is completed when water flows through it. You control the heat by adjusting the water flow, more water = less heat. I’ll post pictures sometime, you’ll be impressed by the wires running from my shower head to the electric outlet. you’d be more impressed if you watched the lights dim when I turned on the shower.

So to clean dishes, I heat water in a tea kettle on the stove, and pour it into a stopped sink, and add an appropriate amount of cold water to make it the right temperature. Shaving is the same routine.

But in spite of my lack of hot water, I have maid service included with my rent, so every 3 or 4 days, I come home and find all of my floors swept, and all of my bathroom goods re-arranged, alog with finding my bed made. I’ve never had a maid before (and probably never will again) but since the apartment costs maybe 1/3 or less than what a comparable apartment (with hot water) would cost in the US I’m not complaining. I could be living in a mud floored shack!