On the Run

So here I am back in Rivas, Nicaragua, its been a while since I´ve checked in here on the blog, and a lot has happened in the meantime. If you´ve been following me on facebook or gotten the forwarded email that I´ve heard has gone around, you know that I´ve been bascally dealing with third world hospitals and swine flu epidemics, being held by armed guards with shotguns and trying to get my friend Ben well from a 105· fever that the Nicaraguan government thought was swine flu. Needless to say its been an interesting journey. I managaged to finagle a pen and paper along the way and I´ve been writing down the whole experience, so I should have a good long blog coming soon, in the meantime, it seems the adventure isnt over yet.

So here I am stealing a moment while I can at a sweaty but sweet internet cafe, Spanish music on the radio, a group of college students next to me working on something, fanning themselves with their papers, the words "INTERNET WELLCOME" painted on the powder blue wall, chickens, goats, bicylces, vendors walking by outside. I couldn´t be happier to be here. I finally dropped Ben off at the hospital this morning, in the care of Charles, for all I know they never got on the plane, seeing as they don´t have a phone, but I feel like all went well, and they would have contacted me or Mike if something went wrong.

I caught a taxi back to Rivas this morning, had a very pleasent drive with my new friend Jose Luis, met up with Mike, thought we were going back to Mike´s little paradise he´s built for himself in the hills around the beautiful beaches and perfect waves of Popoyo, Las Salinas, and promptly found out that I was a wanted man. Word is that MINSA, the national ministry of health, (another national organization in this country, God help me) is after me, they want to bring me in for examination draw blood, and fumigate Mike´s house. These are the same guys who had armed guards with shotguns that looked like they were out of the new terminator movie stationed outside the insect, rat, and cat infested hospital I was cooped up in watching Ben almost have heart attacks from all the drugs they were pumping him up with.

I don´t know why they released me only to go after me again, as if they are into some kind of strange cat and mouse game, but I´m not going back that´s for sure. I´m not letting them get their hands on me. So I´m on the run! Ha! I´ve got a motorcycle I rented for $10 a day, its a piece of crap, but it works and I´ll be hitting the road if they try to put me in a hospital again.

As gnarly as this all sounds however, let me say that I´m having a good time, I´m enjoying the wildness, the people are incredibly sweet and well intentioned, and I´ve had a lot of interesting conversations and interactions along the way. I love this stuff really, experiencing all the wackiness. So don´t worry for me, I´m doing fine, I´m gonna be fine.

And I wanna give a shout out to Michael Dennison (check out his deal at www.Nicawaves.com), my buddy who´s care I´m currently in, and who´s doing a good job of sheltering me from the storm. He´s got an amazing thing going here, and I can see why he loves this country. S@#& happens everywhere, and dysfunctional as things might have gotten I really love it all at the end of the day. I live to experience and tell stories like this. And at the end of the day and I´d trade good people, good culture, and good waves for 1st world opulance any day of the week.

i gotta get back on my bike. Mikey´s honking for me. Until next time . . .