rain, another shot and laundry

not much to update today - and i can't reply to any of the comments people are leaving cause they aren't leaving any! sheesh... you tell people you might have contracted rabies and you'd think a little surprise, sympathy, something would be in order.

so yesterday after the dog bit me i realized that i had to either find out if the dog had been given innoculations or get myself to a doctor. i wasn't in a lot of pain - it was bleeding pretty bad but the swelling hadn't started up just yet and i could walk fine. i made my way back to the bucket ride thing and a woman there saw my leg and ran back to her house for some antiseptic and a bandage or two. i thought this was pretty cute so i snapped a pick of my "doctora" and got back in the cage to speed my way to the other side. well, when you have a bleeding gash on your leg (left one by the way, about 6 inches below the knee) you get a lot of stares and when you tell people you've been bit by a dog they start handing out advice as if you're related and about to marry your cousin (not speaking from experience). one woman kindly told me that i needed to find the hair of a dog - preferably the dog that bit me - and burn it over my wound - that this would extricate any problems that i had. i kindly thanked her and said i'd try that.

well... here i was only 4 km from the big part of the bike ride - the pailón del diablo, a honking big waterfall that's supposed to be pretty impressive. after conferring with the yankee girls (who were kinda dumbstruck by the situation and could only offer condolensces and suggest i go back to baños - except the one who said that if i wasn't foaming at the mouth within like 20 minutes i should be fine) i decided to continue on to the waterfall, take a couple quick pics and then skedaddle back to baños.

so i raced ahead on my bike and made it to the falls in little more than 10 minutes (only to be met with a km scramble on a wet downhill path). as i mentioned they were impressive, but i've seen better. then a scramble back up the path, pausing to say hi to the people who recognized me from the dog incident and who scolded me for not going to the hospital, or burning dog fur on my leg.

a quick bike ride to the road and the second bus that goes by picks me up and i head back to baños. being the good little boy i am i make a quick call to royal bank insurance and let them know what's going on (waste of time) and then go back to the hostel to park my bag. the hospital is only four blocks away and when i arrive the doctors are having a bit of a lunch break and look a little perplexed as who should deal with me. the fact that they weren't nervous or anything made me feel better.

oh, i also discovered that it's super fun if you've been bit by a dog to tell people that you feel kind of anxious and that you're starting to act irrationally. i even made a vampire motion at one guy whose friends broke out laughing in hysterics.

so it's wednesday and raining in baños and i'm just waiting for clearer skies so that i can do some hiking and take in the landscape a bit more.