Clean Clean Clean

  After waking up to the usual buzzing in my ear (still can't tell if it's a fly or mosquito- but it wakes me just the same), Abel and I went into another manic cleaning frenzy.  We swept, we mopped, we re-arranged, and left an army of fly corpses in the adjacent room.  (The REAL reason for the cleaning frenzy)  Cooking and beach-going are obvious reasons for the difficulty in maintaining a spit-spot clean home, but living with the windows open makes it an absolute necessity; insects have absolutely no tact- they invite themselves in without asking and stay well-past their welcome with no shame at all.  (Despite Abel trying to reason with them)

the clothesline in our "garden"

  After the clean-up, Abel took his clothes to the lavandaria- for 10 pesos they will wash 1 kilo of laundry!  A pretty good deal, but I still feel guilty about handing over mis chones to a stranger... thus my hand-washing them a few days ago.  I must say- it felt pretty good.. like I was going "back to the basics" ya know- basically scrubbing my clothes clean against a rock and hanging them out on the line to dry.  And just so everyone is aware- I believe the commercials have romanticized line-drying clothes a bit.  I'm pretty sure those fabric softeners and dryer sheets are a huge factor in the "spring-breeze-and-dried-with-the-sun's-natural-goodness" scent... my clothes came away smelling mostly like.. clothes.  Oh well.

drying my knickers the good old fashioned way