Akil 16

B opted to not make the climb. I thought this was a wise decision, given his leg problems. The wiser decision would have been for me to stay behind also. I knew I was going to have to be very careful not to slip, jerk or fall on the climb. But, thinking that I am still in my thirties, I decided to make the climb. The path up had us scrambling over and around boulders, avoiding very slippery patches of mud and trying to maintain a firm footing on loose gravel. Many tree branches were grabbed for support. I looked very carefully before grabbing onto anything. I did not want to grab onto any kind of critter that may have been resting on a branch, especially the snake kind! We finally made it to the broken down steps that led up to the building that was perched on the highest point around.

The building itself was an achievement in building that astounded the mind. How did they get these large boulders up here? What a tremendous labor force it must have taken. But even better than the building was the view. I wished I had brought the binoculars. Miles and miles of green were visible in every direction. The location of this building had been well thought out. It was close to the Gods and afforded a vantage point and early warning system of any invading trouble makers.

As I was busy being awestruck by the view, I glanced down the hill and what do I see? B! He had decided to make the climb after all. I was not pleased about this, but it is his life. Since he could see the view somewhat through the opening in the trees at his level, he wisely decided to not make the final dash up to the building. I shouted to him that I would show him the pictures later! Having seen enough, and knowing that Juan was still waiting in the air conditioning, we made our leave of this place.

We joined back up with Juan and he announced that somebody was going to have to ride in the Jeep with us because Lizzie needed to continue to lie down on the back seat. Mickey and the two kids reluctantly got into the back seat of the Jeep again. For some unknown reason, they really wanted nothing to do with riding in the Jeep. I think maybe because it was so hot, even while driving. The wind generated by driving was a hot one, not refreshing at all.

We arrived back at Juan’s home in Akil and his brother and family once again piled onto the scooter, and with no fanfare, took off for home. No long Minnesota goodbyes in Akil! Juan told us that we were going to have lunch at home, which was why Maria and Lupe had stayed behind. They had been cooking all morning. Since Maria knew B loves chicken in mole sauce, she had been cooking that special for him. After lunch, we were going to go visit a very special plantation.