With the taste of cheap beer fading in my mouth I headed back to my improvised lodge for what should have been a second night of quiet (and sweaty) sleep. I encapsulated my body in the igloo of mosquito net. Like every night since I left home, I played the podcast "La Rosa De Los Vientos" (works better than Valium) and blew off the tiny sparkle of candlelight that kept my pupils from fully open.
It must have been during the first five minutes of the podcast that I heard it for the first time. Knock-knock! My eyes wide open. It sounded as if someone was banging the door or the front wall of my bungalow from the other side. Knock-knock! A second series of knocks made me realize that I wasn't dreaming. This can't be happening, I thought as the muscles of my ass tightened like never before. Sawadee krap! (standard Thai greeting), I replied loud yet fearfully. No answer. I got up to light the tiny candle. Hello? who's there? I sat on the bed waiting for an answer holding the torch on my left hand and the knife on the good one. After five minutes of silence my heartbeat finally commenced a steady descent. I ensured that windows and door were properly shut and crawled back into the mosquito net. Who the hell could be out there lost in the jungle? who would be as crazy (read: stupid) to wander around this abandoned bungalow in the middle of the pitch-black night? F*ck it! whoever he or she is must be much more scared than I am! I repeated this last sentence in my mind over and over trying to resume my sleep. It worked, however I woke up no less than 5 times throughout the night.
A few times in my life I've been so glad to meet a new day covered in sweat as this morning. I run down to the beach (knife in hand) for the routine morning swim. After last night's incident I needed the tranquility than only ColaCao can bring to me. I set an ever exotic breakfast consisting of coconut, (sort of ) milk* and the miraculous cocoa powder. I drunk it up and fingertipped the tasty lumps that scattered at the bottom of the can. After this I proceeded to my day-to-day activities. The number one item on my list for today was to build a fishing rod. I cut a bamboo stick and went up to the bungalow to fetch the fishing line and a hook. It was then, while searching my rucksack, that I heard it again. This time it sounded lower. Knock-knock! The door was open, there was nobody in the porch. Knock-knock-knock-knock! The sound fading in the distance. I run out, this time I had an allied: daylight. I completed a circle around the hut before I discovered the source of the noise: a 25+ cm long nosy lizard! You bastard, you scared the hell out of me last night! I went back inside and cursed myself for being such a chicken. But there was more. As if taking the mother of all the pisses a second lizard (also 20+ cm) materialized in the room. This one had reached even closer to my bed, it was glued to the wall no more than a foot from my pillow. You little f*cker, didn't want to miss the party, uh? I chased it away and went back to the beach.
Although the mystery of the noises had been solved, earlier that morning I had decided to spend tonight at the beach camp. I felt too lucky to have a bungalow and I wanted to know how it felt to be a real castaway even if it was just for one night. So, I collected some stones, some wood and built an improvised bedroom with vistas of the sunset.Hours later, when the tide went out it was time for me to get some bait for tomorrow's assignment: fishing. I scanned the rocks and found what I was looking for: tiny fish trapped in natural pools. With my mosquito net and a bit of patience I managed to catch a dozen of them, not enough for a dinner but who knows, maybe they are the key to escape my monotonous diet (exclusively based on coconuts).
Dusk broke in a couple of hours ago. I retreated to my camp. This time I managed to set on the bonfire on my first attempt. I've reproduced the mosquito net + poncho mat igloo on the sand. Got the beer, the pen and the notebook. At last I'm writing these lines. The night is beautiful although I cannot see as many stars as the first one that I spent here. It's been a long day, a good one, but long nonetheless. I'm tired, I think I better try to get some sleep. Let's hope I don't get any unexpected visitors tonight. Talk to you tomorrow!
*I forgot to mention this in my castaway's shopping list. Somehow I figured out that I'd need a ColaCao in this island.
Los hechos acontecidos la pasada noche perduraran en mi memoria como algunos de los momentos de mas acoj*ne de toda mi vida.
Con el sabor a cerveza barata todavia en la boca, enfile camino a mi improvisado refugio predispuesto a pasar la segunda noche de sueno (y sudor). Una vez encerrado en el iglu de mosquitera y chubasquero sobre el colchon, me enchufe a "La Rosa De Los Vientos" en mi MP3 y sople la timida vela que habia impedido hasta ese momento que mis pupilas se dilatasen por completo en la oscuridad de la cabana. No habrian pasado ni 5 minutos de interesante tertulia radiofonica cuando oi un ruido inesperado: Knock-knock! Mis parpados se dispararon. Parecia como si alguien estuviera llamando a la puerta de mi pequena cabana. Knock-knock! La segunda serie no dejaba lugar a la duda, alguien o algo estaba aporreando la pared frontal de mi bungalow. Los musculos de mis posaderas se estromecieron como nunca antes lo habian hecho (gracias a Dios no lo suficiente para que aquello acabase en desastre escatologico). Lleno de inquietud (in-)disimulada exhale un saludo en tailandes: Sawadee krap! Me sente en la cama, encendi la pequena vela y agarre machete y linterna mientras esperaba una respuesta desde el otro lado de la pared que no llegaba. Cinco minutos mas tarde mi ritmo cardiaco emprendio un descenso leve pero continuo. Quien podia estar tan loco (lease mentalmente perjudicado) como para andar merodeando un bungalow abandonado en mitad de la junga a esas horas de la noche? (Quien excepto un servidor, claro esta). Quien quiera que fuese posiblemente estuviera mas asustado de lo que yo estaba pues al fin y al cabo yo era el intruso que estaba okupando el bungalow. Me asegure de que ventanas y puertas estuvieran bien cerradas y me repeti mi ultima reflexion hasta que mis parpados calleron por puro cansancio. Esta noche me desperte un minimo de 5 veces.
Pocas veces en mi vida me he alegrado tanto de despertar en un horno. El sol de la manana me propuslo a la playa para mi bano matutino. Tras una noche tan movidita solo existe una manera posible de restaurar la tranquilidad: un buen tazon de ColaCao. Dadas las circunstacias he tenido que improvisar un desayuno de lo mas exotico: coco, sucedaneo de leche (incluido en mi lista de la compra a ultima hora, preveyedo que necesitaria un buen ColaCao en cualquier momento) y como no el oro en polvo marron! Tras el desayuno revitalizador he procedido con mi lista de quehaceres.
Objetivo numero 1: construir una caña. He talado una pertiga de bambu a la que adosaria el sedal y el anzuelo que guardaba en mi mochila. Fue entonces, mientras inspeccionaba mi mochila en la cabaña abandonada cuando lo escuche otra vez. Knock-knock! Esta vez mas silencioso. No puede ser! knock-knock-knock! La puerta abierta y sin rastro alguno en el porche... que ost*as! Con la luz del dia como aliado, he circundado mi bungalow para descubri que el misterioso instruso no era otro sino un curioso lagarto de unos 25 cm! J*der tio, si supieras el rato que me hiciste pasar ayer noche! En fin, leccion aprendida: Iñaki = caguica. Pero no, no ha acabado ahi la cosa. Como si se tratase de un festival del humor (conmigo en plan estrella invitada), otro lagarto Juancho ha hecho acto de presencia. Este mas cerca, adosado a la pared a menos de un palmo de mi almohada. Una vez me he librado de estos invistados inesperados he vuelto a la playa.
Aunque el misterio de los ruidos nocturnos ya ha sido aclarado, previamente esta mañana habia decidido que hoy pasaria la noche aqui, en el campamento de Getaria Berria. Fue un puntazo encontrar el bungalow abandonado, pero quiero sentirme un autentico naufrago aunque solo sea por una noche. Con ayuda de mi nueva caña, unas piedras, unas maderas y un poco de imaginacion me he currado un dormitorio 1000 estrellas con vistas al mar.
Mi siguiente tarea para hoy era preparar mi mision para mañana: pescar! Con la marea ya baja, he acudido a las rocas en busca de los pequeños peces que se quedan atrapados en las cubetas naturales. Con ayuda de la mosquitera y un poco de maña he pescado una docena de pezqueñines (no gracias, excepto cuando eres un naufrago) que me serviran de cebo mañana y quien sabe, lo mismo abandono mi dieta (hasta ahora cocos nada mas).
Y asi he llegado al final del dia. Fuego (esta vez a la primera), cerveza, boli y papel. Desde mi improvisado igloo de mosquitera y poncho/chubasquero veo alguna estrellas, nada que ver con la primera noche que pase aqui. Hoy ha sido un buen dia, largo y duro pero bueno. Mañana sera otro dia!
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