This one is for HT, at the request of Ryan. Yes, I do indeed have a sword hanging on the wall next to the door. Just in case. I carried it around yesterday when we went walking, because Manuel recommended I do so. Machete culture here is interesting; it’s expected that any male who ventures from his house should have one with him. The idea is that if you suddenly need to fix a trail, or clear a fallen tree, or kill a poisonous snake, you are prepared. And to NOT do so, you would be a lazy non-contributing member of society, which just isn’t done here. I don’t want to look like I am lazy or not involved in the community, so I guess I will have to start carrying one around. And by the way, no one ever gives you a second look around here if you’re toting a huge pointy knife. All our second looks are due to being white.

There are several types and shapes of machetes that you see around here; I will do a sketch of the main ones when I get a way to scan it into the computer.