04/04/11

We spent the weekend at Tsene to celebrate Erin’s birthday. Even though Erin was actually sick for all of Sunday (we think she had sun stroke), I think everyone still have a wonderful time, and it’s pretty impossible not to at Tsene. Tsene Lagoa (Tsene Lagoon) is so named because tsene means salt in Txopi and it is incredibly salty (much more so than the ocean). On Sunday Yvette took some of us down to the salty lagoon for cleansing mud bath. When you get down next to the lagoon to smells awful, like sulfur. You wade out a few feet but the salt changes the consistency of the sand so you just sink in, so as soon as possible you belly flop in and swim out. You float so easily which is great because you can just relax on top of the water without trying. Stepping down once you’re out in the lagoon is kind of disconcerting because the bottom feels spongy or like what I imagine walking on a cloud must feel like. Then you let your feet sink down into the mud and you pull the mud back up with your feet. The mud looks like canned dog food and smells like boiled eggs, so it can be difficult to convince yourself to rub it on your face. But you rub it on your face and your shoulders and arms, and then just float and let yourself relax completely. Like I said, the water is so incredibly salty that you can cross your arms and still float and even when you are trying rinse the mud off your face, it’s difficult to stay underwater. And it stings your eyes, even if you keep them shut!