Gardening Costa Rica style: Machetes, Bamboo, Bee Stings, and Broken Pipes

So I'd been telling David for weeks now that I thought we should get a machete for the house, if not for whacking away at the out of control bamboo "hedges" in our yard, then just for fun or maybe for killing snakes. He was doubtful about our need for a machete, but since picking one up at the hardware store in town this week we've both developed blisters on our hands from going at the invasive bamboo that had begun to take over our yard and back porch. A machete may not be the most efficient gardening tool, but it sure is fun. And that is how Ticos (and most people in Latin America as well as other parts of the world) do their yard work.
After hacking away at the bamboo off and on over a few days, we discovered a sort of hidden garden next to the house. Earlier in the semester I'd discovered a giant oregano plant in that area and had wondered what else might be lying back there, hidden by the out of control bamboo. Indeed, we found a couple of spearmint plants, several aloe plants, and other unrecognizables. We got carried away today and spent hours clearing out the garden, enduring blisters, blood, two bee stings, and then breaking a water pipe. Yes, it was quite the adventure, a la Lynn. We were lucky enough to be able to get ahold of a local guy pretty quickly who came over and fixed the damaged pipe (after a bit of panicking over what to do of course). After that fiasco, I dragged myself down to campus to visit the UPeace nurse who gave me two shots- one in each butt cheek- for the bee stings that had together swollen up to the size of a watermelon, hot and throbbing, on my thigh. It was a productive and exciting day, although a bit painful. Definitely worth it!

Pictures of the garden will be coming soon!