Smoky Days

When I flew into Teguc, the sky was so brown and hazy we couldn't even see the runway until we were almost directly over it (yikes!). This is because the country is burning right now. During the dry season, people deliberately light fires in the forests, to burn out the underbrush and to clear fields for grazing and planting. These fires are all over the country. You can see black patches all over the mountainsides where burns have been. One night, I looked out at the mountain and could see a glowing red spot, which I presume was a fire. Plumes of smoke and yellow haze sit over much of the countryside. When the rains come (and I've been told they are only weeks away), the water will clean up the air and turn the mountains green again.