Day 16: On to Trinidad

Awakened by someone walking through La Sierrita blowing a whistle to let everyone know it was morning. (I found out later it was a vendor selling perhaps bread or eggs.)

Bit by a tick at the nape of my neck. So sore. (That bite lasted a month or longer.)

Bed so uncomfortable I used my air pad on top. I've done that before. Sometimes when I have to sleep on memory foam and it's too hot.

I had a very sad incident today. In fact I couldn't write about it then but I'm sharing it now because distance has made it a bit easier to write about, but it still tugs at my heart that I couldn't do something. I was cycling along a rural farm road when a puppy comes romping up the road towards me wagging his tail. I picked him up. Only a handful, he's so small. And matted and scruffy looking. He rests quietly in my hand as I go up the road hoping I'll find his momma. I finally see some folks in a cart coming towards me. I hold up the puppy. They motion to me to toss him. I continue on. I see a guy coming through a fence gate. Again I hold up the puppy to him. Again he motions to toss him. What am I going to do with this puppy? I can't keep him. No one wants him. He's a disposable item in a country with starving animals. I come upon a gate with goats on the other side. I set him down. He scrambles to follow me but I cycle away. A bit down the road a man and a boy are walking towards me. I like to hope they found the puppy and took him in. There's was nothing for me to do. I couldn't keep him. But it still hurts thinking about it. Sometimes you just have to let nature take its course. This was one of them. What would you have done?

Later in the day these girls came running and waving and shouting out to the road. That was the only begging I saw in the countryside.


I gave them each a pack of cookies.


Arrived in Trinidad to the Casa Elio recommended but no English spoken. They were full so he called around and found me another place to stay. I'm a 1/2 mile from the town center in a very untouristy part of town.


Again it's lovely inside, especially upstairs where I am. I'm sitting out on an outdoor patio right now overlooking a very crude neighborhood.










Roosters are crowing. Someone's hammering metal. Birds are chirping. The temperature is warm but delightful in the shade. And I am showered and sipping fresh guava juice. Life is good. This is Nino's house and he speaks little English. And he talks a lot. I'm never sure what I'm agreeing to:). Something about 2 chiquitas coming tomorrow whatever they are. The translate app only works if you know how to spell the word. I don't. He won't type anything.

I'm eating out tonight because dinner at my Casa would be alone...well, there's no one at this restaurant :( And it's so lovely...winding through it to an upstairs outdoor patio. Quiet when you're the only one:)). (Except for the barking dog:))




Dinner was delicious: veggie paella. It came with a tomato, cucumber, cabbage salad and fruit, cookie, flan dessert. Yum. All for $12.50. And I was serenaded by a Cuban duet of guitar and shakey things...I don't know what you call them. A gourd on a stick with stones inside. Did I ever know a name for them? Not castenets. Not a tambourine. Hmm?

And when I stepped outside and checked my GPS to get "home", I was only a couple of blocks away. A lot closer than I thought. I make sure I mark my map with the location of my Casa so I can find my way back. I'd be so lost otherwise. How did we do this before? More stress, I'm sure.

So I walked through the dark unlit dirt streets back to my casa feeling totally safe.

Live YOUR dream,

BagLady