Costa T+1 Easter
I’m fully covered with SPF-65 and ready to head out for the morning. This afternoon, I meet my first family. They have twin 20 yr olds – a boy and a girl. I can’t wait to meet the entire family!
Ok, today I slept in until 530a after all the sleep I had last night. It sounded like another guest was on a 7am flight since they made a bunch of noise leaving. The walls were just a little too thin, if you know what I mean.
Since I missed my opportunity to get some dinner, I was famished. Breakfast was a mix of banana, pineapple, and apple pastry. Yummy.
After breakfast I decided to see the town. There’s basically two main roads with a bunch of residential streets. I walked about 7 miles [pedometer est] over 3+ hours. Even though I’d gooped on the SFP-65 sunblock, my face was fried. I’m very happy I put on a hat at the half way point or my head would be destroyed. My hair is getting thinner.
A quick lunch at a local Soda – eh – sorry I forgot the photos. Then a short siesta as I waited for my ride to the homestay familia. While waiting, I attempted to skype a few people and finalize some arrangements for the next trip – Argentina.
Google Maps Link to their home
So my family is mucho grande than expected. The paperwork showed a mother, father, and 20 year old twins. Add two more girls to that list, a 2 year old and lots of extended family. Seems they don’t live under the same roof, so they don’t count. One of the daughters with child lives across the courtyard in the back.
After explaining to them that I knew nada Espanol and getting approval to speak Ingliss for today only, we attempted to exchange family information in mostly Spanish. It was almost impossible as I used a Spanish/English dictionary to locate key works. Only 1 daughter speaks fairly fluent English, so communication was difficult on both sides. The shock of not being able to communicate even the simplest of ideas really gets you thinking how to learn quicker.
Next we went to a church parade that the entire town of San Joaquin seemed to come to. It was a reenactment of the Roman solders after Jesus rose from the dead. Photos. During and after the parade, I met more extended family. The little one is a magnet.
Next, dinner. Fried chicken and bananas at a local eatery. I have a photo of the bananas in a sauce, but sadly, the fried chicken was eaten prior to the photo. You didn’t miss anything. It looked and tasted just like fried chicken. Yummy.
It became pitch black outside by 630p. The family was holding discussions for about another hour, before everyone headed to their rooms and everything quieted down.
They are wonderful and patient with my lack of Spanish.
No internet at home and I didn’t bring a router with me. I think they have a computer, their son, Jorge, is studying computer hw maintenance and support and hopes to get employed by HP here.
Things I’ve learned.
- TP doesn’t go in the bowl.
- Bring all your own bathroom items – towels, soap, shampoo, plus the normal stuff.
- Power is the same as the USA
- oh, and most importantly, my pedometer estimated that I walked over 12 miles today. That doesn’t seem correct, but I do believe the step count. It was definitely over 7 miles.
- Tomorrow the 100% Spanish only rule begins.
