9 Days Later

So it has not been 9 days since my last blogpost but it had been 9 days since the beginning of this terrible illness.  Food poisoning?  We are not sure.  The owner of the hostel thinks I might have a virus.  He is being a proper Colombian father and making me go to the doctor.  I hate going to the doctor.  Most of the time it is just a useless, expensive and uncomfortable experience.  Ugh we shall see, anything would be better than how I have been feeling the last few days.  Its like I was really sick, then a little better for a few days (but still with the stomach cramping and lack of appetite) and then it just came back full force the last few days.  Torture!  I miss proper food like you do not even know.

 A nighttime shot hanging out with some good friends on a street close to my hostel.

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 On one of the days where my stomach was only cramping up off and on Lauren and I went to the Simon Bolivar Museum.  Its only about a 5 minute walk away from my hostel.  It is the estate he spent his final days in.  This is a picture of me jumping in front of the big funky tree right at the entrance.

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 So this is the most normal thing to see in Colombia.  Little kids, sans helmets on motorcycles with the parents.  Or even not their parents.  I have seen Mothers get on motorbike taxis with their little ones.  And Mom used to think it was bad when Dad took me for rides in the country with a helmet on.  This is kids go out almost daily on motorbikes with no protection on absolutely crazy streets.  Hopefully the drivers go extra safe with the little ones on the bike.

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 This is during recess at  volunteering.  We are still doing construction on the school and a man was bringing up filler material with his donkey cart but the road leading up to the school is so messed up from the crazy rains that the donkey could not make it up on its own.

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 Volunteers and students are helping the donkey get the cart up to the top to of the hill.

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I went with four friends to a river on Saturday.  It was very tranquillo.  This is my friend Gabriel looking off in the distance.  I spent a lot of my time practicing yoga on those boulders (quite difficult I must say).  Lauren has a few photos of me doing that but I do not have any on my camera.  I came to the conclusion during that yoga session that being one with nature is quite ticklish.  So many little insects crawling up and down my entire body.  I am becoming immune to insects.  Also I have stopped using repellent.  My Colombian friends say to not use it and eventually I will become immune.  In all honesty, I still get bit, but I would not say anymore or less than before when I was using repellent regularly.  And I have the added bonus of not spraying DEET on me everyday.  I hate spraying chemicals on me.  I also wash myself in lavender body wash and use lavender body oil to help deter the mosquitos.  They do not like the smell of lavender.  

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So I think its time for me to go shower, brush my teeth and head off to the doctor.  Hopefully good health will return to me soon so I can enjoy my last days in Santa Marta properly.  Also, I bought my return ticket home.  I will be flying out of Bogota, Colombia on August 21st returning to Boston and my adorable little kitty, Miss PennyLane and my lovely friends of course.  Would it be wrong to request Al's that night?  Oh do I miss food!!!!

Pura vida!