sunshine in Simbal

We had a really fun family day adventure on Saturday. We ate breakfast @ Starbuck's and used their internet access(ours no longer works @ the apt.-bummer). Around 10:45 we piled into a taxi and headed for a small mountain town called Simbal.It was a 45 min. ride thru agricultural countryside, but the kids always have fun on any length of trip. Why? you ask? B/c they are unbound by seatbelts and carseats. That's why we never needed technology on long trips-we were free to roam a/b and play tricks and bother each other and play games, etc.!!! Anyway, as we were nearing our destination(w/ little to NO expectations) the sun popped out from the cloud cover-which is nearly non-stop in Trujillo. Jeff spotted a flock of turkeys a/b 100yds from the road and so we had to stop. Even I was enjoying this b/c there were 4 or5 big gobblers strutting around and gobbling @ every attempt of the childrens various animal calls. For you non-hunters, seeing and hearing this @ such close range is sometimes a once in a lifetime event. Needless to say, Jeff was going bananas.

The taxi driver dropped us off near a dirt trail and we were on our own until 4:00 that afternoon. We walked to the public pools and chose the one that had more than zero people swimming in it. There is no way to describe my thoughts as we changed clothes in the brick rectangular tiny bathroom, no roof, and a strong urine smell-whatwould my girlfriends think of this adventure? It was a bit different from a day @ the club or the Y. Jeff and the kids swim for a liitle while, but we end meeting a very interesting family and spend the remainder of our time there w/ them(eating lunch and hiking to the highest point in the town). During our time in Simbal, we saw many dogs(of course), turkeys,goats, sheep, cats, donkeys, a pig, chickens and some baby chicks, and ducks. The children and Jeff and I have a really fun day and were so thankful to meet our new friends-we might see them again here in Trujillo if it works out.

More later, o.k.?

Love, Amy