We're off to Tres Ceibas

---

The taxi we took from Santiago to the village wouldn't bring us all the way. He dropped us and our luggage at the bottom of a hill. So we had to walk, a lot. It was so hot and the road was muddy and slippery. My back pack seemed to grow heavier with each step. My ankles were soar and my blisters were caked with mud. The sides of the roads had trash on them as if the whole world was a garbage can. Despite these factors I am uplifted by the breeze. Tripping over the uneven ground I look at the extraordinary views. They look like clips from a paradise movie. Looking around I can practically see Johnny Depp saunter through the palm trees on the green rolling hill tops. I can picture the Caribbean Ocean just past those very hills. I know the ocean is close because we saw it on the drive over. Only later will I learn that "close" is really a two hour walk away. The walk is long but truly worth it. As we enter the village we are greeted with such welcoming smiles that I forget all my worries about my spanish skills and home stays. The next five days I was in the best and kindest company I could ever hope for.

---