We caught what's equivalent to an uber pool taxi but for the cost of bus fare to a city two hours away. On the way I got to see the route in the day time. Beautiful! Flowering trees, rolling hills, cows, palm trees. Such spectacular foliage. The earth is my favorite earth tone- bright red!
There's lots of trash skirting the road there though, and really all the major roads. I don't know how waste is managed here. I have not seen a garbage truck come around in the country, but I heard that they do.
I was a little scared to leave the delicate comfort of my sisters home for a few days. The familiarity of WiFi was the only thing connecting me to what I've come to associate with home. That's wild. My phone is my own personalized robot service, and I depend on it for all of my existing communications with people. And here I am, first things first, connecting to WiFi.
Funny thing- while we were waiting for the taxi to find one more person to ride, there was an outdoor concert going on. Hard rock and they were playing a Nirvana song, so I went over. Everyone there was dressed in black leather and driving motorcycles. Hilarious. I rolled up on a punk-metal scene playing hard-ish rock music. My nephew was with me and he wasn't into it. Too loud. It's a lil different but I've always liked true rock music.
My other sister is gluten free! This comes as such a welcome surprise. The whole Americas are trying something different. I don't yet have the portuguese words to debate why wheat gluten today is so much less tolerable than it has been for the last umpteen thousand years. I just take in the sweet chance to eat a meal without processed bread on the table.