It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.

I did. When I went back to the bike rental place, the guy looked at me as if I was insane. “It’s okay,” I said. “I’m going to take the bus today!”

That was my plan: hop onto the chicken bus with the bike (the best part with these buses is that it’s completely normal to bring along a bike, a chicken, a cow or huge bags of frijoles with you), get off at El Quino, bike the four kilometres to the beach and then bike the 25 kilometres back to town.

It went exactly as planned.

It took the bus an hour to drive the twenty kilometres to El Quino, where I got off. I biked to Playa Santo Domingo where I was rewarded with an empty beach, a long stretch of volcanic sand and a lovely view.

Then I biked to Ojo de Agua, a natural freshwater swimming pool. “You will feel much younger and much better after a dip,” the guy at the entrance told me. “Dude, it’s 40C outside and I can’t feel my legs,” I wanted to say. “It can only get better.”

The water did me good actually. It was pleasantly fresh and when I came out, for the first time since I left Canada, I actually had goose bumps for a few minutes.

I biked back to Chaco Verde, where I took a break on the beach, and then the last 12 kilometres to town.

I made it. It felt good.

I am slowly starting to make peace with my body and to appreciate what it does for me. I eat to fuel it and I enjoy the workout, walking, hiking, biking, etc. It feels right. It makes me feel strong.

I spent the evening in a hammock at the hostel, looking at the peak of the volcano (for once, it was not hidden by the clouds) and then the stars.

The world is a pretty cool place.

On The Road Again
On The Road Again
Laundry Day?
Laundry Day?
Plantains
Plantains
Sandino
Sandino
Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo
Playa Santo Domingo
Someone is After my Snack...
Someone is After my Snack…
Ojo de Agua
Ojo de Agua
Ojo de Agua
Ojo de Agua
On the Road
On the Road
Concepción Volcano on a Clear Day
Concepción Volcano on a Clear Day
Concepción Volcano on a Clear Day
Concepción Volcano on a Clear Day
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset
Sunset

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6 Comments

  1. Holly Nelson February 19, 2014 at 5:46 pm

    <3 the sunset <3 the beach <3 most especially that bird!

    Reply
    1. Zhu February 21, 2014 at 1:02 am

      That bird stole my bread! 😆 (But I got a good pic so…)

      Reply
  2. Blanca February 20, 2014 at 7:09 am

    It looks so beautiful! Ojo de Agua looks lovely. Also, you are so tough biking in 40ºC weather.

    Reply
    1. Zhu February 21, 2014 at 1:04 am

      I don’t mind the heat actually. But the wind… boy, that was a killer!

      Reply
  3. Cynthia February 27, 2014 at 7:53 am

    Love the colour of the fresh water, it looks so pure!

    Reply
    1. Zhu February 27, 2014 at 9:05 am

      It was very clean.

      Reply

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