I arrived in San Cristobol last night at about 10:30pm after 3 flights, a group taxi, and another taxi for a total travel time of about 14 hours. Yeah, I was pooped.

Sandra from Cántaro Azul and my neighbor Cory showed me how to use my apartment. It is quite spacious! I have a queen-sized bed and a balcony all for myself. I decided to skip the much needed shower because I had to wait 25 minutes for the boiler to heat it up, so I forced myself to unpack and dropped to my bed.

Sandra told me that today would be my day to settle in: unpack, set things up, and grocery shop. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and woke up at 9:30. I then changed and still didn’t shower because I realized I had to go buy soap! So I went and asked the Doña of the apartment where the nearest supermarket was. She pointed me in the direction and I returned about 20 minutes later with my arms full of bags including water, toilet paper, soap, lunch and breakfast. I was hungry and stinky. I went to ask my neighbor Cory how to work the water boiler because I forgot how to in my sleepy delirium. She came over and showed me, hopefully for the last time, how to work it.

After, Cory took me on a walk around the neighborhood. I found out where was best to buy fruits and veggies, where to refill my phone SIM, and where I could get my car fixed because down my street there are a million mechanics. The neighborhood is nice and relaxed. I realized this after I took a solo walk to the city center after our neighborhood tour. In the center of the city, the sidewalks are full of people and the streets are jam-packed with cars. However, the city is quite beautiful. It is filled with local artisans who create traditional clothing, jewelry, and more.

Above is a picture of the streets. They are full of people and colors. Right as I reached the center of the city, the sky rumbled and I knew it was time to run back. Unfortunately it is about a 30 minute walk and I got caught in the rain. But, just as I arrived back to my apartment, the sky cleared and I was able to capture the photo below. My apartment, of course, is up the steep hill. But, the area is full of greenery including a national reserve right behind us which I plan to explore soon.

I am still not sure what my assignment will be, but I am excited to find out tomorrow and to meet everybody from Cantaro!