Our adventure Part 2

Driving

Let's just saying loading into a car "backwards" is a surreal feeling. Fortunately, we rented a large car in order to accommodate all of our children and baggage. We decided we are big fans of the Toyota Prado....I don't know if you can even buy those in the US though. Anyway, even with all that extra space we still ended up piling 4 giant duffel bags on top. I think it was quite clear we were foreigners at that point.

So, once we were piled in and we had prayed for safety we were off. There were multiple freakouts within the first few miles. These were a few of the statements made in those first few minutes:

Todd "How am I over there?"

Me "You're running off the road."

Todd "They're seriously going to hit me if I move over anymore this way."

Me "You're going to hit that mailbox if you don't."

After some beautiful countryside, a stop at McDonalds and a couple hours in the car we arrived at the guest cottage safe and sound. And then, we slept for the next 15 hours.

A few other thoughts on driving after a few weeks of experience.

Turns are by far the worst. You're absolutely sure it's going to end up in a head on collision and then miraculously it doesn't and you're so grateful!

There are moments when I still catch myself thinking the car in front of me is being driven by a ghost because no one is in the "usual driver's seat." The first time this happened I yelled at Todd and about had a heart attack. I think for a minute he even agreed with me!

All in all the driving hasn't been near as bad as I thought. The speed limits are much slower here and as long as you have someone to follow you do alright. That being said we still ended up going the wrong way on a road in a town about an hour south of us. Todd was driving and there may or may not have been a swear word muttered when the onslaught of traffic was headed straight for us. Fortunately, we were just pulling out of a store parking lot and were able to back right back in and get in the correct lane. The funniest parts about the whole thing were it didn't register to me we were going the wrong way until the cars started coming at us and Todd looked behind him before he back down the road to the parking lot. Like there would be anyone behind us. We're going the WRONG WAY!!!!

Once out heart rates had slowed to a normal level we got quite a kick out of it on the drive home.

**PS. Gas is roughly $8.00 a gallon. Nice.

The Car

We had to turn in the Prado since it was only a rental. And we are now the owners of this bad boy. It's been a rough transition for all parties involved. We hope she's still running in 3 months.

The Weather

It's cold!!! There was frost on the grass one morning when we woke up. So any of you who were jealous that I might be lounging on that beautiful beach I posted earlier enjoying hours of blissful sun can rest assured...I'm not. Oh, the beach is beautiful, but it requires a winter coat at the moment. (We so did not pack for this.) When we read the winter temps of 50-60 we thought of dry Utah 50-60. It seems after five years we had forgotten about a "wet cold." The kind of cold that reaches inside all your layers and wraps itself around your bones and you just can't seem to shake it. That's what we've got here. And, we've been told this has been an unusually cold winter for them as well.

Plus, it rains.....a lot......and hard...like everyday for hours at a time. I really don't like being cold. It's fine if you can bundle up and then come inside to a warm cozy house. But, like I said we didn't pack quite as well as we should have. And, it seems the clothing stores have transitioned to mostly spring attire and the sweatshirts I did look at which were on sale were still $75.oo. Yikes! I'll just layer every shirt and jacket I have every day until it gets warm I guess. Fortunately, I packed a bit better for our children so it seems only Todd and I are cold. Lesson learned.

Also, they don't have heating in the homes here. In fact, most homes have no heat at all. We have some gas heater that hooks right up to the spout on the wall and I'm just sure we are all going to explode every time we turn it on. It does take a bit of the chill out of the air, but it can't heat our whole apartment. I've been assured they are very safe, however, I'm still not entirely convinced. Anything that is hooked directly to a propane tank or gas line in the middle of my house freaks me out! Oddly, our bathrooms have a heater in them, so I have spent a little extra time in bathroom since moving here as well.