Wednesday

Since it rained all night....and apparently rained hard....there was no work today. It was still raining in the morning....soooo what were we going to do....SHOPPING!!!!!! Nardo and Nieves are taking us to the Markado....so, after a wonderful breakfast of biscuits, cheese, chicken noodle soup (perfect for a rainy morning) and FRESH fruit ...we got ready to go. I ....of course walked around in the rain taking pictures..... it was pretty muddy..... I'm thinking...what the site must look like.....the pools will be very deep in water.....and the dirt...no, MUD will be VERY heavy. This stuff doesn't dry out easy.... There just isn't anywhere for this water to go....ok, I'm not going to think about the dig.....We have a break...which was probably a blessing for everyones backs and sunburns......yes....SHOPPING.....

Getting to the Markado is always interesting because.....we have to go on "the road"...you know...."the road".....where there are NO RULES.....its an interesting adventure every time. I'm still amazed that we didn't get hit or hit anyone...(thank you for your prayers for that!!!!)

We arrive at the Markado, which is a tourist place. We have been there before....when you walk in the door, you have become a target for every shop owner there. If you DARE look at them, or anything in there booth, you are begged....pleaded with.....and they try to pull you in.....It got to the point that I put my hands in my pockets, put my head down and just walked. I wanted to get something for Bob's birthday.....since we weren't there....( you know...his 55th.....LOL.....opps, it was his 54th.... oh well). I actually was drawn in by something in a booth....I didn't regret it. I got a nice piece of jewelry for very cheap....and then we found a place that was awesome.....I know exactly where they are....and I don't have to walk thru the place....they have my business forever.... they didn't DRAG me in...they didn't approach me, they were like "real" sales people. What was sad about all that....all these booths had the EXACT same thing....no wonder its a fight for business.....how they do it I'll never know.

We were done quickly....we all felt the same way..... so off to the super store...its like a super walmart. You can get anything from clothes, food, furniture...you name it...its there.... There really wasn't anything we wanted...Jen wanted popcorn and olive oil.....I needed paper for our Bible school for the evening....

We got out of the car that was amazingly parked....and was immediately approached by a homeless woman. She walked up to me first and kept putting her hand to her mouth....her eyes were coal black and had a blank stare. Honestly.....my eyes watered instantly. I didn't know what to do...Nieves quickly came to me...wrapped my bag tightly and tucked it away in my purse and gently nudged me away. Before I knew what happened, she was by Dave, Ed and Bob. I saw Dave give her something.....(Dave...you heart is PURE) Bob offered to buy her a meal, but she wanted money.....hard to say what she would do with it...but he was willing to go that far....After having our hearts unearthed...we moved into the store. We got what we needed and then hung around. Some of us chose to "goof off"!!!!!

When we left the store, we proceeded to somewhere. We had no clue what was in store for us. We were somewhere in the city..... we pulled in to this driveway and here was this HUGE lighthouse type building. We had arrived at Christopher Columbus' tomb....WOW.....that was pretty cool. A new adventure!!!!

This place was HUGE....and it was a light house...... it was very symmetrical....which really made it interesting on the inside. The outside had windows that were very nautical... Each had the name of a country...I would assume they were countries Christopher Columbus stopped at, visited...

something. We decided to do the tour.... It was only $3.00 American dollars...A steal to us. Walking up..the view was amazing. You could see miles and miles of city scape all around you. Christopher Columbus is a pretty big deal here. You know....we learned about Christopher Columbus growing up...never did I ever think I would see where his "bones" are kept. Of course, if you ask someone from Spain...they would say he was buried there. On the 4th of July, as we celebrate our Independence, they open the tomb so everyone can see his bones.....I guess to them its proof positive.....(I guess we'll really never know.....)

Inside was pretty cool too. Inside is outside with wings inside. The architecture is pretty cool, Like any monument....The . casket is guarded....24/7 pretty neat...The guard never blinked....honest.....like in England....still....barely breathing....

The tour last about 45 min. We were out of the heat, in semi air conditioning.... and shade....

After the tour, we piled into the van....remember, there are always more than enough.... and home we went....

After dinner we were going....Where? Church.... (your getting good at this) to do Bible school. This is always a challenge. We don't know how many kids will be there....and we only have so many beanie babies....what if we're short...who goes without? Its stressing me out....its such a simple thing...and I'm worried.....I'll let God help work it out. He always comes thru..... God is Good!