Tsaiberspace

Friday was the truly free day. We also moved from the Casa Santo Domingo (US$100+/night) to the more modest but more charming Hotel Aurora (US$50/night). In retrospect we should have just stayed here for most of the week. It’s cheaper, more charming, the rooms are just as good, breakfast is included, and it’s closer to town (Casa Santo Domingo is kind of at the edge of town).

We went back to the main market to do some final shopping and picture-taking, and treated ourselves to some fried chicken at the local Pollo Campero, slowly invading the United States. It is not quite Popeye’s, but it is much better than KFC and Church’s.

For dinner we went to a local cafe. A rat made its way off the street into the compound. We watched it enter several doorways, only to quickly scurry back out after hearing a startling scream from the lady working in whatever store the rat had just exited. Finally, a matronly person took charge, chased the rat into a hole in the ground, and poured a pot of hot coffee into the hole. End of rat.