So, we donned what warm clothes we had and ventured out into the weather to hail a taxi to a nearby hotel. Lucas was chilly but happy to see some snow as we waited for a ride.
Into the taxi for the 20 minute ride to the hotel. Lucas promptly fell asleep and stayed asleep for the next 3 hours. He never moved even through carrying him from the taxi, checking in, riding the elevator to the room and plopping him on the bed. He was catching up after a couple of long travel days.
Having never been to Dallas, I had no idea what to expect. One thing for sure, it is NOT a remote island paradise in the Caribbean! The view from our hotel window is a bit different. What do you think?
View from Dallas hotel:
View from Casa Cayuco on Isla Bastimentos:
To say that we were disappointed to not get home yesterday would be a true understatement. We had said our good-byes to Central America and had turned our energy towards our re-entry into Seattle. It was a big shock to have to switch gears and adjust to an unexpected change of plans. Dallas, to be truthful, is not all that inspiring, it was especially dreary with the low, grey clouds, freezing rain and 25 degree temperature, we hadn't eaten since our 6:30am breakfast in Costa Rica, and we had no idea where to station ourselves for the next 48 hours.
We found our way to the Lumen Hotel across the street from the SMU campus (no, we did not opt to visit the George W. Bush library.) We spent the first evening eating room service, watching videos and exploring every nook and cranny of the hotel. Lucas and I discovered that the elevator opens on the 4th floor onto an outdoor sitting terrace that I'm sure is lovely when it is not covered in a sheet of slick ice!
Matt came down with a cold the morning we left Panama...not sure where he picked it up on that remote island. So, he has pretty much taken to his bed here at the hotel and hasn't moved except for a quick jaunt to the hotel restaurant for a bowl of oatmeal this morning. Lucas and I have embraced our circumstances and have resurrected our sense of adventure. We hopped in a taxi with a lovely man named, Robert, who is a born n' bred Dallasite and proud to be so. He took us into downtown Dallas for some...wait for it...ice skating! Yup, the polar opposite of where we have been for the past 6 weeks - an indoor ice skating rink in the middle of a 4 story shopping mall.
This is where we got to know Dallas a bit more. I was struck by the incredible diversity here - it was a rainbow of different colored kids and their parents on the ice. It was so wonderful to experience...something I am constantly aware is pretty much non-existent in Seattle. Latinos, Asians, African Americans, Indians, Africans, and Caucasians all shuffling around in a counter-clockwise circle on the ice. There were also countless girls and young women walking around with thick make up on and big, colorful, stiff bows on the tops of their heads. What was with the bows? I finally asked a young woman and learned that this weekend was the national cheerleading competition held every year in Dallas. 26,000 people in town for this event.
Lucas and I skated for an hour and a half with him getting more confident and faster with every lap.
It was super fun and is nothing that I could ever have imagined that we would be doing 2 days after visiting a remote, indigenous village in Panama!
We ate lunch in a Tex-Mex restaurant where we got to happily engage our waiter in Spanish. I am not ready to give that up. Then off to Hagaan Daaz for an ice cream cone before heading back to check on Matt at the hotel. He rested and watched a movie and feels a bit better.
So, we have confirmed seats on a flight tomorrow and the weather here is warming up. All looks good for our arrival in Seattle tomorrow. This little travel detour has reminded me that we don't need to go to Central America or to go away for 6 weeks to live an adventurous life. It's just about embracing what each day brings with an open and curious and adventurous spirit. The couple of days here in Dallas has been a cultural experience not too far from home. I am grateful for the experience and the reminder to continue to look for and make adventure in each day.
Home tomorrow! I am ready for some dark, leafy greens, a snuggle with Che, and catching up on all of your adventures over the past 6 weeks.
xoxo
