FYI Some people have wrote me and told me they are experiencing some problems with certain articles (they don’t open). My bad – I’ll work on it tomorrow when I’m back in Santa Barbara.

I sat with one final Presidente on my thigh, my chair pushed back and my sunglasses shading my eyes. I had an empty plate in front of me and my legs stretched out. The waitress came over.

She asked me, “Que pasa? Donde esta su esposa?”

“No tengo una esposa,” I told her. “Solamente yo. Soy un escritor de viaje.”

Before long there were four servers in front of me – two women and two men – and they were helping me practice my Spanish. I was shy the first day or so – afraid to sound like an idiot – but the more I spoke and the more I smiled, the more they seemed to realize that I was a regular guy.

It feels good to finally be making some progress. I want so badly to be able to connect with the people I meet in other countries, to show them I’m just like them, that I care about them – not just the booze they’re bringing me.

I’ve got to be honest: It was hard for me to keep up with the writing this trip. I had such a blast and always found myself losing track of time – it was absolutely the trip that I needed. I met inspiring people who I connect with, who understand how I feel about my work and what I’m trying to accomplish (cheers, dudes!).

We’re all at different stages of our lives and careers, but we quickly realized what we all have in common: A fear of normalcy, of going through life with our heads down.

I’m in Charlotte now, held up in a hotel near the airport. I fly out early tomorrow morning and I was up until 4 a.m. again last night, so I will be going to bed shortly, after I write some fiction. I am inspired, ready for action – ready to put the pen to the pad.

I’ll have my final thoughts on the Barcelo this week, plus more photos and travel tips for the Dominican Republic.

I’m in Santa Barbara for about a week, then I head to Los Cabos next Wednesday to visit another Barcelo property.

I’ll preview that next week.

Photos from my lunch table: