Puglia- Part 1.5

Ah, so I did jinx myself with the last post, and things did in fact get worse, with Nina waking at 3am screaming of a pain in her ear, before vomiting on me twice and falling asleep on top of me at 5am. 

We took her to the hospital at Manfredonia when the earache continued, where a doctor with a military bearing told us she had an inner ear infection. We didnt have long to wait- the only other patients were two car accidents and two elderly ladies who had fallen out of bed. A note on both- driving here is so much worse than Florence. Might is right and intention is greater than precedence. A stop sign is never and a red light rarely obeyed. Accidents are to be expected. So too are old ladies falling out of bed, when you think about it. Standing up in the morning would be the greatest moment of danger for many. I had never thought about this until yesterday. Hospital waiting gives you time to think.

So we've capitulated, and upgraded to a cabin in the campground. High ceilings! Space! Plural beds! Indoor toilet! We had a very good sleep. Padre Pio works in mysterious ways. 

This morning Nina managed to drink a small juice before vomiting it, volcano like, while flat on her back, all over herself, me, and the bed.

I disengaged

myself from the headlock she had me in for 23 hours and went for a walk on the beach. The day before we arrived there had been strong storms and winds, and the beach is covered in debris. It was rather stinky from all the shellfish rotting at the tide line, and covered in washed up rubbish. Its not summer debris, which is usually full of sandals, plastic toys and inflatables, but the refuse of fishermen and townspeople treating the sea as a dump. Bottles and cans and gumboots and fishing nets and polystyrene boxes and bottles and rope. Rather disheartening. 

As I was walking, the only person on the whole beach, a truck with four men in it approached, driving slowly down the beach. They wound down the windows as they reached me, and I braced myself. 

'Hello,  have you seen a large animal cadaver along here? We heard a report'

'No' I responded, 'What sort of animal?'

'Unidentifiable' they responded and drove off. They had a large plastic crate in the back of the truck. 

Tomorrow we hope to head to Alberobello, or if Nina doesn't improve, home.