its been stormy and raining on and off for the past day and a half. we aren´t working on our tan as much as we´d hoped, but the cooler temps have actually been a really nice surprise. its a tropical storm so the weather is still hot its just that you don´t notice you´re sweating quite as much when you´re getting rained on too. we´ve still been spending lots of time outside and actually enjoying ourselves walking around the island more because we´re not getting killed by the blistering sun. we´ve been spending a lot of time just wandering the island both the main road and random dirt paths that lead to who knows where. we´re finding lots of stray cows, horses, pigs, dogs, cats, and the chickens are everywhere. there is no worry of getting lost because you really can´t get too far off track. there is some absolutely beautiful land here that is just so lush and thick with plant life. it has always struck me in tropical environments that the massive plants you see growing wild are the same tiny variety i buy in small pots at lowe´s. to see them in all their glory like this is just beautiful. there are small, very basic homes often made of cement or cinder blocks, with a smattering of larger more decadent places. some have thatched roofs and most others are metal roofing. there is a huge diversity in the condition of the homes and yards here with some places gleaming with pride and care, while others are surrounded by loads of garbage and what seems to be a total disregard. the economic level of the home is not a real factor either. some places that are as simple as they come seem to have owners that take the most pride and make next to nothing look amazing. while, quite the opposite is true of many, what look to be, higher priced homes and land. there is a number of churches, tons of tiny little stores out of people´s homes all carrying very similar basic items, lots of small bars and restaurants, several small guest houses, two large hotels (and by large i mean about 15 - 20 rooms), and a taxi cab every few feet. fresh fruit and vegetables are a scarce commodity as is any sort of healthy food options. lobster, crab, shrimp, and fish are a staple at the dozens of small restaurants, often right out of someone´s home, just like the little stores. but, finding these things cooked without massive amounts of butter or breading is difficult. i have to admit that i´m loving the garlic and butter drenched lobster. its absolutely delish! among the lush landscape and absolutely breathtaking ocean all around there are incredibly kind, happy, generous people all around us too. we haven´t yet found someone on this island that hasn´t met us with a really genuine smile and interest in knowing what we´re doing, what we need, or if there is something they can do to help us. the kids are take your breath away gorgeous, curious and soooo sweet. they love to have their pictures taken and then see themselves in the digital camera so that has been fun for me to share with them. we rented a golf cart for a couple of hours one day to explore a little more than we could on foot and we gave an older man a quick ride on a bumpy dirt road. when he saw my camera he wanted me to take his picture and when i showed him the image of himself he stared so intently at it for at least a minute or two. he was expressionless but totally engrossed. made me wonder how long it had been since he had seen his own face. after his long stare he seemed to snap out of his daze, smiled and said thank you.
the reason i was posting tonight was not really to give my commentary of the island, but actually just to share a funny story . . . since erik and i have been doing a lot of aimless walking around and the island isn´t that big we obviously have passed the same places a number of times. there is a rather large empty lot to the side a a small home fairly close to our hotel that has a goat tied with a rope to a tree. the rope is long so the goat can get around a pretty large area, but that area is filled with garbage, burn piles, car parts, etc, etc. it is right on the ocean with an amazing view, but i´m not sure how much the goat really appreciates that. i have a fondness for goats (what can i say . . . i am my mother´s daughter) so its been hard to see this little girl in these conditions (or any of the animals for that matter). erik thinks the goat is a pet while i assume that it will be a future meal(s) for the family in the small house nearby, which i suppose isn´t not such a bad thing. so one day we were walking by and didn´t see the goat and i said something like, "it looks like there will be a good dinner tonight. . . " erik didn´t think so and later we saw that erik was right when we noticed the goat tucked away behind a tree further down in the lot. he was driving the point home that it was their pet and i agreed that maybe he was right. he mentioned that maybe they were just using it for milk and i again agreed that maybe that was the case. then i went on to say, "or maybe they are making cheese . . . or just using it for the eggs." (i know, i know, i`m super mean . . . ) erik says, "the eggs, what do you mean, goats don´t have eggs do they?" i can´t believe i was able to stay serious, but i was and i said, "of course they have eggs. haven´t you ever had goat eggs? they´re so good." erik says, "really. i had no idea goats had eggs. crazy." believe it or not, i´m still not done and i keep going . . . i say "didn´t you have any when we were at my mom´s place?" to which he replied, "no, i don´t think so." then, i say "well, next time you talk to my mom, you´ll have to ask her about it . . . " finally i caved and confessed that i was full of it. as i´m typing this story, i realize that maybe its not so funny to anyone else, but to me, it was priceless. i was dying with laughter by this time. cracked me up!! erik wasn´t quite as amused, though he was laughing too.
so, its not over . . . i teased a couple times about this before erik got me back. we were on some dirt path going through someone´s farm probably and i noticed a horse that wasn´t tied up and suggested we try to ride the horse bareback (i was kidding). erik chuckled at the thought and then suddenly said, "hey, that horse isn´t tied up." this i knew, hence the suggestion to ride it. i just said, "i know, that´s why i thought we should ride it. the other one out there lying down isn´t tied up either. we could both ride our own horse." moments later, erik gleefully pointed out, "hey babe, that isn´t a horse, that´s a cow" and we both got a laugh. he immediately teased saying that he couldn´t wait to tell my mom that her daughter doesn´t know the difference between a horse and a cow to which i of course teased him some more about the goat eggs. a little while later on the dirt path there was a split with a couple of choices on which way to go. i of course thought we should go a different way than erik thought but he was more insistent, so i followed. but, i had to give him a little grief and ask why he thought he was so right. he said, "i´m sorry babe, i just have a better sense of direction than you." i said, "whatever you need to think sweetie . . . " (can you hear the sarcasm? its a little bit of a problem with us. keeps us laughing though.) well, to that he replied "babe, c´mon, you don´t even know the difference between a horse and a cow, how are you supposed to lead us in the right direction?" and that kept us laughing until we did find the main road shortly thereafter. . .
don´t you just love the cheap thrills that come when you´ve got nothing but time on your hands. good stuff!
