keep your eyes on her.

Day 4- Not Quite Paradise

quick update from my phone since the wi-fi doesn’t reach my new room and I didn’t feel like bringing my laptop to the bar.  I suppose I should backtrack a bit…

today started off like the others- up at 7:30ish, picked up about 8:30ish to head to Surfer’s Point and we were just hanging around when this rainstorm came outta nowhere. this wasn’t rain like the showers we’d had previous days. this was run for cover or else be soaked in seconds sort of rain. the surfing powers that be decided, even once it had cleared up, to postpone the lesson til 2.

since I was already up and somewhat awake, I decided to make the most of it and head to Crane Beach, a beach which consistently ranks in the top 20 of “best beach” lists.

Jason dropped me off in Oistins where I could catch a local bus over that way. I was definitely the only tourist on that bus but you can’t beat 75 cents USD (a taxi would’ve cost $25 minimum). got there in about 40 minutes and that’s with the driver driving like Speedracer. getting onto the beach, unless going through the Crane Hotel, was interesting. you walk down a pathway that leaves you on a cliff overlooking the ocean. you climb down it on makeshift “steps”- circular slabs of concrete ringed by steel. and at one point where a step had crumbled, there was a plank to walk across. mind you, I’m still dressed in my surfing gear and am getting strange looks from the few people walking on the beach. I stripped off my shirt to not look completely out of place, made my way down the beach and settled myself into one of the Crane’s cushy beach chairs. act the part and nobody questions you. I stuck around for just over an hour, reading & taking pics. since I thought I’d be heading there at some point today, I’d brought a change of clothes. so I knocked the sand off and put my cute cotton dress on over my bikini and headed for the hotel. I walked around their litlle village of shops for awhile and picked up a few small souveniers. I got as far as the parking lot before feeling utterly lost (this place is massive). I asked a guy at the bell hop station where to get the bus toward Bridgetown and he said it was a bit of a hike and then drove me to the main gate in a hotel golf cart!

didn’t have to wait too long for the bus and was back in Oistins by 1 with time to explore the beach there and see all the fishing boats (found some great beach glass, too), and then grab a flying fish sandwich before catching a mini bus that would leave me close to Surfer’s Point.

as I was walking from the bus stop, one of the guys who works there and was on his way from picking up another student passed by and gave me a lift.

today’s lesson was great.  Junior took us out today and gave me some great tips. didn’t really notice the soreness & pain any longer. caught some “tasty waves” as Mark would say, and even managed to turn a few times. it’s so much like snowboarding, just easier if you can believe that.

I did wind up bringing my camera to capture the beauty of Freights Bay and it was just where I left it when the lesson was over (I knew it would be). I’ll post those pics and others when I’m back on my laptop.

after the lesson, I had a massage. one of the guys at Surfer’s Point is also a licensed massage therapist. he was good but not as strong as I’m used to. maybe I looked delicate or something.

got dropped off at the hotel afterward and got to practice some Italian on the ride. brava, they said :) so, this about brings me back to the beginning of this post and my room switch.

I was sitting on my bed replying to an email from Marina about dropping that workshop when out of the corner of my eye, I see movement on the floor. yes, my worst nightmare, the bane of my existence, the one thing that turns me into a blubbering, useless, mess of a girl. I hate to say the word or even write it but those of you who know me well will know exactly what I’m referring to and for everyone else, here’s a partially completed game of Hangman: a huge motherfuckin r _ _ _ h. before I even completely registered the fact, I’d jumped up, ran across the bed, grabbed my room key, unbolted the back door (thank god for escape routes!) and ran to reception who quickly dispatched security followed by housekeeping.

at first the security guy didn’t see it. of course the fucker had run to a new place but finally he saw it on the opposite side of the room from where it had been and was about to use one of MY shoes to kill it when I insisted he find something else. he took one of those in-room magazines to get it but missed! this went on for at least 5 minutes, all the while I’m standing outside, well clear of the room. he gave up and then housekeeping showed up- a woman with a lethal can of flying insect spray. she pretty much doused the room with it and then waited while I gathered what I would need for the night; I told the manager I would not sleep in that room until the carcass of that bug was found. in any case, the room was now full of toxic fumes and I wouldn’t have been able to sleep there if I’d wanted to. so just as I was about finish shoving the essentials into my backpack (with the intent of returning tomorrow), I again see movement- a dying, writhing bug by the bathroom. I calmly point it out to the nice housekeeping lady and she kills it once and for all, hands me the key to my new room 4 doors down and leaves. all the while making me not feel stupid about the whole thing.

I knew this humidity world wreak havoc on more than just my hair!

think I will get another drink and take a benadryl, turn the AC waaaay up and bury myself under the blanket.

nothing has made me miss bitter cold NY until tonight. bring it on.

update:

managed to find my appetite. had a glass of wine with dinner.  then some nice older white-haired, bearded gentlemen bought me and 2 other girls sitting at the bar drinks, and then I ordered a Bailey’s chocolate milkshake and didn’t get charged for it. Rochelle is the best vacation bartender ever!

I’ve finally worked up the courage to sit outside on my terrace, where anything could be lurking nearby,so I could access the wi-fi with my computer and upload some pics.

going to resubmit some water-themed photos for that SHIFT assignment I had to do last week that I’m actually happy with.

wave after wave after wave...

DAY 2

awoke yesterday to the sound of rain.  kind of dismaying since I’d fallen asleep to that sound about 6 hours earlier. (and I’m gonna curse the guy who wished rain upon my vacation! you know who you are). it was grey and a bit chilly (low 70s probably). luckily it began clearing up by the time my surf lesson was to begin.  I got picked up about a quarter to 9 by Zed and was brought to Surfer’s Point in Inch Marlowe.  met the other would-be surfers— a few 20-somethings from Russia, a young couple from London, a guy from Montreal, an older dude from Long Island and my fellow newbie, Mike, a pilot for British Airways.  he actually had to leave the lesson a bit early since he had a plane to fly.  a 777 back to London.

surfer’s point:

the “board room”:

we headed to Freights Bay for the lesson since the surf in front of Surfer’s Point was way too rough.  after about 15 minutes on land, we headed into the water with our fearless instructor, Jason.  I stood up on my very first attempt but didn’t stay up very long.  by the end of the two hours though, I was riding waves into shore.  pretty amazing feeling. I turned their instructions into a little mantra that I repeated the first few times and by the end of the lesson, it was memory.  the getting up process is sort of like doing yoga on a surfboard.  after paddling, you start off in the cobra position, then you get into a kneeling position with your arms straight and hands on the board in front of you, then bring your back leg so that it’s a right angle to the board with your foot flat on the board, then snap your front leg forward, quickly stand and pivot front foot so that it’s sideways on the board.

after the lesson, got dropped off at my hotel and had a delicious lunch— a flying fish wrap. I pretty much crashed in one of the cabanas for the remainder of the afternoon.

surfer transport:

seen on the drive back to the hotel:

lunch:

was still feeling extremely lazy (and sore) when evening rolled around so I decided to stick close to the hotel.  well, in the hotel.  made friends with the bartender, Rochelle. paid for one daiquiri, drank it at the bar and got another free!  had dinner at the hotel restaurant— fried snapper. also delicious. the only thing I can find fault with is the prices.

after dinner, read for awhile and was in bed by 10:30.

DAY 3

the beach in front of Surfer’s Point.

today’s lesson was again at Freights Bay.  I need to bring my camera with me tomorrow… getting some shots of this place will be worth the risk (there’s nowhere to really stow your stuff there).  it’s beyond beautiful.  they put me on a shorter board today, 10 ft instead of 11, and you wouldn’t think it, but what a huge difference a foot makes! while still massive, it felt so wobbly in comparison while I was paddling but the minute I stood up, it felt perfect and I caught even more waves and rode most of them in to shore.  today I had Jason again, and Junior, as instructors.

this is the board I had today.  the beginner boards at Zed’s have this sort of foam top to help keep you from injuring yourself. pretty comfy :)

everything went well, despite being sore and in pain from yesterday’s lesson— muscle soreness and then pain from the board “rash” and from my own stupidity.  not thinking, I wore a bikini top yesterday that had beads in the center of the string that wraps around the front of your chest.  from my body slamming against the board when getting pounded by waves while paddling out or hurling myself back on to it after falling off, I now have a bruise there, in the center of my sternum and it hurts more than anything else.  everytime I rolled over onto my stomach while sleeping last nite, I’d wake up wincing from pain.  but hey, now I know!  and I also know those long sleeve shirts are not just for sun protection, tho most of them are UV rated… they’re called “rash vests” down here and prevent the nasty “rash” you get from the friction of your arms are on the board.

this is the “rash”. wish I’d brought neosporin with me.

the culprit bikini top.

came back to the hotel, had lunch— a flying fish sandwich with sweet potato fries today— and then napped.  it’s too hot in the afternoon to do anything outdoors.

lunch.

for dinner, I took a taxi to the nearest real town, a fishing village called Oistins, and had my most delicious meal yet.  I asked the taxi driver (a nice guy & former surfer named Jerry) to drop me off at a place where I could get some good fish and he brought me to Pat’s, which I’d heard about just this morning from someone I was taking lessons with. every friday here, lots of towns have a fish fry— the boats unload all their fish and the locals & tourists alike come for dinner and there’s usually lots of drinking  and dancing as well.  and apparently in Oistins, Pat’s is the place to be.  when I asked my server tonight what she recommended, she came brought me a sample of the 4 fish they had this evening: blue marlin, swordfish, dolphin & flying fish.  since I’d had flying fish twice already, I went with the marlin.  it was very steak-y and grilled to perfection by Junior, the grill man who chatted me up since I was sitting close to the outdoor grill. for a ton of food, a Banks (the local beer— pretty nice), and 2 Diet Cokes (to go, to keep in the room fridge), the bill came out to just under $15 USD.  and then the cab ride was $20 r/t so in total, about the same price as if I stayed and ate at the hotel.

my fish taster. from top: marlin, swordfish, dolphin, flying fish.  hard to pick just one.

dinner.

Junior holding down the grill at Pat’s.

Banks, Bajan beer.

and hours later, I’m still full.  and feeling my sunburn.  I guess no matter how much “waterproof” sunscreen you put on, being battered by waves for 2 hours is no match.

lookin toasty.

island in the sun

DAY 1

had a few snafus at the airport this morning.  first, I couldn’t do self-check-in because my middle name is on my passport but was not on my itinerary/ e-ticket.  such bullshit!  I had to get in this snaking line that took close to an hour to get through. and second, while in line, I thought I’d listen to my ipod to pass the time only when I fished my ipod out of my bag, one of the earbuds was irrevocably broken!  ugh.  horrible thoughts of one-eared ipod listening threatened to ruin my morning but, miracles of miracles, as I was walking to the gate and had given up hope of finding a place that would sell headphones I like (I went thru so many different ones before finding these perfect Sony ones), lo and behold, like a mirage in the desert, was a Best Buy vending machine!  yes, a vending machine that dispensed earbud headphones and ipod cases and memory cards and lord knows what else.  what a brilliant idea!  without thinking twice, I purchased the newer version of the ones I had and all was right again.

broke.

geek dream.

saved.

the flight was almost uneventful.  I wound up getting an entire row to myself which was amazing and facilitated the napping I’d plan to do but not long into the flight, two rows ahead of me, a woman got sick.  from what I could hear, she had horrible motion sickness and was dizzy and nauseous.  there happened to be two doctors on board who attended to her and thank god didn’t think it was anything bad enough to turn around for. they gave her some gum to chew and some oxygen and that’s about when I dozed off. for the next four hours.

this is the way to travel.

clouds get in the way.

and now I’m here, in lovely Barbados.  after settling in and reconfirming my surfing lesson for tomorrow morning, I slathered on the SPF, put on my bikini and headed toward the deck overlooking the beach.  the water and the sand and the clouds… just incredible.  I took a few photos and then spent the next 15 or 20 minutes talking to the nice London bloke in the deck chair next to me about photography and jobs and weather and travel.  he was on a day layover on the way to visit his mom in St. Vincent.  wish I had family who lived on a sunny island in the middle of a crystal blue sea.  I’d be here all the time.

saw some doggies on the beach so went down to say hello and take their photos.  there were three of them, just roaming around and digging and looking for handouts. they looked sad and scraggly.  I wish I’d had some food to give them. maybe tomorrow.

after the short walk on the beach, I got a daiquiri from the bar and read a bit.  I don’t know why I’m always lugging hardcover books on vacation with me but Malcolm Gladwell is always worth it.  never fails to entertain.

as the sun was setting, there was a sudden, brief rainshower.  I took shelter in one of the cabanas before finally heading to my room where I made the mistake of getting in bed with the computer and then closing my eyes for a moment… before I knew it, it was about 10:30.

the room is great— comfy king size bed, ipod radio, flat screen tv & dvd player (I borrowed “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” from D.)… I could get used to this :)

note to self: get more than 2 hours sleep the night before your next trip.

and a sunset couldn't save me now...

headed to barbados later this morning for 6 days.  a little too little, a little too late.

finished the first term of school on the 11th of December but before school was even done, I began a freelance Powerpoint job for that clothing company, Chico’s, which just ended this past week.  aside from that job, I continued to intern for Mary Ellen so my break hasn’t really been a proper break just yet.

luckily, I still have two weeks before the winter term begins and I’m spending one of them in Barbados.  sunny, balmy, beachy Barbados.  solo.  I am just going to chill the fuck out.  read books, take pictures, write.  and try not to think too much.  that’s not what vacations are for.  oh, and take surfing lessons.  got my first one scheduled for Tuesday morning.  hopefully by the time I get home, I’ll be a bonafide surfer babe.  well, the babe part is subjective I guess :)

I’m super excited about the hotel I booked, even moreso since I just discovered I know someone who stayed at that very place a few months ago and had nothing but good things to say about it and the island in general.

here is where I intend to spend this afternoon:

things I fell in love with at anthropolgie today.

honey pots. so reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh.

miel (also a honey pot)

milk/ sugar

ceramic platter. much more striking in person.

I have a soft spot in my heart for octopus. octopusses? octopi?

rattan covered caraffes.

I love gnomes! this one reminds me of Amelie.