14th
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.
