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Moonshine
Thu 12 Apr 2007 17:17
The difference is that there is no regatta, very few people or boats, and silence.
Ivans bar - 'open 24/7' - was closed yesterday as it was Wednesday(!) but is due to open sometime today with another group of travelling musicians. Ivan doesn't yet know who will turn up! - but they will be good, I have no doubt. We will stay to see.
We spent yesterday swimming and snorkelling. At one point we almost walked to Great Harbour, but chickened out when we came to the hill we had to get over, so walked the beach instead.
In the evening we had our first 'formal' evening out, going to Sancastle Hotel on the next beach for a meal. Sandra dressed up, I wore my cleanest shorts. Niether of us wore shoes. All the other guest were the same - ladies looking splendid, men looking 'relaxed'. It was all very nice, and the food was excellent, but one can't eat that much rich food in this heat.
We are relaxing today, and staying to see who turns up tonight.
It was strange this morning. We went for a swim off the boat, thinking we were on our own and miles from any others when an American paddled over to us in a dinghy and started a conversation that went on for ages until we were too tired to stay swimming. It's difficult swimming, keeping eye contact, carrying on a sensible conversation with a stranger in a boat, trying to prevent oneself from drowning, and not being impolite by drowning in front of a stranger.
The conversation ranged across many topics, - my boat, his boat - pretty standard stuff, the mechanical efficiency of my wind generator - threw me a bit, ( 'It isn't actually a wind generator, it generates electricity' that threw him, but no smile!), his daughters fear of the water - nothing to add here, forward verses backward facing hatches, where he lived, where he moored his boat, what turtles ate, where they live, his daughters love of the sea - (one of us had a 3 second memory). The acoustic efficiency of my wind generator .......(No can't go thro this again!) Not once did it occur to him that we'd stopped being coherent, that our swimming was getting more ragged, or that we kept making frantic dashes toward the boat!
Then he paddled back to his boat, started his engine and left. Probably thought we were poor conversationalists, and maybe not polite. Something quite wierd about Americans - lack empathy - don't see other's problems. Nice people though. ( got to add that for political correctness ) ( also, don't mention the war, never refer to friendly fire, and never refer to use of cutlery - lack appropriate sense of humour )
Today, we are doing nothing but laze on a tropical anchorage, and maintain a turtle watch. Tonight we will listen to Jazz on the Beach. - Someone has to do it.
Rod, Sandra, and the mouse.
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