August 30

Today I woke up to silence. It was because the roosters hadn’t started crowing yet. They usually do so at around 5:45 AM. I don’t know why but I feel so motivated to wake up early here. In Toronto during the summer, I was accustomed to getting out of bed past noon.

I whipped up a quick small breakfast of left over rice and chicken stock with cucumber slices on top. By ten o’clock I was still hungry so I opened my box of Fruity Cheerios and started snacking.

At noon, I left my house to meet up with my new friends to go to the beach. We got a ride there from the wife of a student I had met already. She’s the author of the blog that I read! (tnterickson.blogspot.com). I told her that I was a fan of her blog. She is really nice and I was really happy to meet her.

At the beach, we stripped to our bikinis and shorts and I gingerly stepped into the waters. The sand was black because of the volcano, and it was really glittery and burning hot. The sea was really warm on the surface but cold underneath. Walking into the waters was a little difficult. There were large rocks and pebbles that made walking very slippery and unsteady, especially when a wave came rolling to sweep you off your feet. Once a good way into the waters, there was soft sand. We splashed about for a while before swimming a good part of the beach and swimming back to where we left our bags unattended. I got out of the water and started taking pictures of the neighbouring sites. The beach was notable in centuries ago because it was an important site of trading and commerce. There used to be many houses all along the shore, but because of hurricanes, all of the buildings close to the waters got knocked down, so that only parts of the foundations were left. You can see pieces of walls of the ruins sticking out of the sand or the soil.

We then started walking down the road towards the south-east end of the beach. We passed through a construction and shipping site, and followed a narrow path that hugged the cliff and the shore. It was a difficult to walk because I had my flip-flops on and we were treading over large unsteady rocks and pebbles. There was so much sea shells and coral skeletons littered amidst the rocks. I thought it rather eerie and cool that we were stepping on skeletons of the sea-bed. At the end of the rocky trail was another ruin known as Cook’s Castle. It was a small area the size of an office. We had a great, unfettered view of the sea from there.

On our way back we stopped at a diving place where we got some information on the island’s diving. Apparently the diving here is world-class famous. From the photos I’ve seen it looks amazing! Like out of Finding Nemo. You can even see huge sea turtles in the waters at night! I’m not sure if I want to dive though it seems kind of dangerous being underwater for so long and all. Maybe with enough convincing…

I also bought a handful of pretty postcards from a nearby store that I plan to mail back home.

I was so exhausted by the hike that by 7 PM I had to take a nap to regain some of my strength. The heat in my living room didn’t help. I might have to consider moving my laptop and router into my room where I can actually feel the AC.

I think tomorrow I will just relax in the comfort of my house. I don’t want to get any more tanned than I already am. Tan lines keep forming everytime I step outside my house! 

August 28

I woke up at 6.30 today to get ready for my first hiking trip on the island. I had a light breakfast of bread and marmalade and headed out. I took a road near my house that led to the Island’s Botanical Garden. Lots of cars passed by, some offered me a ride to which I politely declined. The main road forked and I took the eastward path. It was narrower, about the width of a minivan. I passed by a single biker going in the opposite direction. As I walked I kept hearing rustling noises on both my sides. Once I caught sight of the origin of the noise. It turned out to be a big spider the size of a small grapefruit. I walked a little faster after that. I kept following the road, which broke into uneven patches. There was cow dung everywhere. Cow poop is many times worse than Canadian geese poop. For one, they are massive and easy to step into. The fresh ones are the worst because they are soft and sticky. They also smell awful. Thankfully I didn’t step in those. As I continued down the road the rustling noises got louder. I took a closer look and saw brown lizards with a red colouring around their throats. They were fast. As soon as I took a step they darted into the nearest hole or crevice.

By the time I got to the entrance of the Botanical Garden I felt so sweaty and tired. Seeing the gate was like seeing an oasis to me. I entered into a well-shaded path with different flora and fauna lining the sides. I snapped a few photos of indigenous flowers and continued by exploration. At the end of the small path was an open hut. On a table there was a grey cat that was lounging peacefully. I petted it but it didn’t seem too pleased by my sight. Nearby was a young man on a tall ladder painting the roof of the hut. I asked him where I can get water and he directed me to the back of the house. There was a water cooler and a sink in which I washed my apple. After some hydration. After thanking him, I slipped some coins into the donation box and headed out to sit on a shaded bench and enjoy the view of the sea.

Then I headed back. Which turned out to be the hardest part of the hike. Firstly, I took a detour. A path that wound down steeply towards the sea. It was longer than I expected, but at the end I was rewarded with a view of the sea against the rocks and a nice strong breeze. I was on a wide open plain that was dotted with rocks and cow turd. After snapping a few photos, I headed back to the main road. I had to climb the steep hill to get back to where I had been. After about ten minutes, I felt thoroughly exhausted. Once I got to the main road I couldn’t stop to rest so I continued back the way I came from. Secondly, it was almost ten and the sun was high in the sky and shone without any deterrence. The heat beat down on me from all sides. I was so hot and sweaty even my knees were sweating. I could just imagine my eyeliner streaking down my face amidst rivers of sweat. Okay it wasn’t that bad. But I felt really tired. I think it was the heat mostly that made it exhausting.

Finally, after what seemed like half a lifetime, I reached home at eleven. Four hours of hiking in total. Tomorrow I will go up the volcano.

In the afternoon, I walked downtown. My ankles were burning from the morning hike but I ignored it the best I could. To my disappointment the store I was going to was closed so I headed to the school library instead, to find a solution to my laptop’s woes. I spent a few hours googling an answer. But nothing worked. In fact, whatever I did made it worse and more problems arose. I felt so frustrated I could have cried. I couldn’t call Apple support because I had no phone. At 5:30 the library closed so I left. But the study hall was still open so I entered in hopes of continuing my search for a solution. Inside I recognized the man from yesterday who I had met in the grocery store. He looked really concentrated, with his books and papers spread out in a semicircle around him on the table. He recognized me as well and I told him about my problem. He said he used to be in computers and that he would know how to help so I handed my laptop to him. He ended up reinstalling the system on my laptop, which did the trick. We spent about an hour talking about school and life on the island and about his family. He was super nice and generous with his resources. I also learned that his wife has a blog that I’ve read! Which was pretty cool because it was meeting someone in real life that I had read about before. By the time we walked out of the study hall it was almost pitch black outside. We said good-bye and I went home to a dinner of left-overs and stale baguette (yum!). But the important thing is my internet finally worked!!!!

Tomorrow I plan on hiking up the volcano (also known as the Quill). And at 10 there is to be a walking tour for the new students on the island. Life is good. 

Walking towards the Botanical Garden.

Seconds before they attacked me with their tongues.

Some weird big plant that has leaves that look like garden hoses!

I called her Bessie.

Cactus.

Still more ways to go!

View of the volcano from around the back of the base.

Stinky cows.

Lizard!

Finally I'm here!

He's not impressed with my sweaty state that I arrived in.