Another Spontaneous Adventure Begins!

"Dude! How the hell are ya'll!" Mike said in his southern accent as he swung open the door to his town house in an upscale neighborhood in Atlanta and wrapped his bare, burly upper body around Tom and myself in a happy greeting. He was shaved bald and smiling from ear to ear. He had packed all he needed for a tropical adventure, but had somehow not yet put on a t-shirt. I mention that he was shaved bald, because the last time I had seen him he was on his epic bicycle adventure across the lower 48 states and he had a long, blonde, curly mane that made him look like Jesus. While he isn't the "Lord and Saviour" re-incarnate, he certainly has a big strong free spirit and a lust for life and adventure that makes everyone around him love him instantly. Mike and I became fast friends...nay brothers last year when a short stay turned into a 10 day fun fest that spanned a couple Northeast states. We had way too much in common to not form a life long bond, and yesterday morning was a sort of re-joining of the forces. Tom and I had just spent the whole night driving the deserted I 75 South to reach our formidable friend early in the morning and continue on the Leesburg Florida, where Tom is now living.

This adventure had spontaneity written all over it from the start. About a week ago, Tom, who had been working in Buffalo for the past few months, came home and said, "Hey man, we ought to go to Puerto Rico with Mary and Colleen on the 10th of November." "I'm in!" I said without hesitation, knowing that Mary was going on the trip on account of all of my recommendations of the island. She also wants to meet Lucy and the children. She has been very sick for the past year, so I knew this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us to really enjoy a vacation together while she is feeling good. Mary owns a fabulous restaurant downtown and has been a dear friend for a few years. I met her like I meet everyone I spend any time with...it was an instant, serendipitous connection. She came over to my table and started rubbing my shoulders and telling me that I must have a "charmed life" and "an old soul" and that I was soooo cute, like a sweet son... to her. Needless to say I became a great customer and a dear friend over time... Mary has tons of friends and customers who love her for this very charm. Not to mention the food at her restaurant is to die for!

This put the wheels in motion. I checked my schedule for November, made some adjustments to free up time, and picked up the phone to call Lucy in Puerto Rico and make sure we could come stay with her. "Of course! We can't wait to see you again!" was her reply. "We will get your house ready!" I hang up the phone and it rings again.... Mike.... "Dude, I need something to do... I am stagnant down here in Atlanta and I just quit my job a month ago. I"m gonna go into hibernation mode of I don't get the heck outta here" "Wanna go to Florida and then Puerto Rico?" I asked. "When do we leave?" "We'll pick you up in a few days... I'm ordering your plane ticket now." "Awesome! I'm so excited!" It was that easy, Mike was going on this adventure. He requested that we just buy one-way tickets in case one or all of us decided to just stay in the Caribbean for a while. Now the goosebumps were building up my arm. I told Tom the good news and he shared my excitement!

We got into Leesburg last night and the fun began. Hot tub, pool, golf carts. The luxury life in Tom's new "retired" community has been super sweet so far! Plus you can't beat the weather. It has been a bit seasonably cool at 67 F with a light breeze and plenty of sunshine. We made steaks on the grill last night. I cooked a salmon and eggs breakfast. Mike and I talked about tons of awesome adventure ideas while swimming in the pool, including one that would involve us leaving and living for one year just walking around the continental US, following the seasons. Today we helped Tom clean up the house and get things organized. Everything is just flowing so sweetly.... the way it should be. There's sure to be some great stories from the three of us.... keep your eyes peeled!!!

An old email I found today...

Hey folks! Here is an email I wrote last year whilst traveling in the Sandwich Isles! For those of you not historically inclined, that was one of the first anglo names given to the islands of Aloha, Hawaii. I had a fantastic experience there and I have found the paper journal from that trip that I will incorporate into the blog when I'm feeling lazy... kind of like tonight! Here is the email that I wrote to my former employer and co workers! Hope you enjoy! J.

"Hey CPG!

I'm a few weeks into this crazy trip and so much has happened already! I have been invited to the Honolulu Yacht Club for a luncheon and fallen into the Ala Wai ( Hawaii's most polluted and shark infested waters) while trying to kayak on a traditional outrigger kayak in the same day! I have seen plenty of whales, both in the water and on the beach (myself included). I have hiked one of the most treacherous sea cliff trails in the world... barefoot after my sandals broke in the mud! Yes, very dangerous and passersby believed I was doing it because I was native! Especially dangerous since I kept falling and I was only a foot away from my demise! All's well that ends well though! I have slaughtered a wild pig... supposed to go hunting tonight actually! I have eaten said pig once cooked in a giant Wok outside! I have slept in remote parts of islands in a tent that I was barely able to stretch out in...and have shared stories and beers with the hippies and homeless who live in the parks! I have witnessed some of the best sunsets to date, some of the freakiest tropical weather, and some of the biggest waves... no I have not gone surfing yet! It's shark season and I don't feel inclined to be mistaken for a seal... consider the blubber people.. ha ha. I should be deep sea fishing this Saturday if the weather holds out with some local friends which will provide close up opportunities with the humpback whales. They are everywhere! I have eaten fresh island fruits and avocados picked right from the trees, and quite a few local and ethnic foods as well! Brad... yes, Brad is here and documenting the whole adventure with his 1000x per second photo taking skills. He goes nowhere without it! Kind of annoying at times, but it has saved me from even bothering to bring my camera! It usually goes like this.... Jeremy does semi-crazy/ sometimes stupid activity.... Brad sits in safety photographing and calling Jeremy stupid... ha ha. Anyway, we are having a blast. My mom should be dropping goodies tomorrow that I shipped for you guys! I will be back to work Feb. 5th for two weeks, then I'm heading to PR for two weeks and will be back to work for good that first week of March! Kim has been keeping me up to date on everything.. and Jason too! Thanks so much guys! Miss you all and see you in a week and a half!!! Aloha, Jeremy"

A beautiful time with beautiful people

"Rich, where are my sleeping pills?" Sherri said to her husband half way dreading the fact that he may not have them and half way loving the prospect of downing the little slumber aids as soon as possible. Jay had already captured a bug from the wall for her in the first 15 minutes of arrival. We had calmed her enough to get her to shower, but only if Rich would go with her. Jay and Rich began a wager outside about how many days Sherri and her sister Racheal would last before they checked into the nearest Holiday Inn. Jay and Rich were already falling in love with the place the nature lovers that they are. After a walk a licious afternoon in Old San Juan, this was our retreat to sleep for the night and my first experience with my old neighborhood buds!

We made it through the night with little interruption except that I began to be a snack stand for mosquitoes while I played with my ipod, which is my habit when I can't fall asleep or read. Duh.. it was the brightest light in the house! I finally dimmed it down and returned to slumbering on my little lumpy bed.

The next day was action packed.... I mean, so much so that I felt like a tourist on a caffeine induced one day holiday! We woke up at 8am and headed to the rain forest. The hike down to La Mina falls was a short .7 miles, but the girls said it felt like 5. They were hardly complaining when we swam under the beautiful tropical waterfall. Jay snapped about 30 pictures of us frolicking in the cold, fresh, cascading waters and despite the complaining on the way back up to the car, everyone agreed that it was an awesome experience.

From cold rain forest water we ventured on to warm, salty waves at Luquillo. Everyone enjoyed the hot sun, good vibes, vendor food and scenery. The scenery was great on and off the beach as tourist season has begun heating up here in Puerto Rico. It was a ten fold increase in oily bodies roasting under the sun and the boys especially were happy to see the skimpy bathing suits barely covering the assets of the opposite sex. We body surfed and played Frisbee while enjoying a 3 or 4 hour stint at the beautiful beach.

Just before sunset we headed back to the house for a shower and some rest and then it was back into San Juan for a night on the town! Of course we had the place rocking, especially since our group has quite a few party animals in it! We hit some of the usual spots and a few new ones and laughed our drunken selves into the night. I got to say goodbye to Sam and Alwin, who are continuing their journey in Cuba and we got to hang with Lisa and Sarah who are always good company! On top of that, I made friends with an older couple who invited me to a barbeque next week... awesome stuff! We crawled back to the house around 2:30am and were changing to go to bed when we heard a faint, "Helloooo? Are you thereeee?". It was Lucy coming to see that we were ok and needing to get into the casita to grab some presents she had hidden for the children for the following Three Kings Holiday. Her faint, cute voice prompted Rich to adopt an alter ego named Lucy who talks like a porcelain doll and makes the funniest shit up at the funniest times. He has had us crying in laughter ever since!

We got up yesterday and hustled down to Captain Frank for a day at sea. We now had Rachel Wheeler with us, who was picked up at 5am at the airport. How Jay, Racheal, and Erin woke up to drive after only 2 hours of sleep is beyond me, but they did it and we were on our way to a crazy day with the legendary Captain "Paco" Frank! Not only did we enjoy great snorkeling and diving around the wreck at Cayo Santiago, we also did something I thought I would never see. Frank pulled off a political move that could have won a Nobel Prize. We were able to get 10 feet from the island, which is completely off limits, and feed the Rhesus monkeys some fresh bananas and carrots, which is completely illegal. Captain Frank handed Rich a can of Coke and told him to walk to the truck parked on the beach and give it to the guard. As Rich walked, we walked in the opposite direction through the water to a shoreline where 20 or so of the primates were hanging out. Boy were they happy to see what we had! They clambered around on various trees and posts to get a better look and to be able to leap for the food that we flung their way! All parties involved were much satisfied and the ride back to the dock was spectacular! Frank was in true form, handing us all instruments and blasting the salsa while dancing, and navigating through very choppy seas!

Our next move was to traverse the island to a little town called Sabana Grande, where the Irizarry family would be meeting one another for the first time! We made the drive that night and got to meet Aunt Niecca first. She was the sweetest, most hospitable woman around. We were treated to fresh drinks, food, and excellent Coquito made with moonshine! She then helped us to get to the house we were staying at for the night, which was owned by a relative who wasn't on the island at the time. It was a great house, but there weren't enough beds for everyone so it was decided that the girls would get the beds and we three boys would sleep out in the living room, Rich on the couch, Jay on a mattress on the floor, and myself in a cot that was probably 30 years old! We had a blast in the living room watching infomercials and interpreting our own goofy voices to the characters and ended up falling asleep with the TV on.

A sharp rooster call at 6am woke the house up and get every one's blood rushing! We eventually got ourselves together and headed to Thomasa's house for a beautiful day and some amazing Puerto Rican cooking! Family meeting family for the first time was a beautiful experience! Racheal did most of the talking, as she is the only one out of her group that speaks spanish and I was there to help with what she didn't know. They filed in, sat down and started talking story and trading lifetimes of information in small talk. Before we left this beautiful mountainside home, we were treated to her uncle's CD of Jibaro music. He's a famous singer on the island and actually once sang with Ramito, who is one of my favorite jibaritos! It was awesome talking to him and he even invited me back to his house where I got to see a wall full of plaques, records, and pictures of his success as a musician. He even gave me two Cd's and signed them, one for the Irizarry family and one for me! We made promises to keep in touch and I told him I would send him some of my music when I made it back to Buffalo. It has been a blessing having my friends here and I am so happy that they enjoyed meeting their family! They are wonderful people!

The past few fabulous days....

A quick update. Right now, I am watching the sunset, mixed with some light tropical rain cascading down the mountain side. It is late afternoon. The children delivered a Christmas Eve dinner to us and unfortunately got a glimpse of their present for tomorrow, a pool table! Sam is making jewelry for Lucy and Marian and I am soon to get back to my piece for Lucy. We also found a beautiful rock at the beach that we are going to craft into a welcome stone for the property complete with shells, sea glass, and coral.

Lanski, the house dog, has hopped up onto our back porch and has slowly made his way to Alwin while eating his dinner. Alwin is completely ignoring him so Lanski is starting to make funny noises and is begging with all his heart. No chance; the hard nosed Austrian is not giving up the meal and Lanski just barked at him so I kicked him out of the house. He'll be back. We often wake up to his paw prints on the floor in the morning letting us know he has visited during the night.

This is an awesome Christmas Eve and the first I have ever stayed away from my family. It doesn't feel weird at all, maybe because I have grown so despondent of the snow and cold and partly because I am having a great time here. The past couple of days have been a true riot....

Two nights ago, we decided to make a fast track into Old San Juan for a few beers and maybe some Christmas shopping. A few beers turned into a few more and at one point we had the whole place singing Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen! We made wonderful new friends with two women from the Coast Guard and a bartender named Carlos, who is also a classical guitar player. I danced with a wonderful 'crucero' or cruise ship passenger named Dana while her friend took pictures and drew with magic marker on her arm. She was a dance choreographer from NYC so you can imagine how badly I must have compared! On top of my lack of dancing skills I also had crocs, swim trunks, and a dirty NHRA t-shirt on. She was in a beautiful dress with sequence and high heels and smelling of some expensive perfume. We were the center of the old dingy place for an hour, twirling around and laughing to all manner of music. Then the ship whistle blew and off to the boat went my dance partner and her friend!

The party went on into the night as the old bar filled in with people from all over the city and the world. It was a tiny pub with graffiti all over the wall. You can actually request a marker from the bartender. We were loving it. Lisa, one of our new friends invited us all back to her flat to continue the festivities and engage us in some much needed food. It was a block away from the bar and boy were we in for a surprise!

A more beautiful flat I have yet to see! A 400 year old building with original tile floors, plastered walls, 20 foot ceilings, and beautifully furnished, Lisa is living it up! We munched home made quesadillas and played with the dogs then Lisa grabbed her home made moonshine and we moved the party down the street to Sarah's place.

Scantily furnished, but still very beautiful, Sarah's house had a view to die for! Booze in hand, we all climbed a 20 foot spiral staircase up to the top deck which over looked the original Gate of San Juan and a good portion of the city and harbor. The deck was cozy as ever with Christmas lights, and great furniture and we were partying on the top of the world. The conversation flowed nicely, and everyone was enjoying themselves. All of this, and a stone's throw behind us was the original mansion built for Ponce de Leon. Surrounded by so much history, I started daydreaming about the old ships in the harbor and the lamplit streets with all of the action of the night. It was amazing indeed. We finally called it quits at 3am and I drove my drunk European friends back to the jungle for a few hours sleep.

Yesterday we got up and took Sam to the doctor for his physical therapy, then decided to head down the East Coast of the island for a lazy drive. We meandered through grasslands, sugar cane fields, banana plantations, and old towns listening to older jibaro music on the radio and stopping only for food, good sights, and coffee. We must have looked like old folks back home.

We drove mostly on route 3, which is a coastal road that often takes you up and down steep sea cliffs and crazy switchbacks. The views were stupendous all the way and we all kept gasping at every other turn. We stopped at a small rocky beach and combed through the shoreline for some shells and hermit crabs. The crabs were tiny and we would let them crawl around in our hands and then release them back into the sea. It seemed the day couldn't get any better... and then it did.

We were searching for a convenient way to get back to the highway that runs through the middle of the island. Alwin grabbed the map and said "Route 184!!" I pulled over to get a closer look because I know this island and the maps don't always guarantee the route will work. I had my doubts, but Alwin insisted and said something in German which resembled, "any new road travelled will broaden one's horizon". A sucker for poetic justice, I hooked the right at the signpost for 184 and our adventure continued.

This road was truly amazing. We passed a small lake and snaked through a river bed, then into the mountains for some of the most spectacular views I have ever seen anywhere. It was very much a rain forest. We road through a beautiful park near the peak of the mountain and kept gasping at the sights of verdant valleys below and mountain peaks all around us. Alwin and Sam said it reminded them of Austria without the snow. We even saw an abandoned castle on top of one of the peaks. Sam and Al went in for a closer look and to take some pictures.

Nearby there was a bar that was overlooking yet another fantastic vista. We had to stop! I asked the guy behind the bar if he had any vegetarian food and the guy next to me said, " We have beer!" Right on! Willie was our new friend! He and his compadres were eager to hear about our travels and we ended up spending the next three hours there laughing and partying with them. We taught each other our local beer drinking salutations and they wouldn't let us pay for a thing. They even ordered a big plate of food for us to try and broke out some picante sauce to see if we would eat it.

Alwin gave them a show as they kept bringing out hotter mixes to try and beat his tolerant pallet. No such luck! He greedily dipped the pork pieces into the sauce and almost made the guys cry as he shoved them down his throat with almost no effect. They bowed to him and called him "maestro de salsa" or Master of Sauce! We had one of the best experiences we have ever had, and all of us were exchanging numbers and emails before we left! Again, I love this island! Especially its people! So warm hearted and fun loving... not unlike myself! ha ha.

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year! I love all of you!

Jeremy

On Westward and New Beginnings....

Grab your hats and travel West with me my dear friends! Our trip this weekend did us well. We returned home this evening with lifted spirits and found our little house nice and clean with beds freshly made and floors swept and mopped. We are all cleanly shaven and enjoying the sounds of the Coqui frogs whistling about! The hot showers were great, but we missed our home a bit.

Yesterday I got up in the morning and took a long stroll on Playa Jobos. The surf was raging and there were but a few lucky go-getters up for the challenge at the break of day. I was feeling light on my feet and trekked quite a ways on the soft sand. There were crabs popping in and out of holes, and also a fair amount of trash on the western most part of the beach. I got the good with the bad. It seems our human element is prevalent everywhere.... even in paradise.

When I got back to the house, Sam was waiting with clippers in hand. It was shaving time. I had promised them that I would jump on the bandwagon to celebrate our new healthy way of eating. We started with a mohawk, which would have looked really cool if it hadn't been too much to the right. I enjoyed it for a few minutes and then was dragged back to the chair by Sam who insisted we finish the job. I had horrible memories of the last time I shaved my head playing in my head! I was seventeen at the time and I had let my brother Ben shave it while we were home one afternoon. I remember my friend Becky coming over and saying, "Oh my God Jer! Please tell me you have a hat!" I have a big head, and at the time I had a smaller body, so I looked like a watermelon walking in the sun. It didn't help that my brother shaved an arrow into my head as well! Now that my body has grown in a bit.... I look like a big, bad biker or perhaps the wrestler Bam Bam Biggalo without the tattoos!

Bald and beautiful, we three cruised to Aguadilla and straight to Crashboat Beach. This beach has it all! Great sand, beautiful clear water, and a long pier that used to dock ships. It was awesome for swimming and also had some interesting snorkeling in the depths. We enjoyed the warm water and sunshine for a few hours in the morning and then shot down the west coast for Cabo Rojo. Everywhere we stopped for food and supplies we got funny looks. We must have seemed like three Aryan brothers and seeing as Sam and Alwin are from the motherland, I can't blame anyone for the extra glances.

We enjoyed the ride through the lush grasslands, which remind one of what South Africa must look like. Big swaying grass in the foreground and gorgeous mountains towering behind. Almost all of the roads we drove were small and curvy and it was such a relaxing contrast to the heavy traffic up here closer to San Juan.

5.3 million potholes later, we completed the dirt road to Cabo Rojo and it's famed light house and hidden white sand beach. I kept assuring them that it was only a rental car, and we'd laugh until the next pothole nearly broke our necks! Alwin was clicking away on his camera as we ventured through the boggy salt swamps and dry forest. A short hike got us up to the light house, which overlooks some of the most amazing sea cliffs you have ever seen. They are red in color and very craggy from all of the wind and ocean erosion. And the ocean below is a splendid sight. You can see for miles and miles into the south western Caribbean Sea, clear skies above, and grass and rock at your footsteps; it's like stepping back into time. Then you make your way around to the beautiful white sand beach that sits in a half moon bay below. I think this might be heaven... mine at least.

I hiked alone, while Sam and Alwin took pictures up top. They eventually met me about half way down the beach where Sam and I headed directly for the water. It was windy and had a nice three foot shore break. We body surfed for a good two hours while Alwin took pictures and played with crabs. This was living. There were a small number of people on the beach enjoying the same, but you had a great sense of isolation in this wild place. It was magnificent. We packed up just before sunset and took the backroads to La Parguera where we were to spend the night.

I lied. I totally lied about La Parguera. It seems that I just wasn't there on the right weekend. The place had livened back up to what I had remembered with live music, restaurants, street vendors and the like. We took the bioluminescent bay tour with a small boat operator and had a great time. There were only seven of us on the boat, so the operator gave us the option of swimming. Splash! Before we knew which way was up, Sam was in the water. Then Alwin joined. The organisms react to movement and glow a sapphire blue. It is quite magical. I have swam the one in Vieques, which is probably the best in the world, so I didn't go in this night. However, it was awesome all the same for me. I loved being out on the water with a sliver of a moon hanging low in the sky and all the stars shining in their glory. I daydreamed about the old days and how scared the sailors must have been of the glowing water! It was amazing.

We spent the night at Gladys Guest house, which wasn't as nice as our previous night, but still very inexpensive at $65 US a night. It was our last night in AC for a while!

We woke up this morning and stopped at a roadside vendor for our daily breakfast of fresh fruit! Ahhh... the new eating is going great, except that we had to eat McDonald's salad today which totally sucks! We spent the morning cruising through the Guanica dry forest and even got to see a manatee from afar on a cliff side lookout. Sam was happy about that, but disappointed that he couldn't join in for a swim! We got our swimming in at Gilligan's Island, a mangrove cay just a half mile off of the southern side of the island.

Gilligan's is a great place to relax for the day! There is a ferry that operates from the lone restaurant in the area and drops people at the island. It is a pack in, pack out reserve so most of the travelers bring coolers full of food and drinks for the day! The island has a few channels flowing through it that are maybe 12 to 15 feet wide by 5 or 6 feet deep. You can don your snorkel gear and float through the river like channels viewing all sorts of great fish! I saw angel fish, guppies, jacks, puffers, barracuda, flounder and a host of others that I couldn't even identify. They dart in and out of the mangrove limbs...all but the barracuda. who are nearly fearless. I followed a two and a half foot long monster for about 15 minutes, then he followed me. We played cat and mouse with each other, but I was careful not to turn my back to him. They have very sharp teeth and are curious as all hell.

After a few hours of fun and frolic we ventured on to Coamo to visit the hot springs. We were however turned around because the place is still under reconstruction. I'm hoping that it will be finished soon, because this is one of my favorite features on the island.

A beautiful drive through the central mountains and we were home in a few hours time. I feel refreshed, healthy, and ready to enjoy another day! I hope you are all well and enjoying yourselves whatever you may be doing! Until next time! J.

A day at the beach....

Cooler. Check. Beach towels. Check. Swim gear. Check. Reading material. Check. The engine sparks, the windows come down, and we roll out of the jungle with anticipated ease of mind. Yes, it is a beach day... a much needed beach day indeed.

We pull into a local grocery store to find sun block for our very fair skinned compadre Sam. He is in constant danger of burning and we mustn't let the sun we are so eager to play under make his life miserable. Mission failure. It seems most Puerto Ricans don't need sunblock, and as an added note, most of them are smart enough to avoid basting themselves in oil and roasting under our star. Alwin scored big regardless and grabbed a bunch of drinks for us to enjoy throughout the day. We continued along route 3 in search of a hot sandwich and some delicious cafe con leche!

A few miles down the road we spot a favorite of ours, La Moderna Panaderia. The Modern Bakery, the english version of this small cafe/ eatery/ bakery/ convenience store, is anything but modern. It has an old fashioned flavor through and through. Old glass displays keep us from jumping into a myriad of freshly baked treats. Old fashioned restaurant booths haphazardly strewn about the place, hold the remnants of very satisfied customers. This place even has a small spinning display of cheap children's toys in case the little ones are in need. I almost bought the toy pirate set. I still may if it is there the next time I am.

We ordered our Jamon Queso y Huevo ( Ham, Cheese, and Egg ) sandwiches with ensalada and a round of cafe con leche to wash them down. The girls at the counter have dealt with me a few times lately, so I announce our presence with a happy "Los Gringos Aqui!!!" ( The Gringos are Here!!!). They laughed as they went about their business of feeding us and making our fresh coffee. It is a heavenly way to start a day... fresh ham, eggs, and cheese with lettuce and tomato on a fresh baked island bread. The sandwiches here are big enough to give you energy for half the day and so inexpensive you wonder how they are making a profit on them! After thanking the girls and paying for breakfast, we filled our cooler with some ice and headed for Luquillo Beach.

The beach was perfect, and scantily populated for a Sunday afternoon. The big, old coconut palms were swaying in the breeze as we hiked our picnic down to the endless sand. I immediately went for a swim, while Alwin prepped our site industriously. He muscled an umbrella deep into the sand to keep us somewhat shaded throughout the day. We made our way back and forth to the water, then back to the beach, soaking the rays, then cooling off and swimming. Sam and Alwin are very playful and I couldn't help but laugh when I'd hear them wrestling in the water and giggling so loud most of the beach would look to see what they were up to. Most of the day went like that, reading, swimming, laughing. Perfect.

We grabbed some lunch at one point from one of the kiosks and the owner saw me coming and put a big hand out for shaking. We had met and talked a week before and he remembered me. This worked to our advantage as he hooked us up with some fresh eats that were so tasty and again very inexpensive. It seems that people aren't out to get rich, but just provide a great service that allows them to be comfortable. I love that about this island.

As dusk drew near, the sky exploded in a myriad of beautiful purples, reds, and oranges. The big mountain of the rain forest backdropped the awesome scene with a host of big rain clouds that almost looked like a volcano erupting. It was quite excellent to see and I tried to drink it all in and commit it to memory. I was quickly interrupted by Sam and Alwin... Sam burying my feet in the sand and making his own artistic rendering of them and then Alwin playing catch with a water bottle filled with sea water.

The bottle soon became the centerpiece for a make shift game of World Championship Beach Bottle Toss! The heated action began with the Austrian Alwin taking on me, the American. We had each drawn a circle in the sand and were trying to land the bottle completely inside for points. It was a tricky game, as the bottle liked to bounce very unpredictably. Alas, the Americans were victorious. Sam, the referee, had drawn a scoreboard in the sand, and was holding the trophy... a left behind toy boat. He also had the microphone for the post game interview, a child's miniature sand shovel. I gave a great interview to an empty beach that I pretended had my minions and fans from across the globe. I then took over as referee as Sam took on Alwin in a no holds barred, European death match between the Germans and Austrians. The game was shortened due to a lack of sunlight, but Alwin was able to walk away with the trophy and fake interview this time, as Germany proved to be no match for Austria!

We strolled back to the car and emptied our personal effects of all the excess sand and started heading back to the house for a home cooked dinner. I was the chef again tonight and did some eggplant with Balsamic Vinegarette on the grill and an onion and garbanzo bean salad that I also cooked on the grill in foil. It was great eating and Sam followed up with some awesome roasted marshmallows as he caught the final glows from the charcoal embers. This was a great beach day indeed! I am looking forward to working on the property tomorrow. Seems we have some roofing to do! Hope you are all well and enjoying yourselves!