Since our bedroom is surrounded by huge windows and very little curtains, we woke up before 7am. Mind you, I didn’t wake up that early when I actually worked but here it seems normal for most people to be up early to get the most of a day that ends prematurely year round. Even our seven year old neighbor was up practicing her singing lessons on a karaoke machine set at Loud.
Most of today consisted of settling in. I emptied the jetted tub of the moths, washed all of the dishes so I knew they were clean, did our second load of laundry (loving the washing machine) and swept a layer of dust from every room. After all that, we decided to take a walk into town to get some fresh produce from the local farmers and a few home essentials (like a corkscrew since I got a bottle of wine to celebrate both our one month milestone and our new home). Finding household items here is kind of like a scavenger hunt. Even what’s considered Walmart here isn’t really equivalent to a Walmart. After five stores, we finally found one with a garbage can (the second essential behind the corkscrew).
Since we have only coffee mugs, we decided to splurge and purchase a set of three real glasses that were still in the package but looked like they sat in a thrift store for two years. There was no price but we figured they couldn’t be much and after an extended conversation with the grocery store employee we still didn’t have a clue. All we knew was that he told us to come back "mas tarde" and gave us the glasses anyways. My favorite part of the conversation was that the clichéd “No price? Must be free” joke had transcended the language and cultural boundary. When he couldn’t find a price, he shrugged his shoulders, smiled and said “Gratis” and laughed. Guess that joke survives in more than one country.
It’s still taking me a bit to get used to the height of the stove and counter since I feel like I’m prepping meals at a bar. I stand on my tiptoes often while cooking and have contemplated wearing the highest wedge heels I brought. Might as well get some use out of them since wearing them out is not an option – I’d be walking myself straight to an emergency room with these roads. Mike, on the other hand, thinks the counter is the perfect height and this is how they should all be made.
After a couple of hours, we decided to head to town again to get our internet fill. We were told this home came with internet, but really, it comes with a communal house next door (our landlord hopes to eventually develop a small resort of 5 houses and a bar/restaurant) that has a computer with old school internet access, not WIFI, that we are welcome to use whenever we want. That’s not the internet we were interested in or expecting. So we’re back to hanging out in cafes, except our preferred internet supplier in this town is a reggae bar that only charges the cost of a beer. Our thirst (or indulgence) will determine how expensive it is. Since I knew I had my celebratory wine chilling at home, I decided to pass on the Imperials and get a Strawberry Pineapple smoothie for some nutritional value.
We were hoping the rain would let up in time for our walk home, but when it decides to rain here, it stays committed. As we walked home by the light of two street lamps, flashes of lightning and car headlights, I laughed. We would never be doing this at home - never dodging puddles on a dark rocky road in plastic ponchos that stink of sweat during a downpour. Funny that this is what we’ve chosen to do on our vacation in paradise…
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