Island Paradise Day 15

It is hard to believe we have been here two weeks already. Life here is settling in, and the day’s routine is getting, well, routine.

Today we went to town for groceries again (why do I feel like that is all I ever do?) and got caught in a terrible rainstorm! We are so used to the sun, that it never occurred to us to check the weather. Man oh man did it come down. Poor Steph had walked a few blocks away from where I was snug and warm in the grocery store, to go to the butcher shop for some pork chops. Well, when he got back he was absolutely soaked to the bone. I wish I had taken a picture! I guess we had to learn the hard way to always check before heading into town because it is a long trip back in the rain.

We decided that Stephane should rush and take the 11 o'clock water taxi with the heavy food, and I would stay behind and wait for the good veggies to arrive on the ferry from La Ceiba and then hitch a ride with our neighbours. It was a good plan - except that the rain kept coming, and no one really wanted to climb into the boat. Neither Susan nor I had a coat, and it was down right nasty outside. We waited for about an hour, and it never let up, so we decided to suck it up and just go for it! We had to wear black plastic bags to keep the rain off us in the boat (impossible), and then when we got across the lagoon to where their ATV was parked the road was mostly under water so we had to drive on the beach path which only goes part way back to Jack Neal beach. Fortunately there was a caretaker of someone’s house there where we parked the vehicle and we hired him to carry our groceries down the beach in a wheel barrel. Needless to say, everyone was good and drenched when we got home, and it has rained off and on all day. I had to dig out my sweater and socks.

Before we left town, while we were putting on our plastic bags getting ready to get in the boat, my ziplock baggy of money came open, and all my money fell out (over $800 U.S. worth of Limpiras and $100 US bills) It was quite a lot of bills, and it started to blow all over the dock. It was so funny; you have never seen anyone hit the deck as fast as I did. I calculated that by lying on the pile, I was more likely to keep the most bills under me while the other two ran around grabbing the rest that were flying in the wind. Miraculously none of it flew into the water. It was quite a scene.

So today, besides yesterday's laundry hanging on the line, we have money laid out to dry. Ah, the day to day routine of this island paradise.