Monday, October 16 (Ron)

We got up close to 7am. Had a leisurely morning reading, journaling, until 11am. Decided to go over next door to the Sapphire resort as we found out they had an internet café and superette. Thirty-five dollars for 7 days or thirty-five cents per minute. Since it took nearly ninety minutes to get the blog entries up-loaded and check both our e-mails, we went for the weekly rate. Got our food and went back to the room. Changed clothes to our swim suits, gathered up our beach stuff, and finally got on the road by 1:45pm or so.

We decided to take a quick jaunt around the lowlands to Baie Rouge. Found it just as we were thinking we had passed it up. Got two chairs and an umbrella. Five dollars each – two chairs plus one umbrella equals fifteen dollars. The French do it differently. We were both hungry so Ron went over to the shack to order some food. The beach is a long curved beach. The main area has a high golden sand level with a steep and long run out to the water. There were some big, solid rocks in the sand in front of us. Most of the time the waves would be fairly small and just run up the beach a little ways. Then there would be four or five big roller waves hit and the water would surge in, covering the rocks and almost to our feet. There were a number of people in the water as well as on the beach. Topless young girls were around.

Ron came back with two beers and then two large dinner plates of food. Cooked chicken, rice pilaf, potato salad, plantains, and some lettuce and tomato. He had ordered french fries too since we expected to be like yesterday’s meal. Not bad for twenty dollars U.S.! I filled up before I got to the chicken so wrapped it up and stuck it next to the ice-water bottle. The sun was out somewhat so it was hot and there were lots of clouds. Some big dark grey clouds were to the east.

Ron cooled off in the water first and then I went in after he came back. The surge had a strong pull. There was just a short area where you could be in the water and touch feet to the bottom, then it dropped off. The waves could create a big pull back and then churn as the next one came in. It got to be fun to ride the waves in – sort of body surf then get back out before the next one hit. Ron got churned several times – disappearing in the tolling wave. Since I don’t like to be submerged without a mask on I would back pedal to get behind the wave and then go in so I wouldn’t get churned. It was fun. It was also work, treading water and working the waves. When you wanted to come in you had to time it with the small waves and get up the beach before the next big one hit.

One couple came out with snorkel gear in their hands. They got out in the water and talking with someone else and learned the snorkeling wasn’t very good right here. On their way back in a big wave hit, catching the man by surprise and he got caught in the churning surge. He as a big guy but the water just rolled him. Snorkel stuff went everywhere. With Ron’s help, diving for a flipper and another swimmer catching the other one and his wife grabbing the booties, they got those back. The mask and snorkel were gone. They left not too long after that.

Another group of Americans came in with their beers. One guy sat on one of the rocks, his wife put a towel down on another one and another guy went out into the water. Before long another big wave came in. They all went running and one of the hotel towels that was on the rock went out to sea.

We had some two-for-one Guavaberry coladas with happy hour. The dark clouds were now starting to drop rain. I went our for another romp in the surf and Ron stood under the umbrella out of the rain. For the next thirty minutes or so it rained off and on. The crowd thinned out. Several young French guys were playing Frisbee, some dogs were playing, but most of the people left were under the tarps at the food hut drinking.

As it got closer to sunset we headed for the car and back to the room after rinsing off. ‘Bob’ the black cat was by the stairs, exactly where he was when we left hours earlier. He came in for a visit while we showered then Ron took him back downstairs.

We decided to go cheap tonight for dinner. Went over to the store and picked up some more cereal, noodles, tuna, and string beans (canned). Ron had cereal for dinner and I zapped my left-over chicken, heated up the green beans and Top Ramen, and that was dinner. There was a big lightning storm going on just off the coast from our balcony. Big light-up-the-sky lightning strikes with good, loud, rolling thunder!

Ron worked on the trip photos on the laptop and I journaled. Off to bed for a day at Orient Beach tomorrow.