Greener Pastures Dispatch

Well we just finished up a BBQ dinner at the restaurant in the resort and now we have to pack to leave at oh dark thirty tomorrow. The bright spot is the food was FABULOUS!! Of course the dark spot is it was the last supper (so to speak) and it’s back to work. We do have some more good photos and given time maybe some more thoughts on the vacation. We’ll see. It will be back to facebookin’ my life away soon, as I will be iPhone-ing it in instead of having to use a computer. Back to normal doesn’t have to be all bad, does it? Our love to all, R&R

Yesterday we went up to the North end of the island to the park and spent most of the day on that. We did get back early enough for a little beach time, and to use my complementary coupons for some G&T before dinner. After the walk in the heat, which is MUCH more noticeable when you are away from the windy side of the island, I needed to cool down. Parts of the walk were on the edge of the ocean, and not too bad, but when you got away from it in the shelter of the cactus it was HOT! And, yes, they do provide shelter. Shelter from the wind, but unfortunately, very little shade unless you like crawling in the thorns with the lizards and goats!

So here are some random shots from yesterday. Probably the last until we get home as we fly out ungodly early tomorrow, and will have to do all the prep tonight.

Donkeys, just before we went into the park.

Near the visitor center at the entrance to the park. We still love the warm colors of the buildings around here.

Heading out on the trail. Pretty barren in the early going.

All the rock is former coral reef. Very rugged walking, and very interesting as you can still see shells and such imbedded in it.

Then we made it over to the coastline. Already sweating a little, and I’m not to the really hot part. The cool breeze here was welcome, and if I had realized just how hot I would be later, I would have enjoyed it even more.

I guess I could have stood closer to one of the blowholes and gotten a good shower. (see below)

Then we came across this nice little beach on the walk. But as you can probably tell from the waves coming into such a tiny bay, they suggest no swimming (as this side of the island, and this beach in particular, has a big and fatal undertow). And of course those people had to put their clothes on and leave. Or at least they DID put their clothes on and leave. Short of a park ranger, I can’t imagine who on this island would be a problem.

More wildlife. We saw a lot of these little guys and have a lot at the resort as well. But the big guys (Iguanas) have been much more scarce. We have mostly only seen them on the road (as below)… or in stew ;-)

We did see a few of the parrots this trip, but no where near as many as our last trip. We don’t know if that’s season (we were a couple of months later last trip), time of day, or if some restaurant on the island is serving parrot stew ;-)

Nearing the end of the 2 1/2 mile plus walk, and back in the windless part of the path. I am fully cooked by this point, and being pestered by a by a bee (no sting fortunately).

Much better back at the visitors center, in the shade, with a breeze and 1/2 a jug of water in me. Not to mention our picnic lunch.

We had a whale of a time (Bad Dad Joke). A skeleton of a whale on display near the visitors center.

Stopped at a spot the folks here had recommended for good snorkeling.

I got some video of some good size parrot fish here. And from pretty close.

And then a bit up the road was a small restaurant and beach that had been closed the last time we were here due to rare hurricane damage.

The lagoon near it is known for flamingos, but only a few were around. But many other birds were feeding, including a few really busy pelicans.

Synchronized fishing!!

And another little fishy swims down the gullet!!!

And then it was pretty much just a really bumpy ride out (the last of the road was the worst, and really the only part that felt like you needed a truck. But nothing Steve Boatwright wouldn’t take a Firebird down.

Just leaving the restaurant on the best bit of road in the park. The fun stuff was bumpy enough Rita didn’t even get a picture snapped!

More after we get home. Bye for now. R&R

Well, I finished up the dive class and became a PADI certified Open Water Diver Yesterday. It was fun, exciting, but somehow I felt a bit of a funk when it was done. Part of it may have been the laissez faire attitude of the instructor toward the paperwork, and graduation, as he had to run, and we had to come back in the afternoon to get it, and even then it was not complete.

But in the end, after a real day off, I think it was just me having too many expectations and not letting myself be in the moment enough. I allowed for the day we arrived (at pre dawn hours), and another day after that, to “relax and recover” before the classes. Of course this was just me bullshitting myself, because NO WAY was I going to relax BEFORE the course. DUH!

But today we slept in, planned NOTHING, and just played it by ear. What a world of difference that makes. But today is gone and there is not much time before I sleep, so I am making this a brief note with an apology for not having more time to post more photos or thoughts. We have some good shots, but my laptop is on it’s last legs, and every picture takes 10 times as long as it should to post. I also have some good underwater shots, but in trying to fix this laptop before the trip I stripped a bunch of software, so I can’t edit the video, just post whole or post screen grabs. So I am a bit limited this trip. Here are a couple though.

Me and Pepe. He is 5 years younger than me (if he is to be believed) so I guess you can see he is burning the candle on all three ends. In the end, my annoyance with his surface personality, and admiration for his underwater persona, have blended into a fonder memory of an eccentric character that I would not have wanted to missed. Like a wild ride you wouldn’t want to do again, but are proud to have made.

Jason and Neve arrive to collect their papers (which none of us have the completed version of yet!). And, oh yeah, that’s Neve, “Like Steve.” How simple is THAT? The obvious just goes by sometimes. Neve, if you are reading this, we hope you are feeling better. And it was great to meet you two.

Pepe, either explaining where Jason should stand for his photo, or explaining where he was going to go for “Seven minutes and forty eight seconds and you will have the papers all finished…”

After that we went out for dinner at a nice steak house (Argentinean style food) and another G&T for me. Home to the Sorobon and some more chilling out before an early bed time. But I did have to go to the beach for a shot of the moon, as it was pretty spectacular over the bay here.

But we let ourselves sleep late and plan nothing to make this my first real day off (NO crackberry Jason, or it isn’t a day off!) We walked out to the end of the bay and snorkeled, ran a shopping trip to prepare for an earlier day and a picnic lunch up at the North end of the island in the park tomorrow.

Deepest point in the bay.

Self portrait.

Tiny fish in the bay. The biggest fish we saw here was about a foot long. Not quite the 5 or 6 foot Grouper we saw while diving.

A shot of the pickup we rented. Not that we need it like divers with their gear, but you have to have something like it to go to the park in the north.

Then, this afternoon, we did laps on the beach, and then decided on one last trek out through the windsurfers to the far side of the bay before dinner. We had no camera with, and of course that’s when we had a turtle swim by about two feet away in 3 feet of water. Awesome!

We will be shooting up North tomorrow, and we don’t know how late we will be, so if you see no post tomorrow, don’t worry. We will be back with more soon. R&R

Not much to say tonight. 2 dives completed and so far, so good. Rita went for a walk and returned in time to catch my group (one couple from Denver and me, along with Pepe, our instructor emerging at the end of a 51 minute dive at 40 feet of depth.

That’s Neive (kneev, like knave with an long e, not sure of spelling) popping up first.

Our group, left to right: Jason, Me, Neive and Pepe (the other guy is from another group of divers).

Pepe with some last minute instruction. He uses his hands (as do all divers) almost as much as Rita ;-)

Now that one was not for gratuitous T&A. (well maybe a little) It’s really there to illustrate a bit of Pepe’s personality. This girl stood and giggled and fidgeted on the steps we need to use for several minutes while her mom coached her to get in and she whined about how cold it was. Once she got just past the knees Pepe reached up his hand and offered, “Here I’ll help you in.” And as soon as she took his hand he gave her a huge pull and she was indeed “in”. I nearly choked, I was trying not to laugh and applaud.

Ladies first.

Then spouses.

Then yours truly.

Back on deck.

A shot of Pepe, who does smile sometimes.

More divers exiting while Neive helps me get my BCD off (that’s diver talk, and NO, it’s not dirty!)

Finally got the Scuba unit off. That thing is buoyant in water, but weighs a TON on dry land!

I’m not trying to scratch my back… my sexy outfit unzips in the back.

See… isn’t that HOT? No really, out of the water it’s FRIGGIN’ HOT!!!

My Seattle pool instructor Sean will be proud to know I remembered to drain the accumulated water out of my BCD before putting it away. (Buoyancy Control Device, an inflatable, deflatable life vest to determine if you sink of not)

So tomorrow AM it’s 2 more dives, and if all goes well I get my Open Water Certification from PADI.

More to come. R&R

We went downtown to shop in Kralendijk…

Then we went on a cruise aboard a catamaran to Klein Bonaire (little Bonaire) to snorkel.

Saw some turtles, Rays, and fish…

Oh, and our guide was an amazing thing herself…

Then we returned to the Sorobon Beach Resort, and with less people on the beach we got a camera out for some of the wildlife. Some various crab and birds. And the moon was already out and just wonderful.

That one was nearly clear. You should be able to spot his eyes though.

And some birds…

Tomorrow is 9 to 5 diving classes for me, so I’ll let you know how that goes. So far we are having a blast. R&R