Travel as an anecdote to stereotypes

We all have stereotypes about people and places, as much as we'd like to believe we don't. These stereotypes are intended to help us navigate a complex world, but in practice they often get in the way of actually experiencing it. For me, travel is one of the ways that I challenge the stereotypes that I've been fed. And when I strip away the stereotypes, I find that life is much less stressful and infinitely more delightful.

I don't know why, but I am obsessed with bathrooms (here and here). Perhaps it is because I use them every day and as much as I'd rather forgo the experience sometimes, I cannot get by without them.

At home in Seattle, bathrooms seem relatively predictable. I know there will be a western-style toilet with a built-in flusher, that I'll find free toilet paper, and there will be a sink with soap and something to dry my hands. And yet even though this is my stereotypical American bathroom, not all bathrooms back home are the same:

• Some toilets automatically flush, while others have a handle or button to press.
• Some sinks turn on when you wave your hand underneath, while others you turn on with a lever or press a button to dispense a set amount of water.
• And some bathrooms have paper towels on a roll or as individual sheets, while others offer a "greener" air dryer in one of several form factors. (My favorite is the one where you insert your hands and slowly pull them out while watching the water droplets fling into the abyss.)

But for me, all these differences meld into a single stereotype of a western (or normal) bathroom. And this predictably is soothing. I never stress about going to the bathroom back home, but having to pee in a new place abroad used to give me nightmares.

After years of foreign travel, I have come to expect different sorts of bathrooms in different places. In Asia, I expect a squat toilet with no toilet paper and a sink with no soap or way to dry my hands. In airports, I expect toilet paper and soap, but no towels and the occasional automated flusher and/or sink system. In Europe, toilets generally have two flush options (half or whole). In the backcountry of New Zealand and rural places throughout the world, I expect pit toilets with or without toilet paper and sans handwashing facilities. In Bali, I expect a western style toilet that you have to flush by pouring a bucket full of water into the loo and a trash can for your used TP, which may or may not be provided.

But the reality of a place rarely conforms to my expectations, even in the bathroom. Sometimes the bathrooms in Thailand have both western and squat style toilets, you just have to peek your head into each stall to find the type you prefer. And sometimes there is TP, it's just dispensed from a single roll outside the stalls so you have grab it in advance. Other times there is a bidet nozzle (which I still can't figure out how to use properly despite reading more than how-to article online). Occasionally the toilet has a working flusher, while other bathrooms provide a small bucket floating in a larger bucket of water for you to do the job.

But despite all these differences within Thailand and around the world, essentially all bathrooms are the same. A bathroom is a place where you relieve yourself regardless of how clean or dirty, well-appointed or lacking, the facility is. And yet, we persist in keeping stereotypes about western versus Asian bathrooms, airport versus gas station toilets and all the other varieties out there. And I wonder why we even bother since our stereotypes are the exception more often than the rule.

And it's not just erroneous stereotypes about bathrooms we hold tightly. It's stereotypes about people and entire countries that we believe, often to our detriment.

A friend of mine recently got a massage here in Thailand and concluded that all Thai massage places lack massage tables with head holes. Instead of asking for a different table, he just suffered in silence as his neck cricked up during a 90-minute back massage. When he mentioned the inadequacy of massage tables here, I informed him that some of the tables do have head holes. He was simultaneously annoyed and relieved. For his next massage, he requested a table with a head hole and was much happier.

Another time, I expected the Thai waitress at my favorite coffee shop understood my English when I asked for fried rice with pork. When I was brought fried rice with prawns, I started to protest only to back down and accept the dish as it had been prepared. The reality is that I'm in Thailand and I can't speak the local language to save my life. So when the waitress doesn't know what I want, it's my problem not hers. And yet often times, Thai people do speak good English and I can get by just fine with my three Thai phrases.

But the worst stereotypes aren't about bathrooms, massage tables or language comprehension. The worst stereotypes are those that stop you from experiencing new people and places. A few months ago I met a Nigerian magistrate (judge) on a flight from China to New Zealand. She told me that she is terrified to come to the USA because she thinks she will be shot (so many people are murdered with guns there, she informed me). I, on the other hand, am afraid to go to Nigeria for fear of being kidnapped by warlords. Had it not been for our side-by-side seats on this flight, I would never had met such an inspiring woman. And the news media does nothing to undo our stereotypes, more often than not reinforcing our inaccurate perceptions, and the result is that we miss the opportunity to form friendships with amazing people who live in places we never visit.

When traveling in developing countries, I know so many people who won't eat fresh produce even if its part of a local speciality. I understand that no one likes to get sick, but I had a rude awakening the other day when a Thai friend and restaurant owner was teaching me to make her signature papaya salad. I had put too much garlic in the bowl and reached in with my hand to fish some out. She scolded me for not using a spoon and contaminating the food with my hands. Who knew that my food hygiene was subpar? Luckily, the papaya salad didn't make me sick and I got to enjoy very fresh vegetables despite being in a country with unsafe tap water.

The reality for me is that every place is different, not just that countries are different from each other, but that people and places within each country do not conform to a single stereotype. Some Thai people speak good English, others do not. Some Balinese motorcyclists drive fast and run red lights, while others drive fast but obey traffic signals, and a few drive slow enough that I can pass them. Some western travelers are entitled assholes; some are kind and generous. Some hole-in-the-wall restaurants serve food that makes me sick and others have better sanitary practices than I do.

When I accept that I cannot predict how things will be, I find that I am less stressed out by the wackiness that is this beautiful world. And instead I have the mental space to learn new things, enjoying meeting new people and savor new experiences. I also have developed new coping mechanisms to deal with life's uncertainty. Now when I walk into a bathroom, I come prepared. I carry tissues that I can use as TP, I know to look for the free TP dispensers outside stalls, I peek into the stalls to see if a western flush toilet is an option, I check out the trash bin to see if others have flushed their TP, and when all else fails and the outdoor toilet is disgusting, I pop behind it and pee in the dirt like I'm backpacking. I try not to sweat the small stuff and I accept that sometimes I won't be able to wash my hands after using the loo, occasionally I will get sick from eating something delicious, and I will meet strangers who speak perfect English and think I live in the scariest place on the planet.

My hope for you (who have braved this long post) is that you will leave your stereotypes behind and experience a new place or take a chance on a new person. And perhaps you will find that life is not as scary as you once thought.

Piggy Goes to Market

Okay not Piggy perse, but rather a bunch of hungry farang (foreigners) accompanied by two Thai locals. Our friend Om, our favorite barkeep, set up a Thai cooking class for us with a chef from Aleenta, an expensive restuarant on the beach of Pak Nam Pran.

First stop on our cooking adventure was Om's bar where we picked the three dishes we'd learn to make: Green Curry with Seafood, Massaman Curry with Chicken, and Tom Kha Gai soup.

The next stop was the local market where we bought our ingredients and some snacks too!

Om picking out the best (read: most transculent) squid for our green curry, as Josh looks on.

Mags, Paul and I with our Thai chef stocking up on fresh produce.

Can you say spicy? I always ask for dishes my pet (not spicy).

Fresh morning glory greens are incredibly delicious!

Ready-made curries may seem like cheating but even the nicer restaurants do it.

U-pick shrimps, head and all.

Scooters parked like sardines outside the market stalls.

Juicy pineapple ready to be snacked on.

Weird meat popsicles? I'll pass, thank you very much!

My preferred snack: fresh strawberries coated in sugar and something red.

10 baht (30 US cents) for this luscious bag of tomatoes.

It wouldn't be Southeast Asia if there weren't whole fish starring in you in the face....

Or raw chicken dripping its salmonella-infested juices into a bucket....

But when you can get a bouquet of beautiful orchids for 50 cents from a smiling woman, there's no reason not to love the market!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Sweet Home

We have been travelling now for more than year and while perhaps I should be homesick, I am not. In fact, sometimes I feel like I'm home even when I'm far from Seattle.

Home for me seems now to be the places where people and customs are familiar. I don't have a physical home anymore, as we sold our house last year. And while our belongings are mostly stored in Seattle, we have things scattered across the US West.

Arriving in Pak Nam Pran, Thailand the other night it was dark, the streets were vacant, and all was quiet. And yet when I stepped off the bus, our good friend Brad was there ready to help unload our many bags from the bus as if this was a normal occurrence. Riding to our rental house in a familiar neighborhood, I didn't even notice that we were on the left side of the road.

The next evening while riding on the back of Josh's motorbike at night, I reminded him to watch out for stray dogs in the road; a fact of life in Thailand that seems to be embedded deep in my subconscious. And although our friend's bar has relocated after a tree fell on it and then it later burnt to the ground, her new bar feels like home too. She gives me a big hug when we roll up and we promise to get drunk together at least once this season. I order my favorite Thai drink--Sang Som (rum) and Manae (lime soda)--and Josh gets his (Sang Som and soda water).

I remember that 7-11 is the place to get "top up" (phone credits) for my Thai SIM card and I remember to thank the clerk with a "Kob Khun Kah." I also know how to get to my favorite coffee place, which sadly seems to have a different--less skilled--chef this year so my typical fried pork and rice breakfast is less than superb. I recognize the Thai massage place where they are a little too touchy-freely for my taste and delight in seeing the seaside massage stand still standing, knowing that I can get an incredible massage there for just $10US.

Driving on the left side of the road now seems more comfortable than being on the right. When I was in the States a few weeks ago, I was terrified to find the car on the right side of the road and had to stop myself from yelling at the taxi driver in fright. But riding my scooter is a breeze and I'm happy for the free AC while I ride around town.

There is something special about returning to a place and feeling at home, especially when you've only lived there for a short amount of your life. And while we will leave Thailand again in a few weeks, I know we will return here many more times in our life.

Underwater monsters

Bitten by a fish. Stung by jellies. Attacked by a bristle worm. Our underwater adventures took a decidedly dangerous turn this February as we returned to Thailand. And also an incredibly beautiful one.

Last week Josh and I lived aboard Wicked Diving's M/V Mariner based out of Khao Lak about an hour north of party town Phuket. Our dive time was split between the Surin Islands and Similan Islands, both top dive spots in Southeast Asia and new haunts for us. In the big blue ocean we spotted dozens of giant moray eels, plenty of octopus, school upon school of yellow and blue and silvery fishes, long skinny trumpetfish, and acres of colorful corals.

Josh also got into an altercation with a mean old Titan Triggerfish. Triggerfish are very territorial, especially when they have a nest of eggs. This is their nesting season and we got unlucky when I unknowingly floated over the nest, angering a two-foot long mama or papa triggerfish. A whooshing feeling on my leg was the first indication of something of gone awry. The next was a large eyed fish starring me down as it charged towards me. I turned and swam in the opposite direction, fortunately away from its nest. Josh, meanwhile, just looked on in awe as the triggerfish swam full speed in his direction. For some reason, Josh was convinced the fish would turn away at the last minute, a game of chicken of the sea I guess. But, alas, the triggerfish had other intentions and slammed into Josh's bicep, taking a bite out of his wetsuit and a leaving bloody teeth marks on his arm. I watched it all happen, too shocked to intervene. Happily, triggerfish bites are not poisonous. So while Josh lost a bit of his arm that day, we were able to continue the dive and just smear some neosporin on his arm when we returned to the boat.

Then they were the jellyfish on the surface. As we bobbed along awaiting retrieval by the boat after another dive, a current filled with jellyfish mangled in the boat's prop flowed towards me. I was getting stung repeatedly and it turns out so were other divers in group. By the time I climbed back on board, I had a series of bumps the size of a #2 pencil eraser all up and down my arms and legs. And that was the end of my shortie wetsuit dives. From then on out, I covered myself head to toe with neoprene and polypro and delighted in admiring the jellyfish without getting stung.

On our last night dive, Josh and I discovered a new type of sea worm, one that is drawn to the light, glows with iridescence and is covered in tiny spines like a cactus. As we swam along, holding hands and searching for the red reflective eyes of crabs, shrimp and lobsters in the dark, this evil little creature drifted down from the surface into our clutched hands. I was oblivious, cloaked in long sleeves, but Josh thought the weird sensation in his hand was my wedding ring drifting away. Sweet man that he is, he grabbed at it only to be stung by a hundred microscopic thorns which embedded themselves into the palm of his hand as the bristle worm attempted to flee its captor. In the scuffle the worm landed on the back of Josh's leg, which he then grabbed at resulting in more pricks to his hand. Eventually Josh got free of the two-inch tiny bugger and was able to dislodge most of the spines from his hand before we continued our dive. Later I spotted a second one drifting down from the surface. When it landed on a rock, it curled into a ball, then laid flat with its spines folded down. It reminded me of a porcupine or hedgehog, except underwater and not nearly so cute!

The highlight of our dive trip was seeing a manta ray at Koh Bon. Although we later learned it was small compared to some of the other mantas our dive master had previously seen, I was awestruck by its immensity. With wings spanning more than 12 feet, the manta glided through the waters back and forth, up and down, giving us quite the show! One of our fellow divers (Peter from Germany) took some incredible photos of the manta ray and is letting us share them here. Enjoy!

Massive manta ray surrounded by schooling fish. (Photo by Peter)

Mantas are so majestic. We were giddy with excitement to see one on our last dive! (Photo by Peter)

A Titan Triggerfish nibbling on the hard coral, rather than Josh's arm. (Photo by Peter)

Pretty coral and jagged clamshell.

So many fish!

Tomato clownfish among the obscenely shaped sea anemones.

Tiny fish on colorful lichen-like hard coral. I love the colors underwater!

Sea cucumber with its ruffly black feeler thingies (technical term, I swear!)

Josh showing off his bouyancy skills. Did I mention that he flew me like a kite when I was underweighted? At least one of us is good with bouyancy.

One of many creepy giant moray eels we saw. (Photo by Peter)

Believe it or not, there is an octopus in this picture. No matter how many I see, I am still amazed at the way they change colors and textures to blend in with the rocks.

Least you think we lived under the sea, here's a cool shot of our dive boat and home for 6 days. (Photo by Peter)

 

Thailand LZs

Our Thailand paragliding tour has come to an end and I have been totally delinquent in posting about our adventures. So, here's a recap of my more memorable landing zones (LZs, for all you non-flying folks). More posts on other topics to come.

EPIC LZ 1: Pineapple Plantation, pre-harvest

My first cross country (XC) flight from Paradise Bay took me north, over two small mountain ranges where I bombed out on the middle of a pineapple plantation. I landed on a narrow dirt road in between fields of pineapple plants. In case you've never seen a pineapple outside of the market, the plant they grow on looks sorta like an aloe plant with spiky leaves that surround a single pineapple growing atop a stock. They stand about 2 feet tall and are planted in rows with just enough space to place a single foot between plants.

So, although I touched down on the dirt lane, my glider settled across four rows of poky pineapple plants. Oh, did I mention it was a slightly downwind landing? Well, it was. And my glider overflew me. Which was particularly sucky because it landed upside down on the pineapples and all my lines got caught up in the spiky leaves.

Once I had extricated myself from my harness and I unclipped my wing, I got to working gently teasing my glider off one row of pineapples, balling it up as I went. Then, on to the next row of pineapples. As you can imagine, standing between two rows of knee-high prickly pineapple plants in shorts as you fish your prized glider out of a Thai plantation is not nearly as fun as flying it.

Four rows later I got free, packed up my kit and then tried to phone my friends for retrieve -- only to find that I had no cell service and could not make a call nor reach them on the radio. Crapity crap. That left only one option: walk to the main road and hope for better cell reception there.

With my glider on my back and fresh cuts on my legs, I headed towards the farm house to ask for directions to the road. There I found a friendly Thai man, who started talking quickly as soon as he saw me. unsure whether he was upset or just overly excited, I tried to give 100 baht as an apology for landing in his plants. He waved my money away, talking to me more slowly in Thai, which was still hopeless as my only Thai phrases are hello, thank you and not spicy. I got smart, grabbed my phone and hit the Google translate app. But what to you know, you need cell coverage for that app to work.

After drawing pictures and pantomiming, the man pointed the way to the nearby golf course, which I figured was a good start. I set off in the direction he pointed, walking down the dirt roads within the plantation, turning left at every intersection as he'd indicated, believing it would lead me easily to the road. By this point, I had connected with Matty via the radio and knew he was on his way to fetch me. The only problem was I couldn't figure out how to get out of the plantation.

I wandered aimlessly in the baking hot sun, carrying my heavy glider until finally the farm man picked me up in his truck and took me out to the main road. Within minutes I was reunited with Matty and on my way back to town. A good first experience landing out in Thailand.

 

EPIC LZ 2: Rocky vs. Taro

My next XC flight was from a foot-launch site called Phu Am. On this day, I was wearing pants AND long sleeves and was prepared for just about anything. I had even downloaded a new app to my phone called Learn Thai that speaks aloud a bunch of ready-made phrases in Thai using either a girl's or boy's voice, with the corresponding appropriate word choices for each gender.

As I got low over the valley, I started looking for a good LZ. I finally settled on a brown dirt field that from the sky appeared to be relatively flat and crop-free. However, when I got down lower I realized that it was rocky with huge clods of dirt -- a place I'd be lucky to escape without a twisted ankle. To the right of this crummy field was a taro field filled with delicate looking plants. I decided to split the difference and was delighted to find myself landing again on a narrow roadway, this one carpeted in soft dead grass, running between the two not-so-great landing options.

As I packed up my glider, I was annoyed yet again to find that my cell phone lacked service. Deciding it was time to head for the nearest road, I set off again towards the farmers' house and what appeared to be the way out of this plantation. Next thing I knew I was surround by an entire family who was delighted that I had landed at their house and who peppered me with questions I could not understand.

Thankful for my handy new app, I first explained that I couldn't speak Thai and then I asked if I could use their phone. The mother set off and quickly returned with her teenage daughter on a motorbike with two cell phones. (I'm guessing they were on different cell providers?) I dialed Graham's number and the girl held it up to her ear, trying to talk to Graham in Thai. When that didn't work, she handed the phone to me. Luckily Graham hadn't hung up and I was able to report my location.

Then the girl motioned for me to grab my glider bag and join her on the motorbike for a ride out to what I only hoped was the main road. I was in luck! She took me to the main road (notably in the opposite direction from where I thought it was) and deposited me at a roadside outdoor cafe where another nice teenage girl gave me cold water and a tasty bowl of noodle soup.

When the boys rolled up and it was time to leave, I tried to pay for my lunch, but the girls would have nothing of the sort. Another good landing and retrieve thanks to the kindness of others.

 

EPIC LZ 3: A Trophy for my tummy

On this day, I flew my longest distance in Thailand of the tour: 25km, beating all the other pilots for the day and winning myself a freshly chopped pineapple to prove it! (More on that later)

My landing field this time was a cross between the two previously described ones: part dirt clods, part pineapple field (post-harvest). After a delightfully smooth landing, I was even more pleased to see that my cell phone had reception! I texted Matty to see about a retrieve and sent along the GPS coordinates from my wrist vario. As I packed up my glider, I got a call from Josh asking for more details on my whereabouts. After a few more calls and two more sets of GPS coordinates texted to Matty, they finally figured out that Google Maps wasn't working right on Matty's phone, but that Josh's phone seemed to have a more believable dot on my current location.

Meanwhile, the local farmer had come over to talk with me. With Google Translate up and running, I explained that my friends were on their way and asked for the name of the nearest long road. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to get the all to translate the guy's response. So it was back to pantomiming. He agreed to take me to what I hoped was the big road, loading my glider in the side car attached to his motorcycle and indicating that I was to sit off to the side on a little metal shelf.

Pleased to be getting a ride rather than walking in the heat, I was unnerved when he stopped the bike in the shade of a tree and set off across the field. Luckily he returned a few minutes later with a freshly cut pineapple -- my prize for having the longest flight of the day, I decided. Shortly thereafter, the boys found us, still on the dirt road, but a little closer to the highway than before.

 

So, there you have it -- three great adventures from landing out in Thailand. Complete with friendly faces, free food, and plenty of pantomiming.

The best prize ever!

 

Driving in Thailand

I have never driven a scooter before. That is, until I got to Thailand and was given one upon arriving in Pak Nam Pran for our paragliding tour. Of course, I picked the red one.

Both nervous and excited, we set out for a short practice lap around the neighborhood and then headed out on the beach-front road for a tour of the area, all four of us newbies following Matty as if we were little ducklings. After learning the location of the local bar and hopping over a dozen speed bumps, we turned onto a busier road.

The thing about driving in Thailand is that most of the roads have just one lane in each direction. But the shoulder functions as a kind of second lane for bicycles, pedestrians, dogs, and slow scooters. It is also a left-side drive country, which is getting less novel to me after spending more than a month in South Africa, but is still a little confusing when it comes to turning.

More than a few times I was passed on the right by faster scooters, motorbikes, motorbikes with side cars, and pickup trucks. The excitement really started though when I passed my first scooter!

Then there was the round-about. It's so weird to go clockwise around a roundabout and to vie for lane space with a bunch of other scooters, motorbikes and trucks all going different speeds. Of course, we succeeded, arriving at the day's farmers market location.

As I searched the roadside for a place to park my scooter, I witnessed a young woman accidentally knock over a row of scooters like dominos as she attempted to park her scooter tightly between two others scooters. Trying not to laugh, I heaved a sigh of relief that I hadn't done that. And then I happily handed over my scooter to Matty to park.

 

Another day, a week or so later, I did have the new-to-me experience of laying down my scooter as I tried to merge onto the road from a gravel driveway. Luckily I was not injured and my scooty (as I've come to call it) came through as if nothing had happened at all. Still, I was a little shaken and so proceeded to drive the rest of the way home at 25kph. At that pace, it's impressive I made it home at all!

 

Other interesting facts about driving a scooter:

• It costs only $5 to fuel up my scooty.
• If you leave your scooter in the sun, the seat will burn your buttocks through your clothes.
• Hats like to fly off your head when you go fast.
• Dogs run in the streets at night, so it is good to drive slow.
• When I am the first scooter in our group, the song "Leader of the Pack" by the Shangri-Las pops into my head without warning.

And last, but not least:

• There is an adorable Thai puppy in Pak Nam Pran who loves to ride on scooters. He jumped on my scooty as I was trying to leave the beach today, only to cause me to pick him up in an attempt to evict him, resulting in my scooty falling over yet again and me looking like a total fool. Still, that puppy cuddle was worth it.

 

Paragliding Thailand, Part 1

A few days ago we met up with some friends from Seattle and the 300 Peaks (www.300peaks.com) paragliding crew for an awesome adventure in Thailand. Our home base is a small town called Pak Nam Pran, about 2-3 hours south of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand:

 

Our first flying day (Monday), we checked out the Dolphin Bay site. It is a pretty beach with lots of (sharp!) shells. We had breakfast at the hotel across from the beach -- minced pork with chilies over rice and instant coffee. It was delicious!

Graham drove the boat and the boys did tow launches, getting up to some 900m and then flying the coastal mountains (hills?) and fluffy clouds. The winds turned south (parallel to the beach) and got a little stronger, so I tried to do a reverse launch for the tow, but found that my kiting skills were a little rusty. After several failed attempts, I opted to practice my kiting on the beach (shoes required) and enjoy the ocean view.

That night we had dinner at the local beach restuarant and bar: Nids. Again, the food was delicious and the wine was tasty too.

TUESDAY

For our second day, we took the boat to Paradise Bay. I finally got on tow, but realized that my towing skills were rusty too! It was much harder to keep the tow line taut than I remembered, but Graham did a good job and I got up to about 500m despite me working against him. Josh and Matty connected with some good thermals under the clouds and went XC (more about that later), but I just headed to the coastal hills for some soaring.

When I hit the first hill, I was just 95 meters high -- basically time to start getting ready to land. But I stuck in there, doing gentle figure-eights until I eventually got up to 200m. A hour into my flight, I decided it to was time to try the next hill to the north (I think -- the ocean is to the east here, which is totally confusing me). I got up on that little hill and topped out around 220m. I was feeling pretty good and even saw a couple monkeys in the trees below.

That's when Graham came on the radio and said something to the effect of, "Michelle, that beach to the north (south?) of launch is a private beach and it would be great if you could land either where you launched or the next beach down the coast. The guy who owns that place is someone really important and I'm not sure what would happen if you land there. Of course, if you need to land there, please do and I'll pick you up. But it would better if you landed somewhere else."

Gulp! I had been looking down at that lovely, pristine beach with its green grassy lawn in the middle graced with a big "H" and thinking it myself, "what a glorious place to land." New plan! The beach one bay away had clear sand for half of it and cute patio umbrellas for the second half, so I could land there. I radioed back to Graham to let him know that (1) there was another beach I could land at and (2) I wasn't intending to land anytime soon. Well, that of course was the magic phrase to ensure that my flight would soon come to end. I flew around a little more and then decided to hop to the next small hill where I found no lift. So I opted for the fourth beach and landed in what I'm guessing what a little fishing village. (There were about a dozen fishing boats docked there.) Graham and David came and fetched me and my glider with the boat, which I reached by wading in the surf up to my shoulders while wearing a cotton skirt and tee shirt. Too bad I didn't think to put on my bikini first!

Another great day in paradise...