A Case of Cankles...

…and Fat Foot Syndrome.  It happens every time I fly.  My feet and ankles swell up like soggy loaves of bread and my toes look like a pudgy succession of mushroom stems.  Attractive, right?  Typically the swelling goes away a day after the flight, but considering the humidity here and non-stop foot abuse (I have been walking and hiking and even went for a run this morning), they are still in a state of horrendous engorgement.  So, for half of the day, we played the part of home bodies and relaxed on the balcony (me with my feet elevated).

Before settling in, though, we did a bit of running around.  First, we literally ran around.  This morning we went for a jog to and around the campus, then back home.  Next we walked to the True Blue Bay and had lunch at the Dodgy Dock.  I can honestly say it was an incredibly pleasant experience to be sitting on a dock platform, under a massive tent, mere feet from the beautiful clear waters of the bay, enjoying a cold beer and wonderful food.  The only other customers were English tourists, unless you also count the blackbirds that skipped from table to table eagerly awaiting handouts.  One tenacious bird was missing a leg, but still had a stick thin black stump.  We called it his peg leg and have affectionately dubbed him, Blackbird the Pirate.  Yarr!

(One of these days I’ll get tired of the pirate jokes.)

We took a different route back home, across a few dirt roads.  I wish I’d brought my camera with me; not only would I have snagged a few glamor shots of Blackbird the Pirate, I also would have digitally captured the goat we saw along our walk, just chilling in the ditch.  Alas, I left my camera at home.  I was able to enjoy a little dialogue before moving on:

Me: “What’s up goat?”

Goat: Perks up.

Me: “Sorry, I don’t have my camera.”

Goat: Twitches ear and wiggles jaw.

Me: “Next time, buddy.”
Goat: “Beh-eh-eh.”

Then we got home in time to deflate on the wicker chairs on the balcony.  And not a moment too soon.  We had two transient downpours.  One moment the weather was all blue skies and sunny bliss, the next, an even sheet of rain was collapsing over the backyard.  It was pretty neat and we stayed on the balcony, enjoying the fine mist that wafted our way.

What we have been eating: Fruit, given to us by the landlord, or foraged by us off the ground; chicken, we bought a whole one and Mom roasted it; vegetables, they are always welcome at my table; eggs, every morning, fresh, local, affordable, and packed with whatever goodness eggs are packing; garlic, as much as possible please, suffocate those mosquitoes!

About the weather: No, it is not intolerable.  No, it is not too hot.  In fact, I find it much more tolerable than the weather back in Erie, PA.  Every day it has been the same predictable temperature (even when it’s raining).  The sun is not overly intense, unless you’re lying out at the beach.  With so much vegetation around, though, it’s easy to locate shade.  And the trade winds are a constant breath of cooling release.  I would say the weather here is very ideal; it makes me want to go outside, not shut myself up in the AC.