By now we had a routine for breakfast which consisted of fruit, yogurt, and various proteins that we scarfed down at a crowded buffet Carolyn dubbed "The Trough." While Mom and Gigs chose to wander through town all day, Ellen and I decided we wanted to go to the beach. Dip our toes in the cool Caribbean Sea. We donned our bikinis and filled our bags with towels, sunblock, and beach gear.
Once on dry land Ellen grabbed my arm and pulled me over to what looked like a South American chicken caravan, full of people and wooden crates. "We can take this to the beach." she told me nonchalantly. "It's only $4!"
This suits me just fine but I foolishly asked her if I could look around town for 20 minutes just to take some pictures. I saw a storm brewing in her impatient mind but she agreed and we crossed the street with Mom and Carolyn, headed for a tacky looking outlet mall. In under two minutes, the Ellen Storm broke loose and she ran across the street, hopped onto the chicken bus, and sped out of town. And there I stood in my bathing suit, a heavy bag stuffed for the beach, watching her ride away.
In case you're wondering, I never once got to touch the crystal blue water or lounge in the sun at all. I spent this day wandering in and out of the same tourist stores we have here in Charleston and not one of them had a bench for uninterested shoppers. Junk store masters, Mom and Gigs ambled their way down the beachfront strip of shops. Because I was ditched by a heartless and impatient sister, I never got to wander out of town to take pictures but you can see here how the island has the port strategically set up just for tourists. I will say that it's a cheerfully colored place with lots of yellow buildings, flowers, and smily locals.
Sometime around 3 the gals decided they had seen enough and we headed back to the ship. It was very warm this day and I was very pleased to not feel particularly fainty. This trip was my first venture into hot weather in some time and I'll admit, I was really nervous. I didn't want to miss out on any fun but I also didn't want the locals to see me as another white tourist that fainted from the heat. How embarrassing.
"I'm from a hot place too!" I would have claimed, receiving only eye-rolls from some of the most heat tolerant humans in the world.
It was on our way back to the boat that the sky started to cloud over and the sun retreated. "Looks like a storm's coming." Mom said, though I'd decided it was just Ellen making her way back to the port.
Ellen did come back aboard just a few minutes behind us with sand in her toes and sun-kissed cheeks. Big jerk.
We all took afternoon naps while it rained outside and thus began our pattern of sleeping between meals. All we did was eat and sleep. We waited for our next meal by napping. Occasionally, we would gather on our balcony, making jokes and small talk while we anxiously awaited that night's menu.
We headed back to Crooners after dinner, the lounge where Nemo worked and he belted out his hello's as we settled into our chairs. "You came back!" he exclaimed. "Elizabeth, you look beautiful tonight." he said with his Serbian accent. Carolyn gave him a sassy smile.
"I'm on to you." she said and he grinned like a guilty toddler.
We stayed up late, laughing and eating gelato. While we searched out our frozen treats Ellen gave the options. "We could go up to Scoops for ice cream or we could have gelato. Carolyn responded with what became the most highly repeated phrase for the whole trip. Two words that would only make you laugh by hearing them come out of little Carolyn's bright red lips. With a slight british accent, she shouted, " Screeeeeewww Scoops!" and with us simpletons in stitches, we headed downstairs for gelato.
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