18 November, 2000

Kelley, Lori and Steve went for a dive while Beebee took her first dive lesson which consisted mostly of her instructor, Chris, going over the basics (which she had been studying all the night before) and some time in six-foot water to practice. The others saw two sea turtles on their dive and were incredibly happy about the conditions. Lori and Beebee spent some time beading while Steve went to town and updated the site. Much thanks to Kim at ¿Que Tal? Cafe for the connection!

For dinner Beebee invented pan-fried garlic bread (the things you improvise without an oven) and it was a big hit: much better than any oven-baked garlic bread she's ever made. We all went to bed tired and happy, looking forward to diving tomorrow and really wishing that we had a waterproof camera.

We've updated the route map, more location info to come.

19 November, 2000

Big day for Beebee today: her first dive. Incredible. After years of thinking scuba diving was hard or scary or both, she found today that it is neither. On the contrary, it's incredibly relaxing and really quite easy. Although it does make one a bit tired. We gathered at the dive shop (read: hut) around 9 a.m. -- K & L, Steve, the two instructors Chris and Tony, and another guy named Danny -- and took of in the little speed boat shortly thereafter. Beebee was nervous and anxious and really not knowing what to expect, even though she'd been under the water yesterday. The boat ride was woefully short (as far as Beebee was concerned) and as soon as Tony fastened the boat to a buoy (attached to a rope and chain leading to the bottom) the other divers began dumping off the boat into the water. If you've never gone diving before the gist is this: put on your gear, sit up on the edge of the boat with your back to the water and fall backwards. Your BC (a vest in which you can adjust the air pressure) makes you pop right up and then you descend. So Beebee rather desperately watched everyone fall off, realizing her time had come. Her instructor, Chris (a very relaxed, incredibly patient guy) was smiling and not quite laughing at/with her. She confessed up front that she was scared of learning to dive and a bit claustrophobic and all that. Chris seemed totally unfazed. So dump herself of the boat she did, and guess what? It was easy as pie. So she and Chris descended -- very slowly. Took her 18 minutes to clear her ears and get to the bottom, which was 45 feet. Clearing one's ears has got to be the hardest part of diving: You inch (literally) down, trying to pop your ears continually. Once down, they (just Beebee and Chris, mind you. Since it's the low season, she's getting a private lesson -- very cool) sat on the bottom, relaxed and then swam about. A reef encircles the island and in between the coral are sandy bottoms. The water is crystal clear with 100+ foot visibility and warm -- about 80-85 degrees. Nonetheless, Beebee got cold after about 45 minutes. So we ascended to find that the rest of the group had finished their dive just a few minutes before. Beebee felt so good! Steve was awfully happy as well. A few more days and he's got himself a permanent dive partner!

Native Sons Dive Shop. Laid back and fun diving, small enough to stay personal.	One of the dive boats, the littler one	Kids climbing palm trees in front of a little french bakery with excellent bread

We spend our days here walking next door to the dive shop to put our names on the board for one or two dives, eating pastries at the bakery down the street (and watching kids climb the trees), snorkeling and going out for one big meal a day. Somehow that manages to take up most of our daylight hours. Oh, and we usually get in a nap.

One day we did get off our duffs and drive the entire length of the island. In addition to some beautiful homes and picturesque boats on bays, we also got a chance to see some of the poorer areas of the island that most tourists never visit. Pretty stark contrast between the hotel zones and where the people who support the tourist industry live. We found some land for sale on a knoll that we'd like to check into buying (mostly for curiosity's sake). At the far end of the island we stopped for a great picnic at the end of a gorgeous pier. Part of the fun of exploring the island was cruisin around on the various dirt roads and muddy trails in Sandy. It has been a while since we've gotten her into 4-wheel drive and gotten some mud on her so this little adventure was just what the doctor ordered. We also found a great beach on which to camp- can't afford to stay in nice hotels and dive for the entire time we are here, as much as we would like to. We'll probably head out there next week for a few days.

Prime waterfront property, foundation already laid.	The knoll we'd like to own… someday	This ship probably tried to escape a storm and foundered in the shallow bay. Apparently someone salvaged most of the plate from the hull.	A common answer to the problem of no indoor plumbing. Just put it in the ocean	Unfortunate accumulation of trash on what would have been a pretty shoreline

View of the house from across the bay	Bb on a cleaning rampage	Steve crashed out in the hammock	View from the beach next to the house	Front view of the house

View from the screened back porch of the house. Tough life we're leading here	Gazebo on the dock that is conveniently located directly in front of the house	Matt was one of the two dogs that came with the house	One of the many beautiful sunsets we enjoyed from Tim's deck	So good that we took an extra picture

Having a house "of our own" also let us invite our dive instructors/dive masters over for dinner and drinks. It's great for us to host a little dinner party, almost as much fun as the ones we used to throw at home… back when we had a home. Since Tony and Chris are vegetarians we enjoyed a full meal of fresh produce for a very pleasant change from the wonderful fried fish we've been eating at least once a day. Steve made a great garlic soup and Lori made fantastic crepes that we stuffed with sauteed vegetables in a creme sauce by Bb. Kelley kept himself busy at the blender making ron con piñas (our favorite island drink).

Steve and Kelley helped cut the veggies	Clockwise from top left is Lisa, Kelley, Tony, Lori, Jocelyn's empty seat, Steve, Chris	Tony made himself right at home in the hammock, Kelley kept the glasses full